Welcome everyone.

Um, today is April 20th, 2026.

The ninth meeting of the 27th council will come to order.

All councillors are present this evening with the exception of Councilor Bacca, who is going to be joining us shortly via Zoom.

And Councillor Tea should be here shortly as well.

Uh, with that, we'll move on to item number two, the pledge, and a moment of silence.

Please join us in the pledge.

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

You're doing good.

You're doing good.

Okay, Vice President Champagne.

Thank you, Madam President.

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

this evening if needed.

In regard to decorum in the chambers, if you want tonight's proceedings to be as civil as possible and respect and respectful as possible, please do not make any personal attacks and please no applauding or snapping snapping or any other outbursts during the meeting.

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The meeting will go a lot smoother if you were all respectful of one another.

This time we'll move on to administration question and answer.

Counselors, do we have any questions for the administration?

Councilor Rogers.

Thank you, Mr.

Vice President.

Haven't received an update, so I just wanted to check on that.

I don't see anyone from Arts and Culture, so we'll keep Council President, Council Rogers.

I will get that answer for you before the end of the meeting.

Thank you.

And just to remind the public there we had a constituent that came and did public comment who was amazing.

Um and made some analogies to the banners and how they were printed, and it doesn't beg the best uh memes for Route 66 that we want to see.

So wanted to ask about that, and then I think that's it for now.

Thank you.

Councilor February.

Thank you, Mr.

Vice President.

Um, couple of questions.

One, I think is for Mr.

Whalen.

Um, we passed this piece of legislation last December unanimously to get 1.5% one-time payments to staff.

Um they have not received those yet.

And I'd like to know where we are on getting those out, hopefully in this week's paychecks.

Uh council president and uh council people, yes, the one percent for the 64,000 and under that has already been worked.

Uh we are finalizing the remainder that goes to those above the 64,000 that should be um completed Wednesday or Thursday this week to go into the next check.

Okay, and just to clarify, it's one point five percent.

Excuse me.

It's one point five percent, right?

Uh council president and council people corn, it was one percent or sixty-four thousand and below, and then the remainder would go to those sixty-four thousand and above.

Well, however, that's blitz out, and it looks like it's less than one percent.

There are a couple of things we are finalizing, and those are the MOUs with the unions because they have to agree to the one time payment.

And so the folks that need it the most, the folks that make left less than sixty-four thousand dollars a year, should get their payment this week.

Uh council president, counselor corn, the the pay period for this one already ended, it would be the next one.

When does that go out?

So uh this Friday is we get paid, so it'd be two weeks from this fund.

So it will be in May.

It would be the week of May, first week of May, Councilman.

Okay.

Uh um that's a very long delay for folks that need that money.

So I'd like to make sure that we get it out and let the people know that you know it is coming.

Um I feel a little frustrated by that.

Uh, all right, and then my next question, I'm not sure who this one's for, but um back in Jul June of 2023, we passed the be friendly resolution again unanimously through this legislation this body um in the in that um legislation it requires an annual report.

I have been asking for that annual report for a very long time now, and we have not received that.

Can I get an estimate of when we will get that annual report on all of the things we are doing to protect pollinators in our city uh council president and council people cord and I will look into that and I will get with our parks department as well as our solid waste department to see if we can get that report for the okay?

Thank you, Ms.

Railin.

But if you remember, you and I already met on this with the parks department, and there was gonna be an answer, and there hasn't been an answer.

So I'd like to actually come up with a timeline for which I will get an answer on this this time.

Thank you.

Councilor Grout.

Thank you, Mr.

Vice President.

Um my questions are going to start with a director Keener from Transit.

Hi, Director, thank you for being here this evening.

Um I have a few questions about um positions.

How many positions are you funded for this year department wide?

Uh Madam President and Councilor Grout, I'm funded for 540 positions for fiscal year 26.

How many?

540.

540.

Okay, thank you.

And how many of those positions are vacant right now?

Um about 150 are vacant.

Um, how many of those vacant positions are for motor coach drivers?

Um, Madam President and Councilor Grout, those positions for drivers are gonna be.

I've got about 81 uh motor coach operators and then 11 sunband chauffeurs that are currently vacant.

Thank you.

And how many uh vacant positions for mechanics?

Madam President and Councilor Grouts.

Um, between my lead to mechanic helper, all those positions I have about 20 positions vacant currently.

Thank you.

That's a lot.

Um, how many uh and how long has it been since transit has been fully staffed with motor coach drivers and mechanics?

Madam President and Councilor Grout.

Um, not during my tenure.

I I would say you probably have to go back to 2017, 2018.

It's a very long time ago.

Are there any positions that have ever been difficult to fill?

I have I think I know what the answer is, but I wanted to hear from you.

Madam President and Councillor Grout, yes, um a lot of our positions are are difficult to fill.

So um our motor coach operators, uh, our sunband chauffeurs have have been a little easier to fill here lately.

Uh we did get it down to about an 8% vacancy rate this year.

We've crept up a little bit over the last month, but I've got about 10 transition right now, so that'll get us back down into the single digits.

Um, our mechanics, obviously, the mechanic three has been our more difficult one to um fill into currently.

We've had some success at our mechanic helpers.

We're actually overfilled in that position right now.

Um, so we've been starting, you know, seeing people um with less experience that we've been able to bring in and then start promoting up.

Um vehicle servicers, that's another position that has been um difficult to hire as well.

We've got about 11 vacancies in that realm, and then we've got some positions on um the planning side that have been difficult to fill, as well as um accountant one is another position that has been difficult on the finance side.

Well, I'm really sorry that it's so hard to find people.

I um since I have the opportunity, I just want to encourage if anybody that's in the public realm watching and needs a job.

The city is hiring.

It sounds like we have a lot of positions that they're good positions and they come with benefits.

So I think we need we need these positions.

Are there any other positions?

Okay, I already got that.

Your budget narrative for fiscal fiscal year 27 says you cut cut 52 positions.

Are all those positions vacant right now?

Madam President and Councilor Grout, yes, all those positions are vacant.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

May I finish?

I have one more.

Yes, ma'am.

Go ahead.

Okay, thank you.

And these questions are for solid waste.

Council President, Councilor Grout, we have our solid waste director coming up.

Thank you, Mr.

Whelan.

Hi, Director.

Thank you for being here this evening.

Um because um a constituent this weekend, I was at a neighborhood meeting, and he went to one of the convenience centers to drop off old gasoline.

Um when he got there, he had to give up his cans.

He had brought like five different gas cans, probably half full, brought them in, and um at this convenience center, they said you'll have to leave your cans there.

So he had to go out of from the facility and dump it into one and and so like combine them all, and then he ended up leaving one of his cans.

So my question is why do they have to do that?

Um does it have to do with permitting?

We we don't um council president, counselor grout, we do not have uh storage facility for the gas individually.

Okay, we don't have 55 gallon drums at the site.

Do we have a contract with anybody?

We do.

Okay, so tell me about the contract.

So we we can take it to our household hazardous waste uh program that we utilize.

Um I can get you the dates and times out of a number off the top of my head, but we do have a facility that we can use.

Okay.

The concern is if um we make it really difficult for people to to dispose of hazardous waste properly, they're going to end up doing it, taking that out and dumping it in the open space.

And so we want to make sure that it's easy.

Um, this constituent noted um that somebody else um was having to do the same thing, and they had to go outside of the facility.

This is somewhere on Girard.

Um, they had to go just down the road a little bit, dump everything in, and then they had to go back in.

But I just want to make sure that dumping hazardous waste is done properly.

Um we all know the need for that.

Um can uh people also take used oil to these facilities as well.

Uh Council President, Councilor Grout.

So the facility that you're referring to is on Girard?

Yes.

That is our household hazardous waste program.

So I will look into that exactly why they should have been able to take all the cans there, regardless of one can, two cans.

And dump it into a big they have the facility that is our household hazardous waste program.

They're licensed and uh permitted to take that.

Uh this constituent reported that they said they could not he couldn't dump his little cans into a big can at the facility because they didn't have the right permitting.

Council President Coach I will definitely look into that.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you.

That's it.

Counselor Rogers.

You could Councillor Lewis.

Thank you, Mr.

Vice President.

Uh, just uh some comments, uh questions with Ms.

Martinez or our CFO.

Um this is not the I know this is not a budget hearing.

Um we'll be doing those, and uh, but just seems to be a real massive um uh difference between uh you know what what the what the media has been reporting about our proposed budget about what your your proposed budget uh and what we're seeing.

I mean, right now the um you know our staff and we're gonna we're spending time you know reviewing your proposed budget um and certainly you know listening to what's being reported and really sounds like the the media is really just regurgitated um your press releases and what you're putting out on the on the budget and how you're characterizing it.

Um but um you know when I when I look at this proposed budget um the the city's not cutting 35 million dollars um in reoccurring funds in our operations uh but that's certainly what's has been communicated um that uh that the mayor presented a budget that cuts 35 million dollars um and it's not the operations that is that is decreasing, correct?

I mean, these are not recurring operational funds that are decreasing because I'm looking for you know the the decrease in revenue because we're for cutting 35 million dollars out of there going, where is the decrease in revenue?

Um Madam President, Counselor Lewis.

I think I heard a couple different questions in there, so I will do my best to answer them.

Um there is overall in the budget for the proposed budget for FY27.

There is an overall decrease of 35 million dollars, and actually I will be sending out our PowerPoint presentation that I shared with our meetings with counselors that indicates the net decrease of 35 million.

I think what you might be referring to is the general fund.

And the general fund did go up, but again, during these council meetings that we had with the individual counselors, we described the process that was used with the budget.

So there was an exercise that was done with all of the departments to look at their current budgets and find ways in which they could cut certain costs that were happening, whether it was that they decided that they could bring the work internally, or if it was a situation where they were spending a lot of money on overtime where they could reallocate um the way that they were using their individuals, but there were actual cuts that were made, and then there was a reallocation of some of those cuts to priority areas or to areas where there had been clear budget needs in years past.

So I'll use a good example of we've had departments where they were using vacancy savings to cover their operations, and so this year we tried really hard to clean that up, and as I like to say, right size the budget.

Um we also you know, in the past there had been this prudent program savings that was used to essentially show a decrease on the budget.

We deactivated a ton of positions.

So there was a lot of movement that happened, and so it wasn't just sort of a basic approach to things, there were a lot of things that went into the proposed budget.

And so I will share those slides with everybody.

And if you know, I know we didn't get a chance to meet with you, Counselor Lewis.

We were hoping to do that today.

But when you get those slides, please please feel free to reach out to me and happy to go through them with the.

Well, I mean, I'll look forward to seeing those, and I uh um and we'll reschedule that meeting.

I mean, I I had to um uh cancel that meeting that was scheduled for today.

Um but the other counselors have had meetings with you and our staff and been spending a lot of time looking through this.

So I mean it sounds like you went through an exercise of looking at where you know different departments could um could cut, as you say, um you know, some of their uh operations, but but that it the proposal doesn't show that.

The proposal doesn't show any uh you know type of um overall reduction in operational spending.

In fact, the proposed spending for FY26 um is five point nine million dollars more than last year in operations.

And so overall, now there might have been some departments that it looks like there's some departments that decreased um and others that increased.

So but overall operations didn't didn't go down at all.

I mean, in fact, it went up six million dollars in operational spending.

That's what the proposal shows.

Um so again, we're talking about um a $35 million reduction in spending is what you're saying, and it's not operational funds.

I mean it's uh in fact, you know, we're showing a you know, a 20 you're showing a 20 million dollar increase in revenue and then uh you know, reduction of or I mean and an increase in five point time five point nine million dollars in operational spending.

Um I'm not telling you to cut anything, I'm just saying um let's be honest about it.

Um it seems like uh, or let's be more clear about it.

Um I mean, and we could talk about they may we might right size some things, which I commend you all for that.

Um, you know, for years we paid for or we budget for you know hundreds of employees that we're never gonna hire.

Um, and so I think that's a good start to um you know, look if we know we're not gonna hire a hundred percent in in uh transit or another department, and yet we budget for it every year, um, you know, there's a way to right size it there.

But again, that's not a cut.

I mean, that's uh that's not a reduction in spending.

That's just simply saying let's don't budget for those this year because we know we're not gonna hire them anyways like we didn't hire them last year.

Madam President, Councilor Lewis.

Again, I mean, a lot of this discussion that you're raising was talked about in these meetings with city counselors.

We had some slides on some of the highlights of where we did put some of the funding.

Um, and so again, I'm happy to walk you through those slides and and give you a little bit more information.

But this is just a general question, so I'm not sure what those slides are going to show me that's any different than what you can answer right now.

Well, I mean what I'm saying.

You agree you agree that we're spending 5.9 million dollars more in operations in 2020 proposed in 2027 over 2026.

So I mean, I don't have the slides in front of me, so forgive me if I don't remember everything on them.

But for instance, uh one of the things that we flagged was the fact that last year the state infused money into the triple H budget, and that as part of that plan, they were required.

We as a city were required to come up with a plan on how we were going to replace that.

So that was something that we had to absorb into the budget.

Um, you know, we are looking at giving a proposed raise citywide to employees that has to also be included in the proposed budget.

Um in discussions with city council and the mayor, there was a plan to leave fund balance.

I mean, there's a whole host of the process.

Yeah, so that makes sense.

I mean, again, you're you're giving you putting more, putting more in there for employees, great.

Um there's a fund balance, but again, it doesn't change the fact that there's 5.9 million dollars more proposed in spending last than last year, and there's a 21 million dollar increase in revenue over last year.

And so what you're and what you're talking about as far as you you just described really well one time one time uh money.

Um so the cities received one time money over the years, and and we built massive programs, you know, uh to do that.

So we don't have some one-time money anymore, which is that's that's gonna happen all the time.

Um what I what I think we should be real clear about is the fact that um city government is growing.

Um and there's uh and and also I mean be clear about the fact that uh we're not cutting services, um, and you're you're not cutting any services, in fact, you're increasing it by 5.9 percent or five 5.9 million dollars.

And so I just think there's a lot of confusion over, you know, these are not real cuts, you know, these are not service cuts.

Um and and and and the reason why that's important is because you're also showing a massive gap in future revenues and and spending.

Um we're we're predicting and you're predicting massive um deficits to our our budget and spending or spending and revenue uh in the coming years.

And so if we don't deal with that now, I mean this year, um, then we're certainly gonna have to deal with that in the following years.

And so all this to really change the disc to the discussion ultimately leads to uh what what is our plan moving forward uh for fixing that because the the just or or uh go doing away with expected one-time revenue um does not solve the problem and just saying look, we cut 35 million dollars because we didn't.

We didn't we didn't cut 35 million dollars.

We cut 35 million dollars maybe um or some of it in one-time revenues, and then there was a lot there's a lot of transfers and reallocations, and so um looking forward to spending time with you.

I mean um, you know, that's what the process is, but again, I mean I'm talking about some general questions that are communicated that that I just don't see um in here.

But the fact is there's no 35 million dollars in real quick cuts, and the question is you know, what is the actual plan to fix the long-term imbalance that we're gonna have moving forward?

You and I can meet, maybe fill in some of the details.

I don't think it's gonna change the fact that what's being communicated about overall about this budget is really the reality of this budget.

And what I would ask is that we we give a true um uh you know real clarity into what you what we're doing right now if we were to if we were to pass this budget as proposed right now and the situation that we would be in uh down the road.

Thanks, madam president.

Madam President, one last thing.

I I just want to clarify a few things.

I mean, it isn't one-time costs, the cost that the state gave us are continuing operations with triple H.

So these are continuing operating costs.

The other thing is we're talking about funding compensation for employees that are ongoing, they're not one-time costs.

And the other thing is, you know, of course, what you're seeing is net increase, but had we not gone in and done the hard work to look at the departments and make cuts and make efficiencies, you would have seen a larger increase on the fund balance.

And so again, you know, some of the other things real quick, and and then we can move on.

Is there's an increase in positions to fund services for ACS.

There's a plan to put into place a diversion program so that we are not penalizing nonviolent offenders.

There's a lot to this budget, and so to try to summarize it in five or seven minutes is really challenging.

So I welcome to have a larger conversation with your own.

Yeah, and good job, Madam President.

Good job on uh you know going through that process.

The fact is, the fact and some some departments got a massive increase in funding year over year.

Again, the fact is you say all you want that we that we're we cut uh money, uh, but we have 21 million dollars more than last year in revenue, and you're spending five point nine million dollars more than you did last year.

That's your proposal.

Um and you know, it and we could talk, but it has implications of what we do in the coming years.

It also has implications of uh, you know, what what have you what have you done?

What have you done with that?

I mean, I I I mean, uh at some point um you're gonna have to start showing some results.

I mean, this administration is gonna have to start showing um that there's a reduction in homelessness for the $55 million that we or $55,000 that we spend per homeless person in the city.

Um and justify the hundreds of millions of dollars that we spend on homelessness every year.

Um at some point, you're gonna have to justify uh whether it'd be transit or whether it be um uh you know HHH.

Um, you know, where at some point we're gonna have to justify the crime.

Um when you know we have a we continue to have some of the highest crime rates in the country, um, uh, you know, plagued with some of the you know highest you know homelessness challenges in the country.

Um and yet we have program after program and we've grown the city's spending year over year, over and over and over.

Um so I'm not even really questioning as much is it true?

Because I I know it's true.

I know you didn't cut 35 million dollars.

I mean, I I'm I know what I know what it says.

Ultimately, you know, what is it doing?

Is it a good to return on the tax dollar for every taxpayer in the city?

And I think every taxpayer in the city right now is gonna have to say no, absolutely not.

Um and so again, you know, I don't I'm not proud of the fact that we've just boosted and boosted and just given millions and millions of dollars to every single thing in this city without a whole lot of a lot to show for it over the last you know eight years or so or many years.

I feel like there's been a lost decade, you know.

So we got a chance to look at a budget and at least at the very least, let's let's let's be honest about it.

Let's get it right.

Let's actually show some clarity on it.

And you know, it's not that hard.

It's really not that hard.

It doesn't take hours and hours and hours to explain it.

In fact, these are some basic questions that should just be able to, you know, we'd be able to clarify really quick, you know.

The 35 million dollars, where exactly is it then?

I mean, I think I think um, you know, that should be easily explainable.

This is exactly where the 35 million dollars in cuts is.

You know, the one-time spending, the reallocation to transit.

I mean, you know, just need to spell it all out.

Thank you, madam president.

Madam President, that concludes the administration question and answer period.

Thank you, Vice President Champine.

What I'm gonna do now is gonna move the agenda around just a little bit.

I'm gonna go under approvals, and before we go to proclamations and presentations, I just want to um go to EC 82, the appointment of Raul Buchanda, and then I was gonna say ILO, um, and then to the position of executive director for uh public safety, and then EC 83, appointment of interim chief of police, Esley Barker, to the position of Chief of Police of the Albuquerque Police Department.

