It seems that Bernalillo County has a money problem:
Bernalillo County borrowed about $42 million last year to buy its dream home — the swanky 500 Marquette office building in Downtown Albuquerque.
The problem? It never bought the place.
That leaves the county government in an unusual situation this summer: making arrangements to pay off the debt for a building it didn’t buy.
Now, what was the reason for needing that building? Oh, that’s right:
County offices are spread across several buildings in the Downtown area, making it inconvenient for people who have business with several county departments that deal with the same topic. The county clerk, assessor and planning department, for example, all house property records — in separate buildings.
Well, if you really want to make it more convenient for the citizens, how about thinking of a way to eliminate my need to come down to the county offices. Let me give you an example. If you hold a Bernalillo County business license, wouldn’t it be nice to just be able to register online, pay the fee with a credit card and print out the certificate?
That’s just one example. I’m sure there are many more departments that could be digitized to eliminate the need for office space. Plus, think of the reduction of carbon footprint.