[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6487504,"mediaKeyId","5596022-7b5edc853bd82a6bfc344924c6725a05","parentId",5596022,"title","Council passes procurement change for housing projects, rescinds fiber moratorium; approves Uptown Transit Center supplement","audioSeconds",4330,"startMs",2883000,"endMs",7213000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5596022-7b5edc853bd82a6bfc344924c6725a05&start=2883&end=7213","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5596022-7b5edc853bd82a6bfc344924c6725a05/thumbnail_2883000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6487504/Albuquerque/Bernalillo-County/New-Mexico/Council-passes-procurement-change-for-housing-projects-rescinds-fiber-moratorium-approves-Uptown-Transit-Center-supplement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6487504-5f3652efdd76f610c308a2dc8c069e42/orig.mp4?Expires=1770927729&Signature=jr0jP0b94IXC8iUW7maytCY4CsyMIvlTER1~uKysVQnXIfGJ2yKjHT5xVc2e8gELaUK6zwSA0wR4SUhGstOZLUYMUMhEq972ymOZXSjSL13iE483lgfiWsiGSZvxFOLnP7qN7MSraEKe1nNFgF7G9E9uXB~w84EXujB7y47TBoOP2azKX6Ws2tbNiW0hwegLAA8VVrrqV~bQ9fe6NsQ7LwSA3tFpk6QDBXX2ACUixoV7pkBOnRlhO8mq4EQIWjNtqdx0y0XsyNxMbISORo0v2CSQvET01wgI-ssQwddAYpwLBVQTJsuwk43CW2w4lcxCYOqbchfuFuz0TWX3UHU-Zw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Albuquerque","date","2025-08-18T00:00:00Z","article","The Albuquerque City Council on Aug. 18 voted unanimously on several items intended to accelerate housing projects and resume permitting for fiber broadband installations.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance O-95 — Public purchases code: Passed 9–0. The council voted to amend the public purchases ordinance to simplify procurement for affordable and transitional housing development projects. Councilor Klarisa Baca moved the measure; Councilor Rogers seconded. Public commenters asked for continued oversight of nonprofit contractors and transparency about contractor staffing and compensation.

- Resolution R-181 — Rescind moratorium on residential fiber permit processing: Passed 9–0. Councilor Champine moved to rescind R-25154 (the earlier moratorium that had paused residential fiber installations pending working-group recommendations); Councilor Grout seconded. Administration and broadband-industry representatives told the council the working group had developed recommendations and that rescinding the moratorium would allow the agreement timeline to proceed; city staff said residents and companies have reported faster responses and improved signage and notification practices after the group’s work.

- EC4-69 — Uptown Transit Center Joint Development Partnership Agreement (supplemental): Approved 9–0. The council approved the increased reimbursement (supplemental) for the Uptown Transit Center joint development partnership agreement. A public speaker suggested additional nearby lots for park-and-ride or project expansion; councilors approved the item by voice vote.

- EC4-42 — FY25 third-quarter revenue and expense report: Receipt noted unanimously. Finance staff told councilors the general fund overspend decreased from second to third quarter and that measures were taken during the year to align expenditures with budget forecasts.

What councilors and staff said

Supporters of O-95 argued the change will reduce red tape and move publicly funded affordable housing projects forward more quickly, citing newly available state funds with short deadlines. Critics in public comment urged continued auditability, clearer accountability for nonprofit contractors and attention to personnel costs in contracts.

On the fiber moratorium, city broadband staff said the working group met multiple times and found improvements in company responsiveness, emergency-repair timelines and signage; broadband office staff provided the council with the location of the city’s broadband rules and encouraged residents to review them.

