The Regular Meeting of the Taos Town Council was called to order by the Honorable Mayor Daniel R. Barrone at 10:11 a.m. 

Ms. Renee Lucero, Town Clerk, called roll and a quorum was present.  

Those present were:      
Mayor, Daniel R. Barrone      
Mayor Pro Tem, George “Fritz” Hahn
Councilmember, Judith Y. Cantu       
Councilmember, Andrew T. Gonzales
   

Also present were:      
Town Manager, Richard Bellis

Town Attorney, Floyd Lopez
Town Clerk, Renee Lucero 

Absent/Excused was:

Councilmember Fredrick Peralta

Town Attorney Floyd Lopez led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mr. Bellis explained the negotiation process.  The intent of the committee was to select a firm to not only do marketing, but to meet with visitors and get an outside image of how Taos is viewed. He further stated the firm will meet with businesses and market Taos to build marketing strategies.

Sharon Voigt explained the procurement process and provided the names of the other firms that submitted proposals.  She stated the recommendation of the committee was to award Atlas Advertising.

Mayor Barrone asked if the firm has a local address.  Mr. Bellis stated yes and will be billing within the Town of Taos.

Councilmember Hahn asked if anyone from the Lodgers Tax Advisory Board (LTAB) would like to speak.  John Abeln stated he serves on the Marketing Committee and on the LTAB and was also on the committee that selected Atlas Advertising. He applauds the Town for moving this contract forward.   

Councilmember Cantu stated it took so long to get to this point and she believes the process was lopsided because there were no Hispanics or Native Americans represented on the committee.

Mayor Barrone thanked the staff and those who served on the committee for their hard work.

Lengthy discussion ensued regarding Solar Fest that took place over the weekend and brought in approximately 3,000 people.  Some believe the weather was a factor in the low attendance.

Mayor Barrone recommended that funding for Taos Pueblo Tourism be approved contingent on approval from the Taos Pueblo Tribal Council to ensure that they are in agreement with the event.

Councilmember Gonzales made a motion to approve the staff recommendations including a decrease in the award for Michael Hearne's Barn Dance to $7,500 and also including the Mayor's recommendation. Councilmember Cantu seconded the motion.

Councilmember Hahn asked if the RFP will need to be re-advertised if the recommendations are changed.  Mr. Lopez stated the RFP indicates the approval of awards are subject to Council approval. 

The motion passed.  The Councilmembers voted as follows:  Ayes: Cantu, Gonzales, Hahn.

Lindsey Elliot stated the Chamber is requesting to keep the east, south and west sides of Taos Plaza closed for safety reasons.  She emphasized there will be no booths in front of Plaza businesses; rather against the center of the Plaza.  Ms. Elliot also emphasized that the Chambers' members asked to have this event on the Plaza as this is a slow time for Taos and will provide synergy for the Plaza.

Rose Vargas shared the objectives for the Town and ACD/MainStreet Board.  She stated if the Town partners with MainStreet, a representative from the Town will serve on the Board.  A budget needs to be considered along with a match from the Town. She emphasized the MOU needs to be signed and delivered to the state by July 1st. 

A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the lack of budget which would indicate deliverables, a timeline of projects and a salary for the Executive Director. The Council also discussed the issues with the ACD in the past and the concern of moving forward.  Mayor Barrone stressed the ACD is now in good standing with their non-profit status at the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office. 

Councilmember Hahn stated he has seen how the NM MainStreet Program has offered tremendous financial assistance to other municipalities. A lesson was learned from the past events and he believes this is a wise investment.

Councilmember Hahn made a motion to approve the MOU and financial participation to include a resolution indicating approval.  The motion died for lack of a second.

Judith Raine, with the ACD Board, stated she believes the Town would not have this opportunity again for several years. 

Councilmember Gonzales reiterated he is not comfortable approving this without knowing the Town's financial obligation and with no budget to review. 

The Council took at 10 minute break.

Deborah McClean, Taos Center for the Arts (TCA) Executive Director, stated TCA is one of the organizations that would benefit from an ACD/MainStreet establishment.  TCA has an opportunity to go digital and it must be done.  Through ACD they could apply for grants for up to $100,000 for this initiative.

Further discussion ensued regarding the potential opportunities if the MOU is approved.

Councilmember Gonzales made a motion to move forward in concept with the MOU without a dollar amount until the Town has a budget, work plan and deliverables which will be brought back for consideration along with a job description with roles and responsibilities for the Executive Director and authorizing the Mayor to send a letter to the Economic Development Department informing them that a budget will be forthcoming by the end of July.  Councilmember Cantu seconded the motion. The motion passed.  The Councilmembers voted as follows:  Ayes:  Cantu, Gonzales, Hahn.

Mr. Bellis stated this agreement resembles the Farmers Market Agreement that was recently approved.  He indicated the agreement accounts for the $15,000 contribution from the Town as well as a tent, tables and chairs in front of the Old County Courthouse. 

Mr. Bellis discussed the benefits of installing cameras in the Town's parks and at Taos Plaza provided that broadband is available.  He stated he will draft an RFP for this initiative.

Councilmember Hahn stated his hope was that if the Town moved forward with the MainStreet MOU, staff could apply for funds for the Master Plan of the Plaza and this could be included in the Master Plan. 

Councilmember Gonzales stated he will abstain from discussion on this issue because he is an employee of Kit Carson Electric and they may submit a proposal responding to the RFP.

Mayor Barron presented the letter for Council review based on their feedback at the last meeting.

Councilmember Gonzales stated the letter is drafted extremely well and he looks forward to working with the County on affordable housing. Councilmember Hahn and Councilmember Cantu agreed.

Councilmember Cantu discussed the noise level at the Solar Fest and expressed concern that the music went on too late.   Mayor Barrone explained the music usually ends at around 10:00 p.m., but went on a little later because one of the bands got stuck at the Albuquerque Airport. 

Councilmember Gonzales invited the community to a celebration on July 17th at Kit Carson Electric Coop headquarters to celebrate the completion of the broadband project. 

A motion was made by Councilmember Gonzales and seconded by Councilmember Hahn to adjourn the meeting.  The motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 1:02 p.m.