Section 7-24A-6.1 - County-wide gasoline tax; authorization; imposition; rate; election. - New Mexico Statutes

7-24A-6.1. County-wide gasoline tax; authorization; imposition; rate; election.

A.     A county-wide gasoline tax may be imposed on each gallon of gasoline sold at retail within the county in increments of one cent ($.01) per gallon up to a maximum of two cents ($.02) per gallon for the purpose of funding a vehicle emissions inspection program and other programs as specified in Subsection D of this section when the governing bodies of a county and a municipality adopt identical ordinances submitting the question to the qualified electors in the county in a joint election.   

B.     The procedures of the County and Municipal Gasoline Tax Act [7-24A-1 NMSA 1978] shall apply unless otherwise provided in this section.   

C.     The ordinance shall not go into effect until after a joint election is held pursuant to Section 7-24A-21 NMSA 1978 and a simple majority of the qualified electors of the county voting on the issue vote in favor of imposing a county-wide gasoline tax.  If the ordinance is approved by a majority of the qualified electors of the county voting on the issue, the gasoline tax shall be imposed county-wide, both within and outside the boundaries of any municipality within the county.   

D.     If the qualified electors of the county vote in favor of an ordinance imposing a county-wide gasoline tax pursuant to Subsection C of Section 7-24A-21 NMSA 1978 and any proceeds of the tax are dedicated by the ordinance to a vehicle emissions inspection program, then the proceeds of the tax imposed shall be used first for the vehicle emissions inspection program and the balance shall be used for other environmental programs such as water quality or air quality programs.  That balance shall be distributed to the municipality and the county based on the proportions that the population of the municipality and the population of the county outside the boundaries of the municipality bear to the total population of the county.  The municipality and county shall reimburse the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department for actual costs incurred in administering any plan that involves the motor vehicle division in the enforcement of denial of motor vehicle registration for noncompliance with a vehicle emissions inspection program. The costs reimbursed are appropriated to the motor vehicle division for that purpose.