While most people will be focusing their attention today on the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania, the space industry, in particular the entrepreneurial NewSpace sector, will instead be paying attention a special election today in Sierra County, New Mexico. At stake: a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax in the county, with the proceeds going towards the development of Spaceport America, the commercial spaceport planned for southern New Mexico that will be used by Virgin Galactic, among others.
The tax itself will contribute only a tiny fraction of the project’s $198-million cost: about $2.3 million. Yet the election is considered key to the spaceport’s development. A similar tax was narrowly approved a year ago in neighboring, more populous Doña Ana County, which includes the city of Las Cruces. However, because of a provision of state law, the money that the tax would have collected there could not be spent until a spaceport “tax district” is created, and that can’t be done until another county or locality approves the tax. That puts pressure on Sierra County to approve the tax, or else the spaceport will face a funding shortfall of over $50 million. (Officials in a third county, Otero, have stated that they plan their own tax referendum later this year—but only if the tax passes in Sierra County.) “At this point there is not a back-up plan” if the tax fails in Sierra, Steve Landeene, executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, told the Las Cruces Sun News.
It’s not surprising, then, that spaceport advocates have been putting on a full-court press in the last couple of weeks. Spaceport officials have announced a number of agreements with potential spaceport users, from sounding rocket developer UP Aerospace to aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. New Mexico’s lieutenant governor, Diane Denish, also stumped for the tax in the county last week. The biggest incentive, though, might come from Virgin Galactic, which is offering to take one local resident to space for free each year once they begin operations at the spaceport.
Far and away the largest city in Sierra County is Truth or Consequences. For spaceport advocates, that’s a pretty apt description of what this election represents for them.
[…] Today in Sierra County, New Mexico residents will vote on a one-quarter cent raise in sales tax that would help fund Spaceport America. If the county votes for the tax, then a tax district will be created. The district would also include Doña Ana County, which approved a similar sales tax increase last year. The creation of the tax district is a requirement under state law for the funds collected to be spent. A full report and analysis can be found at Space Politics. […]
So I wanted to put up a map of voting location on actionforspace.com and the lady at the county clerks office of Truth or Consequences told me that they didn’t have that information published and that people would have to look at their voter registration cards. Bummer. I hope that the people voting for the tax know where there polling stations are…
FWIW – at 7:37 local time, Heath Haussamen is saying he expects it to pass
http://haussamen.blogspot.com/2008/04/sierra-county-appears-poised-to-ok.html
Las Cruces Sun News now saying that it’s passed
http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_9019067