Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 124, No. 60 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
March 11, 2015
WEDNESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Gov.’s office disputes $4.5 billion of unspent funds
By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
The governor’s office has rebuked a state auditor’s report released Monday that reported billions of dollars of unspent governmental funds, saying the report does not provide an honest description of the state’s finances or take into account the need for reserve funding. A spokesman for Gov. Susana Martinez said the “Money on the Sidelines” report by the Government Accountability Office of the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor, which reported $4.5 billion of unspent state funds, is misleading. “This is a report that lacks depth and does not provide an honest description of the situation,” Michael Lonergan, press
secretary for Martinez, said Monday night. The state auditor’s 25-page report and supporting data found $4.5 billion of unspent state funds spread across 737 different accounts throughout state agencies and affiliated entities, excluding pension funds. It was the first of a series of reports new State Auditor Tim Keller promised examining the use of public funds in New Mexico, with subsequent volumes to focus on public funds held by counties, municipalities, school districts and other local public bodies. Lonergan said the report, which showed $738 million of unspent funds for water projects among various state agencies, does not take into account that large projects are often funded in stages.
“Most of this money is already authorized to be spent on projects or programs throughout the state of New Mexico; there are probably many in Chaves County, in fact,” Lonergan said. “Projects can be funded in phases and over a short period of time.” Keller, a Democrat, said in a statement Monday the report identified funds “sitting on the sidelines in our state agencies.” “As our state copes with revenue shortfalls and ever-increasing public spending needs for infrastructure and education, it is critical that every dollar possible be utilized,” Keller said. Of the $4.5 billion of unspent funds, the report found almost $2 billion resided in unspent capital infrastructure funds, primarily See FUNDS, Page A3
Courtesy Graphic
This pie chart from the Government Accountability Office of the Office of the State Auditor shows unspent infrastructure funds found in a report examining 737 different accounts throughout various state agencies.
City Council set to discuss cemetery, apartment projects
By Jeff Jackson Record City Editor
AP Photo
In this March 3 photo, handcuffs and chains sit on the paperwork of a person arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after a series of early-morning arrests in New York. Immigrant and Customs Enforcement say an increasing number of cities and counties across the United States are limiting cooperation with the agency and putting its officers in dangerous situations as they track down foreign-born criminals.
Additions to the veterans’ cemetery and consideration of a potential highend apartment complex are among the items up for discussion when the Roswell City Council meets Thursday night. A state grant of $250,000 could be used to install a service-site gazebo and make other improvements at the Gen. Douglas L. McBride Veterans’ Cemetery on Southeast Main Street. The funds were distributed last year to the veterans’ cemetery board but controlled by the City Council because the cemetery is part of city-controlled property. The expenditure for the upgrades
would be part of a master plan for that cemetery and the adjacent South Park Cemetery to the south. The Parks and Recreation Department committee, which also oversees cemetery matters, approved the cemetery master plan revision at a March 2 meeting. The veterans’ board received the one-quarter million dollars with the stipulation the money must be spent by 2018, which the panel fully intends doing, said Jim Bloodhart, who presides over the board and also serves on the city’s cemetery panel. Services for veterans would be held at the octagon-shaped gazebo rather than graveside to provide a
Immigration officials see danger in local agencies’ waning cooperation Senate adopts bill NEW YORK (AP) — Diminished local cooperation is putting federal immigration officers in dangerous situations as they track down foreign-born criminals, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say. They say that more of their officers are out on the streets, eating up resources, because cities and states have passed legislation that limits many of the detention requests issued by immi-
gration authorities. For years, ICE has issued the detainers to local and state law enforcement agencies, asking them to hold immigrants for up to 48 hours after they were scheduled for release from jail. Most detainees are then either taken into federal custody to face an immigration judge or be deported. But more than 300 counties and cities, plus California, Connecticut,
Illinois, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, have chosen to release immigrants, claiming too many people who have committed low-level offenses or no crime at all were being deported and unnecessarily separated from their families. Courts have said that honoring detainers without probable cause could result in a civil rights offense. ICE insists that its priorities have changed and
it is only focused on foreign-born criminals who are a threat to society. It deported nearly 316,000 people in fiscal year 2014. In the first eight months of 2014, immigration officers filed roughly 105,000 requests for local enforcement agencies to hold immigrants, but local agencies declined 8,800 of the requests, according to data provided by immigration authorities.
