BoomGov - Council agenda 5-6-25
Council considers electricity and sewer rate increases
Welcome to our BoomGov agenda preview for the upcoming Los Alamos County Council meeting.
Meeting details:
Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 6 p.m.
Council Chambers, Los Alamos Municipal Building
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85448619994
Submit your public comments on the county’s site here, or by e-mail to countycouncil@lacnm.us, before 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday.
Agenda overview:
Here’s a quick look at what’s on the agenda.
Statement regarding closed session: The council is scheduled to meet in a non-public, closed session at 4:30 p.m. on May 6 to discuss pending legal matters. The state’s Open Meetings Act allows governing bodies to hold closed meetings to discuss things like litigation or personnel matters; however the reasons for a closed-door meeting must be publicly disclosed. According to the meeting agenda, during this closed session the council is scheduled to discuss:
A Court of Appeals case involving plaintiff Sirphey LLC and the County Council of Los Alamos
A United States District Court case involving plaintiffs Sirphey LLC and others and the Director of Community Development for the County of Los Alamos and others
Public comment is available at the start of the meeting for non-agenda, non-action items, both in person and by Zoom.
Presentations, proclamations, and recognitions:
Proclamation designating May 2025 as Building Safety Month in Los Alamos
Proclamation designating May 2025 as Motorcycle Awareness Month
Recognition of May 10, 2025, as the 25th anniversary of the Cerro Grande fire
The council will also encourage citizens to “share and reflect-on what was lost, what was rebuilt, and what we have gained through courage, compassion, and the enduring spirit of community” through an online form at LACNM.com/CG2025 or by sending an email to Julie.williams@lacnm.us
Consent agenda: The consent agenda is a group of routine items that the council can approve all at once without discussion, unless a councilor requests to talk about a specific item. There is separate public comment for the consent agenda. This month’s agenda includes eight items:
Council meeting minutes from the April 21-23 budget hearings
Purchase order for up to $600,000 for a service agreement with Andritz Hydro for supplies and repairs to the Abiquiu Hydroelectric Power Plant draft tube
Approval of $399,852 for a fire suppression system at the Performing Art Center (Los Alamos Little Theatre) and to establish a project budget in the amount of $760,000.
Approval of a seven-year $560,000 contract with BurnBot, Inc. to provide forest thinning management services (using robotic masticators.)
Approving an easement from DOE allowing Los Alamos County to install a fiber-optic line on existing poles in Los Alamos Canyon that would allow the Department of Public Utilities to control four water supply wells
Approval of the nomination of Ben Olbrich to the New Mexico Municipal Energy Acquisition Authority board
Approval of the appointment of Wendy Servey as the interim fire chief
Approval of updating the list of authorized signers on county bank and investment accounts
Introduction of ordinances: An ordinance is a specific law or regulation passed by the council. These ordinances, or county codes, are organized by topic, like building regulations or traffic and vehicles. This month’s agenda includes:
An ordinance to raise electric rates by 9% in FY2026 and 8% in FY2027
An ordinance to raise sewage service rates by 7% for FY2026 (though it would erase a 2% increase previously approved), and would increase rates an additional 7% in FY2027
An ordinance to lease land to Los Alamos Dog Obedience Club, Inc
An ordinance authorizing a $2.7 million loan for Denver Steel Waterline Replacement Projects from the New Mexico Finance Authority
An ordinance authorizing the correction of a 1970s mistake which resulted in 1/16th of an acre not being transferred to a private party
Public hearings: Public hearings allow community members to voice their opinions on specific topics before the council decides. At this meeting, council will consider:
An ordinance relating to distracted driving and the use of handheld mobile communication devices while driving
An ordinance amendment to the county’s building regulations and the fire prevention and protection codes and to declare the county a wildland-urban interface area (WUI) — the amendment would also require adoption of portions of the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) to provide wildland fire risk mitigation in building construction
A resolution supporting a county application to the New Mexico Department of Transportation to offset construction costs for the Denver Steel Phase II Reconstruction Project.
Council business: This section allows the council to discuss or act upon additional administrative issues. At this meeting, council members will talk about:
Boards and commission reports
Council chair report
Preview of Upcoming Agenda Items
Tickler Report of Upcoming Agenda Items:
May 9: A special council meeting at UNM-LA between San Ildefonso and Los Alamos
May 13: Report from the council’s Local and Small Business Engagement Working Group
May 13: A transportation board update and NM Representative Christine Chandler’s 2025 legislative update
More details:
Proposed electric rate increase: The Board of Public Utilities has proposed a 9% increase in rates for the 2026 fiscal year and an 8% increase for the 2027 fiscal year. If approved, the new rates would take effect on July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026.
The Board of Public Utilities and staff have also held a series of public meetings on residential time of use and residential demand rate designs. The Board directed staff to implement both time of use and residential demand billing capabilities, either in the existing or new billing software program. Staff included $250,000 in the 2026 fiscal year budget to update the existing software to allow for the new rate designs. There is a minimum of 12 months for the implementation. The new rate design which includes time of use and residential demand would take effect no sooner than July 1, 2026.
Proposed sewage service rate increase: The Board of Public Utilities has proposed a 7% increase for sewage service rates for the 2026 fiscal year. The board and council previously approved a 2% rate increase that is set to take effect Oct. 1, 2025, but if the new 7% increase were adopted, it would replace the previously approved a 2% increase.
Distracted driving: First introduced at the March 18 council work session, council will further discuss proposed changes to an existing Los Alamos ordinance to amend section 38-299 of chapter 38, traffic and vehicles, relating to the use of handheld mobile communication devices while driving, and would repeal section 38-315 in its entirety, replacing it with a new section. The existing ordinance already dictates that a driver cannot engage in any activity that interferes with “the safe operation of the vehicle.”
Specifically, the current ordinance states that a driver is not allowed to drive with an “adult or minor, or any animal” in their lap; drive while seated in the lap of another person; or drive a vehicle while “having either arm around another person.” It also addresses texting while driving, specifically forbidding someone from reading or viewing a text message or manually typing on “a handheld mobile communication device for any purpose while driving a motor vehicle, except to summon medical or other emergency help.”
Mark your calendars and stay informed!
Why build low income housing if you are going to raise utility rates and the sales tax? These hit the poorest the hardest. Illogical.