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RW&SD board approves routine measures, adopts policies and raises staff pay
Summary
At its Jan. 14 meeting the RW&SD board unanimously approved minutes and leadership, adopted a yearly Open Meetings resolution, set new customer late fees and reconnection charges, authorized limited bulk-water sales, approved DOT project applications, and granted a 2.4% employee raise.
The RW&SD board met Jan. 14, 2025 and unanimously passed a slate of routine and policy items affecting customers, operations and staff compensation.
The board approved the December 2024 minutes and retained Robert Montague as board chairman for 2025. It adopted the annual Open Meetings Act resolution for 2025, as presented by the secretary. The board also voted to store the district debit card in the office safe and require both the secretary and the cardholder to be present for larger purchases; an additional board member will retain the safe combination as a backup.
On customer billing the board adopted a revised late-payment and shutoff policy. Under the new policy, late fees are $7.50 for a first offense, $15 for a second and $25 for a third; reconnection fees are $100 for a first shutoff and $175 for a second. The secretary said a copy of the updated policy will be included with bills sent on Jan. 15 and posted in the office.
The board authorized selling non-potable bulk water to a forthcoming construction project and set a rate recorded in the meeting as “.05 cents per gallon,” directing the secretary to notify the buyer that the supply would come from a well pump rather than a fire hydrant. The board discussed water-rights limits in the Zuni River Basin adjudication and said proceeds should be used to fund certifying that well for inclusion in RW&SD’s system.
On infrastructure and planning, the board authorized staff to prepare NMDOT FY2025 project applications naming public roads in the district for potential repair funding and voted to hire an electrician to provide a quote for replacing electrical components at the sewage treatment plant. The board also agreed to meet with consultant DePauli on Feb. 11, 2025 to finalize the wastewater preliminary engineering report (PER).
The board set travel reimbursement rates (mileage $0.70/mile; per diem $59/day; hotel $139/night plus tax) and approved the secretary’s attendance at budget and audit-compliance trainings in 2025. Finally, the board approved a 2.4% cost-of-living raise for employees, which the minutes note is in addition to any previously negotiated contractual increases for the secretary.
Operator Flint Tietjen reported operational items including a newly hooked-up meter pole at the highway well and an office HVAC purchase of approximately $1,063. “The new meter pole for the HWY well has been hooked up and is working,” he said.
All formal motions recorded in the meeting carried unanimously with the four members present voting in the affirmative. The board adjourned at 8:12 p.m. and scheduled follow-up items (wastewater PER finalization, electrician visit) for future meetings.