So those will be the next items.

So we will take on right now EC 82 appointment of Raul Bujanda to the position of executive director of public safety.

So I would move confirmation.

There's a motion second by Councillor Bassan for um confirmation.

Do we have anyone sign up to speak?

Okay, we'll say this.

Yes, we do, madam president.

We have Lisa Christofferson, followed by Grace Dukes, followed by James Shanley, Madam President, uh City Councillors, my name is Lisa Christofferson.

I think I have it this time when it got moved.

I missed it before.

Um, so I will speak to just this one.

So counselor Lewis, I I don't know if you were seeing me.

I'm like, yes, those are the questions we need to ask.

I'm like, yes, because seriously, I don't understand how we can brag about having uh three female chiefs, and we're putting APD, AFR, ASS, and it's all over the local news outlets and how how proud we are, and on the city websites and all that we want to, and now, right?

How first time in history, three female uh leaders, and then here we have um our mayor who wants to appoint a man over them to do what to babysit and at 187,000 dollars, and we're cutting from chances and we're cutting from everybody else, and we want to spend 187,000 on one position to do what?

Um, because when I look at the people in the forces and on the teams, they're doing all the work, right?

Uh, why do they need um they already have a chief?

Why do they need a supervisor over that?

Is Keller?

This is how I'm seeing it.

Is Keller afraid to meet with the three powerhouse females all by himself?

He needs a little uh intermediary, right?

Or does he want to distance himself for things that happen in the city?

So he wants somebody else to blame us and taking the responsibility for himself.

He's our mayor.

It's his responsibility for survive supervising these three people who he recommended and who this city council approved, and who the uh people in uh in in Burke, we were like, yeah, woo-hoo, let's go.

And then to turn around, right, over our esteemed police of uh chief police, the chief of AFR and the chief of ASS, and now we're gonna say, you know what, you guys, we did believe in you, but now we don't.

We got to put somebody else over there at 187,000 a year.

Seriously, where's that job descruption that doesn't look like the redundancy that's already being happening in the other chief positions?

So there's that.

Okay, uh, city employees have been laid off.

Well, as uh councillor Lewis alluded to funds are getting cut, right?

So we need to have accountability in our budget.

Grace Dukes, followed by James Shanley.

Counselors, I come up for you as a constituent and as a woman who questions the need for another man to oversee three exceptional women.

I question the need for more wasteful spending when our budget is stretched to its absolute limit.

Mayor Keller is using this position to shift the blame away from himself and his responsibilities that he has as mayor, all while ignoring the real problem that is the APD and AFR slush funds.

Essential services will continue to be cut to pay for this man's 187,000 salary to babysit three women while Burkheños, ordinary Burkenios, can't even pay their bills.

You would think that the city would step in and protect our essential service services while the fascists in DC continue their crackdown on cities that have basic human respect towards the immigrants.

But no, Keller is continuing with business as usual that will run this city into the damn ground.

There's no need for more bureaucracy, more red tape, more misogyny.

We already have enough of that from counselor Lewis.

There is no need for this position.

This position is redundant.

This is the mayor's job.

If he cannot do his job himself, then he should resign and let someone who actually can do the job take his place.

Vote no, reject more wasteful spending from an out-of-control, out of touch mayor that seems to not care about government efficiency.

Thank you.

James Shanley.

Thank you.

So are there any questions from counselors?

Questions, comments?

Counselor Bassan.

Madam President, I don't really have any questions.

I just want to make sure to point out that I had some concerns with the funding of this position, uh, especially now, which right at the beginning of budget season.

But I did meet uh with Mr.

Buhanda, and I did uh have many conversations this last week.

I made some phone calls.

I asked people that I think know more than I know about the ins and outs of each of these departments.

And I even told Mr.

Bohando as of a couple weeks ago that I was about a 50-50 on confirming him.

I will say that after having the conversations that I had with some of the individuals, uh, I think that they're looking forward to this.

I think they're looking forward to this position.

I think that they're looking forward to the cohesiveness, and I'm going to trust them a little bit more than I would trust my own personal thoughts on this, because I want to do what I think the experts, as we always are saying, are asking for, and I think that I'm going to take that leap, even though I am concerned about the dollar amount.

But I do look forward to being able to ask questions, get answers.

I think it will be really good to have leadership and a role that can actually meet with each of these departments and figure out how to maybe connect the dots and get them all to work a little bit better together versus how it has been now, where sometimes I think that maybe through nobody's fault of their own, there still is a little bit of a missing link because there's there's an uphill battle when it comes to so many different hats to wear or so many different things to do.

Thank you.

Councilor Rogers.

Thank you, Madam President.

I think I would just go to the administration to help talk about since we had public comers ask about what they will do.

What is the executive?

I know, but for the public.

What would the executive director of public safety what is the job description or major duties?

Madam President, Council Rogers, we do have Dr.

Single on Zoom.

She would like to respond.

Good evening, President.

And Counselors, are you able to hear me?

Yes.

Thank you very much.

I appreciate the feedback and have had many discussions related to this position and the value that it brings.

This is not an additional position in our budget.

We have re uh purposed the deputy CAO position that's currently vacant into a very specialized focus for us as an administration.

The goal is to have an individual that works across all of our first responder teams to ensure that we have a unified understanding of the best way we can work with other agencies, the court systems and others, to uh do exactly what was mentioned earlier in terms of improving on outcomes in our community so that we can do the right thing at the right time and working with those partners.

This is both law enforcement as well as other first responders that you may see in emergency management and other federal agencies, um, as well as what we think across our systems of care and behavior health and other places.

Many times our first responders are in a position that they have a very specific role.

We want our police chief focused on fighting crime.

We want our fire department focused on emergency first response and the emergency uh medical care that they provide as well as fire response.

And we want ACS focused on behavioral health and ensuring uh that we are providing opportunities for individuals to have a different response in an emergency.

I think the key here is that uh our uh these this work has been done at the executive level in partnership with these uh chiefs uh for many years, as you all know, through our administration.

Um, and this provides us to have that expertise in our executive team to think about how we can knit this work together in a way that has more effective outcomes.

Mr.

Bahanda's work will bring uh focus on how we work together, um, and that includes with city counselors, in terms of our ability to respond with our partner agencies to outcomes and sharing in that responsibility.

I think each of our chiefs um have appreciated the work of having when they have uh as we all know, three female chiefs reporting to uh a female CAO, and um we have many departments that report to many others.

This is not about gender, this is actually about bringing in additional um professional experience to support this work.

We all know the most important thing we can do in our community right now is focus on safety and well-being of individuals that our first responders um are responding to and the community that is asking for that safety.

Um I'm actually very happy that Mr.

Ruhanda has agreed to be on our team and bring his expertise and his experience both with the federal and across agencies to support us.

He has a very specific job description.

We're happy to share that with anyone that would like to see it.

It's um fully articulated and publicly posted, and we can provide that.

It is not for him to lead any one of these departments.

It is look at how we can work this, uh have the system work together and how we can work within other systems for greater uh positive outcomes.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, CAO single, and I like that you pointed out that his supervisor is a female, you would be supervising him.

Um and I think you know, I had the pleasure of working with uh Mr.

Bahanda in equity and inclusion around education for hate crimes in the black community, um, and found him to be um really knowledgeable, and I think that expertise will help our city.

I think the other thing, and I you know, I know it's controversial, but he was also one of the people investigating our department with the DWI scandal.

And to me, that's extreme good expertise that we need here to make sure that all of the agencies are um pulling in the same direction in their field of expertise.

So I'm I think it's a great addition to our expertise at the city.

Um even as someone who you know don't think we need a lot more law enforcement higher ups.

Um, but I think uh it does bring some cohesiveness that we I think do need, and I'm uh fan of his work, and I think it's a good thing for the city.

So thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councillor Rogers.

Counselor Lewis Thank you, Madam President.

Um I mean, look, this is the mayor's appointment, he has the ability to do this.

Um I'll confirm it.

I can tell you that I don't trust, I I can't say I trust the administration, absolutely not.

Um I don't think the majority of the city trusts this administration or even this position.

I mean, trust is something something that should be uh proved and earned.

Um and I uh so I I mean you know we'll we'll we'll trust you and we'll trust him in this position.

You know, give it six months and let's see if there's some real results and some changes that take place.

But for so long, there hasn't been any changes when it comes to crime in the city and public safety.

Um and so I mean I don't want to just let's not kid ourselves, you know.

We have some serious problems when it comes to this uh this department.

Phenomenal police officers, and and they need leadership that has their back.

Um, and we need to build department that everybody could be proud of and um of the leadership, you know.

I mean, we're proud of these officers.

We just need to be proud of the leadership uh for making the right decisions, uh growing this department and uh you know making it what it should be and could be.

And again, at some point we need to see some real results.

Um and so, yeah, hire this position.

Um, hope he does a great job.

Um, I'll trust you uh when uh when there's some time that comes goes by and we start seeing some real results that we're really getting ahead of the crime in the city and we're really uh um you know showing some great outcomes.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilor Lewis, Councilor Grout.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um I have a few questions.

Um first of all, our our legal counsel asked the administration, we didn't get an answer, so I'm gonna ask now.

Um, can you provide a job description, job duties, or other similar document for the executive director of public safety role?

Since this is a new position, there is interest in learning more about what the role will entail.

Uh Madam President, Councillor Grout, just as uh um CAO Single said we do have the job description and we can provide that to you, and we do have the job duties that are written, so we can provide that.

Okay, um, can you get that to us in the morning?

Like that would have been nice to have for now that okay.

Um then uh let's see here.

Why do the public safety departments need another layer of supervision between them and the CAO?

Uh Madam President, Counselor Grout, the this will be their supervision, and he will report to CAO single, which is like most of our executive team.

For instance, I have seven departments that report to me and I myself report to uh CAO single as well as our CFO has departments that report to her, and then she reports to single uh CAO single from the executive level.

Okay, what authority will Mr.

Bahanda have?

Uh Madam President, Councilor Grout, he will be an executive team member just like myself and just like our CFO and just like our chief of staff.

Will he have an employment agreement like the police chief and the fire chief?

Uh Madam President and Councilor Grout, I'm not 100% sure, but I do not think so.

Okay, Ms.

Coolidon, does the city charter contemplate removing the CAO or any deputy CAO?

Madam President, Counselor Grout, no, the charter is silent on removal for those positions.

Okay, so where uh would there be a way for counsel or the mayor to ever remove the executive director of public safety, even for cause?

Uh Madam President, Councilor Grout.

Uh, that is uh not provided for in the charter currently, no.

Okay, thank you.

Okay, thank you, Counselor Grout.

Um CAO Sangle, did you want to respond to that before I go to Vice President Champagne?

Is that why your hand is up?

Maybe not.

Okay.

Um President Madam President, she's her hands back up.

I'm sorry, are you able to hear me?

Yes.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, I uh my mute is work kind of on hold.

Sorry.

I just wanted to respond, Council President and Council Grout.

Um all positions in the administration are uh that are unclassified or at will for uh based upon the mayor's um appointment, and so we absolutely have the authority to terminate any position at will um forecase or otherwise.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Um related to this, um, our city attorney key.

Um Madam President, I was going to say the same thing.

When a document is silent as to removal, then a position is at will and they can be removed at any time and for any reason except a discriminatory reason.

Thank you.

Vice President Champaign.

Thank you, Madam President.

I just have one question.

It was based off of uh Councilor Grout's question and your response to it that this was needed.

Um why now?

If things were working in eight years in this administration, why now?

Why is this a need now?

Madam President, I I know CAO Sangle is still there, but I'm happy to from my perspective address it.

I think when um after the election, there was a shuffle, as you know, with some of the executives.

So um Mr.

Whalen went into the COO, I went into the CFO, and so there was a shuffle of departments, and so departments.

Um, I believe CA Single took on additional departments, and so she was trying to bring in some expertise, and it's frankly just a shifting.

We all went through a shift of different departments based on our expertise.

So, madam president, so it was functioning fine before, and it's this adjustment, it'll function fine still.

Uh, Madam President and Councilor Champaign, yes.

And actually, we are functioning with one less executive member.

So, my old position as the associate CAO, we there I don't believe there's an intention to fill that position.

So, we're actually managing the same number of departments with the less number of executive members.

Interesting.

Thank you, Madam President.

Madam President, um President Councillor Champaign, if I may.

Yes.

I would just like to add that I think um why now is uh and Mayor Keller has stated this, I think publicly, that Mr.

Buhanda's uh specific skills and experience provide us an opportunity to think about maximizing um the opportunity for uh for again that collaboration across department and looking to elevate our opportunity for um impact in this third term, and I'm I appreciate bringing that expertise on our executive team.

Thank you.

Anyway, any additional questions, comments?

Seeing none, I'll just end with I had similar concerns of what some of the public speakers stated.

I met with Mr.

Bukanda.

Um, I really was impressed with his expertise, his experience.

Um, I really feel like there's you know a lot uh a lot of potential, a lot of um probability of him um bringing his skills to the table and really helping to bolster the good work that all the women are already doing.

I think it's just gonna be phenomenal.

Um I know he mentioned to me that his sister asked him the same question about you know uh overseeing all the women, but I really um just talking to other departments similar to what Councillor Bassan said, um, people really feel that his level of expertise and experience will will help um our city and to move it forward.

So with that, um we will go on to a vote.

Um, Ms.

Pantoya, Councilor Backa Yes Councillor Bassat, yes.

Vice President Champaign, yes, Councilor People Corne.

Yes, Councilor Grout, yes, Councilor Lewis, yes, Councilor Rogers, yes, Councilor Tis, yes.

President Pena?

Yes, passes unanimously.

Congratulations, welcome aboard.

Good luck.

Okay, we will now move on to EC83, uh, appointment of interim chief of police Cecily Barker to the position of Chief of Police of the Albuquerque Police Department.

I move confirmation.

There's a um a second by Councillor Grout and Vice President Champaign, so whichever you prefer to take down.

Um is there anyone signed up to speak?

I don't see anyone either.

And counselors have any questions?

Councilor Passan.

Madam President, it's been a pleasure to work with Cecily Barker over the years when she wasn't in such a high role.

But now I look forward to working with her.

I think there's really barely anyone else that I can think of.

I can't think of somebody better for this job, and I'm very happy.

If anything, I kind of wish we wouldn't have even done a search, but that that is what it is.

But at the same time, I'm very excited that she has been appointed to be the police chief, and I definitely look forward to confirming her.

Thank you, Counselor Bassan.

Any other questions?

Counselor Rogers.

Thank you, Madam President.

I echo that.

I think Chief Barker was someone I always went to before, not that I didn't have a good relationship with Chief Medina.

Hey Chief Medina.

But I think the communication level has already really exceeded my expectations, I think, in things that we ask for of the team.

And I'm just grateful for the help in my district, especially.

I mean, we all know how it is in my area.

And that Southeast Command and our University Command.

I mean, already here, but looking forward to seeing the department grow under your leadership.

So thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Rogers.

Counselor Grub.

Thank you, Madam Chair or Madam President.

I too have enjoyed working with Chief Barker and her team.

And I've already seen the changes that she's made.

I think they're positive, they're wonderful.

Just everything that we we see so many good things coming.

So I I love that her team respects her so much.

That that says a lot about this individual, and I look forward to working with her the next four years.

Thank you, Counselor Grout.

Counselor Teis.

Thank you, Madam President.

I I just want to say how um critical and how valuable I think the these the appointment of Chief Barker and Mr.

Burunda are to the work of public safety, um, in particular because I think we are seeing a really a really positive shift in that tone at the top in the agencies and in at APD, which you know, as a as somebody who has spent her my professional career um in governance and accountability and oversight, um that's where it starts, right?

Is creating a positive tone at the top so that you can create a control environment that works, um, works well, and when you have an environment where you have, I mean, you can see folks are out here uh in in the chamber, um, are you know very positive about this change, and I've sat down with DC, several of our DCs and our commanders over the last four months that I've been you know privileged enough to sit here, um, and we've had very positive conversations.

Um I am just very much looking forward to that shift in that really positive tone at the top that focuses on public safety because as we know, public safety and crime are not the same thing, these are not interchangeable things.

If we want crime to go down, we have to increase public safety.

If we want to increase public safety, we have to make sure that we are investing in the things that work, like youth programs and um behavioral health and things like you know, supporting our officers who are you know our beat officers, um with better and more supportive ACS folks who could take on those type of calls.

So you are working within your designated um lanes, and you have the ability to do that, and that's what I'm seeing here, and those are the conversations that I had, and I'm very excited about it.

Um, and you know, I'm here to support that um through all of these great uh public safety organizations in any way that I can.

So thank you so much, and um I look forward to continuing to work with you so that we um and I've said this to several of you that we've had meetings with.

Um we're gonna make the West Side the example, um, and we're gonna show how community policing and public safety and and that works.

Um, and I'm very much looking forward to it.

Um, and thank you.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you, Counselor Tayas.

So, with that, I don't see any other um counselors wanting to speak, but I'll end by saying I'm just really proud and honored to be able to be here and to move confirmation and to come hopefully to confirm our first female chief of the Albuquerque Police Department.

I know we also have the first female chief of our fire department.

I think that's just a huge milestone, and it says a lot for our city and how we're moving forward, and um and you know, as some of the public commenters said about Brujanda, I don't think they'll let him get away with not doing nothing, all these women.

So I just really am very proud of that, and um, my experience with um the chief outside of her being even chief as well, has been just a phenomenal, phenomenal experience.

So thank you so much with that.

Um, Miss Monday.

Counselor Backa?

Yes, Councilor Basan.

Yes, Vice President Champagne.

Yes, Councilor People Corn.

Yes, Councilor Grout.

Yes.

Councilor Lewis.

Yes.

Councilor Rogers?

Yes.

Counselor Teyas.

Yes.

President Penny?

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Congratulations.

So we broke our own rule.

That's our first warning.

That's a lot.

So with that, Vice President Champagne.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh, we will move on to proclamations and presentations tonight, Madam President.

We have a presentation from Miss Jennifer Turner of the DMD director, who will provide an update on the vulnerable road users' campaign and efforts.

Director.

Okay, Madam President, counselors, good evening.

Tonight I'm honored to present the fourth of six monthly updates to you on our uh the city's traffic safety educational campaign.

Okay, um, just to highlight some key points from our traffic code changes, a reminder that drivers shall stop for everyone using marked or unmarked crosswalks, and every corner is a crosswalk.

Um, also for vulnerable road users, you also have a responsibility to cross safely.

And then the code updates also provide clear rules for rectangular rapid flashing beacons.

And in the community meetings that I'm having around RRFBs, no one knows what they are.

And so here's uh a brief highlight of sorry, and this is not cooperating.

Next slide.

They are technology, so okay.

