0001| HOUSE BILL 1012 | 0002| 43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 1997 | 0003| INTRODUCED BY | 0004| BEN LUJAN | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| | 0009| | 0010| | 0011| AN ACT | 0012| RELATING TO TAXATION; AUTHORIZING IMPOSITION OF A COUNTY PUBLIC | 0013| SCHOOL GROSS RECEIPTS TAX TO PROVIDE COST-OF-LIVING SUPPLEMENTS | 0014| FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN AN AREA | 0015| IMPACTED BY A HIGH COST OF LIVING; PROVIDING FOR DISTRIBUTION | 0016| OF REVENUES; PROVIDING FOR A REFERENDUM. | 0017| | 0018| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO: | 0019| Section 1. A new section of the County Local Option Gross | 0020| Receipts Taxes Act is enacted to read: | 0021| "[NEW MATERIAL] COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL GROSS RECEIPTS | 0022| TAX--AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE RATE--DISTRIBUTION AND USE OF FUNDS-- | 0023| REFERENDUM.-- | 0024| A. Upon the request of a majority of the members of | 0025| the school board of an impacted school district in which a | 0001| majority of the students reside in the county, the majority of | 0002| the members of the governing body of the county shall enact an | 0003| ordinance imposing an excise tax at a rate not to exceed one- | 0004| eighth of one percent of the gross receipts of any person | 0005| engaging in business in the county for the privilege of | 0006| engaging in business in the county. | 0007| B. This tax may be referred to as the "county | 0008| public school gross receipts tax". | 0009| C. The tax authorized in Subsection A of this | 0010| section shall be imposed at a rate of: | 0011| (1) one-eighth of one percent of the gross | 0012| receipts of any person engaging in business in the county if | 0013| the impacted school district requesting imposition of the tax | 0014| is located in a municipality that exceeds the cost-of-living | 0015| index by twenty percent or more; provided, upon notification by | 0016| the district that the rate must be reduced to one-sixteenth of | 0017| one percent to comply with the requirements in Subsections E | 0018| through G of this section, the county shall enact an ordinance | 0019| imposing the tax at a rate of one-sixteenth of one percent of | 0020| the gross receipts of any person engaging in business in the | 0021| county; or | 0022| (2) one-sixteenth of one percent of the gross | 0023| receipts of any person engaging in business in the county if | 0024| the impacted school district requesting imposition of the tax | 0025| is located in a municipality that exceeds the cost-of-living | 0001| index by less than twenty percent. | 0002| D. A county, at the time of enacting an ordinance | 0003| imposing a county public school gross receipts tax, shall | 0004| dedicate the entire amount of revenue produced by the tax for | 0005| distribution to a specific impacted school district in the | 0006| county to be used solely to provide cost-of-living supplements | 0007| to all employees of the district. The county shall distribute | 0008| the net receipts from the tax monthly to the impacted school | 0009| district for whom the revenue is dedicated. | 0010| E. No impacted school district may receive from the | 0011| county public school gross receipts tax net receipts that for | 0012| any fiscal year exceed ten percent of the amount distributed to | 0013| the district through the state equalization guarantee | 0014| distribution for that fiscal year. The district, upon a | 0015| finding that it anticipates such an excess amount and subject | 0016| to the approval of the local school board and the state | 0017| department of public education, shall notify the board of | 0018| county commissioners to reduce the rate, if the rate of the | 0019| county public school gross receipts tax can be reduced. If | 0020| not, the district shall reduce the amount budgeted for cost-of- | 0021| living supplements to an amount that does not exceed ten | 0022| percent of the amount distributed to the district through the | 0023| state equalization guarantee distribution for that fiscal year | 0024| and shall provide for distribution of the excess amount to a | 0025| special school district capital fund established by the | 0001| district to fund capital and technology needs of the district. | 0002| F. If an impacted school district receiving county | 0003| public school gross receipts tax revenues ceases to meet the | 0004| qualifications for an impacted school district, the district | 0005| shall phase out the employee cost-of-living supplements over a | 0006| three-year period. To phase out funding, the district shall | 0007| continue for one fiscal year to budget one hundred percent of | 0008| the receipts for cost-of-living supplements and then shall | 0009| reduce the budget for those supplements to two-thirds of the | 0010| full amount for the second fiscal year and one-third of the | 0011| full amount for the third year. Any revenues distributed