Los Alamos County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Los Alamos County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
WWII Heritage City designation
Design Local, the county's consultants, will present a Historic Preservation Master Plan that could guide how Los Alamos protects and celebrates its historic sites for years to come. This is a first look — no decisions are being made yet.
Landfill feasibility study
Los Alamos County, the City of Española, and Rio Arriba County were set to review a joint feasibility study on a shared regional landfill and consider next steps, including a draft Phase 2 agreement. The outcome could shape regional waste disposal and costs for decades.
Single-use plastic bag ban ordinance
The board is shaping a ban on plastic checkout bags at Los Alamos retail stores, with stores encouraged to charge for recycled paper bags. Members reworked the justification to lean on measurable impacts — recycling contamination costs and climate goals — rather than unquantified litter claims. Public comment comes in July; a recommendation to Council is due by August 4.
Inclusivity Board Formation
Council directed staff to draft an ordinance creating a seven-member Inclusivity Board, following up on the Inclusivity Task Force's March report. It will take a few months before members can be appointed.
County Leadership Appointment
Los Alamos County has picked John Craig as its new Deputy County Manager, a role that helps run county services day to day. The hire matters because it shapes how smoothly local government operations work, even if the announcement doesn’t spell out specific changes yet.
Lawsuit Against County
A former Los Alamos animal shelter manager is suing the county—and Albuquerque—over how the shelter was run. That means possible legal bills for taxpayers and more public scrutiny of county shelter practices.