By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. –– While reviewing Mayor Tim Keller’s $1.47 billion budget proposal, a counterintuitive number jumped out in the city’s Health, Housing and Homelessness Department budget: despite contracts for substance use treatment more than doubling to $5.5 million,the city expects to serve fewer people, lowering its target from 650 […]
Jesse Jones
Jesse Jones is a reporter covering local government and news for The Paper. through a local journalism fellowship from NM Reports.
Posted inNM.news
Keller proposes to add “out-of-towner” fees to BioPark, golf courses to help close city budget gap
Duke City taxpayers may soon stop covering the cost for out-of-town visitors who use city services, as Mayor Tim Keller pushes new fees on non-residents. Keller last week proposed a $1.47 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 that would add new fees for non-residents who use city services. The plan would charge visitors the full […]
Posted inEnvironment, Conservation & Climate
Rio Grande water levels “no longer sufficient” to meet irrigator and river needs, says MRGCD
Middle Rio Grande Valley farmers are facing a tough, unpredictable irrigation season. While an early runoff from the mountains allowed for a head start, river flows have already plunged by about a third since early March. While water demand climbs, river flows have dropped to 30% of early March levels, straining the region’s irrigation system. […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
Consultants send “preferred plan” keeping State Fair, adding stadium to Fairgrounds board
By Jesse Jones and Pat Davis, City Desk in The Paper. — Consultants tasked with recommending options for redevelopment of the State Fairgrounds will recommend a $240 million multi-year master plan to serve as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization on and off-site, City Desk has learned. The plan presented in a public meeting Friday evening […]
Posted inThe Paper.
Exclusive: Frustrated with stadium legal delays, New Mexico United open to Fairgrounds “pivot”
By Jesse Jones and Pat Davis, City Desk in The Paper. — Soccer fans may have a new reason to care about redevelopment at the New Mexico State Fair. In an exclusive interview with City Desk, New Mexico United Co-owner and CEO Peter Trevisani says the New Mexico United would be open to moving its […]
Posted inNew Mexico Legislature #nmleg, New Mexico Statewide News, NM Political Report
From malpractice caps to homebuyer help and new crimes: Here are more than 50 new laws Lujan Grisham signed in her last session in office
By Jesse Jones — The 2026 New Mexico legislative session is officially in the books. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed 48 dozens of (Editor’s note: this story has been updated with additional bills signed after the initial list was published on Fri. Mar. 6) bills into law from her final 30-day session, addressing issues from […]
Posted inLocal Government
Albuquerque councilors propose tax hike to raise over $100 million for new projects, staff pay
By Jesse Jones — A new proposed City Council ordinance, O-26-16, known as the Community Enhancement Municipal Gross Receipts Tax and sponsored by Councilors Joaquín Baca and Brook Bassan and Mayor Tim Keller’s administration, would raise the city’s gross receipts tax (GRT), a local sales tax on goods and services, by .4875% — generating an […]
Posted inCity Desk ABQ
Albuquerque’s zoning rules are getting a rewrite — here’s what’s at stake Wednesday night
The Albuquerque City Council meets Wednesday, Feb. 18, with a packed agenda that could shape how the city grows and who helps run it. Councilors are set to take final action on the 2025 biennial update to the Integrated Development Ordinance, the city’s land-use code that governs where and how development happens. The sweeping citywide […]
Posted inCity Desk ABQ
Lawsuit between Mayor, Council over paramedic staffing comes to sudden end
Mayor Tim Keller’s administration and the Albuquerque City Council have reached an agreement to end a legal fight over paramedic staffing, ending a long dispute over who controls emergency response staffing. Announced Monday, the deal resolves all outstanding legal challenges, including a separation-of-powers dispute filed earlier this year. The agreement establishes a formal review process […]
Posted inCity Desk ABQ
City installs AI-automated “parking sticks” to send you tickets in the mail
Jesse Jones, City Desk ABQ — Albuquerque is rolling out artificial intelligence-powered technology to curb illegal parking in high-risk safety zones across the city. The city has launched an automated parking enforcement program that uses 60 solar-powered camera units, known as SafetySticks, provided by Municipal Parking Services Inc., to catch drivers who block bus stops, […]