STREETLIGHT REPORTING JUST GOT MORE COMPLICATED: After recent columns included how to report a streetlight outage as well as a reader unhappy that’s apparently the public’s job, Steve shares this recent encounter with PNM:
“A neighbor and I noticed a couple of weeks ago there is a street light on our corner, NE addresses, that is continuously on 24/7, 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. … PNM informed me most lights are serviced by the city. PNM only services lights paid for and located on residential property. … It was a frustrating chat with PNM. PNM said the best bet for a street light issue is to start off contacting 311 unless (it’s) a private light; then contact PNM.”
And that confusion is the new standard operating procedure.
It used to be you went online (PNM.com/streetlights) or called (888 342-5766) to report a street light issue directly to the electric utility, PNM, and it would sort out ownership of the light(s) in question internally.
Now, according to Eric Chavez with PNM Corporate Communications, “if a customer calls in an outage to the call center and that light is determined to be owned/maintained by the city, PNM will transfer the customer to the city and ask them to report it to them directly. If a customer chats online and the streetlight is city owned/maintained, PNM will ask the customer to call 311 and report the issue directly. We will give them as much info as is available – location, pole number, etc. – so their conversation with the city can be as seamless as possible. If customers submit a report online, the report will come to PNM, and if the streetlight is city owned, PNM will send that report off to the correct owner.”
ABOUT THOSE LICENSE PLATES: With the Albuquerque Police Department crackdown on missing license plates and the state Legislature rejecting a move to require them in front as well as back of a vehicle, DV emails “since we can’t seem to get the two-license plate law passed, how about we change the sticker color we put on the rear plate every year or two? I see cars all over town with a tag from 2020 and such. Having the tag color change would also help out the police checking on expired plates more easily. Just my 2 cents.”
Lawmakers?
MORE ON WHAT TEXAS DOES: A Texas reader says in an email “for what it’s worth, I was stopped by a state highway patrolman back in December as my plate was 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 cited. It seemed like a reasonable fee to me as my plate was almost 25 years old. You might want to double check to see what the fee really is as I have seen several different amounts published in different places.”
I went to txdmv.gov and found “submit the completed application for a replacement license plate(s) and/or registration sticker to your local county tax assessor-collector’s office. Replacement fee is $6 plus 50 cents automation fee (total $6.50). Do not mail cash. The fees are not refundable.” It could be that, as in New Mexico, some local offices add a fee or there’s an online “convenience fee.”
BTW in New Mexico it’s $17 for that single replacement plate.
AND N.M.’S LACK OF SAFETY INSPECTIONS: GM emails after the March 6 column that “you clearly missed in your article that the city of Albuquerque does, in fact, REQUIRE car inspections every time you renew your plates. Try adding some facts.”
Actually, Bernalillo County residents are required to get 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 more than a few years old have to be inspected every year. The inspection includes a braking test and a window-tint darkness test, among other things. The inspector takes the vehicle for a short drive, too. I’m guessing some U.S. states would have a similar approach. It is a real nuisance each year, but it does get most of the unsafe vehicles off the road.”
4-WAY STOP A WIN: And C. Miller emails “I have a positive comment and big thank you 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. Thank you for this improvement.”
Editorial page editor D’Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.
