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By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burque municipal workers exposing government fraud could soon face fresh ground rules, as could the taxpayers who rely on City Hall’s watchdog agency. The City Council votes Aug. 3 on two companion ordinances born from a feud between city investigators and municipal leaders. The measures mark the first full overhaul of the city’s accountability rules since missed investigation deadlines triggered an independent audit of the Inspector General’s office.
The companion ordinances, both sponsored by Councilor Brook Bassan, are taking different paths toward approval. O-26-40 would merge the Accountability in Government Ordinance and the Inspector General Ordinance into a unified framework overseeing the Accountability in Government Oversight (AGO) Committee, Internal Audit and the Office of the Inspector General. Placed on the consent agenda, a sign of minimal opposition, it preserves court-enforced subpoena powers for the city auditor and Inspector General to target fraud, waste and abuse. It adds safeguards such as a four-year cooling-off period before former city employees can audit or investigate their previous departments, allows the oversight committee to attach a 15-day cautionary statement to reports before public release, and exempts the committee from the New Mexico Open Meetings Act.
Bassan told The Paper. the ordinances were never meant to stand alone, saying issues with the former Inspector General and AGO Committee “required some adjustments and updates to the ordinance, in addition to some other items.”
O-26-41 would overhaul the city’s Whistleblower Ordinance by tightening complaint requirements, improving case tracking and requiring city departments to investigate complaints within 15 days. The measure would also filter out frivolous, false and retaliatory claims. Unlike its companion bill, it is scheduled for debate and a final vote on the regular agenda. Councilor Stephanie Telles cast the lone committee vote against the measure, saying her anti-retaliation amendments were dropped without discussion. She plans to reintroduce them before the full council.
Telles and Interim Inspector General Peter Pacheco announced Wednesday, on International Whistleblower Protection Day, that they are jointly drafting a second round of amendments, including anonymous-reporting protections and a stronger legal definition of “protected disclosure,” according to a news release. “Passing O-41 alone isn’t enough,” Telles said in the release. “That’s a strong step forward, but it still isn’t the finish line.”
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