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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Garcia, M.H.

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-12-2007

HB 786

SHORT TITLE Taylor Reynolds Barela Mesilla Monument

SB

ANALYST Dearing

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$250.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Cultural Affairs Department (CAD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 786 appropriates $250 thousand from the general fund to department of Cultural Af-

fairs for operations of the Taylor-Reynolds-Barela Mesilla monument in Old Mesilla, New Mex-

ico.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250 thousand contained in House Bill 786 is a recurring expense to the

General Fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall

revert to the General Fund.

The appropriation would add two FTE positions; a project manager and an artifact conservator –

at a total cost of $140.0 including benefits. The appropriation in House Bill 786 will provide op-

erating support for these positions, in addition to contracts necessary for development of the gen-

eral management plan, interpretive plan and preservation.

House Bill 786 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

A dedication ceremony for the Taylor-Barela-Reynolds-Mesilla State Monument occurred on

September 14

th

, 2006. The property was made available in 2003 to the State through a generous

living-trust

1

donation from former Rep. J. Paul Taylor and his now recently deceased wife, Mary

Helen Daniels Taylor.

Subsequent to this donation, the property was designated a monument by Gov. Richardson in

February 2004.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The department states that these positions will operate out of the New Mexico Farm and Ranch

Heritage Museum. The Town of Mesilla has also expressed a desire to provide office space for

these two positions, as the property is still occupied by Mr. Taylor at this time.

The living-trust agreement specifies that the property shall be operated as a State Monument

upon the passing of both Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, causing the termination of the living trust. The

donors have stipulated that operations should begin within six-months of the passing of the re-

maining spouse. The department wishes to initiate some of the preliminary steps necessary prior

to the eventual opening of the monument.

RELATIONSHIP

House Bill 786 relates to appropriations in the General Appropriations Act. The recommenda-

tion for the Cultural Affairs department included a $345 thousand appropriation for statewide

preservation and maintenance of state monuments. This recommendation did not provide FTE.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The donation agreement specifies that the site must become operational within six months of the

expiration of the living-trust estate. The department states that it is therefore necessary to de-

velop the site’s general management plan, the property’s preservation and maintenance plan, the

site’s interpretive plan, as well as the artifact curatorial and exhibit plans.

PD/nt

1

An inter vivos trust is created by a grantor in life, for the purpose of holding ownership to an asset during the persons’ lifetime; the most signifi-

cant feature of this arrangement is in stipulating asset distribution at death upon the termination of the living trust.