Council Oks Quick Bond Sales to Save Farmland ‘Crown Jewel’

Published March 8th, 2024 at 4:08 pm, Last Updated March 8th, 2024 at 9:59 pm

After closed door discussions on Feb. 27, the Village Council defied Mayor Jim Fahey by voting 4-2 to sell municipal bonds this spring to buy conservation easements, preferably on an iconic tract of farmland at the north end of Corrales.

Had one other councilor joined Councilors Bill Woldman and Stuart Murray in opposing sale of the full $2 million in general obligation bonds now, rather than wait two years, the 3-3 tie would have gone to the mayor who had earlier spoken against that timetable.

After the closed session, the mayor fished for a councilor to make a motion to sell bonds worth $1 million for the Public Works Department and $1 million for the Fire Department —but none for farmland preservation. He got no takers. In the open session, Fahey did not explain his opposition except that the prized tract was not ready for acquisition of the easement that would permanently protect it from development as home sites.

As always, in the Corrales Farmland Preservation and Agricultural Commission’s easement negotiations, the desired farmland is not specifically identified in public to avoid attracting competing offers from developers.

But at the previous council meeting, Commission Co-Chair Lisa Brown said the tract has been sought as the “crown jewel” of the Village’s farmland preservation effort since it started with a $2.5 million GO bond overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2004.

Councilors Woldman and Murray also did not say in the open session why they voted against the squeaker motion by Councilor Zack Burkett to sell $2 million for farmland and $200,000 each for the Public Works and Fire Departments. But Woldman and Murray have supported farmland preservation in the past. In fact, Murray had said before the vote that he thought some level of bonds should be sold for all three; farmland, Public Works and Fire Department.

“I still have concerns about selling all of the farmland bonds at this time,” Murray cautioned. “We shouldn’t put all of the eggs in the farmland basket this go around.”

Proceeds from bonds sold this spring would have to be spent within three years. According to Brown, the owner of the “crown jewel” tract now has just six of the potential 12 acres that would go into conservation easement, although she was told the remaining six would be acquired next month. On the other hand, as the mayor pointed out, the new fire-rescue substation proposed by the Fire Department could be built right away with those bonds. The road improvements proposed by Public Works could be started soon as well.

“We have lots of roads that need fixing,” Mayor Fahey emphasized. “And I don’t think the farmland situation is as urgent as they say it is.”

In his website “Mayor’s Message” February 16, Fahey said he preferred holding off on the farmland bonds and instead issuing $1 million for Public Works and $1 million for the Fire Department this spring. He explained that those projects are ready to go now, whereas “in two years we could sell the remaining $2 million for open space that has been identified but is not ready for purchase at this time. The administration’s interest is on park expansion and green belt with some walking paths and parking areas thrown in.”

The mayor did not identify that tract, apparently not farmland, which he hopes to purchase as open space but said the community as a whole wants it owned by the Village.

“I don’t know why the mayor is not supportive of farmland preservation and wants to use the bond money for another project that ‘isn’t ready’ at this time,” Brown told Corrales Comment. “However, there are other funding sources for municipalities to purchase public open space, so his project could also get done. It’s not a question of one or the other, just a matter of using the farmland preservation bond money for what it was intended.”

“I was enormously relieved to get the votes we did, but strained to understand why there wasn’t unanimous support,” Brown said. “Moving forward I hope to learn particularly Woldman’s reservations, and work to alleviate them. He has been so supportive in the past.”

During the council’s discussion on available funds, the mayor reported that the 2024 session of the Legislature appropriated more than $690,000 for the long-delayed Upper Meadowlark trails project, adding that the Village has other funds to augment that if the appropriation is not sufficient. At that time, it was not known whether the governor would sign the funding bill or line item veto parts of it.