Commissioners press Spaceport America on bond payments, board seats and job counts as state bills move

Doña Ana County commissioners used a March 4 work session to question Spaceport America leadership about ongoing bond payments, how tax revenues are used and the local economic benefits produced by the spaceport.

Commissioner John Reynolds summarized his proposed statutory changes and legislative tracking. He said House bill tracking on HB‑369 had not moved out of committee while a related bill, HB‑261, was gaining traction. Reynolds urged that county‑collected regional spaceport gross‑receipts tax revenue be dedicated only to bonds until those bonds are fully discharged; he proposed statutory language to require that the county’s 0.25% spaceport GRT be imposed only until the bonds are paid and to dedicate a minimum of 75% of proceeds…