A proposal to put a missing charter amendment on next year’s ballot was pushed back Monday as the Albuquerque City Council still needs the required public hearings before it can be approved. The amendment was mistakenly left off the Nov. 4 municipal ballot.
Two measures sponsored by Councilor Joaquín Baca would let voters decide in next year’s November election whether to scrap a 1990s rule that forces the city to get voter approval before spending more than $10 million on a performing arts center.
The Council deferred the companion bills, P-25-8 and R-25-208, to Dec. 1 to comply with city charter requirements for at least two public hearings on charter amendments.
A clerical error by the City Clerk’s office kept the measure off this year’s ballot, even though the council unanimously approved it in March. Lauren Keefe, the city attorney, said the city looked at adding it to the Dec. 9 runoff, but the Secretary of State and the county said the 60-day publication deadline had already passed and state law limits runoff ballots to candidate races only.
The charter restriction dates back to the early 1990s quality-of-life projects that built the BioPark, Tingley Beach, Explora and several open space sites.
The City Council will hold its second required hearing on the charter amendments on Dec. 1. After that, councilors can vote on whether to place them on the November 2026 ballot. If voters sign off in 2026, the amendment would take effect Jan. 1, 2027.