The Albuquerque City Council held its 33rd meeting of the 25th Council on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, starting at 5:00 PM in the Vincent E. Griego Chambers. The agenda included a major vote on the Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO) annual update (O-22-54), known as the "Housing Forward" initiative, as well as resolutions on a joint housing collaborative with Bernalillo County, a proposal to change the city charter to a council-manager form of government, and other routine matters. The meeting extended past midnight due to lengthy public comment and detailed amendments.
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to the 33rd meeting of the 25th City Council. We'll call this meeting to order. For those of you in the chambers, we'll ask you to take your seat and uh so that we can get started. All of our counselors are present this evening or will be joining us very shortly. Uh to get our meeting started as always, we turn our meeting over to our vice president. Thank you, Mr. President. Um this time we're going to do the moment of silence. Um Councillor Jones is going to lead us in English, the Pledge of Allegiance, and Councillor Sanchez, the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish. Will you all please rise? Thank you. Would you join us in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic from which it stands. Under God of the liberty and justice. Thank you. Council um Mr. President. Thank you, uh Madam Vice President. Um this evening, uh, our meetings, like always, will go a lot smoother if we are respectful for one another. And to that end, the city council has a few rules that we put in place to ensure that we follow proper decorum and are able to attend to the public speech business. Uh handouts of the rules are available from our staff at the table near the chamber entrance in the lobby. Uh, if you're interested, you can obtain one there. Uh there will be absolutely no signs, props, posters, or banners allowed in the chambers, other than that, which can be displayed overhead during presentations at the day uh at the presenting dais. Uh such material should not be held or waived in a manner that blocks the view of others or creates a distraction to the speaker. Items displayed on the overhead projector must be removed at the end of the public comment. Only the individual who the uh council has called upon to provide public comment may stand there. Multiple persons are not permitted to stand, and the only exception are those who need translators or reasonable accommodations. Uh the time limit for public comments is strictly enforced, and those comments must always be directed to the council through the president, not at members of the public or staff. Uh there are no tolerance for disruptive public outbursts as determined by the chair. In this case, that's the president of the meeting. This is me. The handicapped landing area to the right side of the dais must be kept clear at all times. Those desiring to record the meeting will be directed to the uh left of our uh dais over here. We have special seats designated for that purpose. Uh the fire marshal is instructed and directed to strictly enforce our ingress and egress rules to ensure our public safety. In the event of a disruption or disruptive behavior this evening, uh, I will do my best to provide a warning where appropriate upon a second or continued disruption, that individual may be asked to leave the chambers, and if necessary, I'll ask the security uh to escort that person out of our chambers. The removal from a council meeting is effective for the remainder of that meeting. If continued disruptions occur, uh the council reserves the right to recess the meeting until orders are stored, and if necessary, we may clear chambers of persons who participate in the disturbance. That's the do's and don'ts. Uh, Madam Vice President, would you get us started? Thank you, Mr. Mr. President. Um, civic plaza parking passes are provided for members of the public. You can obtain a parking pass from council staff at the table near the chamber entrance. Members of the public, city staff and the media have the ability to view this member meeting in person or on live streams through four different platforms. The live streams can be accessed from most smartphones, tablets, or computers. Also, this meeting is closed, captioned, and you may enable the closed captioning services on your television or device at this time. The video recording of this and all past council meetings will remain available for viewing at any time on the city council's website. City Council uh council staff is available via telephone if members of the public need assistance finding the videos online.