By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Bernalillo County faces a $400 million backlog of capital projects but plans to ask voters to approve just $45 million in bonds. At that rate, Commissioners Barbara Baca and Eric Olivas said the county will never catch up. To speed up the process, they gained support from the rest […]
Category: +Communities
Posted inAlbuquerque, Sports
Court sides with city on Balloon Fiesta Park stadium, a win that may come too late
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — New Mexico United cleared a major legal hurdle last week in its yearslong quest for a permanent home. But after nearly a year of court delays, the team has started looking elsewhere, and the win might not matter much anymore. The New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld Albuquerque’s approval […]
Posted inBernalillo County, Elections & Politics, Opinion & Analysis
Opinion: County’s fast-tracked public financing bill isn’t ready for November ballot
At the last Bernalillo County Commission Meeting, June 27th, one of my fellow commissioners introduced an Administrative Resolution establishing the process by which the county will design an elections ordinance to provide voluntary public financing for qualifying county candidates which was approved by four commissioners. Walt Benson is a Bernalillo County Commissioner representing District 4. […]
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Affluent neighborhoods that blocked PNM substation now face summer power outage warnings
By Pat Davis, The Paper. — For seven years, residents of some of Albuquerque’s most affluent neighborhoods have successfully fought to stop PNM from building a substation the utility said would eventually be needed to meet increased demand on a local part of the grid those expanding neighborhoods created. This week, ongoing development and higher […]
Posted inBernalillo County, Elections & Politics, Local Government
Should voters fund campaigns for county officials? Voters will get to decide this November
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Bernalillo County residents will get to decide in November whether their tax dollars should help fund county campaigns — a move commissioners say is aimed squarely at kneecapping the influence of big donors and corporate PACs. The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously June 23, to advance a package […]
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Denied again: Why the ABQ City Council killed the same sales tax hike twice
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueño voters will have one fewer question on the November ballot after the City Council narrowly rejected a proposed $113 million gross receipts tax increase, marking the second defeat for a measure that had already been revived once. The City Council voted 5-4 Monday to kill Resolution R-26-43, a […]
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After years of issues at MDC, Bernalillo County adds a new piece to the healthcare puzzle
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For years, Bernalillo County has poured millions of dollars into fixing healthcare at the Metropolitan Detention Center, bringing in a new medical provider and overhauling its behavioral health system. Despite millions of dollars in new investments, turbulence continues at MDC. The facility has cycled through three wardens since 2022 […]
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Albuquerque’s record $1.5 billion budget heads to the state, without Keller’s signature
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueños and city workers can breathe a sigh of relief as the city’s new $1.5 billion budget becomes law without the stroke of the mayor’s pen. The plan avoids resident trash fee hikes, locks in funding for core community services from public safety to senior programs and includes upcoming […]
Posted inBernalillo County, Local Government
BernCo balanced its budget, expands free programs without raising taxes
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For Bernalillo County families already stretched by rising costs, the new county budget aims to lighten the load, with no tax hikes and more free programming at community centers. Faced with an $8.5 million budget gap, county leaders balanced the $857.7 million budget without raising taxes or cutting services, […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Bernalillo County, Local Government
Planning for the 4th of July? What you need to know about ABQ’s fireworks rule
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — As Burqueños prepare to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial — the United States’ 250th birthday — they’ll have to navigate Albuquerque’s rules on what fireworks can legally be set off in their neighborhoods. Recent wildfires across New Mexico and within city limits may have firefighters on alert, but city fire […]