Ramah letter of disapproval of regionalization wording

There has been recent activity being acted upon in recent days  by  the Northwest Council Governments (NWCOG) who sent a completed application for funding through the Water Trust Board application NWCOG helped fill out that application and sent it to Ramah to be signed September Wednesday 21 2022.  The Ramah Board of Directors read the application and disputed wording on page 5 of application stating Ramahs  full support for Regionalization. 

Letter of support states “Ramah SD with its organizational priorities. Carton Law and

Associates have been contracted by McKinley County, in early 2021, to help

research, prepare and develop a legal Joint Powers of Agreement (JPA) that

will officially establish the formation of a water regionalized entity, that will

operate and function as an umbrella entity that will provide direct assistance to

all small water systems and water communities throughout the region. This partnership is a continuation of the 2008 water regionalization initiative that has identified the critical need for such structure and support for regional water communities. A total of eight (8) small water systems are currently actively involved in all water planning activities for McKinley County, including Ramah WSD. Each community is in full support of the establishment and formation of a Joint Powers of Agreement entity, or the Northwest New Mexico Utility Authority. This regionalized entity will provide direct assistance and support all small water systems and water communities within the region.

McKinley County and its standing partners - the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments, Depauli Engineering and Surveying, New Mexico Environment Department, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, Cartron Law and Associates. continue to provide support and assistance to all the small water systems within the region. This partnership is a continuation of the 2008 water regionalization initiative that has identified the critical need for such structure and support for regional water communities. This regional collaboration has successfully accomplished all pre-development technical planning to establish.”

Phone services were down all day Thursday so Ramah WSD was not able to reach out to North West Council Governments.  The Water Trust Board application was due September 23, 2022. A board member was concerned about the language and Cindy the secretary called northwest counsel Governments  to request that language be removed because the community as Whole did not agree with it and the board members did not make an informed decision to support the language written on this application. When Cindy called to ask that this language be removed she was told “so you don’t want the money“. Ramah  SWD President Bob Cain approved of the language but the board did not make a formal vote in support of this regionalization language and is asking that a letter be addressed to northwest council of governments and to the Water trust board informing them of their position on regionalization as it has been presented to meet Economy of Scale Issues and the Claim that Community Public Water Systems do not have the capacity in the areas of managerial, secretarial and operational  areas of capacity as well as financial capacity that is due to the negligence and mismanagement of state governing bodies and bureaucracy . . Ramah board of directors and stakeholders along with other New Mexico communities and their stakeholders Do not support or agree with regionalization as it has been presented at the northwest council of governments in McKinley County in McKinley County City Of Gallup presentations, claiming  “the key  to shovel out all the money in the Available funding programs is for New Mexico communities to regionalize. This is the Goverments solution to meet the needs of a  failed government system of business that does not have the capacity (operating at a 30%vacancy) to serve all 650 public water systems in the state of New Mexico .  

Motion to be presented as The. So called solution therefore the leading priority to create an new  New Mexico statute to change the governance of community public water systems through regionalization that creates new Quasi-government entities through joint powers agreements in the name of addressing the Economy of scale is Unacceptable. Instead of repeating over and over how regionalization helps communities have the structure /capacity needed to address the failed government. bureaucracy    programs that take the  autonomy and control of the most important levels of government at a local level.  Instead  we need to focus on making available funding, affordable funding and affordable technical

assistance available first not after we pass this new law of regionalization giving new formed entities  unchecked powers Without proper oversight.

We the people whom this government serves demands that the money that is set aside and made available to the Bipartisan The Infrastructure law and through the state revolving funds and all other applicable funding sources be made available to the very people who invited these representatives to represent their interests and their priorities in the area of serving safe clean affordable water for the health safety and peace of New Mexico communities. 85% of New Mexico community public water systems fall under the medium house income level making it difficult for them to be eligible to meet the requirements and afford the loan portion of the grant funding.  Funding for committee public water systems should not be attached or tied to regionalization and your support for or against it. There should not be rewards for regionalization in the amounts of hundreds of thousands of dollars to those who surrender their autonomy and their civil civic duties. The surrender of the civil civic duties and their autonomy is much easier and appealing when money is being promised at the other end of the deal. This reward in a play to play  should not be the reason for communities to regionalize to meet economy of scale issues that had been created by the very government agencies and government bodies due to neglect negligence and even malfeasance in saying do you want the money or not in reference to Ramah WSD asking NWCOG to remove Language in letter of support on page 5 of the Water Trust Board application. Available Affordable funding should be given to the communities that are charged with serving safe clean affordable water to their stakeholders without fear of Retaliation or retribution or extortion

Article 4 section 26 new mexico constitution 

97% language from 2019 

We do not support regionalization 

Look at JPA Statutes