100% Taos has been working diligently for years to strengthen collaboration between stakeholders from tribal, city, and county government, as well as leaders working within the ten vital services for surviving and thriving. We are delighted to share with our readers the resolution from the Taos County commissioners and are grateful for the work of 100% Taos, who are committed to building a Taos where 100% can thrive.

RESOLUTION NO. 2022-16

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF 100% COMMUNITY ENSURING 10 VITAL SERVICES FOR SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN TAOS COUNTY, NEW MEXICO

WHEREAS, the 100% Taos initiative in Taos County, part of the 100% New Mexico initiative of the Anna, Age Eight Institute housed at New Mexico State University, is a data-driven and collaborative countywide strategy with the goal of acknowledging historical trauma and historical service disparities, and preventing adverse childhood experiences, family trauma and social adversity with the goal of creating trauma-free childhoods in fully-resourced communities that lead to safe households, school achievement, community engagement, job readiness, and a self-sufficient and healthy life in New Mexico, and

WHEREAS, the 100% New Mexico initiative is a collective impact process that has identified 10 vital
services for surviving and thriving and is committed to ensuring that the 10 services shown to empower
children, students and families are accessible to all, and

WHEREAS, the five services for surviving are medical and dental care, behavioral health care, housing security programs, food security programs, and transportation, and

WHEREAS, the five services for thriving are parent support, early childhood education, community schools, youth mentor programs, and job training, and

WHEREAS, we understand that these services are provided by a patchwork of public sector and private sector entities, some supported by state, county, and city governments, and that the strategy is not to ask local governments to fund all ten services; instead, it asks us to leverage our people and policies to support and encourage all the providers of vital services, as well as innovators throughout the public and private sectors, to work in alignment and collaboration, and

WHEREAS, 100% New Mexico provides a tested framework that connects the dots between vital family and community services, informed by data and research, empowered by technology, and guided thoughtfully by collaboration and the commitment to work in alignment with county, city and tribal stakeholders, and

WHEREAS, 100% New Mexico initiative in Taos County has already established a multidisciplinary team representing ten vital service sectors with a shared vision and goals, working to identify gaps in vital service areas and addressing them through a process of assessing, planning, action, and evaluation, and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Taos County Board of County Commissioners supports the 100% New Mexico vision and goal of ensuring that throughout Taos County the 10 services shown to empower children, students, and families are accessible to 100% of our residents.

Download a signed and recorded copy

Question, Answers and Insights

We asked 100% Taos participant Jennifer Ammann a few questions about the local initiative.

Question: When you started the 100% Taos initiative, why and how did you recruit elected officials?

I was a community stakeholder invited to the book club. I know Darlene Vigil and AnJanette Brush were campaigning for office at the time and not yet elected. Pascual Maestas was on the town council and the school board. I do know that the goal from the outset was an organized, deliberate outreach to ensure relevant leadership, and I imagine that in the case of elected officials, they would lean toward supporting human services.

Question: What impact does it make having elected officials on your initiative’s action teams?

Huge. They are the best possible advocates of our initiative to other officials, which has certainly solidified the support of the Taos County Commission. Having them in the county and town creates the needed partnership. Having a commissioner on the Community Schools Action Team creates a strong support for municipal schools to be on board with adopting community schools, for example.

Question: What has been the reaction from the city mayor, city councilors and county commissioners when you presented the mission and goals of the initiative?

All presentations were received positively at the official presentation to the county commissioners. We received an enthusiastic thumbs up to proceed with our efforts and present it to our County Health Council. When presented to the previous mayor and council (through March 2022), it was well received and they appreciated the fact that all this work had been done voluntarily by community members. Our two commissioners who’ve been with 100% Taos from before they were elected have been champions all the way through to passing the County Resolution to adopt 100% Taos. Our mayor elect has also been there from the beginning and is coming to our meetings ready to partner as mayor.

Question: How was the county resolution written and endorsed?

“The Resolution in Support of 100% Community Ensuring 10 Vital Services to Surviving and Thriving in Taos, County” was written by County Commissioners Darlene Vigil, AnJanette Brush, and Aurora Valdez with technical assistance from the Anna Age Eight Institute. It was presented to commissioners during a regular public commissioners meeting and they voted unanimously to support it. Prior to the resolution and endorsement, there had been discussions among the commissioners following 100% Core Team members’ presentation to the regular public meeting, probably in 2021.

Question: What percentage of the elected leaders in city and county government are supportive of the goals of the initiative? (And how did the last election change that number?)

As the county commission just passed the resolution, now 100% of elected county commissioners are in support — 40% gave prior definite support. On the town council, two members are in solid support (one newly elected), and one was very appreciative of the work we’d done, based on the presentation 100% Taos gave to the town public meeting. Our mayor elect is in full support.

Onward

Taos County Commissioners are to be applauded for their powerful statement representing a commitment to the mission of ensuring vital services for all. They are the first New Mexico county government to write such a resolution. We hope this resolution inspires other counties and cities to do the same.

For more information about 100% Taos and our other 100% county programs, please see our map.