The Albuquerque City Council held its tenth meeting of the twenty-sixth council on May 20, 2024. The meeting included approval of the FY2025 operating budget, consideration of several charter amendment propositions, and discussion of an internal organizational chart revealing discrepancies in staffing and funding.
All consent items passed unanimously 9-0.
Nice and quiet in here tonight. So the tenth meeting of the twenty-sixth council will come to order. All counselors are present this evening. Start with a moment of silence, then the Pledge of Allegiance in English and Spanish. Civic parking plot 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 meeting in person and on live streams through four different platforms GovTV on Comcast Channel 16, the Gov TV website, YouTube, and Zoom webinar. 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. Council staff is available via telephone. If members of the public need assistance, finding the videos online. Please call five oh five seven six eight thirty-one hundred for assistance during business hours Monday through Friday, eight to five PM. The council will take a break at approximately seven p.m. this evening, if needed. With regard to the quorum in the chambers, we want tonight's proceedings to be as civil and respectful as possible. Please do not make any personal attacks, and please no applause or other outbursts during the meeting. Ann McKinney and Marilyn Beck. Thank you for being here. Thank you, Councillor Grout. My name is Marilyn Beck. I'm the founder and executive director of New Mexico Child First Network, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children in foster care and empowering those who serve them. May is National Foster Care Awareness Month. I just wanted to say one in three foster parents will resign in the first year. And so it is very challenging to be a foster parent. We want to thank the city for all that you have done, including sponsoring the second annual free foster family picnic next week. And I know that we have a video just recently. Bananas Foster is celebrating the Alvarado family. The Alvarados have been licensed since 2011. And in the last 13 years, they have welcomed over 100 children into their family. The Alvarados weren't able to join us this evening because three of their kids have pink eye. But they have adopted four children. They are on their way to adopting three more, and then they are currently doing respite care for three additional. So we just really want to say thank you to the city for all of you. We've also been working with your Department of Family and Youth Affairs, the fire department. Thank you for supporting foster families. It's very difficult. But there are families like all the Alvarados everywhere. So thank you. Thank you, Marilyn. I'd like to read this proclamation on the behalf of council. Whereas safe, healthy children are the key to a safe, healthy future for our community, and whereas every child deserves to grow up in a caring and supportive home. Whereas during those unfortunate times when children cannot safely remain in their primary homes, community members who open their hearts and homes to foster children provide a vital service to our community. And whereas foster families provide the love, safety, and stability that children need to help overcome past traumatic experiences and develop their full potential. Whereas the Alvarado family has been licensed to provide foster care since 2011 and have welcomed more than 100 homes or children in need. And whereas the City of Albuquerque extends our gratitudes to the families, children, uh child welfare staff and public and private agencies that work to ensure that all children are supported and successful. Be it proclaimed that the council, the governing body, the city of Albuquerque, hereby joins the nation in recognizing May as National Foster Family Appreciation Month and declares May 20th, foster family appreciation day in honor of the foster parents who advocate for the children in their care and helping to ensure their biggest possible futures. And I'd like y'all to come up and see the counselors here. Thank you. Up to that time or maybe even before that time.