After weeks of public hearings, Committee of the Whole Chairperson Renée Grout introduced the City Council’s substitute budget for the 2027 fiscal year, and opening the process for final council-sponsored amendments to finalize the budget before a June 1 deadline. Grout’s version follows Mayor Tim Keller’s budget proposal from earlier this year, but includes changes […]
Local Government
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho residents get first chance to weigh in on $452M city budget
Rio Rancho residents have two opportunities this month to weigh in before the city adopts a $452 million spending plan for the coming fiscal year — and the first public hearing is Thursday night. The Governing Body opens public comment on the Recommended Fiscal Year 2027 Budget at its 6 p.m. regular meeting May 14 […]
Posted inLocal Government
City Council considers stricter repair timelines for ‘Bad Actor’ landlords
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — City councilors and landlords all agree that a handful of “bad actors” are giving landlords citywide a bad image, but a proposal before the city council to increase fines and require faster repairs by the worst offenders faced challenges in it’s first hearing. The city received more than 2,111 […]
Posted inCity Desk ABQ
ABQ moves to permanently fund new safety branches without a rate hike
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque voters may soon decide whether to modernize how the city’s Public Safety Tax is spent, all without seeing any increase in their actual tax rate. We all already pay the Public Safety Tax – 1/4 of 1%, or 25-cents on each $100 transaction – as a part of […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho seeks residents for nine boards and commissions
Rio Rancho residents who want a direct role in shaping city policy on everything from parks to public infrastructure now have a chance to serve — the city is accepting applications for open seats on nine boards and commissions. Seats are vacant or soon to expire on the Arts Commission, Capital Improvements Plan Citizen’s Advisory […]
Posted inEdgewood
Rariden welcomed back to commission, for now, as efforts to restore fire service move forward
By Pat Davis, Route 66 Independent, Edgewood — Mike Rariden started and ended the Edgewood Town Commission meeting as a commissioner and mayor. That is not normally a newsworthy event but Tuesday’s meeting was not an ordinary meeting. After announcing in April that he would resign “during the week of May 4-8,” he rescinded his […]
Posted inEdgewood
Edgewood adopts fireworks ban, punts on criminalizing some activities during fire restrictions
By Pat Davis, Route 66 Indepdent, Edgewood — Heading into a long, hot and dry summer with regular Edgewood windy days and uncertain fire department coverage, town commissioners passed a new 30-day fireworks ban but postponed a decision on giving the town’s police officers powers to criminally charge residents for violating a long list of […]
Posted inEdgewood
Edgewood mayor withdraws resignation, but commission schedules replacement vote anyway
Edgewood — Mike Raridan says he is still Edgewood’s mayor after announcing, then withdrawing, his resignation from his commission seat and the appointed office of mayor last month. The town’s commissioners, however, have scheduled a vote on Tuesday night’s agenda to appoint a new commissioner and elect a new mayor anyway. On April 29, Raridan […]
Posted inSandoval County
Sandoval County ethics ordinance change to streamline process, remove anonymity
Sandoval County Commissioners have ethics on their minds. At Wednesday’s meeting, the commission will consider updating the county’s ethics ordinance. Ethics board Chair Nancy Jinks will present the board’s first-quarter report later in the meeting. New language in the ordinance would change the route taken by ethics complaints and do away with one layer of […]
Posted inLocal Government
South Valley gets new “microtransit zone” with new bus lines and door-to-door service
South Valley residents relying on public transit, or wanting to, will soon see more buses as a part of an expansion of the city’s ABQ RIDE Forward program creating a “microtransit zone” for the area. Changes Starting May 16: “This phase will better connect the South Valley,” said Transit Director Leslie Keener. “The area will greatly […]