New Mexico housing agency to again ask for $500 million from Legislature to address housing crisis — Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Members of the state Legislature will again ask for half a billion dollars for New Mexico’s housing agency this upcoming legislative session, re-upping a big request that the agency says is vital to stem the housing affordability crisis here.
If the last session is any indication, it’s unlikely the Legislature will fund the request at that amount when lawmakers meet in January.
An interim committee overseeing Housing New Mexico, which until recently was known as the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, unanimously endorsed proposed legislation at its meeting Thursday.
The state lacks at least 32,000 affordable homes statewide, and about 20,000 people experience homelessness in the state over the course of a year, according to recent estimates.
The $500 million would go to the agency’s Housing Affordability Trust Fund, which pays for a variety of programs, including down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, plus housing development and rehabilitation.
The request will come after the Legislature made its biggest one-time investment in housing in state history earlier this year. Lawmakers approved about $200 million, including $125 million in loans for workforce housing development and affordable housing infrastructure, $50 million for the trust fund, $20 million for anti-homelessness initiatives and a couple other small programs.
Sen. Nancy Rodriguez (D-Santa Fe), a longtime housing advocate who is retiring at the end of this year after 28 years in the Senate, made the first legislative request for $500 million for Housing New Mexico during the session earlier this year.
She’s introduced bills to bolster the trust fund since as far back as at least 2007, with limited success. The agency got about $21 million combined for the fund between 2005 and 2021.
While Rodriguez acknowledged Thursday that “we don’t always get” the full amount, she requests, she touted the fund as necessary for a range of housing services, and she said it has a return on investment of 17-to-1. That’s because it leverages federal and private funding and generates revenue.
Last year, lawmakers ultimately approved $50 million for the agency, which is on top of about $38 million the agency has received annually from severance tax bonds since last year.
Lawmakers arrived at $50 million as they built a record budget last year. There were dueling requests from Rodriguez, the governor’s office and the Legislative Finance Committee, which recommended $50 million. The governor’s office also sought funding and authority for its own housing agency, which lawmakers ultimately denied.
In the last 16 months, Housing New Mexico has received a little more than $122 million from the Legislature, according to a presentation from director Isidoro “Izzy” Hernandez. Of that money, it has awarded 73% and spent 21% of it. That includes about $15 million in down payment assistance.
If the Legislature funds the full request, which Rodriguez acknowledged “we don’t always get,” Hernandez said the agency would be able to help 10,500 more people on top of the 20,000 the agency already serves.
One difference with the half-billion-dollar ask this time around is that the 10% of it would be set aside for local governments. That dedicated funding could serve as an incentive for local governments to change their local zoning ordinances to increase affordable housing density and development, Hernandez said
Delays in community solar rollout have impacted the ability to enroll subscribers - Hannah Grover, New Mexico Political Report
State regulators granted a request to change the timeframe for meeting a percentage of low-income subscribers for community solar due to another delay in the rollout of the community solar program.
The Community Solar Act required that 30 percent of the electricity generated by the arrays be set aside for low-income households and organizations serving low-income communities.
The rules adopted by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission would have required some of the projects to meet that threshold in January, but none of them have even begun the process of enrolling subscribers because they are waiting for a key decision that will impact how much subscribers could financially benefit from receiving electricity from a community solar array.
The Renewable Energy Industries Association of New Mexico, Coalition for Community Solar Access and Prosperity Works asked the PRC to change the requirement so that the projects only need to meet the 30 percent mark by the time the array starts providing electricity to subscribers. The PRC unanimously approved this request on Thursday.
“In light of the delays that have been encountered, I think it is a reasonable request and don’t have an issue with it,” Commissioner James Ellison said.
The three organizations say that a delay in a commission order regarding tariffs, agreements and forms proposed by the three investor-owned utilities has made it so the community solar projects have less time to enroll customers, including low-income customers.
Community solar starts with a developer building a small solar array, which can generate no more than five megawatts of electricity. The array is connected to the grid and customers of the three investor-owned utilities have the chance to subscribe to receive a portion or all of their power from the community solar array.
The PRC still has not reached a decision on how much of a bill credit subscribers may be eligible to receive. That is something that the developers need to know when they approach potential subscribers.
“These rates will inform estimated subscriber costs and benefits, providing information necessary to commence enrollment,” REIA-NM, CCSA and PW wrote in the request for a variance.
The developers are waiting for a final decision in that docket before they start enrolling customers. While they expected the decision months ago—in April, according to the variance request—the PRC has not yet rendered it.
At the same time, it may still be too early to enroll customers. None of the developers have even broken ground on their projects and that means if they were to enroll subscribers now, those customers could be waiting six months or longer for the array to be completed before they could begin seeing benefits.
STATE LAND OFFICE ANNOUNCES NEW COMMUNITY SOLAR LEASE
In other community solar news, the New Mexico State Land Office has signed another lease with a developer. This is the second lease the office has signed with a developer to locate a community solar project on state trust lands.