from | 0012| the county public school gross receipts tax in excess of the | 0013| budgeted amounts shall be deposited in the special school | 0014| district capital fund for expenditure for district capital and | 0015| technology needs. | 0016| G. Upon a finding that the school district ceases | 0017| to qualify as an impacted school district, the district shall | 0018| notify the board of county commissioners of that fact ninety | 0019| days prior to the next succeeding July 1. The board of county | 0020| commissioners shall enact an ordinance reducing the tax for any | 0021| succeeding fiscal year, if necessary and possible pursuant to | 0022| this section, and shall repeal the tax on the July 1 four years | 0023| following the notification. | 0024| H. A school district receiving county public school | 0025| gross receipts tax revenues shall determine prior to the | 0001| beginning of the school year, based on estimated revenues, the | 0002| amount of the periodic cost-of-living supplement that can be | 0003| paid to each employee for the school year. The supplement | 0004| shall be distributed to employees in nine or twelve equal | 0005| payments a year, as determined by each school district, | 0006| provided that the final installment each year may be adjusted | 0007| as necessary to meet available revenue. Amounts distributed | 0008| shall be supplemental to and not a part of the employees' | 0009| salaries. | 0010| I. An ordinance enacting the county public school | 0011| gross receipts tax pursuant to Subsection A of this section | 0012| shall go into effect on July 1 or January 1 in accordance with | 0013| the provisions of the County Local Option Gross Receipts Taxes | 0014| Act, but an election may be called in the county on the | 0015| question of approving or disapproving that ordinance as | 0016| follows: | 0017| (1) an election shall be called when: | 0018| (a) in a county having a referendum | 0019| provision in its charter, a petition requesting such an | 0020| election is filed pursuant to the requirements of that | 0021| provision in the charter and signed by the number of registered | 0022| voters in the county equal to the number of registered voters | 0023| required in its charter to seek a referendum; and | 0024| (b) in all other counties, a petition | 0025| requesting such an election is filed with the county clerk | 0001| within thirty days of enactment of the ordinance by the | 0002| governing body and the petition has been signed by a number of | 0003| registered voters in the county equal to at least five percent | 0004| of the number of voters in the county who were registered to | 0005| vote in the most recent general election; | 0006| (2) the signatures on the petition requesting | 0007| an election shall be verified by the county clerk. If the | 0008| petition is verified by the county clerk as containing the | 0009| required number of signatures of registered voters, the | 0010| governing body shall adopt a resolution calling an election on | 0011| the question of approving or disapproving the ordinance. The | 0012| election shall be held within sixty days after the date the | 0013| petition is verified by the county clerk, or it may be held in | 0014| conjunction with a general election if that election occurs | 0015| within sixty days after the date of the verification. The | 0016| election shall be called, held, conducted and canvassed in | 0017| substantially the same manner as provided by law for general | 0018| elections; and | 0019| (3) if a majority of the registered voters | 0020| voting on the question approves the ordinance imposing the | 0021| county public school gross receipts tax, the ordinance shall go | 0022| into effect on July 1 or January 1 in accordance with the | 0023| provisions of the County Local Option Gross Receipts Taxes Act. | 0024| If at such an election a majority of the registered voting on | 0025| the question disapproves the ordinance, the ordinance imposing | 0001| the county public school gross receipts tax shall be deemed | 0002| repealed and the question of imposing the tax shall not be | 0003| considered again by the governing body for a period of one year | 0004| from the date of the election. | 0005| J. As used in this section: | 0006| (1) "cost-of-living index" means the American | 0007| chamber of commerce researchers association national median | 0008| composite cost-of-living index; and | 0009| (2) "impacted school district" means a school | 0010| district that is located in a municipality that is deemed to be | 0011| a high cost-of-living area if: | 0012| (a) the municipality's cost of living | 0013| equals or exceeds the cost-of-living index by ten percent or | 0014| more; or | 0015| (b) the municipality is designated by | 0016| the federal internal revenue service as a high-cost area that | 0017| qualifies for a per diem travel allowance greater than the | 0018| standard allowance pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code." | 0019|  |