A. A local governmental entity that has met the requirements of Section 5-14-3 NMSA 1978 may impose by ordinance a fee on the use of a room at a lodging facility within the local governmental entity; provided that a fee imposed by a county shall only apply to lodging facilities located within twenty miles of the corporate limits of the qualified municipality. The fee may be referred to as the "convention center fee". The amount of the convention center fee shall not exceed two percent of the gross room revenue for each day the room is occupied by a vendee. The convention center fee may be imposed in increments and, pursuant to Subsection D of this section, may be decreased in increments.

B. The convention center fee shall be imposed only for the period necessary for payment of principal and interest on revenue bonds issued to accomplish the purpose for which the revenue is dedicated, but the period shall not exceed thirty years from the date of the ordinance imposing the fee.

C. A local governmental entity shall dedicate the revenue from the convention center fee at the time that the ordinance imposing the fee is enacted and limit the use of the revenue to the following:

(1) the design, construction, equipping, furnishing, landscaping and other costs associated with the development of a civic and convention center and adjoining parking garage located within the qualified municipality;

(2) payments of principal, interest or prior redemption premiums due in connection with and any other charges pertaining to revenue bonds authorized by the Civic and Convention Center Funding Act, including payments into any sinking fund or reserve fund required by the revenue bond ordinance;

(3) costs of collecting and otherwise administering the convention center fee; provided that administration costs shall not be paid if there are current payments due pursuant to Paragraph (2) of this subsection and that no more than ten percent of the revenue collected in any fiscal year shall be used to pay administration costs;

(4) operation costs of the civic and convention center and adjoining parking garage located within the qualified municipality; provided that no such costs shall be paid if there are current payments due pursuant to Paragraph (2) of this subsection; and

(5) payments into a capital reserve fund established for the future payment for capital maintenance and improvements and equipment replacement costs of the civic and convention center and adjoining parking garage located within the qualified municipality; provided that:

(a) no payments shall be made pursuant to this paragraph if there are current payments due pursuant to Paragraph (2) of this subsection; and

(b) at least once every five years, the local governmental entity shall compare the amount of money in the fund with the expected future expenditures from the fund and decide if the convention center fee can be reduced pursuant to Subsection D of this section.

D. A local governmental entity may decrease the rate of a convention center fee if:

(1) all required payments have been made pursuant to Subsection C of this section and the required levels of and estimated payments from any reserve fund, sinking fund or capital reserve fund can be sustained at a decreased rate;

(2) the decreased fee will not otherwise directly or indirectly impair outstanding revenue bonds issued under Section 5-14-13 NMSA 1978; and

(3) the local government division of the department of finance and administration finds that the requirements of Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection have been satisfied and otherwise approves the fee decrease.

History: Laws 2003, ch. 374, § 4; 2004, ch. 97, § 1.

The 2004 amendment, effective March 9, 2004, amended Subsection A to add the last sentence, deleted Subsection C, redesignated Subsection D as Subsection C, amended Subsection C to add the language after the comma in Paragraph (2), deleted from Paragraph (3) "until all required payments on revenue bonds issued pursuant to the Civic and Convention Center Funding Act are made" and insert in its place "if there are current payments due pursuant to Paragraph (2) of this subsection", added Paragraphs (4) and (5) and added Subsection D.