The hike is unfortunately being once again proposed by Councilor Brook Bassan who seems hellbent on obtaining more money for the swimming pool at North Domingo Baca Aquatic Center which has suffered from an original cost of $17 million,  an estimated current cost of more than $70 million. According to Bassan the City needs an estimated $36 million to finish the project.

We working to push ABQ City Council to oppose this tax increase and we need your help.

• Come to City Council and speak in opposition. You can sign up on Friday afternoon using the link at the bottom of this website. We recommend general public comment, but you are welcome to wait for debate on the bill as well.
• Send a note of opposition to city council here.

It is completely crazy to even ask voters to pass a $113 million tax increase to fund a swimming pool that needs “just” $36 million to be completed. Voters in Albuquerque would ALSO be crazy for embracing this unnecessary tax in November, but they shouldn’t even be asked. This swimming pool project is a disaster. Cost overruns of this size are completely unacceptable and quite frankly should be illegal.

The post Albuquerque City Council eyes a big tax hike to pay for over-budget swimming pool: vote Monday night appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.

In terms of Economy, New Mexico ranked 47th, Education: 50th, Health 41st, and Family & Community 50th.

This is “more of the same” for New Mexico which has lagged the nation in this (and other) reports for years. It is impossible to see any sustained improvement despite New Mexico having benefited from tens-of-billions in new revenue from oil and gas and numerous new/expanded government programs including universal “free” pre-K, “free” college, massive new K-12 education spending, and a 75% increase in state general fund spending. “Free” childcare is too new and thus wouldn’t be included in this report.

The upshot is that amazingly Gov. Lujan Grisham and the Legislature have squandered tens-of-billions of dollars over her eight years in office in the midst of one of the greatest oil and gas booms in history with little to show for it in terms of better outcomes for New Mexico children. The Rio Grande Foundation has argued that free market tax reductions as well as regulatory and education reforms would have a much greater impact on New Mexicans and their children. Instead, the massive growth of government has failed to improve the lives of New Mexico children.

The post New Mexico rises slightly to 49th in annual Kids Count report appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.

But, don’t expect New Mexico’s “progressive” Legislature to return any of that money to taxpayers. Gov. Lujan Grisham has said nothing about a special session.  Representative Micaela Lara Cadena (D-Mesilla) made it clear that her intentions are to spend the money, saying “I hope we hold the purpose of those funds very close to heart and make sure when money comes to our coffers like that, we spend it and spend it well,”

The Rio Grande Foundation has long fought for tax cuts and broader tax reform, but even one-time rebates would be superior to more spending.

The post New Mexico experiencing $850 million windfall from elevated oil prices…just don’t expect to get any of it back appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.

We have multiple other events coming up  while we’re in SE New Mexico.

The post RGF heading to SE New Mexico soon appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.

47th overall;

50th in education;

49th in college graduation rate

So yay! Spending lots of oil and gas generated tax dollars on “free” college has helped us move up somewhat in higher education rankings. But, NM isn’t exactly knocking it out of the park overall after 8 years of her being in office.

New Mexico’s kids deserve world-class opportunities — and they’re getting them. In 2019, New Mexico ranked 40th in the nation for higher education. Today we’re 20th — and climbing. We’re proud to be paving the way for New Mexico’s next generation. #NMKids pic.twitter.com/cxIaO6fEzv

— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) June 2, 2026

The post MLG is proud of this? appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.

The post Tipping Point NM episode 816 Anastasia Boden – Legal Issues and U.S. Supreme Court appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.

There are MANY reasons to oppose this plan. Here are some:

1. 1. The article does not mention it, but it is estimated that a 400MW solar farm would consume between 1,600 and 2,000 acres of land. Considering that the site is near the Interstate (I-40) and Atrisco Vista, it would seem that there are better uses for land so close to Albuquerque. That’s 2.5 to 3.1 square miles. In familiar terms, this is equal to about 1,200 to 1,500 American football fields, or slightly larger than the size of Central Park in New York City;
   2. The project will create just six full-time jobs — four operators and two electricians. So, this is a lot of money and land for a project with nearly no economic impact;
   3. The article states that PNM is the likely purchaser of the power. PNM is legally mandated under the Energy Transition Act to fulfill MLG’s “transition” to 100% renewables. Why are we shifting the burden of this to New Mexico taxpayers?

