On Thursday, Jan. 14, District 1 Commissioner Billy Garrett and Commission Chair Wayne Hancock met with approximately 140 residents from the communities of Vado, Mequite and Berino.
Scheduling conflicts and the time needed to prepare responses to questions raised by community organizers required that the meeting date be postponed several times.
Maintenance of private roads was the primary topic of the meeting.
Garrett said commissioners and staff know many privately owned roads are in poor condition. This is a countywide problem. Some residents do not have the capacity to improve or properly maintain their roads. Potholes, poor drainage, and lack of signage result in increased damage to cars, delayed emergency response, and restricted access to educational and health services for homebound residents.
Garrett assured those in attendance that the county is not insensitive to these conditions or concerns.
By law, the county cannot work on or spend money on private roads. Owners of private roads are fully responsible for the improvement and maintenance of their roads.
In 2005, the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners established a process for accepting private roads for public ownership and maintenance. In 2013, the commission put a hold on this process until questions regarding financial sustainability and priority-setting could be resolved. Six roads that were already in the application process are exempt from the moratorium.
County engineering staff is working on answers to the questions posed by the Commission about road-related issues.
Garrett summarized the meeting as follows: “I appreciated the opportunity to hear from residents about the condition of privately owned roads in their communities. Over the past five years I’ve worked on a number of road issues. Some concerned just one road; others involved the entire county road system. I’m well aware of the problems associated with private roads. While I believe that the county should consider taking on ownership and maintenance of some private roads, this must be done responsibly. Financial impacts on the county, effects on community development and public safety must factor into any road acquisition decisions. I welcome the work being done to develop a comprehensive roads initiative that would guide this process. This initiative should also identify ways that the county might legally help residents care for private roads that remain in their hands. Public input on these ideas is important. Hopefully our meeting will speed up the roads initiative and promote better pubic understanding of this complex problem. As always, I am prepared to meet with residents to discuss roads or any other concern.”