LEDA change requires city vote

CLOVIS — Legislation that would allow Clovis to use economic development dollars to lure retail businesses cleared the biggest hurdle on the state level, with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signing Senate Bill 49 on Thursday.

Now the next hurdle remains for Clovis officials — selling the change to its voters.

Economic development is one of two allowable exceptions to the state’s antidonation clause, along with affordable housing. Senate Bill 49, passed 63-5 in the House and 36-4 in the Senate, allows municipalities of all sizes to incentivize retail businesses through economic development dollars.

Previously, only municipalities of less than 35,000 population could do so.

Local sponsors of the Local Economic Development Act legislation included Rep. Randy Crowder, R-Clovis, and Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview.

“Senate Bill 49 is vital to our area to support local retail in Clovis and prevent buyer leakage into

Texas,” Mayor Mike Morris said in a city release. “I would like to thank Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and our local delegation, including Sen. Woods and Rep. Crowder, for their support in

this effort. By incentivizing new retail and the expansion of existing retail under LEDA, we will

be able to expand Clovis’ economy and encourage the community to shop Clovis first.”

The legislation takes effect July 1, but municipalities must still amend their own policies to allow for the change.

The city intends, at the latest, to put the bill on the November general election ballot, but still does have to tailor its own LEDA changes to satisfy its own goals while falling within the new state parameters.

Morris told The News he would have liked the LEDA bill to take effect yesterday, and sees a November vote as months of missed opportunity. However, he doesn’t want taxpayers to cover a one-item special election if it can be prevented.

“I want to do a charter review process,” Morris said. “If something comes up from that process, we can put those on a ballot together.”

Morris will be part of the city’s charter review committee later this year, along with Commissioners Lauren Rowley and Megan Palla and still-unnamed citizen representatives. The charter requires a review process every 10 years, and the committee makes recommendations to the city commission for suggested changes.

The city’s last charter review process in 2011 floated a measure preventing elected city officers from also serving as elected county officers, and voters approved the change in the 2012 municipal election.

Curry County Clerk Annie Hogland told The News the LEDA measure could go on the November ballot without cost to the city. However, joining the state election ballot would subject Clovis to state voter laws, and the city could not enforce a voter identification requirement it first implemented in the 2018 municipal election.