2024 Statewide Ballot Initiatives and Sandoval County Bonds

by | Sep 30, 2024 | Elections, Newsletters

 

 

State of New Mexico

Eight statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in New Mexico for elections in 2024.  The New Mexico State Legislature voted to send four constitutional amendments to the ballot related to property tax exemptions for veterans, the state judicial nominating commission, and county officers’ salaries. The state legislature also voted to send four bond measures totaling $290.6 million to the ballot.

 

Bond Initiatives

Bond Issue #1.  $30,758,100 in bonds to fund senior citizens facilities

The bond measure would issue $30.75 million in bonds to fund improvements to facilities for senior citizens, including building upgrades and buying new equipment, through the New Mexico Aging and Long-term Services Department.

Bond Issue #2.  $19,305,000 in bonds to fund public libraries

The bond measure would issue $19.3 million in bonds to fund the acquisition of public libraries, public school libraries, academic libraries, and tribal libraries throughout the state.

Bond Issue #3.  $230,258,400 in bonds to fund public higher education institutions, special public schools, and tribal schools

Bond Question 3 would issue $230.3 million in bonds to fund various initiatives, including capital improvements and acquisitions at institutions of higher education, distinct schools, and tribal schools statewide.

Bond Issue #4.  $10,297,100 in bonds to modernize public safety radio communications systems

The bond measure would issue $10 million in bonds for public safety radio communications improvements to upgrade and modernize the radio systems used for public safety across the entire state by building the necessary infrastructure.

Note:  The above bonds are general obligation bond.   These bonds are a public debt and are paid for through state funds, specifically funds from a statewide property tax in New Mexico.

 

Constitutional Amendments

LRCA #1. Proportionally applies the disabled veteran property tax exemption according to a veteran’s disability rating.

Constitutional Amendment 1 would amend the New Mexico Constitution to extend the disabled veteran property tax exemption to all disabled veterans (or their widows or widowers) in proportion to their federal disability rating. A veteran disability rating is assigned to veterans based on the severity of their service-connected disability. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs assigns the rating to veterans as a percentage that represents how much a disability decreases overall health and ability to function. Currently, the tax exemption only applies to veterans with a federal disability rating of 100%.

LRCA #2. Increases the property tax exemption for veterans from $4,000 to $10,000, adjusted annually for inflation.

Constitutional Amendment 2 would amend the New Mexico Constitution to increase the property tax exemption for honorably discharged members of the armed forces or their widows or widowers from $4,000 to $10,000 beginning in tax year 2024. The amendment would also require the exemption to be adjusted for inflation annually beginning in 2025.[2]

LRCA #3.  Authorize the designee of the dean of the University of New Mexico Law School serve as chair of the judicial nomination commission.

Constitutional Amendment 3 would allow the dean of the University of New Mexico Law School to designate an individual to serve as chair for the appellate judges nominating commission. The amendment stipulates that the designee must be an associate dean, a faculty member, a retired faculty member, or a former dean of the law school.

LRCA #4. Authorize the board of county commissioners to set salaries for county officers and clarify that fees collected by the county are to be deposited into the county treasury.

Constitutional Amendment 4 would edit Article X, Section 1 of the New Mexico Constitution. The measure would remove the language requiring the legislature to classify the counties in the first legislative session. It would also transfer the power of setting county officers’ salaries from the legislature to a county’s board of commissioners. The amendment would also clarify that the fees collected by a county official must be deposited into the county treasury.

Note: All 4 Bond issues were unanimously passed by the New Mexico House and Senate, as were LRCA #1 and #2.  LRCA #3 passed both houses with substantial majorities.  At the time of publication of the newsletter we could not find any information about the vote on LRCA #4 in either branch of government.

 

 

Sandoval County Bonds

  1. General Obligation Bond – Library

$3.1 M for library facilities and purchasing books and other library resources for Sandvoal County.

  1. General Obligation Bond – Fire Department, Public Safety and Telecommunications

$11.2 M for Fire Department water delivery systems, public safety and telecommunications equipment and buildings.

  1. General Obligation Bond – Animal Shelter

$7.5 M for designing, constructing and furnishing county animal shelter.

  1. General Obligation Bond – Fleet, Road and County Facilities

$2.607 M for acquiring vehicles, equipment, paving roads and improving county facilities.

  1. Mill Levy – Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation

0.25 mills for protecting drinking water and health of rivers and streams, improving stormwater and floodplain management, reduce the risk of wildfires, restore wildlife habitat, preserve agricultural land, and provide national resources education.

Translate »