Tuesday, February 3, 2009
HB 185 Clears House Committee
HB 185, which merges five South Mesilla Valley mutual domestics into one Authority, received a unanimous "do pass" vote in the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee today. According to Martin Lopez, General Manager of the Mesquite MDWC & MSWA, the bill now heads to the House Health and Government Affairs Committee. The bill appears to enjoy considerable support from local and statewide entities, including the Farm Bureau, the Municipal League, and the City of Las Cruces Water Utility. It was introduced by Rep. Joseph Cervantes.
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3 comments:
Everyone in NM should read House Bill 185 today. The amount of power being given to this new "authority" is truly scary. It takes away all rights from property owners, including water rights. It's also allowed to make it's own taxes and water rates. On top of all that, it doesn't have to answer to the Public Regulations Committee. Please call your State Rep and asked for House Bill 185 to be stopped!!
Wow, I looked up the bill and I am in shocked. Why would Representative Cervantes give unlimited power to an authority like this.
The bill that was given a unanimous Do Pass by House Ag yesterday is still not posted at the Legislature website. There was a substitute bill that had wide support among such diverse groups as the Councils of Governments, NM Farm & Livestock Bureau, NM Groundwater Drillers, City of Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Housing Authority, and NO opposition with kind words for our working to address their concerns from the NM Municipal League, Association of Counties, City of Las Cruces Utilities Department. If you would like to have a copy of the substitute bill before it is posted at the legislative website, contact me dsmdwca@zianet.com or Martin Lopez at marlopez@zianet.com
This bill DOES NOT give us any huge powers, does NOT take away anyone's property rights, DOES NOT give us authority to do taxation or ordinances, and we already adopt our own water rates based on our budgets now. We are not currently regulated by the PRC, and neither are municipalities -- ratepayers have the ability to elect representation, unlike the private, for profit utilities that are regulated by the PRC.
We are very grateful to Representative Cervantes for his support of our efforts to create a regional Public Waterworks Authority, his tremendous support for our rural communities, and all of his great work in the legislature.
We would also like to thank you, Dr. Garcia for your factual accounts here on your blog.
Karen Nichols
Lower Rio Grande Mutual Domestic Water Association
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