Battlers Arraigned in Judge Dickie’s Muni Court 9 AM Tuesday

The Man who voted “NO!” against the Kit Carson Electric Coop rate increase will be arraigned in Judge Dickie’s Court Tuesday Jan. 10 at 9 AM sharp in the Town of Taos. Chicano Chamber President, Arsenio Cordova says, “ I expect Trustee Virgil Martinez’s supporters to pack the courtroom.” You can see the brunt of the beating on Virgil’s face below.

Virgil, “I Feel Sorry for Taos County, “gave way 20 years to the younger man, Trustee Chris “No Mas” Duran. Both men will stand and deliver pleas in front of the Judge.

Martinez and Duran are expected to plead “not guilty” to charges of
“Public Affray” and “Battery” as well as possible other misdemeanor charges. Attorney Alan Maestas represents the Man from Cerro, whereas Duran, the Man from the Penasco Valley (pictured) is represented, last we heard by Santa Fe sharp shooter, Attorney John Day.

The disagreement between the two Trustees occurred during an “executive session” at the scandal-plagued Kit Carson Coop. According to insiders “financial matters” were being discussed. See “financial matters” below.

Scandal at the Coop

The latest Coop scandal concerns alleged “retroactive” billing matters. Advice Notice no 8, posted on the KCEC web site, a notice signed by KCEC CEO Luis Reyes, implements the PRC rate increase approved Dec. 7, went into effect Dec. 14, according to the docuemnt. But the “S20.50” systems charge and the per kilowatt increase went into effect per the “billing period per service” prior to Dec. 14, according to all the bills we Interveners have seen.

On Jan. 9 this Intervener called KCEC billing department and asked why the rate increase had been levied prior to the PRC approval and advice notice. The official at the department tried to pass it off per the “billing date” which was subsequent to the “service date.” When I pointed out that the service billing was for the period 10/17/16 to 11/22/16, the official quickly passed me off to a “higher up” and said I would receive a phone call clarifying the charges.

No phone call was forthcoming.

The PRC has been notified and more “complaints” will be filed. When the Coop tries to “cheat” those it serves, the alleged owners of the Coop, something is rotten on Cruz Alta Street. We hear several Trustees have booked trips to San Diego to celebrate the rate increase.

I urge Coop members to look at their bills. In the upper left hand corner is the “service period” for which meter readings you are billed each month. The dates of the KCEC billing period on the lower right of the bill are just an accounting procedure. The bills also show days of use charged and comparisons.

But the Coop is playing fast and loose with the rules and dates, instructing staff to try and confuse members who call or ask.

We have yet to research the non-residential or commercial electrical charges, which increased post PRC approval on Sept. 7, 2016. We shall check out the Town of Taos and Taos County since we have yet to hear if these two major entities have snapped to KCEC’s shenanigans. We hear TSV is hip to the scandalous doings and is considering installing its own generating capacity.

You might notice how the Coop has taken advantage of the average Coop member, elderly, low-income, commercial, residential, and other public entities. The non-residential users have suffered from a lack of due process and notice, according to allegations by one Intervener, retired Judge Peggy Nelson.

Apparently, the CEO and his staff believed nobody would notice during the Christmas Season. Eh?

CEO Luis Reyes frequently brags about the Coop as the engine of “economic development” in Taos. But the only economic development the Coop serves is its own, even as KCEC slips and slides down the slope toward bankruptcy and worse.

When a “Cooperative” engages in “retroactive billing,” we believe the
Trustees, CEO, CFO, and guilty parties should resign and/or be terminated. “Hasta la vista, baby.”

The Bandidos can’t blame this “conspiracy” on “incompetence.” The overcharges appear to be  system wide regardless of day and date service periods.