County manager Cordova touts strong 'state of county'

While the Taos County government saw its share of lows and blows in 2016 — from two deaths in the Taos County jail to a troubling virus in the county’s computer system — Taos County Manager Leandro Cordova used the “state of the county” address Jan. 10 to highlight incremental progress across the government’s duties and affirm priorities for 2017.

First on his list of accomplishments is a balanced budget.

While New Mexico legislators spent the majority of the special session in 2016 trying to fill a $600 million budget gap (and are set to spend the regular session this year doing much of the same financial wrangling), the county has amassed a $1 million surplus in the local general fund.

Even still, the county commission chose to let voters decide whether or not to impose a sales tax throughout Taos County that would go straight to the 911 dispatch center. County leaders argue the tax will give the department the leeway to set aside funds for infrastructure upgrades and technological upgrades.

Early voting for the 911 tax proposal begins Jan. 17 at 8 a.m. and ends Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. Early voting will take place at the Taos County clerk’s office, located at 105 Albright St. The countywide vote will take place Feb. 14.

Cordova also touted a yearlong effort to improve routine maintenance on the county’s property, especially by increasing the number of employees in the county’s fleet (vehicle) department. That department also got a new superintendent this year; Ramon Pacheco took over the department from Earl Salazar, who is no longer an employee with the county.

Furthermore, Cordova praised the work of the solid waste department in upgrading the Chamisal transfer station, which wasn’t open to accept garbage for part of the year. H.O. Construction responded to a bid for grading and drainage improvements, with the cost of that work at approximately $88,950.

Additionally, two volunteer fire districts — San Cristobal and Río Fernando — are slated to get new fire stations in 2017, bringing uniformity to the 13 independent districts, many of which have aging and inadequate buildings.

The physical footprint of the county will continue to be at the forefront of county concerns, Cordova said, especially when it comes to reopening Taos’ shuttered detox facility (which is owned by the town of Taos, though county officials expect to start the formal process of transferring that building by the end of January).

Community centers — flung throughout the remote communities of Taos County, much like the volunteer fire stations and, in some cases, in the same property — are yet another commitment.

A contract worth approximately $300,000 was awarded to Anissa Construction to complete the Amalia Community Center in northern Taos County. Namely, the contract was meant to finish the kitchen and shore up the space that is to be used by the fire department. The Amalia Community Center has been in construction off and on since the early 2000s.

Furthermore, the county assumed the title of the El Prado Community Center in October.