On page 4, line 6, change "Ben" to "Bin" and throughout item change "Bilah" to Bilal".

On page 4, line 11, change "Dillon" to "Dylan".

Councilmember Sanchez made a motion to approve the Minutes of April 13, 2010 as amended. 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 Silva made a motion to approve the Minutes of April 15, 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.  

Ms. Martinson urged the Mayor and Council to consider including TCEDC in the Town of Taos Budget for fiscal year 2010-2011.  She explained the need for funding and stated TCEDC serves a total of 1,300 - 1,500 individuals on a yearly basis with a slim budget of $500,000.  She went on to outline the various programs offered at TCEDC.

Ms. Bad Hand stated TCEDC is seeking regular support from the Town of Taos and thanked the Town for the support provided in the past.

Mayor Cordova commended Ms. Martinson and Ms. Bad Hand for the programs they offer the community. 

The following citizens came forward to express their support of TCEDC and explained how TCEDC provided the resources to get their business get started and become successful:

Paul Cross
Elena Arguello
Tina Leonard
Tico Mascareñas
Diana Fichtelberg
Ruth Gonzales

Councilmember Silva stated he agrees that TCEDC has helped community members realize that they can be entrepreneurs.

Ms. Johnston stated the Miracle Mile is being held this weekend at 9:00 a.m. at the Youth & Family Center to benefit the Children's Miracle Network.  She explained there is a 5K run/walk and many other events scheduled.

Mayor Cordova explained that Councilmember Silva informed him he would like this portion of the project to be bid out in an attempt to hire a local contractor to complete the work.  Mayor Cordova further explained that the project engineer proposed a cost of $12,000 to rebid the project, which he and the Public Works Director felt was a high proposal.  Therefore, he contacted a local consulting engineer for a proposal and the consulting engineer estimated it would cost $3 to $5 thousand dollars, however, the consulting engineer recommends not having two engineers working on the same project.

Furthermore, Mayor Cordova stated the Town may face legal issues if the project is rebid because Advantage Asphalt was the apparent low bidder.  He explained the reason this portion of the project took so long to come for Council approval is because staff was waiting to see if the Town was awarded CDBG funds.   Mayor Cordova recommends approval of this item so that staff can close the CDBG Grant and be eligible for additional funds.

Councilmember Silva stated the Council has said that they are committed to purchasing locally and he believes this is a perfect opportunity to do so.  If the Town rebids the project and a local contractor is awarded the Town would get a great return.  He made it very clear that his company would not bid on this project; however, he does want to see the project awarded to a local contractor.

Mayor Cordova stated he completely understands Councilmember Silva's concerns and fully supports purchasing local; however, he is concerned about the legal issues the Town may face if the project is rebid.

Allen Ferguson, Town Attorney, stated even if the project was rebid, any contractor could bid on it and there is no guarantee the lowest qualified bidder would be a local contractor.

There was a lengthy discussion about the hard economic difficulties that local contractors are facing.  The Mayor and Councilmembers shared Councilmember Silva's concerns about purchasing locally; however, they stressed they do not want to place the Town in a legal situation or risk funding opportunities in the future. 

Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta made a motion to approve Change Order No. 2 to Contract TT-10-90 to Advantage Asphalt and Seal Coating. Councilmember Quintana seconded the motion. 

Mayor Cordova stated he understands Councilmember Silva's rationale; however, he is concerned that rebidding would affect the timeline of the project and jeopardize CDBG funding opportunities.  He recommends approval.

Councilmember Quintana stated she is also concerned about losing CDBG funds and urged local contractors to submit competitive bids in future projects.

The motion was approved by an affirmative vote. Those voting AYE were: Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta, and Councilmembers Sanchez and Quintana.  Voting NAY was: Councilmember Silva. 

Mayor Cordova commended the council for being open and respecting each other's opinions.

Councilmember Silva made a motion to approve Resolution 10-20 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. 

Mr. Foster stated the plan is required as one of the deliverables of the grant. 

Mr. Spriggs acknowledged Mr. Fosters' hard work and dedication in obtaining this grant for the Town of Taos.

Councilmember Silva made a motion to approve the plan regarding the projects and milestones for implementing the Town grant from the Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant in the amount of $490,490. Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta 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. 

Matthew Spriggs, Community & Economic Development Director, presented Ordinance 10-07 to the Mayor and Council and explained if the ordinance is approved, the Historic Preservation Commission will be assigned powers and duties and will act as an entity separate from the Planning and Zoning Commission.  Additionally, he stated the two entities will also have separate commission agendas and minutes.

Matthew Foster, Long Range Planner, read through the ordinance highlighting the main issues the ordinance will address.  He stated the next step after adoption of the ordinance is to invite members of the community to submit letters of interest for appointment to the board.

Public Opinion
Mayor Cordova opened the public hearing. No one came forward.

After closing the public hearing, Mayor Cordova asked for questions from the Council.

Councilmember Silva asked how many members serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission and if any of them have expressed interest in serving on the Historic Preservation Commission.  Mr. Spriggs stated there are seven members and he is not aware if any are interested in serving on the Historic Preservation Commission. 

Councilmember Sanchez asked if there is enough demand to have a separate commission.  Mr. Spriggs stated there is a backlog of work that needs to be done by the Historic Preservation Commission. He also explained that separating the entities will reduce the amount of time that Planning and Zoning Commission meetings take.  

Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta referred to the first page of the ordinance wherein the sixth paragraph reads as follows:  “WHEREAS, the Historic Preservation Commission should be empowered to designate buildings or structures as a Contributing Property within a Historic Overlay Zone”. He asked if a property owner must give consent for their property to be designated a Contributing Property. Mr. Spriggs stated yes. Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta expressed concern for poor property owners who will have to improve their properties due their property being designated a Contributing Property. Mr. Spriggs clarified that there are no mandates for property owners to improve their property as it is entirely the property owner's decision whether the property is designated a Contributing Property.  He also explained that there are tax breaks available for properties designated as Contributing Properties.   Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta asked that language be included in the Ordinance clarifying that property owners must give consent prior to a building or structure being designated as a Contributing Property within the Historic Overlay Zone.

Councilmember Quintana made a motion to approve Ordinance 10-07 to include language as recommended by Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta. Mayor Pro Tem Abeyta 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.