BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A Larry Barker Investigation details the recent return of a $50,000 funding request for a heavy metal music mobile museum in Bernalillo County. The second attempt at getting state funds for the proposed museum may come as a surprise to some after what happened last year.
In 2022, a Larry Barker investigation found Bernalillo County Commissioners improperly circumvented commission policy by asking lawmakers to fund the museum project without fully vetting the project. New Mexico lawmakers who went on to sponsor the $50,000 funding request for the museum also ignored legislative guidelines by endorsing capital outlay for something that lacked documentation, a design, plans or a budget.
After the plug was pulled on the state approved funding in 2022, Bernalillo County recently attempted to re-request funding for the museum project. Still without plans, design or a budget, the heavy metal music mobile museum appeared on the county’s 2023 capital outlay requests. Amid Larry Barker’s continued investigation, Bernalillo County Manager Julie Morgas Baca recently pulled the plug on the second funding request.
Detailing the work behind his new investigation, Larry Barker recently spoke about the mobile museum funding comeback in a “Behind the Story” interview with KRQE Digital Anchor Chris McKee. Watch the video embedded in this story for the full interview.
Among the topics discussed: How did Larry hear about this latest development? What was the process of putting together the investigation? And do the latest developments affect how the county will deal with the capital outlay processes moving forward?
Watch the full conversation in the video player embedded on this page to learn more about the process Larry took in compiling his investigation. For more context about this discussion, view Larry’s complete story on KRQE.com, titled, “New Mexico’s mystery project: A case study in wasted tax dollars.”
“Behind the Story” is KRQE News 13’s online, exclusive web series, giving viewers a detailed explanation into the work that goes into KRQE News 13’s investigative reports. For more segments on prior Larry Barker investigations, visit the Larry Barker Investigates page here.
