Los Alamos County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Los Alamos County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
IPRA/eDiscovery Software Modernization
The county pulled over 4.2 million records and spent over $800,000 on outside IPRA help in three years. A new five-year, $3.4 million AI-assisted contract with CDS aims to speed up records requests, cut outside consultant costs, and reduce legal risk — with human review still required before release.
Proposed reduction of Health Council membership to 11
Staff proposed shrinking the council from 15 members to 11 and standardizing terms to January–December to ease scheduling and administrative burden. Members tabled action to November, after the election, when two related charter amendments could change the calculus.
Ambulance Billing Write-Offs
A routine annual cleanup: about $31,800 in utility bills more than four years old that liens and collections couldn't recover get written off, with the county performing slightly better than the national average for similar utilities.
Revenue transfer process and county charter question
A charter question on this fall's ballot could end the practice of transferring 5% of gas and electric revenues to the general fund and having Council send them back to utility projects. Staff explained it would simplify accounting and give utilities more flexibility, but would change budgeting.
APP Funding Ordinance Revision
The current ordinance takes 1% (or half a percent for roads) from capital projects to fund public art, but it's unclear how to apply that to bond-funded projects. Staff and Finance are working on clearer language, possibly with a set annual budget instead.
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement and IT infrastructure
The $2.5M three-year deal covers M365, server licensing, a Teams Calling phone upgrade, AI capacity under a forthcoming governance policy, and room upgrades. Councilors probed Linux costs, desktop phone reduction, and network failover.
Betty Ehart Senior Center HVAC Replacement
The senior center's failing evaporative/boiler system will be replaced with an all-electric heat pump system for $3.67 million in construction within a $5 million budget. Senior programs move to Fuller Lodge during construction, with congregate meals cooked in White Rock.
Five-year plumbers and pipe fitters labor agreement
A new five-year union contract covering GWS, water production, and wastewater staff raises pay to stay competitive with LANL, adds an alternate standby crew, and extends rest periods after 16-hour shifts from 8 to 10 hours.
New single-rate pay for casual and temporary county employees
The county replaced the old graded scale for casual and temporary workers with a single rate set at step one of the comparable regular position. It's a significant pay bump for most seasonal staff, meant to help the county compete for entry-level workers.
10-year Budget Plan and Reserve Policies
The board reviewed cash reserve guidelines from 2016 that require up to 90% of some funds' annual revenue in reserves — targets staff said haven't been met in a decade. Options would lower operating reserves from 180 to 90 days. The board asked for a ten-year look at when reserves were actually needed.
Charter amendment on utilities profit transfer
The board endorsed asking voters to delete the charter requirement that leftover utility profits go to the county general fund. In recent years Council has returned those funds for utility projects, but isn't obligated to keep doing so; removing the provision eliminates that risk.
Ordinance 755 — boards and commissions rules
Ordinance 755 would loosen rules on terms, party balance, and time requirements so the county can retain experienced board and commission members instead of losing them when terms expire.
Lodgers' tax revenue below projections
Revenue is roughly on pace with budget but tracking below original projections because the federal government shutdown kept visitors away from the parks. Summer months could still close the gap toward the $500,000 mark.
Deferred capital projects and $35 million bond issuance
The county is delaying a $35 million bond issuance to fall 2026 and pushing back several capital projects, including fire station work, to keep the budget balanced amid lower revenues.
Elected official compensation adjustments
Four separate ordinances were set for public hearings adjusting the pay of the County Council, County Assessor, Probate Judge, and Municipal Court Judge. Pay for elected officials is set years in advance by law, so these changes wouldn't take effect for current officeholders.