Items 7.C. and 7.D. were removed from the Consent Agenda for further discussion.

Councilmember Peralta stated Item 7.C. indicates there are two vehicles that need to be replaced, which is inconsistent with Item 7.D., which indicates there are three vehicles that need to be replaced.  He asked for clarification.

Delilah Garcia, Transportation Superintendent, stated Item 7.C. is incorrect and clarified each item should indicate that there are three vehicles that need to be replaced.

Mr. Rodriguez stated staff recommends entering into a contract with 9-1-1 Solutions, LLC in the amount of $39,987 including Gross Receipts Tax.  He emphasized that the contractor has no ties to Taos and will provide expert advice based solely on a business standpoint.  He further stated when the assessment is complete, the Council will have the opportunity to decide whether to keep Taos Central Communications at its current location or move it to the new location at Kit Carson Electric's Regional Command Center.

Councilmember Silva asked the Town Attorney if he should abstain from the vote due to allegations of conflict of interest in the past.  Mr. James asked Councilmember Silva whether he has an interest in 9-1-1 Solution, LLC.  Councilmember Silva stated he does not.  Mr. James stated there is no conflict of interest if there is no direct financial benefit from this company.

Mr. Rodriguez stated establishing a Finance Audit Committee is a standard practice in other municipalities and has been recommended by the auditors as a best practice.  Furthermore, the Committee will assist the Town Council in the oversight of public funds and financial reporting processes.

Mr. Rodriguez stated the Council will receive a financial update every month from the Finance Director.  He further stated unless the Town changes the way it conducts business, there will be a shortfall in the budget.  He explained several ways in which he will attempt to prevent this from occurring.

Marietta Fambro, Finance Director, explained the status of the general fund budget as follows:

Revenues - The General Fund's largest revenue source are the Gross Receipts Tax (1 cent) and State Shared Gross Receipts (1.225 cent).   Through the month of October, 2012, both of these streams are down 6% from what was budgeted.  The remainder of the General Fund's revenue sources are running on track to reach what was budgeted.  Based on the report for projected year end, the Town is anticipating a total shortfall of $412,000.

Expenditures - In comparison to this time last year, the Departments are approximately at budget with the exception of  Fleet and Human Resources (HR) (due to HR taking on the responsibility of the office supply store this year and Fleet having several major unanticipated repairs).

Ending Balance - The ending balance is projected to exceed by $133,004 which the State's requirement of 1/12 of budgeted expenditures. This will amount to 35 days of reserves, down 25 days from the reserve level of eight years ago.

A lengthy discussion ensued regarding evaluating services the Town provides, not only to citizens within the municipality, but also to those citizens who live outside of the municipality.  Additionally, the Mayor and Council thanked Mr. Rodriguez and Ms. Fambro for their presentation and for taking a proactive approach to address the budget shortfall.

Matthew Foster, Long Range Planner, gave a PowerPoint presentation and stated Vision 2020 mandated a revisit of the document. He further stated Vision 2020 was created in an effort to protect natural resources, protect Taos character, provide for distinct neighborhoods and provide economic opportunities.

Furthermore, Mr. Foster explained several ways that the Town has reached out to the constituents such as providing many charrettes, community presentations and informing the media of outreach opportunities.  

A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the Town's responsibility to provide additional public outreach.  Council requested that staff seek public input and provide round-table discussions with all citizens of the Town.  They agreed that multiple meetings are necessary to obtain essential input to move forward.  Furthermore, the Council requested that citizens at Taos Pueblo be involved in the process.

Mr. Rodriguez stated this grant will assist the Town in taking a close inventory of its infrastructure.  He further stated requested action is only to accept the grant, as a contractor will be determined at a later date.

Mr. Rodriguez explained he plans to seek Council input prior to the Request for Proposals going out. Furthermore, he stated the outcome of the grant will be a proposal that will be submitted to Council regarding possible developments.

Loretta Trujillo, Human Resource Director, gave an overview of the Human Resources Department and explained the responsibilities and duties of the Department.  Furthermore, she explained the strengths and weaknesses of the Department. In addition, she stated a threat the Department faces is the decline of morale amongst Town of Taos employees.  Ms. Trujillo stated low morale may be due to employees not receiving pay increases since 2010, when they received a 1% increase and most recently when they were notified that they would not receive a one-time lump sum benefit.

Councilmember Peralta stated the Town provides Defensive Driving Training which may be considered a benefit as many insurance companies offer a discount to drivers who attend the training.

Councilmember Silva expressed his concern about the low morale of the employees and asked if staff has considered ways to address the issue.  Ms. Trujillo stated a survey may be circulated asking employees what the Town can do to improve morale.  Mr. Rodriguez stated he would like to propose a pay increase in the future based on performance.

Councilmember Gonzales requested that Mr. Rodriguez evaluate the forty hour work week and the services and times our facilities are open to the public.

Councilmember Abeyta stated there must be a paradigm shift to transition where the state of the Town is today, which is the new normal.

Mr. Rodriguez stated this ordinance sets the policy to address the issue of overtime and will make the Town liable to pay overtime when police officers work over eighty-six hours during a pay period.  Additionally, he stated the Town will be liable to pay overtime when firefighters work over 106 hours during a pay period.  He further stated it has been a practice for several years to pay police officers for working over eighty hours during a pay period.

Furthermore, Mr. Rodriguez committed to the Council that he will shift the police officers' schedules beginning March 2, 2013 to be in compliance with this policy and to minimize the number of overtime hours worked.

Public Opinion

This item was heard after Item 5.A.

Mayor Cordova explained that since the board consists of only five members, one member volunteered to step down for the appointment of Clyde Romero from Taos Pueblo. Mayor Cordova recognized Board Member Moises Martinez and thanked him for volunteering to step down from the board.  He stated he appreciates the expertise he provided while serving on the board and wished him luck in his endeavors.

Mayor Cordova presented his appointments for Council approval.