GRANTS, N.M. – Cibola County is taking another step toward creating local tools that could help support affordable housing development and housing assistance programs.
At its April 22 meeting, the Cibola County Board of Commissioners approved moving forward with publication of the title and general summary of Affordable Housing Ordinance 2026001, according to Cibola County Manager Kate Fletcher. The action does not create a housing project by itself, but it begins the formal process for adopting a local ordinance needed under New Mexico’s Affordable Housing Act.
The issue comes as housing continues to be part of broader economic development conversations in Cibola County. At the April Coffee with the Managers meeting, Cibola Communities Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Denise Hanson was asked about the county’s need for housing if new economic activity is expected. Hanson said work is underway and indicated there may be housingrelated news soon.
The county’s April 22 discussion was tied to Affordable Housing Act compliance for local governments. Materials reviewed by commissioners described Cibola County’s housing challenges in direct terms: the county’s median household income was listed at $50,759, compared with $64,059 statewide, while 45.5% of renter households in Cibola County were described as cost-burdened. The materials also listed Cibola County’s median home sale price at $160,000, compared with $352,500 statewide, and estimated that $52,836 in income is needed to afford a median-priced home in the county.
The Affordable Housing Act was created after voters approved Constitutional Amendment 4 in 2004. The law allows certain government donations to affordable housing projects to be exempt from the New Mexico Constitution’s anti-donation clause, if the requirements of the act are followed.
Under the act, eligible government entities can include the state, counties, municipalities, school districts and post-secondary educational institutions. Donations can include land, existing buildings, infrastructure support, financing for acquisition or development, and the abatement of locally imposed fees.
However, the county materials also emphasized what the Affordable Housing Act does not do. It does not replace other laws, procurement rules, local ordinances or capital outlay requirements. Local governments still must follow proper procurement procedures when selecting qualified grantees to receive donations or support for affordable housing projects.
The next major step for Cibola County is adoption of affordable local housing ordinances. The county’s materials state that Cibola County already satisfied the Affordable Housing Plan requirement after Housing New Mexico reviewed and approved the county’s plan in 2023. The ordinance would serve as the local enabling legislation allowing the county to make affordable housing donations under the act.
The ordinance must be drafted by the local government, submitted to Housing New Mexico for review and approval, and then adopted by the county. It must also define the process for selecting qualified grantees, set income limits and establish “affordability periods” for projects receiving support.
Those “affordability periods” vary depending on the value of the housing assistance.
According to the county materials, assistance valued between $1 and $14,999 requires an affordability period of at least five years. Assistance above $100,000 requires a minimum affordability period of 20 years.
The county’s next steps could include determining what specific housing needs it wants to address. Options listed in the materials include increasing housing supply through incentives for developers, creating rental assistance programs, promoting homeownership through down-payment assistance, or addressing housing quality through home repair programs.
The county could also identify what resources it has available, such as funding, land, infrastructure support or other incentives. In some cases, local governments operate programs themselves. In others, they contract with nonprofits, service providers or developers through a public process.
The April 22 action does not immediately fix the housing issue. But it does move the county closer to having a legal structure in place to support affordable housing projects and programs if local leaders choose to pursue them.