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Commission defers Topgolf PPA amendment after concerns about job targets and payment terms
Summary
Bernalillo County commissioners on Feb. 11 deferred a proposed amendment to Topgolf Albuquerque’s project participation agreement after commissioners asked staff for more data on job targets, wage levels and the original agreement terms.
Bernalillo County commissioners on Feb. 11 voted 4–0 to defer consideration of a proposed amendment to the Topgolf Albuquerque USA LLC project participation agreement.
What was proposed: County economic-development staff sought approval to amend the agreement to do three things: convert the original job-creation thresholds (200 total jobs with 132 full-time jobs) to a new target of 167 total jobs with 89 full-time positions; reduce the county’s LEDA/LITA participation payment from $250,000 to $168,670 (proportional to revised job targets); and extend the compliance/performance period by five years to allow additional time to meet targets.
Why commissioners deferred: Several commissioners expressed concern about changing terms after the fact and asked for more documentation: the original executed project participation agreement (PPA), the original clawback calculation that would have applied under current terms, the county’s payment status (county staff said the county has not paid Topgolf; city had paid its portion), and current pay levels for part‑time and full‑time positions. Commissioners also asked for a table comparing the original PPA clawback scenario with the proposed amendment so the net fiscal effect is transparent.
What staff and Topgolf said: Executive development officer Marcos Gonzalez said the amendment was negotiated because Topgolf did not meet original job targets after opening during the pandemic; the change would model the county payment proportional to jobs created and extend the tracking window. Tyler Summers of Topgolf said pandemic-driven operational shifts led the company to rely more heavily on part-time and temporary staffing; he reported the venue had roughly 165 employees with about 85 full‑time employees at the time of presentation and said Topgolf expects to sustain the revised targets.
Next steps: The commission approved a motion to defer to the March 11 meeting so staff can provide the original PPA, a comparison table of clawback vs. amendment outcomes, wage information for full- and part-time positions, and the city’s PPA for comparison. The deferral passed 4–0.
