County reports $5M allocated to neighboring county projects, regional partnerships and federal funding efforts

A county official gave the Council a quarterly regional and intergovernmental update on July 28, outlining how regional strategic partnership funds have been distributed and highlighting ongoing cooperation with neighboring counties and pueblos. "So far, you've allocated $5,000,000 to Rio Arriba County," the presenter said while summarizing allocations for nursing‑home and parks projects and noting the status of those projects.

The update covered multiple ongoing initiatives: a completed feasibility study for a potential regional landfill partnership with Rio Arriba and Espanola; continued work on a district behavioral‑health plan; broadband and emergency‑operations‑center outreach; and conversations about forest‑service land acquisitions. On federal funding, staff said the county obtained authorization language for a new water well in the Water Resources Development Act and pursued congressional directed spending with support from Senator Lujan’s office.

Councilors asked follow‑up questions about the landfill timeline and potential future requests from Espanola; staff said they expect further requests as neighboring governments work through changes in leadership and budgeting. The presenter noted continued engagement with pueblos and state partners on tourism, broadband and emergency‑management projects.