City Council defers operating budget; hearing covers airport, transit, planning, animal welfare and other department budgets

Albuquerque — The City Council’s Committee of the Whole on the city operating budget held a multi-hour hearing that focused on physical-goal departments including aviation, transit, planning, municipal development, environmental health, animal welfare and others. Councilors voted to defer formal action on the city operating budget legislation, R-25-132, to the council’s May 15 meeting.

The postponement motion passed on a roll-call vote after department directors answered council questions about staffing, capital projects and grants. Councilors and department officials also discussed the Sunport’s concession openings and runway work, transit staffing and security, changes to planning and code enforcement, an expanded sustainability staff in Environmental Health, and animal-welfare programs including Street Cat Hub and spay/neuter activity.

Why it matters: The deferral leaves time for councilors to review department presentations and follow-up data, and preserves the normal sequence under which the council considers amendments and final adoption of the FY26 operating budget.

Aviation: City presents Sunport budget and capital priorities

Director Richard McCorley presented the Aviation Department’s proposed FY26 operating budget of $120,900,000 with 306 positions. Highlights he listed included recurring staffing and security contract increases, a $2,500,000 nonrecurring request for an enterprise asset management system (EAMS) and $29,300,000 proposed for purchase of land adjacent to the airport. McCorley…