It’s a lean year at the Roundhouse and the city of Española should encourage councilors and staff to do the heavy lifting as far as lobbying.
In August the state forecast $400 million more revenue than budgeted for this fiscal year. The price of oil dropped and that projection wilted to $225 million. A few short months later and we’re looking at revenue levels that won’t meet last year’s projected growth number of 3.4 percent over the $5.745 billion of 2007. In short, without the numbers? We’ve got a lot less money than we thought we would and expenses continue to climb.
A good example is the continuing saga of Alcalde Elementary. When the Española School Board first gave an estimate of the project, it was 2003 and the price tag was about $4 million. Without reliving the Board’s many mistakes, lack of vision and pandering, the school will now cost $14 million. Five years, $10 million.
New Mexico depends heavily on oil and gas revenues to pay for everything from the session itself to education, roads, state government, the governor’s train and his new jet.
When you run that big number through the meat grinder and syphon away the state’s take and education’s bite, each senator and representative will get a few hundred thousand dollars to dole out to their favorite people. They may get $1 million.
Instead of the city spending $20,000 to $30,000 for someone to run around for two months drinking, eating and gabbing their way through the session, go sit down with Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-La Mesilla, and Sen. Richard Martinez, D-Española, and tell them what you need. Be reasonable and emphasize needs, not pipe dreams.
Save us all some money, yourselves some time and anguish and get on the same page. Then share that sheet music with our representatives.
You might also ask them to again support open conference committees. That’s where all the capital expenditures get sliced and diced and rolled into one big bill the last two nights of the session. That’s where you may discover the $1 million you were promised for a water treatment plant got cut out of the bill by some powerful senator from down south who wanted a road paved to his favorite fishing hole.