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State lawmaker briefs Lee County commissioners on session wins, tax changes and $15M local capital
Summary
Representative Randall Pettigrew told the Lee County Board of Commissioners that the 2026 New Mexico legislative session delivered mixed results for rural counties: some funding and projects were approved but larger tax changes and rulemaking remain contentious. Pettigrew urged the county to pursue available state grant programs and outlined his proposals for tax and rulemaking reforms.
Representative Randall Pettigrew updated the Lee County Commission on the 2026 New Mexico legislative session, saying the state will soon begin work on a DOT patch to Route 62/180 and warning that larger fixes will require more funding. “DOT will start on 62 1 80 within the next couple of weeks,” Pettigrew said, calling the upcoming overlay a temporary fix.
Pettigrew described the state’s budget growth during the current administration and said recurring spending now pushes baseline needs higher for fiscal year 2027. “Fiscal year 27, we’re looking at a 13.7 to $13,900,000,000 budget just to maintain status quo,” he said, stressing the pressure that creates on county revenue flows.
The representative highlighted several policy items that could affect Lee County’s ability to attract investment, including changes to corporate income tax rules and a recent decision to decouple certain federal tax credits. He said those changes will affect incentives for capital investment and could reduce the value of state economic-development tools for counties that rely on oil-and-gas revenue.
Pettigrew urged local leaders to pursue state-administered funding programs for affordable and workforce housing, noting that some money flows through the Department of Workforce Solutions and the Department of Finance and Administration even when corresponding legislation has not been fully codified. He said he is assembling information on where that money will appear online and who the point contacts are and will share that with county staff.
On rulemaking, Pettigrew said he is again pursuing legislation — and a proposed constitutional amendment — to require legislative review of administrative rules that impose $1,000,000 or more in fiscal impact. “If it has a bigger impact … $1,000,000 dollars or more on the state of New Mexico, it has to go through legislative review,” he said, framing the change as added oversight.
Pettigrew also discussed his proposals for returning a portion of oil-and-gas revenue to working residents and for increased transparency in rulemaking. He told commissioners that Lee County is expected to receive roughly $15 million in capital outlay this year but said the distribution of the state’s larger capital funds continues to favor Bernalillo County. “We need to have a way to have that voice,” he said, urging coordination among counties to press for targeted investments.
Why it matters: Pettigrew’s briefing lays out the near-term expectations for state-funded road work and longer-term fiscal pressures that could affect county budgets and economic-development efforts. He encouraged the county to compile state grant opportunities and to coordinate lobbying and outreach in Santa Fe to press for staffing and resource needs, including assistance for understaffed district attorney offices.
