![]() A bill is currently being considered by members of the New Mexico State Legislature calling for the multi-million dollar repurposing of a building at 701 Camino De Los Marquez, roughly two miles to the southwest of downtown Santa Fe. Senator George Munez is asking his fellow lawmakers to appropriate up to $2.5 million in state funding to upgrade the 14,445 square foot structure for use as a new home for the state’s Public Regulation Commission. Under Senate Bill 144, that funding would go to the General Services Department to purchase the structure from its current owner, the Educational Retirement Board, which is moving to a new location. According to an analysis of Munez’s bill compiled by the Legislative Finance Committee, an exact price tag for how much it would cost to entirely renovate the existing ERB building is not known. For that reason, the total cost of purchasing and renovating the structure could be as high as $7.2 million. Munez has suggested that his legislation could ultimately save the state money for the simple reason that the current home of the Public Regulation Commission at 142 W. Palace Avenue is not owned by the state. That means that the PRC leases out its current headquarters at the rate of $25,000 a month. In recent years lawmakers have been trying to find alternatives to renting out space for various state offices, noting that such rents cost up to $11.2 million yearly. Munoz’s bill is moving its way through the legislature, having won the approval last week of the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee. By Garry Boulard
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