So uh basically a rectangular rapid flashing beacon is a flashing light, and for vulnerable road users at a crosswalk, um, you should uh hit the the button to cross safely and wait till given the signal.

And for drivers to make a long story short, if you see a flashing light and or a crosswalk with a person on it, stop.

Don't go ahead of the line, stop behind the line, and wait for them to safely cross.

So again, flashing light, stop.

Okay, next slide turning to the educational campaign progress to date.

Uh, we've deployed billboards around the city highlighting the campaign.

We have digital displays at the Sunport City Hall, the convention center, and CNM.

We have videos airing online and on uh KRQE, KOB, Australia, and Telemundo.

We've participated in community meetings and will continue to participate in more.

We've distributed campaign materials to UNM and HPS and other community groups.

We've finalized a one-page flyer on the campaign.

We are finalizing tomorrow a webinar, and we are also working on additional displays on bus shelters and other locations.

And to show our campaign in the wild, uh, we've got it on billboards on the top left, and then we have it at the convention center.

Uh, we have it at that big intersection and CNM where coal hits university, and then the bottom right slide is showing uh at the airport above the escalators going to baggage claim, so all visitors know what to do.

And then just a reminder, our campaign website is www.cabq.gov forward slash stop, and then a reminder that even our youngest Burkenia should be learning about the campaign with uh stop for everyone.

So thank you.

I stand for questions.

Are there any questions, Counselor Rogers?

Thank you, Madam President.

I am grateful we I were actually at our presentation today with APS's Vision Zero.

They were doing some curriculum rollout.

Um, and um some of our uh staff was there to present about this, and it was really interesting hearing the teachers getting this training and a lot of feedback around well, can't you just widen the sidewalks to make it easier for you know pedestrians and a lot about the built environment?

But what this is really about, and I want to highlight that this is about human behavior.

We have put the beacons in, right?

That's the change to the built environment to try to make people safer.

But without behavior changes, um, without the education, it won't change anything without this.

So this is super critical, and it was really awesome to see all of those teachers get that information and actually turn it into curriculum in their classroom.

They gave them a way they can actually turn this uh campaign into curriculum in their classrooms so they're teaching kids about it.

So I'm just grateful and want to shout out APS for really taking a step further than just distributing it in our peach jar, right?

But actually changing it and taking that and putting it into curriculum into schools that even be well before the kids drive, they're biking, right?

And should still get this information.

So it was really cool to see that alignment.

And so I just wanted to send a shout out to your team for for that alignment because I thought that was really awesome and above and beyond, I think, even what we asked for.

So thank you, Director.

Uh counselors, any further questions for the director?

Counselor Croft.

Thank you, Mr.

Vice President.

Thanks, Director.

I'm loving seeing the signs.

I've seen them other uh along the around the city, so that's good.

And um I hope that it's very effective.

Question Have you been able to get in contact with the driver's ed schools?

Uh President Peña and Councillor Grout.

So we've actually been finalizing our materials to distribute to them.

Um we will have a webinar and then also we have a one-page flyer.

But even more importantly, when the state legislature signed the new law requiring three hours of educational um training for our new drivers starting January 1st.

The state is also developing curricula, and so um that process is going on.

They just, I think the cabinet secretary just issued guidance to the schools saying heads up, this is coming.

Um, and I know Bike ABQ has been working with some of the schools on the um questions of the written knowledge exam that the new drivers are being asked.

So, yes, we are we are um aware of the effort, we'll be working with them, but they also have experts to address the state law requirements, which are a little different than our local requirements.

Very good.

Thank you.

Thank you, Director.

Appreciate it.

Madam President, we will now move on.

Have my notes corrected.

Move on to the second uh presentation today.

Once I find it, Madam President, presentation from Dr.

Wayne Lindstorm, uh, the deputy county manager for Bayera Health Authority Division and Dr.

Brown Nesser, uh, which is the regional two consultant who will provide information on the Senate Bill 3 Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act Regional Plan.

Deputy County Manager.

Thank you, Madam President, um, and members of the council.

Uh, for those of you that are also members of the local government coordinating commission.

This is basically the same presentation that you heard uh late last week.

Uh so thank you for this opportunity.

Um, Dr.

Neeser will be doing the bulk of this uh presentation.

We'll both stand uh for QA subsequently.

I want to point out that Dr.

Neeser is a forensic psychologist, and we've done some previous work on the Supreme Court's Mill Health Commission together, and this whole effort around Senate Bill 3, the Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act is really about the intersectionality between the criminal justice system and behavioral health.

And I thought, who better but a forensic psychologist?

So with that, I'll turn it over to Dr.

Nisser.

Thank you, Madam President and Counselors.

I know we have uh limited time, so I'm gonna run through a very uh extensive process.

Five minutes.

Um I see my clock.

And so obviously we'll be happy to answer any questions you have at the end of this.

So the Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act came into legislation in 2025.

It had 150 million dollars attached to it, um, considered gap funding, because in addition to that, uh SB 1 was passed, which is the Behavioral Health Trust Fund, and that was uh intended to have a billion dollars invested in it, and at the end of this process would have a dividend of 50 million dollars uh to continue sustaining this process.

Statewide.

Statewide.

Um the state was divided into 13 regions, each corresponding to a judicial district.

This had a little bit of pain going into it.

Um, however, I think it behooves us to appreciate that our uh corrections system is our largest mental health provider currently in the state, but that is also a national issue.

Uh an executive committee of seven members was created to oversee that initiative, and each region is uh tasked with developing a three-year regional plan addressing five priority areas.

The focus of these plans is to expand and enhance behavioral health systems of care across all age groups.

Um you'll see on your slides the behavioral health trust fund, a little information about that.

Again, it was supposed to be invested at one billion in 2025, 100 million was invested, and in this last legislative session, right around 70 million was invested.

We're hovering right around 200 million.

Um that doesn't get us close to that one billion.

Uh tribal engagement was a huge component of this.

Uh region two includes Isleta and Sandia Pueblos.

Is Leta is actively partnering with us and will have their priorities to us by June 30th.

Sandia, we're still uh communicating with, but has not agreed to partner with us quite yet.

Our tribal allocation is 1,06,524, which equals 335,508 dollars uh annually per so per year.

Um participation level for those tribal components is determined by the tribe.

There's a lot of intricacies involved in that.

Our project overview includes Bernalio County as the accountable entity.

Basically, all regions were tasked with picking an accountable entity.

We work closely with uh the city of Albuquerque to decide which one of us was going to take on that responsibility, and City of Albuquerque graciously allowed Bernalillo County to take on that requirement.

Umgagement included community listening sessions, enhanced sequential intercept model, the ESIM event, uh which I can go into more detail if you have questions about, the stakeholder committee meetings, which are public, and they were held weekly in the process of writing this plan, but are now moving to monthly as we enter into the interim between approval time and when we start implementation.

And then the Senate Bill III webpage that Burnley County started.

We're also on our presentation circuit.

So, like Dr.

Lindstrom said, we presented to the LGZ, the LGCC.

We're presenting to you this evening.

We have the Health Equity Council just send us their final review of our document.

Um we presented to the Addiction Treatment Advisory Board, the Behavioral Health Advisory Board, and we are soon to present to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Our region's top priorities are policy access, continuum of care, social drivers of health, and workforce development.

Service gaps include Medicaid data, ESIM, and our adult assessment to provide us with information on where we needed to direct these services.

And our funding considerations came from Medicaid uh funding as well as looking at what our procurement process looks like.

Oh man, I am using way more time.

Okay, the funding.

Native American service population, like I talked about.

However, uh HCA, the health care authority, had a funding formula that they utilized.

Region two is receiving 13,796,540 dollars, which equals roughly 4.2 million dollars annually to uh to attack this this issue that we're talking about.

We did receive early access funding, which was made available to us for $2 million.

The city of Albuquerque got $1 million to sustain the violence intervention program, and Bernalio County got $1 million to renovate the Mariposa Residential Treatment Facility addressing pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders, and you'll see a budget justification as the last slide, which I didn't quite make.

We will stand for questions.

Thank you.

Counselors, any questions?

I have one question.

Counselor Grant.

Thank you, Mr.

Vice President.

What does ESIM stand for?

I forgot.

Enhanced sequential intercept model.

What is that?

Yes, thank you for asking.

That's a great question.

So uh the sequential intercept model was developed by SAMHSA.

It addresses intercepts.

What is SAMSA?

That's a good acronym that I should know all of the words to, but it's the substance abuse.

And mental health services administration.

Yes, thank you.

Um they created this years ago to talk about the dinner the different intercepts of the justice system where individuals with mental health issues can be diverted.

Okay.

So getting people out of the justice system or perhaps never entering the justice system due to mental health issues.

Okay, thank you.

Uh no further questions.

Doctor Director, yes, sir.

Um yes, I I feel a need to do a bit of uh advocacy, and I did this in front of the the LGCC last week as well.

The behavioral health trust fund uh was intended to be a $1 billion trust fund that would generate an annual dividend that would produce roughly $50 million a year in new money uh to fill service gaps to innovate, etc.

And there was a measure in the last legislative session for 2026 to add an additional 650 million to broach making that trust fund whole.

That measure did never made it into House Bill 2, the budget bill, and so my advocacy for all of you is that I will be uh working with the county commission around our legislative priorities for the next session, and um I hope that that will be our priority on our legislative agenda, and I hope that it is for yours as well, uh, because we have these three years of gap funding, uh, and this was just the curious over until we could access the behavioral health trust fund.

But if that trust fund's not made whole, we will have done a lot of this and not actually have the resources to meet the original intention of the act.

So thank you.

Deputy manager doctor, thank you for the presentation and the information.

Thank you, Madam President, and then that completes proclamations and presentations.

Thank you, Vice President Champagne.

So we are now on to the journal.

I move approval of the April 6th journal.

There's a motion and second by Vice President Champaign.

All those in favor, raise your sorry counselor Bacca.

Yes, Councilor Passan, yes.

Vice President Champaign.

Yes, Councilor People Corn?

Yes.

Counselor Grout, yes.

Counselor Lewis?

Yes.

Councilor Rogers, yes.

Counselor Teyas.

Yes.

President Pena.

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Now on to communications and introductions.

Are there any changes to the letter of introduction council?

Counselor Rogers.

Thank you, Madam President.

I move to pull R-15 out of finance government and operations and place it on the May 4th Council Agenda for Action.

R15 is adopting the 2026 Action Plan and Program Investment Summary for the expenditure of community development block grants, home investment partnership program, and emergency solutions grant funds and workforce housing trust fund.

Providing an appropriation to the Department of Health Housing and Homelessness for the 2026 U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development Entitlement and Workforce Training or Trust Funds.

And the reason for this is that we have a deadline to submit it to HUD.

Um, and so we can't wait for the next FGO meeting.

So that's the only reason.

And the move.

There's a motion and a second by Councillor Grout.

Um to pool our R 15 out of financing government, Ms.

Montya.

Councilor Bacca.

Yes, Councilor Basan, yes.

Vice President Champagne, yes.

Counselor People Corn, yes.

Counselor Grout, yes.

Counselor Lewis, yes, Counselor Rogers, yes.

Counselor Teas.

Yes.

President Penya?

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Counselor People Corn R21.

Thank you.

I move that the rules be suspended for the purpose of placing R21 on tonight's agenda for action.

R21 is approving and authorizing the acceptance of grant funds from the Natural Resources Defense Council and providing an appropriation to the General Services Department beginning fiscal year 2027.

Second?

Second.

There's a motion, multiple seconds.

I'll take Councilor Rogers.

Councilor People Corn.

Thank you, Madam President.

So this is 4500 that is coming from NRDC to continue the composting program that we set up in District 7.

And so we did not realize that it had to be done quite as fast as as this, but we received word last week that they wanted it done by the end of this month.

So that's the reason for the immediate action.

You do thank you.

Just a quick question.

Councilor February, I'm not too sure if you can answer this, but it in the read and the write-up it says that it's plans for expansion.

What are what are the expansion plans?

Because I know it's working in a certain area.

Thank you.

Um I do have the um oh goodness, I can't see.

Is Ann Simon here?

Yes, she's coming.

She can answer that question for you.

We can hold off on the question after the vote.

Um I apologize.

This was just for the vote.

Thank you.

So there was a motion and a second by who is the second was Councilor Rogers.

Madam Clerk.

Counselor Bacca?

Yes.

Councilor Brasan, yes.

Vice President Champagne?

Yes.

Counselor People Corn.

Yes.

Councilor Grout?

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Councilor Rogers.

Yes.

Counselor Teas.

Yes.

President Pena.

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you so much.

Um reports of committee.

Councillor Lewis.

Madam President, point of order.

I think we still have to approve the letter of introduction.

Oh, yes.

I'm so sorry.

The journal.

We're on the journal.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Yes.

I move approval of the letter of introduction.

There's a second by Vice President Champagne.

Madam Clerk.

Counselor Bacca.

Yes.

Councilor Basson.

Yes.

Vice President Champagne?

Yes.

Counselor Peoplecorn.

Yes.

Counselor Grout.

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Counselor Rogers.

Yes.

Counselor Teas.

Yes.

President Pena?

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Now we will move on to reports of committee.

Um, Councilor Lewis.

Madam President, the Finance and Government Operations Committee met on Monday, April 13th.

It reports out the following items in the matter of EC 56, 59, 76, they be approved.

Matter of EC 78, 80, and 81, that receipt be noted.

Matter of R8 and R9 that they do pass, and the matter of 04 that it do pass is amended, and matter of 017 that it do pass a substitute and be active on at the meeting at which is reported.

Matter of O20 and R 10 that they do pass be acted on at the meeting at which they are reported.

The matter of 08 that it be withdrawn by the sponsor and make a motion to accept the committee reports.

There's a motion and a second by Councilor Vice President Champagne.

Any questions?

No.

Madam Clerk.

Councilor Backa.

Yes.

Councilor Bassan.

Yes.

Vice President Champagne?

Yes.

Councilor People Corn.

Yes.

Counselor Grout?

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Councilor Rogers?

Yes.

Counselor Teez.

Yes.

Yes.

President Pena?

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Councilor Bassan.

Madam President, the land use planning and zoning committee met on Wednesday, April 15th, 2026, and reports out in the matter of R2 and R6 that they do pass.

I make a motion to accept the committee report.

Second.

There's a motion and a second by Councillor Grout to accept the committee report.

Madam Clerk.

Councilor Backa.

Yes.

Councilor Bassan.

Yes.

Vice President Champagne.

Yes.

Counselor Peoplecorn.

Yes.

Counselor Grout.

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Counselor Rogers?

Yes.

Counselor Tayis.

Yes.

President Pena.

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

So we are now on to deferrals and withdrawals.

I'm going to start with 0267.

I'm going to let the staff talk about this.

This is a recommendation of award of own call planning services for city council.

So did you want to add anything to that?

Um, Mr.

Padilla.

Um, Madam President, uh the city councillors received a meet email at 4 30 saying that there were some legal issues that we wanted to look into that was forwarded to us by councilor rogers um about 10 minutes ago.

And so what we are recommending that you move for deferral, give us some time to look at the legal concerns, and then um we'll report back to you.

Um thank you, Mr.

Paddy.

Yes, so we will vote on this after.

So um I lost my advice.

Okay, go ahead.

Counselor Vice President Champagne.

Thank you, Madam President.

I move to pull EC 96 off the consent agenda, EC96 is a housing forward fund, FY26 report.

Is it an OC or any you don't have a second?

Yeah.

Uh I also I have two more.

Uh we're still I didn't pull item N, EC99 off a consent agenda.

EC99 is the Albuquerque Energy Council FY2025 annual report, and finally, item V, OC5.

Uh, and that is the CPOA's uh fiscal year of 26 one year objectives update.

Thank you.

Um so with those items pulled off the agenda for those individuals on tonight's consent agenda who are being appointed to serve on a border commission.

Thank you for your willingness to serve.

I move approval of the consent agenda.

There's a a motion and a second by vice president champagne for approval of the consent agenda, madam clerk.

Councilor Backa.

Yes.

Councilor Bassan, yes.

Vice President Champagne?

Yes.

Councilor People Corn.

Yes.

Councillor Grout?

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Councilor Rogers.

Yes.

Councilor Case.

Yes.

President Pena.

Yes.

Thank you.

So we'll start with the first item OC267.

Um, that is recommendation of award of on call planning services for city council.

And I would move a deferral of this item.

Second.

There's a motion second for deferral by Councillor Grout.

Madam Clerk.

Are we doing it to uh deferral to the next meeting?

Next meeting till May 4th.

Councilor Bacca.

Yes.

Councilor um Councillor Bassant.

Yes.

Vice President Champagne?

Yes.

Councilor People Corn.

Yes.

Councilor Grout?

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Councilor Rogers.

Yes.

Counselor Tays.

Yes.

President Penny?

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Vice President Champagne.

Thank you, Madam President.

After reading the write-up for this, I just have a few questions for I guess it would be the administration or whoever could answer these.

In reference to the housing forward fund, the FY26 report.

The council president and uh councilor Champagne.

We have our director of health, housing, and homelessness to answer any questions.

Director, why do you make your way down there?

Um the report emphasizes that the funding has been fully committed.

Uh when I quickly added up the funding we were missing of the 23 million dollars, we're about 7.1 million dollars short.

So if it's has been fully committed, where where did the 7.1 million goal?

Madam President, uh Council Champagne.

Uh your question is where's seven point?

I'm sorry, I'm looking at the toll.

In the report, it it lists the the numerous, and I have I have a sub kind of a side question.

It lists one, two, three, four, five areas that the the funding the twenty of the twenty-three million the funding went to.

When I add those things up from the report that you provided, the it adds up to 15.8 million dollars, which is not 23 million.

So I'm curious where the 7.1 million goes.

My apologies, uh, Madam President and Council Champagne.

I would have to work through the map to see what project it was actually allocated to and/or missing on the summary that I have.

I'm sorry.

I can do some quick math to see where we're at, but in the four madam president, council champagne.

Madam President, Council Champagne, my totals are coming up to the 23 as far as project on the summary that was attached to the report at the end, and unless my math is off.

So I'm not sure where that shortage is showing up at.

I've got the Sure State Los Altos Lause conversion for 6.1 million.

The additional 76,000 that was attached to that process uh project was Mesa Ridge A, which was for 8 million.

Uh quality suit study of only 6,000 that was spent.

Energy efficiency improvement, city owner uh one point one point five million, beach apartments, roughly 57,000, another 130,000, 3, uh 700, uh 6,500 and the last allocation for 3.3 million, the 1 million for Lomus Towers and Park Central, 2 million, and then the administrative cost of 776 for 23.

Is that correct?

There's patterns for dollars.

There might be 10 extra dollars.

I'm hearing, thank you.

I'd have to do the actual subs to the cents, but let me move back, Director, so I can see where the analysis showing three million.

