Albuquerque’s Legislative Asks Mirror Community Priorities
November 18, 2019
The Albuquerque City Council approved Mayor Tim Keller’s package of legislative priorities in a unanimous vote on Monday night.
The 30-day budget-focused session of the legislature begins January 21st, and the City is asking the state to invest in solutions to some of the community’s biggest challenges around crime, homelessness, place-making, and more. The legislation still requires the Mayor’s signature.
Mayor Tim Keller said, “At the bond election, voters made it clear they want us to tackle our biggest challenges head on. Our legislative priorities reflect our community’s priorities: smarter crime fighting, a gateway center for homelessness, and quality of life for Albuquerque families. The governor and our legislative delegation have done an amazing job recognizing the statewide importance of our projects, and we hope to see another successful session.”
The City is asking the legislature to fund:
- Crime fighting technology modernization;
- Violence Interruption Programming;
- Phase II of the Homeless Gateway Center to connect homeless people in Albuquerque to resources, addiction treatment, and permanent housing;
- Fixes to school crosswalks identified in the City’s crosswalk study completed in October, and ADA accessibility improvements; and
- Widening of Paseo Del Norte on the Westside.
Mayor Keller added, “As the state’s main urban center, New Mexico goes as Albuquerque does, and we know that investing in crime fighting, addressing homelessness, and building out infrastructure will have a statewide impact.”
“I am proud to see the city unify behind these legislative priorities, placing the focus on our most important issues like public safety and mental health and substance abuse disorders,” said City Council President Klarissa Peña.