by Scott Blair

Voters in the Southwest supported the vast majority of bond issues placed on this year's November ballot.

The largest, a group of four bonds in Mesa, Ariz. totaling $260.6 million, passed with an almost 2:1 ratio among voters.

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The bonds will provide funding for over 100 projects related to improving the city's water, wastewater, gas and electrical infrastructures.

Three municipal bond issues totaling $47 million in Casa Grande also passed, funding new public safety buildings and improvements to other city facilities.
School bonds were also successful throughout Arizona . Voters approved Dysart Unified School District's $190 million bond issue to construct new schools and make improvements to existing ones in Surprise and El Mirage, two fast-growing suburbs west of Phoenix.

The Pendergast Elementary School District, also west of Phoenix, received voter approval for their $50 million bond to fund new school construction and additional classrooms.

Voters in southern Arizona approved a $55.7 million bond for new construction and improvements for the Maricopa Unified School District, while the Casa Grande Union High School passed a $38 million bond issue.

The GO Bond for Education is placed on the ballot by the New Mexico State Legislature every two years. This year's voter-approved cycle allocates almost $118 million for new educational facilities and upgrades to existing buildings at higher education institutions throughout the state.

A potentially wide-reaching ballot measure making changes to the eminent domain process in Nevada passed its first hurdle with ease on Tuesday. It provides that the transfer of property from one private party to another is not considered a public use, and that property taken for public use be valued at the highest price it would bring on the open market.

Some industry groups, such as the Nevada Contractors Association and the Associated General Contractors, recommended against approving the measure since, as written, it could make the process of constructing highways and public works projects much more difficult.

"Taxpayers will be paying more for right-of-way, more for public works projects and find themselves with projects that are inevitably going to be delayed as a result of sections that have been tacked onto this initiative," said Mandi Lindsay, government affairs specialist for AGC Las Vegas. "We are already struggling to maintain our infrastructure needs now and Question 2 will only make it worse."

In addition, Nevada's Regional Transportation Commission has warned that federal transportation funds could be at risk.

The AGC plans to launch a $6 million campaign to educate voters prior to the measure's second and final appearance on the ballot, required in 2008 in order to amend the constitution, Lindsay added.

Two popular incumbent governors, Janet Napolitano (D) in Arizona and Bill Richardson (D) in New Mexico, were re-elected by wide margins. Both have been vocal advocates for both private and public construction activity in their states.

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