Council votes to extend the amount of time from six months to five years before a County building may be named after a deceased person. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

STAFF REPORT

The Los Alamos County Council passed Ordinance 02-241 during its meeting Tuesday night, amending Chapter 2, Article V, Section 2-421 to extend the amount of time from six months to five years before a County building may be named after a deceased person. The vote was 6-0. Councilor Steven Girrens was on travel.

Council left the shorter time frame of six months in place for facilities that are not buildings, such as trails, benches, specific rooms in buildings and athletic fields.

Earlier this year, staff was requested to draft Ordinance 02-241, a change to County Code requirements for “special public recognition” that would increase the amount of time after the death of a person before the County may consider naming a facility after that person. 

Currently, the County may not consider naming any of its facilities after a deceased person until six months after the person has died. Here is the excerpt from the staff report stating why the change was being proposed:

Often, sentiment runs particularly high in the months after the death of a prominent person and people want to immediately honor the deceased by naming a public facility after the person. Naming decisions may be better made after time for due reflection as to the appropriate manner in which to recognize that person’s contributions to the community. Allowing time for those passions to cool and to provide an opportunity to revisit the significant contributions to the community supplies an opportunity to educate newcomers about those contributions and to select a fitting memorial…