[Neighbors] 🆕 This month at City Council: Budget, Solar & Neighborhood Project Updates

Mon Jun 12 15:35:06 MDT 2017

** Updates from City Hall
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Councilor Pat Davis represents District 6 on the City Council where he is leading efforts to make Albuquerque a renewable energy city, investing in new city facilities in our International District and a champion for progressive values.

Councilor Davis is serving his second term as Chair of the City's Finance & Government Operations committee.

Contact his office here (http://patforabq.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ee7aaeb2e3cbfa0483e14b109&id=351b5d985e&e=899bd178eb)
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ABQ City Council

** What's happening with the City's budget?!
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You may have seen the news coverage of the city's budget process this year. Most observers think politics is taking a front seat to responsibility. I agree. Here's what you need to know.

The Mayor’s proposed budget, introduced in April, eliminated all funding for Main Street programs in Barelas and Nob Hill (small business support, Shop & Stroll, Taste of Nob Hill and more), dozens of community arts and cultural programs, afterschool programs, and the jobs and culture that go along with them.

A subsequent Council substitute (written by Councilor Don Harris and championed by Republican Mayoral candidate Dan Lewis) proposed giving huge new raises to senior police officials at the expense of community programs and was built on the expectation that Trump and Governor Martinez would magically triple our economic growth three-fold in the next two months.

Worse, it relied on "creative" budget techniques that aren't allowed, creating a $3+ million budget hole to start the year. That would leave a new mayor with little choice but to impose furloughs or program cuts on day 1.

The mayor rightly vetoed it because it spent more money than we have.

When city workers and financial experts rightly objected to that proposal, I sat down with the non-partisan finance department to work out a plan to pay our bills and protect our employees.

Some have criticized me for working with a Republican councilor to build a budget to stop the games and take care of our city.

But that’s what public service means.

However, not every councilor agreed and some voted to override the Mayor's veto of the council substitute.

To be clear, overriding the Mayor's veto put a more extreme Republican budget into action.

I voted against the override because we had a better plan. I refuse to pass a budget that sets up hundreds of city workers for furloughs, hurting their families and our economy, just to score cheap political points and win the comment section of Facebook or the Twitterverse, and my colleagues shouldn’t either.

It's not often that the conservative ABQ Journal and liberal ABQ Free Press agree on city politics.  But in this case they do.

Read more
ABQ Free Press: Veto override "goofy, irresponsible", Davis/Winter compromise "rational, responsible" (http://patforabq.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ee7aaeb2e3cbfa0483e14b109&id=0786019056&e=899bd178eb)
ABQ Journal: Councilors voting for "baffling" override threatens city's credit rating, starts with $3 - $4.5 million funding gap; Compromise was righ (http://patforabq.us14.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=ee7aaeb2e3cbfa0483e14b109&id=6fa8c7622e&e=899bd178eb) t

As chair of the City’s Finance & Government Operations Committee, I’ve watched city revenues sluggishly improve for the past two years and I’ll sit down to talk with anyone who wants to discuss the City’s very real and concerning budget issues that don’t leave enough money for firefighters and police officers, community programs and the arts, and investments into our local economy to spur job creation.

On the Council I've consistently been a steward of progressive values and stood up to the Mayor and other Councilors when they pushed Albuquerque in the wrong direction. I prevented the administration from issuing another insider APD contract. I worked to turn a plan to privatize police services into new full-time, well-paying investigator jobs, who are already catching property crime offenders. And, I started New Mexico’s largest municipal investment in solar energy.

But Democrats don’t hold a supermajority on the council or control the mayor’s office so I couldn’t have done any of those things alone.

I’d rather put progressive values into action by working with a few reasonable Republicans than play politics and get nothing done at all.

Now those same councilors who voted to override the mayor's veto and install an unbalanced, political budget have just one week to craft a fix that looks a lot like our compromise budget that we should have passed in the first place.

Because that’s the right thing to do - for all of us.
AROUND THE CITY (http://)

** City's $26 Million Solar Projects Ready to Go!
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While the new administration in Washington is undoing climate regulations as fast as they can, Albuquerque is taking leadership and showing what cities can do to address climate change now
- and I'm proud to be leading that effort.

