RELATING TO ROADS; REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF LOCAL MATCH REQUIRED FOR LOCAL ROAD PROJECTS PURSUANT TO COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS WITH THE STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT; AMENDING SECTIONS OF THE NMSA 1978 TO REQUIRE THAT ALL GASOLINE TAX REVENUES DISTRIBUTED TO MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES BE USED FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT OR OTHER TRANSPORTATION PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section 1. Section 7-1-6.9 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1991, Chapter 9, Section 11, as amended) is amended to read:
"7-1-6.9. DISTRIBUTION OF GASOLINE TAXES TO MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES.--
A. A distribution pursuant to Section 7-1-6.1 NMSA 1978 shall be made in an amount equal to ten and thirty-eight hundredths percent of the net receipts attributable to the taxes, exclusive of penalties and interest, imposed by the Gasoline Tax Act.
B. The amount determined in Subsection A of this section shall be distributed as follows:
(1) ninety percent of the amount shall be paid to the treasurers of municipalities and H class counties in the proportion that the taxable motor fuel sales in each of the municipalities and H class counties bears to the aggregate taxable motor fuel sales in all of these municipalities and H class counties; and
(2) ten percent of the amount shall be paid to the treasurers of the counties, including H class counties, in the proportion that the taxable motor fuel sales outside of incorporated municipalities in each of the counties bears to the aggregate taxable motor fuel sales outside of incorporated municipalities in all of the counties.
C. This distribution shall be paid into a separate road fund in the municipal treasury or county road fund for expenditure only for construction, reconstruction, resurfacing or other improvement or maintenance of public roads, streets, alleys or bridges, including right-of-way and materials acquisition. Money distributed pursuant to this section may be used by a municipality or county to provide matching funds for projects subject to cooperative agreements entered into with the state highway and transportation department pursuant to Section 67-3-28 NMSA 1978. Any municipality or H class county that has created or that creates a "street improvement fund" to which gasoline tax revenues or distributions are irrevocably pledged under Sections 3-34-1 through 3-34-4 NMSA 1978 or that has pledged all or a portion of gasoline tax revenues or distributions to the payment of bonds shall receive its proportion of the distribution of revenues under this section impressed with and subject to these pledges."
Section 2. Section 7-1-6.26 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1987, Chapter 347, Section 11, as amended) is amended to read:
"7-1-6.26. COUNTY GOVERNMENT ROAD FUND--DISTRIBUTION.--
A. For the purposes of this section, "distributable amount" means the amount in the county government road fund as of the last day of any month for which a distribution is required to be made pursuant to this section in excess of the balance in that fund as of the last day of the preceding month after reduction for any required distributions for the preceding month.
B. The secretary of highway and transportation shall determine and certify on or before July 1, 1987 and on or before July 1 of each subsequent year the total miles of public roads maintained by each county pursuant to Section 66-6-23 NMSA 1978. For the purposes of this subsection, if the certified mileage of public roads maintained by a county is less than four hundred miles, the state treasurer shall increase the number of miles of public roads maintained by that county by fifty percent and revise the total miles of public roads maintained by all counties accordingly. Except as provided otherwise in Subsection D of this section, each county shall receive an amount equal to its proportionate share of miles of public roads maintained, as the number of miles for the county may have been revised pursuant to this subsection, to the total miles of public roads maintained by all counties, as that total may have been revised pursuant to this subsection, times fifty percent of the distributable amount in the county government road fund.
C. Except as provided otherwise in Subsection D of this section, each county shall receive a share of fifty percent of the distributable amount in the county government road fund as determined in this subsection. The amount for each county shall be the greater of:
(1) twenty-one cents ($.21) multiplied by the county's population as shown by the most recent federal decennial census; or
(2) the proportionate share that the taxable gallons of gasoline reported for that county for the preceding fiscal year bear to the total taxable gallons of gasoline for all counties in the preceding fiscal year, as determined by the department, multiplied by fifty percent of the distributable amount in the county government road fund.
If the sum of the amounts to be distributed pursuant to Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection exceeds fifty percent of the distributable amount in the county government road fund, the excess shall be eliminated by multiplying the amount determined in Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection for each county by a fraction, the numerator of which is fifty percent of the distributable amount in the county government road fund, and the denominator of which is the sum of amounts determined for all counties in Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection.
D. If the distribution for a class A county or for an H class county determined pursuant to Subsections B and C of this section exceeds an amount equal to one-twelfth of the product of the total taxable gallons of gasoline reported for the county for the preceding fiscal year times one cent ($.01), the distribution for that county shall be reduced to an amount equal to one-twelfth of the product of the total taxable gallons of gasoline reported for the county for the preceding fiscal year times one cent ($.01). Any amount of the reduction shall be shared among the counties whose distribution has not been reduced pursuant to this subsection in the ratio of the amounts computed in Subsections B and C of this section.
