Council Approves County’s $382 Million FY24 Budget
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County Council unanimously approved the County’s $382,081,801 FY24 budget during Monday night’s budget hearing in Council Chambers.
Regarding the proposal to raise the gross receipt tax (GRT) by .5 percent, Council voted 5-2, with Councilors Randall Ryti and David Reagor in opposition, to have the County Manager present two ordinances for council’s consideration to raise the GRT by .5 precent starting in January 2024 or start the .5 percent increase in July 2024. Read More
Council Tentatively OKs CIP’s Proposed $74M FY24 Budget
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County Council voted 5-2, with Councilors David Reagor and Randall Ryti opposed, to tentatively approve the proposed $74,553,922 FY23 budget for capital improvement projects.
The tentative approval was made during Monday night’s budget hearing.
The proposed budget for athletic field renovations was placed on the “parking lot” to be discussed later. Read More
Canceled: April 25 County Council Special Session
Council Tentatively OKs Public Works $60.9M FY24 Budget
Los Alamos County Public Works Director Juan Raul presents his department’s proposed FY24 budget to County Council during Monday night’s FY24 budget hearing. Council unanimously voted to tentatively approve the Public Work’s $60,911,216 budget along with the addition of two limited-term fulltime Project Manager positions. Screenshot/LADP Read More
PAC 8 Community Media Center: April 28-May 4, 2023
PAC 8 News:
PAC 8 Community Media Center is available for recording events, transferring of old media, shooting and editing, live streaming and drone photography and videography.
For information, email pac8@losalamos.com, call 505.662.7228 or visit pac8cmc.com.
PAC 8 Television schedule for April 28 to May 4:
Friday, April 28, 2023
- 6:00 a.m. — Democracy Now! – Live
- 10 a.m. — The Thom Hartmann Program
- 11 a.m. — Los Alamos Budget Hearing Replay – 4-25-23
- 3 p.m. — Democracy Now!
- 5 p.m. — PAC PAGES – Los Alamos County News Updates
- 6 p.m. — PAC 8 Summer Media Classes
- 7 p.m. — Japan & Korea in
Council Tentatively Oks DPU’s $115 Million+ FY24 Budget
Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Deputy Manager for Finance and Administration Heather Garcia and Deputy Utility Manager For Engineering Division James Alarid present the FY24 proposed budget for DPU to County Council during Monday night’s budget hearing. Council unanimously voted to tentatively approve the $115,367,890 budget as well as one limited term fulltime position for a GWS apprentice. Council further tentatively approved several budget options including $421,816 and $411,980 for two projects addressing the water infrastructure along Rose Street, Read More
Council Tentatively Oks FY24 Non-Departmental Budget
Staff Report:
Los Alamos County Council voted unanimously during tonight’s budget hearing to tentatively approve the nondepartmental budget for FY24 that totals $7,426,446.
Council also approved a $3,400,000 budget option for a salary plan to address employee retention and recruitment as well as a market study and compression impacts. Read More
West Road To Close For Utility Repair Tuesday-Thursday
Map Courtesy/LAC
Map Courtesy/LAC
COUNTY News:
A portion of West Road will be closed Tuesday through Thursday this week for an emergency utility repair.
Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) crews will be repairing a broken non-potable water line in the center of the road. West Road traffic will be stopped south of Fairway Drive down to Omega Road at the overflow Los Alamos County Ice Rink parking lot.
The ice rink, Los Alamos Reservoir and Camp May will be accessible from the west. Anyone wishing to access those areas from Los Alamos will need to drive through the Los Alamos National Read More
Los Alamos County Clerk Announces New Service Available Now To Alert Property Owners To Potential Fraud
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County property owners now have an additional tool to combat property fraud thanks to a new Fraud Notify system deployed by Los Alamos County Clerk Naomi Maestas’ office.
Property fraud is a white-collar crime that is on the rise in the U.S. It is the unlawful attempt to transfer property ownership, typically through forged identity and property documents. It can go undetected for a long time and cause multiple problems for its victims.
Fraud Notify from Tyler Technologies is a free online subscription service that alerts a subscriber anytime a document is recorded at Read More
Los Alamos County Utility Crews Investigating Reports Of Gas Leak Around Canyon Road And Manhattan Loop
COUNTY News:
Gas, Water and Sewer Division crew members from the Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities (DPU) are out in the area around Canyon Road and Manhattan Loop looking for the source of a natural gas odor.
The DPU received multiple calls this morning reporting the odor of gas in the area. They so far have found no concentration that would be cause for alarm and will continue investigating. Read More
Reagor: Response To Public’s Questions About GRT
By DAVID REAGOR
Los Alamos County Councilor
The public has been asking questions about the GRT.
Here is a summary of the questions and my answers.
Please contact me at davidreagor@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.
Is GRT going to pay for broadband?
- Answer: No
How much is broadband going to cost?
- Answer: LAC staff estimate 35M$, but many technical choices have not been made.
How will the bill get paid?
- Answer: The initial cost will be funded with a general obligation bond. The long term is yet to be decided. We should use our taxes and fees to pay for this bond when the time arises.
