Commission sets 2026 legislative priorities and narrows capital-outlay asks

County Manager (Mr. Stark) reviewed the New Mexico Counties’ annual legislative priorities for the 2026 session, including requests related to House Bill 2 appropriations (detention reimbursement, courthouse funding), recruitment and retention for detention and firefighters, and targeted funds such as RISE behavioral-health grants. The board adopted Resolution 252633 supporting the counties’ priorities.

Staff then presented San Juan County’s proposed state and federal requests and a draft capital-outlay list. Large projects such as the Pinion Hills Boulevard extension (~$29M) and the Flora Vista wastewater project (~$20M) were discussed as unlikely to be fully funded via capital outlay. Commissioners prioritized smaller, shovel-ready or design-phase requests more likely to fit available appropriations: $2,000,000 for EMS Station 6 construction (supplementing a $200,000 earlier grant for design), $5,000,000 for McGee Park improvements (or a smaller design request), $200,000 for senior-center facility improvements and equipment for Lower Valley and Blanco, and $1,000,000 for county road improvements.

Staff also noted the possibility that GROW (Government Results and Opportunity) funding could reappear in the session for programmatic behavioral-health projects; commissioners indicated behavioral-health programs and truancy/intervention programs remain priorities.

The board voted to approve the county’s state and federal request list and priorities.