By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Over the next two weeks, Burqueños will have a chance to weigh in on Mayor Tim Keller’s $1.47 billion budget proposal before the City Council votes to approve or amend it. Whether it’s police response times, city parks or how the city addresses homelessness, councilors are opening the floor for public input as committee hearings begin. The feedback could help shape funding priorities for the coming fiscal year.
The City Council’s Committee of the Whole — a committee of all nine councilors that works with the administration to review and shape the city budget and capital plan — will hold public hearings on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget at 5 p.m. on April 30 and May 7 at Vincent E. Griego Chambers, One Civic Plaza NW. Public comment will be limited to those two sessions. A third hearing on May 14 will not include public comment, followed by final adoption votes scheduled for May 18 or May 27. The council must approve the budget by May 31.
The City Council divides the hearings into two main categories: Social Goals and Physical Goals. Social Goals focus on community-facing services such as public safety, public health and the city’s response to issues like crime and homelessness. Physical Goals center on infrastructure and internal operations, including transportation, utilities and the systems that keep city government running. According to the council’s schedule, the April 30 hearing will cover Social Goals, while the May 7 session will focus on Physical Goals.
April 30: Social goals departments
- Albuquerque Community Safety
- Albuquerque Fire Rescue
- Albuquerque Police
- Arts and Culture
- City Clerk’s Office
- Civilian Police Oversight Agency
- Economic Development
- Health, Housing and Homelessness
- Parks & Recreation
- Senior Affairs
- Youth and Family Services
May 7: Physical goals departments
- Animal Welfare
- Aviation Department
- Environmental Health
- Finance and Administrative Services
- General Services
- Human Resources
- Inspector General’s Office
- Internal Audit Office
- Legal
- Municipal Development
- Planning
- Solid Waste
- City Support
- Technology & Innovation Department
- Transit
City Council spokesperson Vince Higgins said the first two budget hearings will include public comment, while the May 14 session will be a closed working meeting focused on budget markups. He said residents will need to weigh in early on key proposals, as no public comment will be allowed during that session. Public participation will remain hybrid, with both in-person and virtual testimony allowed. To provide comment, residents must register through the city’s Public Comment signup by 3:30 p.m. on either Apr. 30 or May 7, depending on the department they wish to comment on.
After departmental presentations, the Council will enter the amendment phase during a final Committee of the Whole working session on May 14, when councilors can negotiate changes to the mayor’s proposal and allocate millions of dollars set aside for council priorities. The full Council is scheduled to vote on final adoption of the budget on May 18, with an additional meeting set for May 27 if needed. Residents will have a final opportunity to speak during those adoption votes. The council must approve a balanced budget by May 31 before the new fiscal year begins July 1.