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

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

Also present were:      
Town Manager, Richard Bellis
Town Attorney, Jacob Caldwell
Town Clerk, Renee Lucero

Councilmember Hahn asked who will be managing this project.  Amy Rincon, Senior Planner, stated the project and grant will be managed by the Planning and Zoning Department; however, an RFP will be solicited for the management of the architectural walking map and the Taos Plaza cultural resource enhancement plan.

Councilmember Cantu stated the previous Code Enforcement Office had cataloged all of the buildings located within the historic district.  She asked if this data will be used.  Ms. Rincon stated the data will be used to organize the architectural data.

Councilmember Peralta asked if historical significance of the buildings will be considered when displaying the architectural structures.  Ms. Rincon stated yes, that information will be considered. 

Marietta Fambro, Finance Director, stated the Department of Finance and Administration requires that the Fourth Quarter Financial Report be approved by the governing body of each entity. She reviewed the June, 2014 condensed report and the summary of all expenditures and cash balances through June 30, 2014.  

Following is the report:
Final Revenues - June's gross receipts taxes increased by 6.60% over 2012-2013. The most significant categorical increases were in Construction at $12,394 (51.28%) and Retail Trade at $6,247 (2.57%). The most significant categorical decreases were in Accommodation & Food Services at $5,355 (5.17%) and Information at $2,133 (8.65%). The total year-to-date growth ending June, 2014 increased by 4.23% compared to 2012-2013 and is slightly over the projection of 4%. Overall revenues totaled $10,831,079, increased from last fiscal year's of $10,251,301. Major contributing factors of this were an increase in gross receipts tax, the new administrative fee to Enterprise Funds and Small Cities Assistance. Other revenue sources that fell below projections are Building Permits, Court Fines and the Auto License Distribution.

Final Expenditures – Final expenditures totaled $9,776,019 between all Town departments. In March, 2014 all departments projected their expenses through the end of the year, which was 2% less than projected, increasing the ending balance by approximately $224,000.

Final Ending Balance – Based on final actual revenues and expenditures, the final ending balance of $2,480,356 will be carried into fiscal year 2014-2015. The projected ending balance of $2,480,356 will exceed the 30 day reserve requirement by an additional 54 days, for a total reserve of 84 days (24 days over 2/12ths). Based on next year’s budget, $618,504 is allocated to one-time costs. 

Discussion ensued regarding whether there is a way to track revenues since Farmers Market was moved to the Plaza.  The Councilmembers requested that data be sent to them in September when numbers are available. 

Ms. Fambro explained the major changes since she last presented the budget at the June 24, 2014 Council meeting when the budget was approved pending changes in carryover amounts and fund balances.  She reviewed the summary of the changes.

Councilmember Peralta stated $24 million was budgeted for the airport expansion and since the project will be completed in two phases he asked if the budgeted amount should be half of $24 million.  Ms. Fambro stated she prefers to have the funds allocated this fiscal year so that if the project carries over into next fiscal year, the funds will already be allocated.

Councilmember Hahn stated he understands there is approximately $300,000 in the Eco Park's budget that will be used to build the locker rooms.  He believes the Town needs to move this project forward before winter to allow several college teams to use the park next spring since they have committed on the condition that the locker rooms are built.

Mark Yaravitz, with Taos Sports Alliance, stated the most expeditious way to construct the locker rooms is to use Cooperative Education System (CES) guidelines and Wayne Rutherford is the only authorized contractor in the area.  A modular building is being proposed as the least expensive option.  He stated as soon as a contract has been signed, construction of the locker rooms can begin.  Additionally, Mr. Yaravitz stated the building will have about 2,000 square feet of usable space. 

Councilmember Peralta asked how much the contract will be with Wayne Rutherford.  Mr. Yaravitz stated up to $22,000, which includes the design and utility work. Councilmember Peralta expressed concerns about procurement and whether this is allowable.  Mr. Caldwell stated it is allowable as CES has already gone through the competitive bidding requirements through the procurement process. 

