Santa Fe County commissioners approve series of contracts, grants and a housing bond ordinance

The Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 14 approved a slate of agreements, contract amendments and a bond ordinance to support affordable housing and county programs, and authorized publication of an ordinance related to recognizing historical and cultural events.

The board voted to approve contracts and amendments that county staff said fund housing rehabilitation and energy-efficiency programs, tourism marketing, engineering and planning for buildings and infrastructure, and design and construction oversight for the Santa Fe Rail Trail Segment 7A. Separately, commissioners authorized the county to publish the title and general summary of an ordinance that would establish policies for recognizing historic and cultural events at Board of County Commissioners meetings, a measure presented by Commissioner Lisa Kakari Stone.

Why it matters: The actions commit county resources (mostly contract management sums and administrative approvals) and unlock outside funding and project planning. The Turquoise Trail housing bond ordinance moves a 312-unit affordable multifamily project closer to construction and uses tax-exempt multifamily housing bonds to lower financing costs for a private developer while keeping affordability covenants.

Key votes and outcomes - Agreement No. 2025-055 with HomeWise Inc. to administer the county’s Home Rehabilitation and Energy Efficiency (HREE and CED) programs — approval (motion: Commissioner Hank Hughes; second: Commissioner Lisa Kakari Stone). Contract manager Ruben Macias presented the program and said the contract amount requested for program administration is $424,500; total program budgets referenced during discussion were $2,835,000 (seed and HREE funds combined). Commissioners approved the agreement.

- Amendment No. 8 to Agreement…