Los Alamos County utilities board to meet, then enter closed session

Los Alamos County utility customers will hear the Board of Public Utilities take up a gas-rate proposal in public, then watch the board go behind closed doors to begin the annual performance review of the utilities manager. That split agenda matters because the same board that oversees electric, gas, water and wastewater service is weighing changes that could affect monthly bills, system maintenance and long-term reliability.

The work session is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the third-floor conference room, Room 330, at the Municipal Building, 1000 Central Avenue. The county says the public may attend in person, offer comment, join by Zoom or follow the meeting through a livestream. The closed session will follow the public portion and is listed as the start of the utilities manager’s FY26 performance review, a process the county’s 2026 BPU calendar shows began in April and is slated for finalization in May.

The BPU is not a ceremonial board. It is the governing body for the Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities, which runs the county-owned electric, gas, water and wastewater systems. The board has five voting members appointed by Los Alamos County Council, while the utilities manager and county manager serve as ex officio non-voting members. In practice, that makes the BPU a key checkpoint between public policy and the daily operation of the county’s core utilities.

What gives this week’s meeting added weight is the county’s separate gas-rate hearing, also set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, on Ordinance 02-379, which would amend the natural gas service rate schedule. County officials say the proposal is meant to close the gap between budgeted operating costs and revenue. They also say average gas use has fallen from 75 therms per month historically to 70 therms over the past five years, reducing the revenue that fixed-rate components were built to provide.

If adopted, the proposal would raise the average residential gas bill from the current $67.45 to $78.53 starting July 1, 2026, and to $86.93 starting July 1, 2027. The county says the gas fund balance deficit is projected to reach $1.5 million at the end of FY2026. If the ordinance is not adopted, DPU says it would need to curtail gas system maintenance and replacements, a move that could hit reliability and force a larger future increase.

Residents should watch the May 6 hearing for two things: whether the board advances the gas ordinance and how it frames the tradeoff between rates today and infrastructure upkeep later. If the proposal moves forward, the county says the next stops would be County Council introduction on May 19 and a second public hearing on June 9.