Councilmember Cantu asked what is the proposed cost of the modular building. Mr. Yaravitz stated the first draft of a bid from the contractor was approximately $100,000; however, Mr. Rutherford will provide an estimate after he gets a contract.  Councilmember Cantu expressed concern about modular buildings needing more maintenance in the future.  Pete French, with Taos Sports Alliance, assured Councilmember Cantu that the modular building will be built under New Mexico building standards and he is confident it will be a solid structure.  

Mr. Caldwell explained the terms of the contract and indicated the contract is in the amount of $75,000 per year.  He stated there has been direction that the contractor is required to be self-sustaining by the end of the fiscal year; however, there are no ramifications if they don’t become self-sustaining.  He further stated the contract is renewable on a yearly basis, and the Council should be made aware of this provision.   

Mayor Barrone asked for a report on the deliverables. 

Mr. French stated all youth soccer league teams play at the Eco Park, as well as high school and some colleges. He further stated once the locker rooms are constructed, they expect to have additional college teams using the fields. 

Discussion ensued regarding Taos Sports Alliance not providing monthly reports on the deliverables as required in the contract.  Mr. French stated monthly reports have been prepared and submitted to staff; however, they did not reach the Council.  The Council expressed concerns about not knowing what the deliverables are and directed Mr. French and Mr. Yaravitz to electronically submit monthly reports directly to the Mayor and Council. 

Councilmember Gonzales stated he would like to see Taos Youth Football League use the field and have youth programs be given preference over the adult programs. 

Marketing and Tourism Director
Mr. Bellis stated the pay grade for this position is proposed at 29 or 30.  He explained accommodations over the last several months have been down, despite Lodgers' Tax and Gross Receipts Tax increasing.  He believes the Town needs to focus on improving tourism.  Public input has proven that the role played by Cathy Connelly (the previous Public Relations Director) served to gather information to market appropriately.  Furthermore, by filling this position, there will be someone on staff measuring the return on the Town's investment.  This person is proposed to be responsible for the management of the Visitors Center and will assist the Lodgers Tax Advisory Board.

Councilmember Gonzales stated he believes the individual should report to the Town Manager and to the Town Council so that the Council can be accountable for the expenditures, considering the negative feedback they received in the past on the funds spent on marketing.  Mr. Caldwell stated, according to the Town Code, ultimately the Council provides supervision to all employees through the Town Manager and it would take a revision to the Town Code to require that that the Marketing and Tourism Director report to the Council. 

Mr. Bellis directed the Council to Essential Functions, paragraph 2, which states the Director "Develops, implements and evaluates the Taos strategic marketing plan and initiatives." He stated the Council should have the opportunity to review the initiatives, and proposed to amend that section by adding "approved by the Council" after the word "initiatives."  Councilmember Gonzales stated he agrees with that change. 

Councilmember Peralta asked if the pay grade of the employee should be in the job description or is it somewhere else in the plan. Amy Seidel, Human Resources Director, stated the pay grade is not on the job description, but it is kept within a database in the Human Resources Department.  She stated the pay grade can be included on the job description.

Councilmember Gonzales requested that the Pay and Classification Plan chart which indicates the pay grade and steps be included on the Town's website.  Mayor Barrone directed Mr. Bellis to include that chart on the Town's website.

Councilmember Gonzales made a motion to approve the Job Description with amendments as proposed by Mr. Bellis at a Pay Grade 30. Councilmember Peralta seconded the motion. 

Francisco Espinoza, Public Works Director, stated the contract should be TT-11-115. He explained the original cost submitted by Armstrong Engineering for Task Order G was $691,895. Upon completion of  several rounds of negotiations, a revised cost of $566,245 was submitted to Federal Aviation and was approved. He further explained the details of the final cost breakdown.

Councilmember Gonzales made a motion to Approve the contract amending the number as requested. Councilmember Peralta seconded the motion.

