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Bernalillo County manager outlines budget strain and priorities to Los Ranchos trustees
Summary
Bernalillo County Manager Cindy Chavis, 150 days into the job, introduced herself to Los Ranchos trustees April 15 and outlined county priorities — affordable housing, public safety, behavioral-health investments and a new strategic plan — and warned of a budget deficit tied in part to a new jail-health contract.
Cindy Chavis, Bernalillo County manager, told the Village of Los Ranchos Board of Trustees on April 15 that she is looking to deepen county–village collaboration as the county balances service demands with a flat budget.
Chavis, who said she has been in the job about 150 days, offered to return periodically to brief local elected officials and outlined four priorities the county commission set for the coming year: expanding affordable housing (targeting households below about 120% of area median income), strengthening public-safety resources for the sheriff’s office, rapidly expanding behavioral-health programming funded by a dedicated gross-receipts-tax pool, and writing a new countywide strategic plan with municipal input.
Chavis said the county is managing a budget deficit and that one driver is a new contract to provide medical services in the county correctional facility in partnership with UNM Health. "We are looking very, very carefully at how we can make improvements to service and maintain services while reconciling this deficit," she said.
Trustees pressed Chavis on several local concerns. In response to questions about a Fourth Street road-diet project north of the village limits, Chavis said she would follow up with staff. She described a recent budget cycle in which the governor asked the county to set aside roughly $3 million for sites that could be used for affordable housing; those properties would be selected through a public RFP process, she said. Chavis also cited a separate $110 million state investment intended to bolster affordable-housing construction statewide and said county staff hope to leverage those dollars with local projects.
On homelessness and ordinances, Chavis encouraged coordination between enforcement and service providers and cautioned that litigation risks (for example, ACLU involvement in other jurisdictions) mean proposed rules must be carefully drafted. She invited village leaders to participate in the county strategic-plan interviews so the plan reflects municipal priorities.
The manager said the county would continue work with the sheriff’s office on enforcement and with county staff on transportation and planning matters affecting Los Ranchos. "My job is to help you succeed at your job," Chavis said, inviting further meetings.
What’s next: Chavis offered to return for periodic formal briefings and staff follow-ups on transportation studies and the county strategic plan; trustees asked staff to track those follow-ups.
