The latest town meeting and GRT information

The agenda and packet for P&Z's September 22, 2015 meeting is available for viewing/downloading at the town website, with a copy available on Drive. 

The audio of the September 16, 2015 Town Council meeting is also available at the town website; I have stored a copy offline for future reference, if needed. 

The Gross Receipts Tax distribution information for September, 2015 was published yesterday, and can be viewed/downloaded from the Local Government Reports page of the New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Department. A summary is printed below; for full details see the spreadsheet at NMT&R.

Total Food Deductions:	$2,830,421.35
Total Medical Deductions:	$330,778.60
	Total
Gross GRT Distribution:	$ 293,372.52
Food Distributions:	$77,130.16
Medical Distributions:	$9,013.86
Municipal Equivalent Distribution:	$1,595.85
Municipal Eq Contracts:	0.00
Total Administrative Fees:	($6,294.98)
Total Contracts:	($21,999.10)
Total Paybacks:	0.00
Total Distributed:	$352,818.31

Gross Receipts Distribution for August 2015

For the full report visit the Monthly Local Government Distribution Reports page at the NM Taxation & Revenue website.   

Total Food Deductions:	2,704,529.75
Total Medical Deductions:	878,182.90
Gross GRT Distribution:	254,816.05
Food Distributions:	73,698.44
Medical Distributions:	23,930.49
Municipal Equivalent Distribution:	1,395.96
Municipal Eq Contracts:	0.00
Total Administrative Fees:	(6,207.96)
Total Contracts:	(21,999.10)
Total Paybacks:	0.00
Total Distributed:	325,633.88

GRT distributions for July 2015

The following summary comes from the New Mexico Department of Taxation & Revenue website and reflects business activity for the month of May 2015. For a more detailed breakdown of Edgewood's distributions, see the department's Monthly Local Government Distribution Reports page.

Gross GRT Distribution:	$281,252.78
Food Distributions:	$  76,728.29
Medical Distributions:	$    9,068.73
Municipal Equivalent Distribution:	$    1,545.99
Municipal Eq Contracts:	$           0.00
Total Administrative Fees:	($6,138.69)
Total Contracts:	($21,999.10)
Total Paybacks:	$           0.00
Total Distributed:	$340,458.00

GRT disbursements for June 2015

The report was not released in time for inclusion in the council packets, and it has not yet been posted at the town website.  However, the information is available through the New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Department. It's still not clear if these latest numbers indicate that the state is still playing catch-up or the town is seeing a new (higher) normal for GRT revenue.

Council packet for Wednesday's meeting:

The agenda (may or may not be the final version) and a partial packet are available in the agenda center. A draft waste water ordinance dated 03/19/2015 is provided in a separate file.  Copies are available in the council packet folder on Drive. The latest GRT report is not included, but the information on the latest distribution can be found at the NM Taxation & Revenue website on the Local Government Reports page. 

Preliminary council agenda for May 20, 2015

The preliminary agenda featuring three public hearings (Wastewater Ordinance, Zone Map Amendments, and Annexation Petition) has been published at the town website. A copy is also available on Drive. The latest GRT report should be provided in time for inclusion in the council packet. In the meantime, the Taxation & Revenue website shows a sizable increase in the total distributed for May 2015 which indicates that one or more major retailers may have been late during the previous reporting period. The food distributions made under the state's "hold harmless" legislation have been identified as being the most volatile in recent months.  

Total distributed for March 2015: $382,610.40 (Food Distribution: $170,845.18)
Total distributed for March 2014: $261,734.00 (Food Distribution: $72,331.40)

Total distributed for February 2015: $200,833.36 (Food Distribution: $38,725.93)
Total distributed for February 2014: $238,630.80 (Food Distribution: $68,046.44

GRT report dated 04/21/2015

The latest GRT report is now available for viewing/downloading at the town website, and I've placed a copy on Drive. 

Sidebar updates:

I've added a link to the New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Monthly Local Government Distribution Report page to the Outside Links list in the left sidebar.  I've also added the link with brief instructions to FAQ: Town Information in the right sidebar. 

