County funding makes film-industry lobbyist a reality

On a 3-2 vote, the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners decided today to provide $25,000 to NMSU to help pay an employee whose job will be attracting films to the area.

The vote formally approved an agreement with the Creative Media Institute at New Mexico State University designed to help draw films to the area. The City of Las Cruces and NMSU have already agreed to each provide $25,000 for the position, so the county’s vote ensures it will become a reality.

The position is essentially that of an economic development employee who will lobby Hollywood to shoot films in Doña Ana County and help coordinate such projects. Having such an employee recently helped draw the filming of part of the fourth Indiana Jones film to the Deming area.

The county and city have also agreed to make facilities available for film projects and provide police help in closing roads for shoots.

An intentional effort in Northern New Mexico has drawn a number of films and the relocation of some companies to the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area.

Though the county manager came up with a way to fund the proposal, today’s vote was controversial because other external agencies were denied funding earlier this year because they did not go through the normal process for seeking funding from the county.

“I cannot support this,” Commissioner Dolores Saldaña-Caviness said. “That would be hypocritical of me, to sit here and support something like this.”

That’s because, she said, the Gadsden schools’ summer sports program asked for money earlier this year and was denied because it submitted its application a day after the deadline.

Caviness said she would support the funding in the future if CMI goes through the normal process. Commissioners conduct hearings on external-agency funding in the spring, while putting together their budget for the next fiscal year, but agencies have to apply by a certain date to be eligible for funding.

Commissioner Oscar Vasquez Butler sided with Caviness.

“We’re setting a precedent right now,” he said. “We denied people because they were late and now we’re entertaining you… months later.”

The other three commissioners said the opportunity was unique in that the program didn’t exist to apply for funding when the county conducted hearings earlier this year. All three said it is an important opportunity to support economic development.

Their support came after county Manager Brian Haines said he had money in his own budget to accommodate the funding this year.

Commission Chairwoman Karen Perez said she shared some of the concerns expressed by Caviness and Butler, but also believes the county needs to take advantage of this opportunity now, rather than waiting until next year’s budget process begins.

“This is a unique opportunity. We are competing pretty heavily with Santa Fe for the film industry and several months, in that competition, makes a huge difference,” she said.