Albuquerque City Council passed its legislative priorities. Here are a couple things that made the list.

The 2024 legislative priorities for the city of Albuquerque cover everything from making the low rider the official state car to changing pretrial detention policies.

On Wednesday, Albuquerque’s City Council voted unanimously to set its legislative and budget priorities for the upcoming 30-day session of the New Mexico Legislature.

The bill, sponsored by councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Brook Bassan and Klarissa Peña, called for the passage of wide-ranging legislation including adding sentence enhancements for fentanyl possession, taking action to fight climate change and creating a fund for affordable housing projects through the city and county’s joint housing collaborative. Councilor Trudy Jones was absent from the vote.

Public safety was a major focus. In funding requests, the resolution asked for state money to set up two additional police substations and purchase a helicopter for the Albuquerque Police Department.

Some of the requests were repeats from previous years.

In 2021, the Metro Crime Initiative was founded to bring together law enforcement agencies to recommend legislation to reduce crime in Albuquerque. But in September, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller told the Journal that of the dozens of recommendations made each year, only a handful were passed into law since the inception of the MCI.

Some of the repeated asks from the MCI include new charges for firing a gun randomly in public and carrying a gun while under the influence. New asks include bringing more federal prosecutors to the state and expanding the Real Time Crime Center.

Housing is also a priority; funding was requested to build a youth shelter and to provide resources for the city to build new or improve existing affordable housing.

Several major infrastructure projects are included as well. The North Domingo Baca Aquatic Center made the list; the project, estimated to cost upwards of $50 million, is close to being fully funded. Ahead of the 2026 Route 66 100-year anniversary, funding was requested for construction and equipment improvements and purchases, including bringing signage and lighting up to snuff.