Lawmakers review infrastructure funding

Proposals eye capital spending reforms

SANTA FE — Several new attempts to overhaul New Mexico’s system for funding dams, roadways and other infrastructure projects are percolating at the Roundhouse, after an effort last year ended up fizzling.

The state’s current system has come under fire for being wasteful and secretive, as lawmakers are not required to disclose which projects they funded.

And some of the earmarked projects — such as zoo animals and wrestling mats — have been vetoed by Gov. Susana Martinez, who has derisively described them as “local pork projects” that do not create jobs or help the economy.

One bill introduced Monday, Senate Bill 262, would create a new legislative interim committee that would review and rank potential projects, then submit a plan before the start of each legislative session — similar to how the state’s annual budget process works.

“New Mexicans deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent,” said Rep. Kelly Fajardo, R-Belen, one of the bill’s sponsors. “This legislation brings the capital outlay process out of the shadows and makes it transparent to the public.”

The bill’s other sponsor, Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, said the legislation could also bolster job-creation efforts, specifically in the construction industry.

Think New Mexico, a Santa Fe-based think tank that’s led the charge on other policy initiatives, is pushing that bill, arguing it would mean a more transparent and need-based system.

The group has altered its approach from last year, when it advocated for creation of a planning council featuring outside experts.

Meanwhile, a separate proposal at the Roundhouse would also form a new legislative panel, but that panel would meet only temporarily — just for this year — to come up with a plan to revamp the current system.

That measure, House Joint Memorial 4, is sponsored by Rep. Daymon Ely, D-Corrales, a firstterm lawmaker who described the issue as a top priority during the ongoing 60-day legislative session.

“The way the system currently works is not a wise use of public funds,” Ely said in a Monday interview.

In addition, several bills have been filed that would put capital outlay appropriations online in a database so they could be easily tracked by the public.

Under the state’s current capital outlay system, lawmakers are allocated a set amount of funding that they can divide up for infrastructure projects in their legislative districts — and sometimes other districts.

For the coming year, about $63 million is available for such projects, through bonds backed by state severance tax revenue. That figure is the smallest amount in seven years, due largely to plummeting oil and natural gas prices.

Martinez, the state’s two-term Republican governor, has supported the idea of overhauling the state’s public infrastructure process. She used part of her State of the State address earlier this month to call for more transparency and efficiency in how projects are funded.

“Stop buying things like wrestling mats, picture frames and drinking fountains for pets,” the governor said in her Jan. 17 speech. “Let’s invest in big projects like water infrastructure or our roads and highways.”

Some critics have complained that various projects funded by legislators in recent years do not meet the definition of vital needs — with examples including rugby equipment, band instruments and the acquisition of zoo animals.

Meanwhile, with the state facing a prolonged budget crunch, there’s also been heightened scrutiny of unspent New Mexico infrastructure dollars, due largely to a lack of planning and oversight, as well as piecemeal funding.

In all, there were more 2,500 projects totaling $978.4 million in unspent public works, or capital outlay, money as of earlier this month, according to the Legislative Finance Committee.

“We have projects that have literally been sitting there for 5 or 10 years,” Ely told the Journal.