2024 GO Bond 3
$50.5 million for campuses across the New Mexico State University system.
General Obligation Bond 3 for Higher Education
NMSU Project Summaries
Agricultural Experiment Station Maintenance, Repairs & Upgrades: NMSU’s Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) is the principal research unit of the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. The AES system supports fundamental and applied science and technology research to benefit New Mexico’s citizens in the economic, social, and cultural aspects of agriculture, natural resource management, and family issues. The AES system consists of scientists who work on NMSU’s main campus and at Agricultural Science Centers around the state:- Sustainable Agricultural Science Center, Alcalde
- Artesia Agricultural Science Center
- Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center, Las Cruces
- Clayton Livestock Research Center
- Clovis Agricultural Science Center
- Corona Range and Livestock Research Center
- Agricultural Science Center at Farmington
- Fabian Garcia Research Center, Las Cruces
- Leyendecker Plant Science Center, Las Cruces
- Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas
- John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center, Mora
- Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center, Tucumcari
The Sustainable Ag Science Center at Alcalde is located in north-central New Mexico to serve as a resource for small-scale producers. Most farms in the area are under 100 acres. Research programs focus on native and high value crops for sustainable, climate-smart agriculture, including jujube cultivars, saffron, cover cropping in winter and spring, and acequia irrigation.
The John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center at Mora is the only research center in the southwest U.S. focusing on forest nursery technologies, tree improvement, and ecophysiology of young forest trees to facilitate ecological restoration.
Steam Tunnel & Electrical Infrastructure Upgrades: This project at the Las Cruces campus will replace aging deficient steam distribution infrastructure, improve the utility reliability, increase energy efficiency, and reduce operations and maintenance costs campuswide. It will also improve the indoor air quality at our facilities, increasing student, faculty and staff comfort and protecting our research endeavors. With this funding, we’ll also be able to replace end-of-life electrical infrastructure needed to improve reliability, resiliency and safety, and replace substations, coordination relays, transformers, switchgear, cables, overhead to underground conversions, and vaults to better support renewable technology implementations. ($20 million) Las Cruces Campus Facility Construction: This funding will support the planning, design, construction, furnishing, and equipping of a new facility to support specialized instructional needs at the Las Cruces campus. ($10 million)
Other NMSU System Projects
- Improvements and upgrades to the loop road and emergency evacuation routes at the Gadsden Center at Doña Ana Community College in Doña Ana County: $1.575 million
- Construction and renovation of facilities and infrastructure at NMSU-Alamogordo in Otero County: $1 million
- Improvements for Martinez Hall at NMSU-Grants campus in Cibola County: $3 million
Other Noteworthy Higher Ed Projects
- University of New Mexico: College of Pharmacy facility ($35 million); Humanities and Social Sciences facility ($52 million); other projects ($7.5 million)
- Clovis Community College: $2 million
- Southeast New Mexico College: $5 million
- Navajo Technical University: $1 million
- Northern New Mexico College: $5 million
- Diné College: $1 million
- San Juan College: $3.25 million
How will GO Bond 3 help shape New Mexico’s future?
Passage of the GO Bond is a continued investment in the facilities we already have.
The taxpayers of New Mexico have shown over and over that they believe in the value of higher education and support the construction of buildings and facilities to fulfill our teaching, research and outreach missions. We must continue to invest in maintaining those facilities to ensure they last and continue to provide a safe, modern environment for impactful research activities.
Passage of the GO Bond will help NMSU better serve its land-grant mission.
Our agricultural research centers across the state sustain and support New Mexico’s diverse environment, farms, ranches, forests, and rural and urban communities. The Agricultural Experiment Station is a key component of the land-grant mission that guides NMSU. In 2023, the AES brought in nearly $22 million in grants and contracts, along with $3.9 million in federal appropriations. Each center serves as an outdoor research facility and is representative of New Mexico’s varied geographical and environmental conditions. These facilities need significant repairs and maintenance to continue operating safely and effectively.
