Bernalillo County commissioners detail legislative priorities

Bernalillo County Commissioners announced their six legislative priorities earlier this week, with a focus on money for behavioral health, affordable housing and public safety.

The county commissioners are asking the state Legislature for $40 million to support statewide homelessness initiatives, $250 million for nonrecurring general fund money for the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority Trust Fund and $250 million in nonrecurring general funds for the Mortgage Finance Authority’s Opportunity Enterprise Fund.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s budget includes the same recommendations.

The commissioners also are requesting $10 million for the Middle Rio Grande Housing Collaborative, a Bernalillo County and city of Albuquerque project to build more affordable housing.

Both entities are asking for $10 million to support it, Commission Chair Barbara Baca said. Funding for affordable housing is the county’s top legislative priority.

“What we really want to do is work together with the state, the city and the county to create more housing opportunities, and we also support housing opportunities statewide, too,” Baca said. “So that’s how we dovetail with what the governor and the MFA are proposing, too.”

The commissioners also want the Legislature to incentivize the recruitment of licensed social workers, crisis clinicians and peer support workers and have asked for the establishment of a statewide Medicaid third-party billing and training center for small providers.

“Behavioral health has long been significant for the county, and we continue to make headway but are in desperate need of more trained personnel in the key areas of recovery and treatment,” Commissioner Adriann Barboa said in a statement.

The commissioners are asking for $3 million to support a statewide fentanyl education and awareness campaign and the KeepNMAlive website.

They also support redirecting part of the liquor excise tax from the general fund to line items focused on addiction treatment and behavioral health initiatives.

The commissioners also are requesting $750,000 in recurring funds for the maintenance of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office helicopter.

“(Sheriff John Allen) emphasizes that it serves all jurisdictions statewide in emergency situations, and so that’s why he’s placed that as his top priority,” Baca said.

Cathy Cook is a news reporter for the Albuquerque Journal. Reach her via email at ccook@abqjournal.com.