Funding measure concerns fire, police officials

The progression of two legislative pieces designed to revert funding from state law enforcement and fire protection funds have local fire and police officials concerned.

Senate Bill 111 and House Bill 4 - up for approval in the New Mexico House Appropriations and Finance Committee and Senate Finance Committee, respectively - will revert "balances of the insurance operations fund, fire protection fund, fire protection grant fund and law enforcement protection fund at the end of each fiscal year," according to the New Mexico legislative website.

Clovis Fire Department Chief Michael Nolen said the funds being re-appropriated by the bills come from the state fire protection fund grant, a major lifeline for small departments.

"That's the potential for a $100,000 grant each year that won't be available to any of the services within the state. That's a huge impact," he said. "That goes toward truck payments and survival, actually, whether it's new air pack purchases or updating new equipment or purchasing new technology. That won't be available to anyone in the fire service."

The passing of the bills will also change the allocation of funds to periodic allotments during the fiscal year, said Nolen.

"Instead of the initial payment coming in for the year, these payments are being re-appropriated to quarterly payments, based on priority and need, and so those payments, it looks like, are not going to come in until the end of the quarter," he said.

According to Portales Police Department Chief Pat Gallegos, the re-allocation of his department's unused funds could also have a potentially harmful effect.

"It will kind of hurt, because we can't carry anything over, so you have to allocate that money and spend it," he said.

Gallegos said that he would like to see departments retain the ability to spend all their funds at once, as opposed to receiving the money in portions.

"It does affect how we spend the money and what we can use. If they agree that we're going to get the entire amount for the year, it would be great," he said. "Then we could think ahead about what we need with it, but if it's only a little bit at a time (that has an impact). I know some agencies purchase big stuff with it, like vehicles, and I'm sure that's going to put a damper on that stuff."