I've got eight million to the West Mesa Ridge.

Correct.

I've got 1.5 in a project that was canceled, so 25,150 dollars was put toward it, but then the federal funding was canceled.

So you reallocated 1.4 million, 800,000 to the new energy efficiency program and 674,000 to the beach apartment stairway rehabilitation.

Correct.

I've got 3.3 million going to the stairway rehabilitation center, and I have three million allocated to the commercial property to housing conversions.

Oh much was missing on there.

Madam Chair, Councilor Champagne.

Madam President, how much was missing?

How much was allocated to that then?

6.113 858.03 cents and then an additional 76,629 uh for the architectural services.

So that's this roughly 6.2.

Is that what's missing on that then?

Because that might be the account that's not on your write-up for sure state, because that comp uh project was completed, and some of these are still um either in uh the updates were either a project that was either changed like the federal government ICAST efficiency, and so we had to reappropriate that West Mesa Ridge, which was just allocated in that development agreement's going out.

So I'm believing that that shortage might have been the completed project for Los Altos Law Shur Stay.

Okay, and director, just an odd question.

Some of the things that were reported were really even numbers, 8 million, 3 million.

Um but yet the stairwell was reported to the penny.

Is there a reason?

I'm just out of curiosity.

Madam uh President, Council Champagne, good great question.

Um this particular project and rental for that facility has evolved per phase.

Um it has evolved everything from relocation fees uh for individuals to new apartments while we're doing the repair work, uh, multiple architectural sectors, uh sections and designs for those stairwells, and then final appropriations and then actual costs.

So yes, we've been spending down on that one quite a bit, and uh the tallies are other coming in as the invoices are and the work is being done, and so that's why you see the various different amounts for each one as they're paid.

Um I mean I can highlight those for you, whether it's the flooring and the shoring, the railing modifications and the bracing, structural evaluation, due diligence.

Um there were two fees related to that, and then of course the overall construction costs, which were the large bulk of the funding went 3.3 million.

Okay.

Um could you email me that?

I mean, could you email me the focus?

I'm missing some things here, so I want to be able to just kind of add them up and my quick little APS math going.

So Madam President, Kelsey Champion, absolutely.

Thank you, Director.

And just uh one last question.

This is an annual report for it for fiscal year 26, right?

And that's the dates of July to June.

Madam uh President and Councilor, yes, this is our update to you all in regards to where that funding sits in the annual report and where we are with the allocated projects.

We provide that to you via the accountability for that funding.

Um there's no new funding to it, so it's until it's exhausted and completely uh drawn down.

We will continue to give you those updates.

Perfect.

Thank you, Director.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Vice President.

Um Champine, Councillor Graph.

Thank you.

Don't go anywhere.

I just have a question about the beach apartment.

Can you tell me how that project's coming along?

It's been a while.

And I it's a beautiful building, and I want to get people back in it.

So tell us about it.

Madam President, Councillor Ground, thank you for that question.

Yeah, so phase one is nearing completion, and we are starting to look at phase two.

Um the redesign for those stairs have been completely done.

I've actually seen the mock-ups, and they uh lend themselves to trying to preserve the original architecture that was done years ago, uh, all the way down to the hue lighting that it's uh traditionally known for when you drive by central on that neon lighting, they're building it into the stairwells to kind of make sure that they're honoring the original architects design and concept.

But phase one is done, we're moving into phase two, and I know I just recently signed off.

There are some folks that are being relocated to other uh living units, and so we are providing that before we start the actual construction.

So, what was phase one?

Um so the Madam uh President Council Grout, the actual uh apartment complex is designed in a very unique way, and uh what we did is identify the the staircases that were failing most immediately and identify that as phase one and are addressing all of those while we move forward with assessing the building.

We went staircase to staircase the according to how that property sits, and we are phasing that out for repairs, which we prioritize the most urgent stairwells that were uh basically failing.

Thank you, madam.

Um Madam President, will um people be able to move back?

Are people moving back in or when will they move back in?

What's that plan?

Madam President, Councillor Grout.

Um, our goal is all uh to keep that uh uh facility under our portfolio and house as many people and individuals as we can.

I think when the construction site is kind of done and allowable, folks will have the opportunity to return and/or new rentals to go in there.

Some individuals have chosen to um move into other properties under our portfolio, um, and they may wish to stay there andor return, but they get first priority uh choice.

How many apartments are there?

Oh, I uh Madam President and Council Grout.

I don't have the full number to have to get that from our records.

I just can't remember that.

Uh over a hundred?

Is it over a hundred?

I want to say it's close to that, yes, ma'am.

Okay, thank you.

Thanks for the update.

Sure.

Thank you, Councilor Grout, Counselor Rogers.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, just a couple questions.

So the this report does not show a full before and after allocation table, which makes it reconciliation really difficult.

So I'd like to ask that we include a table for so that we can easily see simple table that says project, the original allocation, and I'll send this to you because I just thought of it now.

That would make it easier for us.

So, like project, the original allocation, the relocated reallocated amount, right?

Because I'm seeing money being and what you're allowed to do, move it to different projects, but I can't follow the money.

Um, that's really hard when we're talking about uh housing forward trust all like these dollars.

Um a final allocation spent to date and how much is remaining would be super helpful for us to be able to in a snapshot, we'll be able to see the final amount.

We'll be able to see if you move something from here to here.

Um, because one of the glaring things that I see that is severely underfunded is our one of the programs, our energy program.

When I was looking just kind of line by line, originally it was 1.5 allocated, and there was only 25,000 spent in your report, and so the re all the other funds were reassigned somewhere else.

Um, and so I think that before and after allocation table will help us be able to reconcile what's happening with these funds.

And then what was the assumed IDOH that you put on these projects?

Um Madam President, Councilor Rogers.

I can't do quick maths, but I know the project totals were 23 million, and IDOH was 776,000.

So I don't know what that percentage breaks down to.

Well, I believe it's closer to 2.75 or 3%.

Awesome.

So you took what we passed, not five percent.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

That's why I wanted to call it out because I appreciate you using what we passed at this body for IDOH, especially on housing, right?

These are housing dollars.

Um, so I think I and thank you for asking about the stairways because I had a lot of questions about that one.

I think that one went way above the allocated amount for that.

So I think the allocation table would help me see.

We originally roughly spent 3.3 total already.

So I just want to see how far over what we allocated because that's a major project, and that we've gone above.

Um we rightfully so, because people need to get to the stairs to their apartments that they're paying rent for.

Um, and in city properties, we cannot be having slum landlord type problems in our properties.

Like we're always talking about our landlords and what they're doing or not doing.

And if the city isn't doing it, that's even to me more egregious.

Um so I think that would help me be able to just be able to reconcile.

Um I have so many others.

I would love to see how much has been reallocated over the years, but we're not gonna go there.

We'll just talk about this one.

Um can I think the biggest question to our administration is can you certify that no housing fund dollars have been spent outside council authorized project purposes?

Whoever from the administration would like to answer.

Madam President, Councilor Rogers, within this appropriated funding.

I I'm I'm hearing it might be a larger question than just that.

Um yes, within this, it is approved.

We have to track it.

The reallocations can happen within.

We have to bring that to you all.

And I don't believe any of the proposed items that you're asking for are uh beyond reason, and so we'd be happy to provide it.

Thank you.

So I will hit Madam President.

I hear that as a yes, they will certify that.

Um but I think the reconciliation table will help us see that because if I can't follow it, sure.

I I'm a trust but verify kind of gal.

So I just want to be able to have the information to verify.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Councilor Rogers.

Um Councilor People Corn.

Thank you, Madam President.

So first I just wanted to clarify one thing that Councilor Rogers was asking about because you and I have had a couple conversations about that.

So we had the 1.5 million for energy efficiency for um city-owned properties to make sure that we were reducing the amount of energy used in those properties, and also of course meeting our climate um goals, and uh the contractor that was going to do that work is no longer able to do that work, so they did a very minimal amount, like $25,000 worth.

And so then we talked through how to split that up a little more.

They needed more to finish the beach stairs, which has to be done.

And so if you look on the chart, you'll see that about 800,000, which is is a little over half of the original, is gonna go into a new energy efficiency program to make sure that we're getting those units upgraded, and the rest went into the beach stairs, um, which again is a lot of money for stairs.

But um, I had a couple more questions if I can.

Can you just tell me how many units are at the sure stay loss, the Los Altos Lofts conversion?

Madam President, Council People Corn.

I may have to get that back to my recollection.

I thought it was just over 100, like 101 units in that.

Yeah, they're mostly studios with a few one bedrooms.

Okay, thank you.

And then the rest of the actual new affordable housing construction with these 23 million dollars is all under construction now.

That is the only completed project.

Is that right?

Uh, Madam President, Council February Corn Yes Shirstays done West Mason Ridge, we just broke down on last week.

Uh Beaches Apartments is a reno Loma's Towers under construction as the park central.

Yeah, right.

So we've had this housing forward fund around for several years, and we only have one completed project.

Um I'm very excited about the projects that are in construction, but um, but I I just want to note for the public that a majority, well, maybe not a majority, but a large percentage of the funds that were in this housing forward fund have been used for existing um upgrades, which is really great, but it wasn't exactly the the impetus for creating the housing forward fund, and so I just wanted to thank you for your work on actually moving forward with some of these projects are gonna actually create new um housing units.

Uh, understanding that you of course have to keep the ones that we have, but I would like to think in the future that we can think through more um regular ways of creating funding for literal upkeep of our assets and use funding that comes in like this for for actual creation of new housing units.

So thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

I make a motion that receipt be noted.

Okay, there's a motion and second by Councillor Grout, Ms.

Lintoya Councillor Backa, yes.

Councillor Basson, yes, Vice President Champagne, yes, Councillor People Corn?

Yes.

Councilor People Courtney?

Yes.

Counselor Grub.

Yes.

Councilor Lewis?

Yes.

Councilor Rogers.

Yes.

Counselor Tia's.

Yes.

President Pena.

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Vice President Champagne EC99.

Madam President, EC 99 is the Albuquerque Energy Council fiscal year 2025 annual report.

I just have a few questions for the administration on this.

Um, and a quick explanation.

Uh can you explain the three percent set aside?

Uh it states in there that the three percent set aside totaled 840,000, which went into the general fund.

Uh Madam President and Councilor Champagne, that three percent is um something that comes out of the bond fund for energy efficiency projects.

Okay.

In the past, what's been the CIP savings in the past from there?

Let's see.

We have saved more than 855,000 uh kilowatts of electricity based on the past two years of our investments in dollars.

It's around 500,000.

On top of the 840, madam president, is that correct, director?

I'd have to double check those numbers.

I'm pinch hitting for my colleague Safe Ishmiel.

And some of that, Madam President, some of that money is going into wanting to go into uh reinvestment into the program, correct?

And into the city projects in the city facilities, is that correct?

Uh Madam President and Councilor Champaign, all of the funds are only used for uh city facility upgrades, yes.

Okay, it's noted in here, Madam President.

Uh it's noted in here that you want to raise it from three to five percent.

If it's creating this amount of money and it's generating these amount of great projects that reinvested, why the increased?

Why not just keep currently slowly keep increase or keep uh going with the current projects and the current three percent?

Um, Madam President, Councilor Champagne, that was a recommendation from the nine member board of the AEC appointed by this body.

Okay, and Madam President, what's the plan for the the upcoming 840,000 since it goes back into general funding can be used for pretty much anything?

Do we know?

It's my understanding, uh Madam President, Councilor Champagne that the projects are all identified by the Albuquerque Energy Council members, these this nine council member body, and we allocate them for very specific projects, and each one of these projects is brought before the board every month okay perfect.

Uh Madam President, uh just out of curiosity.

This was dated on January, the EC was dated on January 27th of this year.

Is there a reason why it took so long for it to show up?

Do you know?

Madam President, Councilor Champagne, I do not know.

Okay, and Madam President, the the uh when's the last time we received one of these reports?

Do you know?

Um Madam President, Councilor Champagne, I believe that the um FY24 annual report was submitted to this body um in and around January of 2025.

Okay, do we know the the administration, Madam President?

Do you know the EC then to that?

Right offhand?

Madam President, Council Champagne, we don't.

Okay.

Is that Madam President?

Is there a way I can get the ECs from the past?

I mean, which of those were to review them.

We can we can get you that information.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

Um Madam President, and and just there was a uh I believe the original goal was 25 percent to reach 25 percent uh solar for municipal buildings uh by 2025.

Have we reached that?

Uh Madam Um President and Council Champagne, thank you so much for the question.

The goal is 100% renewable um electricity energy on all for all the city operations.

Um this is not a net zero goal.

We still have boilers, we still have some carbon emitting um energy forms in the city of Albuquerque, but the more we put our solar infrastructure on our facilities, um, the more offset we have with our fossil fuel energy consumption.

So we we should be on target to offset all of our electricity with 100% renewable by the end of this year.

And that matches Madam President, that matches the mayor's goal with the he set, correct?

Madam President, Councilor Champagne, yes, thank you.

Madam President, just one last question.

If and I know it's proposed that it goes from three to five percent.

If it does not go to five percent, what what's the uh fallback of that then?

Uh Madam President and Councilor Champagne, I we're doing really good things with this money.

Um we're upgrading our lighting with LED lighting, we're um putting on the solar panels.

We are um looking at our water savings, we're looking at our gas savings, we're making um our even our gas boilers more energy efficient.

We're um we're making our parks and open space brighter and safer with with better lighting.

Um it's going to good use and it'll continue to do that.

Yeah, madam president, it'll go either at three or five percent, it'll still keep plugging away at that and go to good use.

Correct.

Okay.

Thank you, Madam President.

Counselor Bowser.

Councilor Rogers.

Thank you, Madam President.

Just a couple of questions that came up while uh in line with Councillor Champagne's you said this money can only be spent for energy savings projects.

Is that correct?

Uh Madam President, Counselor Rogers, uh energy efficiency measures, um, lighting, um, water efficiency, okay, solar, that kind of thing.

Okay, and so that's what confused me because in your write up about with a five percent set aside, the city will, and I'm reading directly from the report, free up additional operating budget to redirect to other critical needs, including public safety, infrastructure maintenance, community services year after year.

So can you tell me about that?

Madam President and Councilor Rogers, I think that the thinking was because these are there are expenditures that have to be made.

Sometimes we go beyond what's in our allocation.

Um, I think the thinking was that those additional resources would then be um able to be used by the general fund.

Right, but not all you said it wasn't allowable outside of energy projects or energy efficiency type projects.

So I would uh I would argue we can't spend it on that.

Um then the other thing that was in here, you said community engagement and listening tours to councillor champagne's point.

This was dated January, and it said Q1 2026, AEC and city councilors will engage in each district in listening tours.

When can I expect one in district six?

Because my district loves energy savings, they love the brain.

We actually asked for a brain presentation at our state of the district and didn't get a response.

Um can district six.

Six express expect, and I love community engagements my jam.

So I'd love to work with you on planning those.

When can we expect those?

Um, Madam President, Councillor Rogers, um, this is uh an idea that has come from the nine um member um AEC board, and they're very interested in getting out into the community, so as soon as we get those scheduled, we'll let you know.

Okay, well it said Q1 in your report, and Q1's over.

So can we be a little more specific?

Because I like to put just follow-ups so I can follow up with your team.

Thank you.

Madam President, Councillor Rogers, I am pinch hitting for my colleague, Safe Ishmael, um, and we will confer with with energy and um sustainability and get back to you as soon as possible.

Okay, thank you.

And I'll have my team reach out because we're doing participatory budgeting round two.

You can just hit your wagon to ours and come along and talk about that, especially as our community members are putting in projects.

Some of them could be a lot of them, actually, have been around sustainability, food access, and all the work we're doing with your department already with food access.

I think it's supposed to be a perfect intersection, and you can just come along to all the parties we're gonna be throwing and talk to district six residents about this because this is extremely important for um for all of us, of course.

But I think as I just want us to do what we say we're gonna do here, and this is incredibly important for my district.

So I'm excited to work with you on that.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Councillor Business.

Madam President, in earlier conversations I had, I was under the impression that this funding does not go back into the general fund.

Do we have staff from council services that can clarify that up here?

It looks like Mr.

Motzko's Madam President, Councilor Bassan, uh that is correct.

The three percent for energy set aside is part of the general obligation bond program.

So out of each purpose, 3% is reserved, just like 1% for uh one and a half percent for public art and uh two percent, which is now three percent for open space, but it is a reserve specifically out of the general obligation bond program that can only be used for capital improvements for energy savings.

So none of this money goes back to the general fund.

Thank you.

Thank you, madam president.

Thank you, Councilor Basson, Counselor Grout.

Thank you, Madam President.

I was just looking through the read uh the write-up, and um the last time we received an annual report uh was for fiscal year 2021 through 22, and that was EC23-265.

So if there was one after that, we need to know.

Thank you, Councilor People Corn.

Thank you, Madam President.

So I just wanted to clarify, and I know Mr.

Motsko left, but let me just I think perhaps the confusion is that the funding for this comes from the geobond set aside, and it is set aside for these projects.

The savings that are created from these projects do not go back into that fund, they go into the general fund.

That is my understanding.

And so, and I'm getting thumbs up, so that is the case.

So the money to do the projects comes from the bond set aside, the money, the savings and utility costs goes into the general fund, which can be distributed however we distribute it.

Um so I just had one quick question, and you might not know the answer to this, so um, I I can just reach out to say, but I I did I was looking at some of the projects, they're really great projects as always.

I'm an energy um council alum, so I love the work of this group.

But um, I I just noticed that a large percentage of our savings are still coming from LED conversions, and that is low-hanging fruit.

All the utility programs have moved beyond lighting and into more um impactful and long-term savings.

And so I'm just wondering if we can get you do not have to have this off the top of your head, but can we get an estimate of how much more we need to spend before we're gonna be through that lay low-hanging fruit and get through the LED conversions and on to bigger projects?

That would be a really helpful number to get if you can just get it and send it to me sometime.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So, no other questions, um, Vice President Champagne.

Councilor Roger.

Thank you, Madam President.

Just one more, because that brought up on your report, just so some parts of your report say project savings, and we know what the savings is.

Um, and some just have um just the total for the project.

So can we align that where we see the total for the project and then next to that the savings?

So because I'm sure there's impact in savings, and I can see it on some of the line items, but some just have the project totals but not the savings totals.

So that would be super helpful because we can we love to point to impact to show we spent this and this is how much we saved based on that.

Thank you.

Madam President, I make a motion that uh receipt be noted for EC99.

There's a motion and second by um Councilor Rogers for a receipt beat noted, Miss Montoya.

Councilor Backen?

Yes, Councilor Bassan, yes, Vice President Champagne, yes, Councilor People Corn?

Yes, Councillor Grout, yes, Councillor Lewis, yes, Councilor Rogers, yes, Counselor Teyas, yes, President Penya, yes, passes unanimously.

