Please vote to ensure our Permian Basin public higher education institutions have the needed support to prepare our future workforce and provide pathways to success for our students. Voting for the Higher Education Bond 3 will not result in a tax increase for you. If approved, Bond 3 is a continuation of funds for new infrastructure and renovations in Carlsbad, Artesia, and other public education institutions throughout the state.
In Carlsbad, for example, the bond funds would help to build the Trades x Technologies Building at Southeast New Mexico College. This facility will allow for an expansion of its programs in industrial maintenance and natural gas compression and the addition of new programs in electrical technology, radiation control technology, and oil and gas technology.
In Artesia, the funds will provide improvements to the Agricultural Science Center, which plays an instrumental role in solving issues facing producers in southeastern New Mexico.
These enhancements will allow students to explore the industries that are the primary economic drivers of the Permian Basin and gain lifelong skills, allowing them to provide for themselves and their families.
In 2023, proposed projects, like those in Artesia and Carlsbad, were rigorously vetted by local, public higher education institutions identifying infrastructure projects that will benefit home-grown workforce development and student success. Following the local identification, the New Mexico Higher Education Department Capital Outlay Committee reviewed the funding requests and recommended construction proposals that will have the largest impacts locally, balance statewide and regional needs, and project readiness.
In the 2024 legislative session, the bill supporting these projects unanimously passed the New Mexico House and Senate and was signed into law by the Governor, paving the way for us to vote for these funds for our communities through Bond 3 without raising your taxes.
The statewide proposed projects are designed to benefit all New Mexicans. For the continued improvement of our learning environments, investing in infrastructure is necessary to enhance our students’ opportunities for success. Higher education investments result in a strong return on investment for our students and the economy. There is almost a 500 percent rate of return for every dollar invested in New Mexico’s independent community colleges, according to a recent study by Lightcast, a leading labor market and economic impact research firm.
Bond 3 is one of four bond issue questions on the ballot supporting senior citizen centers, libraries, and public safety radio systems. These bonds will also not raise your taxes, and we hope you will support them.
A vote in favor of Bond 3 is an investment in the future—one that will benefit our students, industries, and the state for years to come, and it will not raise your taxes.
Missi Currier
New Mexico Oil and Gas Association
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