You can reach out to the Bernalillo County Commission here: commission@bernco.gov

The post ABQ West Side Solar Project Looking for $1.2 billion in tax abatements appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.

Paul and Wally handicap the Republican and Democrat primaries for governor.

In a bizarre comment MLG tells a group at a public speech that “Democrats don’t need men’s votes”

ABQ claims the “guaranteed basic income” is a success. What’s the real story?

NM’s Supreme Court recently ruled that APS had to disclose a big payout to a former superintendent.

What’s the federal SPEED Act & why would it be a win for both left and right?

Paul was recently on another podcast discussing data centers.

New Mexico’s teacher unions are 20th-strongest among US states. Why? What does this mean?

This week’s episode had to be split into two parts for technical reasons.

The post Tipping Point NM episode 815: ABQ’s Minimum Wage, Guaranteed Basic Income, SPEED Act and more appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.

• Rather than going into effect starting in 2027 the $15 an hour wage will be phased in over three years starting in 2027. Not great, but better than the alternative.
• After 2030 the minimum wage will be tied to the Consumer Price Index (not the hybrid rate including rental prices).

This couldn’t be considered a win, but it is not as bad of a loss as it could have been. But, the die was cast in the last mayoral election. Reelecting Mayor Keller (who pushed the minimum wage hike) and the replacement of a conservative Democrat Louie Sanchez with a far-left Democrat Stephanie Tellez was enough to set the stage for a lot of bad policy.

Now, it looks like Councilor Brook Bassan is going to reintroduce a regressive gross receipts tax at Council. If passed, the proposal could increase the GRT rate by 0.4875% putting the rate above 8% costing taxpayers $113 million annually. The big change to this proposal is that unlike the last version, voters will have to sign off on this one. That means it requires only five votes to pass the council, instead of seven. The current total tax rate in Albuquerque is 7.625% in the City meaning the tax hike would take the City to 8.113 percent. Neighboring Rio Rancho which also has substantially lower property taxes has a 7.4375% GRT.

Bassan’s primary impetus seems to be to fund the vastly overbudget North Domingo Baca swimming pool (located in Bassan’s district), the cost of which has risen from $17 million to over $70 million. 

To her credit Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn, who introduced several amendments to the original proposal before it was ultimately voted down, told KRQE News 13 on Monday, “If it’s still using increased regressive taxes to pay for vanity projects, I’ll oppose.”

The post An update from ABQ City Council: minimum wage going up, and taxes too? appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.

Quantum and Advanced Computing,
Intelligent Manufacturing,
Advanced Energy, and
Space, Aerospace, and Defense.

These are fine industries, but as we have seen with Spaceport America, it isn’t easy to predict “the next big thing.”

The report’s critical findings start on page 63. Again, you can download it here. The section is entitled: FACTORS IMPACTING NEW MEXICO’S COMPETITIVENESS. While there are some positives, the negatives include things that RGF has worked on extensively:

Lagging Workforce Participation and Population Growth: At 57.7 percent, New Mexico’s labor force participation rate is in the bottom 10 among all states. Compounding this, its
population has grown by only 0.5 percent since 2020, far behind the national rate of 2.6 percent, limiting the available talent pool.

Deficient K-12 Educational Outcomes: U.S. News & World Report ranked New Mexico last among all states for PreK-12 education. This is driven by low college readiness, poor math
and reading scores, and a high school graduation rate of 78.05 percent—nearly nine percentage points below the U.S. average.

High Crime Rates: Public safety remains a major concern. The state had the second highest rate of violent crime and the highest rate of property crime in the nation,
impacting both quality of life and the ability to attract talent.

Challenging Business and Regulatory Climate: The state ranks 44th overall in CNBC’s “Top States for Business,” with a particularly low rank for Access to Capital (46th).
Stakeholders consistently cite uncertain regulatory processes and a sales tax structure that resembles a gross receipts tax as significant impediments.

Infrastructure Deficits: New Mexico ranks 42nd overall for infrastructure, according to U.S. News. Challenges include limited broadband access, worsening housing affordability,
and a road infrastructure system ranked 48th in the nation.

There’s a lot to the report. It is a worthwhile read for policymakers or anyone who cares about turning around our beautiful but troubled state.

The post New Mexico Chamber report provides solid ideas for improving NM’s economy appeared first on Errors of Enchantment.