Three out of four candidates vying for a Santa Fe City Council District 1 seat, and two unopposed candidates in districts three and four, say they won’t rule out raising property tax in Santa Fe to close an estimated $15 million budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, Renee Villareal, who’s running in the only contested City Council race for outgoing Councilor Patti Bushee’s District 1 seat, says raising taxes is on the table in current city council meetings, and is something incoming councilors will have to consider. Only District 1 candidate Maria Campos said “absolutely no” to raising local taxes. The current city council in their Wednesday meeting passed a budget plan that calls for 3.8 million dollars in new local tax, with an option to raise property taxes, gross receipts taxes, or both for Santa Fe residents.
A proposal to overhaul New Mexico's online clearinghouse for campaign finance information has been approved by the state House of Representatives. The House voted 65-0 on Thursday to send the bipartisan bill to the Senate. The plan would standardize electronic reporting so that filings by candidates, lobbyists and political committees can be searched, cross-referenced or downloaded for analysis. It also would require all lobbyists to file regular reports, as candidates already do. The Office of the Secretary of State eventually would spend as much as $985,000 to set up the database, depending on bids from vendors and available funding. Registration fees from lobbyists would be reinvested in maintaining the clearinghouse.
Leaders of the New Mexico Senate are urging state agencies to institute cost-saving measures and plan to rewrite a budget for next year approved by the Republican-controlled House in response to declining revenue forecasts. Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith said Thursday that general fund reserves are likely to be drawn down during the current fiscal year and that revenues are no longer expected to increase next year. Falling revenue expectations are linked to low energy prices and New Mexico's dependence on oil and natural gas production to keep the government up and running. The House has approved a $6.3 billion budget that increases spending by $81 million on Medicaid health care, early childhood education and prisons while cutting funding to state colleges and universities.
University of New Mexico officials have announced a decision to eliminate 44 open staff positions in order to help offset a budget shortfall. According to the Albuquerque Journal, the move will shave off about half of a projected 3.3 million dollar tuition shortfall, in the face of shrinking financial support from state oil and gas revenues. UNM regents say overall, they’ve eliminated 257 open positions, 44 of which had been budgeted for the current fiscal year. UNM President Bob Frank says downsizing on this scale is “a little high for the university to succeed,” but while Frank isn’t happy with the outcome, he said UNM officials’ decision is a success in the current economic climate.
Authorities have yet to uncover any new clues to the whereabouts of a Colorado man who went missing in northern New Mexico while looking for a $2 million cache of gold, jewels and artifacts. A helicopter flight this week by New Mexico State Police and the state's search and rescue team turned up nothing, but Randy Bilyeu's relatives say they're not giving up. A father and grandfather, Bilyeu has been missing for more than a month since he set out in January in search of author Forrest Fenn's treasure. Bilyeu's dog and raft were found along the Rio Grande. There has been no sign of him. His ex-wife, Linda Bilyeu, says there are areas that can still be searched with drones. She says she's thankful for the volunteer searchers but doesn't want to put anyone in danger.
A judge has ruled a New Mexico teenager who pleaded guilty to killing five family members is psychologically treatable in a decision that clears the way for the 18-year-old to be sentenced as a juvenile and possibly be released by the time he turns 21. Nehemiah Griego was 15 when authorities say he opened fire in his family's home near Albuquerque, killing his mother as she slept and then his younger brother and two sisters. Griego's father, a former pastor, was the last to die. Sheriff's officials say the teen ambushed him when he returned home. A judge ruled on Griego's treatment Thursday after a lengthy hearing in children's court to decide whether he could be rehabilitated psychologically and sentenced as a juvenile. Griego pleaded guilty in October to two counts of second-degree murder and three counts of child abuse resulting in death. The judge said Griego's sentence as a juvenile will be determined in several weeks.
Las Cruces Bishop Oscar Cantu will represent U.S. during the pope's historical visit to Mexico. Cantu will be one of two bishops from the U.S. and will accompany Pope Francis in Mexico from Friday to Wednesday. Cantu and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas received the appointment from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop's President Archbishop Joseph Kurtz. Cantu says he expects the pope to touch on immigration. Pope Francis is slated to finish his Mexico trip with the open-air Mass in a large field near Benito Juarez Stadium in Ciudad Juarez. That city located on Mexico's northern border across from El Paso, Texas.
And now this national news:
Officials say an Ohio police officer is being put on paid leave over a Facebook comment about a Black Lives Matter activist who killed himself on the Statehouse steps. The comment posted under Fairborn officer Lee Cyr's account reads "Love a happy ending." It was posted on the Ohio Politics Facebook page Wednesday, two days after MarShawn McCarrel II killed himself. Police say Cyr was off duty when the comment was posted. City Police Chief Terry Barlow says internal affairs investigators will try to determine if Cyr violated the department's social media policy. Cyr didn't return calls seeking comment. McCarrel shot himself near the front door of the Statehouse on Monday. The 23-year-old activist had helped organize and carry out protests after high-profile police shootings led to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Is a breakup bringing you heartache for Valentine's Day? Goodwill stores in the Sarasota and Las Vegas areas have an anti-Valentine's Day antidote. They're asking people to donate their ex's stuff with a "don't hate, donate" campaign. In a news release, Goodwill Manasota Foundation Vice President Veronica Brandon Miller says the agency is "having a little fun at the expense of Valentine's Day." But she notes that breakups are never easy and that it is important to "get rid of the items that keep exes stuck in the past." She says Valentine's Day is a good time to start fresh.
And the Weather in Santa Fe: Today and Saturday, sunny, with a high near 62 degrees. . Tonight and Saturday night, mostly clear, with a low around 35. Sunday, a bit cooler, with the daytime high near 55, and an overnight low of 34 degrees.