Mayor Cordova stated Mr. Fratrick accomplished a lot during his tenure as Airport Manager and thanked him for his service.

Don Francisco Trujillo, Airport Advisory Board Member, thanked Mr. Fratrick on behalf of the Advisory Board for his achievements and dedication as Airport Manager.

Jenny Carter, Sean Carter's mother, stated she and Sean are from Dallas, Texas and over six years ago their lives changed when Sean was a college student and was involved an auto accident after he made the decision to get into a vehicle with a drunk driver.  The accident left Sean paralyzed with a traumatic brain injury.  He is now confined to a wheel chair and can only speak through a computer device.  They travel to different cities and towns to speak to people about the consequences of making such a decision.  Ms. Carter showed a video from a television news station in Houston, Texas that details their journey.

Mayor Cordova stated words cannot explain how special Sean is and how inspirational his devotion to life is.

Mayor Pro Tem Silva thanked Sean for sharing his message and stated he is a true hero.

Mr. Lukes discussed the police officers' salaries and recommended creating a budget to allocate money for training and pay increases for the officers.  He stated the money may be used as an incentive for police officers who commit to staying with the Town of Taos. 

In addition, Mr. Lukes stated Mark Fratrick was an exceptional Airport Manager. Furthermore, he believes the airport is an absolute necessity as it is an economic lifeline in the community.

Mayor Cordova stated he had a very productive meeting with the Friends of the Free Box to discuss creative solutions with regards to creating a new Free Box in the community since the Town made an administrative decision to close the Free Box due to safety concerns.

The following people came forward to speak:

* Bonnie Bonneau stated the Free Box is a great Taos Tradition.  She believes if the Town had safety problems with the Free Box, then Town officials should have called the police for assistance.  She also stated the Free Box is a viable community resource and it keeps waste out of the dump. Furthermore, she believes the Town needs to take responsibility and not blame the problems at the Free Box on other people. 

*Violet Alby stated she assisted with the creation of the original Free Box in 1992 at Roadrunner Recyclers and discussed how the Free Box was moved to the Town.  She suggested several solutions to make the Free Box profitable for the Town and stated she hopes it reopens very soon.

*Jeanne Green read a letter she prepared for the Council stating the Free Box is a valuable resource to the community and is needed by many citizens to clothe their families. She stated the Town should not blame citizens and unpaid volunteers for the problems at the Free Box.  She further stated the facility has not been expanded to meet the growing  needs of the community and the Town should be increasing recycling, not decreasing it.  She asked that the Town work with the group of citizens who have come forward to find solutions to keep the Free Box open.

Mayor Cordova clarified the Town will not reopen the Free Box in its current location and stated, as a reminder, the Town is committed to the citizens and provides many services such as a library, the Youth and Family Center and the Recycling Center.  In addition, the Town donated five acres of land to Taos County for their Recycling Center.

Mayor Pro Tem Silva stated the Town is looking for solutions for the Free Box and he is in support of having a Free Box; however, the location needs to be evaluated.  He further stated, bashing the Mayor and Council does not help find solutions.  He believes everyone needs to work together.

*Melissa Larson stated she would like to know if there are other groups working on the reopening of the Free Box because she would like to contact them in an effort to form one group that is committed to reopening the Free Box at its current location.  She proposed that the Town provide security cameras, $5,000 annually to pay volunteers $10 per hour; and a drop box accessible after hours.  She stated the Town must consider the needs of those constituents who are poor, elderly, homeless, mentally ill, immigrants and others who are in need.

Mayor Pro Tem Silva stated he is in support of the Free Box and asked Mayor Cordova to explain what discussions have taken place.

Mayor Cordova stated the Friends of the Free Box are interested in submitting a proposal to address whether there should be a Free Box and where it will be located.  He explained if the Free Box were to be located on Town property, it would require a budget and staff, which would be financially difficult for the Town.  The Town would then need to bring the Free Box into compliance with regards to safety, which would cost additional money.  Mayor Cordova stated it would be up to the Governing Body to allocate those funds.

Furthermore, Mayor Cordova stated he is in support of a Free Box; however, there were several problems that made it unmanageable for the Town.  He stated the Town is committed to finding solutions.

*Bonnie McNairn stated she is a member of the Friends of the Free Box and is disappointed that the Town closed the Free Box especially without any type of communication.  She believes the Town should have asked for help prior to making the decision to close the Free Box.  She also believes the Free Box, if it were to reopen, can be operated very efficiently with the help of volunteers.  In addition, she stated she is against "Big Box" developments.

*Jennifer Peters stated she goes to the Free Box to obtain clothing for people who are not as fortunate as she is.  She believes there are many benefactors of the Free Box.

*Cindy Futman stated the Free Box is an essential part of recycling because the items taken to the Free Box would otherwise be taken to the dump.  She stated she uses the free box for herself and her family and she has decided that buying food for her family is a priority over buying clothes.

