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Board discusses illegal dumping, homelessness and options including free trash days and GIS reporting
Summary
Board members linked illegal dumping to unhoused encampments and debated responses including targeted free trash days, more dumpsters, volunteer collection and a public reporting tool; Town GIS director offered support to set up a mobile survey reporting system.
Board members discussed illegal dumping and the difficulty of preventing it, connecting some dumping to unhoused encampments and to residents who lack access to affordable disposal.
Vice Chair Silva said the influx of transient populations has contributed to localized dumping and urged more wraparound services. "It's more of a bringing transients that are, homeless population from Albuquerque and giving them a place like Taos," Silva said, framing the issue as both a service and a disposal challenge.
Henry, the Taos Ski Valley representative, suggested practical interventions: occasional free trash days targeted by material (tires, appliances), additional dumpster locations, and a lightweight tracking system (a mobile survey) to pin and map recurring dump sites so crews can respond efficiently. "If people can just flag a location quickly, it makes it so that at least we know where to send a crew," Henry said.
Tim Corner, GIS director for the Town of Taos, offered technical support to set up the mobile survey tool (Survey123 or similar) for public reporting and said the town could support implementation. "We could support it here in the town," Corner said, adding the tool is simple to set up and could be used to report incidents to municipal or county staff.
Board members discussed cost tradeoffs: charging for landfill access versus offering periodic free days, the cost of e‑waste disposal and the challenge of providing transport for low‑income residents. No formal action was taken; members agreed to pursue collaborative solutions and follow up with staff to explore grant funding, pilot free‑day events and potential GIS deployment.
