OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Los Alamos County Council Regular Session - February 3, 2026

County Council & Boards — Tuesday, February 3, 2026
BodyLos Alamos County, New Mexico
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateTuesday, February 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:28:48

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Okay, I'd like to welcome everyone present and online to the February 3rd, 2026.

0:09

Can they council regular session?

0:12

So tonight we're going to be having the meeting in uh in hybrid format, meaning we'll have some people present in chambers and we'll have some people online.

0:21

And so if people want to participate on Zoom, you can use the computers or other devices if you happen to be on a phone.

0:32

Then you can unmute your raise your hand with the star 9.

0:36

Uh we'll be taking public comment as we go through the meeting.

0:40

We'll have public comment at the beginning of the meeting for items that are not on the agenda.

0:46

And we'll have uh Mr.

0:47

Ayell uh look for uh virtual commenters and just ask people that are online to have their full names so they can be properly addressed, and also ask that uh commenters uh address the chair and uh address the issues that they want to and as opposed to personalities.

1:07

Um let's see.

1:09

Uh we'll have we'll plan on having three minutes for public comment unless otherwise directed.

1:16

And uh we're gonna plan on ending the meeting no later than 10 p.m.

1:20

It might be earlier than that tonight.

1:22

We'll check uh at 9 p.m.

1:24

if we're still meeting at that time.

1:26

Uh so item number one is the roll call.

1:31

Um so I think since we have a couple of uh counselors online.

1:36

Uh can the clerk please uh call the roll for us.

1:41

Councillor Havaman.

1:43

Here.

1:44

Councillor Wrighty.

1:46

Here.

1:46

Councillor Hand.

1:48

Here.

1:48

Councillor Cole.

1:50

Here.

1:51

Councillor Rigor.

1:53

Here.

1:54

Councillor Herman.

1:55

Here.

1:56

Councillor Neil Clinton.

1:58

Here.

1:58

All present with two online.

2:01

Okay.

2:01

Thank you, Locke.

2:02

Uh all counselors are present with two uh on Zoom.

2:06

Uh with that, we're on to item number two, which is the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:09

Uh so if you're willing and able, please join us in the pledge.

2:15

Hi, please listen to the flag of the audience.

2:20

And to the republic for which it stands one, under God, indivisible with liberty, and justice for our okay.

2:35

So now we're on to item number three, which is public comment.

2:38

So I think we have uh some people in the chambers who would like to make some public comment.

2:43

So please uh come up and and if and if everybody can be reminded to state their first and last name for the record.

2:52

Uh thank you to the chair and the council for letting us speak.

2:56

My name is Heyman Lee, and I am a co-leader for Brownie Troop 10507.

3:02

We meet here in Los Alamos and in White Rock.

3:05

We have 18 Girl Scouts in our troop, all in second and third grade.

3:10

We are here today as a troop to voice our concerns about the lack of inclusive public areas for children in Los Alamos County, and would specifically like to request that the county install inclusive swings in all public playgrounds.

3:26

The following are two letters written by our Girl Scouts who could not be here today.

3:32

The first is from Sophie Archuletta.

3:36

She writes, we would like to request an ADA swing so that our friends with disabilities can swing with us.

3:44

If you could please help us, we would be grateful.

3:49

The second letter I have here is from Iris Van Felen and her family.

3:54

And she writes, Dear County, we would like to request your support to include inclusive swings in our parks of White Rock.

4:03

The parks and leisure areas for the enjoyment of our kids should be suitable for everyone, especially for those with physical activity where physical activity is limited.

4:13

Please also consider that we celebrate our kids' birthdays in those parks.

4:18

We need all our kids to be able to have access with true inclusion.

4:22

So please think inclusive also when you design our parks and public facilities.

4:38

With this, we mean public pools, indoor-outdoor, safe playgrounds with shade.

4:44

The existing parks are dramatically exposed to the sun.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning and Zoning████████████████████████████████████36%
Public Engagement██████████████████18%
Procedural███████████11%
Accessibility███████████11%
Community Engagement███████████11%
Transportation Safety████4%
Contract Management████4%
Board and Commission Management███3%
Public Safety██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Los Alamos County Council Regular Session - February 3, 2026

On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, the Los Alamos County Council held a regular session in hybrid format at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included public comment, a public hearing on road mileage certification, approval of a contract amendment with Blue Cross Blue Shield, and a presentation on the Comprehensive Plan Update and Chapter 16 Code Amendments. All agenda items were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Heidi Heyman Lee (co-leader, Girl Scout Troop 10507) and several Girl Scouts (Olivia Connor Lee, Annabelle Heidemann, Scarlett Rasmussen, and a letter from Hope Connor Lee) requested the installation of inclusive/ADA swings in all public playgrounds. They emphasized that children with disabilities currently cannot swing with their peers and that inclusive swings benefit everyone.
  • Courtney Kreller (mother of Emmy Dietz, who has Rett syndrome) stated that while Los Alamos values inclusivity, playgrounds lack truly inclusive equipment. She noted that upgrades at Rover Park made it less inclusive and requested an adaptive swing at every playground, with a long-term goal of an all-inclusive playground.
  • James Warniky (former Parks and Rec Board chair and current Inclusivity Task Force member) supported the request, stating that liability concerns about adaptive swings have been resolved in other jurisdictions.