Process notes

Several agenda items were placed on the night’s agenda after suspension of the council’s rules; those procedural suspensions themselves were approved by recorded voice votes throughout the meeting. The council introduced additional items for committee referral, including a downtown redevelopment plan (R-182) and a parks turf-replacement funding measure (R-183), which were set for future committee or hearing action.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Albuquerque - City Council on 2025-08-18 5:00 PM - TWENTY-SIXTH COUNCIL - THIRTY-SIXTH MEETING","oneSentenceSummary","At its Aug. 18 meeting the council approved an ordinance to streamline procurement for affordable housing, rescinded an emergency moratorium on fiber permits, and approved a supplemental Uptown Transit Center agreement; all votes were unanimous.","taxTitle","Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico","taxId",2710,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6487509,"City task force outlines steps to streamline housing vouchers; final vendor selection targeted for Oct. 17",268,1442000,1710000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5596022-7b5edc853bd82a6bfc344924c6725a05&start=1442&end=1710","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5596022-7b5edc853bd82a6bfc344924c6725a05/thumbnail_1442000.jpg","/articles/6487509/Albuquerque/Bernalillo-County/New-Mexico/City-task-force-outlines-steps-to-streamline-housing-vouchers-final-vendor-selection-targeted-for-Oct-17","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6487509-84dda45eb93846f7ba61535d6ac90ef9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770927730&Signature=WepYugJoTNG9CyF0ZcOdflwCxMfSKuH9naCNiyfI6EMx0qwdmOzgdXGR0Jw70VO4sPJp2gPGEhWEX2Q3S2nQedeVBE1L6ODwfnSPHvTwAOcOAMA4wYA5nKwQv~fHBc3TMbj3W0IRO9X63IKozFi-xCmWND0wHj2UZA-dVliuSFKWbODDlpE4vbVh7cYZs6gYe~kN7rsAfRampJ7-oW8OIl23IPvrVN513nQs-b94GN9vmhCIjzE9CQ~ws~qSIjjMDnjYPFAGMNrjKkMn~6yEnZCbQK9yNPpNqsbnEf86Jf4YhhZ0U0s6R2i77BftUCdz-3JPfJip~vPrni03jIzWkQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Albuquerque's housing voucher task force told the City Council on Aug. 18 that it has submitted an implementation plan, drafted an RFQ for a citywide voucher data platform and expects to select a vendor Oct. 17.

The task force, formed in January 2025 to support Resolution R24109, is staffed by city housing, health and homelessness personnel, council staff and nonprofit representatives. The group has worked in three subcommittees — policy, coordinated entry and data — to address problems in how motel vouchers, rapid rehousing vouchers, permanent supportive housing vouchers and project-based vouchers are administered.

The task force lead told the council that \"people receive a voucher by going through what we call our coordinated entry system,\" and described the local process used by the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness and community access points to assess and prioritize applicants for different voucher types.

Why it matters: Councilors said they want clearer, consistent rules and more timely data so constituents and nonprofit providers can track voucher progress. The task force is aiming to reduce confusion about how vouchers are distributed and to create public-facing information and operational tools.

What the task force reported

- Implementation plan and engagement: The group submitted an implementation plan in April and conducted a provider engagement survey in May to gather feedback from nonprofits outside the task force.

- Policy work: The policy subcommittee has drafted recommendations to standardize internal processes, including rent-reasonableness checks, invoicing timelines, homeless-verification flexibility and grievance procedures. The group is reviewing the city’s project-based voucher procedures.

- Coordinated entry: The task force and the coalition have identified referral and training gaps and are designing a housing resource center as a central access point. The presenter said an RFQ for related services has been drafted and is with council staff for review.

- Data and technology: The data subcommittee validated baseline voucher records in HMIS and PeopleSoft, mapped city funding processes and prepared an RFQ for an integrated data platform. Planned features include a public voucher dashboard, an electronic reimbursement portal, a client feedback module and secure API links to other systems.

Funding and timing

The task force said the RFQ for a data technology vendor will be released shortly and that the goal is a final vendor selection on Oct. 17. The presentation noted a separate short-term need to fund a data analyst to manually clean and report baseline HMIS data; the presenter said the city is seeking a state appropriation to pay for that analyst and described the analyst funding need as $27,000 pending state user-agreement processes.

Council discussion and questions

Councilors asked how people are placed on voucher wait lists and how eligibility is determined. The presenter replied that access points use a VI-SPDAT assessment, which assigns an acuity score and places applicants in priority order; when vouchers become available, clients at the top of the list are contacted and offered assistance.

On program rules, the presenter said: \"A voucher is essentially rental assistance\" and explained that the provider typically pays landlords directly while clients pay a portion of rent if applicable.

Councilors also asked about tracking and outcomes. ACS staff reported that navigators and outreach teams are following clients into housing and that the street outreach navigation program had placed 62 people in long-term housing, with follow-up to support housing retention.

Public and stakeholder comments cited funding shortfalls and urged additional voucher resources. At the meeting, an advocate for the task force said the city’s voucher pool had dropped over several years, stating, \"it actually went from 16,000,000. The housing budget... went to 12 and then it went to 8,\" and warned the task force work would be limited without increased funding. The councilor and task force members agreed the work’s impact depends on increased voucher funding.

Ending

The task force plans to release the RFQ for the data platform soon, seek a vendor by mid-October and pursue state authorization for the temporary data analyst. Councilors urged continued transparency, public dashboards and quick releases of interim data while the full technology solution is built.

","A city task force working to improve access to housing vouchers presented an implementation timeline, said an RFQ for a data platform is ready for release and said a $27,000 data-analyst funding request remains pending with the state.","actionData","errors"]

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Council passes procurement change for housing projects, rescinds fiber moratorium; approves Uptown Transit Center supplement

City task force outlines steps to streamline housing vouchers; final vendor selection targeted for Oct. 17