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Council approves overhead electrical service at 356 Camino Ramosa after ordinance debate
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Summary
The Corrales Village Council approved Resolution 26/24 to permit a new overhead electrical service at 356 Camino Ramosa after discussion over whether the village ordinance applies to a service line or a distribution line; the applicant said the change improves safety by moving the line off the house.
The Corrales Village Council voted to approve Resolution 26/24 permitting an overhead electrical service to be installed at 356 Camino Ramosa.
The applicant, Matthew Butkus, told the council the home’s original 1950s electrical panel lacks capacity and the proposed relocation moves the service to the rear of the garage to keep wiring out of trees and off the roof. "We're constantly tripping circuits," Butkus said, describing frequent outages and safety concerns that prompted the upgrade.
Staff and the village attorney debated whether the ordinance that usually requires new distribution lines to be placed underground applies to this work. The village attorney said the proposal appears to be a service line on the applicant’s property and may not fall under the undergrounding requirement; staff noted section 3 of the ordinance allows overhead service connections where existing overhead lines extend to the lot boundary. "I don't believe this is a distribution line," the attorney said during council deliberations.
Mayor Fred Hashimoto called for a roll-call resolution vote; council members voiced recorded 'yes' votes and the measure passed. The council did not specify a motion mover or seconder in the record. The approved resolution allows the new overhead service and associated pole as described in the applicant’s submission.
Councilors and staff agreed the ordinance language could be clarified to distinguish distribution lines from individual service connections; staff recommended an update to the code to remove ambiguity.
The council moved on to ICIP ranking and other business; the vote on the overhead service was the only action recorded for this agenda item.
