Budget bumps, popsicles and postponed charter changes dominated the lengthy Albuquerque City Council meeting May 20. In the end, a $1.4 billion budget was approved for fiscal year 2025. Budget Ups and Downs A big chunk of the five-plus hour meeting was spent working out the dollar details. After a couple of hours of discussion […]
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Lawsuit: City leaders attempted to use Risk Management as a ‘slush fund’
A former city manager within the Risk Management Division filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the City of Albuquerque on May 17 citing intimidation, false accusations and disregard for workplace safety laws concerning asbestos at the Gateway Center. The lawsuit was filed by Jeanette Chavez, an official within Risk Management who was one of the first […]
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Officials who flagged asbestos dangers at Gateway Center told to stay home, given sick leave as city fined by state
At least two senior officials who raised concerns about the city’s mishandling of asbestos exposure during the construction of the Gibson Health Hub were threatened with reassignment and then quietly placed on sick leave. Both officials were made unavailable to answer questions from the city council and others about the administration’s actions that resulted in […]
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City charter changes could create chaos
Proposed changes to the city’s charter have stirred up an old-time controversy. Several Albuquerque city councilors are asking for a slew of changes to the city’s charter that would go to the voters. The stack of charter amendment proposals will be debated at their May 20 regular meeting. If approved, the changes will go to […]
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Fees for fun things in ABQ won’t be raised
Albuquerque City Councilors have dropped proposed fee increases from Mayor Tim Keller’s draft budget for fiscal year 2024-2025. At the May 16 Committee of the Whole meeting, members voted to make a few changes to Keller’s $1.4 billion budget. Among the amendments was allocating an additional $250,000 for the ABQ BioPark, eliminating the need for […]
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Council provides ‘basic human rights for almost everybody’
Albuquerque City Councilors passed an amendment to the city’s Human Rights Ordinance to prohibit discrimination based on mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, or conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth. The amendment is an update to the city’s Human Rights Ordinance to match the State of New Mexico’s Human Rights Act, Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn […]
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Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy
This story is published in partnership with ProPublica as a part of our commitment to bringing you the best in independent news coverage that matters to Albuquerque. By Nicole Santa Cruz | ProPublica ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power, co-published this story with New Mexico in Depth. On a recent morning, Christian Smith ran […]
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Push for more Albuquerque duplexes falls short
Those hoping the city would allow more duplexes to be built in Albuquerque were disappointed Wednesday night when a proposed zoning amendment was voted down 3-2. The consideration before the land use, planning and zoning (LUPZ) committee would have allowed duplexes, once authorized under city zoning, to be constructed from single-family homes located in certain […]
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Budget committee meets one last time to tackle the mayor’s big buck budget
Get your popcorn ready to watch some municipal excitement. The Committee of the Whole will meet on May 16 for members to pull out their red pens to mark up the mayor’s $1.4 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 2025. This is the last meeting scheduled before the final budget will be presented at the […]
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200 seniors, 90 veterans housed at Westside shelter — some for years
The city’s Westside Emergency Housing Center (WEHC) is home to about 200 seniors and 90 veterans seeking shelter among hundreds more who are experiencing homelessness. While the number who sleep there fluctuates throughout the year, during the winter months officials say it’s not uncommon to reach its capacity of 600. City officials and advocates for […]