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 before Council for input prior to its being placed on a Santa Fe County agenda, which will likely occur on July 31. There are time constraints to this consideration as state statute only allows for county boundary adjustments to occur on January 1 of odd-numbered years.
Alternatives
The County could offer an alternate means of compensation in this transaction, including either an alternate parcel, monetary compensation, or a sharing of future revenues associated with the parcels being considered.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Planned Item
If the trade of Forest Service property is acted upon, the County would lose up to $2,739.80 in current PILT revenue annually. This loss of revenue could be offset by the tax revenue ultimately realized from any development of the parcels, with the net difference unknown at this time. If other means of compensation are preferred, the fiscal impact would be directly influenced by the chosen mechanism.
Attachments
A - Map showing parcels under consideration
B - Annexation Statutes