Passage of the GO Bond will improve the learning environment for our students.
The infrastructure upgrades planned for NMSU’s Las Cruces campus will make all our campus facilities more comfortable, improve the air quality, and increase the reliability of our utilities, ensuring that valuable research lab equipment and projects are protected. Providing a safe, comfortable, state-of-the-art learning environment for our students is our top priority for our facilities, and this investment will move us toward a more energy efficient future at NMSU.
GO Bond 3 Statewide:
Invest in Higher Education
Learn more about impactful higher education projects across New Mexico that will be supported by GO Bond 3 at InvestInBond3.com.
ZERO
Increase in tax rate associated with the approval of GO Bond 3
$230 MILLION
Funds available for colleges and universities all across the state
$50.5 MILLION
For the NMSU system, including our Agricultural Experiment Station science centers statewide
Dates to Remember
October 8 – Last day to register to vote (however, same-day registration is now available)
October 8 – Absentee ballots begin to be mailed
October 8 – Early in-person voting at the Doña Ana County Government Center only
October 19 – Early in-person voting available at Alternate Early Voting Centers. Visit www.dacelections.com for a list of locations
November 5 – Election Day
AES Priority Maintenance Projects
* Top priority for this location | All figures are estimates only
Agricultural Science Center Housing Installation, Phase II ($906,000)
Sustainable Agricultural Science Center, Alcalde ($2,265,921)
- Demolition of Buildings 350 C, D, and E ($279,265) *
- New Alcalde Laboratory ($1,219,616)
- New Equipment Shed ($767,040)
Artesia Agricultural Science Center ($722,607)
- Demolition of Artesia On-site Residence Building 346B ($138,455) *
- Replacement of Greenhouse Building 346C ($557,272)
- Demolition of Shop Annex Building 346F ($26,880)
Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center, Las Cruces ($686,070)
- Demolition and Replacement of Barn Building 73
Clayton Livestock Research Center ($594,300)
- Renovation of Feed Mill Aesthetics Building 339E
Clovis Agricultural Science Center ($680,000)
- Renovation of Crop/Feed Quonset Building 340H
- Replacement of North Camp Pumphouse Building 418F
Agricultural Science Center at Farmington ($1,427,637)
- Renovation of Farmington Office and Lab Building 406C ($1,273,387) *
- Renovation of Pesticide Storage Building 406G ($154,250)
Fabian Garcia Research Center, Las Cruces ($2,414,700)
- Renovation of Farm Office and Labs Building 158
Leyendecker Plant Science Center, Las Cruces ($1,248,134)
- Renovation of Office Building 0306 ($619,884) *
- Renovation of Superintendents Residence Building ($628,250)
Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas ($588,500)
- Renovation of Tissue Culture Lab Building 403H
John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center, Mora ($1,827,000)
- Renovation of Office/Farm Implement Shed Building 334A
Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center, Tucumcari ($32,800)
- Demolition of Garage Building A 404
Learn more about GO Bond 3
The Opportunity Scholarship, which became law in July 2022, provides money for qualifying adult students to get an education at a four-year or community college. It is available to working adults who may have started and not finished college or working adults who want to complete specialized training in a trade or earn a college degree. The Lottery Scholarship was established in 1996 to provide high school graduates with funding to pay part of the cost of attending community college or a four-year public college or university full-time.
GO Bond 3 is ONLY designed to provide public colleges and universities with funds to renovate existing facilities; replace old, outdated facilities with new facilities; or upgrade campuses with new technology or safety enhancements. It does not provide funds to students. GO Bond 3 funds are intended to make colleges and universities safe places to learn that are competitive with public colleges and universities in other states. The funds cannot be used for any purpose other than projects listed in the legislation that authorized the bond question to be put on the ballot.
The goals are to: 1) maintain the public colleges and universities taxpayers have already invested in; and 2) graduate professionals with in-demand skills who will stay in New Mexico and contribute to our state's future.
