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Record of Proceedings

Los Alamos County Board of Public Utilities Regular Meeting – April 15, 2026

County Council & Boards — Wednesday, April 15, 2026
BodyLos Alamos County, New Mexico
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateWednesday, April 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:58:00

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

Uh welcome everyone to the uh uh April 15th, 2026 regular meeting of the Board of Public Utilities.

0:08

Thanks for attending.

0:10

Thanks for participating.

0:12

Uh we have three board members here, and Matt Tivener is online with us this evening.

0:18

Hi, Matt.

0:19

Thanks for being able to join us.

0:21

Um we have one on out of town.

0:25

I will first open the floor to public comment.

0:30

Is there any public comment in chambers?

0:34

I don't see any.

0:35

Is there any online?

0:39

Not at this time.

0:41

Thank you.

0:42

Thank you, Kathy.

0:44

Uh approval of agenda.

0:47

Is there anyone who would like to make changes to the agenda?

0:50

If not, uh, we'll appreciate a motion to approve it.

0:56

I move that we approve the agenda as written.

1:00

Second.

1:01

Okay.

1:03

Lacking further discussion, all in favor.

1:07

And Matt shows the thumbs up also.

1:10

Motion passes four to zero.

1:12

That takes us to the consent agenda.

1:15

Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda?

1:24

Uh I move that we the Board of Public Utilities approve the uh items on the consent agenda as presented.

1:31

And that the motions us.

1:36

And that the motions in the staff reports be included in the minutes for the record.

1:39

I'll second that.

1:40

Okay, thank you.

1:42

And for that, we'll do a roll call vote.

1:46

Kathy.

1:48

Member Hafner.

1:51

Yes.

1:52

Member Knockley?

1:53

Yes.

1:53

Member Stromberg?

1:54

Yes.

1:54

And Member Gibson.

1:56

Yes.

1:56

Thank you.

1:57

Thank you.

1:57

Motion passes four to zero.

2:00

That moves us to presentations.

2:03

And our first is to recognize Tom Wyman, who's leaving us.

2:09

That uh certainly a uh uh mixed feelings about that, Tom.

2:15

Congratulations on moving on to another phase of life.

2:18

We will miss you, of course, but we greatly appreciate what you've done for us in the time that you've been here.

2:24

It's been a pleasure.

2:26

Thank you, and I've really enjoyed working with you all, getting to know you over these last three years.

2:32

Um it was a hard uh but exciting choice.

2:35

You know, sad and sad and exciting at the same time, but uh yeah, I'll I'll miss participating in these meetings, really.

2:42

Thanks.

2:43

Well, if you don't run out of town, you know you can come back or you can watch us online or whatever.

2:50

Very well.

2:54

Call it and tell us why we're screwing up, huh?

2:58

Okay.

2:59

Uh Philo, do you have a certificate there for Tom?

3:03

So let me read this off.

3:04

Uh I I first wanted to say I appreciate working with Thomas over the last few years.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Electric Distribution███████████████████████████████31%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████13%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Procedural████████8%
Energy Management████████8%
Public Works███████7%
Environmental Protection████4%
Public Transportation███3%
Gas██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Los Alamos County Board of Public Utilities Regular Meeting – April 15, 2026

The Board of Public Utilities convened on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at 5:30 PM in the Municipal Building Council Chambers, with Chair Robert Gibson presiding. Members present: Gibson, Heavner (remote), Nakhleh, Stromberg. The meeting included recognition of departing Assistant County Attorney Thomas Wyman, an annual presentation from Los Alamos National Laboratory, and final presentations of the Fleet Conversion Plan and Community-Wide EV Charging Plan. A public hearing was introduced for proposed water rate increases.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of the March 4, 2026 work session and March 18, 2026 regular session.
  • Approved a purchase order for a UV disinfection system from Trojan Technologies for the Los Alamos Wastewater Treatment Plant in the amount of $177,400.00 plus applicable gross receipts tax, funded through RIP Loan 00073.
  • Awarded Bid No. IFB 26-25 for the Piedra Loop Underground Replacement Project to Bixby Electric in the amount of $1,182,877.44 (including 20% contingency) plus applicable GRT, for a term of 4.5 months.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered at the beginning or end of the meeting.

