About us

LAGRI is a group of Los Alamos citizens who began meeting in August, 2008 because of shared concerns about county spending and construction priorities. After a month of informal discussion meetings, the group concluded that there was a widening rift between citizens and government and that there are too few effective checks and balances in our county government. We agreed that we were willing to work towards an effective long-term remedy via study and discussion of our charter and its history. On September 24, 2008 the Los Alamos Governmental Review Initiative was officially incorporated as a non profit organization and as such has filed with the IRS for 501c4 status so that we can better achieve our goals. Our membership is open to all who are registered to vote in Los Alamos County. Our meetings follow a formal agenda and are open to the public

The voters of Los Alamos originally chose a charter form of government in part because it would allow for greater citizen participation. The writers of our County Charter anticipated the need for future change by writing allowances for it in the document. Our community has been and will be faced with changing relationships at all governmental levels, and our organization will be a means to keeping citizens in Los Alamos engaged in the betterment of their own government for many years to come.

LAGRI will promote binding citizen input in the decisions which most greatly impact us and our future as a city and a county. This year we have collaboratively drafted two amendments to the Los Alamos County Charter which we will present via petition to Los Alamos voters as defined in Article IX of the Charter. One proposed amendment will ease the process of formal citizen petitions by clarifying the relationship between the County Government and the Petitioner. The other will allow citizens to vote on major changes in land use and expenditure on large capital projects and allow for petitioned votes on smaller capital projects. We hope to pave the way for a smoother citizen petitioning process and to assure Council that they have support for the major decisions they must undertake in the future. LAGRI represents many different voices and viewpoints. We strive to remember that we can disagree on many issues as long as we are working towards the goal of an increasingly participatory form of government in Los Alamos.

Sincerely,

Ellen Walton, LAGRI President