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Santa Fe County approves $3.75 million for Bobcat Crossing Ranch; one commissioner votes no over funding source
Summary
The county approved a $3.75 million purchase of the 2,600‑acre Bobcat Crossing Ranch on June 10, 2025, using a mix of lodgers‑tax and general fund dollars. Commissioner Justin Green opposed the financing method, saying alternatives and local ownership options were not fully explored.
Santa Fe County — The Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution June 10 to acquire the Bobcat Crossing Ranch for $3.75 million, using a mix of lodging‑tax (lodgers) funds and general fund revenues, officials said.
County finance staff told commissioners the recommended funding split would draw $1.3 million from the lodgers tax facility fund and $2.45 million from the county general fund to complete the purchase and cover closing costs. “The use of the lodgers facilities tax fund would leave approximately $200,000 of uncommitted fund balance,” finance staff said during the meeting.
Commissioner Justin Green said he supported preserving the land but objected to the financing plan. He argued that the county rushed a purchase outside the regular budget cycle, and that other financing mechanisms—such as local special assessments, private fundraising or targeted bond funding—had not been fully explored. Green warned that the chosen approach shifted revenue raised largely in one district to acquire land in other districts and said he could not support the funding mechanism.
Commissioner Adam Johnson and others defended the purchase as a timely conservation opportunity. “This will be an amazing property, 2,600 acres of space for recreation, for viewing, for wildlife,” Johnson said, urging the board to act while the property remained available.
The motion to approve the budget transfers and proceed with the purchase was made by Commissioner Hank Hughes and carried 4‑1, with Commissioner Green recorded in opposition. The board assigned resolution number 202564 to the measure.
Why it matters: The county said the acquisition will expand conserved open space and recreation access. Dissent among commissioners centered on process and on which funding sources are appropriate for land acquisition, leaving unresolved questions about how the county will prioritize capital projects in the budget cycle going forward.
