Dona Ana Officials Place Spaceport Tax District On Hold

DONA ANA COUNTY, NM – County officials have decided to hold off on authorizing a taxing district for Spaceport America until two other counties involved in the project set forth a tax referendum.

“It’s in everybody’s best interest to see that this succeeds. If its going to be a regional program, it’s success will hinge on the participation of Otero and Sierra counties,” said Dona Ana County Spokesman Jess Williams.

Last April, Dona Ana County residents approved a special tax to help fund the spaceport. However, the two other counties involved in the project, Otero and Sierra, have yet to begin the process that would create a tax district within their counties.

“The other counties have yet to schedule the vote. We believe that if this is going to be a regional venture, then they need to step up and schedule that process,” said Williams. The county should not set up a taxing district is the other two counties are “so far behind,” he said.

Recently, it was announced the New Mexico Spaceport Authority is planning to place the spaceport’s visitor center in Truth or Consequences instead of Hatch.

Thursday, Sierra County Commissioners voted to approve a resolution of intent to create a spaceport taxing district. An amendment stating voters will vote on a referendum to raise funds for the spaceport was also included in the resolution. The funds needed to run the election have already been budgeted and the election is set to take place next spring, officials said.

Jim Coslin, the chair of the Sierra County Commission, tells ABC-7 he believed his county had a larger time frame to work with. “We did not realize that it is necessary to form the spaceport regional taxing district in order to move forward and be able to spend money that would be appropriated by the gross tax receipt,” he said.

Despite Sierra County voting to begin the process for a vote a tax referendum, the issue of whether or not voters will actually approve it remains unanswered. “I’m against it, but maybe there’s nothing that I can do to stop it…there’s a lot of people that feel that way,” said James White, a resident of the county.

Officials with Otero County did not issue a statement about their intent regarding a tax referendum to raise their share of funds for the spaceport.

“We are just waiting on them, we’ve done our part now we’re waiting on them to do their part,” said Williams.

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Written and reported for broadcast by Doug Wernet

Written for the web by Joe Villasana