Companies that want tax breaks in Bernalillo County must now show how those corporate subsidies will turn into community benefits for taxpayers who fund them. The Bernalillo County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a first-of-its-kind resolution that requires businesses seeking public subsidies, including Industrial Revenue Bonds, to commit to local hiring, support for […]
Category: Local Government
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Albuquerque paid $8 million in lawsuits while Council oversight went dark for a year
By Jesse Jones — For nearly 12 months, the City of Albuquerque’s legal department failed to deliver required reports detailing how much the city paid in lawsuits to the City Council. Editor’s note: In researching this story, a Council spokesperson told City Desk that the last report received by the council was “in Q1 2025.” After […]
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Can ranked choice voting save Albuquerque a fortune? Supporters will try again for next city election
The Albuquerque City Council uses ranked choice voting (RCV) for its own internal seats. Now, Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Nichole Rogers and Stephanie Telles have introduced Ordinance O-26-13 to extend that same system to citywide elections by November 2027. Under RCV, voters rank candidates by preference. If no one secures a majority, the lowest vote-getter is […]
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Albuquerque is making a new push to create more immigrant-friendly laws. Here’s what’s planned.
Albuquerque officials are launching a comprehensive strategy this spring to protect immigrants amid growing uncertainty about federal enforcement. Mayor Tim Keller and city councilors will introduce an ordinance in early March to permanently ban federal agents from using city resources. The move is part of the city’s Defend ABQ program. Alongside the new law, the city will […]
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Opinion: When public money moves, the public should benefit
Opinion & Commentary in City Desk ABQJavier Martinez is the Speaker of the New Mexico House. He has served since 2015 and represents House District 11 in Downtown Albuquerque. My parents came to New Mexico in search of a better future for their family. They worked hard, both of them, the way a lot of […]
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Albuquerque’s zoning rules are getting a rewrite — here’s what’s at stake Wednesday night
The Albuquerque City Council meets Wednesday, Feb. 18, with a packed agenda that could shape how the city grows and who helps run it. Councilors are set to take final action on the 2025 biennial update to the Integrated Development Ordinance, the city’s land-use code that governs where and how development happens. The sweeping citywide […]
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Lawsuit between Mayor, Council over paramedic staffing comes to sudden end
Mayor Tim Keller’s administration and the Albuquerque City Council have reached an agreement to end a legal fight over paramedic staffing, ending a long dispute over who controls emergency response staffing. Announced Monday, the deal resolves all outstanding legal challenges, including a separation-of-powers dispute filed earlier this year. The agreement establishes a formal review process […]
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ABQ legislators push to let City collect millions more in speed camera fines
A bill by two Albuquerque-area legislators moving through the Roundhouse could let Albuquerque keep an extra $2 million to $3 million a year in traffic fines — a shift that would cost the state roughly $5 million and remove current audit requirements. Senate Bill 91, sponsored by Albuquerque Democratic Sens. Heather Berghmans and Antoinette Sedillo […]
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BernCo Commission OKs data center restrictions
AI data centers wanting to call Bernaillo County home will have to show they can be good neighbors after Commissioners Tuesday approved a resolution placing restrictions on centers that might be built in the county in the future. The legislation, sponsored by Commissioner Eric Olivas, makes the installations responsible for their own electricity and water […]
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NM United stadium stuck in extra time as legal battle reaches the Court of Appeals
Jesse Jones, City Desk ABQ — The proposed New Mexico United stadium has been delayed as the team’s plan for a new home at Balloon Fiesta Park sits in the state appeals process, awaiting assignment to a three-judge panel. Because of the legal delay, United would not move into a new stadium until 2028 at […]