Bernalillo County commissioners Tuesday resolved to push state lawmakers to make a major investment in affordable housing.
Their resolution urges the New Mexico Legislature to consider a $100 million appropriation during the 2025 legislative session for a list of 48 projects that have been identified as priorities by the county, the City of Albuquerque and the Middle Rio Grande Housing Collaborative, a joint entity they created.
Vice Chair Eric Olivas said this list will help when he and his colleagues try to convince legislators to support the funding.
“I heard it loud and clear last year when I was in Santa Fe lobbying for housing money,” he said. “The big question was always, ‘What are you going to use it for? Where?’ They just want to know where the money’s going, but they also want to understand, how does that relate to their district?”
The resolution passed 4-1, with Commissioner Walt Benson casting the “no” vote.
“I don’t disagree that housing is our number-one issue,” he said. “But this is the largest request Bernalillo County has ever asked for. And I don’t see how the state Legislature will approve it.”
Housing New Mexico, formerly the New Mexico Mortgage Authority, predicts that the county will need 28,000 additional housing units by 2035 to meet its demand, including 4,900 units of affordable housing.
The resolution also asks the New Mexico Legislature to support Housing New Mexico’s request for $500 million with the inclusion of a local government set-aside between 10% and 20% of the total, to assist statewide affordable housing efforts.