By LILY ALEXANDER
The Santa Fe New Mexican

The New Mexico Legislature is set allocate more than $1.255 billion for building projects throughout the state in the next fiscal year, including more than $175 million in pork barrel spending in the capital city and Santa Fe County.

Senate Bill 240, which soared through the Senate on Wednesday and was still waiting for a vote on the House floor before the session’s final hour, includes at least $7.3 million in capital outlay for city of Santa Fe projects and more than $8 million for the county government. A large portion of funding in the county—$95 million—would go toward a new downtown state executive office building near the Capitol. 

Bernalillo County will see the single largest share of capital outlay in the bill, with over $426 million in allocations—but that includes the biggest-ticket item on the list, $280 million for a new University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Shares of the funding will reach all corners of New Mexico, with lawmakers in the House and Senate and the governor divvying $535 million for local projects.

More than $10 million each would go to statewide projects for housing, early childhood facilities, magistrate courts, the Childcare Facility Revolving Loan Fund, public safety radio communication systems, school bus replacements and state parks. 

Rep. Joshua Hernandez, R-Rio Rancho, described SB 240 as “the one bill that nobody’s going to vote ‘no’ on.”

The effort to get the massive spending measure approved before the session ends at noon Thursday comes as lawmakers have agreed to focus on “shovel-ready” projects and unanimously approved an overhaul of the allocation system to address a growing backlog of unspent funds—around $7 billion. The money remains unspent as construction costs for delayed projects continue to rise.

Santa Fe-area lawmakers have repeatedly expressed frustration about the slow-moving pace of city projects.

House Bill 247, which cleared the Senate on Wednesday, limits how many times the Legislature can reauthorize unspent capital outlay for a single project. Meanwhile, House Bill 332, reauthorizing scores of projects, also passed the Senate on Wednesday night.

Santa Fe’s share

The city of Santa Fe’s legislative wishlist added up to $34.6 million, about five times the amount included in SB 240 and less than half the $18.3 million the city received last year; although, much those funds went toward infrastructure for the Homewise Inc.-led affordable housing development in Phase 3 of the Tierra Contenta subdivision on Santa Fe’s south side.

Money for all but one item on the city’s capital outlay wishlist—$5 million for the repair or replacement of the ailing south-side wastewater treatment plant—are included in SB 240.

The highest-ticket city item is a proposed $3.25 million for the second phase of the expansion of the Santa Fe Regional Airport. Phase 2 adds space for passengers, airlines, baggage claim and food services.

The capital outlay bill includes $1 million for improvements to the Santa Fe Plaza, which was not on the city’s priority list. Rather, it was a last-minute addition by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, according to city spokesperson Peter Olson. The allocation follows a trend for the governor—she gave millions of unrequested dollars to the city for improvements to Fort Marcy Park over two years. 

However, Olson said, this year’s Plaza money will not be granted to the city—rather, it’s for a state project. No other details were available Wednesday about how the money will be used.

Homewise is set to receive $900,000 for a 5-acre Los Prados Park in the Los Prados development on South Meadows Road, which broke ground last month. The 22-acre south-side development will ultimately feature 50% affordable housing, The New Mexican previously reported.

“This is like a kind of critical last-mile funding,” Homewise Inc. President Johanna Gilligan said Wednesday.

Homewise also is set to receive $275,000 for infrastructure in Tierra Contenta. The nonprofit was hoping for more to reach a goal of $15 million in public money for the project. It has so far secured $10.5 million.

It will continue to look for resources to fill the gap, Gilligan said.

SB 240 also provides $750,000 for the construction of a homeless shelter in Santa Fe — far less than the city’s request for $10 million.

Other city allocations in the bill:

• $700,000 for improvements to Herb Martinez Park on Camino Carlos Rey.
• $750,000 for improvements to Ragle Park near Santa Fe High School.
• $450,000 for median improvements.
• $50,000 for the design of a new police facility.
• $100,000 for stabilization of Arroyo Torreon, an arroyo off West Alameda Street that has been hit hard by erosion.
• $250,000 for fire department equipment—another allocation that wasn’t on the city’s list.

Santa Fe County

Santa Fe County’s capital outlay request included about 17 projects worth around $72.4 million. The more than $8 million it received this year is still better than last year’s $6.4 million.

Of the county’s priority projects, upgrades to public housing in Santa Cruz—a community near Española—would receive the most money: $2.2 million, just short of the project’s $2.9 million funding gap.

The Greater Glorieta Community Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association is set to receive $1.4 million for improvements.

Nearly $500,000 would go toward construction on the Avenida Vista Grande bridge in Eldorado, and a little over $500,000 would address the Ojo de la Vaca Road low-water crossing in the Canoñcito area, which the county described Wednesday as “a problem spot for residents of that corridor in periods of heavy rainfall.”

A host of state government projects are included in the overall $175 million share for projects in the county.

The highest-dollar item is the proposed $95 million for the state office complex, which had an estimated price tag of $194 million in 2023, The New Mexican reported at the time. The city Historic Districts Review Board voted in 2024 to approve the demolition of a state building, motor pool and garage on South Capitol Street to make way for the office building, and voted in December to approve the demolition of four casitas on Don Gaspar Avenue.

Another $10 million is proposed for construction on the New Mexico Emergency Operations Center, currently housed in the basement of the state Emergency Management Center in Santa Fe, while $13 million would go toward the renovation of a wildfire response facility. It was unclear Wednesday whether this is a state or local project.

Pueblo funding

Native American pueblos in the county will see millions of dollars from SB 240. Namely, Pojoaque Pueblo would get $4 million for the redevelopment of the Downs at Santa Fe, which received $12 million total over the past two years.

Pojoaque Pueblo would also receive about $1.1 million for the renovation of a wellness center.

San Ildefonso Pueblo would receive $2 million for a library learning center.

Outside the Santa Fe region, $10 million would go toward the Navajo Code Talkers Museum—a long-awaited McKinley County project that has faced numerous hiccups in recent years. 

Reauthorization bill

House Bill 332, reauthorizing unspent capital outlay, passed the Senate on a 24-14 vote Wednesday evening, after an unsuccessful Republican attempt to amend the bill to remove $10 million to buy a building for a reproductive health care clinic in Las Cruces.

Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer, R-Farmington, argued the state has not found a contractor to build an abortion clinic—after funds were authorized several years ago—because people in Las Cruces don’t want it.

“If the people of Las Cruces would not come to the table to even build this, why do we need to spend … $10 million to buy a building that’s probably only worth $5 million anyway,” he said.

Staff writers Gabrielle Porter, Carina Julig and Cormac Dodd contributed to this report.