Friday, October 28, 2011

State questions tribal gaming revenues

It's been a good while since I've written about tribal casinos and revenue sharing, but there's been an interesting development in that arena. The chairman of the state's Gaming Control Board, David Norvell, said many of the 14 gaming tribes in New Mexico aren't paying their proper share, accounting for underpayments of between $13 and $20 million.

At issue is how the tribes account for free play, and how they incorporate it into the formula that determines how much revenue they share with the state. In short, the state says the tribes are paying less than they owe.

The issue has the potential to drag on and involve costly arbitration. It will be interesting to see how the new administration deals with an issue that first surfaced during former Gov. Gary Johnson's term.

When I was writing the story, I called all 14 gaming pueblo governments for comment, but only Pojoaque responded. If anyone reading this is or knows a tribal official, please encourage them to call me, as I would like to add more of their perspective for my next piece.

Friday, October 14, 2011

New electronics company headed to NM border

Take that, Texas! Gov. Susana Martinez announced this morning that an electronic manufacturing company will move its El Paso office to Santa Teresa. TE Connectivity will move to New Mexico after discussions over the summer.

"As we work to encourage economic growth in and attract new businesses to our state, I’m pleased that TE Connectivity has decided to expand in Santa Teresa," Martinez said in a statement.

"Continuing to foster a friendlier environment that encourages growth and investment will send a signal that New Mexico is open for business. This announcement is an important development and I am committed to further encouraging growth and expansion as we work to turn New Mexico’s economy around," she said.

The company employs nearly 100,000 workers and manufactures more than 500,000 products, according to the Governor's Office. The press release didn't say how many jobs would move to New Mexico.

Guess the move puts an end to the questions of which state Martinez, who grew up in El Paso, likes better?