N.M. Stat. § 15-3B-21 — NM Code / Chapter 15 / Article 3B / Section 15-3B-21
§ 15-3B-21. Health and human services office building
Status: in_force

A. Subject to the provisions of this section, the facilities management division of the general services department, after consulting with the human services department and the children, youth and families department and on behalf of those departments, shall:

(1) enter into agreements necessary for the land acquisition, if necessary, and the planning, designing, constructing, equipping and furnishing of a new health and human services office building in the county or municipality of Santa Fe that will serve as the first phase of the health and human services office complex and be occupied by the human services department [health care authority department] and the children, youth and families department, provided that, in entering into the agreements, the division shall consider state and private land acquisition options, including potential trades of land; and

(2) enter into a lease purchase agreement with the owner of the building for the leasing of the building by the facilities management division with an option to purchase for a price that is reduced according to the payments made pursuant to the agreement; provided that the lease purchase agreement shall:

(a) specify the principal, interest and maintenance component of each payment made, provided further that: 1) the initial principal shall not exceed eighty million dollars ($80,000,000); and 2) the net effective interest rate shall not exceed the maximum permitted by the Public Securities Act;

(b) provide that there is no legal obligation for the facilities management division to continue the lease from year to year or to purchase the building;

(c) provide that the lease shall be terminated if sufficient appropriations are not available to meet the current lease payments;

(d) provide that the lease payments include a maintenance component that shall escalate annually and, over the length of the agreement, approximate the amount that will be needed for the maintenance and repair of the building; and

(e) provide that if the building is purchased, title to the building shall be issued in the name of the facilities management division.

B. The facilities management division shall enter into such financing arrangements as are necessary to construct, occupy and acquire the building by the most cost-effective method and, if the division determines that the issuance of lease purchase revenue bonds by the New Mexico finance authority pursuant to Section 6-21-6.14 NMSA 1978 is the most cost-effective financing arrangement, the New Mexico finance authority is authorized to:

(1) issue bonds, in an amount not to exceed eighty million dollars ($80,000,000), pursuant to that section;

(2) include a maintenance component as part of the lease payments received; and

(3) use a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of the bonds for debt service payments that are due before sufficient lease payments have been deposited into the debt service fund.

C. No contract or financing arrangement entered into pursuant to Subsection A or B of this section shall be effective until approved by the attorney general for legal sufficiency.

D. Neither a request for proposals shall be issued pursuant to Subsection A or B of this section nor a contract entered into pursuant to those subsections without prior review by the capitol buildings planning commission to ensure that:

(1) the request for proposals or the contract is the most cost-effective method for acquiring the building; and

(2) the building and its proposed use are within the scope of the commission's master plan.

E. The facilities management division shall enter into subleases with the human services department [health care authority department] and the children, youth and families department for the lease of office space within the building, provided that the payments made under the subleases shall equal the payments due by the facilities management division under the lease purchase agreement. The facilities management division may also sublease available space within the building to any state agency if:

(1) the space subject to an existing sublease has been reduced by agreement between the facilities management division and the existing sublessee;

(2) the previous sublease for the available space has been terminated due to the failure of the sublessee to obtain appropriations or otherwise receive the money necessary for making the lease payments; or

(3) the previous sublessee of the available space has been relocated by an act of the legislature.

F. Notwithstanding any provision restricting budget adjustments, upon the certification by the director of the facilities management division that the building is completed and suitable for occupancy, the secretary of finance and administration may transfer between and among the categories and programs of the current operating budget of each agency that will occupy the building any unexpended or unencumbered appropriation for lease payments or building maintenance. The transferred appropriations shall be expended by the facilities management division for lease payments due pursuant to the lease purchase agreement.

G. During the term of the lease purchase agreement, each sublessee shall include, in its annual budget request, the amount due under its sublease during the next fiscal year, and the sublessee and the facilities management division shall use their best efforts to secure the appropriation.