BY SARA SCOTT
Los Alamos County Council Chair
Over the last year I’ve appreciated hearing from many of you about your goals for the future of Los Alamos and the issues you feel should be addressed. Recently – working with the rest of the Council team and incorporating broader input from the public and County staff – we’ve developed a set of seven strategic priorities. This doesn’t mean that the County will work only on these priorities but having them will maintain a focus on some hard challenges among ongoing County efforts and initiatives.
We’ve also discussed our strong commitment to continued improvement of communication and transparency in County policy setting. And so, as a part of identifying actions that will help us make progress on our priorities, we’ve been working to obtain community input in multiple ways. We are using the Open Forum tool (https://www.opentownhall.com/portals/119/forum_home) but also will be getting out and talking directly to community members.
As a part of that effort we’ve scheduled two Town Hall sessions: Saturday, March 9 in White Rock at the Fire Station from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.and Thursday, March 14 in Los Alamos in the Municipal Building room 200 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Councilor Randy Ryti and I will be present at these sessions. The sessions will start with about 10 minutes of introduction and context and then allow for about 40 minutes of public input regarding the priorities; approximately 10 minutes will be provided at the end of each session for general comments and questions.
Additionally, we are pleased with the recent legislation regarding the Gross Receipts Tax and want to recognize the Governor and the State Legislature, and especially Senators Cisneros and Martinez and Representatives Chandler and Romero, for their hard work and important support for this bill. It is critical to addressing the budget uncertainties that we have faced over the last year. We very much look forward to continuing to be able to provide services and amenities important to the community and to Los Alamos National Laboratory such as police and fire protection, safe roadways, free public transit and after-school programs for children and teens. Additionally, we recognize the importance of the Gross Receipts Tax to our Northern New Mexico neighbors and look forward to strengthening our partnerships with surrounding communities. We will work together in the context of this and other results from the legislative session to grow and sustain a strong future for our community, the Laboratory, our region and state.
It is exciting to be starting my term as one of your County Councilors; I am enjoying digging into the day-to-day work, participating in a wide range of events, as well as starting to work in earnest on those issues I’ve heard about from the community. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at sara.scott@lacnm.us or the Council at CountyCouncil@lacnm.us.