Mora’s $12. 6 Million Courthouse Push Moves Forward After 20 Years

Mora County’s unfinished courthouse may finally be put to use. On Tuesday, the State Board of Finance unanimously approved a $12.6 million plan for the 44,000-square-foot building in Mora, a village in northern New Mexico. State lawmakers had already approved $13 million in capital outlay funding over the past two years. Some of that money will pay taxes and other project costs. With state approval secured, construction could begin in October.

The trouble dates to 2004, when county voters narrowly supported a bond issue for a new courthouse. Officials chose a building larger than some residents thought necessary. They did not have all the money needed to finish it, so work stalled. The structure remained incomplete for years. Officials later determined that its shell was structurally unsound and unsafe for occupancy. The county then sued the project’s architect. More than two decades of delays, legal disputes and uncertainty left the courthouse mostly empty.

The long failure has made some local residents distrust government. County leaders say they have tried to respond through openness, including access to project records. The courthouse has also become an example in debates over New Mexico’s capital outlay system. That system allows legislators to direct infrastructure money toward projects in their districts. Even after recent changes, Legislative Finance Committee data showed that an estimated $7.6 billion for more than 6,400 projects statewide remained unspent in July. A 2017 television investigation sharply criticized the courthouse as a costly example of public waste.

State General Services Secretary Anna Silva said the new funding should allow the work to move ahead. After a formal bidding process, the agency selected Albuquerque-based Bradbury Stamm as the contractor. Once finished, the building will include courtrooms, the county clerk’s office, a local Motor Vehicle Division field office and other services for residents. The next test is whether the project can stay on track, control its final costs and rebuild public confidence.