Thank you, Vice President Champagne.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh the last one, oh C5.

I just have a few questions and the director is here to answer them.

Uh director, it uh it is noted in this that uh sustained findings have increased from 21 to 49 percent, which has uh shifted the review focus towards sustained cases and delayed reviews of exonerated unfounded cases.

I know we use outside, we use an outside vendor to assist with this.

Is that correct, or is it all in-house?

Uh Madam President, um, Councilor Champagne.

No, the reviews are all in-house.

Um, so I conduct the final review of everything per the requirement, but I do have some support, obviously, from our uh lead investigator and our deputy director to do that.

Okay, do we know what's contributed to this uptick doubling essentially?

Um it's a it's a combination of a few different things.

Um I think the increase in some of the PRT examples, um, use of PSAs, some of those various issues have created some of that increase.

Um it's not that the department is doing things differently per se in terms of worse.

It's just a matter of people are filing complaints, they know about us.

Um we are receiving and being more efficient in our um complaints.

So when we receive a complaint, we are looking at it as to whether or not it has some viability to it.

So you may have noticed we have a high number of intakes, but we've actually dropped our number of assigned complaints because we're resolving them through mediation, through informal mediation, through our better screening process.

So the likelihood of a complaint when it's actually assigned has a higher likelihood of actually having something wrong.

So that's most of what it is, but then some of the other um things that have changed also with how the department and people and advertising too.

Okay, Madam President, what's the what's the current caseload per investigator for CPOA?

Um we're running at uh just under eight per, um, which is eight.

Yeah, right about seven but before nine, eight.

I'm sorry, after seven, but before nine.

I just want to do that.

7.75 is what the actual, but you know, so approximately eight um per investigator at this point, which is a much better number and much more manageable number than what it was previously, which was 15, 20, 25, um not that long ago.

Okay.

And Madam President, just one last question.

If if um it's kind of based on something else that's on the agenda later and the report being read now, do you foresee an issue with that going to 15 or 20 or 25 if uh the item later on is passed and the scope is widened?

I don't because actually it's not a widening of the scope, it's actually just maintaining it a status quo.

We have been doing those investigations all along, but there was just a new concern about how the language of the ordinance maybe technically made it not feasible.

So I don't anticipate a much change, and plus we are um obviously hiring people.

We have two more investigators to fill, so I'm still confident that it won't impact it negatively.

Perfect.

Thank you, Director.

Sure.

Counselor um Vice President Champagne.

I believe it's Councillor Rogers who has a question.

Well, you did?

Sorry.

Thank you.

Counselor Rogers.

Thank you, Madam President.

For the contractor, what what's the maximum number of cases the contractor can handle?

Uh yes, make it Madam President, uh Councilor Rogers.

So right now it varies for them, but they are uh having a lower number of available investigators themselves, so they have an active capacity of between four and six, give or take.

Okay.

And uh Madam President, what is the cost per outsourced case?

Uh it's it's high, so we do try and keep most things in-house.

Um they charge 72, 75 an hour plus taxes and all of that.

So we do try and keep most cases in-house.

The primary reason for the contractor is we do sometimes have conflict of interest type cases where it's better to um outsource to avoid any appearance of possible concept conflict of interest, as well as um there are occasionally a case that will have like a significant amount of review of evidence.

And if we assign that to an in-house investigator, that tends to bog them down.

It might even have to be uh the person is taken out of rotation to handle that one case.

So if we use the contractor for something like that, we can keep the flow going and make sure that things don't bottleneck and accumulate.

Thank you.

So if you were fully staffed, you'd still have the need for the outside case reverse.

A little bit, but again, we try and minimally use them a minimal amount.

Okay, and just a couple more.

How many what is your annual investigator turnover rate?

Well, um, in 2023, we had three leave uh all very short period of time, then we had another one that was gone due to um being deceased, and then we had um hired some and then two more left, and then we hired, and so it's I'd have to figure out the actual percentage, but it's been a bit of a rotation lately.

Sure, thank you.

Does HR give you a department report about turnovers?

Or do they get any departments to report on turnovers?

I I'm I'm not aware, I just know of what I you know in-house.

Nothing that you get from your HR department.

No, thank you.

Okay, and then last question I think is the most important question is that reading in there that sustained cases could potentially be at risk for missing disciplinary deadlines.

Do you know about how many of the sustained cases are currently at risk for missing disciplinary deadlines?

Uh no, there are none.

So we that's again that's the part of the triage that we need to do is that we maintain all of the sustained cases, anything that has the likelihood of being a sustained, that has to go to essentially the top of the line or the top of the pile, and then um we move from there.

So the sustained cases we stay on top of to make sure that they are missing anyway.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Madam President, I make a motion receipt be noted.

Oh People Corn.

Oh, Councillor Couldn't remove my motion.

Yeah, thank you.

I did raise my hand.

Um, I and I just wanted to say quickly, um, I think it's important for us on the diets to understand or to think through the fact that the the increase in the number of sustaines um you know almost perfectly overlaps with the the um removal of the DOJ oversight, and I think that is something that is concerning to me, and I think it should be concerning to everyone, and I just wanted to get that on the record.

Thank you.

Madam President, Vice President Champagne, make a motion receipt be noted on OC5.

There was a motion and a second by Councillor Bassan already.

Ums Puntoya, Councilor Backup, yes, Councilor Bassan, yes, Vice President Champagne, yes, Councilor Fabricorn, yes.

Counselor Grout, yes, Councilor Lewis, yes, Councilor Rogers.

Yes, Councilor Teas, yes, President Pena, yes, passes unanimously.

Thank you.

We are now on announcements, Councilor Grout.

Thank you.

Uh there will be a committee of the whole meeting on Thursday, April 30th at 5 p.m.

in the Vincent E.

Griego Chambers, basement level of the Albuquerque government center.

This will be a hybrid meeting.

Thank you.

We are now on two financial instruments.

Councilor Rogers by request.

Oh 17.

Thank you, Madam President.

017 committee seven is authorizing the execution and delivery of a water project fund loan grant agreement by and between the New Mexico Finance Authority and the City of Albuquerque evidencing an obligation of the borrower grantee to utilize the loan and grant amount solely for water storage, convenience and delivery project for Puerto de la Sol golf course in district six.

The amount uh of three million dollars, including a loan in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars.

I move a due pass.

Second, there's a motion and second by councilor um feeble corn.

Is there anyone signed up to speak?

I didn't see anyone either.

Any questions from counselors?

Counselor Teas.

Thank you, Madam President.

I just have a couple questions.

Um did the I didn't see that the debt obligation had a confirmed repayment source.

Did that get worked out?

Thank you, Madam President.

I didn't have our bond clear.

I wasn't sure who to ask, so thank you.

Madam President, Councillor Say is yes, so the repayment source is the state shared gross receipts tax on a subordinate basis.

So the city has multiple bonds outstanding with the pledge of the state shared gross receipts tax, which is a triple A rate of credit.

The New Mexico Finance Authority, which is lending the money for this transaction, takes a bottom level to that, so that all of the doesn't impact the city's credit or its outstanding debt uh related to that payment source and loan itself.

The loan is at 0.25% over up to 20 years, could be repaid at any time.

It's about $15,000 a year annual debt service.

Okay, and um madam president, did we is there an amortizable or any sort of depreciation schedule for the um equipment that's going in?

I just want to make sure we're not still paying something that we have to repair before that.

Uh Madam President, Councillor Tayas, I can speak to the Amherst's amortization schedule for the debt, which is 20 years at $15,000 a year.

But from a bond financing, yes, the the useful life of the improvement must be less than the weighted average of the debt.

Um since this could be repaid any point, that's great.

I'd have to re to defer to uh Mr.

Simon in terms of the equipment itself.

I don't know where to go right there.

Do you know?

Um Madam President and Councillor Tayus.

I want to make sure I understand your question specifically, but uh the useful life, of course, these improvements will be to simplify this whole long explanation title of the bill.

It's an irrigation renovation.

So the irrigation material will last a long time.

Thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So see no other questions, Councilor Rogers.

Thank you.

I heard your support.

So there was a motion second for 017 for a due pass.

Ms.

Montague.

Counselor Bacca.

Yes.

Councilor Bassan.

Yes.

Vice President Champagne?

Yes.

Counselor People Corn.

Yes.

Counselor Grout?

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Councilor Rogers.

Yes.

Counselor Teas.

Yes.

President Pena?

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Councilor Grout by request.

Oh 20.

Thank you, Madam President.

Oh 20 is authorizing the issuance and sale of City of Albuquerque, New Mexico general obligation bonds.

Series 2026 in three series in a collective par amount not to exceed 89 million six hundred and ten thousand, consisting of 56,000 six fifty-six million three hundred and sixty thousand general purpose general obligation bonds, series 2026A.

General obligation storm sewer bonds, series 20, 26b, and three that 25 million short-term general obligation bonds taxable series 2026 C.

The series 20, 26A bonds, Series 20, 26 B bonds, and Series 2020 C bonds collectively are referred to as the Series 2026 bonds.

I move a due pass.

There's a motion and second by Vice President Champagne.

Councilor Grout.

Madam President, we do have a floor sub.

It's floor sub 02620.

I move a due pass.

There's a motion and second for to move a floor sub by Vice President Champagne.

Madam President, the there's usually always a floor sub for these things.

Madam President, uh Councillor Grout.

In this case, there were a couple of blanks from the as introduced while the uh municipal advisor was finalizing the structure.

So those blanks have been filled in.

Substantively it's the same structure from the introduction.

Title didn't change or anything like that.

And that goes for the bid resolution that's next also.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam President, these bonds were approved by the voters on November 4th, 2025.

They'll fund projects, uh, capital projects and public safety, 10.5 million, parks, 12.1 million, streets 28.75 million, community centers, 9.8 million, storm sewers, 8.25 million, and smaller amounts for libraries, transit, cultural facilities.

And I move a due pass.

Yeah, there was already a motion and a second for a due due pass of the floor sub.

So um Ms.

I think there might be one person just yeah, I think I was just gonna go ahead and move this sub and vote on it, and then we can go to the public speaker to um on the full bill.

Perfect.

Counselor Bacca.

Yes.

Councilor Bassan, yes.

Vice President Champagne, yes.

Counselor Peoplecorn, yes.

Councilor Grout, yes.

Counselor Lewis, yes, Councilor Rogers, yes.

Counselor Tayas, yes.

President Pena, yes, passes unanimously.

So now we're back on the bill as substituted, and we have um one person signed up to speak.

Mr.

Cornelius.

Thank you, Madam President.

We have John Vaughn to speak all ways over there.

Madam President.

Okay, thank you.

So that concludes um public comment.

Um that never started.

So we are back on the bill.

Are there any questions from counselors?

Counselor Rogers.

All right, thank you, Madam President.

But seriously, I always have questions.

Sorry, y'all.

Just reading uh do my homework, so question anyone else for Mr.

Mayorhead.

Why is in a housing crisis?

Affordable housing, zero dollars here, and metropolitan redevelopment agency.

We authorized 10 10.1 million for affordable housing, but zero on this series 26.

And we authorized 2.5 for metropolitan redevelopment, but it's zeroed out.

The only two line items in this whole thing that are zeroed out.

Can you tell me why?

Yes, Madam President, uh Councilor Rogers.

I I don't know that I'm the right guy to give you the answer, but I'll tell you what the lay of the land is, at least where it is.

So the questions as submitted you can then issue over a four-year period, and generally the city issues uh all of the voter approved geo debt in two cycles.

And so the first cycle being the 90 million roughly in this year, the second cycle being 90 million in 2027, which would include the affordable housing component and the metropolitan redevelopment component.

Um I can say that the Department of Municipal Development uh I looks through the projects for each category that you've all approved through the ICIP program, and I think identifies what is most lined up in immediacy to proceed this year.

And I I can't speak to that.

I'm just thank you, Madam President.

I'd ask to ask Director Turner why housing affordable housing wasn't risen to an immediate need.

Yeah.

Um President Pena and Councillor Rogers, um, yes, I agree that affordable housing and MRA are immediate needs, but the the reality is that when council passed the um ordinance appropriating these, or it was a resolution.

I apologize.

After the voters voted in November, council appropriated the funds, all the funds that the voters said yes to in November, and that in language in that resolution specifically said that those funds were available to spend immediately.

And so we have activities for all those funds, and we can spend them per council action immediately.

So, regardless of whether the bonds are sold today or next month, we already have the authority pursuant to council appropriating those funds to spend that money immediately.

And that was language, and I don't have the resolution in front of me.

I apologize, but there is specific language in that resolution.

Thank you.

I I vaguely remember that because we've done a lot of those, but I don't think that this council said not to include housing, affordable housing.

And so I hear Mr.

Mayor had said you made the decision on how to divvy this up.

And so because we we authorized in the and the voters, not we the voters in 2025 election authorized 10.1 million for housing and 2.5 for metropolitan redevelopment agency.

So that's what the voters wanted.

Um so I guess it's I don't know how we fix that.

I think um what I'm hearing is that your the next one of these you bring us will include housing and MRA?

Is that what I'm hearing?

Yes, um, President Pena and Councillor Rogers, yes, that is correct.

So traditionally we have never sold all the bonds at once.

Um I'm sure Mr.

Meerhead can explain all the the math and logic behind that we do them in two chunks, so but that 180 million dollars will is already available for spending, so we can spend it on affordable housing right now.

Um I don't know why the CIP official decided to put housing in the second chunk, but it has zero practical effect because that funds are those funds are available to spend right now and are being spent.

Thank you, Madam President.

Then the last final question is then did your did we already assume this funding in our budget for affordable housing?

Um so but counselor president and counselor rogers, so the the housing money um is in is capital, it's in the general obligation bond program, and that is separate and distinct from our operating budget.

Right.

So I'm asking, is it going to be in that budget?

This in our C next CIP budget.

Well, how affordable housing from this bond be there.

Um President Penny and Councillor Rogers, since it was already appropriated, it's already been uh the departments already have authority to spend down that funding.

I would have to defer to um director Ramirez.

I don't know if he's still here to address the exact plans for that funding, but it has been already appropriated through council action.

Okay, thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Any other questions, Counselor Teas?

Thank you, Madam President.

I have um a question about the series C bonds, and why they're short-term taxable bonds.

Is there a reason between the is there a reason for the cash flow bridging here?

Yeah, Madam President, Councilor Tees, yes, there are a couple of good reasons why that is done.

So the 2026A bonds and the 2026 B bonds are long-term debt.

So you're looking at those over a 15-year period to repay those.

The 2026 C bonds, there is the money coming in from your debt service levy based on praised values or assessed values of homes and the property taxes coming in.

So in this case, there is 25 million dollars of excess debt service money set in there that must go toward debt service, not directly to capital projects.

So by doing a one-day bond, a short-term bond with the state treasurer, you are issuing the bond and then paying it back.

The state treasurer is giving you 25 million dollars you're paying back next day with the 25 million accumulated, but you can do it taxable.

So the IRS does not have any say in all the various rules and regulations we talked about a couple weeks ago with IDOH, although there's state law things.

The IRS is not involved in these one-day short-term bonds, nor are you accruing interest over a long-term debt on 25 million dollars, which at 3% accrues to a large number.

So the the reality is there's money setting there that can't be used except for debt service.

So periodically, you know, it's maybe 60% of the time on these geo bonds, you have a short-term debt to use those debt service funds so that they can be basically converted to capital monies for the projects.

They still go toward the same voter-approved projects.

You're just not incurring that liability long term and paying interest on it, and you're removing the IRS as an oversight.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, I'm just are we having I mean I guess I'm just a little concerned that there's some backdoor budgeting going on with this on this particular project, but doesn't look that like there was.

So it seems pretty um standard on that piece.

I did have a question.

Thank you for I appreciate you, Madam President.

Just one more question for our wonderful director over here on the projects.

How of the projects that are being funded, how many of them are shovel ready?

Council President, Council Tees, can you read your question?

Question I didn't hear those.

Yeah, I just want to know how many of the projects are shovel ready, so we're just not having idle money there and interest occurring and want to make sure we can spend it without having to pay extra interest on those.

Uh President Pena and Counselor Teis.

So we have 180 million dollars in projects.

Um construction.

For example, my streets team, like we get a penny and it's already spent, and I think Director Simon is exactly this.

I I look at the FSRs every month, and I'm like, wow, nice work, Dave.

Um, but uh, but it really kind of depends because some of the projects um for example that pool at North Domingo Baca, like we're we're in construction now, but we still need more money.

And so if we're we don't have all the money available and we need to wait for state capital outlay, for example, you know, we won't be able to start construction immediately.

But believe me, my team is very aware that every day we wait on a project, it costs us more money.

And so we do everything we possibly can to spend that money as quickly as we have it, and we're always looking at older money to make sure that it's getting spent down.

Thank you.

And I understand, Madam President.

I I understand you know, things are costs are increasing as well.

So for those projects that we had to wait for that money to come in, how um much have things have a lot of things changed as far as costs for those?

Are we seeing increases on what that looks like?

Uh, you don't have to answer it now.

I would just like to see where we had projects that we had to wait if costs changed significantly from what was originally bid and accepted if whatever those change requests might be and what those look like.

Um, and then for any projects that haven't yet started but are shovel ready for these dollars, if I can get a list of what that looks like as well.

Um, President Penya and Councillor Tayas, um, about I don't know, nine months ago we did do uh a study, we had some charts and graphs about cost escalation we're seeing in New Mexico, and I actually just asked my team to update those so we can share as we kick off our general obligation planning cycle is starting about now.

And so those are questions at the top of our minds because we for all the reasons you mentioned, yes, cost escalation is a thing.

We always build in a contingency, knowing that we expect to see price escalation.

So if we're early design and our contractors um and we get an estimate um and we know we won't be ready to build it for until a year later, for example, then we will have like a 20 to 30 percent contingency to allow for just exactly what you said.

So we're always thinking about that.

I'm happy to get you some more numbers if that would be helpful.

That will be helpful for me.

I was not here nine months ago.

Um, so bam, brand new baby.

Yeah, yeah, if you could get that to me, I'd appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any additional questions?

Final questions, Councillor Grout to close.

Thank you, Madam President.

I heard your support.

There was a motion and a second, and we are back on the bill as substituted 020.

Uh the second was by Vice President Champagne, Ms.

Montoya.

Counselor Bacca.

Yes.

Councilor Basan.

Yes.

Vice President Champagne?

Yes.

Counselor Papel Corn.

Yes.

Councilor Grout?

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Councilor Rogers.

Yes.

Counselor Tayos.

Yes.

President Pena?

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Counselor Grout by request R10.

Thank you, Madam President.

R10 is authorizing the given giving of notices for bids for the sale of the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico general obligation bonds, consisting of 56,360,000 general obligation general purpose bonds, series 2026A, and 8,250,000 general obligation storm series bonds, series 2026 B.

