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Area 1B residents urge county to approve ordinance allowing them to remain in the county amid annexation dispute
Summary
During public comment, Area 1B residents asked the commission to approve an ordinance to keep the area in Santa Fe County and to avoid oversight by the City; speakers said a 2008 annexation and settlement agreement’s time frame had lapsed and that most residents oppose annexation.
Two residents representing Area 1B addressed the Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners during public comment on Aug. 25, urging the board to approve an ordinance that would permit Area 1B residents to remain in the county and end what they described as continued oversight by the City of Santa Fe.
Sid Monroe, appearing in the chambers, said residents had submitted the petition discussed by the board in executive session and asked the board to give “careful and deliberate consideration” to the petition. Monroe asked that the county reach out if residents could assist further.
Online, Jared O’Shell, identifying himself as an Area 1B resident, walked the board through his view of the 2008 annexation and settlement agreement, saying the original agreement included a five-year term for annexation that in his view expired and was not extended properly. O’Shell said the city’s use of the expired paperwork to claim extraterritorial land-use authority over Area 1B constitutes “taxation without representation,” and that most residents he contacted want to remain part of the county and be incorporated into a village for clearer services.
Why it matters: Annexation and extraterritorial land-use authority affect which government provides services, zoning authority and who represents residents. Speakers asked the county to act on the petition and asserted that the city has not fulfilled the terms or time frame in the 2008 agreement.
What the board did: The speakers’ remarks were received during the public-comment portion of the meeting; the board did not take immediate formal action on the petition during public comment. The transcript notes the petition had been discussed in executive session earlier in the meeting.
Next steps: Speakers urged the board to continue deliberation and consider an ordinance that would permit Area 1B residents to remain part of Santa Fe County. The commission did not set a public timetable for ordinance action during the meeting.
(Transcript excerpts: public comments by Sid Monroe and Jared O’Shell.)
