Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A problem earlier this month with Tucumcari residents who use automatic drafts to pay their water bills affected about 300 accounts and caused a few dozen to briefly have their water service incorrectly cut off for non-payment.
New city manager Renee Hayoz, who officially took over the position on Jan. 1 from retiring city manager Paula Chacon, briefly described the problem during her manager’s report at a city commission meeting Thursday.
She and city financial specialist Cynthia Sanchez, who handles the accounts payable, elaborated on the problem later to the Quay County Sun.
Hayoz described the situation as “a perfect storm” of customers’ drafts that were scheduled on the New Year’s Day holiday and late water shutoffs from the previous month that had to be reconciled before bills were issued.
Hayoz said shutoffs for non-payment usually occur on the 22nd of each month, but previous city manager Chacon elected to not perform those in December until after Christmas.
Because of the late shutoffs, the city was delayed in reconciling its monthly accounts.
Sanchez said many customers who use automatic drafts schedule them on the first day of each month. The drafts didn’t occur because of the Jan. 1 holiday, and with reconciliations being delayed and no water bills issued, money wasn’t taken out of customers’ accounts on Jan. 2.
Hayoz and other city workers didn’t notice the problem until Jan. 22, when water was being shut off to customers who used automatic drafts.
“Our phones were ringing nonstop” when the problem became apparent, Hayoz said, adding the problem affected a total of about 300 customers.
Sanchez estimated about 40 to 45 customers had their water briefly shut off due to the snafu.
Hayoz said customers who had their water shut off because of the issue had it restored the same day, with the $50 reconnection fee waived.
“The next month, this will not happen,” Sanchez said.
Hayoz said from now on, water disconnections will occur on the 22nd of each month regardless of holidays.
Other items from Hayoz’s report:
— Hayoz said a low-cost spay-neuter event scheduled from Feb. 27 through March 2 would be in the Liberty Room at the Tucumcari Convention Center.
Paws & Claws Animal Rescue of Quay County and RezDawg Rescue are organizing the event, where animals also are given shots and microchips. An earlier clinic in November by the organizations spayed or neutered more than 300 animals.
Using savings from the city lacking an animal control officer for about seven months, Hayoz said she would pay $15,000 to RezDawg as a professional services contract for the event.
RezDawg and Paws & Claws officials earlier this month asked the city for $15,000 to help cover the event’s costs and keep the costs low for the medical procedures.
Hayoz said she was committed to hiring an animal control officer soon. The job opening was posted on the front page of the city’s website last week.
— Hayoz said she reviewed bodycam footage of a city police officer shooting and killing an attacking dog on the city’s north side on Jan. 16.
She said she determined the officer followed policy and did not break the law.
Officers had been called to the area to check on reports of dogs attacking an elderly man in a wheelchair.
— She said roof repairs would begin next on the Tucumcari Convention Center, municipal court building, railroad depot and the Community Development Department.
Many roofs on buildings in Tucumcari needed replacement or repairs after a severe hailstorm in May 2023.
Action items
— Commissioners approved an amendment for the installation of a new fuel farm at Tucumcari Municipal Airport.
Project manager Ralph Lopez said the amendment allows the state Department of Transportation to cover a $52,434 shortfall for the project.
Lopez said equipment had been ordered for the $2.2 million fuel farm, and the project includes the removal of the old tanks.
Lopez remarked the completion of the fuel farm would represent “the end of five years of work.” Funding shortfalls had repeatedly delayed the project.
— Commissioners approved an application for $300,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding for a new roof and additional asbestos abatement at the Tucumcari Recreation Center.
Lopez, speaking on behalf of project manager Darlene Hiles, said it would require a city match of $36,881. The project, which received a previous CDBG grant, would have a total cost of $886,881.
— Commissioners approved a stormwater pollution prevention plan for the city’s landfill.
Andy Yuhas of the Parkhill engineering firm of Rio Rancho recommended the plan so the city could receive a 20-year permit to operate the landfill.
Parkhill’s fee to draft and submit the plan would be $27,035.13.
— Commissioners approved two memorandums of agreement with Mesalands Community College.
One allows the college’s golf team to use Tucumcari Municipal Golf Course. Commissioner Jerry Lopez added a stipulation that the city waive green fees for the team.
The other allows city first responders to use the college’s 24-hour fitness center for free except for a $10 identification-card fee.
Mesalands President Allen Moss said the city’s ambulance service helps with the college’s annual rodeo, and free fitness memberships would serve as “a thank-you.”
Moss added the college may soon host the state legislature’s Legislative Finance Committee meeting.
— Commissioners approved consent access for the New Mexico Environment Department at the Worley Mills site at 702 W. Campbell Ave. The state agency wants to finish a years-long cleanup on an underground storage tank.
— Commissioners approved artwork for a new billboard leased from Sun Vista Outdoors. The design features an image of a golfer at the municipal course, with the phrase “Tucumcari Tonite!” and “Tee off in Tucumcari.”
— Commissioners approved the appointments of Kathleen Handy, CJ Wiegel and Toni Wilson to the Cemetery Advisory Board.
— The Quay County Health Council made a video presentation on its activities in the past 15 months. Brenda Bishop said she hoped the state legislature would approve a bill that would create more consistent funding for health councils statewide.
Bishop said the local health council will use $225,000 in grant funds in the current fiscal year.
Current focus areas including improving consumer health literacy, reduced alcohol and substance abuse, equitable access to healthcare services, families choosing healthier foods and more exercise, increasing vaccine use and assessing the mental health landscape in the region.
The council also wants to increase residents’ knowledge of anxiety, coping skills and when to seek professional help. Its Kindness Campaign showed that kindness factors rose by 6% in a year, according to a survey.
— During public comments, Police Chief Patti Lopez thanked commissioners for approving the purchase of laptops and dash cameras for patrol vehicles.
She also said her officers soon would use PSTrax software to help write traffic citations.
Work session
During a work session, commissioners discussed clarifying city ordinances on property owners’ responsibilities for sewer lines.
Hayoz said unclear language in city codes leads to confusion by homeowners.
“As it stands now, it’s open to interpretation,” she said, adding that all city codes need updating.
Homeowners’ responsibilities for sewer repairs generally go from the middle of the alley to the middle of the street, though there are some variances depending on the placement of sewer mains and laterals.
Commissioner Clayton Thorne questioned whether a homeowner should be responsible to the middle of a street.
“We can’t hold a resident accountable. That’s not fair,” he said.
Hayoz agreed. “But until the ordinance changes, our hand are tied.”
Water superintendent John Brown said 12 to 15 years ago, the city improperly replaced some sewer lines in the street.
“I don’t know what it cost the city all those years,” he said.
He pointed out other communities require homeowners to maintain their sewer laterals.
Mayor Mike Cherry asked that Hayoz research to see what Santa Rosa, Clayton, Portales and other cities similar in size to Tucumcari do about homeowners’ sewer responsibilities.