The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) began work last week on a stimulus-funded pedestrian bridge near the Belen Rail Runner Express station.

The $2.4-million project is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The city was awarded the money in June 2009.

When complete, the project will provide ramps and stairways from the station’s platform to the top of the Reinken Avenue overpass.

Pedestrians will be able to walk toward downtown, crossing the street on a pedestrian bridge over Reinken Avenue, and exiting the walkway near First and Second streets.

The project is being managed by NMDOT and the Mid-Region Council of Governments.

According to plans, Reinken Avenue will experience lane closure during the work, which is expected to be completed in the middle of November.

The entire roadway will be closed for a few hours one night while crews install the bridge’s main support beam.

The public is welcome to attend to show their support for the soldiers.

The soldiers will be riding in a convoy from Fort Bliss to Belen tomorrow afternoon, with an anticipated arrival in Belen around 4:00pm.

The soldiers served in Iraq for nearly a year.

Valencia! kept track of the 515th as they left Belen for their tour of duty:

• Soldiers get ready for Iraq deployment
• Recently deployed soldier suffers heart attack
• Soldiers arrive in Kuwait
• New Mexico soldiers arrive in Iraq
• Soldiers settle into their Iraq mission
• Soldiers prepare for next year’s Iraq drawdown
• Soldiers spend Thanksgiving in transition
• Troops celebrated the holidays with tradition
• Soldiers in Iraq anticipate early return home

By a vote of 4-0, the city council approved an OMA resolution that defines the proper public notice for regular, special and emergency meetings.

The city is required to approve an OMA resolution every year, but hadn’t approved one since 2008.

The resolution was proposed by Councilor Jerah R. Cordova.

At its peak, Valencia! received more than 2,500 hits per day, a number that makes us proud.

I want to personally thank you for reading our articles. I also want to thank our many supporters — the people who advertised, the citizens who emailed tips and all the public officials who didn’t mind the scrutiny.

Because I was elected to the Belen City Council this week, Valencia! will cease to operate as a Valencia County news and information website.

As a city councilor, it would be difficult to cover the public officials I will work with, not only in Belen but throughout the county. As a journalist, I don’t feel it would be ethical.

Starting next week, Valencia! will be redesigned and become an open government website paid for and maintained by me as an elected official dedicated to open government.

Transparency and accessibility are essential to good government. This open government website will give Belen’s residents and business owners a way to see what their government is doing each day. It’ll also make it easy for citizens to contact me with their comments, concerns and criticisms.

The open government website will provide as much information as possible, everything from the city’s budget and planning documents to proposed ordinances and public notices. It will be updated immediately as information becomes available.

For a limited amount of time, you will be able to access the website with the same web address — www.valenciavoices.com — but it will also have a new web address: www.betterbelen.com.

Jerah R. Cordova
Reporter and Publisher
Valencia!

Valencia County ends '09 at 9.0 percent.

While the unemployment rate has mostly ticked upward one- or two-tenths at a time over the last year, in December the unemployment rate shot up four-tenths of a percent.

December’s rate is the highest on record for Valencia County.

It comes at a time when the promise of Signet Solar, a solar technology manufacturer expected create 600 jobs in Belen, was unable to get a federal loan guarantee to move forward with financing and construction of a plant.

City of Belen officials are in Washington, DC, this week on a planned trip to lobby Congress. At the last minute, they arranged to meet with officials at the United States Department of Energy, the department that denied the loan guarantee.

The town expected their total general fund to be at $219,000 by this point in the budget year, but because of strong gross receipts in December, the town has more than $257,000 in that fund.

“That was primarily because of the large gross receipts tax check we got in December. That was more than we anticipated,” said Raymond Garcia, the town’s accountant.

Not only has the town brought in more revenue, but between July and December the town expended only $222,000 out of the general fund, which is $110,000 less than expected.

Beyond just the general fund, looking at other funds and revenues, the town started the the budget year with a total of $468,949 in the bank and now has $617,509.

“It clearly appears we’ll be home earlier than originally expected. This is good news for all of us,” said Lt. Colonel Kenneth Nava, who leads the battalion in Iraq.

A date for their return hasn’t been set.

In the meantime, the soldiers continue to carry out their mission under a new name: Task Force 515th.

“Every soldier within TF515 is actively engaged in important duties, working long hours and enduring hectic schedules,” said Captain Michael Calhoon, who noted that what used to be eight-hour shifts have become 12-hour shifts.

The task force operates what’s called a “mayor’s cell,” supervising services provided to everyone at Camp Bucca, where the 515th is stationed. It also oversees base defense operations, which includes intelligence gathering and transportation support for operations.

“Our civil affairs section works closely with the leaders of local communities in this vicinity to support the Iraqis in their process of becoming self-sufficient,” Calhoon said. “While there is much work still to be done, the Iraqis are making great strides in governing themselves and maintaining security in the area.”

Staff Sergeant Martin David Gallegos has worked closely with Iraqis, some of whom speak English well, giving him a unique opportunity to understand where they’re coming from.

“I have noticed that all, not one, not a few, are very adamant about their faith and will express an individual view of what they and their families believe to be right,” he said.

He said the Iraqis show a very strong will in working to provide what their families need. He said most of them — plumbers, electricians, farmers and even unskilled workers — are just seeking good jobs.

“The people I am describing are no different than you or me,” Gallegos said.

While Gallegos said Iraq hasn’t been enjoyable for him, it’s been rewarding to help each Iraqi regain some independence, one goal in the 515th’s mission.

“I have found my brothers halfway around the world. Life does not get any better than this,” he said.

