Governor Bill Richardson announced a budget balancing task force as promised at yesterday’s press conference announcing his budget decisions. The task force will be chaired by Rick Homans, Secretary of the Taxation and Revenue Department.

The task force will hold a public meeting on Monday, November 16th from 1 pm to 5 pm at the Santa Fe Community College. The Independent plans to webcast and live blog this meeting. Join us!

Meetings in Albuquerque, Farmington and Las Cruces will follow, though those are not yet scheduled.

“Our revenue has taken a major hit from the global economic crisis, and we’ve responded by taking bold action to cut state spending to offset those losses,” Governor Richardson said. “But moving forward we must also take a serious look at options to increase our revenue in ways that allow us to maintain our competitive advantage and address New Mexico’s long-term financial health.”

A roster of the full task force, more than 40 New Mexicans who represent “a wide range of industries, education, labor and other non-profit organizations,” is embedded below.

Budget Balancing Task Force