New Mexico
With nearly $5B unspent, legislative staff recommend tighter controls on large public projects – Source New Mexico
Billions in public funds meant to pay for new buildings, vehicles and equipment for local communities throughout New Mexico have not been spent, and legislative staff are recommending state officials create a new government office to help complete projects.
At the end of September, there was nearly $5 billion in unspent funds set aside for 4,900 projects funded by the state’s “capital outlay” program, state analyst Cally Carswell told the Legislative Finance Committee on Tuesday.
Lawmakers pass a capital outlay bill each year to pay for all or part of new infrastructure or construction — things like buildings, parks, roads or acequia upgrades.
There are 766 active projects, which lawmakers have given at least $1 million for fiscal year 2024, accounting for $3.6 billion in total, according to data produced by legislative staff.
Of those, 415 are on schedule, 170 are behind schedule, and 181 have had no activity, or the local governments responsible have not sold the bonds needed to raise the money, or are facing “significant obstacles to completion,” according to the report.
These include, for example, the relocation of the Guadalupe County Magistrate Court, a few senior center projects, numerous projects with the city of Santa Fe, money set aside for road construction and money for a therapeutic group home run by the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department.
Only 11 projects funded with more than $1 million have been completed or have been granted an extension, according to the LFC data. This includes the Vladem Contemporary Museum of Art in Santa Fe, upgrades to the Albuquerque Police Department evidence lab, a vehicle for the Albuquerque Fire Department, and upgrades to a building at Eastern New Mexico University.
Earlier in the year Carswell told lawmakers that construction costs are increasing, and contractors are having difficulty attracting and retaining qualified workers to meet demand for construction in the state.
In her update Tuesday, she said the situation remains the same.
Carswell said almost all of the 1,400 projects lawmakers approved in the last legislative session were funded with money out of the state’s General Fund, its biggest single pot of public money.
The source of the money matters because the law that authorizes spending requires each capital outlay project to spend at least 5% of the money within a year. When that doesn’t happen, the money gets pulled back into the General Fund, Carswell said.
Rep. Jack Chatfield (R-Mosquero) asked how paying for capital outlay projects using the General Fund rather than by selling bonds affects the state’s score from bond rating agencies.
It does not put the state in a bad position, Carswell said.
But she cautioned that if state officials borrow too much money in order to pay for capital outlay projects, that could put them in a worse position with the rating agencies.
“It is an issue that they have already flagged to the Board of Finance as something that they are concerned about,” she said.
She suggested lawmakers change state law to lower the maximum amount of money they can borrow each year to pay for these projects.
Three key state agencies that manage most capital outlay money: the Department of Finance and Administration, the Indian Affairs Department, and the New Mexico Environment Department, she said, and each issued grant agreements for eligible projects.
Now, communities need to keep better track of signing those agreements and spending capital outlay money, Carswell said. Lawmakers can use the data about projects given at least $1 million to perhaps call those local governments and encourage them to get moving, she said.
The LFC expects lawmakers to have billions more in capital outlay requests during the 2024 session. If approved, those projects are likely to face a “construction market saturated if not oversaturated, where it’s difficult to start new things and complete those already in the pipeline,” Carswell said.
Anticipating higher costs, some state agencies and higher education institutions have already asked for more money on top of their original requests for next year. Carswell said this means local governments are already facing significant changes in the expected project costs over the summer and fall.
Local governments and others who have received these capital outlay funds have until Nov. 22 to provide information to state agencies about unexpectedly high costs for existing projects, she said.
The goal for these reports is to inform Legislative Finance Committee analysts about which projects are stalled, delayed or otherwise facing challenges due to cost increases. Carswell testified that the LFC expects to present the results of that survey to lawmakers in December.
And in 2025 and beyond, Carswell said she recommends lawmakers consider setting an earlier deadline for local capital outlay requests, and creating a basic method of vetting and tracking projects that get state money.
That could allow lawmakers to fund planning and design separately from construction, so that the larger amounts of money would be reserved for major construction projects with proper plans and that are ready to go, she said.
House Appropriations and Finance Committee Chair Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces) said lawmakers have asked Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration to standardize its capital outlay requests, and that “there’s an openness from the executive to do that.”
Small said as oil production becomes increasingly uncertain in the future, the state’s entire system for funding capital outlay projects comes more into question, because any variation in that industry affects the entire program.
Small said he is reluctant to constrict too tightly the amount of money provided for capital projects.
”But clearly we need to establish other funding opportunities and other sources to support capital (outlay),” he said.
There’s only one thing UNLV forward Jalen Hill didn’t believe his teammate Dedan Thomas Jr. could accomplish on the basketball floor, and it’s going to cost him a steak dinner.
Thomas found himself ahead of the pack late in the first half and flashed a big smile as he started to measure his dribbles and steps toward the rim.
“I got the ball and thought I saw someone chasing me to block it, so I was like, ‘Yeah, I have to go dunk this,’” Thomas said.
The first slam of his collegiate career highlighted the Rebels’ 72-65 win over New Mexico State on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
A preseason discussion between Hill and Thomas resulted in the promise of the meal should Thomas throw one down in a game this season. Hill may not be the only one on the hook.
“He never shows that he can dunk at practice,” Hill laughed. “It’s exciting, because for a guy that doesn’t really dunk to get his first one, a lot of people owe him stuff.”
