From left are PNM grant recipients, with two PNM representatives, Fred Williams of the Sherman Family Charitable Foundation for their work on John Wayne Park in Deming; Dave Chandler of the Fort Bayard Restoration and Development Coalition for their Fort Bayard Signage project; Bruce Ashburn, PNM; Hillary Pierce, Silver City Museum Society for their Big Ditch Simulation Project; Amy Miller, PNM; Christy Ortiz, Spirit of Hidalgo for their Lordsburg Project; Deb Frasca and Evageline Zamora of LifeQuest for their greenspace project to be used for public/private meetings.
Photo and Article by Mary Alice Murphy
Bruce Ashburn of the Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce Board moderated the monthly luncheon in the Sunset Room in the Thomas McDonald Student Memorial Building at Western New Mexico University.
Amy Miller, who works in the PNM office in Albuquerque, said she travels to communities throughout the state and loved coming to Silver City.
"My appreciation to the chamber, which is great partners with PNM," Miller said. "What I love best about my job is working with communities. We do a lot of great things for the communities we serve, including grants, providing renewable energy, and helping residents save on their electricity bills.
"Today we will hand out some money," Miller said. "PNM gives about $3 million into communities in two different ways—corporate giving to non-profits in environmental projects, in economic vitality development and in education. We've also been giving funds out of the PNM Foundation for more than 30 years. On Aug. 17, our Reduce Your Use grant applications open for 501c3s to reduce their power usage. The grants are for up to $500. Our second area of giving is our Power Up grants and the third area is the support our employees give serving as volunteers."
She handed out a flyer with information on the various investments PNM makes in communities. On the back of the flyer was an update on the PNM Plan for the San Juan Generating Station, information about which can be accessed at powerforprogress.com. Miller said the proposal before the Public Regulation Commission closes two of the station's coal-fired plants and replaces them with a combination of nuclear, natural gas and solar energy. The proposal goes to public hearing on Sept. 30.
Miller explained the Power Up grants are through the PNM Resources Foundation, with $500,000 available. "We had 80 applications, with the total requests for $1.5 million, so it was very competitive. Most recipients receive $9,000 to $20,000."
Ashburn said, before he announced the five organizations that would be receiving grants, he wanted to throw out several numbers.
"First, 31 is the number of years the PNM Foundation has been going on," Ashburn said. "Second, more than $12 million is how much the foundation has invested in New Mexico since its inception. The money is not part of your bill. It comes through the shareholders and our partners. Third is 500,000, which is how many customers we serve. Without you, none of this is possible. Fourth is one—that's how many people it takes to make the effort to sit down and apply for a grant."
The first recipient was LifeQuest, which will transform a dusty, unused site into an outdoor space with a photographic art installation, mini library, native landscaping, benches and shade structures, using its $19,690.
Spirit of Hidalgo received $20,000 to continue to transform a vacant lot next to City Hall in Lordsburg into a green space that can be used for private or public events.
The Silver City Museum Society Corporation will use its $20,000 grant to create an exhibit in the courtyard simulating how the Big Ditch was carved by floodwaters beginning in 1895.
The Fort Bayard Restoration and Development Coalition received a grant of $9,058 to build and install two lighted gateway stations to identify Santa Clara as the gateway to Fort Bayard.
The Sherman Family Charitable foundation will use its $20,000 to put shade trees, places to walk and sit, as well as a covered area in "Rabbit" Park in Deming.
The second speaker for the luncheon was Grant County Assessor Raul Turrieta talking about the Downtown Silver City Metropolitan Redevelopment Area, for which the City Council approved a TIF (tax increment financing) District.
Downtown has 665 buildings within the area. Turrieta said the full value, not the taxable value, has been set at $50 million for 2015. "The tax on value added above that amount in 2016 will be set aside for the TIF. For instance, an investor can come in and work on a downtown building. The old value will stay at the 2015 level, and tax on anything added in value will be set aside for the district. The tax rate will not increase as a result of the rise in value."
The TIF is predicated on the presumption that over the life of the TIF, in this case 20 years, property tax receipts will rise because value has risen. Any money collected on value above the 2015 valuation will be set aside, primarily for infrastructure improvements in the case of Silver City because its sidewalks, sewer and water pipes within the district are generally more than 100 years old.
Turrieta said, when it is time to spend the money, the town will likely create a committee to make the decision.
Kim Clark, Association Executive and Government Affairs Director of
Silver City Regional Association of REALTORS®, Inc., asked about what happens to the money and what the timeframe is.
Turrieta said the extra taxes would be set aside. "It will take quite a few years to build the fund, so improvements can be made. The TIF starts now, with the valuations and tax rates for 2016, which will come out in September."
Chamber president Scott Terry said many places use TIFS, but most are based on sales tax rather than property tax.
Turrieta said he also wanted to "throw out some numbers." He said the 2014 PILT (payment in lieu of taxes) to Grant County was $2,061,555. For 2015, it's $1,915,491. "We are looking at $4.7 million taxable valuation of residences and $155 million taxable valuation of commercial properties. Using the copper production act for 2015, copper production is valued at $827,587,931 and was $798,022,471 in 2014. "
He said the average house in Silver City sold for $130,000; in the other municipalities of Santa Clara, Bayard and Hurley, the average cost was $140,000 and within the county, outside of the, municipalities the average cost was $195,000.
Scott asked if the TIF money was bondable.
Silver City Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem Cynthia Bettison said she couldn't answer that, but knew the money was available for grant matches.
Turrieta noted that the county has room to increase the tax mill rate. He said the tax rate in the municipalities other than Silver City is 3 mills more than in Silver City.
Linda Patterson, a property owner within the redevelopment area, asked about the rules in New Mexico on an RDA. "It's usually for blighted areas."
Bettison agreed the word blighted is "awful," but the town deemed the area blighted because the infrastructure is more than a century old.
"So primarily, you will be upgrading the infrastructure," Patterson said.
"We will also be able to get Community Development Block Grants with this designation," Bettison said. "That's a whole new pool of money we can incorporate. We always need matching money. That's the TIF money."
Gwyn Jones, reporting for the Silver City Daily Press, asked what would happen after 20 years. Bettison said the TIF would be re-evaluated to determine if it should or could be extended.
Several at the luncheon requested to make comments or announcements. WNMU President Joseph Shepard said with rebates from PNM, the university has replaced all its outdoor lights with LED lighting, which costs less in electricity usage and is dark-sky compliant.
He announced Aug. 21 would feature a free outdoor concert by Robert Michaels and several bands, as well as an open house for the pool and fitness center.
"The pool and fitness center will open to the staff, faculty, students and the public on Sept. 8," Shepard said. "For members of the public, the cost will be $50 a head a month for usage from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m."
He also commented on the construction in front of Light Hall. "We are redesigning it into terraced gardens with trees. We will be planting about 200 trees through the end of the year. Don't forget the Bash off Broadway on Aug. 15. The street party will be held on Bullard Street, instead of on Broadway, because of the bridge construction." Julie Morales, executive assistant to the president, said Shepard would be giving a state of the university address at 5:30 p.m.
Jim Zawacki, VFW post commander, said the VFW is becoming a member of the chamber. He announced the Patriots' Day event in Gough Park to be held for the eighth time to commemorate 9/11 from noon to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11. "We also will have music for veterans on this Friday and Saturday evening at the VFW Hall."
Ashburn said, because "we are in an era where funding to make an area better is difficult, I thank the Town Council for thinking outside the box."
Bettison told the Beat after the meeting that the TIF is a great tool for the town to receive money without raising taxes. "It was carefully investigated. It allows for public/private partnerships."