TWSD Board Meeting Recap — May 12, 2026
Please note: This is an unofficial summary provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to represent the official board meeting minutes.
All five board members were on hand Tuesday evening at the Lodge for the May regular meeting — Chairman Otis Price, Vice Chair Caleb Flora, Treasurer Joshua McCurdy, Director JJ Duckett, and Director Derenda Robb.
Water Production & Operations
April production came in at just over 6 million gallons between the two wells. Water sales figures aren’t available yet due to a combination of leaks, software issues, and some office turnover, so the water loss calculation will have to wait. Bills were expected to go out by Thursday, with Nan helping in the office during the transition.
The FY2024 audit draft was due by Friday. Two job postings are coming — Billing Clerk and Front Desk.
Grant News — Big Numbers
This was one of the highlights of the night. The Colonias Grant for the solid waste disposal area was submitted, and the state bumped TWSD’s request from $120,000 all the way up to $367,000. Approval is expected soon. A Community Service Grant application was also submitted to Otero County for $47,000.
Chairman Price made a point to recognize GM Case and Compliance Officer Anita Braun for pulling the grant applications together.
Finances
Treasurer McCurdy walked through the P&L. At 83% of the fiscal year, TWSD is roughly on budget. Parts purchases and attorney fees are under budget; travel costs are over, mostly due to line repair runs. There’s also a $50,000 USDA loan balance compounding from prior years — that’s on the radar.
McCurdy thanked GM Case and the crew for keeping things as tight as they have given everything thrown at them this year.
Director Duckett reminded the board and staff that expenditures need to come before the board for approval before action is taken, and that adding two new staff positions requires a board vote on the headcount increase.
Water System Updates
Regulatory fines: Level 4 Operator Alex Salas has been fighting $62,000 in fines from 32 violations dating back to 2022. He’s gotten those down to just 3 violations — a significant win that should dramatically reduce what TWSD owes. Alex will also be up in Timberon this weekend working on the SCADA system at the Filtration Plant.
Water Advisory Committee: Volunteer chairman Arden Schug reported the committee is focused on returning to a single water line from the Treatment Plant to Tank #2 for easier maintenance, and on understanding the root causes of leaks. He requested — and received — access to the SCADA monitoring system, and recommended investing more in instrumentation.
Votes & Decisions
The board moved through several action items, all passing unanimously:
- April 14 minutes approved as written.
- Conflict of Interest Policy and Disclosure Forms adopted. All five directors signed forms on the spot; Secretary Thorell sealed them for the district files. A solid governance step.
- Joe Lewandowski hired as contractor to bring TWSD into compliance with NMED on the solid waste disposal site. He’s Otero County’s consultant, knows the paperwork cold, and the fee is just $500.
- $39,000 in remaining grant funds allocated — $10K–$12K to Bohannan/Huston to downsize the Tank 3 engineering plans, $10K for a replacement water tank for the Timberon Volunteer Fire Department, and the rest for water infrastructure repairs and parts (including possible reimbursement for parts already in the ground).
- Guided tour of the Water Treatment Plant approved for the Water Advisory Committee — observational only.
- Road grader operator contract approved. Operator is paid hourly with mileage if using his own truck; TWSD provides equipment, fuel, and maintenance. Audience member Harding raised a question about whether the Union contract requires offering the job internally first — worth following up on.
Other Topics
Director Duckett flagged that he still hasn’t received all of TWSD’s outside contracts — specifically the Level 4 Operator contract and the TDC agreement for the pool and parks. He wants quarterly reports from DTI (Discover Timberon, Inc.) on the golf course. Vice Chair Flora agreed to meet with DTI on that.
The pool won’t be open this season, but TDC is already working toward getting it open next summer. TDC President Chance Guiles and Clark Clement are forming a pool committee.
Community member Bill Eakes presented research from questions raised last month. Bottom line: TWSD can’t levy a Gross Receipts Tax because Timberon is a Census Designated Place. He voiced frustration about years of board turnover and poor recordkeeping, praised GM Case’s work ethic, and suggested the board look into bringing in a Turnaround Consultant for crisis management.
Public Comment
Karen Ruhland thanked GM Case and Operator Shields for quickly replacing the PRV at her meter and following up to make sure everything was working right at her house. That kind of attentiveness doesn’t go unnoticed.
The meeting adjourned at 7:52 PM.