E. If a county has not made the required mileage certification pursuant to Section 67-3-28.3 NMSA 1978 by May 1, 1988, and by April 1 of every year thereafter, of the year for which distribution is being made, the secretary of highway and transportation shall estimate the mileage maintained by those counties for the purpose of making distribution to all counties, and the amount calculated to be distributed each month to those counties not certifying mileage shall be reduced by one-third each month for that fiscal year and that amount not distributed to those counties shall be distributed equally to all counties that have certified mileages.
F. Distributions made to counties pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the county road fund to be used for the construction, reconstruction, resurfacing or other improvement or maintenance of the public roads and bridges in the county, including right-of-way and materials acquisition. Money distributed pursuant to this section may be used by the county to provide matching funds for projects subject to cooperative agreements entered into with the state highway and transportation department pursuant to Section 67-3-28 NMSA 1978."
Section 3. Section 7-1-6.27 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1991, Chapter 9, Section 20, as amended) is amended to read:
"7-1-6.27. DISTRIBUTION--MUNICIPAL ROADS.--
A. A distribution pursuant to Section 7-1-6.1 NMSA 1978 shall be made to municipalities for the purposes and amounts specified in this section in an aggregate amount equal to five and seventy-six hundredths percent of the net receipts attributable to the gasoline tax.
B. The distribution authorized in this section shall be used for the following purposes:
(1) reconstructing, resurfacing, maintaining, repairing or otherwise improving existing alleys, streets, roads or bridges, or any combination of the foregoing; or laying off, opening, constructing or otherwise acquiring new alleys, streets, roads or bridges, or any combination of the foregoing; provided that any of the foregoing improvements may include, but are not limited to, the acquisition of rights of way;
(2) to provide matching funds for projects subject to cooperative agreements with the state highway and transportation department pursuant to Section 67-3-28 NMSA 1978; and
(3) for expenses of purchasing, maintaining and operating transit operations and facilities, for the operation of a transit authority established by the municipal transit law and for the operation of a vehicle emission inspection program. A municipality may engage in the business of the transportation of passengers and property within the political subdivision by whatever means the municipality may decide and may acquire cars, trucks, motor buses and other equipment necessary for operating the business. A municipality may acquire land, erect buildings and equip the buildings with all the necessary machinery and facilities for the operation, maintenance, modification, repair and storage of the cars, trucks, motor buses and other equipment needed. A municipality may do all things necessary for the acquisition and the conduct of the business of public transportation.
C. For the purposes of this section:
(1) "computed distribution amount" means the distribution amount calculated for a municipality for a month pursuant to Paragraph (2) of Subsection D of this section prior to any adjustments to the amount due to the provisions of Subsections E and F of this section;
(2) "floor amount" means four hundred seventeen dollars ($417);
(3) "floor municipality" means a municipality whose computed distribution amount is less than the floor amount; and
(4) "full distribution municipality" means a municipality whose population at the last federal decennial census was at least two hundred thousand.
D. Subject to the provisions of Subsections E and F of this section, each municipality shall be distributed a portion of the aggregate amount distributable under this section in an amount equal to the greater of:
(1) the floor amount; or
(2) eighty-five percent of the aggregate amount distributable under this section times a fraction, the numerator of which is the municipality's reported taxable gallons of gasoline for the immediately preceding state fiscal year and the denominator of which is the reported total taxable gallons for all municipalities for the same period.
E. Fifteen percent of the aggregate amount distributable under this section shall be referred to as the "redistribution amount". Beginning in August 1990, and each month thereafter, from the redistribution amount there shall be taken an amount sufficient to increase the computed distribution amount of every floor municipality to the floor amount. In the event that the redistribution amount is insufficient for this purpose, the computed distribution amount for each floor municipality shall be increased by an amount equal to the redistribution amount times a fraction, the numerator of which is the difference between the floor amount and the municipality's computed distribution amount and the denominator of which is the difference between the product of the floor amount multiplied by the number of floor municipalities and the total of the computed distribution amounts for all floor municipalities.
F. If a balance remains after the redistribution amount has been reduced pursuant to Subsection E of this section, there shall be added to the computed distribution amount of each municipality that is neither a full distribution municipality nor a floor municipality an amount that equals the balance of the redistribution amount times a fraction, the numerator of which is the computed distribution amount of the municipality and the denominator of which is the sum of the computed distribution amounts of all municipalities that are neither full distribution municipalities nor floor municipalities."
Section 4. Section 67-3-32 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1983, Chapter 38, Section 1) is amended to read:
"67-3-32. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS--PREFERENCE.--In entering into cooperative agreements pursuant to Section 67-3-28 NMSA 1978, the state highway commission shall give preference to political subdivisions of this state if the subdivision contributes an amount equal to at least twenty-five percent of the project cost."
Section 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is August 1, 1999.
HB 685
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