News and News Releases
Director Thomson on Conference Panel
AMAFCA's Director Bruce Thomson is one of the Saturday morning panelists at the two-day "It's All About Water" conference in Albuquerque on February 10-11, 2012. This conference uses films and discussion to explore water issues in New Mexico, including:
- What are the impacts of oil, gas, and uranium development on our water, air, and health?
- Can New Mexico's water support its population, farming, and industrial needs?
- Discussion and planning
- The following short films will also be viewed during the conference:
- "Natural Gas from Shales: Some Myths and Realities"
- "Split Estate" (mineral rights and hydraulic fracturing aka "fracking")
- "Tipping Point" (the truth about Canadian Tar Sands)
- "Liquid Assets" (municipal water systems)
- "American Southwest: are we running dry?"
- "Water for the World Act of 2011"
- "Tapped" (bottled water industry and privatization of water)
- "Blue Gold" (international water issues and efforts to address problems)
See It's All About Water - Films and Converstion, the City of Albuquerque's write-up, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance's article, the University of New Mexico's notice, or the event flyer for more information about the free conference.
2011 AMAFCA Snowman
Version one of the 2011 AMAFCA snowman was installed on Tuesday, November 29, but had to be temporarily taken down on Thursday, December 1, due to extremely high winds. He was reinstalled on December 6, after the winds died down. Pictures of version two of the 2011 snowman are here and here. Notice that the second snowman was prepared for high winds!
Hahn Arroyo Rehabilitation Project Ribbon Cutting
There was a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the conclusion of Phase I of the Hahn Arroyo Rehabilitation Project on December 3, 2011. The ceremony was held at the new pocket park at the Hahn Arroyo and San Pedro. See the invitation for further information.
Redistricting
AMAFCA will be redistricting in early 2012, and seeks public input to identify communities of interest and other areas that should be grouped together when redistricting. Following an initial public comment period, a Special Board meeting on redistricting was held on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. The Board developed a preliminary redistricting plan and is now seeking further public comment. See the Redistricting page for more information.
East Amole Surge Pond Receives Public Partnership Award from the Mid-Region Council of Governments Board of Directors Annual Regional Excellence Awards
AMAFCA's East Amole Surge Pond project received the Public Partnership Award from the Mid-Region Council of Governments Board of Directors Annual Regional Excellence Awards in 2011. This project saved taxpayers money by using dirt, excavated to build AMAFCA's surge pond, on the City of Albuquerque's Unser Expansion project and on the old Bernalillo County landfill, which needed a new dirt cap. The awards ceremony was held August 12, 2011, at the Albuquerque Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
AMAFCA Receives Award for Special Achievements in GIS
At the 2011 ESRI International Users Conference in San Diego, California, in July, AMAFCA received an award for special achievements in GIS from ESRI. AMAFCA's Interactive Facilities Map was selected from more than 100,000 other nominations from over 300,000 organizations worldwide for the award. The map has received national and international accolades, and has changed the way AMAFCA does business and interacts with the public.
Southeast Valley Drainage and Storm Water Quality Management Plan - Public Meeting
AMAFCA and Bernalillo County are working together to study flooding in the Southeast Valley, and identify drainage corridors, ponding areas, and water quality treatment opportunities. A public meeting was held on Tuesday, April 19, 2011, at the Mountain View Community Center, to gain your input. See the postcard invitation, or the project page on our website, for further information.
Cooperation Addresses Flooding at Two Schools
AMAFCA, Bernalillo County, and the Albuquerque Public Schools are working together to address flooding in the South Valley. This article, jointly written by representatives of each agency, gives further details.
Board of Directors Election, Bond Authorization Election
There was a Director Election in District 5 at the general election on November 2, 2010. The candidates were Bruce M. Thomson and John Doran. There was also a Bond Authorization Election on the ballot. The final results of the Director Election were Bruce M. Thomson, 11,945 (62.3%), John Doran, 7,240 (37.7%). The final results for the Bond Authorization Election were For, 106,159 (63.0%), and Against, 62,475 (37.0%).
Bruce Thomson was sworn in as the Director for District 5 during a Special Board Meeting on January 3, 2011, at 4:00 p.m.
AMAFCA would like to thank everyone for their support of our Bond Authorization Election. The funds from the bond sales will be used to design and construct flood control facilities throughout AMAFCA's boundaries, including water quality facilities and multi-use facilities. As these bonds will replace other bonds that have been paid off, your taxes will not be raised.
The Albuquerque Journal had an article on the candidates and the bond authorization on October 9, 2010. The Journal endorsement editorial from October 25, 2010 is posted here. A copy of the candidates' answers to the paper's standard questionnaire is posted here. A copy of the Bond Committee's advertisement in support of the Bond Authorization Election is posted here.
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District 5 covers roughly the eastern part of Nob Hill, the Southeast Heights, and the southern portion of the Northeast Heights. The southern limit of District 5 is Kirtland Air Force Base, the eastern limit is Cibola National Forest, the northern limit is mostly along Indian School and Constitution, and the western limit is Carlisle Boulevard. See map for details. |
Bond Sales
AMAFCA held a bond sale on September 15, 2011, the first from the 2010 Bond Authorization. In spite of the recent bond rating downgrade of the federal government, AMAFCA was able to maintain its natural double-AAA bond rating from Moody's and Standard and Poor's. This led to a record low interest rate of 1.16%, which will save taxpayers money. This interest rate was about a half of a percentage point lower than the previous record low interest rate from the September 2010 bond sale. The bond proceeds will be used for AMAFCA's capital program that will include several cost-sharing projects with the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the Corps of Engineers.
AMAFCA's final bond sale from the 2008 Bond Authorization, for $10 million in bonds, sold at a then-record low 1.634% to FirstSouthwest on September 30, 2010. This was, at the time, the lowest interest rate ever for an AMAFCA Bond Sale. The previous low rate had been 1.735% in 2009. AMAFCA's continued "natural double-AAA" bond rating and current market conditions lead to the extremely low interest rate, a significant savings for taxpayers. Press Release
AMAFCA's first bond sale from the 2008 Bond Authorization, for $10 million in bonds, sold at an extremely low 1.735% to Morgan Keegan & Company, on July 30, 2009. This was the then-lowest interest rate ever for an AMAFCA Bond Sale. The previous low rate had been 2.25% in 2003. AMAFCA's continued "natural double-AAA" bond rating and current market conditions lead to the extremely low interest rate, which will save taxpayers money.
AMAFCA's final bond sale from the 2006 Bond Authorization, for $9.75 million in bonds, sold at a very low 2.979924% to Morgan Keegan & Company on July 24, 2008. At that time, that was the lowest interest rate AMAFCA had received since 2003. AMAFCA's excellent bond rating in today's marketplace directly lead to the low interest rate at the sale, which will save taxpayers $56,000 over the next seven years.
Natural Double-AAA Bond Rating
For the fifth Bond Sale in a row, AMAFCA received a "natural double-AAA" rating, the highest rating possible, by maintaining its AAA rating from Standard & Poors and Aaa rating from Moody's, in 2011. These bond ratings save taxpayers money by keeping bond interest rates low.