N.M. Stat. § 6-15-5
Sale of bonds.
A. All of the bonds shall be offered and sold at public sale pursuant to this section or
at a negotiated sale on terms determined by the municipal corporation.
B. Bonds maturing in less than thirty days may be sold at private sale to the state at
the price and upon such terms and conditions as a municipal corporation and the state
may determine.
C. Notwithstanding any law requiring bonds to be sold at a public sale, the following
bonds may be sold at a public or private sale:
(1)
bonds designated as build America bonds pursuant to Section 1531 of the
federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; and
(2)
qualified school construction bonds issued pursuant to the Qualified
School Construction Bonds Act [22-18B-1 to 22-18B-5 NMSA 1978] and Section 1521
of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
D. Before any bonds issued by a municipal corporation are offered for public sale,
the corporate authorities issuing the bonds shall designate the maximum net effective
interest rate the bonds shall bear, which shall not exceed the maximum permitted by the
Public Securities Act [6-14-1 to 6-14-3 NMSA 1978]. A notice calling for bids for the
purchase of the bonds shall be published once at least one week prior to the date of the
sale in a newspaper having local circulation. The notice shall specify a place and
designate a day and hour subsequent to the date of the publication when bids shall be
received and publicly opened for the purchase of the bonds. The notice shall specify the
maximum net effective interest rate permitted for the bonds and the maximum discount
if a discount is allowed by the governing body and shall require bidders to submit a bid
specifying the lowest rate of interest and any premium or discount if allowed by the
governing body at, above or below par at which the bidder will purchase the bonds. The
bonds shall be sold to the responsible bidder making the best bid determined by the
municipal corporation as set forth in the notice, subject to the right of the governing
body to reject any and all bids and readvertise. All bids shall be sealed or sent by
facsimile or other electronic transmission to the municipal corporation as set forth in the
notice. Except for the bid of the state or the United States, if one is received prior to
acceptance by the governing body of the best bid, the best bidder shall make a deposit
of not less than two percent of the principal amount of the bonds, either in the form of a
financial security bond or in cash or by cashier's or treasurer's check of, or by certified
check drawn on, a solvent commercial bank or trust company in the United States,
which deposit shall be returned if the bid is not accepted. The financial surety bond or
the long-term debt obligations of the issuer or person guarantying the obligations of the
issuer of the financial surety bond shall be rated in one of the top two rating categories
of a nationally recognized rating agency, without regard to any modification of the rating,
and the financial surety bond must be issued by an insurance company licensed to
issue such a bond in New Mexico. If the successful bidder does not complete the
purchase of the bonds within thirty days following the acceptance of the bidder's bid or
within ten days after the bonds are made ready and are offered by the municipal
corporation for delivery, whichever is later, the amount of the bidder's deposit shall be
forfeited to the municipal corporation issuing the bonds, and, in that event, the
governing body may accept the bid of the bidder making the next best bid. If all bids are
rejected, the governing body may readvertise the bonds for sale in the same manner as
for the original advertisement or sell the bonds at private sale to the state or the United
States. If there are two or more equal bids and the bids are the best bids received, the
governing body shall determine which bid shall be accepted.
E. Except as provided in this section, bonds to be issued by a municipal corporation
for various purposes may be sold and issued as a single combined issue even though
they may have been authorized by separate votes at an election or elections. Bonds
authorized by any incorporated city, town or village for the construction or purchase of a
system for supplying water, a sanitary sewer system or a storm sewer system may be
combined with each other and sold and issued as a single issue but may not be
combined with bonds to be issued for any other purpose that may be subject to the debt
limitation of Article 9, Section 13 of the constitution of New Mexico.
F. The bond underwriter representing the municipal corporation in a negotiated
bond sale pursuant to this section shall be selected pursuant to a request for proposals
in accordance with the provisions of the Procurement Code.
G. When bonds are sold at a negotiated sale, the terms of the bonds and
comparable sale results for similar bonds shall be presented at a public meeting of the
governing body of the municipal corporation.
H. For purposes of this section, "negotiated sale" means a sale of the bonds to
investors by a bond underwriter or a private placement of the bonds with a bank,
financial institution, state instrumentality or other person, with interest rates, maturity
dates and other terms that are satisfactory to the municipal corporation.