Title
Discussion of Potential Alteration of County Boundaries with Santa Fe County
Recommended Action
This item is intended for discussion at this time, however if direction is warranted it could take the form of:
I move that the Council direct the County Manager to proceed with efforts to negotiate an alteration of the County boundaries with Santa Fe County, an alteration which would allow for property currently owned by Los Alamos County to be governed by Los Alamos County.
Body
The map included as Attachment A illustrates two significant properties that are owned by Los Alamos County yet which are within the jurisdiction of Santa Fe County. Both properties are immediately adjacent to Los Alamos yet the current jurisdictional boundaries create difficulties for development of either property since there is no incentive for Los Alamos County to pursue development as the resultant tax revenue would be distributed to Santa Fe County. Conversely, the properties are nowhere near existing Santa Fe resources that could assist in their development, they are uninhabited, and no activites currently occur except for government related efforts.
Recognizing our limited available developable land, and the potential for development of one of these parcels in particular, several councilors and staff from both Los Alamos and Santa Fe have met to duscuss the potential for a redrawing of our respective boundaries. During the conversation, it was stated that Santa Fe County is not interested in decreasing its total acreage as doing so removes its potential for future revenues, so a jurisdictional exchange is currently being proposed. On the attached map one will note that an equivalent area within Los Alamos County has been identified for trade, and that this identified area is owned by the Forest Service - so that if an adjustment is approved it would also transfer a proportionate amount of our annual PILT revenue to Santa Fe County.
This subject is being brought befor...
Click here for full text