I move a due pass.

There is a motion and a second for a due pass of R 10.

And the second was by Vice President Champagne.

Counselor Grout.

Madam President, I uh there is a floor sub.

I'd like to move floor sub R2610.

Is there a second?

Second.

There's a motion and a second for floor substitute to R 10 by Councillor Bassan.

Okay.

Any questions, comments?

Do we have anybody send up to speak?

Okay.

Oh, that you were trying to get my attention.

Um, Councilor Grout.

Thank you, Madam President.

This is just a companion resolution to the bond ordinance that we just passed.

And it authorizes and directs the city clerk to per publish notice of the city's general obligation bond sale.

The debt service on these bonds will be repaid from property tax revenue.

So we need to.

So there's a motion and a second for uh to move the floor sub by counselor Bassan.

Ums Muntoya.

Counselor Bacca.

Yes.

Counselor Bassant.

Yes.

Vice President Champagne?

Yes.

Counselor Papelcorn.

Yes.

Counselor Grout?

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Counselor Rogers?

Yes.

Counselor Tays.

Yes.

President Penya?

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

So Councillor Grout back on the bill as substitute.

I have urge your support.

Seeing no questions.

Ms.

Montya.

Counselor Baca.

Yes.

Counselor Basan.

Yes.

Vice President Champlain?

Yes.

Counselor Papelcorn.

Yes.

Counselor Grout?

Yes.

Counselor Lewis.

Yes.

Counselor Rogers?

Yes.

Counselor Tays.

Yes.

President Penny.

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

So now before we go on into appeals, we are going to take a break and we will return at 75.

Okay, we're back, everyone.

So we are now on appeals, and ACO2 uh Dahlia Solis applicant appeals the zoning hearing examiner's decision to deny a variance of three feet to install a six-foot perimeter still fence in the front yard for the yeah for the property located at 237 Wyoming Boulevard Northeast, Zone MXM, VA 20250162.

And uh Mr.

Hall is here to explain because I think this matter is going to be withdrawn.

So Mr.

Hall.

Uh oh, pardon me.

Council President Penya Counselors, that is correct.

Um from the pendency of uh the last meeting where the council voted to reject the Luho recommendation and uh schedule a full heat hearing, which would have fell fallen on this council.

Uh the applicant reached out by email and asked to withdraw the appeal after confirmation.

Uh the uh we received the council services received a communication from the applicant asking and requesting that it would be appealed, that it would be withdrawn.

Uh all it requires now is for this bike to accept that withdrawal.

Okay, thank you, Mr.

Hall.

Um Councillor Rogers is in your district, so I'll defer to you.

Thank you, Madam President.

I would like to move for a withdrawal.

There's a motion and a second by Councillor Brout for withdrawal.

Um Madam Clerk, Madam Ms.

Montoya, Councilor Backa.

Councilor Baca.

Yes.

Thank you.

Councilor Persani, yes.

Yes.

Councilor Peoplecoin.

Yes.

Councilor Grout?

Yes.

Councilor Lewis.

Yes.

Councilor Rogers.

Yes.

Councillor Teas.

Yes.

President Penny?

Yes.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Um we are now on ACO3.

Matthew Cunningham, applicant, um, applicant appeal the zoning hearing examiner's decision to deny a variance to install a five-foot ten-inch perimeter, still fence in the front yard of the property located located at 2513 4th Street Northwest, zone MXM, and NRC VA 2025 00154.

Mr.

Hall will explain this appeal.

Uh Council President, counselors.

Uh this appeal concerns a proposed variance of two feet ten inches to install a five-foot ten-inch printer steel fence.

Property located at 2513 4th Street, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102.

This is Council District 2.

The subject properties near the intersection of Minal and 4th Street.

The subject property is well being proposed to be used as a beef jerky manufacturing and sales facility.

Upon application for the variance of the ZHE, the ZHG does the variance, finding that there were no special circumstances applicable to the subject property that are not self-imposed and do not apply generally to other property in the same zone and vicinity.

And two, because all prongs of the variance tests, which of which are five, uh need to be satisfied, and there were no uh special circumstances.

The ZHE did not need to examine the other prongs of the variance test.

Generally arguing three points.

Uh were not uh were uh discretionary, uh not mandatory.

Uh secondly, that uh the presence of crime and unhoused uh folks and drugs, uh drug use in the area constituted special circumstances, and third, that the ZHE applied the variance test in a discriminatory, arbitrary, or capricious manner.

Uh the Luho uh held the uh uh a hearing on this matter and rejected all three of these arguments.

Uh first of which the Luho definitively held that the variance criteria of which there are five criteria must all be met.

The rule states that the variance is approved by the ZHE shall be approved if it means all five criteria.

Um it is not discretionary discretionary.

held the uh uh a he a hearing on this matter and rejected all three of these arguments uh first of which the luho definitively held that the variance criteria of which there are five criteria must all be met the rule states that the variance is approved by the ZHE uh shall be approved if it meets all five criteria um it is not discretionary discretionary uh secondly the Luho indicated that the uh crime drug use unhoused persons in the vicinity of the property do not constitute special circumstances um and pulled from the applicant's testimony uh itself the applicant testified that they are uh quote we're having a lot of problems with the homeless just like everybody else if uh look how reasoned that if they're having problems that are similar to everybody else then it can't definitionally be a special circumstance uh last the um applicant uh the the luho rejected the argument that the neighboring fences in the area were sufficient evidence to show that the ZHE applied the variance test in a discriminatory arbitrary or capricious manner um the ZHO noted that there was insufficient evidence that would indicate these uh other fences were uh grant under circumstances that would evince that kind of discrimination uh quote without sufficient facts for fair comparison the applicant's theory of discrimination andor arbitrary decision making by the ZHE lack substantial evidence and cannot be sustained.

As a final note Luho indicated that upholding the Z A T's decision would not leave the applicant without options to security property notably the applicant could construct a side yard fencing to the height proposed without a variance or setback or two could construct the front facing part of the fence to a height of five feet if the fence was set back ten feet from the sidewalk and landscaping was installed pursuant to IDO section 57 D3C.

The Luho uh recommendation is to uphold the ZHE's findings and deny the variance to deny the appeal.

Standard questioning thank you Mr Hall so I don't know if there's any questions for Mr.

Hall right now but I'm gonna read out our options and then I'm gonna um go to counselor Bacca because this is in his district so our council options are to accept Luho recommendation and findings is one um two is accept LUHO recommendations and adopt different findings and lastly reject Luho recommendation.

So counselor Baca you first thank you madam president um I don't have any questions for Mr.

Hall I think this one's pretty clear cut um you know the five things to five findings to be made and they weren't they weren't found um and of course I I I do recognize that there are issues with the homeless and crime throughout our city in front of my own house to be honest.

But um that said we are a qualified judicial our job is to look at the facts of the case as as they are to take our bias out of it and follow the rules as they've been created.

And so with that I would I would uh make a motion to accept the lujo recommendations and findings second so there's the a motion to accept the Luho recommendations and findings by Counselor Feeblecorn and Counselor Teas you pick um are there any questions Counselor Bach two close no counselor Lewis thank you madam president um you know I'm gonna defer to the um you know the counselor who's who's making the recommendation um but this is pretty remarkable um I think uh there's been you know more of these before the council um uh more than ever I think at least since since I've been around um but you have to I think you have to recognize the the just outright desperation among our business owners in these areas and I think Counselor Bach is recognizing that too I'm not but um but it's pretty remarkable that our you know business owners and parts of our city are uh um you know having to you know resort to um just anything anything and everything they can I mean but this is someone who's dealing with with the crime and drugs and homelessness that's affecting their business um and uh I I gotta um wonder if this is you know some of the reasons that we're losing you know businesses in our city um people are leaving our city um and uh um so I think we're gonna have to really start looking at our at some of these zonings um and uh and variances and to be able to help folks uh to be able to protect their property to be able just to do business to be able to employ people and do business um if we're not going to um to really uh you know work hard on uh uh some of the things that are plaguing our city right now um which makes uh you know makes our budget important it makes our um the effectiveness of our departments and the programs that we have of the city important uh when we're send spending 55 uh thousand dollars per homeless individual in our city right now um that that this this council or this this this mayor is proposing right now uh what we've been doing what we're proposing i mean um and uh you know we really have to stop and go you know is this working and uh and and if not um you know what can we do to really help these business owners to be able to

zonings um and uh and variances and to be able to help folks uh to be able to protect their property to be able just to do business to be able to employ people and do business um if we're not going to um to really uh you know work hard on uh uh some of the things that are plaguing our city right now um which makes uh you know makes our budget important it makes our um the effectiveness of our departments and the programs that we have of the city important uh when we're send spending 55 uh thousand dollars per homeless individual in our city right now um that that this this council or this this this mayor is proposing right now uh what we've been doing what we're proposing i mean um and uh you know we really have to stop and go you know is this working and uh and and if not um you know what can we do to really help these business owners to be able just to do business in our city um but i think that's at the heart of the issue here counselor grout thank you madam president i would agree with counselor lewis um and i understand counselor backa's um recommendation and and following the law and and uh and and i do understand that and so we have to take our bias out like you said with that said today a customer of mine picked up their car and they said and their words it's very timely that they said this to me today they said oh I didn't know that you were a counselor and yeah yeah and um he said you know eight years ago central looked a lot different than it does now you go up and down central and there are fences in front of properties businesses all up and down central and it's like this businesses and the employees are having to protect themselves from the outside and it's sad because that's true um about maybe six weeks ago I got um I got vandalized again and someone said oh you should put a fence around your property and I'm like no I am not going to do that I'm not going to I'm not number one we don't make enough money to put up a hundred thousand dollar fence and but I'm not gonna I'm not going to put myself behind a fence I don't want to live that way and so it's sad that that businesses feel the need to do that it's it's unfortunate government's job is to protect us and um it it makes me sad when when when we fail thank you thank you so with that um did you want to say any final words Counselor Bacca sure thank you madam president um I I have to agree with counselor ground counselor lewis as well right but we've reached a point we're across the city the fence is what people want to turn to um and it doesn't send a good message you know just like Counselor Grapp just said you know what does it say if all of our businesses have giant fences in front of them it's like going to a neighborhood that's bars and fences in front of their houses it's typically not where you want to be and that's across our city and and while we may need those fences and and you know I live downtown so I know exactly what everyone's going through um we also have to get to the root of the issue and really target some of these things which are much I know everyone at the dies here is 100% behind behind that so we we do need to get to the root of it not just uh throw up fences everywhere um that said I I you know this is I can't imagine if something appeal goes up to a district court and you know you guys are just making decisions based on your emotions not on what the rules are and so uh and so that's what I basically saw um that's a and and I very much want to help this business in all businesses so with that I urge everyone support thank you thank you counselor Baca so in the matter of AC 03 there was a motion and a second by counselor feeble corn to accept lujo recommendations and findings madam clerk counselor backa yes counselor yes vice president champagne yes counselor people corn yes counselor ground yes counselor lewis yes counselor rogers yes counselor teas yes president pena yes passes unanimously thank you so we are now on to uh general public comments members of the public can provide live public comments to the council in person or virtually if they have signed up to um if they have signed up for public comment per instructions published on the agenda on on our website on Friday here are the public comment ground rules each participant has two minutes comments are to be addressed to the counselors only through the council president any disruptive uh conduct conduct will result in removal from the meeting there's a two-minute time limit and the bell will ring to indicate your time is up as a reminder pursuant to our rules of procedure article one section eight c general public comment shall not be permitted on quasi judicial matters please do not include your comment anything related to quasi judicial matter including city street renaming processes the Luho appeals we just heard and failure to comply with this rule may result in your being um it says cut off here um anyway please take this time now to edit your comments mr cornelius can you please call the name of the first speaker thank you madam president janit series has shifted to zoom so first up is Lisa Christofferson followed by Grace Dukes

It says cut off here.

Um anyway, please take this time now to edit your comments.

Mr.

Cornelius, can you please call the name of the first speaker?

Thank you, Madam President.

Janet Saras has shifted to Zoom.

So first up is Lisa Christofferson, followed by Grace Dukes.

Sorry.

Woo-hoo.

In light of, you know, 420 day, and also just as a Joe.

Come on, now we're friends now.

Uh the one minute, right?

So I looked at 420 and it said one minute till 419, so you get it.

Ha ha, okay.

Come on, it's kind of funny.

Happy 420 day.

All right.

Um counselor Penya, counselors.

Uh, thought I'd start off on a light note.

That's in honor of 420.

And thank you so much for legalized uh THC in New Mexico.

It's good medicine.

Compassion requires empathy and understanding of the contributing factors causing a problem that humans face.

The sweeps, the moving humans around town, hide them from public view, solves a problem for businesses, putting up fences.

I thank you so much.

It's not the solution.

Yes, we need it for protection, but it's not the long-term look we want for our city.

So what then can we do?

Um, civil suits, right?

Have been settled with the city, right?

For our interactions with um our own house, those people with mental health is businesses.

So I just want to encourage us.

Um, and by the way, um, Baca in the future, I'm sorry, uh, Penya, for uh the um counselor who's proposing uh 0624.

Uh I went out uh yesterday, a group of us went out with uh Skyline, superhero, went out on the street.

Um, and thank you so much, counselor Rogers.

We had a great interaction for a good, you know, two hours, three hours, and then right at the end, I learned of a situation.

We have no medical services on the weekends for folks who um this guy was bleeding, he had he was in a diabetic, uh I mean, it was like a bad problem, and the police showed up first.

We can work on that later.

Uh but I would encourage uh some people to come out and visit with us as we're going.

If you like Skyline so much, why don't you come out and do a patrol with them?

Then you can see what the impact of that ordinance might do.

There are other solutions to incarceration.

Too bad we have weak leadership in the mayor's office.

Um, an Albuquerque counsel with a GOP lean uh that direction, then we have two people who are kind of voting that way.

Um, it doesn't give us a whole lot of um hope that some of the things we're really concerned about will be addressed.

Thank you.

Grace Dukes, followed by Let's Otto.

And we said the council, we are at a crossroads.

Will the city embrace progress, or will we continue to run things the same way?

Eventually running the great city of Albuquerque into the ground.

That is the question before you today.

That is a question routinely presented to you in the past.

It used to be five-four votes, favor things staying the same way, but with the addition of counselor Bacca after last meeting, they're now six-three.

Routinely, you've chosen to continue with business as usual, just like Mayor Keller.

Whether it's zoning reform or renter protections or ranked choice voting.

You have routinely shown that your consultants own you.

It is all out there in plain sight.

You vote against us because the only voice you're accountable to is your campaign managers.

You will continue to push draconian policy to criminalize homelessness while driving up the cost of housing for your private equity landlord buddies so much that we are forced onto the street because we cannot afford housing.

When will you stop private equity?

When will you stop them from scavenging our city?

When your campaign manager says it's okay.

When will you take a stand?

Because your campaign manager owns you.

You do what they say.

You will continue to do nothing and cut essential services like transit to leave Bricanos with less options and increasingly worse economy.

You will continue to claim that you represent your districts well while not listening to overwhelming support for positions that you vote against.

You will continue to vote against your constituents until you're up for re-election, when you will suddenly pivot.

I'm here to tell you that the people will not forget that you voted against them.

We will find better representation that will vote for us if you continue voting against us.

And in honor of 420, thank you for legal weed.

It is going to become a necessity for Burkenia struggling to stay afloat with the depressing news coming from this chamber as you continue to make our daily lives more and more genuinely unbearable.

Thank you.

Let's auto, followed by Brick Jonasy.

Overhead, please.

Madam Council, President, Counselors.

I'd like to introduce you all to this Mexican law.

It's crimes against public peace.

It's not just for the staff and public officials, but it's also for the general public.

Pay particular note to A.

No person shall at or in any building or other facility, or property owned, operated, or controlled by the state, or any of its political subdivisions, willfully denied to staff, public officials, or the general public, lawful freedom of movement within the building or facility or the land of which it is situated, lawful use of the building or facility or the land on which it is situated, or the right of lawful ingress and egress to the building or facility or the land on which it is situated.

Any person who violates this provision of this subsection shall be deemed guilty of a petty misdemeanor.

No person shall willfully refuse or obey to leave the property or any other buildings, other facility owned or operated if the person is committing a crime.

Just wanted to thank the for giving us our two minutes today.

I'd also like to remind you that we'd like to get these comments put back.

I don't think they were ever there, but I'd like to see the comments on YouTube so that people that can't be here can express their opinions.

Thank you.

Brick Jonasi, followed by Diane Souter.

Overhead, please.

All right.

Uh just want to touch on this uh the statute you just heard.

I mean, you guys should really should be familiar with it.

The uh site, the uh the ordinance really should reflect it.

Um really the crux of the matter is uh the right of lawful ingress and egress, right?

So if you guys rent out a space to a private and from a private entity, essentially, like the family advocacy center, it's rented from lotus management, which is like a private company that owns the building.

Okay, you rent the building or you rent the access, right?

So lawful ingress egress means you get to go in and out as public, general public.

You guys can't be stopped from going in there, we can't be stopped from going in there.

Okay.

Now, we could be trespassed if we're committing a crime.

It's technically it's a it's just we're committing a crime, you might as well just arrest the person, as far as I'm concerned, if they're committing a crime.

I don't see the reason why you would just trespass them, like arrest them.

But if they're not committing a crime and they need access to the services, it's a public entity within that building.

Just like at the public defender's office, you cannot trespass someone for lawful ingress egress.

Also, to couple that is E in that statute.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent lawful assembly and peaceful, orderly petition for the redress of grievances, including any labor disputes, so even with labor disputes, but particularly pay attention to petition for the redress of grievances.

That's our IPRA.

How am I supposed to do an IPRA if every time I go to the public defender's office or the FAC, you trespass us?

You're interfering with my lawful right to petition for a redress of grievances.

You're interfering with me.

Your officers who haven't even sworn their oath are interfering with my right.

They're committing crimes.

These are crimes.

Now, if I did it, you'd arrest me.

Or trespass me, apparently.

I don't know why you would trespass me.

Just fucking arrest me if I'm committing a crime.

Don't trespass me.

Fair enough.

Thank you.

Have a good day.

Diane Souter, followed by Clay Campbell.

Hi there, my name is Diane Souter, and I am the chair of the Albuquerque Open Space Advisory Board.

And as such, um, we are requesting that as you dissect the budget and as you go through your meetings, um, you you really take a look at maintaining the budget for the open space division.

Maybe in light of increasing entrance fees or other fees that the open space division requires.

In 1989, I chaired the National Open Space Conference here in Albuquerque.

We had over 250 open space advocates from as far away as Maui in Nantucket.

I invited Stuart Udall to come here.

And he announced to the whole room that Albuquerque had the best open space system.