See COUNCIL, Page A3
to reorganize DPS
Staff Report
The New Mexico Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would reorganize the New Mexico Department of Public Safety for the first time in 28 years in an effort to make the department more effective and potentially save taxpayer money. Senate Bill 95aaa would
consolidate the operations of three DPS divisions into one division. It would join the Motor Transportation Division, Special Investigations Division and the Training and Recruiting Bureau into one division under the New Mexico State Police Division. The bill passed the Senate Tuesday by a 31-9 vote.
High court ruling: All Senior Circle offers activities, trips for seniors must report child abuse
SANTA FE (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Monday that all residents are required by law to report suspected child abuse and neglect. The ruling reverses a 2013 decision by the state Court of Appeals that limited who was required to report such allegations. That previous ruling prompted a proposal being considered by state lawmakers requiring all persons to report suspected abuse and neglect. According to the high court’s ruling, the reporting requirement applies to both privately and publicly employed social workers, and statements made during counseling sessions aren’t protected from disclosure in court. The ruling stems from the case of an Albuquerque man charged with sexually
abusing his minor daughter. He had counseling sessions with a licensed social worker in private practice. The Associated Press is not identifying the man to protect the privacy of the child who was allegedly abused. The daughter is not identified in the court ruling but her father is named. The appellate court had affirmed a Bernalillo County district judge’s decision granting an order to prevent the man’s social worker and ex-wife from disclosing to law enforcement what he had said during counseling. The man has pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal sexual contact of a child under age 13. The case was pending while prosecutors appealed the protective order. Today’s Forecast
HIGH 70 LOW 37
By Dylanne Petros Record Staff Writer
Despite the perception some people over 50 just want to relax, Senior Circle members are active in all facets of life. Senior Circle, which started in 1999, has about 4,000 members and numerous activities for seniors to get involved. “There are many, many activities,” said Marifrank DaHarb, director of Senior Circle. Some of the activities include exercise classes, card games, movie nights and birthday parties. “We have lot of exercise (classes),” DaHarb said. “Our most popular exercise is Strong Bones. That is to ward off osteoporosis or if you already have osteoporosis it can actually improve it.” The class, she said, is
Dylanne Petros Photo
Marifrank DaHarb explains the services Senior Circle offers while Kiwanis President Abel Esquibel listens at Tuesday’s meeting. so popular that it meets “The Roswell Chapter is three times a week at 10 by far the largest by more a.m. than double,” DaHarb Movies are shown every said. “We’re proud of Monday at 1:30 p.m. and that.” popcorn is provided. Along with free movies “We try very hard to get and free exercise classes, all of the Oscar-nominat- groups go to lunch every ed (movies),” DaHarb said. Tuesday. Senior Circle, created “We rotate restaurants,” and run by Communi- she said. ty Health Systems, has Some of the restaurants chapters all around the the group goes to include country. Peppers Grill and Bar,
• Elvira DeLaCruz • John Robert Westfall
See CIRCLE, Page A3
Index
Today’s Obituaries Page B3
• Nemesia Olaguez • Walter McTeigue • H. Terry Turner
Hunan and Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine. “We welcome new people to come,” DaHarb said. The Senior Circle also has a book club that meets once a month and different card games throughout the day for people to play. The two newest games at Senior Circle, DaHarb said, are bridge and 42, a dominos game. Senior Circle also hosts Healthsense the first and third Friday of the month. The speakers, mainly doctors, speak to the group members about their concerns and news in the medical community. The new police chief, DaHarb said, will be at the next Healthsense, which will be March 20 at 11:30 p.m. DaHarb also said Senior
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