§ 5-17-24 — Sanitation, water and sanitation or water services;

additional powers. In addition to the powers specified in Section 22 [5-17-22 NMSA 1978] of the Infrastructure Development Zone Act, the board, if within the scope of the service plan, has the following powers relating to sanitation, water and sanitation and water services for and on behalf of the infrastructure development zone: A. with the consent of the approving authority, to compel the owner of premises located within the boundaries of the infrastructure development zone, whenever necessary for the protection of public health, to connect the owner's premises, in accordance with the state codes, to the sewer, water and sewer, or water lines, as applicable, of the infrastructure development zone within twenty days after written notice is sent by registered mail, if the sewer or water line is within four hundred feet of the premises. If the connection is not begun within twenty days, the board may thereafter connect the premises to the sewer, water and sewer, or water system, as applicable, of the infrastructure development zone and shall have a perpetual lien on and against the premises for the cost of making the connection. The lien may be foreclosed in the same manner as provided by the laws of this state for the foreclosure of mechanics' liens; provided that nothing in this subsection shall be construed as authorizing the board of an infrastructure development zone to compel any connection with the sewer, water and sewer, or water lines, as applicable, of the infrastructure development zone, by any owner of premises located outside of the infrastructure development zone who utilizes private or nongovernmental persons, services, systems or facilities; B. to divide the infrastructure development zone into areas according to the water or sanitation services furnished or to be furnished therein. The board has the power to fix different rates, fees, tolls or charges and different rates of levy for tax purposes against all of the taxable property within the several areas of the infrastructure development zone according to the services and facilities furnished or to be furnished therein within a reasonable time; C. if the board divides an infrastructure development zone into areas according to the facilities and services furnished or to be furnished, to determine the amount of money necessary to be raised by taxation within each area, taking into consideration other sources of revenue within the area, and to fix a levy that, when levied upon every dollar of the valuation for assessment of taxable property within the area of the infrastructure development zone, will supply funds for the payments of the costs of acquiring, operating and maintaining the services or facilities furnished in the area and will pay promptly, when due, the principal or interest on bonds or other obligations issued and its pro rata share of the general operating expenses of the infrastructure development zone; D. to establish, construct, operate and maintain works and facilities across or along any public street or highway, and in, upon or over any vacant public lands and across any stream of water or watercourse. The governing body of a county in which any public streets or highways are situated, which are to be cut into or excavated in the construction or maintenance of any of the facilities, has authority to adopt by resolution the rules as it deems necessary in regard to the excavations and may require the payment of reasonable fees by the infrastructure development zone as may be fixed by the governing body to ensure proper restoration of the streets or highways; E. to assess reasonable penalties for delinquency in the payment of rates, fees, tolls or charges or for any violations of the rules of the infrastructure development zone together with interest on delinquencies from any date due at not more than one percent per month or fraction thereof; to shut off or discontinue water or sanitation service for the delinquencies and delinquencies in the payment of taxes or for any violation of the rules of the infrastructure development zone; and to provide for the connection with and the disconnection from the facilities of the infrastructure development zone; F. to acquire water rights and construct and operate lines and facilities within and without the infrastructure development zone; G. to fix and from time to time to increase or decrease tap fees. The board may pledge the revenue for the payment of any indebtedness of the infrastructure development zone; and H. to assess availability of service or facilities charges subject to the following provisions: (1) no fee, rate, toll or charge for connection to or use of services or facilities of the infrastructure development zone shall be considered an availability of service or facilities charge; (2) any availability of service or facilities charges shall be made only when a notice, stating that the availability of service or facilities charges are being considered and stating the date, time and place of the meeting at which they are to be considered, has been mailed by first-class United States mail, postage prepaid, to each taxpaying elector of the infrastructure development zone at the taxpaying elector's last-known address, as disclosed by the tax records of the county within which the infrastructure development zone is located; (3) availability of service or facilities charges shall be assessed solely for the purpose of paying principal of and interest on any outstanding indebtedness or bonds of the infrastructure development zone and shall not be used to pay any operation or maintenance expenses of, nor capital improvements within or for, the infrastructure development zone; (4) availability of service or facilities charges shall be assessed only where water, sewer or both water and sewer lines are installed and ready for connection within one hundred feet of any property line of the residential lot or residential lot equivalent to be assessed, but to one or both of which line or lines the particular lot or lot equivalent to be assessed is not connected; and (5) availability of service or facilities charges shall be a percentage, not to exceed fifty percent, of the fees, rates, tolls or charges for use of services or facilities of the infrastructure development zone, said percentage to be determined by the board. If the fees, rates, tolls or charges for the use of services or facilities vary dependent upon quantities of usage, the availability of service or facilities charges shall be a percentage, determined by the board, not to exceed fifty percent, of the average usage derived by dividing the total usage quantity for the infrastructure development zone for the last preceding fiscal year by the total number of users in the infrastructure development zone. In addition, the aggregate amount of revenue budgeted and expected to be derived from availability of service or facilities charges shall not exceed the total amount of principal of and interest on the outstanding indebtedness or bonds of the infrastructure development zone for the service currently budgeted for and to mature or accrue during the annual period within which the availability of service or facilities charges are payable, less the amount budgeted and expected to be produced during the period by the mill levy allocable to the service then being budgeted for and levied and assessed by the infrastructure development zone.

Legislative History

Laws 2009, ch. 136, § 24.