County approves yearlong plan to finish Integrated Vegetation Management; allows limited glyphosate use in defined high‑hazard areas

The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners on March 25 approved a revised March 2025 resolution that rescinds Administrative Resolution 2019‑44, sets a one‑year timetable to complete an Integrated Vegetation Management and Maintenance Plan (IVMMP) and allows limited, temporary spot use of glyphosate in narrowly defined "high‑hazard" locations until April 1, 2026. The amended measure passed 4–1 after commissioners adopted a set of clarifying changes to the staff proposal.

County natural‑resources staff told the commission the IVMMP will expand the county’s existing integrated pest‑management approach to reduce pesticide reliance over time by prioritizing mechanical controls, native plantings and landscape conversions where practical. Colleen Bronson, Stormwater Compliance Program lead in Natural Resource Services, summarized the technical goal: "Integrated pest management…is an approach to pest management that minimizes risk to people and the environment," she told the commission.

Supporters, including Parks, Recreation and Open Space staff and members of the IVMMP steering committee, said mechanical and manual weed control has been more labor‑intensive and less effective at controlling invasive species, while opponents and several residents urged tighter limits or a permanent ban on glyphosate.

The board’s final, amended language narrows what temporary glyphosate use is permitted and when: spot application will be allowed only in high‑hazard locations — examples listed in the resolution include pavement joints and cracks, multilane roadway joints, high‑speed medians and other paved hardscape joints — and then only until April 1, 2026, to allow staff time to complete the IVMMP and begin landscape conversions. The amendment also clarifies that glyphosate can be used as a last resort for targeted invasive species control when other options are ineffective, and that new or renovated county landscapes will be designed to avoid future glyphosate dependence. The board also added a clause acknowledging that long‑term risks from repeated exposure include a risk of certain cancers and neurological or reproductive effects, and the amendment states those risks "can be mitigated through proper training and PPE." County Attorney staff advised the commission that singling out risks in policy can create legal exposure but said the mitigation language reduced that risk.

Deputy County Manager Danette Townsend told commissioners that staff and the steering committee developed the March version after additional review requested in February. If the board’s action stands, Parks and Natural Resource Services will complete the IVMMP within 12 months and will provide an interim progress report at midyear and a final plan at the end of the year. That plan will include: an expanded integrated pest‑management program tailored to specific landscape types (athletic fields, ornamental landscapes, hardscapes); prioritized landscape conversions aimed at replacing high‑maintenance gravel/cobble typologies with native plantings where feasible; a capital plan and cost estimates for conversions; and a requirement that staff document herbicide applications.

What happens next: staff will return with the draft IVMMP and an implementation schedule. The resolution requires the county to replace the 2019 administrative moratorium with the new IVMMP policy and to report back to the commission on progress.

Votes and next steps: Commissioners moved and approved the revised March 2025 resolution and the chair’s accompanying amendments. The amendment and the final resolution each passed on roll calls recorded at the March 25 meeting (final tally on adoption: 4 in favor, 1 opposed). Staff said the work will proceed immediately under the timeline adopted by the board.