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Dona Ana County Commission Approves Spaceport |
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008 00:00 |
LAS CRUCES, NM – Doña Ana County Commissioners approved a contract setting up a
spaceport tax district at their Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 22. The
new tax district will be formed to oversee spaceport tax dollars from both Sierra and Doña
Ana counties, each of which have passed voter-approved tax referendums to support the
continuing development of Spaceport America, the nation’s first purpose-built
commercial spaceport.
The formation of a tax district is required by the New Mexico State Legislature in order to
collect the new gross receipts taxes, which are estimated to total $49 million from Doña
Ana County and an additional $2.4 million from Sierra County. Tax money from the tax
district will help pay for the construction of the $198 million dollar Spaceport America,
with the remainder coming from funds authorized by the state legislature. In addition, a
percentage of the tax money will be dedicated to science and technology education
programs in the two counties.
New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) Executive Director Steve Landeene expressed
satisfaction with today’s vote, saying, “This is an important step in securing the funding
for Spaceport America. After receiving support from the voters in both counties, it is
exciting to be able to form the tax district as required by the state legislature.”
NMSA officials will continue to seek their site operator’s license from the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) along with a finalized agreement from Virgin Galactic as the
spaceport’s anchor tenant, both of which conditions must be met prior to the project
moving forward.
Spaceport America holds great promise for New Mexico’s economic future, and has been
working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin,
Microgravity, Payload Specialties and UP Aerospace. With planning moving along
rapidly, the NMSA currently projects that the terminal and hangar facility should be
completed by 2010.
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