LAS VEGAS, N.M. – A video of a man dumping his mattress outside the Solid Waste Department in Las Vegas has a lot of people talking trash. That’s because that man is Michael Montoya, a Las Vegas city councilor and mayor pro tem.

It all happened in mid-May, but people were wondering if he would defend his actions at Wednesday night’s city council meeting. It was the first meeting since the video started making the rounds on social media. KOB 4 talked to him over the phone before the meeting to ask him about it. 

The video shows Montoya dragging the mattress out of the bed of a truck before leaving it outside the gates at the city’s Solid Waste Department. 

Montoya says the facility was supposed to be open until 3:30 p.m. that day, and that he got there well before closing time. But the gate was locked, so he left his mattress to prove a point. 

He says the employees there work whatever hours they want, and the unpredictable hours have been frustrating people in the community for too long. 

Montoya also says trash including appliances and furniture ends up in city parks and on county roads because the dump is closed so often. 

Mayor David Romero confirms it’s a big problem and says in the past fiscal year they’ve sent out 64 public service announcements about dump closures. But it’s something Romero says they’re working on. 

When the solid waste station is full, an employee has to close up and take the trash to the landfill in Wagon Mound – about 40 minutes away.

Romero says they’ve hired a third party to help with that. They also recently hired another person with their commercial driver’s license to work at the city facility.

Romero says he was surprised when he saw the video of Montoya, and believes he should be treated like anyone else who dumps trash at the facility’s gates. 

As far as who’s investigating, a spokesperson for New Mexico State Police says they were contacted to investigate the illegal dumping, but it’s in the hands of the Las Vegas Police Department. 

KOB 4 reached out to their police chief to see if Montoya will face any charges or fines, but they did not respond. 

Montoya says he has not received a fine, and there’s nothing illegal about taking a trash to a dump site that’s supposed to be open.