April 2015 Gross Receipts Tax distribution report

The most recent report on the town's GRT distribution was not released in time for inclusion in the council packets for the April 15, 2015 meeting. This information is not routinely posted at the town website except when it's included in the packets.  However, the information is available at the New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Department website on the gross receipts tax page. The local government distribution page has information going back to September 2003, and contains five columns. The first four columns are the the ones I've found most useful:

Business Activity (sales)	Reporting and Collection Month	Distribution Month	Monthly Local Government Distribution Reports (RP-500)

Information from the local government distributions page is available for download in spreadsheet format.

The first column on the page (Business Activity-sales) shows the month in which the business activity took place.

The second column (Reporting and Collection Month) shows the month during which information and funds were submitted to and compiled by the Taxation & Revenue Department.

The third column (Distribution Month) indicates the month during which the report was published and funds disbursed to local governments.

The fourth column contains active links to spreadsheets containing reports on all NM local government entities for each month. Scroll down the page to find the report for the appropriate entity.  Edgewood's information appears near the beginning of the list.

$200, 833.36  Distributed April 2015

$241,204.40   Distributed March 2015

$278,346.22   Distributed February 2015 (Revenues for December sales)

$305,243.39   Distributed January 2015 (Possibly reflects late reporting plus November sales.)

$289,413.47   Distributed December 2014 (Late reporting plus October sales.)

$159,371,70   Distributed November 2014 (Major retailer was late with report.)

$270,420.29   Distributed October 2014

GRT report and budget adjustment:

The Gross Receipts Tax revenue report dated 03/17/2015 as well as budget adjustment resolution 2015-14 have been added to the Council packet folder for the meeting of 03/18/2015.

GRT summary of totals distributed* for the following dates:

03/15/2013:  $250,038.07
03/17/2014:  $228,766.03
02/16/2015:  $278,346.22
03/17/2015:  $241,204.40

*Please refer to the full report for additional information. 

Latest Gross Receipts Tax report:

The GRT report dated 02/17/2015 was not released in time for inclusion in the council packets posted at the town website. I received a copy from the town clerk this morning, and have placed it with the 02/18/2015 council agenda and packet on Drive.

If this report is accurate, the revenue trends are disturbing when factoring in the level of debt incurred by the town during the past year. The overall totals are down compared to one and two years ago as are food distributions (hold harmless).  Retail trade numbers are essentially flat.

Totals Distributed from all sources:
02/15/2013   $375,234.89
02/17/2014   $339,559.91
02/16/2015   $278,346.22

Construction Total:
02/15/2013   $49,498,81
02/17/2014   $  6,488.62
02/16/2015   $19,872,33

Total Municipal GRT: 
02/15/2013   $174,739.71
02/17/2014   $158,544.73
02/16/2015   $119,547.29

Food Distributions:
02/15/2013   $110,041.59
02/17/2014   $109,933.31
02/16/2015   $  48,838.72

Retail Trade Total: 
02/15/2013   $162,322.29
02/17/2014   $161,538.95
02/16/2015   $163,149.65

Latest GRT report

I received the Gross Receipts Tax report from the Town Clerk late last week.  It appears that the anomaly from the previous report has not yet been reconciled and may have been repeated.  If the lower than expected amounts for September and October are, indeed, due to late filings by one or more of the town's major retailers then the numbers will eventually catch up and result in a larger than usual total. 

FAQ sidebar added:

I've added another text box to the upper right side of the Portal in an attempt to answer recent questions from people interested in learning more about the town's finances:

The Town of Edgewood currently posts financial information such as bills paid and monthly Gross Receipts Tax revenues as part of the council packets on its Agendas and Minutes page. When available, I place copies on Drive in the Council Packet folder. Financial information is usually published just before the second regular town council meeting of each month and is found near the end of the document containing packet information. The budget adopted for FY 2014-2015 has not been posted at the Town website, but the FY 2013-2014 budget is available.

Links to Council Packet information:

The packet is now available for viewing/downloading at the ToE website, with the Gross Receipts Tax report provided in a separate document.  Copies of both documents are available on Drive. 

GRT report for September & link to archived council packet information:

The Gross Receipts Tax report for September 2014 is now available.  A copy of the council packet for 10/15/2014 has also been archived on Drive in the Council Packets folder. 