Last year, Councilor Ike Benton and I teamed up to create the city's first renewable energy standard: 25% of our energy by 2025.  We didn't know how we would do it, but it was a goal worth achieving.

This year, I led the City's project to acquire up to $51 million in federal clean energy credits and use those to retrofit our first facilities for clean energy.

After working for months with city engineers, solar experts and our finance team, I introduced the first phase of that project and that plan passed Council last week.

Later this month, the city will sell those bonds and issue RFP's to begin converting 30+ city facilities to solar energy - generating more than 6 Mw of renewable energy, all at a net savings to taxpayers of more than $30 million over the life of the project.

I'm proud to be leading the City's efforts to create local high-wage solar jobs so our graduates don't have to move to Denver or Phoenix to find.

READ MORE (http://patforabq.us14.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=ee7aaeb2e3cbfa0483e14b109&id=12bb50c5fe&e=899bd178eb)

Check your sprinklers: Water Just 3x Week

The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) encourages residents to water on a monthly 1-2-3-2-1 rotation, to help conserve this precious resource.

The 1-2-3-2-1 Program suggests following a watering schedule as follows: once a week in March, twice a week in April and May, three times a week in June, July, and August, twice a week in September and October, and once a week in November.

Reminder: Spray irrigation is NOT allowed between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.  For more information on water resources, visit: http://patforabq.us14.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=ee7aaeb2e3cbfa0483e14b109&id=654fbbdd97&e=899bd178eb

Pre-Applications for Public Housing Now Available Online

The Albuquerque Housing Authority announces online applications for limited intake public housing are available starting Thursday, June 15 through Saturday, July 17. The applications are for 3-bedroom public housing units.

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for this program, visit: www.abqha.org (http://patforabq.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ee7aaeb2e3cbfa0483e14b109&id=f4a4982251&e=899bd178eb) for more information.

** Neighborhood Project Updates
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Replacing Trees on Lead/Coal : Last year, residents in University Heights asked my office to help replace dead or missing trees along Lead and Coal. Working with our Municipal Development Department, city landscaping teams will be out over the next few weeks to do that work.  Wave and say thanks when you see them!

City Takes Possession of Kathryn & San Mateo Lot: A few weeks ago, I went out to visit with crews finishing the demolition of the old Parkland Hills Shopping Center.  Using funds I set aside for a new community policing substation, parks and community projects, I directed city staff to purchase the lot to serve as a center for city re-investment in the Parkland Hills and South San Pedro neighborhoods.

We'll be working with community associations this summer to solicit suggestions for uses for the community spaces. Stay tuned!

What's with the new International District ART stop? : Some neighbors have sent some emails floating through Nextdoor questioning whether the new International District ART stop was coming.

Rest assured, it is!  I passed a bill earlier this year setting aside $600,000 for the stop and designs have already been completed.
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Have questions about a city project in your neighborhood?  Contact District 6's Council Analyst: Sean Foran  505-768-3152   seanforan at cabq.gov

** Upcoming Events
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District 6 Neighborhood Coalition Annual Meeting

Wed. June 14, 2017, 7pm -9pm

EXPO NM at Alice B. Hoppes Building

Bring your Coalition Dues to renew or join the Coalition or

Mail to D6 Treasurer Marian Jordan, 816 Arizona SE, Albq. NM 87108

Suggested dues are $25.00, more is always welcome and appreciated.  Contact: Nancy Bearce, nancymbearce at gmail.com
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Elder Homestead Neighborhood Association Monthly Meeting
Thursday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m., Cesar Chávez Community Center. E-mail: marianjor at aol.com (mailto:marianjor at aol.com) for more information.

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Southeast Area Command Community Policing Council
Thursday, June 15 at 6:00 p.m., Cesar Chavez Community Center
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City Council Meeting
Monday June 19, 2017, 5pm
Council Chambers in City Hall, 1 Civic Plaza
Agenda (published on Friday before) at cabq.gov/council (http://patforabq.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ee7aaeb2e3cbfa0483e14b109&id=c26eb64dd2&e=899bd178eb)
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Paid for by Pat Davis, not paid for with taxpayer or campaign dollars.
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