Mayor talks city issues

Editor’s Note: Clovis Mayor David Lansford is serving his fourth term in office. He was mayor from 1996-2008 and then was re-elected as mayor in 2012. We asked him a series of questions about city issues.

One of the major issues facing the city of Clovis and this region of eastern New Mexico is the water supply. How do you feel about the status of the regional water project and its ability to serve the people of Clovis and the surrounding region?

With regard to our water supply, which in this area is basically the Ogallala Aquifer, I’m reasonably confident the groundwater supply can be managed effectively to ensure our long-term water supply. But the reality is that probably the price of water will increase as the water supply decreases. It’s a supply and demand issue. And we will need to keep up with treatment requirements to maintain the quality of our water.

As for the current regional water project involving the Ute Lake Reservoir, I have been a supporter of that project even before it was reintroduced about 14 years ago. I’m not as confident as I would like to be that it can meet our needs. I’m hopeful it can all be funded and that it will be adequate to add to our groundwater supply, which is our primary source of water in this region. The Ute water project also will depend on receiving adequate precipitation because it’s basically a water reservoir. So we remain hopeful about obtaining the funding and about whether the project can deliver a sufficient water supply.

One of the proposals to address the region’s water situation involves the idea of buying water rights from area farmers and/or encouraging area farmers to use less water for irrigation. What is the status of that proposal? What is your opinion of the viability of that proposal?

The Clovis city commission recently purchased water rights on 930 acres just north of Cannon Air Force Base from one area farmer. I’m very pleased the Clovis city commission acted positively to take this step to help our water supply. I think that area is one of the best sources of water supply in the region, and by retiring the water used for irrigation, it will reduce demand for water there and Clovis and Cannon Air Force Base will have more water supply. We purchased 100 percent of those water rights and the farmer agreed to cease irrigation for crop production and will use a domestic well for his domestic water needs.

Regarding the water conservation issue, that would involve federal grants to farmers who agree to cease irrigation for three years or maybe longer. Right now, we are waiting for approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the application we submitted for the city of Clovis that would use about $20 million in state of New Mexico funding to pay area farmers to retire irrigation for about three years in areas around here that are critical to the region’s water supply close to wells.

Do you believe the citizens of Clovis will have to face tax increases in order to continue financing water needs in this region? Please explain your answer, including the amount of tax increases that may be needed.

I think the citizens of Clovis may have to pay more eventually as the cost of the water pipeline project increases. The local contribution has not been as large as it will probably be in the future. The funding formula has been for local governments to pay 10 percent of the project costs, the state of New Mexico will pay 15 percent and the federal government will pay 75 percent. If that continues, then I think the local contribution for the city of Clovis would eventually be about $35-40 million in capital expenses — and that’s not currently in the city budget. We have designated part of our city gross receipts tax already in place specifically for water needs and we are now generating over $1 million a year from that. If we receive the payments in lieu of taxes we’re expecting from the Tres Amigas project, that would bring in more money for the city of Clovis. I do believe we will have to look for additional sources of revenue for our water needs. The good thing is we can use revenue bonds once the Ute Reservoir water pipeline project is close to completion.

As you look ahead in this New Year, what do you still hope to accomplish during your term as mayor of Clovis?

There are several things I would like for us to accomplish for the city of Clovis. I want us to hire a very well-qualified city manager coming into 2015 and see to it that the city manager hires a qualified police chief.

Over the next 10-12 months, I would like to see the city develop a plan to address our growing capital infrastructure needs, especially our recreational opportunities, our parks and our senior citizen facilities. Currently, there is not enough funding for that. I think we also need to look for roadway improvements that make sense. Many of the roadways in this area are deteriorating faster than we can repair them. While I’ve been mayor, we have made improvements, such as we did road work on Norris Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. We’ve advanced the effluent reuse project and that is critical to our water supply because we could use that treated wastewater on city parks and ballfields.

Longtime Clovis City Manager Joe Thomas has announced his plans to retire. What is the plan to fill that position of city manager and what is the timeline at this point?

Joe Thomas has indicated to Clovis city officials that he will work until the first part of April or until we do find another city manager because he has offered to help us and the new city manager through the transition. So once a new city manager is hired, then Joe will use his accumulated personal and sick leave to be available to us for assistance while he is still on the city payroll through October or November of this year.

By about mid-January, we plan to be reviewing applications and that process will be a three-step process. Collectively, the Clovis City commissioners and I, as nine elected officials, will go through those applications and hopefully narrow the search down to semifinalists. Then we will likely do phone interviews and thorough reference checks of the semifinalists so we can choose our finalists and possibly do on-site interviews. I’m hopeful that by the end of March, we should be able to hire a new Clovis city manager.

One of the other key leadership positions is the chief for the Clovis Police Department. Does current Clovis Police Chief Steve Sanders plan to stay in his position or retire? If he retires soon, is there any indication of when that would happen and would filling the position of police chief be up to the next Clovis city manager?

I haven’t seen or received any specific memos from our Clovis police chief, but he has told our current city manager that he intends to retire by about the middle of this year. That’s all I really know at this point. So, yes, that would be probably the most important next task for our new city manager in Clovis — to hire a new police chief.

When the New Mexico Legislature meets in Santa Fe beginning in January, the 60-day session will allow for more legislation to be considered. What are the legislative priorities this time for the city of Clovis?

The Ute Reservoir water pipeline project is our No. 1 priority and it has been for many years. Then, we want to take our effluent reuse project to the next level. The next phase will involve getting treated wastewater to the Hillcrest Park area for the park, zoo and playing fields through the drainage system that goes from northwest Clovis to southeast Clovis, including Greene Acres Lake. The city’s storm water drainage channel will take effluent water and we will have storage in northwest Clovis to water our parks and ballfields. The city of Clovis is asking for about $4.5 million for that project from the New Mexico State Water Trust Board.

Keeping up with infrastructure needs, such as road conditions and drainage, poses an ongoing challenge for cities. What are the next priorities for the city of Clovis when it comes to infrastructure needs?

One of the road projects that is very important on our priority list is on East Seventh Street. The Wilhite Street road project, which is one mile from Norris Street to Prince Street, is in the design phase and we hope to begin construction by 2016. I think we need to address our city roadways comprehensively across the community. Of course, it all depends on money. We’re a growing community and we have to have new roadways and continue repairing our old roadways. But it all boils down to funding.

Overall, what do you see as the biggest challenges ahead facing Clovis? What do you see as the biggest accomplishments the city has made in recent years?

I think the biggest challenge is finding the funding for the projects we need and getting adequate resources to address the needs of the community. But it always seems to boil down to prioritizing and matching our available resources with our city needs. Having accurate, timely information to make good decisions in that process is also critical. I believe we’re going to be fine as a community because we have good leadership and the greatest needs are going to rise to the top and we will take care of those needs for our community.

As for accomplishments, the two roadway projects I mentioned on Norris Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard were important accomplishments. Another accomplishment was improving the conditions at the Colonial Park Golf Course, which was in seriously poor condition when the city purchased it. One of the minor improvements for the city of Clovis is the new sound system at Clovis City Hall, so the people can have better access to their local government.

— Compiled by Janet Lyn Bresenham, correspondent