Category Archives: City/County News

ONE Albuquerque April Newsletter

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Hello Albuquerque,

This month, we took real steps to continue putting people first – protecting our neighborhoods, our public lands, and the future we all share. As federal rollbacks put our environment at risk, Albuquerque is stepping up. I signed two executive orders: one to protect our open spaces like the Bosque and the Foothills, and another to push the City further toward clean energy.

We’re cutting back on fossil fuel use in City buildings, listening to the communities hit hardest by climate change, and making sure everyone has a voice. We’re on track to power all City operations with 100% renewable energy by the end of the year, and we’re committed to a healthier, more sustainable Albuquerque for the long run.

We’re also working to strengthen public safety. A new bipartisan state law now allows DACA recipients and other legal residents with work permits to become police officers. In a city like ours—where being immigrant-friendly is part of who we are—that’s a big deal. It helps us build a police force that reflects the people it serves, which builds trust, and that’s the foundation of real public safety.

We also passed a new law to protect renters from dangerous heat. Now, all rental homes in Albuquerque must have working cooling systems. As our summers get hotter, this is an important step to protect kids, seniors, and anyone with health issues from unsafe living conditions.

Through it all, one thing is clear: when we stand together, we move forward. Even with challenges coming at us from all sides, we keep making progress by focusing on what matters most to our community. Let’s keep it going—together.

Sincerely,
Mayor Tim Keller

Defend ABQ: Protecting Public Lands and Powering a Clean Energy Future

Albuquerque is doubling down on its commitment to environmental protection and climate resilience through two new executive orders announced by Mayor Keller

At the 2025 Electrify New Mexico Conference, the City unveiled a major push toward clean energy. The first executive order lays out a path to achieve 100% renewable energy for all municipal operations by the end of 2025 and sets a long-term vision for net-zero emissions by 2050. It commits to phasing out fossil fuels in public buildings and prioritizing historically underserved communities in climate adaptation efforts—ensuring an equitable transition to a more sustainable future.

Days later, during Albuquerque’s Earth Day Festival, the City issued a second executive order focused on protecting more than 30,000 acres of public open space. From the Bosque to the Foothills, the order strengthens protections for natural habitats, safeguards our aquifer, and preserves public lands from threats like drilling, mining, and federal environmental rollbacks.

Through Defend ABQ, the City is making sure that clean water, open space, and a livable climate remain protected for generations to come.

Learn more at cabq.gov/defendabq.

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ABCWUA Offering Rebate for Xeriscaping and Drip Irrigation

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The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) is offering rebates to customers who convert their landscapes to desert friendly xeriscape AND use drip irrigation. The rebate is for a $3 per square foot rebate. Visit www.505Outside.com for the details.

ONE ABQ March Newsletter

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Dear Albuquerque, 

I want to talk to you about something that affects all of us—proposed federal cuts that could take away more than $200 million in funding for our city. These cuts threaten programs that keep our community safe, support our kids, and help small businesses thrive.

We’re talking about funding for 50 police officers, crime lab equipment, sexual assault kits, victim support, early childhood education for 900 kids, and assistance for 400 small businesses. These cuts could also impact projects like the Uptown Connect housing development and the Rail Trail, which are critical to our city’s future.

This isn’t the first time we’ve had to stand up against harmful policies, and it won’t be the last. I want you to know we’re doing everything we can to fight for Albuquerque. We’re ramping up legal action, working with our state and local partners, and finding alternative funding sources. We will not let these cuts define our future.

Now more than ever, we need to come together as One Albuquerque. You can help by getting involved—volunteer, advocate, and support local organizations that are also facing funding shortfalls. In the coming weeks, we’ll launch a new dashboard to track the impact of these threats and keep you informed on our response.

Together, we’ll protect the future of our city. Thank you for standing with our community.

Sincerely,
Mayor Tim Keller 

Defend ABQ Town Hall 

Mayor Keller led a town hall discussion on Sunday afternoon at Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center with more than 230 residents in attendance to learn about the threats to City government and how the City is pushing back.

Funding at risk 
Mayor Keller outlined essential City programs and services that could be impacted by cuts, from funding for APD and community safety, to mixed-use housing and transit development, to bike and pedestrian safety projects. The cuts will lead to tough choices, but the City will continue to balance the cuts with keeping fees low for working families, maintaining quality of life amenities for residents, and prioritizing public safety. 

