Water service has apparently been restored to the Town of Estancia after a cleanup contractor reportedly damaged a main supply line. The town’s website had a one-sentence update (“Water has been restored!”) posted above an announcement of the outage. In a post on the town’s Facebook page, Councilor Albert Lovato wrote that the mishap occurred […]
Local Government
Posted inJobs, Workers & Economy
Wages vs. Rents: Albuquerque council set to vote on historic $15 minimum wage overhaul tonight
By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — Burqueño workers and small business owners could soon feel the impact in their wallets as the City Council prepares to vote tonight on an overhaul of the city’s minimum wage law. As written, the proposal would break from the state’s minimum wage base for the first […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho adopts $452M budget with police pay boost
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. The Rio Rancho Governing Body approved a $452.3 million budget on May 28. The FY2027 budget, approved as Resolution 40, takes effect July 1. The General Fund — which covers core city services — totals $169.9 million. The Utility Operating Fund, which delivers water and wastewater service to more than […]
Posted inCity Desk ABQ
ABQ tries to break its heavy metal habit with new copper theft law
By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — Drivers and pedestrians are navigating dark stretches of East Central Avenue after copper thieves have ripped wiring from streetlights, prompting a pair of city councilors to tighten Albuquerque’s scrap metal recycling laws in an effort to curb the vandalism. Rather than creating a new law, Councilors […]
Posted inCorrales
Village Council approves MainStreet re-up, residents concerned
Corrales MainStreet will continue to promote economic development within the village, but the renewal of the organization’s contracts didn’t happen quietly. While village administration feels the new professional services local agreement adequately shifts its focus from increasing tourist traffic to historical preservation and improving resident quality of life, some residents took to the podium to […]
Posted inLocal Government, Placitas
Placitas residents pack P&Z hearing — and kill Verizon’s cell tower plan
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Placitas residents turned out in force and won as Sandoval County’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously rejected a permit for a 75-foot Verizon cell tower, siding with a community that flooded the hearing room and submitted hundreds of written objections. About 50 residents arrived an hour before the meeting started, […]
Posted inLocal Government
Edgewood residents launch petition to disincorporate town
What happens when a town wants to unburden itself from the responsibilities of being a town? Or if residents conclude, as some in Edgewood have, that it’s time for the town government to go away? A group of Edgewood residents, including Former Mayor John Abrams, say it’s time for the town to vanish. Abrams said […]
Posted inPlacitas
After years of overpayment, Placitas secures victory as ESCAFCA ends tax collection
“This is good, but not the end.” Placitas resident Mike Neas Wednesday expressed relief that a local flood control authority board is looking for a solution to an overtaxation issue that has caused property owners to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they should have. Neas, who earlier this month filed a formal […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho governing body set to adopt $452 million budget, approve Sadie’s restaurant
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho residents will see direct impacts from city spending decisions Thursday night, when the Governing Body meets to adopt a $452 million spending plan for the coming fiscal year. The Governing Body meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 28, at Council Chambers, 3200 Civic Center Circle NE. The session […]
Posted inLocal Government
Edgewood eyes millions in cuts to plug overspending gap
By Pat Davis and Jesse Jones, The Route 66 Independent – For years, Edgewood commissioners have relied on leftover Covid-era federal government handouts and previous year budget surpluses to pay for new town services including police, parks, events and streets without raising the taxes to fund them long-term. With just a month until the end […]