Taos council approves $90,050 consulting contract for affordable-housing planning despite heated public debate

The Taos Town Council on Jan. 28 approved a contract with Economic and Planning Systems Inc. (EPS) for affordable-housing development services in the amount of $90,050, exclusive of gross receipts tax. The contract's scope includes market analysis, program design and preparation of development and infrastructure documents; EPS committed to delivering key development documents within the first six months of the contract term while the full scope runs to about 11 months.

The item prompted extended public and council debate. Multiple speakers in the audience urged faster action to deploy existing housing funds and criticized prior efforts. Stevens Hall and other community members argued town dollars already collected for housing have been spent on studies and administrative costs rather than on building housing, and urged the council to prioritize immediate construction or to retain consultants with specific grant-and-RFP experience. Hall said the contract "has all the appearances of continuing the betrayal" and argued for an alternative consultant with direct low-income housing-development experience.

Staff and legal counsel responded that the EPS scope was designed from the council-approved RFP and that EPS had agreed to expedite the development-related deliverables to enable an RFP or ITB for developers. Manager Martinez and procurement staff said EPS will rely on studies already prepared for the town and that the contract can be negotiated to shorten timelines where possible. Legal counsel noted the council is not required to enter into a contract despite prior award approvals but recommended approving the agreement with negotiated timeline clarifications to obtain the deliverables the governing body requested.

Several council members acknowledged frustration about the pace of housing work and emphasized urgency. Council Member Oswald and others urged simultaneous steps: staff said they could issue an Invitation to Bid (ITB) for seven shovel-ready Chamisa Verde lots while EPS works on the broader subdivision and program-level documents; staff estimated a 45-day preparation plus a minimum 30-day posting period for any ITB under state procurement rules. Staff confirmed grant-eligibility and certain grant constraints would remain part of the procurement design.

Before the vote, legal counsel proposed and council accepted language allowing the town procurement officer authority to negotiate shorter timelines with EPS in contract finalization without changing price. The council's recorded vote on the finalized contract was unanimous: Council Member Fambro ' yes; Council Member Ortega ' yes; Council Member Oswald ' yes; Council Member Fernandez ' yes. No changes to grant allocations were approved at the meeting; staff said further work would proceed in parallel with targeted ITBs for shovel-ready lots to try to get construction underway sooner.