City fighting back 
Mayor Keller explained what the City is doing to defend Albuquerque from dangerous cuts. Protections range from ramping up legal support and grant writing, to engaging County and State partners for flexible funding that can be used to keep the City running. The City plans to tighten its overall budget, cut non-essential spending and evaluate sales of non-essential property, equipment, and vehicles. Lastly, freeing up additional funding, like opioid settlement and marijuana tax dollars, will be critical to fill the holes of potential cuts. Learn more.

Funding Threats 

The City has received multiple threats to vital programming, including a letter received by the Senior Affairs Department. The letter stated that unless the department immediately removed the terms ‘diversity, equity, and DEI’ from its programming, its AmeriCorps volunteer funding would be revoked—jeopardizing opportunities for 800 seniors to stay engaged and contribute to the community. The department responded within hours, meeting the deadline and preserving the funding. In the coming weeks, the City will launch a dashboard to track impacted services and similar threats.
Read the letter on our website.

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Autumn in Albuquerque

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Hello Albuquerque,

Cold, wet weather arrived in the Duke City, and our team is ready to help people stay safe as the temperatures drop. When power outages lingered last week after the winter storm, we were out with Albuquerque first responders, knocking on doors to do welfare checks and offering folks rides to warming centers if they needed a place to go. 

We’ve revitalized our Winter Sheltering Plan and created a new Shelter Connect Dashboard to connect people experiencing homelessness to a warm bed out of the elements. These are both part of our Metro Homelessness Initiative (MHI), an all-in approach to help get folks off the street and on to a better path.

It’s been an eventful fall, with meaningful developments across the city. We’ve enhanced safety on our buses and increased our APD and ACS presence Downtown. We’ve created housing opportunities for veterans in need and converted a hotel into affordable housing. We continue improvements on the Westside, making roads safer and bringing folks together.

Earlier this week, we honored the brave men and women who served this country with our annual Veterans Day parade and ceremony. We’ve announced our next set of Constructive Conversations with the community, and broke ground on a new fire station that will soon be serving our residents along Route 66. 

As we look forward to the opportunities the next season will bring, I appreciate you all as partners in shaping the future of our city.


Sincerely,
Mayor Tim Keller

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ONE Albuquerque Newsletter

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Hello Albuquerque,

Building a better future for our families is something we will never give up on. I know some think the odds are against us. I get it: our challenges are formidable, but this city has a legacy of resilience and the heart and will to keep fighting.  

We showed that in 2020 when, amidst the pandemic, DOJ oversight and national unrest, we created the Albuquerque Community Safety Department (ACS) to address behavioral health. Today, ACS has transformed public safety, and taken over 80,000 calls, freeing police to focus on violent crime.

We brought that spirit of innovation to APD, adding state-of-the-art tech like the Real Time Crime Center and shot detection, which we’re expanding so police have even more eyes covering schools, shopping centers and parks. We’ve added 480 cameras, 1,000 new streetlights, cleared thousands of felony warrants, and we’re taking back our transit system so that folks feels  safe riding our buses.

At last month’s State of the City, we announced the Metro Homelessness Initiative (MHI), a multifaceted, all-in approach to get more people into houses and off our streets. This issue is the challenge of our lifetime, but we’re not backing down.

We’re expanding our Gateway network to include the newly transformed Gateway West, adding Youth, Family, and Recovery Gateways. By this time next year, all five can be working as an integrated system, helping thousands daily. We’re overhauling vouchers, strengthening our collaborations, and empowering through employment with “A Better Way Forward”.

But the City can’t do this alone. We’re inviting leaders, non-profit partners and the business community to join us, pool our resources and turn the tide, together. No idea is off the table.

There are so many great things on the horizon, a renewed sense of optimism and signs of rejuvenation. We’re giving Downtown its power back and working with City Council to inject $200 million in tax incentives. A second solar manufacturer is coming to Mesa Del Sol, bringing thousands of jobs and placing Albuquerque at the center of the renewable economy.

This is only a glimpse of what it’s in store for our families, and the generations that follow. It’s going to take us not backing down, rising to take on the challenges together, and pushing full throttle on what IS working for our city. Albuquerque, we have a future worth fighting for!


Sincerely,
Mayor Tim Keller

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