As Citizen writer Max Yeh has said “I don’t know what I am voting for”. And I couldn’t agree more. Although in my case it is more of a “what did I just vote for?”. I don’t mean “why did I vote?” but rather, “what results from my voting ‘yes’ to some of these bond issues?”
The specific bond issue I’d like to address is question 2, public libraries. The question posed on the ballot is:
“The 2024 Capital Projects General Obligation Bond Act authorizes the issuance and sale of library acquisition bonds. Shall the state be authorized to issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed nineteen million three hundred five thousand dollars ($19,305,000) to make capital expenditures for academic, public school, tribal and public library resource acquisitions and provide for a general property tax imposition and levy for the payment of principal of, interest on and expenses incurred in connection with the issuance of the bonds and the collection of the tax as permitted by law?”
As a member of the board and volunteer at the Hillsboro Community Library, if I see “library” on the ballot, you can guess how I might respond. But, what is the cost to me if I vote “yes” and what is the gain to my community for that response?
One might expect that if the state of New Mexico is going to go to the effort of putting bond issues and constitutional amendments on the ballot, they would also make the effort of generating a user-friendly and easily available discussion. That expectation would be wrong. Call me a lazy voter but a one-stop-website for reliable ballot information would make me a more engaged and educated voter. I think it would do the same for my neighbors and friends.
So, what would a “yes” vote on bond question 2, library acquisitions feel like to our pocketbooks? According to the New Mexico Library Association, NMLA , a “a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the support and promotion of libraries and the development of library personnel through education and the exchange of ideas to enrich the lives of all New Mexicans”, the cost to property tax payers would be $0.72 per $100,000 of assessed value per year.
The website “Ownwell” reports the average assessed value for property in Sierra county is $44,145. That would mean on average a property tax increase of 32 cents. Even a very high priced property assessed at $500,000 would only see a $3.60 increase. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Of course, that depends on what benefits Sierra county libraries would see for our wildly extravagant tax burden increase.
To find out the potential fiscal impact of this bond on Sierra county libraries, we return to the NMLA website. The bond monies are divided among tribal, public, higher education and public school libraries. The public libraries in Sierra county are the Truth or Consequences Municipal Schools, the Truth or Consequences Library and Hillsboro Community Library.
If the bond issue is passed, the Truth or Consequences schools will have approximately $30,604* to divide among its six campuses. Each school building will receive $2,000 and an allocation of $14.68 per student. That money can be used “for equipment and supplemental library resource acquisitions, including print, non-print and electronic resources”.
The Truth or Consequences municipal library is expected to receive $36,250.16. The Hillsboro Community Library, in its first year as an eligible library, is expected to receive $8,257.82. These public libraries may spend the money on “equipment, library furniture, fixtures and supplemental library resource acquisitions, including print, non-print and electronic resources, collaborative library resources and information technology projects, and for the purchase and installation of broadband internet equipment and infrastructure”.
If the Public Libraries Bond issue is passed by the voters of New Mexico, Sierra county stands to gain over $75,000 to support its local public libraries at a cost of pennies to dollars in taxes to property owners in the county. The bond is likely to pass. According to Ballotpedia, New Mexicans have approved 30 of 31 bond measures since 2006. Thank you New Mexico voters.
*Thanks to Joe Sabatini of the NMLA for clarifying the anticipated distribution to Truth or Consequences Municipal Schools
Debora: I, like you, read ‘library’ on the sample ballot and was automatically prone to check in favor of it. I admit to having reservations because nowhere did it say the cost to property owners…. THANK YOU for clarifying it for me/the readers. I will vote in Hillsboro on the 5th with a bit more confidence.
Great article. Voted yes on this bond issue yday. Voted no on the mysterious and redundant flood district.
Btw, Debora, league of women voters is a great resource. Lwvsnm.org for southern nm coverage. Their guides are terrific.
Many thanks, Deborah, for this research and for writing it up so beautifully.
Thank you Deb for amplifying what Max has said, “what am I really voting for? As a voter, it is so important to be informed, with FACTS.
Thank you