Many degrees and certificates (healthcare, trades, technology, etc.) REQUIRE a blend of classroom, laboratory and/or hands-on learning as well as online instruction. Also, some students learn more effectively in a classroom than an online setting, so it is important to provide options. In addition, many public colleges and universities offer meeting and performance spaces to groups throughout their communities.
The 2024 GO Bond to support higher education is tax neutral, as verified by the State of New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration. These bonds are a replacement of general obligation bonds for higher education that are expiring or have already expired.
If GO Bond 3 fails to pass, there is no guarantee property tax rates will be reduced, nor will it give the State of New Mexico the ability to use this money for other purposes. The last time the GO Bond for higher education failed was in 2010. After that election, we could not find evidence that property taxes decreased in any county in New Mexico.
The reasons for declining college enrollment include declining birth rates, the widespread immediate availability of jobs, and greater public skepticism of the need for higher education, but the potential long-term effects of this decline could be disastrous. People without education past high school are more likely to live in poverty and less likely to be employed. They're more prone to depression, live shorter lives, divorce more frequently, and vote and volunteer less often. With fewer people going to college, society is going to be less healthy. It will be harder to find people to fill the jobs we need in the future and it will be harder for innovation to occur. The bottom line is that if Americans keep choosing not to go to college, the U.S. will continue its economic slide.
(Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/22/college-enrollment-drop/)
Research shows the bond will create about one (1) job, on average, for every $100,000 in funding in architecture, construction and related fields. Therefore, this year's bond funding of nearly $230 million will create an estimated 2,300 jobs. People who renovate or build facilities or provide services contribute to the economies of the communities where public colleges and facilities are located in by eating, staying in and purchasing goods and services in those communities. Plus, communities and counties benefit from increases in gross receipts taxes.
Thank you for supporting 2022 GO Bond 3!
New Mexico State University's funding priorities for the 2022 GO Bond 3 included facilities to meet vital concerns in New Mexico:
- Thomas & Brown Hall Replacement
- Health & Social Services Building and O'Donnell Hall Renovations
- Nursing Skills and Simulation Center Expansion
- New Mexico Department of Agriculture Renovation, Phase 3
Help address our state’s nurse and educator shortages: With new state-of-the-art equipment for the nursing skills and simulation lab and state-of-the-art multi-disciplinary smart classrooms for the College of Health, Education and Social Transformation, we can attract and retain students interested in becoming nurses, public health experts, and teachers. Investing in New Mexico students will set them up with the skills and experience needed to serve their communities right here in New Mexico.
Help shape New Mexico’s future workforce: The key to New Mexico’s economic long-term stability is to attract high-tech industry. The space industry and the energy-water-food nexus are top priorities, and NMSU is an essential part of the labor equation. Economic expansion depends on a highly trained and available workforce that includes a wide variety of disciplines working in concert to solve critical issues and support workforce development. By fully reimagining the design and function of Thomas & Brown Hall, the College of Engineering is poised to nurture cross-disciplinary, collaborative, and distance learning to promote the success of students from all over NMSU.
Support the needs of NM’s agriculture industry: The new and modernized New Mexico Department of Agriculture facility will provide additional space for new programs and initiatives. It’s key to NMDA’s mission of promoting a fair marketplace, food protection, marketing and economic development; supporting the beneficial use and conservation of natural resources; and working cooperatively with the public and private sectors.
Agricultural Modernization and Educational Facilities Phase 2
New Mexico State University's #1 funding priority for the 2020 GO Bond C included facilities to meet vital concerns in New Mexico:
- Water Conservation & Rangeland Ecology
- Human Health & Biomedical Research
- Food Security & Animal Production Efficiency
- Student Learning & Public Outreach
Enhancing multidisciplinary research and experiential learning to create a vibrant workforce and economy for New Mexico.
