Doña Ana County considers emergency fund to pay short-term disaster rentals

Doña Ana County staff proposed creating a county-managed emergency housing option on Feb. 4 to help residents secure short-term rentals after local disasters.

Assistant County Manager Steven Lopez described the concept as a short-term rental assistance program to bridge days or weeks while households make emergency repairs or safely return home. “This is about, do we want to spend tax dollars on people who are our constituents, our residents?” Lopez said as he framed the proposal around local responsibility and existing legal limits.

Why it matters: commissioners noted recent local events — sheltering after hurricanes and large floods, long-term trailer placements after earlier floods, and the county’s 2019 migrant response — and said county-level short-term assistance could be faster and more practical than waiting for state or federal grants.

What staff presented - Program focus: staff proposed concentrating on short-term rental assistance (days to a few weeks) rather than medium- or long-term recovery housing for households whose dwellings are partially impacted but not totally destroyed. - Legal constraints: the county’s anti-donation clause limits government payments to private individuals, but Lopez said existing indigent-care exceptions and proposed enabling legislation could be applied; staff will seek legal counsel and draft options. - Funding mechanics: commissioners suggested building a reserve fund, with one commissioner suggesting “just throwing a number out there like $500,000.” Staff noted the county typically must expend a threshold (about $1,000,000 in public funds) before the state will consider disaster assistance requests and that federal support for individuals is limited and slow.

Direct remarks and sources - Steven Lopez: reviewed past county sheltering (Regents Row shelter after hurricanes, 2006 Hatch flood, the 2013 and 2021 flood events and the county-led migrant support response in 2019) and laid out short-term rental assistance as the immediate objective. - Commissioner Sanchez: suggested building a reserve incrementally and recommended OEM manage the fund if adopted, proposing annual set-asides until the reserve grows. - Commissioner Reynolds and others: requested staff take the concept to the county attorney for legal review and return with clear budgetary and programmatic options.

Board direction and next steps Commissioners asked staff to prepare a formal proposal and obtain legal analysis on what the county may lawfully fund under the anti-donation clause and indigent-assistance exceptions, and to return with suggested caps, eligibility rules and funding mechanisms. No formal vote was taken.

Ending Staff said OEM and county legal will evaluate statutory constraints and funding options and will prepare a follow-up briefing and proposals for future board consideration.