Final council agenda and packet information for 10/15/2014

The final agenda and packet information can be viewed and downloaded from the ToE website's agenda center.  The information will be archived on Drive when the latest GRT information is available on or shortly after October 15, 2014.

The packet for next Wednesday's meeting consists of 80 pages: 
Page 1: Final Agenda
Page 3: Draft Council Minutes for Oct. 1, 2014
Page 8: Draft Commission Minutes for Oct. 7, 2014
Page 11: Librarian Report for September 2014
Page 17: Draft Parks & Recreation Minutes for Sept. 8, 2014
Page 19: Draft Animal Welfare Advisory Committee for Oct. 7, 2014
Page 20: Edgewood Police Department report for September 2014
Page 40: Animal Control Department report for September 2014
Page 41: Presentation of Parks & Recreation recommendations at the Oct. 15, 2014 council meeting.
Page 42: Draft ToE Ordinance 2014-05 (Establishing a Planning Commission)
Page 45: Amendment to agreement BL1580 between the Commissioner of Public Lands and the Town of Edgewood
Page 48: Building permit information for 2014
Page 51: Lease agreement for 94 NM 344 North
Page 58: ToE Ordinance 2014-09 GRT Bond to build additional municipal buildings on Section 16 (Will constitute a lien on pledged future revenues)
Page 75: Report to council on bills paid for the month of September 2014

Latest Gross Receipts Tax information:

I've placed a copy of the report in the Council Packets folder on Drive. 

Council meeting of September 3, 2014

"If you're not seated at the table you're liable to find yourself on the menu!"

Please note that there will be two principal agenda items for this meeting, and that it will begin at 6:00 pm instead of the usual 6:30 pm. This is being done in order to facilitate the start-up of building a town hall on Section 16.  The two items which will be dealt with are:

• Exploration of funding alternatives for a town hall and; 
• A second attempt an regularizing town boundaries through an infill annexation.  Town residents living in the areas targeted for annexation should be aware that this is not considered a voluntary annexation; rather it is a exercise of the town's police powers for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of citizens. 

What area residents might want to consider with regard to the first item of funding a town hall is that the town council has the power to impose a small amount of property tax which could be used to help pay for the proposed facility without seeking voter approval.  Also, any funding alternative will certainly include borrowing against future GRT revenues for the project.  That, in turn, would mean less money spent elsewhere if the town's GRT income continues to stagnate.

While the mayor has indicated in the past that he objects to citing health safety and welfare by the town when placing conditions on such things as road design standards, it appears that he and the council have no qualms about exercising that power to annex land without the consent of property owners. Any property owners who are annexed in this manner will be assessed property taxes pursuant to the recently approved General Obligation Bonds for building an animal shelter and for the paving of Rainbow, Horton, and Walker roads.  In addition, when the land is annexed, the property owners who are affected need to be aware that their land will have a zone category assigned at some point.  The town has a variety of different residential and commercial zone categories and the differences among them can be significant. 

The town's first attempt at an infill annexation was rejected by former Governor Bill Richardson's Boundary Commission, and that decision was upheld by a panel of New Mexico's Supreme Court.  I expect the proposed infill will be changed somewhat from the first attempt in order to address issues cited in the court's decision, and that it will also include more land. 

The last time the possibility of annexing South Mountain Elementary was raised before the council, the indication at that time was that there are no plans to do so.  However, if the land were to be annexed, Edgewood would then have an elementary school located inside town limits.  And, doing so makes sense in another way because the school is very close to the geographic center of the town.   

Addition to the council packet for Wednesday's meeting:

The GRT report dated June 17, 2014 is now available. 

SB 175

SB 175 has passed the Senate on a vote of 33-4. It's current location: House Taxation & Revenue Committee. I'm following this legislation because it has the potential for helping the town attract a private sector "anchor" for the Master Plan on Section 16. 

Notes on the bill's progress through the system:
[2] SCC/SCORC/SFC-SCC [4]germane-SCORC [10] DP-SFC [11] DP/a [15] PASSED/S (33-4) [13] HTRC/HAFC-HTRC

Key to the abbreviations shown above. NB: the numbers in brackets refer to legislative days, not calendar days.