Magdalena to take control of addressing system with state collaboration

The Village of Magdalena is moving forward with plans to independently manage its geographic addressing system following a collaborative effort with the New Mexico 911 Bureau, easing concerns raised earlier about emergency response and compliance with state standards.

Tyler Fossett, New Mexico’s GIS Coordinator for the E911 Bureau, said that Magdalena will assume full responsibility for its address data using a state-supported online platform.

The move comes after a letter from Socorro County GIS Specialist Stephen Keiser, which warned that the village’s practices violated the New Mexico Enhanced 911 Act and could prompt administrative review.

Fossett said that “there’s no such thing as compliance” in the legal sense for local addressing, noting that while the state provides recommendations and a data model, “all addressing authority sits with the local government.” He said that the Bureau’s role is to support, not enforce, local efforts.

The village will use a web-based mapping tool maintained by Fossett’s office, allowing officials to update addresses without hiring a dedicated GIS technician. Fossett said the Bureau will fund a contractor to repair existing data errors, which he said were “typical” and mostly minor.

“It’ll probably cost me around $5,000 to fully repair all of Magdalena’s stuff,” he said.

The shift also ends Socorro County’s role in submitting Magdalena’s address data to the state. Fossett said the arrangement had not been formally agreed upon and that “Magdalena already is the addressing authority.”

Socorro County Emergency Manager and Fire Marshal Fred Berger wrote in a statement that multiple Magdalena residents had come to the GIS office with issues receiving packages or getting internet service, or even home insurance, due to the companies being unable to verify addresses.

“The Village was supposed to be following the addressing handbook, which is issued by the State of New Mexico.” wrote Berger.

Berger also wrote that attempts had been made by the county to help Magdalena solve the issue.

During an interview, Berger said that he and Stephen Keiser had gone to the village to offer assistance and were turned down.

“So we went up to their office, Stephen and I, with a letter saying, ‘This is what you’re supposed to be doing. This is how we can help you fix it, and we said we can either do it for you, of course, for a cost, you guys can do it yourself, or the state’s going to have to come in and help you guys,” Berger said.

The costs involved are not known, but Fossett said it was a large estimate.

According to Fossett, the new system will give the village direct control and eliminate the need for monthly data submissions, as the Bureau will have continuous access to the online map.

While Fossett said that proper signage remains a concern, he said that address changes are unlikely.

“Unless there’s really egregious problems, which so far I’ve not seen, I don’t expect they’ll have to be changing anything,” Fossett said.

Fossett said Keiser now supports the plan and is available to assist.

“This will be a more collaborative effort between the county and Magdalena,” Fossett said.

Berger said he understands that Magdalena is incorporated and that the municipality does everything for themselves, but he wants to make sure all Socorro County residents are able to get the services they deserve.

The Nov. 5 meeting between Fossett and village officials laid the groundwork for the transition. As the village prepares to manage its own data, Fossett said, “In a matter of months, they’ll be in a really good position.”