Briefs

Governor gets $274M capital projects bill

A proposal financing $274 million worth of capital improvements across New Mexico has won final approval in the Legislature.

The projects range from state-owned building upgrades and school equipment to improving local athletic fields.

The measure goes to Gov. Susana Martinez, who has used her line-item veto powers to reject some individual projects in previous capital outlay measures. The governor has complained that lawmakers allocate some money for pet projects in their home districts instead of focusing on the state’s highest priorities.

Included in the bill is nearly $11 million for state prison repairs, improvements and security upgrades, $6 million for voting equipment and $3 million for an access road to the state’s spaceport.

The bill cleared the Legislature when it unanimously passed the House on Wednesday.

Property tax vote for college is vetoed

Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have allowed Rio Arriba County to seek a voter-approved property tax to pay for construction, renovation and other capital needs at Northern New Mexico College. The bill would have applied only to “class B” counties, with populations between 40,000 and 45,000. Martinez said the bill could set a precedent that the tax code can be changed to fund specific projects.

“Given the bill’s specificity, and its seeming application to only Rio Arriba County and Northern New Mexico College, I am concerned by the precedent that could be set by signing House Bill 593 as doing so could be misconstrued as support for amending our state’s tax code at any time it becomes challenging to identify a steady stream of funding for individual projects,” Martinez wrote in a statement.

Disabled-parking permit fee vetoed

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has vetoed a proposed fee for parking placards for the disabled.

The legislation would have imposed a $5 fee for the placards, which the state currently provides for free.

Part of the money from the fee would have supported the Governor’s Commission on Disability and its programs. Some money would have helped cover the state’s cost of administering the placards, which allow people with disabilities to use designated parking places.

The governor said in a veto message Tuesday that during tough economic times she couldn’t support imposing a fee on the elderly and disabled who may live on fixed incomes.

The state Motor Vehicle Division issued nearly 42,000 disabled parking placards last year.