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Neighbor challenges Taos County on notice for Torres Pit asphalt hearing
Summary
A nearby resident told commissioners the county failed to properly notice a January meeting about continuous asphalt production at the Torres Pit and asked the board not to certify the record of decision without re-noticing the hearing for affected parties.
A resident objecting to an asphalt production operation at the Torres Pit told the commission that the county improperly handled public notice for a January meeting and urged commissioners to withhold certification of the record of decision.
"I'm here today to ask you to rectify a mistake that has been made by the county and not properly noticing the January meeting where decision was made that you are being asked to certify today," said Sherry Popham (speaker 25), representing neighbors in Stagecoach Hills. Popham said that for three years the neighborhood complied with county procedures, that the matter returned to the county from district court for reconsideration, and that affected parties were not notified of the January agenda item that purportedly resolved the continuous-use question.
Popham urged the commission to require proper notice and allow affected residents to speak. She said the appellant neighborhood and others learned of the meeting only a day or so in advance and that a different party (Taos Gravel and its representatives) appeared prepared with new arguments. "I'm asking you today to rectify this decision. Do not certify the record of decision before you today," she told the commission.
Why it matters: The complaint alleges procedural failures under the Open Meetings Act and county notice rules for land-use hearings. Commissioners later voted to ratify the December 2 order on continuous use (the commission recorded its vote), but Popham's comments note community expectations for re-noticing and further transparency.
