New Mexico Library Association

Libraries Left Out of Legislative Finance Committee Staff Scenario for G.O. Bonds
By Joe Sabatini, Co-Chair, NMLA Legislation Committee

On Saturday, the Legislative Finance Committee heard a report by Analyst Linda Kehoe on General Obligation Bond Project Requests and Recommendations. She presented a “staff scenario” for a 2010 bond package totaling $159 million for funding education and senior citizen center projects. On Thursday, Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Katherine B. Miller had reported that the state’s General Obligation Bond capacity for 2010 was $175 million. Ms. Kehoe noted that the staff scenario left $15 million for “policy makers’ discretion.” Representative Ed Sandoval asked why libraries had not been included in the bond package. Ms. Kehoe replied that the scenario funded priority renovation projects which had significant safety/health/ADA issues. She acknowledged that Representative Sandoval and other legislators could and did revise staff recommendations based on their judgment about priorities. Several Committee members commented that they were receiving many citizen comments about their increasing property tax burdens.

The Committee will continue meeting through Tuesday afternoon. It would be timely to let members of the Legislative Finance Committee know of the importance of bond funding to your current and future ability to provide service to your communities. Although the LFC recommendations guide budget and funding decisions in the upcoming legislative session, the actual G.O. Bond bill will be prepared by the House Taxation and Revenue Committee.

Librarians will have another forum in which to present their needs. The interim Legislative Education Study Committee will meet next week. Omar Durant worked with LESC staff to get a slot on the Committee’s agenda on Wednesday, December 16th, tentatively at 9:05 am. We are organizing a presentation which will include information about both the School Libraries Materials Fund and the 2010 G.O. Bond issue. Your attendance and your communication with committee members are encouraged. We will advise you of details about this meeting.

Your presence at Library Legislative Day, Thursday, January 28th is needed as well.

Contact information for the LFC and LESC is available from the Agencies box at http://legis.state.nm.us/lcs/