Effort to place all of Española in Rio Arriba County hits a hurdle

Santa Fe County and the city of Española have scheduled meetings this month in the wake of what may be a stalled effort by some residents to have the Santa Fe County portion of the city annexed into Rio Arriba County. About three-quarters of the city lies within Rio Arriba County. The southeast portion of Española, however, is part of Santa Fe County and a group of residents there petitioned to have county lines redrawn so that it would be made part of Rio Arriba County, along with the rest of the city. The petition – turned in by George Martinez of a group called Citizens for Accessible and Representative Government and signed by 717 people, a number that would represent 53 percent of the 1,346 registered voters living in the affected area – stated that “it will be more convenient and economical for Rio Arriba County to render governmental services” than currently is the case. Some residents of the affected area have complained that Santa Fe County collects their tax money, but provides little in return in terms of services, including health care facilities, solid waste disposal, 911 emergency services and parks...more