Section 66-3-424.23 - Special city of Las Cruces registration plate; procedures; fee; appropriation.
66-3-424.23. Special city of Las Cruces registration plate; procedures; fee; appropriation.
A. The department shall issue standardized special "City of Las Cruces" registration plates with a logo pursuant to Section 66-3-424 NMSA 1978 indicating that the recipient is a resident of the city of Las Cruces and shall adopt procedures for application for and issuance of the special City of Las Cruces registration plate. The secretary shall approve the final logo design for the special City of Las Cruces registration plate.
B. The owner of a motor vehicle who is a resident of the city of Las Cruces may apply for the issuance of a special registration plate as provided in Subsection A of this section. The owner shall pay a fee of thirty-five dollars ($35.00) for the initial issuance of a special City of Las Cruces registration plate and the same fee for each subsequent year in which the owner wishes to retain and renew the special City of Las Cruces registration plate. The fee specified in this section is in addition to regular applicable motor vehicle registration fees. No two owners shall be issued identically lettered or numbered plates.
C. The revenue from the special City of Las Cruces registration plate fee imposed by Subsection B of this section shall be distributed as follows:
(1) ten dollars ($10.00) of the fee collected for each registration plate shall be retained by the department and is appropriated to the department for the manufacture and issuance of the registration plates; and
(2) twenty-five dollars ($25.00) of the fee collected for each registration plate shall be paid to the state treasurer and is appropriated to the city of Las Cruces recreation fund 2130.
D. When a person holding a special City of Las Cruces registration plate ceases to reside in Las Cruces, that person shall immediately remove the special City of Las Cruces registration plate from the vehicle and return it to the department, at which time it shall be exchanged for a regular registration plate.