Fourth Judicial District Attorney Dan May got some bad news last week. Someone from the Department of Local Affairs called and told him the state’s going to deduct about $42,500 in gaming fund monies for the 2009 year.

That’s on top of  the $520,000 in gaming funds that are going to be withdrawn from El Paso and Teller counties in 2010 as Gov. Bill Ritter attempts to shore up next year’s budget.

The state’s alleging that El Paso county owes the $42,500 because a 2009 contract was signed a month late. But according to Dan May and commissioner Sallie Clark, it was a state official who signed the document late.

Clark said she was “astounded” by the demand. “Why at the eleventh hour, when we are ready to close our books, would they be asking us for these dollars back?”