By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque city workers who report fraud or wrongdoing at City Hall now have stronger legal protections after the City Council unanimously approved two overhauls Monday to protect whistleblowers and strengthen the city’s fraud watchdog.
Councilors unanimously approved the Accountability in Government Ordinance, which Councilor Brook Bassan sponsored. The measure merges two city laws into a single set of rules for the Accountability in Government Oversight Committee, the Office of Internal Audit and the Office of the Inspector General. Bassan said the ordinance clarifies that waste means “inefficient use” rather than abuse, gives the inspector general 30 days instead of 15 to publish revised reports, and allows councilors to grant one-year certification extensions for the auditor and inspector general. She said the administration also identified several updates, including allowing the mayor to review proposed oversight policies, requiring the watchdog offices to report job vacancies in their annual reports, and directing suspected criminal activity to law enforcement instead of prosecutors. The ordinance also allows the watchdog offices to hire outside legal counsel and requires them to report significant use of vacation or sick leave to the oversight committee.
The council also unanimously approved Bassan’s companion measure, O-26-41, updating the city’s Whistleblower Ordinance. The ordinance defines what qualifies as a whistleblower complaint, requires the Office of the Inspector General to maintain a secure case-tracking system and strengthens privacy protections for people who report wrongdoing. It also requires whistleblowers to provide sufficient facts when filing a complaint and bars the inspector general from investigating retaliation claims involving protected classes, collective bargaining agreements, merit system violations or matters under investigation by state or federal agencies. Bassan said the changes clarify the office’s role and help direct complaints to the appropriate process.
Councilor Stephanie Telles voted against an earlier version of the whistleblower ordinance last month after a committee removed her proposed amendments without debate. She reintroduced those changes Monday, and the council approved them. Telles said the two ordinances complement each other. Bassan’s measure “builds the pipes,” she said, while the whistleblower ordinance provides “the folks who turn the faucet on.”