STREET LIGHT REPORTING Just Got More Complicated: After recent columns include how to report a street light outage, as well as a disgruntled reader apparently doing the public’s job, Steve shares this recent encounter with PNM:
“A neighbor and I noticed a couple of weeks ago that there is a street light on our corner, NE addresses, that is continuously on 24 hours a day, not off. I contacted PNM through the chat option and gave the specific location. PNM said to contact Albuquerque 311 as the light belongs to the city and provided a specific pole number. … The PNM has informed me that most of the lights are controlled by the city. PNM only offers paid for lights located on residential properties. … It was a frustrating chat with PNM. PNM said the best bet for a street lighting problem is to start calling 311 unless (it’s) a private light; then contact PNM.
And this confusion is the new standard operating procedure.
You used to go online (PNM.com/streetlights) or call (888 342-5766) to report a street lighting problem directly to the power company, PNM, and it would take ownership of the lights in question. internally
Now, according to Eric Chavez of PNM Corporate Communications, “If a customer calls in an outage to the call center and it is determined that the light is owned/maintained by the city, PNM will transfer the customer to the city and ask them to report. to them directly. If a customer chats online and the light is owned/maintained by the city, PNM will ask the customer to call 311 and report the problem directly. We will give them as much information as is available (location, pole number, etc .) to make their conversation with the city as seamless as possible. If customers submit a report online, the report will go to PNM, and if the lamppost is owned by the city, PNM will send that report to the correct owner.”
ABOUT THESE PLATES: With the Albuquerque Police Department cracking down on missing license plates and the state Legislature rejecting a measure to require them on both the front and back of a vehicle, DV is emailing “since we can’t seem to get both licenses. The plate law has been passed, how about we change the color of the sticker we put on the back plate every year or two? I see cars all over town with a 2020 tag and such. Changing the color of the tag would also help the police more easily check for expired plates. Just my 2 cents.”
The legislators?
MORE ABOUT WHAT TEXAS DOES: A reader from Texas says in an email “for what it’s worth, I was pulled over by a state highway patrolman in December when my plate faded. I went online and ordered a replacement plate and with the surcharge for using a credit card it was $12.05 which is considerably more than the $6.50 you quoted seemed like a reasonable fee as my plate was almost 25 years old you might want to check what it is really the rate as I’ve seen several different amounts posted on different sites.”
I went to txdmv.gov and found “submit the completed application for a replacement plate and/or registration sticker to your local county tax collector’s office. The replacement fee is 6 dollars plus 50 cents automation fee ($6.50 total). Do not send cash. Fees are non-refundable.” Like in New Mexico, some local offices may add a fee or there may be a “convenience fee” online.
By the way, in New Mexico it is $17 for this one-time replacement plate.
AND NM’S LACK OF SAFETY INSPECTIONS: GM emails after March 6 column that “you clearly missed in your article that the city of Albuquerque actually REQUIRES car inspections every time renew the plates. Try to add some facts.”
In fact, Bernalillo County residents are required to have an emissions inspection every two years. There are no vehicle safety inspections in New Mexico.
Sean Donney in Sydney, Australia shares “by way of comparison, here in NSW, all vehicles over a few years old must be inspected every year. The inspection includes, among other things, a brake test and a window tint test.The inspector also takes the vehicle for a short drive.I guess some states in the US would have a similar approach.It’s a real nuisance every year,but it gets most of the unsafe vehicles out of the road”.
4-WAY STOP A WIN: I C. Miller emails: “I have positive feedback and many thanks to the City of Albuquerque. The corner of Washington Street and Copper now has a much-needed four-way stop instead of ‘a traffic light. Thanks for this improvement.”
Editorial page editor D’Val Westphal addresses suburban issues in the metropolitan area on Mondays. Call her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.
