Public Works

The Socorro County Land Use Commission is comprised of board members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. The Board of Land Use Commission meets every third Wednesday of the month at 5:00 PM at the Socorro County Annex Building located at 198 Neel Avenue in Socorro.

The Board of Land Use Commissioners is peforms a quasi-judicial function answering the question: has the developer demonstrated that he has met his obligations to the public under the law in order to exercise his/her right to subdivide his/her private property?

The Commission must:

• Determine if the subdivision conforms with County Subdivision Regulations- Socorro County Ordinance 97-006.

• Determine if the sub-divider has demonstrated the ability to fulfill the proposals contained in the subdivision’s disclosure statement, plat, and/or any other required components of the subdivision plain.

• Recommend approval, disapproval or conditional approval to the Socorro County Commission based on your analysis of the subdivision documents and the developer’s abilities.

To review the County's Subdivision Ordinance, please visit the Ordinance page and download Ordinance #1997.006.

Subdivision Exemption Application

If you feel you may qualify for a subdivision exemption when dividing property, please obtain an exemption application form on from the Manager's page.

Land Use Commissioners

Holm Bursum IV, Secretary: MEMBER TO A TERM UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2013

Nick Keller, Chair: MEMBER TO A TERM UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2013

Butch Hammack, Vice Chair: MEMBER TO A TERM UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2013

Keith Banks: MEMBER TO A TERM UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2013

Barbara Spreen-Atwood: MEMBER TO A TERM UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2013

Socorro County is part of the Southern New Mexico-El Paso Joint Land Use study implementation partnership. Information regarding the implementation of this study can be found on the SNMEP Joint Land Use website.

The Road Maintenance division of the Public Works Department maintains over 1400 miles of roadways within the unincorporated 6000 square mile area of Socorro County; this includes over 120 miles of Forest Service Roads.

We need citizen and resident help to notify us of any problems or road conditions that may need repair. Please contact the Road Department at 575-835-2041 to report road damage and maintenance requests.

Not all public roads are maintained by Socorro County. Each Spring, the Board of County Commissioners approves which roads will be maintained by County crews. Socorro County has thousands of miles of public roads but only those approved by the Board are scheduled for maintenance. Each mile is then scheduled for maintenance only once per year. The list of maintained roads can be found on the Board of County Commissioner’s page under Resolutions; resolutions are approved in March of every calendar year. You may also contact the department to inquire about the status of your roadway.

If your road is on the maintained mileage report, you can request work orders by contacting the department at 575-835-2041. Emergencies only can be reported after hours by dialing 911; our crews will be dispatched accordingly.

Board policies relevant to the Road Department are shown below. They include the following:

• 2010-59 Road Signage Maintenance Policy

• 2010-80 Procedures for acceptance of a Road for County Maintenance

• 2011-47 Road Standards (need for acceptance of a private road)

• 2012-41 Sign Implementation and Maintenance

• 2014-21 Placement of a Private Gate or Cattle guard across a County Road

• 2018-85 Speed Hump Policy

Socorro County prosecutes illegal dumpers. For information on who to contact and help us stop illegal dumping, please review our brochure below.

Managed through our Solid Waste Office, Socorro County's Vector Control is a public service aimed at the control of disease carriers in Socorro County. This office's primary sole area of concern at this time is mosquito control. The mosquito population is responsible for spreading infectious diseases throughout the world, including West Nile Virus.

If you are aware of any mosquito breeding grounds in Socorro County, please contact the County Manager’s office immediately.

Zika Virus

Zika is the virus that causes Zika virus infection. The virus is mainly spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. Only certain kinds of mosquitoes are able to transmit the virus that can cause disease. About four out of five people infected with Zika virus will have no signs or symptoms of illness. The people who do become ill may have fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Symptoms are usually mild and last from a few days to a week. It is rare for a person with Zika virus infection to become severely ill or be hospitalized.

Although more investigation is needed, there is evidence that Zika virus infection causes birth defects or miscarriage in some pregnant women who are exposed early in their pregnancies. There have also been reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome following Zika virus infection. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare but serious disorder that affects nerves and can cause a number of complications including paralysis, respiratory distress, and rarely death.

Controlling Mosquitoes in Your Own Back Yard

The best mosquito control program reduces breeding areas, routine larviciding (killing the baby mosquitoes) in those breeding areas that cannot be eliminated, and adulticiding (killing adult mosquitoes) only when and where necessary.

Mosquitoes have four life stages – eggs, larvae, pupae, adults. Since three of the stages (eggs, larvae, pupae) are found in water, eliminating water sources that can breed mosquitoes eliminates the chances of mosquitoes biting, and thus disease transmission.

Tips for reducing water sources and breeding grounds include the following:

• Pickup and haul away all trash piles, broken down appliances, junk cars, bottles and cans and any other household items in your yard

• Avoid creating open water or standing water areas or containers around your house such as large puddles, open water tanks, open or damaged water pipes, tires, etc. that may pool water and lead to mosquito breeding

• Fill all holes in your trees where water pools

• Drill holes in the bottom of tire swings for drainage

• Empty or change your pet's water dishes, bird baths, horse troughs at least once a week

• Keep your gutters clear and clean

• Avoid the accumulation of decaying material and garbage around your yard

• Cover your water tanks

• Support natural enemies of mosquitoes such as birds, frogs, lizards and even fish in your yard

• Fix any low spots on your property that may hold water for a long time