Bloomfield officials await state approval of annexation of small plot on city's south side

The city of Bloomfield is on the verge of becoming bigger — albeit, only marginally.

City Manager George Duncan appeared before the San Juan County Commission on Tuesday, May 21 to deliver a presentation on the city’s plan to annex almost 2 acres of land south of the San Juan River. The Bloomfield City Council approved the move May 13 at the request of the property owner, MM150 LLC.

Duncan said the property owned by the company straddles the border between the Bloomfield city limits and San Juan County territory. The portion of the property that already is in Bloomfield consists of 0.66 acres, while an adjoining 1.77 acres is outside the city limits.

The annexation would bring the entire property within Bloomfield. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 550 and Industrial Boulevard, also known as County Road 4980. The land is undeveloped but has been cleared, Duncan said.

He said on May 23 the annexation has been submitted to officials at the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration. The move will become official when that agency approves it, he said, indicating he hoped that process would take only a couple of weeks.

The commission was not asked to take action on the annexation. County Manager Mike Stark explained to commissioners that, under state law, the county had no role in the move and that Duncan’s presentation was a courtesy to the county government.

Duncan emphasized that the move to annex the land did not originate with city officials but was the idea of the owner.

“We didn’t go seeking this,” he said.

More: Bloomfield City Council approves final budget

The annexation is the first time the city of Bloomfield has expanded its boundaries since 2014. That was when the city annexed 6,775 acres of land in a move that city officials expected would produce a significant increase in property tax revenue for the city.

An original estimate showed Bloomfield would receive an additional $750,000 by annexing the land, but by the time city officials approved their final budget in July 2015, that figure had shrunk to less than $300,000.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Bloomfield waiting to annex small plot of land south of city