Public Hearing

  • RE0671-26: Resolution 26-05 – 2026 Annual Road Mileage Certification
    • Eric Martinez (Public Works Director) and Eric Ulibarri (County Engineer) presented the annual certification for NMDOT road funds. The mileage did not change from the previous year. No public comment was offered. Council voted 7-0 to certify the resolution.

Discussion Items

  • AGR1190-26: Amendment No. 2 to General Services Agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico
    • Anne Laurent (County Manager) and Victoria Pacheco (Benefits & Pension Manager) explained that the signed agreement contained erroneous stop-loss premium rates ($2.36 vs. the negotiated $2.20 per employee per month), resulting in a $14.71 per employee per month overpayment for calendar year 2025. The error was found during a routine audit; employee premium rates were not affected. Blue Cross Blue Shield will audit and reconcile the overpayment, crediting the county. Council voted 7-0 to approve the amendment.
  • 21250-26: Overview of Comprehensive Plan Update and Chapter 16 Code Amendments
    • Pete Lombardi (CZB consultant) presented the 12-month process for updating the Comprehensive Plan, last significantly updated in 2016. The plan will address growth, values, and priorities through public engagement (stakeholder interviews, community survey, workshops). Elias Isaacson (Community Development Director) outlined the parallel Chapter 16 code amendments: Articles 1 and 5 (targeting June 2026), Articles 2 and 4 (targeting March 2027, pending the comp plan), and temporary sign code revisions (targeting November 2026). Councilors discussed timelines, open space rezonings, stakeholder inclusivity, and the need for alignment with the comp plan. No vote was taken; the item was for discussion only.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of Agenda – Motion passed 7-0.
  • Resolution 26-05 (Road Mileage Certification) – Approved 7-0.
  • Amendment No. 2 to Blue Cross Blue Shield Agreement (AGR24-67) – Approved 7-0.
  • Council Business – Councilors reported on recent board meetings (Planning & Zoning, Inclusivity Task Force, Environmental Sustainability Board, North Central Regional Transit District, North Central New Mexico Economic Development Board). Council Chair Randall Ryti noted meetings with constituents and a discussion on dangerous dogs. The next work session will include a review of potential charter changes.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, I'd like to welcome everyone present and online to the February 3rd, 2026. Can they council regular session? So tonight we're going to be having the meeting in uh in hybrid format, meaning we'll have some people present in chambers and we'll have some people online. And so if people want to participate on Zoom, you can use the computers or other devices if you happen to be on a phone. Then you can unmute your raise your hand with the star 9. Uh we'll be taking public comment as we go through the meeting. We'll have public comment at the beginning of the meeting for items that are not on the agenda. And we'll have uh Mr. Ayell uh look for uh virtual commenters and just ask people that are online to have their full names so they can be properly addressed, and also ask that uh commenters uh address the chair and uh address the issues that they want to and as opposed to personalities. Um let's see. Uh we'll have we'll plan on having three minutes for public comment unless otherwise directed. And uh we're gonna plan on ending the meeting no later than 10 p.m. It might be earlier than that tonight. We'll check uh at 9 p.m. if we're still meeting at that time. Uh so item number one is the roll call. Um so I think since we have a couple of uh counselors online. Uh can the clerk please uh call the roll for us. Councillor Havaman. Here. Councillor Wrighty. Here. Councillor Hand. Here. Councillor Cole. Here. Councillor Rigor. Here. Councillor Herman. Here. Councillor Neil Clinton. Here. All present with two online. Okay. Thank you, Locke. Uh all counselors are present with two uh on Zoom. Uh with that, we're on to item number two, which is the Pledge of Allegiance. Uh so if you're willing and able, please join us in the pledge. Hi, please listen to the flag of the audience. And to the republic for which it stands one, under God, indivisible with liberty, and justice for our okay. So now we're on to item number three, which is public comment. So I think we have uh some people in the chambers who would like to make some public comment. So please uh come up and and if and if everybody can be reminded to state their first and last name for the record. Uh thank you to the chair and the council for letting us speak. My name is Heyman Lee, and I am a co-leader for Brownie Troop 10507. We meet here in Los Alamos and in White Rock. We have 18 Girl Scouts in our troop, all in second and third grade. We are here today as a troop to voice our concerns about the lack of inclusive public areas for children in Los Alamos County, and would specifically like to request that the county install inclusive swings in all public playgrounds. The following are two letters written by our Girl Scouts who could not be here today. The first is from Sophie Archuletta.

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