Skolnik: Housing In Los Alamos – No, It Really Does Not Have To Be This Way
By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock
I commend Stephanie Nakhleh for her exceptionally insightful and well-written pieces on housing.
Ms. Nakhleh makes many important points in her articles. Among the most important for me, someone who has spent a lifetime working in public policy, is:
Our housing shortages are NOT inevitable; rather, to a large degree they stem from a failure of our County Council and its housing policies.
The Planning and Zoning Commission has outlined a number of measures that can be taken to begin to ease some of our misguided housing policies:
- one is to ease limitations on building
Cone Zone: Week Of April 24, 2023
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County construction news for the week of April 24, 2023.
Public Works Projects:
The projects listed in this section are being managed by County Public Works staff through contractors. For more information, email lacpw@lacnm.us, call 505.662.8150, or visit the “Projects/Public Works” link at www.losalamosnm.us. Please slow down and use caution within the construction work zones. Please note the below information is based on a schedule provided by the contractors and may change due to weather or other delays.
33rd / 34th Street Road and Utility Improvements:
Beginning Read More
Repainting Begins On Barranca Mesa Water Tank April 26
A bird’s-eye view of Barranca Mesa water tank adjacent to Barranca Elementary School. Courtesy/LAC
COUNTY News:
The Barranca Mesa water tank adjacent to Barranca Elementary School and the community park on Loma Del Escolar will get a new paint job starting April 26.
TMI Coatings, Inc., in partnership with the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU), will conduct the work.
The area around the tank is confined with a temporary fence to prevent the public from entering the work zone. The work, which is scheduled to occur through August, should not affect the traveling public at this time. Read More
New Round Of Tree Trimming Begins Tuesday On Ski Hill
Southwest Fire Defense has been trimming trees under contract with DPU for over a year. Courtesy/DPU
Southwest Fire Defense trimmed trees in the ski hill vicinity last summer. Courtesy/DPU
COUNTY News:
To mitigate hazards and power outages, a new round of tree trimming coordinated by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is scheduled to begin on the Pajarito Ski Hill Tuesday and continue through Friday. DPU’s contractor, Southwest Fire Defense & Tree Services, will be conducting the work.
While DPU’s list of hazard branches covers the whole county, the current priorities are for Read More
Video Tribute To Retired LAFD Firefighter Mark Sandoval
Video tribute of Los Alamos Firefighters and Police Officers honoring retired firefighter Mark Secundino Sandoval (July 26, 1961 – March 19, 2023) this afternoon in a special procession from the Elks Lodge on Trinity Drive to Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church on Canyon Road for a Funeral Mass followed by reception in the parish hall. The only child of Secundino and Stella Sandoval, he was born in Los Alamos and was a lifelong member of the community. He graduated from Los Alamos High School in 1979, where he fell in love with golf and found friendships that lasted a lifetime. Ninety-two golfers Read More
Los Alamos Police To Change Fingerprint Service Vendor, Expect Temporary Gap In Services
LAPD News:
The Los Alamos Police Los Alamos Police (LAPD) was notified by the New Mexico Department of Public Safety (NMDPS) that they are changing vendors for fingerprint background check support in May.
For Los Alamos, this means that there will be a gap in services after next week until the LAPD can secure a new vendor.
The final day Los Alamos citizens and visitors can complete background fingerprint checks will be Friday, April 28.
“We are working diligently towards a new vendor to be able to have this service in Los Alamos. Beginning May 1 only, the following 10 cities will have these services Read More
LAPD Releases 1st Quarter 2023 Crime Statistics
LAPD News:
Today, Chief Dino Sgambellone released crime statistics through the first quarter of 2023, which were compiled by the Records Section of the Los Alamos Police Department (LAPD).
In April of 2021, LAPD transitioned from UCR, a Summary Reporting System (SRS), to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). NIBRS was created in the 1980’s to offer more detailed crime reporting. While UCR is based on a hierarchy of crime types and therefore counts only the most serious crime at one event, NIBRS counts all crimes that occur and provides more context to actual crime within the Read More
DPU: Take Control Of Your Utility Usage With Portal
By ABBY HAYWARD
Water & Energy Conservation Coordinator
Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities
“Why is my utility bill so high?” This is a common question heard at the Department of Public Utilities (DPU). While market pricing and weather are beyond your individual control, there are several factors that you can control and even prepare for, such as consumption and an increased number of people using your resources.
The Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Self Service Portal is a helpful customer-focused tool that can benefit all utility customers.
For starters, this portal Read More
Find Treasures In Trash At New County Reuse Center
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County community disposes of approximately 15,000 tons of trash each year. Out of all the trash sent to the landfill, there are many valuable treasures and trinkets, decorations, hamster cages, BBQ grills, and exercise equipment to name a few.
Los Alamos County employees noticed a unique opportunity to create a center where these valuable items could be rescued from being forever encapsulated in a landfill and give them a new home.
Establishing a Reuse Center at White Rock Overlook Collection Center will provide the community with a place to take unwanted, but still Read More