Because the Town of Peralta is small and lacks resources, it’ll rely upon the county for code enforcement. The ordinance gives the county the ability to enforce the new regulations.

The law prohibits the dumping, accumulation or scattering of solid waste outdoors, infestation of vermin, including mosquitoes, the operation of junk yards, including ones for automobiles, violations of uniform building codes, unimproved real property, and inoperative vehicles, among other things.

Peralta residents had been particularly concerned over the years with the use of off-road vehicles, like ATVs, on ditch banks and roads.

The new ordinance bans the use of off-road vehicles on private property without the permission of the owner. It also bans the use of the same vehicles on roads or easements if a sign is posted prohibiting the vehicles.

Government and agricultural-use off-road vehicles are expressly allowed, but all off-road vehicles are required to have a working muffler and spark arrestor.

In a sweeping protection of Peralta’s agriculture, the ordinance exempts all agricultural activities that don’t cause a health or safety hazard from being declared a nuisance.

“I think the ordinance does a pretty good job and won’t be too taxing on the residents. There’s nothing about weeds in there. It’s about public safety and the public safety concerns that have been brought up,” said Councilor Joseph Romero.

According to the ordinance, a code enforcement officer can require an immediate remedy to a violation or can issue a warning to a violator, who then must begin addressing the violation within 10 days and have the violation fully remedied within 30 days.

A failure to comply with the ordinance could result in a court case against the violator.

Mayor Bryan Olguin said anyone who wants to report an alleged violation of the ordinance can call the Town of Peralta. The town administration will contact the county and have them send out a code enforcement officer.

The issue has come up multiple times over many years but hit a peak recently after the city wrote the property owners to tell them they had to pay for the unused services. Citizens questioned the city’s authority to do that.

The citizens who complained about it were upset that they have to pay just more than $19 each month for garbage collection when their properties are vacant and they aren’t throwing any trash. For example, when a home is for sale, some property owners want to maintain the yard by watering grass or flowers but don’t want to pay for garbage collection.

The city’s ordinance regulating water, sewer and garbage services says the city must charge for all three services, with no ability for a citizen to opt out of one or two of the three services.

“According to the ordinance, if they have an account, we need to be charging them for sewer and water and solid waste — the basic services,” said City Manager Sally Garley.

Of course, at any time a property owner can opt out of all three.

The city councilors generally agreed the city should leave the ordinance in place as it’s written, expressing concern that it would be difficult to monitor properties to ensure the property owners aren’t using services they’ve opted out of using.

Councilor Rudy Jaramillo questioned if it was legal to charge for unused services.

“They may not be using it but it’s legal because they have the right to use it,” said City Attorney Norm McDonald.

Jaramillo said the city should take into consideration the tough economic times and give relief to citizens who want to opt out.

Councilor Terese Ulivarri said at least four other municipalities, including Raton and Socorro, don’t allow their citizens to opt out of services.

“We’re not the only ones doing this,” she said.

If the city were to allow opting out, she said the city would be doing it to accommodate just 26 service accounts, when the city has more than 2,800 total accounts.

At least one home builder challenged the city’s ordinance saying the company needs water at home construction sites but doesn’t need sewer and city garbage collection during construction.

“They said, ‘Wait a minute. My house isn’t even built. How can you charge me with sewer and garbage?’” Leona Chavez, who works with the city’s water department, told the city councilors.

City officials said they’ll look into whether or not the city’s allowed under its ordinance to charge a one-time water use fee for a construction project, later establishing an account for water, sewer and garbage as the structure becomes occupied.

Municipal Judge Jeff Aragon requested a $7,000 pay raise, basing his request on an analysis of judicial salaries in other New Mexico municipalities. He currently receives $55,000 a year, which means the increase would’ve put the judge’s salary at $62,000.

The municipal judge can get a raise only upon election to office, which occurs once every four years. Aragon is up for reelection in March.

“This is the only time in a term that the salary can be adjusted,” he said.

Because the pay raise was denied, whoever is elected judge in March won’t get a raise and can’t request another raise until 2014. The last time the judge had a pay raise was in December 2005.

The village council chambers got heated as the pay raise debate became politically-charged, with Aragon’s election opponent, Stephanie Williams, speaking against a raise.

“I believe that adopting a pay raise ordinance this evening, in this economy, is irresponsible,” she said. “My husband and I are business owners who have laid off employees and have struggled to keep others working.”

Councilor Charles Griego, who proposed a $5,000 raise, shot back.

“To say that considering an increase of $5,000 to $7,000 is financially imprudent or irresponsible — I really take offense to that,” he said, calling the financial condition of Los Lunas “extremely strong” and saying he’s never voted for an unbalanced budget.

Griego argued that the increase is necessary because of how much time would pass before the next chance to provide the judge with an increase.

“We have to be careful with our funds, but we’re talking about one position that’s full-time and will be at the same compensation for the next four years,” he said.

Griego’s motion for a $5,000 increase, however, failed for lack of a second from any of the other three councilors.

“It’s a very difficult time to come and ask for an increase because of the economy and because we as a village are seeing low gross receipts coming in,” said Councilor Cecilia Castillo.

Village Administrator Peter Fernandez said the councilors didn’t need a motion to keep the salary at $55,000, so the issue died with no votes being taken.

Aragon said he was “disappointed” by the council’s decision.

“I have to live with it. It doesn’t discourage me from seeking the office,” he said. “That’s the government — checks and balances.”

The village council approved a $4,000 mayoral pay raise in November, which will go into effect after March’s election and will put the mayor’s pay at $12,500 annually.

While the councilors have had a chance to raise their own pay in this election year, they’ve decide not to do it, leaving their yearly pay at $8,500.