District 2 Newsletter
Hello Neighbors,
Nearly two years ago the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County came together to form the Behavioral Health Initiative (BHI) to find new solutions to the behavioral health crisis in Albuquerque. We convened experts, physicians, first responders, providers, families, and people living with mental health and/or substance abuse issues to identify and design programs are most needed in the metro area to address the unmet needs of people living with behavioral health issues. Read a summary of progress and programs online. A link to the County’s BHI website is also included.
Legislation
The next City Council meeting is Monday, June 18 at 5:00 pm in the Vincent Griego Chambers, basement level of City Hall: Agenda.
- Police Oversight Ordinance O-18-23 (Benton, Winter): This bill amends the Police Oversight Ordinance to make changes recommended by the Police Oversite Board (POB) to the Council and to modify the ordinance for consistency with the DOJ settlement agreement. It increases the annual Civilian Police Oversight Agency (CPOA) budget in order to hire a data research analyst and a community engagement specialist, allows the POB to get unedited raw data from APD, gives the POB subpoena power, changes the requirement for the Chief’s response to POB disciplinary action recommendations, and allows the POB to make policy recommendations to the council. This bill will be introduced at Monday’s meeting and will be referred to the Finance & Government Operations Committee for a hearing in August.
Projects
Rio Grande & Candelaria Roundabout:
Having worked on the 11-year-old roundabout project for six years now, I’m in the habit of being informed by constituents of every crash that occurs there. The original Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program grant was awarded to the City under previous Councilor Debbie O’Malley and Mayor Chavez’s administration. Without question the progress towards construction of the project has been excruciatingly and unacceptably slow, but not for lack of effort by me and city staff. I’ve struggled to keep North Valley residents accurately informed of its status, as it is reported to me.
It should be noted that under Albuquerque’s form of municipal government, as your city councilor I can’t just “build it already”, manage the project or compel the administrative actions needed to move more rapidly. Despite my constant prodding, those are the responsibilities of the city’s administration (executive branch) not the council (legislative branch). Also, without timely actions by four key entities (not counting the Feds) a Federal grant project cannot proceed: City Council, the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the City Administration and the NM Department of Transportation (NMDOT).
Federally-funded projects must be placed on the regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) by votes of City Council and the regional MPO. After taking office in District 2 I’ve had to accomplish that twice after the project stalled under my predecessor Roxanna Meyers and deadlines passed. NMDOT is tasked by the Feds with administering the grant and must approve City’s administrative milestones having to do with right-of-way acquisitions, utility relocations, final design, etc. NMDOT’s process has been remarkably slow and difficult to work with, even for the City’s capable project manager Debbie Bauman, who deserves a medal for her efforts.
By the conclusion of the term of Mayor Berry’s administration, Ms. Bauman had accomplished all the necessary purchases of right-of-way. The final agreement for construction between City and NMDOT was left on Mayor Keller’s desk for signature. It was signed in March of this year as another NMDOT deadline loomed – a major milestone. The NMDOT continues to move slowly with a few remaining approvals to allow us to put it out for bids.
Over the years, my office has several times reported the Administration’s “estimated” schedules for bidding and construction, which as we know have not come to pass. Thus I am reluctant to suggest when construction will begin. However, we have now received all of the necessary certifications from the state to construct the roundabout. We are now told that “this fall the Water Authority will initiate a utility improvement project at the intersection, and following the completion of that project the roundabout will be put out to bid, with construction to projected begin in Spring of 2019.”
Upcoming Events
- Shakespeare on the Plaza: Thursday – Sunday evenings thru July 1
- Summertime in Old Town: Fathers’ Day Celebration | Sunday, June 17 | 11 am – 3 pm
- Downtown Growers Market: Saturdays 8 am – noon | April 14 – November 3
- Rail Yards Market: Sundays 10 am – 2 pm | May – October
- Salsa Under the Stars Summer Concert Series: Presented by NM Jazz Workshop and Partners
- BioParks Summer Concert Series: Artists and dates have been announced and tickets are available!
- Valley Area Command Community Policing Council: Meets every 4th Thursday from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the Wells Park Community Center. Community policing is a two-way street; get involved!
- Open Space Visitor Center Events: We have the best open space system in the country – check it out!
- ABQ365 Events: Year-round events in Albuquerque.
- Route 66 Summerfest: July 21 | 3 – 10 pm | Nob Hill
Community Announcements / Resources
- Bike Share Expansion: More bikes, more stations!
- Rail Runner Seniors Ride Free: Wednesdays thru September.
- City Traffic Construction Reports Available Online along with the Department of Municipal Development’s (DMD) Interactive Map!
- Downtown Arts & Cultural District Interactive Map: Explore galleries, coffee shops, museums, theaters, restaurants, and more.
- Air Quality Awareness: The Environment Health Department has announced an awareness campaign. Sign up to get Air Quality alerts.
- Free ABQ Images Library hits 5,000 downloads. This is an online collection of professional photos and videos of the Albuquerque area that can be downloaded and used by anyone for free.
Sincerely,
Isaac Benton
City Councilor, District 2