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Los Ranchos trustees defer adoption of local economic development plan for more community input
Summary
The board deferred final action on the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) plan to the July meeting after staff presented redline edits and trustees raised questions about advisory committee composition, eligibility rules for microloans/grants and resident preference scoring.
The Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Board of Trustees on June 16 deferred approval of its Local Economic Development Act plan (Resolution 2026‑05‑01) to the regular July meeting to allow additional public input and final refinements.
Shana Schultz, who presented the redline version of the plan, said edits clarified references to Fourth Street/Rt. 66, defined grant and microloan program buckets, and proposed a mayor‑appointed advisory committee with trustee nominations for membership. She said the plan was presented to the local economic development board and that business owners were generally supportive.
During public comment and trustee discussion, Tom Donlin (Edgewood resident) asked that the master plan language describe the commercial area as a rural commercial district and suggested a permitting expediter to speed restaurant openings, which he said currently can take 18–24 months. Trustees pressed staff to tighten eligibility language for microloans and to consider whether home‑based businesses should qualify.
Trustee Kefir recommended adding bonus points for village residents applying for business grants; staff said they would consider a resident‑bonus provision. Trustees also asked staff to rewrite text that could imply a four‑member advisory board; staff agreed to clarify it as a five‑member committee to avoid tie votes. After additional trustee questions and a public speaker’s comments, a trustee moved to defer the item to July to allow staff to incorporate the changes; the board voted to defer.
What’s next: Staff will produce a revised track‑change version for the July regular meeting that incorporates trustee feedback on eligibility, advisory committee composition, and scoring. The item will return to the board for final adoption.
