Council Preview: City Council faces decisions on shelter and multiple appeals

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque city councilors on Monday will address development projects, city spending and the future of a controversial overnight shelter during a meeting that also includes a slate of routine appointments and contract approvals.

During the Sept. 21 meeting, councilors are expected to formally adopt findings from the last meeting’s 6-3 vote that denied a permit for the Empower Health Services shelter near the Sunport, officially concluding the appeal. The council will also hear appeals regarding planning staff decisions that denied permits to convert static billboards into digital signs.

Other agenda items include a redevelopment tax abatement for Sichler Farms’ planned expansion on San Mateo Blvd. NE. The project would turn the company’s seasonal farm stand into a year-round retail market and restaurant, with the city acquiring the property and leasing it back to the business for up to seven years. Councilors are also scheduled to consider extending the Main Street Corridor designation along Central Avenue from Wyoming Blvd. to Tramway Blvd. In addition, the council will revisit the city’s fiscal year 2026 Final Objectives Report, which was delayed last week to gather further details on departmental performance.

The council will consider a request from Mayor Tim Keller’s administration for an additional $1.6 million to pay outside attorneys defending the city in a class-action lawsuit regarding its treatment of unhoused residents. The approval would increase the city’s total legal contract for the litigation to $2.66 million. Councilors will also receive the Legal Department’s second- and third-quarter fiscal year 2026 litigation reports, after reports were delayed for nearly 12 months before this fiscal year.

Get Involved

• The meeting starts at 5 p.m. in the Vincent E. Griego Chambers.
• To speak during public comment, sign up online by 4 p.m. Monday or call (505) 768-3100 for assistance.
• Watch live on Comcast Channel 16 (GOVTV), cabq.gov/govtv or youtube.com/@GOVTVBoardsCommissionMeetings

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