Council opens discussion on a regional film office; staff directed to coordinate with county

Councilmember Oswald brought forward a request for the council to consider whether Taos should pursue a regional film office or partner with the Santa Fe film office.

Oswald asked staff to coordinate with Taos County and regional partners and requested that local industry representatives present proposals at a future workshop so the town can consider ordinance and RFP implications. "I wanted to discuss this because we have numerous constituents coming forward asking for help to bring a film office to our region," Oswald said, and asked staff to work with the County so any town ordinance would align with county rules.

Council members expressed interest in a regional approach and in receiving presentations from industry professionals. Staff noted past work by a former marketing and tourism director to compile location resources and suggested reviewing that file for interim support to incoming inquiries. The county indicated it prefers to have an ordinance in place before establishing a film office; Oswald asked staff to coordinate with county staff on what such an ordinance might look like.

Why it matters: a film office can facilitate on-location production, provide a clearinghouse of locations and vendors, and generate economic activity for local businesses. Council discussed partnering regionally (Enchanted Circle COG) rather than immediately duplicating Santa Fe’s model.

Next steps: staff was asked to contact the county for alignment on ordinance language, solicit industry presentations for a future workshop or Enchanted Circle Council of Governments meeting, and to inventory any existing town resources compiled by prior tourism staff.