The Albuquerque City Council held its 31st meeting of the 26th Council on May 5, 2025, starting at 5:00 PM and adjourning at 11:34 PM. The meeting included proclamations, a consent agenda, public comments, and action on numerous ordinances and resolutions. Key decisions included the failure of agricultural lease agreements, passage of a distressed lodging property ordinance, defeat of a quality-of-life gross receipts tax proposal, and approval of several contracts and grant applications.
The Dara's night range will be open April through October. Good evening, everyone. Happy Cingo de Mayo. It's May 5th, 2025. It's the 31st meeting of the 26th Council, and we will come to order. All counselors are going to be present tonight with Councilor Pena joining us on Zoom. We're going to start with a moment of silence and then followed by the Pledge of Allegiance in English and then in Spanish. 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's 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, Gov TV and on Comcast Channel 16, the Gov TV website, YouTube, and Zoom webinar. The live streams can be accessed from your most smartphones, tablets, or computers. And this meeting is also closed captioned, and you may enable your closed caption services on your television or device at this time. The recording, 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 505-768-3100 for assistance during business hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The council will take a break at approximately 7 p.m. this evening if needed with regard to decorum in the chambers. We want tonight's proceeding to be as civil and respectful as possible. Please do not make any personal attacks and please no applause or snapping, clapping, or outburst during the meeting. This meeting will go a lot smoother if we can all respect one another. We're going to begin with proclamations and presentations. Councillor Grout. Thank you, Madam President. I would like to ask Miss, oh, there she is. Um Miss Marilyn Beck, Miss Ann McKinney, and granddaughter to come to the podium. Hello, thank you for being here. Today, uh this uh this is foster care month. Yay. Thank you for being here. Um Marilyn is with the New Mexico Child First Network. And I can't remember your grant, your niece's name. Marin. Maren. Hi, Marin. Thank you for being here. Uh, whereas safe, healthy children are the key to a safe, healthy future for our community. And whereas during these unfortunate times, when children cannot safely remain in their primary homes, community members who open their hearts and homes to foster care, foster children, provide a vital service to our community. And whereas nationally, one in three foster families quit within their first year of fostering, and New Mexico has unique challenges that make the job even more challenging. And whereas quality foster parent recruitment and retention is the foundation of fixing our broken foster care system and getting children out of state offices and into caring homes is important. And whereas the 2025 legislative session was historic for children welfare in New Mexico, with the creation of the Office of the Child Advocate. Yay. A reformed CARA law to help children born exposed to drugs, a revised confidentiality code in the children's code, increased monthly stipend for foster families and kinship care providers, a new law to ensure that foster that youth in foster care will always receive their federal benefits, and evidence-based tools for child protective services service workers to help families in crisis. Whereas Ms. New Mexico USA McKinsey Siddown and her brother Michael were in foster care as children, and she is Michael's legal guardian now. She is using her platform to bring awareness to foster care, people with autism, and substance misuse. And whereas the city of Albuquerque recognizes the importance of foster families, kinship caregivers like McKinsey, and advocates who work tireless tirelessly to provide substitute care and love to ensure that all children are supported and successful. Thank you for being here, Marilyn. We mentioned uh Miss New Mexico McKenzie. She was scheduled to be here this evening, but she has COVID, so she's at home getting better.