Meetings watch: Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority

The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority met Wednesday morning at the Clovis-Carver Public Library.

Chair Gayla Brumfield and members Wendell Bostwick, Chris Bryant, Sharon King and David Lansford attended.

• Authority members held a 10-minute executive session for an evaluation on Justin Howalt, the authority’s executive director. No action followed when the open session resumed.

• Howalt said he was working on a preliminary budget for the 2017-18 year, which is due to the state by May 31. The current year budget is $1.297 million. Howalt said he planned to have a budget that would be feasible with member contributions whether it included all entities ($1.7 million) or didn’t include Portales ($1.4 million).

Bostwick said in communication on the budget, he always like to see frames of reference — last year’s budget as a comparison, and monthly summaries that indicated what percentage of the annual budget was so far encumbered.

• Members approved a right-of-way agreement with Curry County. Howalt said the agreement is constructed to align with the county’s road department policy. It includes a $50 application fee and fees depending on the size of the pipe — $75 for up to 10 inches, $150 for 11-20 inches and $300 for 21 or more inches.

• Julie Samora, a program engineer for CH2MHill, said design is complete on and state environment department approval has been given to the project to connect Clovis and Cannon Air Force Base with the pipeline that will eventually go to the Ute Reservoir in Quay County.

• Joe Thompson, who works with the authority on state activities, gave an update of the complete legislative session.

“It was one of the strangest sessions I’ve ever seen in my life,” Thompson said. “It’s a prime example of branch conflicts.”

He anticipates a special session to approve a budget in May, and advised the authority to be active in the interim committee work and to go back out to member communities to discuss the project and answer concerns.

• John Ryan, who works on federal activities, said there is plenty of doubt about getting infrastructure dollars for the project.

He said President Donald Trump’s budget suggestions don’t square with campaign promises to concentrate on infrastructure, but has been told by those working with the president that the approach is to find efficient ways to handle infrastructure.

Still, Ryan said, “I think he’s going to have a hard time getting a lot of his budget requests.”

He said one idea being floated through Congress is an infrastructure bill combined with a repeal of the Affordable Care Act with hopes to peel bipartisan support.

He noted plans are in the works for a trip to Washington D.C. May 15-16 to discuss the water project.

• The next meeting is tentatively set for the afternoon of May 25 in Elida.

— Compiled by Managing Editor Kevin Wilson