The Valencia County commissioners approved general obligation bond questions totaling $9 million for the November ballot that will pay for public safety equipment and facilities, road improvements, community center upgrades and parks and recreation.

The initial resolution to put the questions on the ballot contained three questions — $1 million for public safety for the sheriff’s office and fire department facilities, $4 million for road improvements and $4 million for community and recreational facilities.

At the July 22 meeting, Kathleen McKinney, with the Modrall Sperling law firm in Albuquerque, told the commissioners the last GO bond put out to voters in 2022 had four questions because the community and recreational facilities question was broken down into two questions — one for community centers and a second for parks and recreation.

“This year, the thought was to combine the two to allow more flexibility of those funds,” McKinney said.

Commissioner Joseph Bizzell said he had a problem with the question about recreational facilities including “swimming pools. I don’t want to mislead people and have them think they’re voting for a swimming pool and we don’t get one. I don’t want to misrepresent what they’re getting.”

The language in the bond question is broad and allows for various recreational facilities “including swimming pools.”

McKinney said the commission could remove that language from the question.

Valencia County Manager Jhonathan Aragon asked the attorney if there was a better chance of the bonds passing if there were three versus four questions.

“We have previously broken them down into four questions. One for parks and so on and the other for county-owned community centers and buildings,” Aragon said. “Inclusion of everything in $4 million would also bring in the (Valencia County) fair grounds. I don’t know if it’s better to have a larger amount in one question or break it up.”

McKinney said that was “really a question that was difficult to answer because it depends on what the voters may or may not support. What are their interests? If you feel by including community centers and a splash pad, for instance, they may not vote for it, but if you have two questions, you might have some vote for the splash pad question and not for the other.”

The lawyer continued, saying she didn’t have a recommendation necessarily but “just wanted to provide alternates if the desire was to have three instead of four questions. Four would be consistent with the previous election.”

Looking at previous GO bond questions, Aragon said some have been successful and some unsuccessful.

“It might be best to have separate questions. Maybe some (voters) favor parks and rec, and some favor building maintenance,” the manager said. “If we’re in fear of losing them entirely, I think it would suit us well to keep them separated out.”

Commissioner Troy Richardson pointed out that all four bond questions put to the public in 2022 passed.

Four years ago, the four bond questions on the ballot were $1 million for sheriff and fire department facilities, $4 million for county roads, $1.5 million for parks and recreation facilities and $1.5 million for community and senior centers, for a total of $8 million.

If the new GO bonds are passed this year, the mil rate of .87 mils will remain the same for county property taxpayers.

Richardson made a motion to approve the GO bonds be put on the November ballot as four questions, splitting the $4 into two $2 million questions for community centers and county facilities and parks and recreation, and striking the phrase “swimming pool” from the recreation question.

The commission approved the motion 4-0. Commissioner Gerard Saiz was not at the meeting.

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Voters to decide on GO bond in November