Editorial, The New Mexican - 7/25/2000

The purchase price - $56 million - was one challenge Santa Fe faced when the city took over Sangre de Cristo Water Co. from Public Service Company of New Mexico back in 1995.

Replacing ancient ancient pipes, pumps and valves was another.

Unnoticed among such obstacles was a more mundane task: Keeping track of who would be using how much water and sending out accurate bills.

PNM being in business to make money, and aware that sloppy billing is bad public relations, the folks in charge of its Sangre de Cristo subsidiary carried out that part of the job with few hitches.

Now, after a five-year process of turning control of the water system over to City Hall, many Santa Feans - including two city councilors - are wondering how well the bureaucracy is minding the store.

Some folks haven't received a water bill since December. Others say the tab is too high - and doesn't reflect the amount of water they used.

Despite an $800,000 investment in a computer billing system designed to overcome the overrated "Y2K problem," customers' payments weren't being credited to their accounts.

Meanwhile, the meter-reading contract - water-utility employees themselves were not to do the job - has been on a revolving-door basis, and much of the reading appears to be imaginary.

Enough's enough, says Councilor Frank Montaqo. He sought an independent audit of company operations. It will be a topic of Wednesday's council meeting.

The good news is that the errors are honest ones. If they weren't honest, why would Councilor Patti Bushee be paying higher bills than she thinks she should? Surely the water workers would favor our politicos with sweetheart deals. That, at least, is a relief.

Water director Bill Landin says he hopes to have the billing mistakes cleared up by the end of August. That would coincide with the easing of the heavy water-use period - so it's one more reason Santa Feans can look forward to September.

Meanwhile, Landin should be prepared for some uncomfortable moments on the carpet.

http://www.sfnewmexican.com/opinion/index.las

-- Doris (reaper1@mindspring.com), July 25, 2000

Answers

Despite an $800,000 investment in a
computer billing system designed to
overcome the overrated "Y2K problem,"

Overrated but 'under-repaired'
Dead on Y2K problem, still not fixed a
half year later.

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), July 25, 2000.