This was the second of three required public hearings on the City of Albuquerque's FY2025 operating budget. The meeting focused on physical goal department budgets, including Municipal Development, Planning, General Services, Environmental Health, Transit, Animal Welfare, Aviation, Legal, Solid Waste, Internal Audit, Inspector General, Human Resources, Technology and Innovation, Finance and Administration, and City Support. The council heard public comments on both the budget (R‑24‑36) and the one‑year objectives (R‑24‑40) and voted to postpone both items to a subsequent meeting on May 16, 2024. All nine councilors were present.
Welcome everyone. I call this committee of the whole meeting to order. All counselors are present, and we have a counselor on Zoom who will be joining us shortly. And I apologize for the delay. I spilled my water. So counselor, Madam Vice President Grout. Thank you, Madam Chair. Members of the public, city staff, and the media have the ability to view this meeting in person and 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 those closed captioning services on your television or devices at this time. The video recording of this meeting will also remain available for viewing at any time on the council's website. Council staff is available via telephone. If members of the public need assistance finding the videos online, please call seven six eight thirty-five thirty-one hundred for assistance during business hours, which are Monday through Friday from eight to five PM. Members of the public have the opportunity to address the committee if they have signed up to speak on an item per the rules published on the agenda and on our website Friday. Tonight is the second of three public hearings the council is required to hold on the city's operating budget. Tonight's meetings will focus on the city's physical goal budgets, which include municipal development, planning, general services, environmental health, transit, animal welfare, aviation, legal, solid waste, internal audit, inspector general, human resources, technology and innovation, finance and administration, and city support. Live public comment and written comments will be accepted at the May 20th council meeting. Members of the public are able to address the committee if they have signed up for an agenda item per the instructions published on the agenda and on our website. Comments are to be addressed to the committee members only through the vice through the chair. Any disruptive conduct or non-germane commentary will result in removal from the meeting. So, Mr. Cornelius, can you please name our first speaker? Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll now call agenda item R2436. Our first speaker is Rudolph Serrano, followed by John Bell. Madam President Penya, members of the council. If you don't see me here, it doesn't mean I'm not watching you, but sometimes I live far away. I have to be watching the from a far. But now that we have the jail open, I can use it to fabricate and start shaping people out. You know, I thank you. Here one for each. John Bell, followed by Hilma Chenovith. Uh thank you, Counselors. Thank you, Chair. Uh, my name is John Bell, and thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. I run Next Now Digital, which is a marketing firm here that uh in Albuquerque that helps businesses and nonprofits grow through new digital practices. And I'm also a proud member of the Explora board of directors. And in my time on the Explorer board, uh I've seen how Explora makes Albuquerque a better place. Explora asks us to imagine a world where there's uh no achievement gap between kids from underserved communities and those from uh better served or better advantaged communities overall. Uh our STEAM education programs, improve student learning outcomes, and our new uh X studio teen center actually exposes students to STEAM careers and gives them the chance to choose one to for pursue in their lives. Over seven, over 4,000, or I'm sorry, 7,000 teens, have actually experienced X Studio this year. Our public-private partnerships and our public private partnership with the City of Albuquerque makes that possible, and we ask for your support. So please, if you will, restore the 250,000 dollars needed to maintain Explorer's current fiscal year 24 funding levels. Thank you all very much. Thank you, counselors and chairwomen. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you this evening. My name is Hilma Chinawith. I am a business development professional, and I get to serve as the president of Explora's board of directors. We are grateful for the support Explora has received from both the city council and the city administration for decades. In fact, Explorer just celebrated the 20th anniversary at our mountain road location.