General Obligation bonds appear on New Mexico ballots every two years, according to the University of New Mexico, and there are no tax increases associated with them. GO bonds are public debts that are paid through statewide property taxes, according to Ballotpedia.
The Public Libraries Bond Issue on the New Mexico ballot would issue $19 million in bonds to fund public libraries if it passes.
Bond question two would provide respective departments $6 million for non-tribal public libraries, $1 million for tribal libraries, $6 million for academic libraries and $6 million for public school libraries, according to House Bill 308.
Rep. Derrick Lente (D) sponsored the bill in the New Mexico House of Representatives.
Libraries are essential to communities, Lente said. Not only are they a gathering place, he said, but they are also a means through which people can access Wi-Fi for school and business purposes.
“They’re the hub for all of our communities. I mean, if you’re lucky enough to live close to a public library, you should feel very fortunate,” Lente said. “We want to expand that to make sure that everybody — no matter if you’re in rural New Mexico or in Downtown Albuquerque — should have access to a public library.”
Mark Emmons, an associate dean at the University of New Mexico College of University Libraries & Learning Sciences, has been a librarian for over 30 years. He said he has seen firsthand the impact public library funding can have.
“We could not fund all the collections that we fund without the general obligation fund,” Emmons said.
The money is first used to cover access for all libraries in a given category, according to Emmons. Then, the money is portioned out based on the size of an institution, he said.
UNM Libraries would spend its portion of the money on additional collections, making sure the University has “a collection that is robust enough for a research institution like ours,” Emmons said.
Lente does not foresee any problems in passing the bond, he said.
“I think at this point in time, people appreciate public libraries for what they are … especially when you’re going to pass a bond, it’s not going to raise your taxes,” Lente said. “It’s something that we will make sure we are funding appropriately through our own state coffers.”
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Lente said he hopes that the bond will, first and foremost, support library access.
The goal for the money is to ensure that “people have public libraries at their fingertips, or in some cases, their doorsteps,” he said.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
Elijah Ritch is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo