Railroaded

Given the proximity of the vote to Election Day, even dedicated followers of local politics might be forgiven for having missed out on the latest folly perpetrated on local residents by the Albuquerque City Council. Yes, in the apparent belief that no tax burden is too heavy and that money grows on trees, Council voted 6-3 to extend a 1/4 percent gross receipts tax until at least 2020 (although it is hard to believe that it will ever be recinded at this point).
The Rio Grande Foundation and others are looking carefully at the way in which a tax was extended for such a long period without voter approval, so this one is not done yet. Eventually, the Legislature will be asked to spend taxpayer dollars on this ridiculously-wasteful project. Hopefully their representatives realize that Farmington, Roswell, and Las Cruces taxpayers shouldn’t be bilked out of $100+ million for a project that will only benefiit a small portion of Albuquerque.