New Mexico’s looming financial crisis has accomplished something that all manner of goading by state officials hasn’t over the years: A flood of invoices from cities and counties, some as old as two years, for brick-and-mortar projects in their communities.

The reason is simple. With New Mexico’s worsening financial situation –- some estimates predict a $500 million budget gap this year — Gov. Bill Richardson and state lawmakers are beginning to look for money in every nook and cranny. And that includes unspent state money for brick-and-mortar projects, such as community centers, senior centers and gyms across New Mexico.

A state budget official told state lawmakers Tuesday that the state agency that oversees reimbursing local governments had gotten 600 invoices over the last month. The submissions are coming from local governments making sure they don’t lose their money.

In New Mexico local brick-and-mortar projects often are funded through a complicated process called capital outlay, in which a local government spends money up front on the project and the state reimburses it later.

“One thing that it has done is clean up some of the books,” Robert Apodoca, the state budget official, told lawmakers.