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

SPONSOR Cote

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/1/07

HB 921

SHORT TITLE Dona Ana County Sheriff Organ Substation

SB

ANALYST Propst

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$30.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 921 appropriates $30.0 to the Local Government Division to staff a substation for the

Sheriff’s Department in Dona Ana County, in or near Organ.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $30.0 contained in this bill 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.

According to DFA, the Sheriff’s office in Dona Ana has stated that this appropriation is required

only for initial costs and they are prepared to include all subsequent costs in the operational

budget in FY 2009. The appropriation in HB 921 would be expended in FY08 for the purpose of

staffing the substation with a temporary secretary and also for the purchase and installation of

communication equipment.

House Bill 921 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Dona Ana Sheriff’s Department reports that substations provide officers with the ability to

complete required administrative duties in their field of operations. Currently there are existing

substations in Hatch, Anthony and Chaparral. The County does not have any substations in the

eastern region and funding from HB 921 would provide the resources to initiate the creation of a

substation in or near Organ. The substations can be cost effective through savings generated by

the reduction in fuel costs and man-hours that would be expended by travel to the main office in

Las Cruces.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

DFA reports that the current budget for the Sheriff’s Office in Dona Ana County includes $119.0

in authorized expenditures as they pertain to the Law Enforcement Protection Fund. Revenues in

this fund cannot be utilized for salaries or benefits. The operational budget, located in the general

fund of the County, contains approved expenditures for FY07 that exceeds $11.5 million. This is

representative of the increasing costs for law enforcement that many New Mexico communities

are struggling to manage. The largest budget increases from FY06 to FY07 are reflected in the

County’s travel category and in the maintenance of vehicles line item. HB 921 has the potential

to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement services for the citizens of the

County.

WEP/nt