City Council committee amends 2025 GO bond package; key changes include pool, park and street allocations

The Albuquerque City Council Committee of the Whole voted to advance the committee substitute for AR-117 — the mayor's proposed 2025 general obligation (G.O.) bond program and the 2025–2034 decade plan for capital improvements — after adopting a series of floor amendments reallocating funding across parks, flood control, aquatic facilities, streets and city building rehabilitation.

The committee substitute as amended passed the Committee of the Whole on a 6-3 roll-call vote and will be sent to the full City Council for consideration at the March 17 council meeting; public comment is scheduled for that council meeting, the committee chair said. An attempt to take immediate action (which would have required unanimity) failed, so the item will advance to the next council meeting under the normal schedule.

Why it matters: The amendments change specific project funding and add a number of council-directed priorities while preserving a significant portion of flexible bucket funding for the administration to respond to unforeseen facility or construction-cost issues. Several provisions reflect localized priorities — pedestrian safety in District 6, reallocation for food insecurity projects in District 6, and preservation or enhancement of specific parks and trails — that could alter which projects voters ultimately authorize in the bond measure.

Major amendments and outcomes

- District 6 pedestrian safety (Councilor Rogers): The committee approved an amendment specifying pedestrian-safety work in District 6 (Central from Louisiana to Eubank and surrounding school routes near Whittier Elementary and Wilson Middle School). Vote: unanimous.

- District 6 food insecurity / Bullhead Park (Councilor Rogers): Councilor Rogers moved funds into a new District 6 “food insecurity” project by reducing the Bullhead Park renovation allocation. The amended motion (taking the funds from Bullhead Park) passed unanimously.

- Aquatic facilities and pools: Councilor Rogers proposed reducing a generic aquatic facilities line by $300,000 to fund a District 6 project; staff and other councilors discussed impacts to aging pumps, HVAC and water-quality systems at pools including West Mesa and Sierra Vista. Deputy Director David Flores (Parks and Recreation) told the committee that reductions could affect immediate water-quality and safety work. The committee adopted Rogers' amendment as modified (including the Bullhead Park change noted above); final votes on pool-related amendments varied by item described below.

- Westgate Little League Library / Eastern & Alvarado pump station (Councilor Pena): An early amendment by Councilor Pena to shift $1,000,000 from Eastern & Alvarado Pump Station to Westgate Little League Library was moved and seconded but then withdrawn by Pena during discussion.

- Flood control / Eastern & Alvarado pump station: Members discussed that the Eastern & Alvarado pump station design had just begun and that delaying construction funding could push the project out one to two years. Staff (Paul Wilson, Department of Municipal Development) said the project cost could ultimately range from about $5 million to $11 million and that AMAFCA (Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority) has committed to match roughly half of appropriations; delaying funding could delay construction but would not necessarily be catastrophic in the near term because design and additional matches are pending.

- Balloon Museum and playscape (Councilor Bassan): An amendment consolidating $1.5 million for the balloon museum (combining a playscape amount with museum roof/playscape funds) passed unanimously.

- Major paving and Indian School Road (Councilor Bassan): An amendment reallocating $1 million from major paving rehabilitation into ADA sidewalk improvements ($1.5M), neighborhood traffic management ($500k) and pavement signs/markings ($1.0M), and setting a $1.0M set‑aside for Indian School Road rehabilitation in District 9, passed on a 6-3 vote.

- Juan Taboada–Eubank multi-use trail (Councilor Bassan): An amendment removing a $1.0M set-aside for that trail passed on a 5-4 vote; a subsequent amendment that altered other median earmarks failed.

- North Domingo Baca Aquatic Center (Councilor Sanchez): The committee increased the North Domingo Baca Aquatic Center allocation to $5.0 million (from $4.545 million in the prior version) on a 6-3 vote.

- Albuquerque Fire & Rescue (AFR) apparatus replacement and ACS facility renovations (Councilor Bassan): The committee restored funding for AFR apparatus replacement and reduced the ACS facility renovation line; that amendment passed 6-3 after discussion about competing facility needs.

- Wantable/Wantago library reallocation (Councilor Champagne): An amendment reducing the Wantago library renovation by $700,000 and reallocating the funds to Academy immediate landscape improvements passed unanimously after the facility indicated a smaller planning-stage request.

- Tingley (Tingley Pond) improvement (Councillors Lewis and Baca): Councilors Lewis and Baca moved $1.0 million for Tingley Pond/fly-fishing pond improvements (removal of cattails, access and habitat work). Councilor Baca described the work as both habitat improvement and public access (catch-and-release pond). That amendment passed on a 6-3 vote.

- GSD (General Services Department) city buildings bucket reallocation (Councilor Bassan): The committee approved an administration-backed amendment that shifts roughly $2.85 million into a GSD building-improvement bucket (taken from specific line items including winter salt shed, YFS building renovations, APD facilities, and ACS renovations) to preserve flexibility to respond to emergent facility failures. Staff described past emergencies (failed boilers, HVAC failures) as the rationale for a flexible bucket; the committee added language limiting use for main gateway renovations and passed the amendment 5-4.

Votes at a glance (selected items)

- Committee substitute (AR-117) as amended: Passed on roll call, 6 yes, 3 no (Baca: Yes; Bassan: Yes; Champagne: Yes; Fiebelkorn: No; Lewis: Yes; Pena: No; Rogers: Yes; Sanchez: No; Grama: Yes).

- Amendment (Rogers) — District 6 pedestrian safety (specify Central from Louisiana to Eubank, school-route work): Passed, unanimous.

- Amendment (Rogers, modified) — District 6 food insecurity (funding moved from Bullhead Park renovation): Passed, unanimous.

- Amendment (Bassan) — Balloon museum consolidation: Passed, unanimous.

- Amendment (Bassan) — Reallocate major paving rehabilitation into ADA sidewalks/NTMP/pavement markings and set aside for Indian School Road: Passed, 6-3.

- Amendment (unknown mover) — Increase North Domingo Baca Aquatic Center to $5.0M (amendment 7): Passed, 6-3.

- Amendment (Lewis/Baca) — Tingley Pond improvements $1.0M: Passed, 6-3.

- Amendment (Bassan) — GSD building-improvement bucket increase ($2.85M) with limitation on gateway use: Passed, 5-4.

- Immediate action (to place the item on the next council meeting agenda for final adoption immediately): Failed to achieve unanimous consent; therefore the committee substitute will be scheduled through the normal council process (not enacted by immediate action).

Discussion, transparency and next steps

Committee members repeatedly debated the trade-off between giving the administration flexible “bucket” funding to handle rising construction costs and emergencies versus providing explicit, district-level project allocations for transparency and council priorities. City staff (Mr. Motzko and Director Turner) and department directors said the buckets were intended to preserve flexibility given rapid cost escalation and the need to respond to facility failures; some councilors pressed for a clearer, more equitable distribution for district projects.

Several members asked staff to provide more detailed cost estimates and project lists before the full council vote; the chair said the committee will meet with administration again and that the item will be taken up at the March 17 council meeting where the public may comment.

Ending

The committee adjourned after completing the markup and voting. The committee chair said staff will continue to refine the document and that the full council will consider the amended committee substitute at its March 17 meeting, when public comment will be accepted.