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LFC preview: statewide capital requests top $2 billion; bonding capacity about $858 million
Summary
At an early briefing, LFC staff told lawmakers statewide capital requests exceed available bonding capacity, flagging major projects (UNM School of Medicine, Executive Office Building, Behavioral Health Institute) and urging priority-setting and follow-up on unanswered agency questions.
Legislative Finance staff told the House Appropriations subcommittee that the statewide portion of the capital outlay bill this year includes a little over $2.0 billion in requests while traditional bonding programs can support roughly $858 million.
"Total statewide request that we're looking at, is a little over $2,000,000,000, and our capacity, from our bonding programs is about a $858,000,000," said Kelly Carswell, capital outlay analyst at the Legislative Finance Committee, during the Tab E briefing.
Carswell and Wesley Billingsley (DFA) walked members through agency and higher education submissions. They said many requests are continuations of projects already underway: for example, the Department of Health asked for an $80 million supplement to complete the Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas, which previously received about $143 million for design and construction. General Services Department has asked for $130 million to advance the Executive Office Building project in Santa Fe, and the public safety radio system request would add roughly $60 million to a multiyear build‑out.
Members pressed staff on several large requests. Carswell said the higher education department recommended about $789 million of campus capital requests, and that the bulk of its general fund recommendation is a $472.5 million appropriation tied to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine project. She also described a $24 million request from the New Mexico Library Association that would be divided among public, academic, school and tribal libraries.
Lawmakers raised concerns about cost escalation and project readiness. Several members noted projects that have increased substantially from earlier estimates and urged staff to distinguish essential work from desirable additions as they prepare budget recommendations. Carswell and Billingsley said staff will follow up with agencies for missing details and suggested phased funding or tighter prioritization for very large projects.
The committee did not take action on funding today; members asked staff for additional breakdowns, including specific line‑item details for the largest agency requests and the mix of bonding and general‑fund options that could be used to cover gaps.
