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Los Alamos Council adopts state‑certified property tax certificate in 4–2 vote
Summary
The council voted 4–2 to adopt the Department of Finance and Administration’s 2025 certified property tax rates and forward the certificate to the county assessor, a required step for tax bill preparation; two councilors opposed the motion and a public commenter urged the county to use reserves for local priorities instead of raising revenue.
The Los Alamos County Council voted 4–2 on Sept. 16 to adopt the 2025 certified property tax certificate issued by the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration and instructed staff to forward the order to the county assessor for tax‑bill preparation.
Councilor Reiting moved to adopt the DFA certificate and Councilor Herman seconded. The clerk recorded a roll call in which Councilors Herman, Cole, Neil Clinton and Reiting voted yes; Councilors Regor and Hand voted no; one councilor was absent. Chair Teresa Cole ordered the certificate delivered to the assessor so tax bills can be prepared and mailed on schedule.
Staff explained the DFA order adjusts rates for all entities that levy property tax in the county, including public schools and voter‑approved debt (cited in the materials as "UNMLA" voter‑approved debt), and noted that adoption is necessary for the assessor to generate tax schedules. Staff said first installments will be delinquent after Dec. 10, 2025, and second installments after May 12, 2026.
During public comment, local resident Mr. Dempsey urged the council to avoid new taxes for services such as the senior center and said the county should pursue state funding and consider using existing reserves. He also expressed opposition to large proposed housing buildups.
Councilors framed the vote as implementation of the state‑certified order rather than a new local tax increase—any policy changes to raise or lower county rates would have been handled separately during budget deliberations, staff said.
The adoption concludes the statutory step required to provide the assessor with the certified rates so that tax bills can be produced on schedule.
