| Hello Albuquerque, We just got the good news—Albuquerque is far exceeding estimated economic growth, and outpacing our neighbors including Austin, Colorado Springs, El Paso, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix in key economic measures like construction job growth. Recently released data shows that Gross Receipts Tax (GRT), a key measure of economic activity, exceeded expectations. GRT growth from this August was 22.7% higher than August 2020, and 20.9% higher than pre-pandemic August 2019. Those numbers come on the heels of remarkable growth in July; incredibly strong growth for the first two months of this fiscal year. Beating the projections is welcome news, but it doesn’t come as a total surprise. When the pandemic hit, we stepped up to save lives and livelihoods, expanding essential services, investing over $300 million into New Deal-style infrastructure projects, and getting relief money, rental assistance, meals, and childcare services out to the small businesses and working families who needed them. We knew that if we stuck together to make it through the worst, we could prime Albuquerque for recovery. Today, Burqueños’ wages are up, construction is underway on projects ranging from affordable housing to road repairs, and we’re bringing thousands of new jobs to our city as national employers invest in Albuquerque. Another recent game-changer: For almost two months now, first responders of the new Albuquerque Community Safety department (ACS) have been out in the field, taking dispatch calls from 9-1-1 as an official 3rd public safety branch. With backgrounds in behavioral health, social work, and street outreach, these first responders are taking hundreds of non-violent calls out of APD and AFR’s queues so that police officers and EMTs can focus on violent crime and medical emergencies instead. Want to know what it’s like to ride along with ACS? The Washington Post published a story on ACS’ impact on their front-page last week, with a first-hand account of a day on the job, and how this trauma-informed public health response can make lasting change in our city. Yesterday, I sat in on a training with ACS’ newest class of responders. They’re passionate about making our city safer and healthier for all of us. If you’re interested in being part of our recovery and jumpstarting your career, take a look at the positions that we’re hiring for at ACS and other City departments. Your Mayor, Tim Keller |
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