City of Sunland Park, Dona Ana County explore future options for water utility

UPDATE: The Doña Ana County Public Information Office released the following statement Wednesday evening:

Doña Ana County provided a first update to stakeholders since notifying the City of Sunland Park regarding termination of the Joint Powers Agreement that created Camino Real Regional Utility Authority, CRRUA.

One day after the Board of County Commissioners, BOCC notified the City of Sundland Park, the County began notifying federal and state stakeholders and answering immediate questions.

Outreach efforts will continue with residents and commercial parties throughout the remainder of the week. A news conference and community listening session will be scheduled soon.

“We are here for the community and will continue to act transparently for the betterment of current and future residents. The County is capable and we are encouraged by the City of Sunland Park’s willingness to come to the table and begin discussions, quickly,” Dist. 1 Commissioner and Board Chair Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez said.

The first City and County joint meeting is scheduled on May 23. More information will be shared as soon as it becomes available, on the County’s website and social media channels.

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Tuesday's decision to terminate the agreement that created the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority allows local leaders to start the process of finding a new way forward.

"Now we can start that discussion about what it's going to look like in the future, what might happen, whether we look at a third party operator or whether we look at City of Sunland Park taking what's in the city limits, and (Dona Ana County) taking what's in the unincorporated areas," Dona Ana Assistant County Manager Stephen Lopez said. "All of that discussion still has to take place. It's still going to be a while."

The city and county were not able to explore other options until Commissioners terminated the Joint Powers Agreement.

Lopez said several ongoing concerns from residents and businesses in the area contributed to the decision.

"The county is concerned about the health of our constituents, about the ability for businesses to succeed," he said. "We felt that this was, unfortunately, the only thing that we could really do at this stage to move forward."