BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Regional Coalition of LANL Communities board members are expected to adopt a resolution at their Friday meeting to dissolve the the joint powers agreement (JPA) that established the organization in 2011 and direct its “wind-up”.
The executive committee of the RCLC reportedly met following the decisions of Taos County Commission and the Santa Fe County Commission to withdraw from the organization. Indications are that the City of Santa Fe will also be withdrawing soon.
The resolution notes that the RCLC was created with the purpose of facilitating the mutual cooperation of its members in the areas of economic development; promotion and coordination of environmental protection; participation in regional planning; and evaluation of policy initiatives. It states that the RCLC is “no longer necessary to accomplish the purposes for which it was formed” and that certain members have taken action to withdraw from it.
If passed, the resolution authorizes the treasurer, Los Alamos County Councilor David Izraelevitz, and Los Alamos County as the fiscal agent to complete a final audit and pay all liabilities and obligations. After the bills have been paid, it looks like any remaining funds will be distributed in accordance with the JPA to member entities. At that point, member entities receive written notice that the RCLC has been dissolved and the JPA will be terminated.
Councilor Izraelevitz commented to the Los Alamos Reporter Tuesday morning.
“The recent votes by several RCLC members to exit the organization are a disappointment to me, as I look to the accomplishments of the organization in years past and the relationships and mutual understanding that I have acquired as the Los Alamos County representative. I see our meeting this Friday as an opportunity for reflection and discussion about the path forward for the RCLC,” he said.
Los Alamos County Council has not taken a public position on the future of the RCLC and actually again approved $60,000 as its contribution to the organization during recent budget hearings. In 2018, Council voted not to have Los Alamos County continue as the RCLC’s fiscal agent but the amended JPA, which was approved by the County, that would have allowed a change in fiscal agents, has never been implemented.