OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Albuquerque City Council Meeting – June 3, 2024: Budget, Immigration, Charter Amendments, and More

City Council — Monday, June 3, 2024
BodyAlbuquerque, New Mexico
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, June 3, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

The 11th meeting of the 26th Council will come to order.

0:10

All councillors are present this evening.

0:12

I believe Councillor Pinya will be joining us online on Zoom.

0:16

We'll have a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:43

Liberty and Good evening.

1:08

We will provide be providing simultaneous Spanish interpretation for this meeting.

1:13

When the setting gets turned on, you should see a globe at the bottom of your screen, or possibly three dots if you are on a mobile device.

1:23

Click to choose your language of preference.

1:26

Presenters or hosts, please choose English so that you hear when comments or questions are being interpreted into English.

1:34

Please speak or read at reasonable pace for interpreter interpreters.

1:40

Interpretation does not work if you are calling in using a phone phone line.

1:46

We have many people in attendance tonight, so we ask that everybody find a seat.

1:55

Yes.

1:55

You can just hold on one second.

1:59

Okay.

2:17

A click para elegir el idioma de su preferencia.

2:21

Concejales, presentadores orfitriones, por favor, elijan el inglés para que pueden oir quando los comentarios organs sean interpretados al Inglés.

2:32

For favor, hable o lea un ritmo razonable para las interpretes.

2:37

Recuerde que la interpretación no funciona si stay amando por telephone.

2:43

We have many people in attendance tonight, so we ask that everybody find a seat.

2:48

If a seat is unavailable, you can observe the meeting from the lobby outside the chambers.

2:54

Those signed up for public comment will be able to hear their name called and be allowed into the chambers for their public comment.

3:01

Civic plaza parking passes are provided for members of the public.

3:05

You can obtain a parking pass from council staff at the table near the chamber entrance.

3:11

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.

3:27

The live streams can be accessed from most smartphones, tablets, or computers.

3:32

Also, this meeting is closed captioned, and you will you may enable the closed captioning services on your television or device at this time.

3:41

The video recording of this and all past council meetings will remain available for viewing at any time on the council website.

3:49

Council staff is available via telephone if members of the public need assistance finding the videos online.

3:56

Please call 5057 3100 for assistance during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 p.m.

4:05

The council will take a break at approximately 7 p.m.

4:08

this evening.

4:09

With regard to decorum in the chambers, we want tonight's proceedings to be as civil and respectful as possible.

4:15

Please do not make any personal attacks, and please no applause or out other outbursts during the meeting.

4:29

Thank you.

4:29

And again, uh everybody does need to have a seat in the chambers.

4:32

If you don't have a seat, uh, I think there's there are there are some available.

4:36

Um and if you if you can't find a seat, you need to go in the lobby.

4:40

You should be able to look on the monitors and see if you're up for public comment, and you should be able to uh see and hear uh the meeting from there.

4:47

So thank you again.

4:48

That's a just according to our fire marshal fire marshal who uh uh you know regulates and controls how this room operates.

4:55

So thank you.

4:56

We're gonna go to item three on our agenda, which is proclamations and presentations.

5:01

Thank you, Mr.

5:02

President.

5:02

We have a presentation this evening from Dana Beal, Rebecca Ogawa, and Evangelina Velasquez, the chief deputy uh chief deputy district attorney, Josh Boone, and deputy district attorney Victoria LeBlanc are also present this evening.

5:20

This team was funded by counsel for the second half of fiscal year 24, and funding in the fiscal year 25 budget is to fund them through December 31st.

5:31

And we just wanted to get an update how the programs going.

5:38

Mr.

5:38

President, um, Madam Vice President and members of the council, thank you very much for having our office here today.

5:44

My name is Victoria LeBlanc.

5:46

I'm the deputy of policy at the DA's office.

5:49

Before I hand it off to our wonderful team here, I would just like to say thank you on behalf of our office and especially DA Bregman for your generosity and support for this team to stay committed to fighting for survivors.

6:02

Thank you.

6:09

So our David Grant team consists of myself, Beth Yogawa, senior trial attorney of the DA's office, Jinbayo, another senior trial attorney, and our victim advocate Evangelina Contras Velasquez.

6:23

Um, our prosecution specialist was unable to make it tonight, but her name is Victoria Martinez.

6:33

So our mission is to effectively prosecute challenging domestic violence cases, provide expertise to train prosecutors and support staff and collaborate with local partners to provide holistic support for survivors.

6:48

Um through that support, we still make the decisions whether or not to take a case if a survivor is uncooperative.

6:55

We may we will still prosecute that case to the public extent.

