Taos residents demand report after $22.5M for medical office reverts to state

Greg Andrews, a Taos County resident, told the commission it is essential for the county and hospital to explain how $22,500,000 in state funds for a planned medical office building at Holy Cross Medical Center reverted to the state and to disclose the contractual responsibilities of everyone involved. "Taos County residents deserve to know how this happened," Andrews said, urging either staff or an independent party to produce a written public report.

Pete Maggiore, a longtime Taos resident who said he formerly served as New Mexico's environment cabinet secretary and in project-management roles at Los Alamos National Laboratory, told commissioners he was "horrified and deeply disappointed" to read press reports about the reversion. He said the loss of the appropriation undercuts efforts to expand primary care in Taos and posed a practical public-health concern. "How could this possibly have happened? Who is in charge of managing this appropriation? What agreements were in place?" he asked.

The fund reversal dates to a state appropriation the speakers said had been intended to support a Taos primary-care facility and medical office building. Citizens who addressed the commission said the project would expand health services locally and help recruit health professionals; they also expressed concern that starting full construction with only partial funding could leave the county with a half-built facility. Andrews asked whether the project could be scaled to available funds so construction would not outpace secured financing.

Commissioners heard several questions members of the public said need answering: whether deadlines or administrative steps were missed, who bore responsibility under any intergovernmental or contractual agreements, whether project-management tools were used, and what steps will be taken to prevent similar losses. Pete Maggiore offered to volunteer his expertise on project and fund management.

The public-comment period concluded without the commission taking immediate formal action on the request for an independent review. No vote or directive to staff regarding an investigation appears in the meeting record. Commissioners did not announce a follow-up timeline; the county manager's report later noted a tentative July 30 groundbreaking for the medical office building, but that item was not presented as resolving the funding questions raised during public comment.