Changes to Albuquerque's charter, Bernalillo County bond package appear headed for approval

It appears most voters filling out the back side of their ballot in Bernalillo County approved new bonds and changes to Albuquerque’s charter.

Two amendments to the city’s charter that could shift some power to the Albuquerque City Council appeared headed for approval late Tuesday, according to unofficial results. Six bond questions with a $40 million price tag also appeared headed for approval.

One of the charter amendments will allow the City Council to fire the police and fire chief without cause on a 7-2 council vote. The mayor also would have the ability to terminate the chiefs without cause — a power his office contests he doesn’t currently have.

The other amendment, a “separation of powers,” will change the way the mayor’s administration and the City Council settle debates.

It forces both the mayor and City Council to appoint someone to the Intragovernmental Conference Committee — which exists to settle disputes between the council and mayor — within 60 days of a vacancy.

Albuquerque voters supported them 62% to 37% on the charter for appointing and removing chiefs and 61.5% to 38% on the “separation of powers” charter according to unofficial results with all vote centers reporting.

The City Council voted in June to put the measures on the ballot.

“Tonight, the voters approved two important Charter Amendments that strengthen and clarify our City Charter to improve the functioning of our local government. These changes reflect the community’s understanding of the importance of clear separation of powers and a well-defined process for appointing and removing senior administration officials,” City Council President Dan Lewis said in a statement Tuesday.

“Passing these amendments to our charter shows an overwhelming desire for a more accountable Mayor and Police Chief.”

Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement that while the amendments were voted on, they “may have to be reviewed by the courts.”

Keller also thinks the language on the ballot was not clear enough.

“The two measures that were on the 2024 ballot to amend the City Charter both passed. One would have changed the way chiefs of police and fire are hired and fired, the other would have changed the way separation of power disputes between a mayor and (City Council) are handled,” Keller said in a statement Tuesday.

“The language on the ballot did not explain the nuances of the Charter amendments and may have been unclear.”

While Albuquerque voters approved the changes to the charter, they and the additional 100,000 constituents who make up Bernalillo County also chose to approve the bond package.

The bond package put forth by Bernalillo County commissioners included six questions for over $40 million in spending: $2.5 million for public libraries; $8.8 million for public safety facilities, the county’s fleet and buildings; $11.7 million for parks and recreation; $10.6 million for transportation projects; $5.1 million for storm drainage and utility projects; and $1.7 million for public housing.

Voters approved all of them overwhelmingly, according to unofficial results from the county’s website.

County commissioners voted 4-1 to put the package on the ballot in June.

This story has been updated to reflect the most recent election results