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| Sunland Park City Hall |
El Paso Times — A $1 million contract between the city of Sunland Park and one of its former consultants is at the center of a legal dispute that has accusations flying both directions.
And the outcome, which is pending trial, could possibly cost city taxpayers money — or result in them being reimbursed, to the tune of about half a million dollars.
The owner of the contract, Annette Morales, and her Las Cruces-based company, Medius Inc., sued the city at the start of the year, contending she was owed money for consulting work that went unpaid when the city ended her contract abruptly last fall.
But a twist in the months since now has the city alleging that Morales was the one in the wrong and that it's she who owes the city of Sunland Park nearly a half-million dollars.
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| Stan Fulton |
Morales, in a recent interview, said she was almost relieved when her contract was terminated by the city last year because of a "toxic" work environment and major turmoil at city hall. But the city didn't give proper notice to end the agreement and left an invoice unpaid. She said she's looking forward to a resolution.
"We attempted to try to settle. I don't know if that's going to happen," she said. "I just want this nightmare to end."
Morales was awarded up to a $1 million contract in the first quarter of 2011 to carry out a city infrastructure review and create plan for accommodating a proposed international border crossing between Sunland Park and Juárez, according to court documents.
Payment for Morales' work was set to originate from the Border Crossing Fund, a nearly $12 million donation to the city from racetrack and casino owner Stan Fulton that was meant to benefit the proposed port of entry. Read full story here:
News New Mexico
Fulton's $12 Million Gift to Sunland Park Tangled in Consultant Lawsuit
Albuquerque Journal (Subscription) - In New Mexico, children 18 and younger comprise about 61 percent of the 550,000 people covered by Medicaid, the state and federally funded health care insurance program for the poor, said Matt Kennicott, a spokesman for the state Human Services Department. New Mexico now extends Medicaid coverage to about 336,000 children from families up to 235 percent of the federal poverty level, or $54,168 a year for a family of four. By comparison, the Affordable Care Act goes only to 133 percent of poverty. Under the new federal health care law, states can’t reduce Medicaid eligibility at least until new health care exchanges are up and running, if they so choose to do. Medicaid eligibility varies widely for New Mexico adults. Pregnant women are covered up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level, or $42,648 a year for a family of four. New Mexico remains in early discussion about what shape Medicaid will take under the new law, Kennicott said Thursday. Gov. Susana Martinez and state lawmakers have yet to weigh in, he said. “We’re still in very early conversations about what is going to happen in New Mexico,” he said. “There are lots of moving pieces and lots of people involved in this decision.” Read More News New Mexico
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