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Council hears CRC update, museum exhibit plans and honors electric utility; publishes proposed electronic‑communications ordinance
Summary
At the April 28 Farmington City Council meeting the Community Relations Commission reviewed 2025 accomplishments, Krista Chapman outlined a new 5,000 sq ft 'Story of Farmington' museum exhibition, the Farmington Electric Utility received national awards and the council voted to publish an ordinance modernizing electronic‑communications harassment language.
Farmington City Council received several non‑controversial updates and recognitions after the evening’s business concluded.
Community Relations Commission: Del Eddy and Deb Dumont (speaker 5) presented the CRC’s 2025 highlights, including a new community recognition program for businesses and nonprofits, an updated formal complaint form posted on the City website and available in City Hall and the library, outreach to teens and tweens, social‑media civility campaigns, and plans for a joint meeting with the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission. Councilors praised the commission’s engagement and asked clarifying questions about the complaint routing and scope. "One of our primary accomplishments in 2025 was the creation of the formal community recognition program for business and nonprofits," Del Eddy said.
Museum exhibit: Krista Chapman (speaker 20) gave an overview of the 'Story of Farmington' — a planned 5,000 square foot permanent exhibition at the Farmington Museum and Visitor Center that will present local natural history (including paleontology and the Bisti experience), cultural narratives, seasonal thematic galleries, interactive media, and community‑sourced content. Chapman said consultants and subject matter experts have been engaged and the final fabrication documents will be ready within months after a final round of public input. Councilors noted strong community participation and donor support.
Electric utility recognition: Mayor and city manager recognized Farmington Electric Utility for national awards from the American Public Power Association. Hank Adair (speaker 26) described the APPA evaluation framework and highlighted a 'platinum' designation and top‑quartile reliability (reported average outage time per customer of about 103 minutes annually, equating to lights on roughly 99.98% of the time). Adair credited extensive safety training and capital investment in infrastructure and suggested the recognition be used for recruitment and public celebration.
Ordinance publication: The city attorney (speaker 10) presented a draft ordinance amending section 18‑4‑9 of the Farmington City Code to add "electronic communication" (covering text messages, messaging apps and multimedia messaging) to the list of means by which harassment can occur. The council voted to publish the proposed ordinance for public comment ahead of final action on May 26, 2026. City Attorney and the part‑time municipal court judge developed the language to avoid a gap in prosecuting harassment conducted via newer communications technologies.
What's next: The CRC will continue outreach and solicit nominations for the recognition program; the museum project will hold a final round of public input with consultants before fabrication documents are completed; staff will publicize the APPA recognition and city administration may use the award in recruiting; and the city will accept public comment on the proposed electronic‑communications ordinance ahead of final consideration.
