Taos County Commission News: May 21 & 28
By Commissioner Tom Blankenhorn
Taos County Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting Summary
May 21, 2013
Presentations
Public Library
Mayor Cordova addressed the Board regarding the Town’s proposal to charge a $10 annual fee to County residents for a library card. The purpose of the fee is to make up approximately $125,000 of the $350,000, which currently comes out of the Town’s General Fund to operate the library. The fee would not be charged to Town residents or to anyone under 18 or over 60, or to those who can demonstrate indigence.
The Mayor expressed his understanding that the County would not be able to contribute to the library under its upcoming budget, which must be forwarded to the State by the end of July, but asked for consideration in future budgets. Unfortunately, that same understanding has not been expressed by other Council members who now routinely tell citizens who object to the $10 fee to tell their County officials to “step up to the plate” and contribute to the library. This is not realistic given the fact that the request comes so near to completion of the annual budget, and especially so in a year when the County faces significant increased costs associated with emergency dispatch due to the Town’s termination of our long standing partnership, and its insistence on incurring large capital expenditures of up to $400,000 in order to move those operations from their current site.
Crime Report
District Attorney Donald Gallegos, Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Shannon, and Sheriff Miguel Romero addressed the Board regarding crime in Taos County, specifically, the recent rash of burglaries in the Penasco area. Mr. Gallegos stated that drug use and the need for money to buy drugs was at the core of the problem, and that the solution lies in going after the major drug trafficking, much of which is allegedly carried out by a Mexican Cartel with its base here in Taos. Both the District Attorney and the Sheriff stated that limited resources including lack of trained detectives hamper that effort. Both men also indicated that they were in contact with the Federal Marshall’s office and ICE, which is an investigative agency within the Department of Homeland Security, in order to coordinate efforts to investigate and prosecute drug trafficking within Taos County.
County Manager’s Report
E-911/Dispatch Update
County Manager Steve Archuleta and Deputy County Manager Rick Bellis informed the Board that the repeater towers in Taos County, which facilitate emergency communications, are in a state of disrepair, and that this situation endangers all emergency communications within Taos County.
Under the current Joint Powers Agreement between the Town and County, the County pays the Town $288,000 per year, and in return, the Town is obligated to provide emergency dispatch services and to maintain the repeaters. Apparently, The Town does not have the fiscal capacity to complete the necessary work on the repeaters, and therefore, the County has offered to take over that task without compensation. The written agreement encompassing that offer will be on the Town’s next agenda and it is expected to be approved.
The Town’s failure to maintain their end of the JPA, and their termination of the JPA beginning in February, 2014, has endangered the emergency communication structure for the entire community. As a result, the County has made a formal request to the New Mexico State Department of Finance to audit the Town’s management of the E-911 functions, and to ultimately transfer that management to the County. Such action by the DFA would be an extraordinary measure, but we believe that it is warranted under current circumstances. We are hoping for a reply sometime within the next 30-60 days.
Executive Session
During executive session, the Board was informed that the County has received a favorable ruling on a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department, which involved the use of a Taser on Julian Moreno, who had been taken into custody. The Court ruled that the Sheriff’s Department did not act improperly, and dismissed the suit.
The Board also received notice that certain citizens, who own property adjacent to a recently constructed communications tower in Costilla, had filed suit due to the fact that they had not been provided notice of the hearing under which the tower was granted a special use permit for its construction. The plaintiffs seek the tower’s removal and/or monetary damages.
Special Meeting May 28, 2013
Preliminary Budget 2013-2014
The Board received a copy of the Preliminary County Budget for the upcoming fiscal year July 2013 – June 2014. The County’s operating budget totals approximately $14 million. The largest single expenditure is the Detention Facility at $3.6 million. Other significant expenditures include the Road Department at $2.3 million, the Sheriff’s Department at $2 million, Ambulance Services at $1.5 million and Solid Waste at $1 million. Our County Manager is projecting flat tax revenues for the upcoming fiscal year and is asking each department for a 1% decrease in their expenditures. Under these scenarios, the County will end the year with a moderately healthy reserve above the State’s minimum requirements. The final budget will be submitted to the State in July as required by law.
Executive Session
After meeting in closed session to discuss County Attorney Barbara Martinez employment contract, the Board voted 3-0 (Commissioners Duran and Sanchez were absent) to terminate her contract. Taos County is the only county of similar size in the State that employs two full time attorneys, and the Board believes that the legal department can be handled by one full time attorney. The decision was no reflection on Ms. Martinez ability as an attorney, but rather, was a decision to offer the position to the current Assistant County Attorney, Robert Malone, who the County Manager believes will be a better fit within the Administration. Ms. Martinez will be entitled to severance pay under the terms of her contract.