New Mexico still needs the services of a firm hired to calculate how much back pay is owed to thousands of state workers.
The state signed a contract worth more than $730,000 with the Bethesda, Maryland-based BDO firm.
According to invoices, BDO has already billed the state for $1.6 million.
The state Supreme Court ruled last year that 10,000 current or former employees were entitled to retroactive pay increases because former Gov. Bill Richardson's administration didn't follow union contracts.
The American Federation for State, County and Municipal Employees says 5,000 workers are still waiting for checks.
Randi Johnson, general counsel for the State Personnel Office, says the "required data analysis was larger and more complicated" than the firm initially thought.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com
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