Bernalillo County grants 90-day continuance in nuisance abatement appeal as owners work to make home habitable

The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 May 27 to grant a 90-day continuance in a nuisance abatement appeal for a property in the South Valley while the owners pursue repairs and required permits.

County planning staff and the property owners told commissioners the site has shown significant exterior cleanup and that contractors will seek electrical permits imminently; water service has already been restored. The continuance leaves the county’s enforcement case open while the owners attempt to complete the work themselves.

Nicholas Ham, director of planning and development services, told the board the county began enforcing the property in February 2018, re-opened enforcement in February 2024 after a county sheriff referral and an “unfortunate incident,” and that a nuisance abatement hearing officer and the board issued a resolution in February. Ham said, “the property owners have made what we would consider significant progress,” but that “there is still work to be done as far as exterior cleanup, and permits that need to be put in place specifically for the electrical system, and the gas system if they choose to go that direction.”

Appellant Irene Cisneros, who identified herself as a co-owner with her cousin Rebecca Perez, described steps taken by the family to restore the house. Cisneros said the property’s water service is active and that the family has been paying for water service for months. She told commissioners they planned to apply for an electrical permit the day after the hearing and had scheduled a meeting with PNM, the utility, to start service: “This is my grandmother's house,” Cisneros said, adding that the family did not want to lose it.

Ham told the board county inspectors visited the property the prior Friday and again the day before the hearing and that the department supports a 90-day continuance to allow the owners to complete repairs and obtain permits. He said the county would keep the case open so it could resume enforcement if necessary.

Commissioner Frank Baca, a lifelong South Valley resident, thanked the owners and staff for the neighborhood-focused progress and noted the visual improvement from yard work and exterior cleanup: “what we forget about is the impact on the neighborhood,” Baca said, as he urged continued work to return the structure to its intended use.

The board adopted the 90-day continuance on a roll-call vote: Commissioner Frank Baca moved the motion; the vice chair seconded. Commissioners voting yes were Frank Baca, Walt Benson, Barbara Baca, the vice chair, and Chair Olivos.

Under the continuance, the county will monitor progress; staff said that once required permits for utility systems are pulled and inspections pass, the department would consider the structure habitable again. The case remains open for further review or enforcement if the owners do not complete the required work within the continuance period.