And it kind of sends chills down my spine because I believe that we still do 37 years later have one of the best open space systems in the country.

It's not just 30,000 acres of what we call the big fat guys, the foothills, the Boski, and the West Mesa volcanoes, but it's the long skinny guys that connect those.

The arroyos, the gardens, the archaeological sites, our visitor center, and we can't operate by just opening a gate and unlocking a gate.

We really need our staff.

I know as you're the finance committee and the both committees as a whole work through the process.

In 1990, because of its reputation, Albuquerque was asked to cooperatively manage Petroglyph National Monument.

There are 433 units of the National Park System, and Albuquerque is only the only one of those.

So I ask for your support to maintain the budget.

Thank you.

Clay Campbell, followed by John Vaughn.

Good evening, counselors.

Madam President, my name is Clay Campbell, and I'm also a member of the Open Space Advisory Board along with Diane.

And I'm here also for similar reasons.

I won't get into the legacy of open space that Diane has mentioned, but I think we can all agree that it's one of the biggest things that City of Albuquerque has and should be very proud of nationally.

And it's that legacy that you all are a big part of, and we don't want to lose that legacy through death by a thousand cuts and by dilution through budgets.

The pool property, Oxpo Bluffs, uh the T Harris Biozone, Route 66 open space, Candelaria Preserve and Tree Nursery.

And the public loves all of these properties and the other ones that Diane mentioned in the mountains in the Mesa and the Valley.

The trails that you all have that link these open spaces, those are vital, 168 miles of them.

Everybody's district has some of these facilities.

And I dare say all of your constituents would also value all of this as well.

So my respectful request to you all today is that as you proceed with your budget deliberations and you consider requests and cuts and what have you, think about what the ripple effect of this really could be with uh decreased hours, decreased decreased accessibility, taller weeds, trash not being uh taken out, and the the system could suffer with uh less personnel to do the necessary work, especially that's required with additional acreage.

So I want to thank you very much.

Um you have a wonderful staff.

You have your excellent leadership and Director Simon and Superintendent Langan McRoberts and their staffs are awesome with Open Space Division.

So I hope you all recognize that and act accordingly.

Thank you.

John Vaughn, followed by Fabian Maris.

Fabian Maris, followed by James Shanley.

James Shanley, followed by Tad Numitzki.

Madam President, counselors.

You are now entering the process of review for the 2027 budget proposed by the mayor of Albuquerque.

I am requesting as a taxpayer that you consider the following facts.

From 2010, the last year of Mayor Chavez administration to 2018, the last year of the Barry administration, the total city budget increased by 6%.

From the inaugural 2019 budget under Mayor Keller to his 2027 proposal, it has grown by 47%.

That's an increase of half a billion dollars.

We are not anywhere close to being 47% bigger as a city by population or geography.

The commercial condition and appearance of our city as measured by empty premises, abandoned buildings, vacant lots, and per your earlier discussion, fencing, if anything has worsened.

The scale of the unhoused crisis on our streets has not been meaningfully been meaningfully reduced while the city pays an out of state law firm five hundred dollars an hour to defend it from lawsuits that are brought to protect our most vulnerable population of unhoused people from policies that incarcerate them or sweep them down the street from one unplaced location to another unplaced location, compounding the damage and and trauma and behavior behavioral health crisis that keeps them in that many of them in that position.

I hope that you will recognize that the scale of this budget should provide an opportunity to solve this problem, which connects to so many things that are wrong in our city.

I urge your really diligent forensic attention to this budget process.

Thank you.

Tad Naminsky, followed by Josh Price.

Let me lower it down.

Okay.

My name is Nemeski.

Well, how many people in our Bikorky knows that we do have at City Hall a immigration office?

That's right.

In this building, we pay for for this employee in this office and services they provide.

Now they we have also what they have in common.

Migrant's office, Central Mexicano, and you make the migration.

Same things.

Racist discrimination.

Yes, they discriminated.

Mayor don't give off you, don't give it them.

I'm talking mayor.

I'm others into two of you.

They do not want to hear about true.

What's going on with your office?

Well, three times.

I was send it as pro bono to migrant office.

And actually two.

And third one, they t told me they have open house as a centro mexicano.

So when I show up to the case.

Mr.

Nebinsky, can you please you direct your comments to me, Mr.

Nominsky?

Through me.

I'm sorry.

Would you stop?

Yes, we'll give you your time back.

You need to direct your comments through the president.

Thank you so much.

That's a very what I which way I'm looking.

I'm sorry.

That's more than 11 minutes.

Are you running deliberately?

You have additional time, Mr.

Neminsky.

Go ahead.

I'm sorry.

Finish your comments.

I'm gonna allow you to see.

You stole my tie.

No, I did not, Mr.

Naminsky.

I said that's fine.

Goodbye.

I see you in the court.

Goodbye, Mr.

Neminsky.

Josh Price, followed by Ilse Beale on Zoom.

Madam Burger, I signed up to speak twice.

I'll yield right now.

I'll speak later.

Thank you.

Issa Beale, followed by Nicole Finch.

Go ahead, Ilsa.

Thank you.

Good evening.

The 2022 Williams suit against the city is a desperate cry for the Keller administration to stop displacing people and taking their essentials.

The killer admin remains helping on fighting rather than finding solutions, it seems.

Basically, the fight is to carry on simply chasing people through the neighborhoods with no positive outcome.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have already left the state.

At least one of the Denver trial attorneys gets 500 plus dollars per hour.

But he specializes in writing a good appellate quote brief.

Obviously, is planning to push the case to that level.

Yet again.

Meanwhile, delaying tactics, refusing to comply with discovery protocol.

The city has already been sanctioned by Judge Ellison.

The trial date has again been pushed back.

The city doesn't need to comply.

Tonight, yet another 200K was squeezed in an okay unanimously to fight this case.

On top of all the thousands of employee hours to stand and oversee so many displacements across the city every single day.

Not killer's money or is enforces, our tax dollars wasted, squandered, and still nothing positive to show.

Just fances, pistol neighbors, and traumatized folks who might now never be able to successfully transition to living inside.

Thank you.

Nicole Finch, followed by Joe Cardillo.

Madam President and Counselors, I have great news.

It's National Library Week.

This year's theme is find your joy.

What brings you joy?

Whether it's cozying up with a new story, learning a new skill, gathering with community, or something else, you can find your joy at the library.

National Library Week, April 19th through 25th, 2026, 2026, is a time to celebrate the many ways libraries bring people together, spark imagination, and support lifelong learning.

From books and digital resources to job assistance and creative programming, libraries are essential to thriving communities.

Whether you're a longtime patron, a new neighbor, or haven't visited in a while, now is the perfect time to explore all the library has to offer.

The Albuquerque Library provides free Wi-Fi, cake pans, ukuleleys, museum passes, and even seeds to plant in your own garden at home.

Whatever brings you joy, the library has something for everyone.

For folks who already experience library joy, this is a great week to bring someone with you when you visit the library and maybe help them sign up for a library card.

This week at my branch, Lomus Tramway Library in District 9, there's a fiber arts group, an after-school Steam Club, preschool story time, and even a movie discussion group for adults.

Whatever brings you joy, you can find it at the library.

Thank you.

Joe Cardillo, followed by Rudolph Serano.

Good evening, Madam President, members of the council.

I want to offer just a couple of brief comments.

Starting with just a quick thank you to Councilor Feeblecorn for bringing forth uh O2622, which would put some teeth into requiring property owners to maintain uh cooling systems and set measurable standards.

And that one I definitely have some personal experience with.

Uh there's an elderly individual in my neighborhood who had that exact issue occur last year, and their property owner uh refused really to fix the problem and you know went weeks at a time last summer uh while the the temperatures were in the mid-90s, high 90s, and even low hundreds.

And so I think that's something that really bears worth fixing and encouraged the council to pass that and put that nice clean measurable standard in place.

Uh also want to take a moment to just mention that I think uh big picture is a lot of folks are are alluding to.

Um, if we want our city to stay viable, we really do need to address housing costs.

We need to protect renters, we need to protect our hardworking families in this city and provide real solutions to homelessness, not just criminalizing poverty and and rushing people along.

Um, and so I want to just also offer a brief comment about a piece of legislation that'll be coming up, uh sponsored by um you know counselor Baca in District 2 that would essentially you know do exactly that.

It would prevent people from being able to lie down or sit down or even stand in place, and there's a lot of unintended consequences of that type of legislation.

Um and so I just encourage this council to think carefully about you know, in the in the the big picture of the national economy worsening and federal policies that are really just driving up costs for for folks at a at a very fast rate.

Um if that's the direction that our city council should be going, um, especially as we're all being asked to do more with less, you know, while we're still seeing projects like the rail trail costs taxpayers 89 million dollars, the gateway center complex costs 100 million plus with very little oversight from this council.

Uh really does not seem like we're seeing the council step up and do the the real budget accountability work we need, asking tough questions, prioritizing essential services like transit and really protecting our taxpayer dollars.

Thank you.

Rudolph Serrano, followed by Patricia Wilson, President Pena.

Uh is glad uh to have you president again.

Uh you always direct these chambers uh very calmly and and uh it makes it pleasant.

Uh I wanna present anything.

Uh welcome uh counselor Tejas.

I've been watching you.

Congratulations for trying to bring uh you know uh what is the civil rights to the people of Albuquerque, and you know, and pretty much kick pride out of uh out of the out of the question.

Good luck on that.

We'll be supporting you.

Uh welcome to Chief Barker and uh welcome to Mr.

Buhanda.

I wish I will have them uh in public comment, but they they were not put until today.

So you uh Mr.

Serrano, um we're having a hard time hearing you.

You're kind of glitching, Mr.

Serano.

So if you want to try to get that corrected, we'll give you a minute, 10 seconds back, and we'll go to the next speaker.

So why don't we do that?

And then we'll give them a minute, 10 seconds back.

Yeah, you're cutting in and out, uh, Mr.

Serrano.

Uh Patricia Wilson, followed by Rudolph Serrano.

Thank you.

Madam President and Counselors, 10 days ago, I emailed all of you asking if you agree, as I have been told, that the number of amendments in the 2025 IDO update was not relevant.

I got one auto reply, four acknowledgments of receipt, no response from three, and one district agreed.

There was no response from the mayor.

End quote.

Data is critical to measuring success and failure.

The IDO was supposed to institute clear, consistent, equitable land use and development standards.

The passage of over 700 amendments in six years does not make development simpler and more predictable.

The update that became law today differs from what was approved on February 18th as part of 0262.

Counselors, as the ultimate zoning authority for the city of Albuquerque, please stop doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Fix this thing, please.

Thank you so much.

We will now go back to Rudolph Sorano, followed by Yasmin Najmi.

Okay, now we're here.

Uh good evening again.

Uh President Peña.

I'm glad that you're president again.

Yes, always please to be in the meetings when you're presiding them.

Uh several comments first uh today's 420.

I want to remind you there's 240 caban uh navi noids that are related to schizophrenia.

So a lot of the schizophrenia we have in the streets is because marijuana and and nobody wants to talk about that.

But um I want to welcome Councillor Tayez.

First year, uh I'm proud of you.

You know, I've seen what you've been trying to do, uh by an impro, and I wish you the best, and hopefully we can back you up on that.

Uh welcome Chief Barker and uh welcome to Mr.

Bucanda.

I didn't have the opportunity to say welcome and uh and and their issues because they just throw them in, and I was not able to sign in, but welcome to them.

And I just came back.

I just came back from uh it's uh premium office, which is really hard, but that's the only way to really know what's going on in the streets, and it's getting sad.

And it's getting sad.

You know, some places are giving the students leaving in the car six months in jail for leaving in the car.

We're completely going the opposite way against the people that are having problems instead of uh looking for ways to help them out.

So I do uh bring some uh uh solutions and hopefully uh you know we can work on them.

I I was not able to work with the last administration, but this is a new administration, and uh like Mr.

Sedan Jerry's honeymoon.

So I guess this is my third honeymoon with uh mayor killer.

All right, and uh we'll see how we vote.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr.

Savannah.

Uh wonderful uh rest of the evening.

Yasmin Najmi, followed by Sarah Azebo.

Good evening, President Penny and Counselors.

Can everyone hear me?

Yes, we can hear you.

Okay, great.

Uh, my name is Yasmin Najmi, and I'm a new appointee to the city's open space advisory board.

And my comments tonight are regarding the city's proposed 2027 budget, uh, similar to Miss Souter and uh Mr.

Campbell earlier, specifically the parks and recreation department budget.

Um, in reviewing the budget online, I noted that the parks and recreation budget is proposed to be cut 3%, along with 12 staff positions, and I assume some of those cuts will impact the open space division.

Prior to my retirement last year, I was a liaison in a partner agency to the open space division for over 25 years.

And I thought I was pretty familiar with the responsibilities, but learning the true breadth and depth of those responsibilities as an advisory board member has really been eye-opening to say the least.

Uh, in the last few years, I've seen the open space division plan for and make improvements and open at least four new properties and new trails, and that's in addition to the 30,000 acres that they already manage.

And I I learned early on in my resource management career that when you create a publicly accessible space uh that has recreation or other improvements, you create a reasonable public expectation that it will be managed and maintained to certain standards.

And the management needs for such a large network are immense.

And open space really works hard to leverage their staff and their operational budget to get outside funding, but that requires adequate operational funds and also knowledgeable and persistent staff that will do and lead this work, and that includes work with volunteers.

And I think we can all agree that the open space and park system is the jewel of Albuquerque, and it's the reason that so many of us choose to stay here and also to move here.

Um and having sufficient staff, and that includes the open space techs, and thank you for funding them, and thank you for the funding that you've given to the Boscay where I used to work, it's very important.

Um, having the staff to provide basic services as well as quality program, uh education and restoration is really the only way to ensure that these lands are protected and continue to function as vital ecosystems, cultural memory, and safe natural public spaces for us to enjoy in the future.

And I thank you for your time.

Sarah Azebo, followed by Janet Sayers, good evening, Council President and Counselors, and Mr.

Cornelius.

I want to express support for 0262, enforcing cooling in residential units.

As I shared previously, cooling in people's homes, apartments is not sufficient for people to maintain good health and function when temperatures rise.

Renters should not need to leave their home in order to stay cool.

And the city's cooling center page is still out of outdated.

Additionally, renters have limited avenues to push for repairs or upgrades to systems without fear of rent increases or retaliation.

Enforcing this as a standard for property owners to uphold is what is needed.

Secondly, the verbiage in the encampment abatement policy dated April 9th, 2026, raises red flags.

The city will not require individuals to move out of an area, yes, wholly because they are sitting, standing line, or sleeping on public property.

Last Friday afternoon by Silver Market, I witnessed four APD officers circling a woman who is alone, resting with a sleeping bag covering her legs, four men, three APD vehicles towering over one woman, requiring her ID, barraging her with questions, and ultimately pushing her off.

She was not camping, setting fires, causing crime.

She was resting on the sidewalk.

Six hours later, an unhoused woman was sexually assaulted in the same area, and no resources or enforcement was available because it was a weekend.

Earlier during holy week.

Police on horseback were pushing people away from public spaces in district six, chasing them literally around blocks with no end.

Under priority one of this policy, people who are in house cannot exist together on pavement asphalt in parks or real property in an arroyo or a ditch.

The list is long.

Priority two provides only 24 hours written notice prior to clearing an encampment, which is a reduction in notice from the prior policy that was not heeded.

So I'm concerned about what oversight looks like for this policy.

What we've been doing is not working on any level.

We are spinning in circles, wasting resources and disregarding humans.

Homelessness is a circumstance.

It can change with housing.

No police or fences required.

Once again, today, just as I heard last year and the year before, a person asked, why don't they just kill us?

They push us away, hide us, and give us nowhere to go.

They clearly want us dead.

They should just kill us.

Please review this policy to ensure it holds upholds human rights, shows some level of empathy, and provides public safety for all, regardless of income or housing status.

Thank you.

Janet Sayers.

Um good evening, Madam President, members of the council.

Um, thank you for your time.

Thank you for your service, and I will also share some good news.

Well, happy birthday, Albuquerque, 320 years.

And for anyone wishing to follow up and get genealogy information about a local family, a family anywhere um across the United States, you can do that at the uh the main library, second floor genealogy center.

Uh last Thursday, one hundred and forty-five staff from the public library met at the uh Patrick Bacca Library Central UNSER for a day of staff training.

Their lunch meal along with breaks was totally paid for by the friends of the library, so that's good news.

Um this coming Saturday in the Taylor Ranch area at the Taylor Ranch library, there will be a pop-up sale of thousands of books, uh, magazines, vinyls, puzzles, all kinds of materials, and so we welcome and encourage um uh West Side uh residents to come and and participate in that and uh tonight on the agenda uh consent agenda.

We did have a new person nominated and appointed to the library board, and we're very we're very happy in that.

And with my last 30 seconds, let me say I've been reading the 2027 budget, and I call your attention to two pages.

Page 77, which shows that the library got an increase of a million dollars in its budget from 16.9 to 17.8 million.

I don't think so.

Because on page 213, it shows 145 staff last year and it's and 145 staff in the coming year.

So something is wrong with the information on page 77 that says the library got a million dollars more in the budget.

We'd be glad to get a million dollars, but I don't think we did.

So thank you for your time and your service.

Good night.

Madam President, that concludes general public comment.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And our director, if you can ask our budget staff to kind of look into that, appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

Okay, so we are now on to approvals.

And my page is the wrong page.

Yeah.

Oh, yes.

Okay, thank you.

So EC 105, um, mayor's reappointment of Dennis Armijo uh senior to the joint air quality board.

I move.

Okay.

We'll wait for Mr.

Lewis to leave.

So I'd move.

Um, I'll move confirmation.

There's a motion to second by uh Vice President Shampine on EC 105.

Is there anyone signed up to speak?

No.

Any questions?

No.

Councilor Rogers.

Thank you, Madam President.

Always on reappointments.

I asked the same question.

Were there anybody that's applied for these positions in the actual process instead of just reappointing people?

Madam President and Council Rogers have to look into that.

But typically we do take applicants.

Thank you, Madam President.

You should just look up on the next one, too.

It's the same board and also a reappointment.

So I'm just interested in how many applicants applied for these positions.

Any other questions?

Seeing none.

There's a motion, a second for confirmation of EC 105.

Um Councilor Backa.

Yes.

Thank you.

Counselor Bassan?

Yes.

Vice President or Vice President Champagne.

Yes.

Counselor Peoplecorn.

Yes.

Councilor Grab?

Yes.

Councilor Rogers.

Yeah.

Without answering my question, I guess that Councilor Rogers, was that a yes, sir?

Thank you, Madam President.

It's just hard to vote without knowing the answer to my question.

So Council President and Council Rogers.

The applications I think do also go to your staff, the applications we get.

Thank you, Madam President.

