Archive for September 19, 2008
Three Hits and A Dismal Mess Of A Miss
At last Wednesday’s (September 17, 2008) Edgewood Town Council meeting there were at least three hits. There may have been more, but I left before the meeting concluded and the agenda did not foretell the distinct possibility of other great or decent occurrences during the meeting. On to the three hits:
- Councilor Abrams asked for and received a promise from the mayor that the mayor would move post-haste to appoint a renewable energy committee/commission. This promise after some prodding from others. See All Aboard … An Energy Board
- Councilor Hill gained the support of the mayor to investigate and possibly strangle the impact fees the town passes on to Santa Fe County. Both Councilor Hill and Mayor Stearley are to address this issue with Santa Fe County authorities. While at it, they may as well attempt to obtain the 1/4 cent gross receipts tax the county promised to look at forgiving
- Mayor Stearley finally and wisely broached the subject of hiring a consulting firm to help in the establishment of wastewater user fees. The fees must cover operating and maintenance costs plus any principal and interest payments to retire the debt incurred for the treatment plant.
Ah, the mess and the miss? The reader, if attentive and a regular reader, will remember that this article North To Taxland and responses to it, reported on the North Central Regional Transit District’s transportation service. The article provided further links, among other information, regarding details of a referendum to be placed on the ballot during the forthcoming general election in November. The article posed the possibility that the district’s operation in the southern portion of the county can offer little to the bulk of Edgewood area citizens. Additionally, the article pointed out the likelihood that fully one-half of the proposed tax would accrue to the Railrunner system and Edgewood does not have representation on the district board. »» Three Hits and A Dismal Mess Of A Miss
Response to “North to Taxland”
by John Weckerle
Normally, I would post this as a comment, but it’s a bit long.
Chuck raises some great points, but I think there may be even more to the story – especially with respect to the anemic ridership numbers. Given the name of the line – Greater Eldorado Express – and the ridership, I think we can theorize that the primary benefit goes to the Eldorado users. However, that may be as much a function of schedule as anything else.
Let us first underline Mr. Ring’s acknowledgement that there is currently no fare for riding the buses (we confirmed this by visiting the RTD web site, and we’d like to suggest that they charge everybody a nickel and hire a competent webmaster), that is not to say that riding the bus might not h hidden costs that could outweigh the benefits of a “free” ride.
Let’s look at a few “center to center” mileage and hour estimates collected from Mapquest for the driving distances involved (one way, to Santa Fe) and ridership:
- Edgewood – 62.3 miles, 70 minutes, 5 passengers
- Moriarty – 54.3 miles, 65 minutes, 3 passengers
- Stanley – 42.5 miles, 51 minutes, 3 passengers
- El Dorado, – 13.2 miles, 23 minutes, 25 passengers
If there is really anybody who takes 70 minutes to get from Edgewood to Santa Fe, I look forward to waving as I pass them the next time I make the trip. »» Response to “North to Taxland”