OPINION: Proposed budget prioritizes safety, minimizes fees

What does it take to keep a city safe, housed and moving forward in uncertain times? It starts with a city budget that reflects what our residents value most and expect from their government. That means fighting crime, helping people off the streets and providing the essential services that improve daily life. The proposed fiscal year 2026 budget focuses on these priorities while staying realistic in the face of rising costs and federal uncertainty. It avoids overcommitting, protects core services and invests where it counts.

Public safety continues to be our top priority and we’re seeing meaningful results. In the first quarter of this year, both violent and property crimes declined significantly across Albuquerque. Aggravated assaults dropped by 18%, shootings with injury and homicides fell by 48% and 50% respectively, and auto thefts declined by 47%. This progress reflects a deliberate strategy: increased enforcement, targeted deployment and smart investments in crime-fighting tools.

This balanced budget supports strategic police deployment, enhanced investigations and recruitment efforts. It also expands the use of modern technology like gunshot detection, license plate readers and technology that help solve crimes faster. Just last weekend, this technology led to the swift arrest of teen suspects in a Downtown shooting, demonstrating the real-time value of our public safety investments.

We’re also growing the Albuquerque Community Safety department to send trained behavioral health responders to nonviolent calls, connecting people to the right services and diverting 3,000 calls a month from police. Recently, ACS responded to a call involving a young boy with autism and oppositional defiance disorder who had become overwhelmed and acted out physically toward his parents. Thanks to their behavioral health training and calm approach, the responders quickly earned the child’s trust and helped de-escalate the situation without the need to involve police or fire. This is just one example of how our city responds to crisis: with compassion, care and practical solutions that keep families together.

We’ve come a long way in addressing homelessness. A decade ago, the city had little infrastructure to respond to the crisis. Today, we’ve built a coordinated Gateway System to shelter over 1,000 people each night and connect them to housing navigation, behavioral health and substance use treatment. This budget sustains that momentum by funding recovery housing, outpatient treatment and housing stability programs like A Better Way Forward, which empowers shelter residents through job support, income and wraparound services. Participants have now secured permanent jobs, reunited with family or moved into housing. We’re investing in solutions that turn the tide against homelessness one life at a time.

We’re also expanding access to affordable housing, because the most effective long-term response to homelessness is housing. This year’s budget supports the creation and rehabilitation of hundreds of affordable homes, helping working families stay housed and preventing more people from crisis. With housing costs rising, we’re focused on practical development strategies that keep Albuquerque stable.

Beyond safety and housing, we’re staying focused on job growth, youth programs, and small business development. We’re investing in job training, the Head Start program and resources for entrepreneurs. Our work on sustainability continues, keeping Albuquerque on track for its climate goals.

This is a balanced budget that reflects where Albuquerque stands today and where we need to go next. As inflation and rising costs impact both families and local government, and with revenues flat, we’ve made a deliberate choice to minimize fee and service charge changes — avoiding added strain on those facing financial pressure. We’re planning for continued reduction in federal support. That makes it all the more important to invest local dollars in what matters most: public safety, housing stability and essential services.