Discussion Items

Presentations

  • Recognition of Thomas Wyman: The Board recognized Assistant County Attorney Thomas Wyman for his service from April 2023 to April 2026, presenting a certificate and a gold coin for integrity. Wyman expressed appreciation and noted his departure.
  • Annual LANL Presentation: Jesse Freedman, Utility Program Manager at LANL, presented an update on electric load forecasting, utility projects, and efficiency initiatives. Key points included: no major changes to the 10-year load forecast; ATS-5 supercomputing platform expected late 2026 with operations in 2027; the LANSCE Modernization Project in early 2030s; exploring flexible turbine operations to support Foxtail Flats solar; EPCU construction underway with completion anticipated late 2027; Static Var Compensator upgrades completed; and efficiency projects including waste heat recovery and water treatment designs.
  • Fleet Conversion Plan and Community-Wide EV Charging Plan: Angelica Gurule, Sustainability Manager, presented the final plans developed by Stantec. The Fleet Conversion Plan evaluates two scenarios: the current EV Policy (2 EV transitions per year, reaching 31% fleet conversion by 2050) and a CAP Policy scenario aligned with carbon neutrality (86% conversion by 2050). The CAP Policy scenario is projected to reduce cumulative greenhouse gas emissions by 30% during 2025-2050, compared to 9.5% for the current policy. The financial analysis shows the CAP Policy scenario is approximately 33% higher in total cost of ownership ($109.9 million vs $82.6 million for ICE-only). The Community-Wide EV Charging Plan identifies priority locations for publicly accessible charging, with additional sites added in White Rock and residential areas based on public feedback. The Board discussed assumptions around maintenance savings, fuel cost sensitivity, and power demand projections.

Water Rate Ordinance Introduction

  • Joann Gentry, Deputy Utility Manager - Finance & Administration, presented the proposed Water Service Rate Ordinance (Ordinance 02-380). The ordinance introduces two consecutive 8% increases for residential, multifamily, commercial, county, and school customers effective October 1, 2026 and October 1, 2027. New rate structures were proposed for irrigation meters, snowmaking, bulk water sales to LANL (new rate of $7.45 per 1,000 gallons for FY2027, up from $5.59), and a Pajarito Mountain Service Area energy charge of $1.50 per 1,000 gallons. The ordinance also adds a service charge for non-potable water and irrigation meters at half the potable rate. The proposed increases are expected to restore positive cash flow to the water fund by FY2029 and begin funding long-term cash reserves by FY2034. A public hearing is scheduled for May 20, 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda Approved (4-0): Approved meeting minutes, UV disinfection system purchase, and Piedra Loop underground replacement project award.
  • Water Rate Ordinance Introduced (unanimous): The Board introduced Ordinance 02-380 without prejudice, moving it to public hearing on May 20, 2026.
  • Travel Expenses Approved:
    • Approved up to $800 for Board Member Matt Heavener to attend the Foxtail Flats groundbreaking ceremony on May 12, 2026 (4-0).
    • Approved up to $5,000 for Chair Robert Gibson to attend the APPA National Conference in Boston, June 26 – July 1, 2026 (4-0).
  • Scheduling Notes: The Board adjusted the May 20 meeting agenda to move the review of the 10-year budget plan and the electric distribution undergrounding discussion to the June 3 work session, due to Chair Gibson's absence.
  • Future Meetings: The May 6 work session will include a closed session for the Utilities Manager performance review (after the regular meeting). The May 20 regular meeting will be held in the Boards and Commission Room, with Eric Stromberg serving as acting chair.

Meeting Transcript

Uh welcome everyone to the uh uh April 15th, 2026 regular meeting of the Board of Public Utilities. Thanks for attending. Thanks for participating. Uh we have three board members here, and Matt Tivener is online with us this evening. Hi, Matt. Thanks for being able to join us. Um we have one on out of town. I will first open the floor to public comment. Is there any public comment in chambers? I don't see any. Is there any online? Not at this time. Thank you. Thank you, Kathy. Uh approval of agenda. Is there anyone who would like to make changes to the agenda? If not, uh, we'll appreciate a motion to approve it. I move that we approve the agenda as written. Second. Okay. Lacking further discussion, all in favor. And Matt shows the thumbs up also. Motion passes four to zero. That takes us to the consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Uh I move that we the Board of Public Utilities approve the uh items on the consent agenda as presented. And that the motions us. And that the motions in the staff reports be included in the minutes for the record. I'll second that. Okay, thank you. And for that, we'll do a roll call vote. Kathy. Member Hafner. Yes. Member Knockley? Yes. Member Stromberg? Yes. And Member Gibson. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Motion passes four to zero. That moves us to presentations. And our first is to recognize Tom Wyman, who's leaving us. That uh certainly a uh uh mixed feelings about that, Tom. Congratulations on moving on to another phase of life. We will miss you, of course, but we greatly appreciate what you've done for us in the time that you've been here. It's been a pleasure. Thank you, and I've really enjoyed working with you all, getting to know you over these last three years.

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