My question was Councilor Rogers, we're in the middle of the vote.

Okay, discussion.

I shouldn't have let him no.

Councilor Teas?

Yes.

President Pena.

Yes.

That passes on a 7-1 vote.

Thank you.

We're now on to EC 110 Mayor's reappointment of Dr.

Joseph Gillis Golisky to the joint air quality board.

I move confirmation.

There's a uh motion and a second for confirmation by Councilor Crouch.

Is there anyone signed up to speak?

No.

Any questions from counselors?

Councilor Rogers.

Thank you, Madam President.

Same question.

Are there any other applicants?

Madam President and Councilor Rogers.

I do believe you guys are staff does receive the applications, but we will look as well.

Thank you.

Madam President, Counselor Rogers, um, we have started receiving information.

I don't know what's in there.

I didn't look through this to see if that's there.

Um, but what we can do moving forward is maybe a rule change or an ordinance change or something that says that if anybody's being reappointed, then they have to list everybody else that's applied, or we can work with you on some type of legislation, but I don't have anything right now.

Thank you, Madam President.

It's just really hard to make these decisions.

I I constantly get feedback from people who have applied, never heard back, never at all heard back wanting to serve, and then we re-keep reappointing the same people, and we don't give the opportunity to other people to serve.

This is very important to me, especially on boards and commissions, especially when I when I worked for this mayor, I was asked to go and recruit for these boards and commissions, and then to hear the people I refer to hear nothing, um, it's just really hard to make a good decision, especially on a very important one like this.

Thank you, madam president.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Seeing none, there was a motion and second for uh confirmation of EC 110.

Ms.

Montoya, Councilor Backa?

Here, I mean yes, Councilor Passan, yes, Vice President Champagne, yes, Councilor People Corne?

Yes, Councilor Grapp, yes, Councilor Rogers, no councilor Teyas, yes, President Pena, yes, passes on a 7-1 vote.

Thank you.

If someone can let um Councilor Lewis know that he can return.

So we are now on EC 100 training and enforcement plan update pursuant to council bill number R25196.

I move I move receipt be noted.

There's a motion and a second by Vice President Champagne for receipt be noted.

Um is there anyone signed up to speak?

No, madam president.

Any questions from counselors?

Seeing none on close or just support.

Ums Muntoya, Councilor Backa?

Yes, Councilor Bassan, yes.

Vice President Champagne, yes, Councilor People Corn, yes, Councilor Grout, yes, Councilor Lewis, yes, Councilor Rogers, yes, Councilor Tayus.

Yes, President Penny?

Yes, passes unanimously.

Thank you.

We are now on to final actions.

Uh Councilor People Corn, 022.

Thank you, Madam President.

022 is amending section 1432 of the uniform housing code to establish cooling system performance requirements.

I move it to pass.

There's a motion and a second by Councillor Teas for a due pass of 022.

Counselor February.

Thank you, Madam President.

So this is a technical fix to 0247, which this body passed back in the at the end of 2024.

That proposal originally included a temperature set point where we had to be able to cool to a certain level.

And so that was removed.

I did not try to put it back into the bill.

And we waited a year to see how it worked.

Last year we had a full year of implementation on it, and I thought things were looking pretty good.

We were still working out some kinks in terms of enforcement, but you know, it was looking good.

And then this year came.

Constituents from a lot of folks up here on the dais begging for help.

They were hot, they were unable to, you know, really just be healthy in their own homes.

And I said, Well, why?

We have this cooling ordinance.

What's going on?

And I learned that you know the landlord said, hey, we don't turn on evaporative coolers until the end of May or whenever.

I'm like, well, clearly you would make an exception since it's a heat wave.

Um, and the answer was no, we don't make an exception, and you can't make us.

Um, I want to make it clear that this was not a shock.

It wasn't like we woke up one day and it was suddenly 91 degrees outside and we had no idea it was coming.

The newspapers reported and the the media reported that a heat wave was coming for at least three weeks in advance of this heat wave.

Did that change anything?

No.

No.

Landlords still did not turn on the evaporative cooling for the people who are dependent on them for life and safety.

So I called Mr.

Kaiser with our code enforcement department and asked him what we could do to allow some enforcement around you have to turn on the cooling.

It doesn't work if it's not on.

And you know, his answer was hey, you know, you had an 80-degree set point in there originally.

Why don't you do that again?

I said, No, we have concerns about evaporative coolers.

We know that evaporative coolers can't bring it down to 80 degrees, and we know a lot of of um housing still has evaporative coolers, and so we worked together to come up with an idea that would allow evaporative cooling, but require that landlords turn the evaporative cooling on, and that's what's before you today.

Um his suggestion was this 15-degree difference between outdoor and indoor because that is as we know what evaporative coolers can do.

They can't do 20, 25 degree reductions, but they can do 15 degree reductions.

So that is what is in front of us now.

There's even an allowance in what's before us today that allows supplemental temporary cooling devices, so that if it's a really hot day and we know that the evaporative cooler can't get there, they can use some sort of um supplemental device as well.

Um, but now if this passes, we have something that says when it's hot, you have to turn on the cooling.

It's really that simple.

The reality is that what you know, weather changes um are happening all around us, whether we want to admit it or not, the the temperature in in uh March was not normal, it's not what we expect, but it's the new normal.

We will be seeing these kinds of temperature extremes moving forward, and we have to figure out how to keep people safe in them.

The city of Albuquerque has a cooling response um guideline where we help people who are unhoused and all of these things, but we can't even figure out how to get people to turn on the cooling systems that are already in place and that are waiting at these at these addresses to be turned on, and it's shameful.

So with that, I will just say that I think it's um shameful that landlords didn't turn on their cooling.

I think it's shameful that we had to send Mr.

Kaiser out to multiple addresses to tell the landlord that yes, in fact, you do have to provide cooling for these very vulnerable adults.

And when landlords refuse to respect the letter of the law or the spirit of the law, I think it is the city's responsibility to change that law to make sure that it is followed in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Feblecorn.

Um, do we have anyone signed up to speak?

Yes.

Thank you, Madam President.

We have Lisa Christofferson, followed by Grace Dukes.

Counselors, 2024.

I sat in this chamber and I heard person after person talk about the dilapidated rental properties, no AC in their rental uh rented properties during 90 to 100 degree um Fahrenheit weather.

Thank you, Councillor Feeblecorn, um, for bringing the original court um ordinance to address the code uh requirements for rental properties.

I was appalled by the stories of the the neglect and the situations people were living were in, as we all did, and um thank you to those who were on the dice at that time, and you all voted for uh that ordinance.

So and so many people were helped, and it worked.

Um, and then 2025, we had elderly person after elderly person came in here, right, with their walkers and the wheelchairs, because who was the landlord not providing um safe spaces?

The city, the number one landlord in this uh in this area.

And so, thank you again.

O 25 was updated, AC requirements were applied to city property where the city uh was the landlord.

And I have to tell you, at that time when I heard all the discussion, I thought AC meant AC meant cooling, and it wasn't for a certain part of day or you know, certain part of the year, it was if it's hot, you I mean I live with elderly people.

Hot is like 95, so we have to negotiate down to 75 or 80.

But so I understand that people like hot and cold, but for me in my house, right?

If it's hot outside, you just turn on the air conditioning.

Thankfully, we own our own uh property, our own our own uh home.

So the city has delayed, and just another point to what Miss Yelsabiel was saying.

The city's delayed and delayed on their misplacing of human court, the the humans that they move around, that court case in second judicial court uh before Judge Allison.

Why?

I mean, that love thy neighbor part.

This is this bill is not love thy neighbor.

Um, and the it's a clever way to kind of push things so that they don't have to actually do anything, Keller.

My understanding of 025 at the time, ACs required the landlords in town who have our people in extreme heat.

Here's what you need to do.

That no, there are large groups of people in this town.

We're really good at boycotting sit-ins, protesting, bringing attention to people who harm our neighbors.

Grace Dukes, followed by Alan Lisec.

Members of the council, I come up for you as a renter concerned for the well-being of my neighbors if the status quo continues without adapting to the real present and clear danger that changing temperature patterns pose to the well-being of your constituents that do not have functional cooling units.

Without them, renters and their pets face health risks and even death.

As a renter with a dog in our apartment that is vulnerable to extreme heat.

This issue hits closer home for me and my roommate.

Living in Class C housing as a significant portion of our city does means that I worry that my AC will suddenly stop working in the middle of the summer, which would start an impossible fight with my out-of-state private equity landlords to get the basic human right we all deserve, and that is the right to a functional cooling system in our home.

It is not fair that there is not an enforceable standard to ensure that the out-of-state private equity companies that are buying up our housing, jacking up the prices using AI, like they did to my apartment complex, are maintaining the cooling systems.

They charge people to use.

Look at the difference between the people speaking in support and opposition.

People speaking in support our ordinary Bricanos, renters who do not want to burn alive, renters with pets that are vulnerable to extreme heat.

Those who are in opposition are landlords who think it's unnecessary to turn on a swamp cooler in March.

Seriously.

When we had eight days in a row of over 85 degrees in March, turning on and back off a swamp cooler is too much ridiculous.

What should be too much is death due to their failure to ensure adequate cooling systems.

Their advocation of duty is shameful.

Furthermore, this bill does not ban swamp coolers like reactionary voices on Facebook are saying it is noise generated to provide you all some form of reason for ignoring our voices and listening to your consultants.

This is standing with your constituents for once and protecting their rights.

Please vote yes to private equity they cannot ignore our laws and protect your vulnerable constituents from needless suffering and death that will inevitably happen if you do not approve this ordinance.

Thank you.

Alan Lisseck, followed by Josh Price.

Madam President and Council, my name is Alan Lisseck, and I'm the executive director of the apartment association, and I stand here again in support of cooling, uh, just like we did in the 2024 bill.

Um, but we really need something that's practical, that's enforceable, and that really reflects Albuquerque's unique climate and infrastructure.

And I completely agree that the original bill didn't fix that.

Um I will beg to differ that they were able to enforce it because code enforcement did go out in March and forced multiple properties to turn on uh their air conditioning, which then led to frozen pipes multiple times since then, and also left all those other residents without heating until the next person complained.

And so it creates this never-ending cycle.

And so we do need to put guidelines on.

Um I don't believe that the temperature is the right way to do it.

I bet I think that we're better off offering dates rather than a temperature because we have wide temperature swings when it comes to these transitional periods.

Uh, you do have days that are 90, and then it's 40 degrees at night, and you know, where you can open the windows and stuff.

So I, you know, I think that while we stand here in full support of cooling, we recognize that the original bill didn't fix it.

Um, and I don't believe that this language does either.

You know, especially this there's a lot of variables when you talk about 85 degrees.

Was it 85 degrees at the sunport?

Was it at you know the counselor's house?

Was it at my house?

Was it outside the property?

Was it in the sun?

Was it in the shade?

It's the same deal with the 15 degree differential.

Is that room?

Was the door open?

Was the window open?

How long was the cooling running for?

There's so many variables that would be caused in problems by this bill that I think we really need to think long and hard about how we set these parameters because I do believe that there are parameters we need to set so that it gives code enforcement clear and direct way to enforce the bill, but I don't believe that adding in these temperatures are the correct way to do it.

So thank you.

Josh Price, followed by Charles Sheldon.

Madam President, and members of the council.

Um, I'll mimic what Alec Alan said.

We are absolutely in favor of cooling.

We want to provide cooling, we want to provide uh the best most comfortable housing that we possibly can for the tenants that live in our properties.

That's what housing providers do.

Um, we also have science, okay?

What happens to water when it freezes, it expands, right?

So, like Alan said, we don't turn on swamp coolers until we know that their last freeze is going to happen.

And historically, year after year after year, how many times have we had snow in the beginning of April?

We just had a freeze warning this weekend, where it was unseasonably high and very hot in March, but then all of a sudden it's freezing in the beginning of April.

And those coolers, if we turned them all on, we would have roofs that need to be replaced now because we have flat roofs with coolers on them that now are flooded because we turned on swamp coolers right before the pipes burst.

Um it I'd like that we're doing this, but I don't think this is ready for prime time yet.

I think you need to work a little bit more on it.

And you know, that that 85 degree level that doesn't necessarily give all of the connotation that it should, and it doesn't actually play out the way that you think it's going to.

So thank you very much.

Charles Sheldon, followed by Jason Jenkins.

Madam President.

Distinguished council members.

I'm Chuck Sheldon.

Uh I own and manage around 2,000 units here in Albuquerque.

I've been a citizen of Albuquerque since 1979.

So I've seen a lot of things come and go and change.

Um I work with several of the councils trying to meet and help tenants and help people and provide a better environment.

I want to make five points, please, towards this bill.

The current bill caused confusion among code enforcement owners, tenants due to its silence concerning which seasons require cooling and heating.

We have variable heat during the day.

It gets warm and it gets cold as heck at night.

If you turn it off, we have no heat at night when people are home.

Two.

For example, in large buildings, efficiently, we use chillers.

Chiller, you turn it over to heat, it stays on heat, and it's going to be working that way.

In the spring, you turn it over to cooling.

We have hundred unit buildings, and you turn them all over at one time.

You can't turn over one or the other.

Three, this makes no allowances for systems that use the same duct work.

So maybe you have a four-stair furnace and you have an evaporative cooler.

You have to turn the baffles to keep the cold air from coming in and freezing the people out.

So those systems don't work.

They work, they cannot work independently.

Four, when we're looking at downdraft coolers, coolers this is well, the only place I ever lived in before I traveled all over the west coast and east coast who were for the federal government that we had coolers.

Working with those coolers, they measure in a certain spot where that air comes out.

You have no way to measure it room to room.

Thank you.

You have no way to measure that room to room.

So you have to open windows and doors to get drafts, right?

Many people don't, if they move here from somewhere else, don't understand how they work.

And so you have to give instruction.

And when we live with coolers, you might think that works okay, and you understand that.

Driving owners to install air conditioning will affect the grid, operational cost, and rise rents.

Well, exasperating the 20,000 units short of blue-collar housing.

We're gonna lose older buildings.

We keep we can't, the electricity, you have a 60 amp uh box and uh in an old building, it requires 120 amps.

You have to increase the whole system in order to change the kind of electricity needed to do an air conditioning unit.

Thank you.

These are unintended consequences.

The intent to get people cooling, I got it.

You know, my my wife likes it hot.

I like it cooler, you know, and we have to live with that.

Thank you, sir.

Um I laugh for more time because Councillor Kraut had asked for it to allow.

Thank you.

So thank you so much.

Jason Jenkins, followed by Mark Rickert on Zoom.

Mark Rickert, followed by Benjamin Terry.

Is it my turn to speak?

Yes, sir, it is.

Thank you.

Madam President, counselors, thank you for your time today this evening.

My name is Mark Rickard.

I'm a small local carrying real estate developer investor, bringing quality housing to the area.

Regarding the topic of swamp coolers and performance, I respectfully oppose O 2622 as currently written.

I agree residents deserve cooling during the summer.

Systems should work properly and be maintained, and they should be operating consistently with their design.

However, many of Albuquerque's multifamily properties were built decades ago.

The neighborhoods and electrical systems were never designed to handle widespread conversion to refrigerated air.

This is not a simple upgrade.

Property owners will face extended PM approval timelines, required load calculations, engineering reviews, and the reality that many neighborhoods simply do not have the electrical capacity to support these changes.

In many cases, this means transformer upgrades, panel replacements, reviewing and full systems, sorry, rewiring, and full system conversions, easily exceeding $50,000.

Many mom and pop owners can't absorb that kind of a mandate.

If passed, those costs would not stay with the property owner.

They would be passed on to the residents through higher rents or reduced housing supply.

But under strict performance standard, evaporative coolers will likely fail compliance tests, even when they were working exactly as designed.

Many properties also rely on systems that cannot run heating and cooling at the same time, making seasonal transitions a necessary level of operations.

I'd encourage flexibility in the ordinance, allow systems to operate within design limits, consider time-based standards rather than temperature triggers alone.

Use less restrictive language that reflects our curve's housing uh realities.

Well-meaning policy should not create unintended financial hardship or reduce affordability.

Thank you very much.

Benjamin Terry is not present in Zoom, so we'll move to Lori Prime.

Laurie, please accept promotion to panelists.

You are free to speak, Lori, if you'd like.

Thank you so much.

So we are back on O22.

Are there any questions, comments from counselors?

Um, Councilor Grout, followed by Councilor Teus.

Madam President, I have an amendment I'd like to pass out.

Thank you.

Madam President, I'd like to um enter floor amendment number one to O twenty six two, beginning on line two, line uh page two, line sixteen, amend section fourteen three three two as follows.

Um eliminate a little bit of it, adding in cooling facilities shall be considered compliant when the system is installed, maintained, and good working order and capable of operation during the recognized cooling season defined as May 1st through September 30th.

The cooling facilities shall provide a measurable reduction in air indoor air temperature relative to outdoor conditions that are consistent with the system's design, manufacturing specifications, and typical operating standards.

This amendment would modify the cooling performance standards that are proposed in the original bill.

This amendment would eliminate the proposal to require that cooling systems reduce indoor temperature by 15 degrees when the outdoor temperature is 85 degrees or higher, and would also eliminate the location at which temperature measurements would be taken to evaluate cooling system performances.

Instead, this amendment would require that cooling systems be operable between May 1st and September 30th, and be capable of providing a measurable reduction in temperature consistent with the capabilities of that individual cooling system.

Second there's a motion in the second for floor amendment number one to 022 by Councilor Bassani.

Councilor Grout.

Thank you.

This amendment uses a performance-based technology neutral standard that allows cooling systems to be judged according to how they are actually designed to work.

It is a practical, enforceable and climate appropriate standard for cooling systems in housing, and it better reflects New Mexico's unique environmental conditions, existing housing stock, and widespread use of evaporative cooling systems.

New Mexicans use more evaporative coolers than anywhere else in the country.

It reduces variables and disputes for code enforcement.

Thank you.

Any questions on so I have a list of counselors who want to speak on the on O22?

But I think right now, since we have this floor amendment on the floor, I am going to ask counselors who want to speak on the floor amendment.

So Councillor Rogers had your hand up first.

Then Councillor Feelcorn.

Thank you, Madam President.

Just a question.

Um, what is a recognized cooling season?

Who recognizes the cooling system between May and September 30th?

That's great question.

Staff, can you help us with that?

Madam President, Counselor Rogers, the recognized cooling season would be defined in the housing code as May 1st through September 30th.

Thank you, Madam President.

Our housing code or the states.

Uh Madam President, Counselor Rogers, in our housing code in the language proposed in the amendment, it would establish that cooling period.

No, thank you.

I understand that this amendment would establish it, but is there already a you're saying that there's already a recognized cooling off period in our housing code?

Madam President, Councilor Rogers, not that I'm aware of, but I can look into that.