By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Financially, Los Alamos County is in a fortunate situation. Los Alamos County Council emphasized during its final budget hearing Monday night that during this time of crisis and uncertainty, local government was able to not only pass a budget but approve several expenditure options and still have money in reserves.

The budget for FY2021, which totals almost $240 million, was passed unanimously Monday night.

“I am extremely proud to pass this budget,” County Councilor Antonio Maggiore said. “This budget and our ability to pass it is a testimony of the outstanding work the County does on a daily basis to put us in a financial position to be able to act wholeheartedly in the interest of our constituents in a time of crisis and uncertainty.”

Maggiore added that he appreciates all the County employees who are working to ensure that the County’s daily operations continue.

“I just really want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone in the County … it can’t be said enough … thank you and I am honored and look forward to supporting this budget,” he said.

Council Chair Sara Scott said she, too, was pleased with the budget. She said she felt it was a good balance between expenditures and reserves and put a significant amount of funds to respond to COVID-19.

“I’m really happy with the work we have done, the discussions we have had and the trade-offs we made,” Scott said.

There were several highlights in the budget hearings, most significantly, council approved to budget $1.5 million for efforts regarding COVID-19. Councilor David Izraelevitz suggested adding more monies to the County’s response to CODVI-19, which was originally proposed for $500,000. Izraelevitz said the funds could go to a variety of needs such as meal delivery to housebound seniors and other individuals.

Other possible uses for these funds could include the County’s share of potential Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursements, protective equipment for the community, County support for testing and contract tracing, and increased social service needs resulting from the pandemic.

There were numerous discussions throughout the budget hearings about what the County could do to help local businesses impacted by the pandemic. It was emphasized that the County’s assistance is limited due to the state’s anti-donation clauses.

Scott mentioned that the County’s support includes investments in economic development, providing land and infrastructure to businesses on DP Road, and sharing ideas and concerns with state and federal legislative representatives. She added that the County will continue to work to explore new ideas and identify opportunities for helping both businesses but also vulnerable members of the community.

Councilor James Robinson said that in his opinion, the state’s anti-donation clause needs work and he hopes state legislators address the clause so local governments can help residents. He added that he communicated this to several legislators.

Another highlight included Council approving $350,000 to work on the design phase for the Women’s Army Corp (WAC) Building at 1725 17th St., which the County purchased in July 2019. County Manager Harry Burgess said the design phase includes obtaining a Historical Preservation Registry Nomination for grants to renovate the building and developing design plans for the building, which would include public input.

Furthermore, Council agreed to budget $50,000 for the County’s composting efforts. The option to pursue a pilot project for municipal compost was nixed in favor of helping Los Alamos Public Schools purchase reusable trays and utensils as well as assisting County residents in doing backyard composting through resources such as bins and education on how to compost correctly.

This budget item passed 6-1 with Izraelevitz opposed. He said he preferred that Council voted separately on the two items. He added that he was skeptical that long term curbside compost would be viable and felt the money could be used elsewhere either in the County or in the Environmental Services Division.

Several times throughout the hearings, members of the public voiced concerns that funding for the upstairs art gallery at Mesa Public Library would be cut. However, council unanimously approved $25,000 to contract a manager to continue operating the gallery.

Council also approved, 6-1, two reoccurring expenses, $101,231 and $83,929, for the implementation of prevailing wages. This would give certain County employees such as custodians and bus drivers a minimum salary of $15 an hour. The argument was that it would help with recruitment and retention and that the proposed salaries were identified as possibly needing to be updated as a part of the recent broader County salary market study.

Others felt that these wages were important because they would assist with the cost of living.
Izraelevitz voted against the budget items. He said he felt raising the prevailing wage would hurt local businesses’ hiring prospects because they cannot afford to pay $15 an hour. He added that he saw no explanation as to why $15 was the right amount for Los Alamos and there needed to be a discussion on the implications this could have on the County.

It was agreed that County staff would report to Council next year to assess the prevailing wage, see the impacts on retention and recruitment and discuss future salary changes.

Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5.