Keller, city prioritize public safety, housing and finishing projects in 2024 legislative asks

At an Economic Forum meeting Wednesday, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller urged listeners not to forget the “money on the sidelines.”

“Our state has all sorts of money,” Keller said at the meeting, as he reflected on both the past year and the one ahead. “We have enough money to invest in what we want to do.”

That includes major funding requests from the New Mexico Legislature for public safety and housing, Keller told the Journal on Monday. He’d like to see crime-fighting technology, including gunshot detection, cameras and license plate readers, covering the entire area of Albuquerque.

The city’s priority capital asks for the 2024 budget session also includes $20 million for affordable housing construction. Keller touted the 2023 purchase of the SureStay Hotel at Eubank and Lomas, which the city has nearly finished converting into dozens of affordable apartments, as a success story that could be replicated.

Two more conversions could be on the way this year — “if we get enough funding for it,” Keller said Monday.

The state general fund revenue is expected to reach approximately $13 billion this year, with about $3.5 billion in “new money” according to a New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration report.

Both Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Legislative Finance Committee released budget proposals which advocated for a high proportion of money in reserves. LFC members called it a “responsible” budget with enough reserves to insulate against economic downturn.

But Keller called the revenue surplus an “opportunity” to make investments and potentially wrap up city projects that are under construction, but awaiting a cash infusion to be finished.

“We’ve got to go full in on these projects,” Keller said Wednesday.

Some of the major capital asks include one-time funding for:

Public safety:

• Expanding the Real Time Crime center: $20 million
• Public safety field technology: $20 million
• Fire station and facilities construction: $24.5 million
• Albuquerque Police Department substations: $18 million

Housing:

• Affordable housing construction:
• $20 million

Infrastructure/quality of life:

• Rail Yards: $25 million
• Rail Trail: $30 million
• Albuquerque Museum Education Center: $15 million
• Balloon Fiesta Park: $15 million

Route 66 Visitors Center: $15 million

CORRECTION: This story was updated to reflect the amount of new money available in the budget.