While the above-the-rim moment was a departure from the norm, it was business as usual otherwise for the sophomore point guard, who was once again the catalyst for much of what UNLV (4-1) was able to accomplish in a game in which it struggled from the field for long stretches.
He finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists as the Rebels held off the Aggies (3-2) in a physical affair that featured 50 fouls and a combined 33.3 percent shooting effort from the field.
Thomas got to the free-throw line 19 times and made 13 of the attempts.
“We knew they were a physical team, so I tried to use that aggression against them,” he said. “Just drawing fouls and trying to get to the line as much as possible.”
UNLV led by as many as nine points midway through the second half only to allow the Aggies to hang around. Julian Rishwain hit a pair of 3-pointers to help keep them at bay for a while, but they eventually grabbed a brief lead that proved to be short-lived.
New Mexico State used a late 6-0 run to take a 63-62 lead with 4:08 remaining, but UNLV got the ball inside to Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry for a dunk to recapture the lead for good.
Thomas got to the rim and was fouled in a one-point game with 2:22 remaining and made both free throws. The Aggies wouldn’t score again, as UNLV tightened up defensively down the stretch, forcing New Mexico State to miss its final six shots and eight of their last nine.
UNLV led 37-34 at halftime despite a miserable shooting performance from the field.
After a three-point play by Thomas in the opening minute, the Rebels missed their next eight shots and 13 of their next 15 as they went more than seven minutes without a basket from the floor.
They were able to stay in the game largely because of their defense and ability to get to the free-throw line. UNLV held the Aggies to 31.3 percent shooting in the first half and got into the bonus with more than 14 minutes remaining, going 20-for-23 from the line before the break.
“It just shows we’re really gutsy,” Hill said. “We didn’t shoot well, but we got to the free-throw line and got rebounds when we needed them.”
Eight New Mexico State players had two fouls in the first 20 minutes.
The Rebels did get hot toward the end of a first half that saw Thomas record 15 points and three assists while UNLV shot just 29.2 percent from the field.
None were more memorable than the ones scored by Thomas on the breakaway with 3:06 remaining in the first half.
Coach Kevin Kruger had more faith than Hill.
“I didn’t know if he was going to dunk or not, but I do know he can,” Kruger laughed. “I have seen it before.”
After the Thomas dunk brought the entire bench to its feet in celebration, he threw a lob to Cherry on a break that he finished with a highlight-reel jam and a foul. The three-point play completed a 7-0 run that put the Rebels up 37-30.
“A dunk isn’t always worth only two points,” Kruger said. “Sometimes it gets your team going, and I thought it did for us.”
Cherry finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, and Hill had 16 points and nine boards.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
New Mexico
What channel is MTSU football vs New Mexico State on today? Time, TV schedule for Week 13
MTSU football coach Derek Mason on matchup vs. New Mexico State
Middle Tennessee State football coach Derek Mason talks about the team’s upcoming game vs. New Mexico State.
Middle Tennessee State football will honor its seniors when the Blue Raiders play host to New Mexico State Saturday (1:30 p.m., ESPN+) at Floyd Stadium.
The Blue Raiders (3-7, 2-4 Conference USA) were eliminated from bowl contention with a 37-17 loss to Liberty two weeks ago. MTSU had an open date last week.
New Mexico State (2-8, 1-5) has lost three in a row and eight of nine, including a 38-3 loss to Texas A&M last week. A 33-30 CUSA win over Louisiana Tech is the only victory in that stretch.
Below is information on how to watch the game, betting odds and other information:
Watch MTSU football games live on Fubo
What channel is MTSU football vs. New Mexico State on today?
TV: ESPN+
Livestream: Fubo (free trial)
MTSU vs. New Mexico State will broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network in Week 11 of the 2024 college football season. Jake Rose (play by play), Jeremy Kellem (color commentator) and Justin Beasley (sideline) will call the game from the booth at Floyd Stadium. Streaming options for the game include Fubo,, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
MTSU vs. New Mexico State football time today
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 23
- Start time: 1:30 p.m., CT
The MTSU vs. New Mexico State game starts at noon at Floyd Stadium.
Purchase MTSU football tickets on StubHub
MTSU football vs. New Mexico State prediction, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Nov. 21
MTSU 24, New Mexico State 17: In a matchup involving two of the league’s lowest-scoring offenses and bottom two defenses, something has to give. MTSU will win its third home game of the season to finish 3-3 at Floyd Stadium.
ODDS: MTSU by 3.5
O/U: 51.5
MTSU football 2024 schedule
Aug. 31: MTSU 32, Tennessee Tech 25
Sept. 7: Ole Miss 52, MTSU 3
Sept. 14: Western Kentucky 49, MTSU 21
Sept. 21: Duke 45, MTSU 17
Sept. 28: Memphis 24, MTSU 7
Oct. 10: Louisiana Tech 48, MTSU 21
Oct. 15: MTSU 14, Kennesaw State 5
Oct. 23: Jacksonville State 42, MTSU 20
Nov. 2: MTSU 20, UTEP 13
Nov. 9: Liberty 37, MTSU 17
Nov. 23: vs. New Mexico State, 1:30 p.m., ESPN+
Nov. 30: at Florida International, 1 p.m., ESPN platforms
Dec. 6: Conference USA championship game, CBS Sports Network
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Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@dnj.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
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