This is amateur government, to say the least

Ejust had to manually shut my mouth after reading the article “Town of Taos adopts new event and facility fees.” Probably the most shocking thing was the mayor blaming the Taos News for the mess.

I watch most town council and workshop meetings on Zoom. (I recommend that anyone who wants to stay informed do the same.) The rollout of the new fee structures for use of town-owned facilities has been nothing if not irresponsible. I have heard how hard “staff” worked on researching comparable rates charged in other municipalities in New Mexico, but the well-paid and mostly elected (no one elected the town manager) officials have fallen down on the job, massively.

It is agreed that the town needs to start charging for use of the facilities. They are largely in deplorable condition, and it is reasonable governance for fees to be charged in order to maintain and improve them. One man suggested at the Town Council meeting March 25 that the fees generated be earmarked for just this purpose, without any positive feedback from the mayor. One could even posit that there is no rationale for charging for some areas until improvements are actually made.

A responsible town management would have presented the reasoning and proposed fees to the citizens with plenty of time for feedback. Then, they would have presented a comprehensive fee structure and offered a chance for community response. A cynical government would have proposed a structure that could have been modified, to give the citizens a feeling of being heard. This is just Politics 101. Instead, this was shoved down the throats of unsuspecting and unprepared groups and — surprise, surprise — everyone is angry.

The Little League situation has gotten the most attention, as it is familiar to so many families, and provides an outlet for kids of all economic strati. The initial $42,000 cost for renting the fields is a perfect example of this horrendous rollout. It was a misunderstanding, caused by the hasty rollout, demonstrating how unclear the original explanation was.

There are many, many other groups that will be affected by this new plan. Cancer Support Services uses Kit Carson Park for its annual For The Health of It fundraising walk, and in the past, the fee has been waived. Now we are facing a $1,000-$5,000 fee; it is quite impossible to tell from the fee schedule, which is vague, to say the least.

A few years ago, Shree Yoga offered a free class on the plaza for the Summer Solstice. This involved renting sound equipment, a DJ and advertising. It was a gift to the community, and over 70 citizens came out. This would now cost $1,000, the per-day plaza rental, under the new fee scheme. (There is no half day, nor hourly rental for the plaza, likely to keep the Farmers Market from ever returning.)

This is amateur government, to say the least.