Bloomfield City Council to discuss failing water tank

• The Bloomfield City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at Bloomfield City Hall, 915 N. 1st St.
• The County Commission will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the county administration building, 100 S. Oliver Drive in Aztec.
• The Farmington City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Farmington City Hall, 800 N. Municipal Drive.

FARMINGTON — Drinking water for east Bloomfield residents as well as the Harvest Gold subdivision and other outlying areas could be jeopardized if a water tank fails, according to the agenda packet for an upcoming Bloomfield City Council meeting.

The city of Bloomfield may ask the state Legislature for more than $1.6 million in capital outlay money to replace a corroded 500,000-gallon water storage tank located north of City Hall to the east of U.S. Highway 550. The Bloomfield City Council will discuss the capital outlay request during its meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at Bloomfield City Hall, 915 N. 1st St.

The city is looking at installing a 700,000-gallon water tank this year to replace the corroded 500,000-gallon tank. In a later phase, the city would install a second 700,000-gallon water tank.

In the meantime, the city is designing a temporary bypass line that would be used to provide water to the east portion of the city during construction of the new tank or if the tank fails. It likely will cost $52,000 and is not included in the capital outlay request, according to the agenda packet.

Other local municipalities and the San Juan County Commission will meet Tuesday.

The County Commission will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the county administration building, 100 S. Oliver Drive in Aztec. The commission will discuss its agreements with Aztec and Farmington for animal shelters.

The Kirtland Town Council will meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Town Hall, 47 County Road 6500 in Kirtland. During the meeting, the council will hear a presentation about fiber optics and how the existing fiber optic lines can help the town.

The Aztec City Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Aztec City Hall, 201 W. Chaco Street. Prior to the meeting, the commission will have a 5:30 p.m. workshop to discuss a loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund that was used to pay for the sewer outfall line.

According to the agenda packet, the city may be able to refinance the $3.3 million loan and extend the term of the loan from 20 to 30 years. The refinancing would allow the city to reduce the interest rate from 3 percent to 1.2 percent. 

The Farmington City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Farmington City Hall, 800 N. Municipal Drive. The council may approve a zone change for 129 N. Behrend Ave. that ultimately would allow the Frontline Mission to open a transitional living facility for former inmates.

The Farmington Municipal School District School Board will meet at 5:15 p.m. Thursday at 2001 N. Dustin Ave.

The school board will consider changes to the district’s grievance procedure in which people with complaints report to a supervisor’s superior in the case their complaint relates to the supervisor himself or herself, according to the agenda.

The Navajo Nation Council will start the winter session at 10 a.m. Monday in the council chamber in Window Rock, Ariz.

The session will open with tribal President Russell Begaye delivering the State of the Nation address, followed by a report by Speaker LoRenzo Bates.

There are 17 pieces of legislation listed on the proposed agenda.

One of the bills proposed to the council seeks to increase the sales tax rate from 5 percent to 6 percent. Revenue collected from the 1 percent increase would be used to fund operations and equipment purchases for the tribe's fire and rescue services, according to the legislation.

Delegates are being asked to support increasing the disbursement from the Navajo Nation Veterans Trust Fund to provide supplemental funding to programs and services that benefit veterans.

Another bill calls for confirming JoAnn B. Jayne as chief justice of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court for a two-year probationary period.

If tribal lawmakers approved Jayne's appointment, she would be evaluated for satisfactory performance at the end of the probationary period before a recommendation is submitted to the council for permanent appointment.

Begaye appointed Jayne to the high court on July 11, 2017.