Planning department reports system outage, backlog and steps to restore permitting and addressing services

Taos County planning staff told commissioners on July 29 that a prolonged technology outage disrupted permitting, rural addressing and planning commission schedules and that staff are prioritizing critical cases while restoring full service.

"We were already having a backlog of applications for rural addressing and floodplain review," Planning Department staff said. The outage took the department largely offline for about six weeks during the start of the busy construction season; staff said they continued to process building inspections and urgent enforcement actions where possible.

Planning staff described a triage approach: immediate needs such as address assignments for manufactured homes and other time-sensitive occupancy requirements are prioritized, then building permits, business licenses and short-term rental applications. "Our immediate focus is to enable residents to occupy their homes before the onset of winter," the planner said.

Staff said they are preparing a soft launch of the Exela permitting portal. Once the portal is available to contractors and agents, residents will be able to submit applications, track status, request inspections and make payments online. The planning presenter said the county has used the system internally for years and added a payment adapter to allow public-facing transactions.

The department reported 11 current employees and four vacancies. Staff said a certified building official who had been vacant for roughly three years is expected to start mid-month, a permit technician candidate is in process, and the new code enforcement position created in the budget will be posted.

Short-term rentals are an active compliance focus. Planning staff reported receiving 123 short-term rental applications and reviewing 112 to date; 76 permits were issued, with one permit later expiring after property sale. "We have 75 active permits. That means we have 330 permits left," the short-term rental coordinator said, adding that Granicus will host an online portal for applications and enforcement notices.

Staff said they have opened outreach to listing platforms and scheduled a meeting with Airbnb to discuss including a county permit number on listings and removing noncompliant listings if operators do not come into compliance.

Commissioners raised broader concerns about the county's ability to keep critical services functioning if systems go down and suggested exploring memoranda of understanding with partner agencies (for example, town GIS resources) to provide backup access. Planning staff said they already coordinate informally with the town GIS staff and that a formal MOU could help in emergencies.

Why it matters: The planning department issues permits that affect construction, occupancy and emergency response (addressing feeds 9-1-1 mapping). Staff said they expect to be fully operational in the coming weeks and will continue priority handling until the backlog clears.

Planning staff said they will return with periodic updates; they committed to monthly briefings on permitting and short-term rental compliance progress.