Bernalillo County has announced that the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners has approved the appointment of two individuals to serve as Housing Collaborative Commissioners for the newly established Middle Rio Grande Housing Collaborative (MRGHC). This initiative, formed in partnership with the city of Albuquerque, is designed to address the community's housing shortage.
The University of New Mexico law professor Serge Martinez and Dan Majewski, district coordinator for the Urban Land Use Institute, have been appointed to the MRGHC. Their terms will span from one to five years, commencing from their appointment date. According to a press release by Bernalillo County, the Mayor and the Albuquerque City Council will appoint two other members. The existing four members will then vote to select a fifth member.
Commission Chair Barbara Baca expressed her anticipation for this collaboration. "We are looking forward to the work generated by this collaborative," she said. "They will, among other tasks, be surveying the locations where affordable housing exists, identifying areas where gaps in service are occurring, acquire vacant land for future projects, identify current buildings that could be renovated for housing, build relationships with developers and utilize economic development tools and public infrastructure to spur private development."
Commissioner Eric Olivas also highlighted an important aspect of their approach. "These members will undertake an ‘All Quadrants Approach’ ensuring that they will be looking at areas throughout the city and county so everyone has access to affordable housing," Olivas said.
The duties of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners include serving as the county canvassing board, board of finance, and zoning board. They hold final authority over the county budget, affirm property tax rates, issue general obligation bonds, determine appropriations, pass ordinances, make appointments and establish zoning and business regulations. The board consists of five elected members according to information provided on its webpage by Bernalillo County.