*Barbara Hatfield stated there is a movement of people who are very threatened with poverty and injustice.  She stated she is poor and still has pride and the free box is part of that pride. She believes people take great pleasure in donating to poor people and she hopes the Free Box reopens.

Ms. Rain asked Council whether they have considered purchasing the parking lot where Modern Business was located.  Councilmember Abeyta stated to his knowledge, the property is not for sale yet.  Ms. Rane stated she has heard that the Town has already informed the McCarthy's (the owners of the property) that they are not interested in purchasing the property.

Abigail Adame, Interim Town Manager, stated she met with the McCarthy's and advised them that, if sufficient funds were available, the Town would be interested in purchasing the property for parking; however, the McCarthy's stated they were not interested in selling the property for parking.  Furthermore, the McCarthy's informed Ms. Adame that they were unsure as to whether they even wanted to sell the property.

Mayor Cordova requested that Cindy Spray, ACD Coordinator, schedule a meeting with all parties to discuss the issue further, as he does not want the message to be that the Town is not interested in purchasing the property.

Mr. Lucero stated if Big Box developments were allowed in the municipality it would cost taxpayers a lot of money because roads would need to be improved and utilities would need to be expanded.  He does not support Big Box developments.

Mr. Northrup thanked the Town for adopting the Animal Control Ordinance.  He also discussed staffing problems at the Police Department and believes the Town's safety is being compromised due to those problems.  He suggested that the Town hire an outside independent agency to audit the Town's departments.

Mayor Pro Tem Silva asked Mr. Northrup if he has suggestions as to which independent agencies to contact.  Mr. Northrup stated he, unfortunately, does not have suggestions; however, he can research and provide names at a later date.

Ms. Spray reviewed the list of items that were completed at Taos Plaza between October and November including the power-washing of the entire Plaza, installation of a horseshoe pit, painting of yellow zone bricks and handrails, planting of fall flowers and sanding/priming the exterior trim of the kiosk.

Mayor Pro Tem Silva thanked Ms. Spray for all her efforts.

Mayor Cordova stated there was a discussion during the last Council Meeting regarding "Big Box" development.  He reminded the Council that the Planning and Zoning Department needs definite direction.

Councilmember Abeyta stated he made comments during the last meeting which were reported in the Taos News and he apologized for the inappropriate comments.  Furthermore, he stated he pledged six years ago and he is pledging today that he does not support visiting the 80,000 square foot requirement to allow big box developments.

Councilmember Abeyta made a motion to give direction to staff to leave the current 80,000 square foot requirement on commercial developments as it is while proceeding with a review of other developmental standards in the Land Use Development Code. Councilmember Quintana seconded the motion. 

Mayor Pro Silva stated he understood Mr. Morris was only trying to bring issues to the Council in an effort to be proactive.

Councilmember Quintana agreed and stated she believed Mr. Morris' intent was to bring the LUDC up to date.

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

Councilmember Quintana requested an update on the hiring of the Town Attorney and Town Manager.

Mayor Cordova stated a meeting has been set up with one of the previous finalists for the Town Attorney position. He stated the applicant was previously interviewed and the committee was pleased with the applicant.

Mayor Cordova also stated the Town has received thirty-four applications for the Town Manager position.  He directed Loretta Trujillo, Human Resources Director, to schedule a meeting within the next two weeks to review the applications and determine who meets the minimum requirements.

Ms. Adame stated she met with a representative from Motorola a couple of weeks ago during his initial walkthrough of the Command Center and he stated he will schedule a time in early December for his technicians and engineers to evaluate the facility so that he can render a quote.  She further stated he requested a copy of as-built and electrical plans, which were mailed to him last week.

Councilmember Quintana asked how much space the Town plans to occupy.  Ms. Adame stated the Town plans to occupy 2,320 square feet.  Councilmember Quintana stated she believes dispatch does not need that much space.  Ms. Adame stated the Council can meet at a later date to determine how much space is needed to operate dispatch.

Councilmember Quintana asked for an update on the HAA lease.  Ms. Adame stated she received a proposal from HAA last week and is in the process of reviewing it, along with Ron Yachinich, Facilities Director.  She will submit the proposal for Council action at the December 13, 2011 Regular Council Meeting.

Ms. Quintana asked whether a holiday party has been scheduled for Town employees.

Ms. Adame stated instead of scheduling a holiday party, the Mayor and Council will be delivering the $500 lump sum payments on December 9th to each employee.  This will give the Mayor and Council the opportunity to personally meet with the employees and partake in refreshments.

Mayor Pro Tem Silva asked if any positions at the Police Department are currently being advertised.  Ms. Adame stated a Police Sergeant position was advertised. 

Mayor Pro Tem Silva asked if anyone within the Police Department was given the opportunity to apply or test for that position.  Loretta Trujillo, Human Resources Director, recommended discussing this issue in Executive Session.