NM.news Archives - City Desk ABQ

Renée Grout was reelected chair of the Committee of the Whole on Monday, a role that oversees the city's $1.5 billion budget and capital improvements program. Grout previously served as council vice president in 2023 and 2024.

ABQ tries to break its heavy metal habit with new copper theft law

By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — Drivers and pedestrians are navigating dark stretches of East Central Avenue after copper thieves have ripped wiring from streetlights, prompting a pair of city councilors to tighten Albuquerque’s scrap metal recycling laws in an effort to curb the vandalism. Rather than creating a new law, Councilors […]

Residents offload waste at the city's Eagle Rock Convenience Center. (CABQ)

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Councilor eyes higher fees for nonresidents dumping trash in ABQ city convenience centers

by Jesse Jones May 26, 2026May 26, 2026

Staff report, City Desk in The Paper. — Just days after the City Council stripped similar fee hikes from the citywide budget, one city councilor is proposing a targeted $12 trash surcharge for nonresidents aimed at funding taxpayer-funded convenience centers while keeping local disposal costs at $5. Sponsored by Klarissa J. Peña by request, O-26-35 […]

A sign at the city's only Safe Outdoor Space located at the New Creation Church. (Jesse Jones)

Council said no to more safe outdoor spaces but Mayor Keller started one anyway. Now the funding and future may be in jeopardy.

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Almost a year ago, Mayor Tim Keller told reporters the city needs 100 more Safe Outdoor Spaces for its homeless population but the city council has never gotten on board with authorizing zoning and ordinance changes to get anywhere close. Even now, the city has only one privately run […]

A city bus leaves the Alvarado Transportation Center in downtown Albuquerque where most people transfer buses to reach their destination throughout Albuquerque. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales/The City Desk. January 19th, 2024.

Why Burqueños might feel safer on buses

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueños riding public transit may be feeling safer lately as new ABQ Ride data shows security calls across the transit system are dropping even while ridership continues to grow. Data reviewed by City Desk from ABQ Ride’s third-quarter report shows safety calls dropped 21% from last year, averaging 1,871 […]

The Albuquerque City Council debates the city budget during the May 18 council meeting. (Jesse Jones)

After mayor warns of budget woes, Council OK’s city’s biggest budget ever

By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — The City Council passed the city’s largest-ever budget, $1.5 billion, Monday night overcoming earlier warnings from the mayor that future spending would have to be cut to meet slower economic projections. The spending plan, passing 7-2, with councilors Brook Bassan and Dan Lewis voting against it, […]

Council says it found $11 million budget error by mayor. He says they don’t understand the budget.

By Jesse Jones — City Desk in The Paper. — Division has split Albuquerque City Hall as a clash is erupting between the City Council and Mayor Tim Keller’s administration over an $11.8 million discrepancy council staff uncovered in the city’s financial projections while reviewing the mayor’s proposed $1.4 billion fiscal year 2027 budget. It […]

Council Vice-President Dan Champine is introducing amendments to the city charter to make the City Attorney and City Clerk separate from the administration and the council. (Jesse Jones)

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In next battle between council and mayor, Councilor wants voters to remove key directors from mayor’s supervision

by Jesse Jones May 18, 2026May 18, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — An Albuquerque city councilor wants to keep the city’s top legal officer and chief record-keeper independent of the political winds that shift with each municipal election. Council Vice-President Dan Champine is sponsoring a pair of measures at Monday night’s City Council meeting that would let voters decide in the […]

The Albuquerque City Council during the April, 6 meeting in the Vincent E. Griego Chambers. Credit: Jesse Jones

City quietly dropped plans for highly touted “Gateway for seniors” at Juniper Flats

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For Burqueños hoping for relief from the affordable housing crisis, the finish line just moved further away when a promised solution to turn a former hotel into long-term affordable apartments for seniors touted by the mayor during his election quietly fell through. During the April 6 City Council meeting, […]

Crime scene investigators at the scene of a shooting near the intersection of Central Avenue and Gold in downtown Albuquerque. Roberto E/ Rosales/City Desk ABQ

Albuquerque’s new ‘Safety Zones’: A boost for business or a crackdown on poverty?

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — A new Albuquerque ordinance hands the mayor power to surge police and city services along commercial corridors, a move supporters call a boost for local business and critics blast as a crackdown on the city’s most vulnerable. On Monday, the Albuquerque City Council voted 6-3 to approve the “Enhanced […]

Bernalillo County Assessor Damian Lara and Treasurer Tim Eichenberg face off over short-term rental property taxes

The Bernalillo County tax civil war: Assessor vs. Treasurer

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — A legal fight over a short-term rental tax has escalated into a civil war inside the Bernalillo County government — and a Democratic primary battle in the background — pitting top financial officials against each other over millions in tax revenue and allegations of ethical misconduct. The dispute simmering between County […]