Vendors howl as APS fails to pay bills

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - We all pay our bills so why can't Albuquerque Public Schools? The district is behind on paying contractors and vendors, and as of Friday owed those large and small businesses $18.5 million.

There are hundreds of invoices at APS piled up and waiting to be paid. One of those vendors APS owes money to is a plumbing company where Anthony works.

"I would say we're out $100,000-$200,000," he told KRQE News 13.

Anthony works for a small plumbing company that he says hasn't been paid by APS since April. Employees are not getting paid, the company is behind on its taxes, and it could be forced to close its doors if it doesn't see some money fast.

"We're struggling right now. We barely see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's hard," Anthony said. "I've been working about six months without getting income trying to keep this alive."

APS Chief Financial Officer Don Moya conceded his department is behind paying its vendors. He said the problem has nothing to do with the district's budget problems.

"We were changing the way we were doing the budgeting for this coming fiscal year, and that's delayed putting the purchase orders in the system to get them paid," Moya said.

Moya has been on the job with APS for five weeks and only became aware of the problems last week. Since then, he said the delinquent bills have been his top priority.

But Moya told News 13 the invoices are less than one month overdue but then was informed some vendors interviewed by News 13 claimed delays of at least six to eight months.

"I am not aware of issues that stem back to January," he said adding he would look into it.

Moya said he plans to be aggressive about the logjam and wants to have most if not all of the contractors and vendors paid by Friday. He also said he wants to hear personally from those vendors who have past due bills from earlier in the year.

He gave News 13 his cell phone number, which was then passed along to those vendors.