Hundreds of Santa Fe households received oversized checks in the mail last week. They weren't from a government stimulus program or the Publishers Clearing House. Instead, the phony checks are part of a campaign by a group of real-estate agents fighting a proposed municipal tax on sales of expensive homes.

Voters in the city already are casting early ballots for the March 10 special election on whether Santa Fe should impose the real-estate transfer tax. Revenue would be earmarked for programs to provide affordable housing for workers.

Last week, tax opponents launched a direct-mail advertising campaign that calls the new tax "a blank check," made out to "Santa Fe Politicians," with the amount listed as "As Much As They Want It To Be."

Using money from the Santa Fe Realtors Association and the New Mexico Association of Realtors, a group called Santa Fe Housing Opportunity Partnership crafted the ads in attempt to garner "No" votes.

Mayor David Coss complained about the ads during Wednesday's City Council meeting.

"To put out a blank check is just off base," he said. "We know exactly how much the tax is and we know exactly what we are going to do with it."

Donna Reynolds, who as executive director of the Santa Fe real-estate trade group is also treasurer for the ad hoc anti-tax group, defended the mailer on Friday, saying the message is accurate from her perspective.

"The ordinance to implement the tax was done in a political environment," she said. "It was not done on a ballot, and so that law can be changed over time ... They could add more exemptions or they could remove exemptions. There are a variety of things they can do in that political arena."

Another glossy mailer from the group that arrived in some mailboxes later in the week says, "They don't have a plan. They just want your money," and a third calls the tax "a trap." Reynolds said additional ads from the group will be mailed out between now and the election day.

The proposed tax already has a host of nicknames. It's been called the "Robin Hood tax" by both advocates and opponents for its effect of "stealing from the rich to give to the poor." A mailer from a regional labor-union group calls the measure a "Mansion Tax," and an organization of nonprofit and business groups called United for Affordable Housing that also backs the effort calls it "the affordable-housing initiative" in another mailer. Reynolds' group has labeled it the "Home Tax." The actual ballot question calls it "the workforce housing funding initiative."

Whatever it's called, the tax would only kick in when a home inside city limits sells for more than $750,000. A 1 percent levy would be applied to any amount of the sales price that exceeds the threshold. A home that sells for $800,000, for example, would generate a $500 fee. Homes that are in developments already subject to other city affordable-housing agreements would be exempt.

United for Affordable Housing issued a statement Thursday that accused Santa Fe Affordable Opportunity Partnership of "using false statements to misinform voters." The statement says the ad campaign includes "significant misinformation."

One objection is that the "blank check" ads say the city can change the tax parameters without another vote. The city attorney has issued an opinion that says any changes would require approval from voters.

And the city does have a plan for they money, the statement said. The ordinance that proposes the tax states that revenue will "provide or pay all or a portion of the costs of acquisition, development, construction, renovation, conversion, financing, operation or owning affordable housing or infrastructure to support affordable housing."

Absentee voting continues at the city clerk's office on the second floor of City Hall between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays until March 6. On election day, polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.