The villagers are angry
The group that's supposed to figure out the compensation package for Santa Fe's next mayor got an earful last night. The Independent Salary Commission, which alone will determine how much to pay the next mayor, held its first public hearing. The commission proposed pay in the range of $145,000 to $175,000. Toss in benefits and that rises to more $200,000 a year. When voters approved the plan, the salary on the ballot was $74,000.
A place to call home
Finding an affordable one in Santa Fe can be a challenge. A plan to build a 355-unit apartment complex near the El Camino Real Academy and Highway 599 would ease the crunch. But the 20-acre site would change the nature of the neighborhood, which happens to be
the Traditional Historic Community of the Village of Agua Fria. There's a meeting tonight to chat about how to—or whether to—move forward with the project.
It ain't pretty, but ...
The new Santa Fe Public Schools budget has plenty of money for teachers who would hopefully correct atrocious grammar. The school board passed a spending plan for next year that
from various programs, including about a dozen jobs. It's not clear where the grammar grinch jobs will come from, but the district thinks eliminating vacant positions will account for at least a few. The budget is due to the state on May 30. The special session that will finalize state funding to the district is on May 24.
Planned Parenthood to close three NM clinics
The Santa Fe location of the sexual health care provider will stay open, but clinics in Farmington and Rio Rancho will close. One of Albuquerque's three clinics will also close. The
and that it plans to provide more services at remaining clinics in New Mexico and just across the border in Durango, Colorado.
Changing the rules for, uh, Rules
Albuquerque state Senator Mark Moores floated a legislative plan yesterday that might clear a logjam of gubernatorial
appointees awaiting Senate confirmation
. Two men named to the UNM Board of Regents weren't confirmed last session, raising the governor's ire as she vetoed the entire higher education budget and demanded a special session. Moores' bill would put appointees in front of the Senate Rules Committee, as happens now, but would set a timeline for a vote and send the nominees to a committee that has some expertise on their position if Rules didn't act. The Senate president pro tem, a Democrat, says there's no need to make a change.
Figuring out how to save
Just a couple years ago, New Mexico had $712 million in cash reserves set aside for cost overruns and emergency spending. The state was able to borrow money for big-ticket construction projects at a lower cost and ratings agencies—which, as we've learned, are far from infallible—were confident in the state's finances. That's no longer the case. Lawmakers and state agencies are
a better way to save without raising taxes or cutting programs or jobs.
SpaceX
The satellite shuttle service launched
into orbit this week. It was so huge that there was no fuel left to attempt to land the Falcon 9 rocket back on Earth, as SpaceX is fond of doing. The company, founded by Elon Musk of Tesla and PayPal fame, plans to use the New Mexico spaceport at some point.
It's gonna get chilly
Those amazing evenings we've had lately might require a more stout jacket, as temperatures are going to drop a little heading into the weekend. Tomorrow and Saturday mornings, they'll get
in much of New Mexico. There's also a better
chance of rain in the northwest
part of the state today. Such a good day to grab an extra cup of coffee.
Thanks for reading! The Word assumes you get your national news elsewhere, but if you'd like to hear about a non-New Mexico story or two each morning, give us a shout.
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