BREAKING: ABQ Mayor Approves Budget

Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry signed a $455 million operating budget that calls for 2.22 percent reductions in employee pay.

The budget may be signed, but much of the real work remains: negotiating with unions on how to carry out a 2.22 percent pay cut.

Mayor Richard Berry on Thursday signed the budget approved by city councilors, but he said the council’s suggestion of a sliding scale of cuts and unpaid holidays may not be what’s ultimatley put in place. Instead, the form of the cuts will have to be negotiated with union leaders.

Berry opted not to use his veto or line-item veto authority. He said the council-approved budget closely matches his own proposal.

Berry praised the “collaborative effort” that produced a spending plan amid tough times.

The fiscal year starts July 1, so the city hopes to complete labor negotiations by the end of this month.