Affordable Solar placed a bid on the nearly 80-acre parcel located in Doña Ana County during an October auction.
The array that Affordable Solar plans to build will generate five megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 1,000 homes in Las Cruces. Community solar arrays are capped at five megawatts under state law.
According to the State Land Office, this project will provide New Mexico’s public schools with $2.7 million over the life of the lease.
The State Land Office plans to hold nine more community solar auctions in the upcoming months.
“We have already made huge strides to expand renewable energy on state lands, and projects like this one are now bringing the benefits of renewable energy directly to New Mexico’s customers,” Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard said in a press release. “New Mexico is well-positioned to be a leader in renewable energy, and state lands can provide the space to make renewable projects a reality. I’m proud that we are continuing to help New Mexico get closer to meeting its clean energy goals while creating new, long-term funding sources for our public schools and other institutions.”
APS stakeholders say they prefer an earlier start to the school year - Rodd Cayton, City Desk ABQ
Kids in class after Memorial Day is an unappealing concept to many involved with Albuquerque Public Schools, according to results of a recent district survey.
The survey, administered in October, was designed to gather the community’s thoughts as district leaders work on academic calendars for the next two school years and on the APS budget for fiscal year 2025-2026.
The more than 12,000 respondents included nearly 7,000 parents and guardians, more than 3,000 school-based APS employees, about 1,800 administrative employees, almost 400 students and about 270 community members.
The district is considering two calendar options for 2025-2026. In one scenario, the school year would start on Aug. 7 and end May 28, 2026. The other option would be a school year that runs from Aug. 19 through June 9, 2026.
A majority of respondents prefer to start the school year in early August — students were most heavily in favor of it, with 85% choosing it over a late-August start. Overall, 78% of respondents chose the earlier start. The community members subgroup showed the most support for a late-August start, with 40% in favor for the 2025-2026 school year and 39% in favor for the following year.
APS Spokesperson Martin Salazar said district leaders conducted the survey to gauge the community’s preference while planning the calendars, which are subject to state requirements.
When asked about how the school district should spend momney, a plurality of respondents said the district should prioritize high quality curriculum and instruction. Results show 42% named that area as the most important place to focus district resources.
Safety and security, along with counseling and mental health support were nearly tied for second, as 13.1% of respondents called for increased safety and 13% said they saw counseling as a priority.
Nearly every subgroup of respondents listed high-quality curriculum and instruction as the top priority.
Salazar said APS is pleased with the level of response the survey has drawn, as the numbers show “our community cares and is engaged.”
Responses were gathered via the district’s SchoolMessenger communication platform and through the APS website.
Business owner shot and killed in Downtown Albuquerque tattoo shop - Albuquerque Journal, KUNM News
The owner of Por Vida Tattoo, John Sisneros Jr., was shot and killed inside the shop in Downtown Albuquerque Thursday morning.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the police responded to a call of a shooting at the tattoo shop on 4th Street and Coal Avenue around 8:30 a.m. Sisneros was found with a gunshot wound and declared dead at the scene.
The Albuquerque Police Department told the Journal it has not identified any suspects in the killing. Though, soon after the shooting, many community members had shared photos of an alleged shooter to social media in an effort to name them.
Police say the investigation includes seeking a search warrant for the tattoo shop and collecting surveillance video from Por Vida and surrounding businesses.
Several community members, including family, friends and customers of Sisneros gathered at the shop after news of the shooting broke.
Friend Tim Cummins told the Journal that Sisneros had a “good heart” and was “excited about life.” He said Sisneros was regarded as someone “up-and-coming" in the Albuquerque business community.
Tiny Home Village switches to referral-only intake model - Rodd Cayton, City Desk ABQ
Bernalillo County officials announced Thursday a change in the application process for acceptance into Tiny Home Village, the county’s transitional housing program.
Effective immediately, residents will be chosen exclusively through referrals from community providers. The shift, according to a county news release, is intended to streamline access for eligible individuals and engage other organizations in the process.
Under the new referral system, community providers may submit applications on behalf of eligible clients, the new release states. Two homes are currently available, and officials plan to create a waitlist, with new residents selected by lottery as openings arise.
“This referral-based model strengthens our partnerships with community providers and allows us to prioritize residents who are ready to engage with the support and services available,” Deputy County Manager for Behavioral Health Wayne Lindstrom said. “We ask that our community providers continue supporting clients on the waiting list, as this ongoing guidance is essential to their progress and readiness for transitional and eventually permanent housing.”
Tiny Home Village, 101 Texas Street SE, opened in 2021 and offers 18 to 24 months of housing in a community setting. Residents are housed in individual, 120-square-foot homes and have access to shared amenities that include bathrooms, showers, a kitchen and a common house.
Each home has its own heating and cooling unit, a queen-size bed, shelving, a small refrigerator and a desk.
The site also offers case management and other services designed to support residents as they work toward personal goals and plan transitions to permanent housing. The requirements for staying there include sharing in chores and participating in mental health and substance abuse counseling.
More information about Tiny Home Village, including eligibility requirements, is available here.