Cibola County asked to act as fiscal agent for $250,000 Rio San Jose water study

Rebecca Dempsy of Boynton Law Office asked the Cibola County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 28 to serve as fiscal agent for a Hydrologic Needs Assessment (HNA) funded by an initial $250,000 allocation from the Interstate Stream Commission. Dempsy said the HNA would identify the most cost-effective and productive water projects for nine Rio San Jose acequias.

The acequias named in the request were Bluewater Toltec Irrigation District; La Acequia Madre del Ojo del Gallo; Moquino Water Users Association II; Murray Acres Irrigation Association; San Mateo Acequia Association; Seboyeta Community Irrigation Association; Cubero Acequia Association; Cebolletita Acequia Association; and San Jose De La Cienega Acequia Association. According to the presentation, the ISC funds would support the HNA to guide project selection and subsequent funding decisions for those irrigation organizations.

Sheriff Larry Diaz administered a separate swearing-in ceremony that preceded the fiscal-agent presentation; no vote on the fiscal-agent request is recorded in the meeting transcript. The transcript does not show commissioners moving or voting on an agreement to accept fiscal-agent responsibilities; the item was presented for the record and to inform the commission. Any formal county action, contract, or IGA to accept fiscal-agent duties would require a later agenda item and recorded action by the commission.