Mayor of Albuquerque Tim Keller has submitted the budget proposal for Fiscal year 2025.
The Keller Administration said this budget is a reflection of their commitment to public safety and pursues effective and creative measures to address the housing and homelessness crisis.
The Administration said this Budget indicates post pandemic recovery and a return to historical growth, with inflationary pressures and the phasing out of food and medical hold harmless payments.
The FY25 budget is 2.3% more than the prior year and the administration is planning to continue to move the city forward.
Mayor Tim Keller said, “We are focused on continuing to invest in public safety, and fully supporting our frontline workers and the programs and services they provide to help address our city’s challenges. We’re implementing creative solutions to address homelessness and housing insecurity, and strengthening our neighborhoods to make our city better for all of our families.”
The FY25 Budget is comparable to last year’s; it is balanced with a $5 million dollar fund and a 12% reserve to allow for flexibility with inflation.
Commitments to rank and file wage increases based on collective bargaining agreement with the recurring funds from the prior budget will help address pay equity in the city.
Also there are fee adjustments to mitigate the effects of inflation, and increase important staffing for quality of life amenities such as increases to golf courses, pools and the BioPark, mirroring that of cities of similar size.
The Keller administration says that Advancing Public safety is one of their top priorities.
Preliminary statistics of 2023 show decreases in violent and property crimes and the city will continue to follow the investments that prompted this change.
The administration is investing in housing vouchers, emergency housing and behavioral health programs to help address the housing and homelessness crisis.
The draft budget will now go to the City Council for the next two months for public input and further discussion regarding the final budget.
