By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos County Council struck down two ordinances that addressed animals – wild and domesticated – during its meeting Tuesday.
The first ordinance proposed updates to Chapter 6 of the Los Alamos County Code, which addresses animals in the County.
The suggested changes included, among other things, revising language for when animals can be taken into County custody as well as revising language for when it is unlawful to keep an animal, excluding livestock, that habitually howls, yelps, whines, barks or makes other noises that unreasonably disturbs the peace. Also, it was recommended in the ordinance to designate Ashley Pond as a wildlife protected area.
Councilor David Reagor motioned to reject the ordinance. He provided no further direction to County staff. Councilor Randall Ryti said it might be useful to give direction to staff regarding the ordinance and provide them with the public’s and council’s comments on the issue; he further pointed out that not giving more direction may just lead council and staff to be in the same position when the ordinance returns for approval. Reagor wasn’t swayed.
“The intent is … councilors wanted to make changes in the text so we are giving them a chance to give feedback to staff and we are not putting more into the motion … so they can put their input into the rewrite of the ordinance,” Reagor said.
His motion passed 6-2 with Councilors Suzie Havemann and Keith Lepsch opposed.
Lepsch said he felt the ordinance should be approved. Havemann did not provide a comment on her opposition.
“I think the discussion and comments are good and important, but I think we have an opportunity to take step in the right direction and we can always revisit this and get a more comprehensive review,” he said.
The second ordinance addressed prohibiting feeding wildlife.
Council voted unanimously to take no action on the ordinance that prohibits feeding wildlife in favor of educating people about why they shouldn’t do that.
The draft education/outreach plan developed by county staff was included in the agenda documents. It lists the New Mexico Game and Fish as the main point of contact for all messaging. All educational materials would be submitted to the state agency for review and approval.
Furthermore, the Los Alamos Police Department and Pajarito Environmental Education Center will be local resources for creating public service announcements, information and programming. The Santa Fe National Forest and the Los Alamos County Library System have materials, too.
Several on Council including Chair Denise Derkacs, Vice Chair Theresa Cull, Havemann and Reagor supported the educational plan. Ryti asked if the County had the resources to implement an effective education plan and County Manager Steven Lynne said while hiring a contractor may be pursued later, the current budget isn’t so constrained that the education plan couldn’t get a good start.
Lepsch expressed some doubt about this direction; he pointed out New Mexico Game and Fish officers previously reported that Los Alamos has a problem with people feeding wildlife and the ordinance would give the police the authority to deal with it.
In other business, council:
Unanimously approved a new contract with Los Alamos Arts Council to operate the Fuller Lodge Art Center and provide community arts and cultural programs. The contract’s amount will not exceed $969,512 over seven years. Additionally, the new contract includes a cost of services annual increase of approximately $100,000, with an additional $50,000 in the first year of the contract, starting Jan. 1, for program-related items that need to be replaced. Year two through seven will include an approximate 3 percent escalation annually.
Unanimously approved the terms for a Local Economic Development Assistance (LEDA) project with SALA Event Center. The terms sheet specifies that the County will provide up to $600,000 of which $450,000 will be a grant and $150,000 will be a loan. This will be used to acquire and install equipment for virtual reality and immersive programming at SALA. A formal project participation agreement and authorizing ordinance will be brought back to Council for approval early in the new year. Several councilors expressed their support for the project.
“I’ve seen so many positive activities and attractions through SALA since it opened,” Councilor Melanee Hand said. “I really think we are really doing a lot for the community not only for people who live here but visitors to the community. I am fully supportive of this.”
“I’m really appreciative of all the great things SALA is doing for the community and really appreciate all the support that has been relayed to us,” Havemann added.
Heard an update from the Environmental Services Division regarding issues it faces with the bear-proof roll carts. Some of the locking devices are making it difficult for the waste collection trucks to open the lids and some residents have removed the lids off dumpsters entirely, defeating the purpose of having a bear-proof dumpster. As a result, the Environmental Services Division staff have had to do maintenance and repairs and seek a different model for roll carts that have more reliable locking mechanisms. Council unanimously approved to authorize a solicitation for the performance evaluation of bear-proof roll cart options and continue rolling out the bear-proof roll cart by request only and to revisit the program within 12 months.
Unanimously approved to temporarily reduce the fees for season passes for the Los Alamos County Golf Course due to the capital improvement project that is scheduled to occur next year and will only make nine holes available during the project. As a result, the cost of each type of pass will be reduced by one-half of the current 18-hole pass price.