Albuquerque mayor sounds off about city council proposals, budget
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque City Council passed a new budget Monday night marking the city’s largest budget ever; but there are indicators of a growing rift between some of those councilors and the mayor.
Mayor Tim Keller called out councilors Tuesday for cuts tied to homelessness, but also some big proposed rule changes that he calls undemocratic. “I think what we did see is a lot of things that are a big distraction,” Keller said, sounding off outside of city hall, “What is important is funding for homelessness and for crime and so this is where we were able to make some corrections but we’re going to need more.”
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Keller says the $1.4 billion budget includes some cuts to some of the funding he wanted to see to fight homelessness and crime. “I was absolutely surprised why in any scenario would you cut our number one issue. And so, but we were able to reconcile that and at least fix it partially and do the rest this summer,” Keller said.
The mayor is also taking aim at some proposed changes to the city charter championed by City Council President Dan Lewis which could change the rules around hiring and firing some top city leaders. “I think we were very surprised last night because council did a complete 180 and has basically made it impossible to ever get rid of a police chief, a city attorney, or a city clerk,” Keller said.
Those proposals will undergo another hearing next month and City Councilor Klarissa Peña says there’s still work to be done. “It is a little premature to be condemning these bills that council’s just trying to work on to improve the city of Albuquerque and our charter,” Peña said.
Councilors also voted to reformat the city’s organizational chart last night putting all staffers who report to the mayor under his office’s budget. The move more than doubles his office’s budget on paper. “Once we were made aware of the organizational chart and where people lie, I think just for transparency it was better that we put everybody who reported to the mayor or to the CAO in their appropriate boxes,” Peña said.
Keller says the change will not cost the city more money: “I think they’re about power and politics and they’re a distraction and so I really wish they would support everything we’re doing for public safety and homelessness, I think that’s in the best interest of the city.”
The city’s new budget takes effect in July. City councilors are planning a June hearing on the proposed charter changes which if passed would also have to be approved by voters.
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