Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
The Bayard City Council during an open meeting on Monday, November 23, 2015 passed and approved Ordinance 3-2015. Ordinance 3-2015 is an ordinance adopting the New Mexico Uniform Traffice Ordinance by reference, be it ordained by the governing body of the City of Bayard. According to Section 1: This ordinance hereby amends the Uniform Traffic Code Ordinance by reference for the addition of Sections 12-1-5.1, 12-1-37, 12-7-6, 12-7-8.1 pertaining to “Autocycles”. The Effective date is December 1st, 2015. Copies of the Ordinance may be picked up at Bayard City Hall, 800 Central Avenue.
USDA Rural Development State Director Terry Brunner was in Lemitar this week to present a certificate of obligation to the owners of the Southwestern Seas, LLC shrimp farm. During the event, Brunner said, “The Obama administration is making good on its promise to provide the tools to help small rural businesses expand and be successful.” Brunner added, “And that’s what this funding is all about. This small shrimp farm needed financial help to market its product to various farmers markets and other stores and this funding will help them find new customers.” USDA Rural Development provided a $49,500 grant through its Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) to help the shrimp farm with its marketing of the shrimp throughout New Mexico.
Reinstating a tax on the sale of food for consumption at home could harm the health of New Mexicans who are already food insecure—meaning they don’t always have enough to eat. And while the revenue generated from a tax on food could be used to mitigate some of the damage the tax would do, the report finds that it is unlikely governments would spend the new revenue toward that end. It is likely that legislators will consider taxing food during the upcoming 2016 legislative session. A food tax has been discussed as a way to allow cities and counties to recoup some of the revenue they are losing since the hold harmless payments from the state were changed in an omnibus tax bill enacted in 2013. A food tax has also been discussed as part of a tax system overhaul that would result in a lower gross receipt tax rate overall.
Tuesday, Governor Susana Martinez announced a $1 million expansion of the Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) Family Support Worker program, which she initiated as a pilot program in Bernalillo County in April of 2014. The program will now serve six New Mexico counties and provides specifically high-risk families with service and support aimed at preventing child maltreatment. The Governor also urged legislators to enact stiffer penalties for those who assault child abuse caseworkers in New Mexico.
