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

SPONSOR Martinez, R.

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-8-2007

HM

SHORT TITLE Acequia de Chamita on Historic Register

SB 21

ANALYST Dearing

ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)

FY07

FY08

FY09 3 Year

Total Cost

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

Total

$20.0

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates HM14

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Cultural Affairs Department (CAD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Memorial 21 requests the Department of Cultural Affairs include the Acequia de

Chamita on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties in addition to recommending the

Acequia de Chamita for inclusion in the

National Register of Historic Places.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

There is no appropriation associated with this memorial. The State Historic Preservation Officer

at the Cultural Affairs department states that the research and preparation necessary for state and

national register designation would incur an expense of at least $20,000.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to the Historic Preservation division,

“Acequias are a time honored cultural element in New Mexico, and archaeologists have evidence

that diversion irrigation was practiced by some New Mexico Indian communities before the

Senate Memorial 21 – Page

2

coming of the Spanish. The Acequia de Chamita is recognized as an early acequia and worthy of

inclusion on the New Mexico Cultural Properties List and the National Register of Historic

Places.

The Cultural Properties Act of 1978 created the Cultural Properties Review Committee (CPRC)

as the policy making advisory body to the Historic Preservation Division of the Cultural Affairs

Department on matters of cultural history and preservation. Members of the CPRC are ap-

pointed by the Governor based on their knowledge of New Mexico’s cultural heritage. Under

the Act, the CPRC lists in and keeps up to date the official register, composed of properties iden-

tified by the committee as having historical or other cultural significance and integrity, being

suitable for preservation and having educational significance.

And according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, the CPRC rec-

ommends properties to the Keeper of the National Register for inclusion in the National Register

of Historic Places.

For properties to be listed successfully on both registers requires in-depth historic research and

photographs augmented by oral histories and maps. A professional historian experienced in writ-

ing nominations will be needed to prepare these nominations."

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

State and national register designations require that a professional historian research, conduct

oral histories, photograph and produce the nomination. The research and preparation necessary

for state and national register designation is estimated at $20,000. The Historic Preservation di-

vision has stated that the work associated with this memorial will cause a budgetary hardship.

PD/nt