7:07

So in addition to carrying our own caseload, we also screen um a great portion of the domestic violence cases that come through the district attorney's office.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Immigration Policy█████████████████████21%
Public Safety██████████████████18%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Procedural██████████10%
Election Reform██████████10%
Domestic Violence Awareness████4%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Personnel Matters███3%
Legislative Process███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Albuquerque City Council Eleventh Meeting – June 3, 2024

The Albuquerque City Council held its 11th meeting of the 26th Council on Monday, June 3, 2024, at 5:00 PM in the Vincent E. Griego Chambers. All nine councilors were present. The meeting included proclamations, an administration Q&A period, a lengthy consent agenda, extensive public comments, and final actions on dozens of items. The meeting was extended past midnight to accommodate the agenda.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimous approvals (9-0) for routine items: declaring lots not essential for municipal purposes (EC-24-40, EC-24-89), promotional testing (EC-24-111), architectural consultant awards (EC-24-112), social service agreements (EC-24-113), professional/technical contracts (EC-24-114), counseling contracts (EC-24-115), Housing Forward Fund FY24 report (EC-24-116), encumbrance report (EC-24-128), real estate sale (EC-24-129), agent of record (EC-24-130), property valuation services (EC-24-131), Double Eagle II terminal design (EC-24-132), health clinic services (EC-24-149), Mutual of Omaha contract extension (EC-24-150), wellness program award (EC-24-151), emergency contract with Duke City Cares (EC-24-152), Uptown Transit Center joint development (EC-24-153), and mayor's appointments (EC-24-154, EC-24-155). Also receipt noted for CPOA semi-annual report (OC-24-12) and FY23 encumbrances (EC-24-128).
  • Postponed to June 17, 2024 (9-0): O-24-11 (Volcano Heights drive-throughs), O-24-12 (Escarpment overlay tribal referrals), O-24-13 (2023 IDO annual update), O-24-17 (Rail Trail development standards).
  • Postponed to August 5, 2024 (9-0): O-24-21 (minimum wage ordinance amendment).
  • Passed (9-0): R-24-30 (2024 HUD entitlement action plan), R-24-32 (Aviation CIP amendments), R-24-33 (HUD Continuum of Care grant), R-24-39 (Tourism Destination Forward grant), R-24-51 (state grant application), R-24-61 (Aspire PID bonds), R-24-62 (FEMA grant application).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Immigrant-Friendly Policy (R-24-45): Dozens of speakers, including representatives from El Centro, Common Cause, AFSCME, Center for Civic Policy, NM Immigrant Law Center, ACLU, service providers, and survivors, overwhelmingly opposed amendments to the city's immigrant-friendly policy. They argued it would erode trust, increase fear, and harm victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. One speaker (Rudolph Serrano) supported the measure, citing national security concerns. A few union representatives opposed P1 (charter amendment on election threshold).
  • Charter Amendments (P1, P2, P3, P4): Many speakers opposed lowering the election threshold to 40%, calling it undemocratic. Some advocated for ranked-choice voting instead. Several urged a charter review task force.
  • Coronado Dog Park (EC-110): Residents and the Wells Park Neighborhood Association opposed the sale, citing loss of green space, trees, and recreational space. Some supported the companion R-63 to keep funds in the district.
  • Other Items: Comments on the energy code (O-19), IDO fence amendments, and the pedestrian safety report were also heard.

Discussion Items

  • EC-141 (Revenue & Expense Report): Pulled from consent. The city's budget director explained that the second-quarter report showed overages in fire and street services (e.g., $4.5M over in street lighting due to vandalism and copper theft). Fire Chief reported that medical supply costs increased from $500K to $700K. The city expects to be whole by releasing $12M in encumbrances.
  • O-19 (Energy Conservation Code): Pulled from consent. The planning director explained that state law prevents the city from adopting a less restrictive code; the city chose not to be more restrictive. The ordinance passed 6-2-1 (Councilors Champine and Lewis opposed; Peña excused).
  • EC-110 (Coronado Dog Park): Declared the dog park not essential for municipal purposes. Councilor Baca noted the companion R-63 ensures proceeds stay in the district for parks. The administration stated the park will be sold for development, and a new dog park is included in the Wells Park expansion. Passed 6-3 (Champine, Sanchez, Lewis opposed).
  • R-24-45 (Immigrant-Friendly Policy Amendment): Extensive debate. An amendment by Councilor Champine to add education and training for APD passed 5-4. The main bill failed 4-5 (Bassan, Champine, Grout, Lewis in favor; Baca, Fiebelkorn, Peña, Rogers, Sanchez opposed).
  • Charter Amendments (P1-P4, R-47, R-48, R-49, R-50): All were postponed to June 17, 2024, after amendments. Key changes: for P1 and R-47, the ballot wording was changed from "municipal" to "general" election. For P3 and R-49, the mayor's removal authority was clarified ("for any reason") and the interim period was extended to 270 days. P4 and R-50 extended the appointment period to 60 days and removed the 365-day resignation clause. All amendments passed, then items were deferred.
  • O-26 (Ranked Choice Voting): Failed 3-6 (Baca, Fiebelkorn, Rogers in favor).
  • R-58 (Charter Review Task Force): Amended to remove specific reference to the current charter amendments, then deferred to June 17, 2024.
  • O-22 and R-46 (MRA Tax Increment Financing): Passed unanimously. These authorize the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency to pursue TIF districts.
  • R-41 (Day Labor for Homeless): Passed 8-1 (Peña opposed). Directs the Department of Health, Housing, and Homelessness to develop a pilot program.
  • R-42 (Anti-Human Trafficking): Passed 9-0 after an amendment appropriating $30,000 for HR training and $20,000 for a public awareness campaign.
  • R-52 (Local Government Coordinating Commission): Passed unanimously. Adds APS as a voting member.
  • R-57 (PACE Program): Passed unanimously after a minor amendment. Allows the Bernalillo County improvement special assessment program to operate in the city.
  • R-59 (Federal Projects Priorities List): Passed unanimously after adding two congressional direct spending requests.

