New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 19 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND WILDLIFE
Chapter 2 - STATE TRUST LANDS PART 24 CULTURAL PROPERTIES PROTECTION
Part 9 - BUSINESS LEASING
Section 19.2.9.11 - BID LEASE
Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
The commissioner may, under the following procedures, offer a bid lease to the highest and best bidder at a public auction held at the county seat of the county where the offered trust land, or the major portion of the offered land, is located.
A. Appraisal. After a preliminary determination that a bid lease might be advantageous to the trust, the commissioner will cause an appraisal to be made. The appraisal will cover the trust land proposed for lease and any permanent improvements on, appurtenant to, or obtained or developed for the benefit of, the land. Thereafter, if the commissioner determines to offer the land for bid lease, a copy of the appraisal will be furnished to the applicant, if any, and to the holder of the improvement value credit as well as to any other interested parties. Prior to the advertisement of the lease sale, the commissioner shall determine that the terms of the bid lease being offered provide a return to the trust over the duration of the bid lease that is a fair rental value based on the appraisal.
B. Advertisement. A notice of the lease sale shall be published once each week for ten (10) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation published in Santa Fe, and in a newspaper of general circulation published nearest the offered land.
C. Notice. The notice of lease sale shall contain:
D. Deposit. To qualify as a bidder, the prospective bidder shall deposit with the commissioner before the auction or at such other time provided in the notice of lease sale, the following amounts which shall be listed in the notice:
E. Qualification of bidders. The commissioner may establish additional qualifications for bidders based on the nature of the bid lease and the proposed uses of the offered trust land.
F. Due diligence. All bidders must undertake their own due diligence in preparation for the lease sale, including, but not limited to, inspecting the offered trust land and reviewing pertinent records and files of the state land office and other public agencies. A prospective bidder must obtain the approval of the commissioner before entering on trust land. The notice of lease sale may provide that additional information concerning the offered trust land is available at the state land office for viewing by any interested parties. The additional information may include, without limitation, a draft bid lease or a summary of bid lease provisions.
G. Auction. The auction may be conducted by oral auction or by the acceptance of sealed bids or proposals at the time of the auction. If awarded at all, the bid lease shall be awarded to the highest and best bidder.
H. Highest and best bidder. In determining the highest and best bidder, the commissioner shall establish criteria that will be described in the notice of lease sale. The criteria shall enable the commissioner to select the bid that is in the best interests of the trust considering the requirements of the bid lease and the proposed uses of the offered trust land. In addition to any offered bonus or rental amounts, the commissioner may, as appropriate, consider the qualifications of the bidders to develop the land or to construct the improvements contemplated by the proposed bid lease, and to provide the trust with sustainable long-term returns. The commissioner may divide the bid process into stages, and review the qualifications of bidders prior to, or in addition to, reviewing any financial proposals.
I. Execution of bid lease. The successful bidder must deposit with the commissioner all amounts due for the lease sale, including any bonus bid, no later than five business days after the auction, and shall, within thirty days after the auction, enter into the bid lease. The commissioner may extend the period for entering into a bid lease to no greater than one hundred twenty days after the auction. The final bid lease shall not contain any provisions that vary from those described in the notice of lease sale. If the successful bidder does not deposit with the commissioner any amounts due, or enter into the bid lease offered by the commissioner, within the prescribed time periods, the commissioner may reject the bid and either declare another bidder to be the highest and best, or terminate the lease sale.