Councilmember Silva made a motion to approve the Minutes of January 12, 2010, as presented. Councilmember Quintana seconded the motion. The motion was approved by an affirmative vote. Those voting AYE were: Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta, and Councilmembers Sanchez, Quintana and Silva.  

Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta made a motion to approve the Minutes of January 19, 2010, as presented. Councilmember Sanchez seconded the motion. The motion was approved by an affirmative vote. Those voting AYE were: Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta, and Councilmembers Sanchez, Quintana and Silva.  

Mayor Cordova stated several people signed up to speak about the Arts & Crafts Fairs issue and explained there has been a misconception in the community and in the media as a result of a discussion that took place at the Regular Meeting on January 23, 2010.  He clarified that the Town of Taos is not banning, limiting, or eliminating Arts & Crafts Fairs in the community. 

Mayor Cordova went on to express his disappointment in the division created amongst the members of the community and assured the citizens that he and the Council are committed to being open and transparent.  He stated the Council is committed to addressing the Arts & Crafts Fairs issue in a diplomatic way and will do so by hearing the concerns of all stakeholders involved.  He also stated it is the goal of the Council to come to a solution that will benefit all parties.

Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta expressed his concern about the unsatisfactory reporting by the Taos News in regards to the discussion that took place at the meeting on January 26th.  Additionally, he stated that the Mayor asked the Town Clerk to cancel a publication notice regarding a public hearing to consider an ordinance addressing the Arts & Crafts Fairs issue.  The publication was cancelled by the Town Clerk, however, it still appeared in the Taos News.

Mayor Cordova opened the Citizens Forum:
- Steve Davenport came forward and stated in the past, Memorial Weekend was slow in Taos and Arts & Crafts Fairs were scheduled during that weekend. As a result, he stated Memorial Weekend is busier.
- Jodie Madden came forward and stated she believes Arts & Crafts Fairs positively affect the community and changing the dates will make the events entirely different.
- Barbara McCarthy stated she is a shop owner on the Plaza and depends on the 3-day holiday weekends more than any other weekend.  She also wants to be sure that vendors at fairs pay taxes.
- Tom McCarthy stated he is not against craft fairs he only asks that 3 of the 21 weekends are left without craft fairs.
- Bobbie Gonzales stated she was on the Plaza Committee created to address issues that merchants face and they came to an agreement that the fairs would be held at Kit Carson Park.
- Mark Garcia thanked the Council for their efforts.
- Vicki McFadden stated vendors of the fairs are very professional and this is their livelihood.  She believes when vendors come from out of stated they stay in hotels, eat at restaurants, and shop in Taos.
- Connie Garcia stated she use to be a vendor at crafts fairs, however, many fairs are right off the highway and distracts tourists from visitng the plaza.
- Jan Muller stated she believes both side of the argument can come to an agreement.
- Steve Fuhlendorf gave a handout with results of a survey conducted by the Chamber of Commerce.  He publicly apologized for not moving proactively after the meeting nearly two years ago.  He stated the members of the Chamber of Commerce are split on the issues and further stated all stakeholders must work together to create a solution to benefit all.
- Lovey Supple stated holiday weekends are always busy for her business and would like to see more tourists during the other weekends of the year.
- Sandra Miller is a licensed craft artist and stated craft fairs are her livelihood. She stated she has built her clientele from the fairs.

Mayor Cordova thanked the speakers for sharing their comments and assured the citizens that he has directed staff to work on a solution while taking into account all stakeholder's concerns.

Councilmember Silva made a motion to approve Resolution 10-05 as presented. Councilmember Quintana seconded the motion. The motion was approved by an affirmative vote. Those voting AYE were: Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta, and Councilmembers Sanchez, Quintana and Silva. 

Councilmember Quintana stated she would like Mr. Torres to research whether the Town can sell the 3 mm panels to recoup a portion of the cost of the 2 mm panels.

Councilmember Silva recommended delaying the purchase of the panels until later in the project to research costs for lower prices.

Councilmember Silva made a motion to table the item. Councilmember Sanchez seconded the motion. The motion was approved by an affirmative vote. Those voting AYE were: Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta, and Councilmembers Sanchez, Quintana and Silva. 

Mayor Cordova stated he attended the exit interview with the auditors and identified ways to improve the Town's processes.

Jeff McWhorter, Accounting & Consulting Group, LLP, thanked the Mayor and Council for giving them the opportunity to do business with the Town of Taos and went on to explain the scope of the audit.  He stated the audit includes 3 reports; one is an independent audit report; an internal control report; and an opinion report (internal controls).  He also stated the revenues decreased by $1.5 million or 6%.  He addressed the findings and stated the findings are opportunities for improvement but should be addressed.

Councilmember Sanchez asked if there is a particular finding the Town should be concerned about.  Mr. McWhorter stated no, there is a high degree of internal control in the Town of Taos; however, he recommends appointing a committee to review bank statements, receipts, journal entries, etc., on a quarterly basis to ensure controls are being adhered to and reported to the governing body.

Councilmember Quintana stated she believes the findings are minimal and thinks Ms. Fambro is doing a great job.  

Ms. Fambro stated she is working on each of the findings individually.

Mayor Cordova thanked the staff for working with the auditors and also for identifying the Town's shortfalls and for working on improving them.

Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta made a motion to approve the Financial Audit Report for the Town of Taos as presented. Councilmember Quintana seconded the motion. The motion was approved by an affirmative vote. Those voting AYE were: Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta, and Councilmembers Sanchez, Quintana and Silva. 

Ms. Fambro stated that due to the State's initiative to cover their shortfall, $800,000 of the $1,100,000 previously awarded to the Town was reauthorized from the State's General Fund money to Severance Tax Bond money. This amount is scheduled to sell in the winter bond issuance, which will not be completed until the Spring of 2010; consequently the funds will not available to the Town of Taos until late March or early April.  She stated the temporary transfer is essential in order to continue with the project.

Mayor Cordova clarified the Town has complied with all of the Department of Finance's requests and requirements and staff is doing everything possible to ensure the Town receives their funding.

Councilmember Quintana made a motion to approve Resolution 10-08 as presented. Councilmember Silva seconded the motion. The motion was approved by an affirmative vote. Those voting AYE were: Councilmembers Sanchez, Quintana and Silva. 

Councilmember Silva made a motion to approve Resolution 10-09 as presented. Councilmember Quintana seconded the motion. The motion was approved by an affirmative vote. Those voting AYE were: Councilmembers Sanchez, Quintana and Silva. 

Mayor Cordova informed Council that this item was listed on the agenda as a continuation from the Regular Meeting on January 12th and staff has recommended the item be continued until the February 23rd Regular Meeting. 

Allen Vigil, Chief Planner, explained the application to the Mayor and Council.  Scott Sanger, applicant, stated residents in the subdivision have asked that the sidewalks be eliminated.  Mr. Vigil stated there is a trail in the neighborhood and residents want extra landscaping instead of sidewalks.

Daniel Miera, Town Manager, asked if there would be any safety issues if there is on-street parking on the narrow road as a result of eliminating the sidewalks.  Mr. Vigil stated all lots have off-street parking unless there are visitors.  He also stated the Fire Department is comfortable with the off-street parking.

Mr. Sanger added there is also a parking area in the middle of the subdivision that is seldom used.  He stated homeowners enjoy walking in the street and he believes traffic is not an issue.

Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta made a motion to continue Ordinance 10-01 to the Regular Town Council Meeting on February 23, 2010. Councilmember Quintana seconded the motion. The motion was approved by an affirmative vote. Those voting AYE were: Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta, and Councilmembers Sanchez, Quintana and Silva.