Key Outcomes

  • R-24-45 (Immigrant-Friendly Policy Amendment): Failed (4-5).
  • EC-110 (Coronado Dog Park): Approved (6-3).
  • R-63 (Coronado Dog Park Sale Funds): Approved (7-2).
  • O-19 (Energy Conservation Code): Passed (6-2-1).
  • O-26 (Ranked Choice Voting): Failed (3-6).
  • Charter amendments (P1, P2, P3, P4) and companion resolutions: Postponed to June 17, 2024 after amendments.
  • R-58 (Charter Review Task Force): Deferred to June 17, 2024.
  • O-22, R-46, R-41, R-42, R-52, R-57, R-59: Passed (unanimous or near-unanimous).
  • The meeting was extended to 12:15 AM via rule suspension.

Note: The meeting date is June 3, 2024. All times are approximate; the meeting began at 5:00 PM and ended after midnight.

Meeting Transcript

The 11th meeting of the 26th Council will come to order. All councillors are present this evening. I believe Councillor Pinya will be joining us online on Zoom. We'll have a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Liberty and Good evening. We will provide be providing simultaneous Spanish interpretation for this meeting. When the setting gets turned on, you should see a globe at the bottom of your screen, or possibly three dots if you are on a mobile device. Click to choose your language of preference. Presenters or hosts, please choose English so that you hear when comments or questions are being interpreted into English. Please speak or read at reasonable pace for interpreter interpreters. Interpretation does not work if you are calling in using a phone phone line. We have many people in attendance tonight, so we ask that everybody find a seat. Yes. You can just hold on one second. Okay. A click para elegir el idioma de su preferencia. Concejales, presentadores orfitriones, por favor, elijan el inglés para que pueden oir quando los comentarios organs sean interpretados al Inglés. For favor, hable o lea un ritmo razonable para las interpretes. Recuerde que la interpretación no funciona si stay amando por telephone. We have many people in attendance tonight, so we ask that everybody find a seat. If a seat is unavailable, you can observe the meeting from the lobby outside the chambers. Those signed up for public comment will be able to hear their name called and be allowed into the chambers for their public comment. 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. The live streams can be accessed from most smartphones, tablets, or computers. Also, this meeting is closed captioned, and you will 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 council website. Council staff is available via telephone if members of the public need assistance finding the videos online. Please call 5057 3100 for assistance during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 p.m. The council will take a break at approximately 7 p.m. this evening. With regard to decorum 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 out other outbursts during the meeting. Thank you. And again, uh everybody does need to have a seat in the chambers. If you don't have a seat, uh, I think there's there are there are some available. Um and if you if you can't find a seat, you need to go in the lobby. You should be able to look on the monitors and see if you're up for public comment, and you should be able to uh see and hear uh the meeting from there. So thank you again. That's a just according to our fire marshal fire marshal who uh uh you know regulates and controls how this room operates. So thank you. We're gonna go to item three on our agenda, which is proclamations and presentations. Thank you, Mr. President. We have a presentation this evening from Dana Beal, Rebecca Ogawa, and Evangelina Velasquez, the chief deputy uh chief deputy district attorney, Josh Boone, and deputy district attorney Victoria LeBlanc are also present this evening. This team was funded by counsel for the second half of fiscal year 24, and funding in the fiscal year 25 budget is to fund them through December 31st. And we just wanted to get an update how the programs going. Mr. President, um, Madam Vice President and members of the council, thank you very much for having our office here today.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com