For discussion, Councilmember Hahn requested when Armstrong comes back with the recommended contractor for the construction, the Council commits to having a public forum in the hope of being open and transparent.  He wants to ensure that the Council allows the public to experience commentary period through each phase of the project. 

Mayor Barrone stated the Council has agreed to hold public forums.  Mr. Bellis added once bids are open and all information is public the public forums can then be held; probably in August.  Councilmember Gonzales stated he is not opposed to holding forums; however, he does not want anything to hinder this process.  The Town has been working on this project for three decades and he does not want it to be stalled or halted.  Councilmember Hahn stated before money is disbursed to contractors, the Council will have to vote and there is a possibility the funding will not be approved for disbursement.  

The motion was Passed. The motion was Passed. Those voting AYE were Councilmembers: Cantu, Gonzales, Hahn and Peralta.

Mr. Bellis stated he plans to advertise a notice in the Taos News requesting that the public submit names for the park. He also plans to post this information on the Town's website. He further plans to develop a committee of three to five people to establish general parameters and evaluate the submissions.  A public meeting would then be held to provide the names to the Council for approval. 

Councilmember Gonzales stated after hearing from many constituents, he wants the notice to include the option of leaving the park name alone.  

Councilmember Hahn stated he wants the Town to facilitate a community conversation about all the angst this issue has brought up and address the problems with bigotry and racism.  He believes there is no reason to rush through this process. Mayor Barrone stated he, Mr. Bellis and Mr. Caldwell recently met with Tom Allena, with the Restorative Justice Committee, and Mr. Allena would like to present a proposal to the Council that deals with the concerns Councilmember Hahn has discussed.

Councilmember Peralta stated whether the park is renamed, it has nothing to do with the issues that came up. Bigotry and intolerance won’t be settled by renaming the park as those are issues that need to be worked out on a daily basis. 

Councilmember Cantu stated renaming the park was a lesson learned.  There is no rush to rename it.  She believes it is crucial to get the community involved and use the committee Mr. Bellis discussed.

Mr. Bellis read the Mayor's recommendations as follows:

1.      Jan Debay (term expires  12-31-16) (resident)
2.      James Pollard (term expires 12-31-16) (resident) (UNM)
3.      Dennis Garcia (term expires 12-31-15) (resident)
4.      John Durham (term expires 12-31-15) (at-large) (County Planning Commission)
5.      Justin Lea, J.D. (term expires 6-30-16) (resident)
6.      Billy Romero (term expires 6-30-15) (resident)
7.      Eddie Lucero (term expires 6-30-15) (resident)

A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the length of terms and term expiration dates.  Councilmember Gonzales stated at the last meeting he requested that Pavel Lukes be appointed as he has given a lot of time to the community. Mayor Barrone stated he attempted to appoint Mr. Lukes, but there was not a second to Councilmember Peralta's motion. 

Councilmember Hahn thanked all previous commissioners for their efforts through the years.  He believes the appointees will make a solid team. 

Council requested that the terms provided in the Town Code be amended to allow a commissioner to serve three year terms, with three consecutive terms for a total of nine years, and stagger the terms due to the amount of time it takes to fully understand their role. Martha Perkins, Planning and Zoning Director, stated amending the terms would really help her department. Mayor Barrone directed Ms. Perkins to proceed with amending the code.

The Town Manager reported to the Council that no agreements have been made regarding the Ancianos building.  The Council also discussed past and future funding for the programming of Ancianos.

Some of the Councilmembers requested that Mr. Bellis update them more on Town projects and other issues, as they feel they are uninformed.  Mr. Bellis stated he will ensure that the Council is kept updated on Town issues.

A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the Old Taos County Courthouse, a communication tower at Town Hall, the Griffin and Associates marketing contract, and rumors in the community about issues at the Town.

A motion was made by Councilmember Cantu and seconded by Councilmember Gonzales to adjourn the meeting.  The motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 4:23 p.m.