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The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a change to the governance structure of the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority.
The move shifts the power – previously distributed evenly between the county and the city of Sunland Park – to give the city more representation.
The board comprises two county commissioners, two Sunland Park city councilors and two state legislator as appointees. The new setup encases four people appointed by the Sunland Park council – two of whom will be city staff members – and three appointees from Doña Ana County. The change also takes some zoning authority from CRRUA and returns it to the county and city.
“It’s been over two years to get to this point,” Sunland Park City Manager Mario Juarez-Infante told commissioners during a meeting on Feb. 13.
Doña Ana County Manager Fernando Macias said he expects the new governance structure will bring heightened technical awareness to CRRUA since some members will be city or county staff.
“The issues that CRRUA has been dealing with, there is a need for enhanced representation on the board,” Macias said.
The changes are part of a joint powers agreement, a quasi-governmental entity created to serve a specific purpose. For example, the city of Las Cruces and Doña Ana County have a joint powers agreement to govern the Animal Services Center of Mesilla Valley.
The approval comes as CRRUA faces scrutiny for its handling of a water crisis in December. The utility was fined $251,580 after mishandling a “do not drink” order when they failed to notify customers their water had dangerously high pH levels. Attorneys representing affected households have filed a tort claim and claim of civil rights violations, a precursor to potential litigation.
“We’re getting bashed with the news media,” Susana Chaparro, county commissioner for District 4 and CRRUA’s board chair, said. “And we’re trying very, very hard as the board to rally and move forward with a master plan with CRRUA.”
Chaparro also said the board was not changing because of the news coverage of CRRUA’s failure to provide safe water to its customers and that the changes had been in the works for some time.
It’ll take several months before the changes to CRRUA’s governance go into effect. The amended JPA first has to be approved by the state Department of Finances and Administration.
