Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller says it's "not the right time" to impose a gas tax while residents recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The Duke City is climbing out of one of the worst economic crises in our lifetime," Keller said in a press release. "This is just not the time to entertain a gas tax while families and businesses are recovering from the pandemic, and when financial forecasting is uncertain. We believe in roads and infrastructure improvements and encourage the sponsors to work with the Administration on options down the road."
As part of the mayor's "New Deal"-style pandemic stimulus, the City of Albuquerque has accelerated more than $200 million in major infrastructure projects, road repairs, and expansions, the press release said.
This is in addition to the recently passed American Recovery Plan local funding which included about $20 million for infrastructure, the release said.
Keller also said that there are significant legal concerns regarding the triggering of "entrenched legislation" risks due to the timing of the tax proposal, and said that the current city council may be improperly imposing limitations on the ability of a future city council, the press release said.
A KRQE article said that city councilors approved passing the gas tax hike to voters in May.
Sponsor Isaac Benton said in the KRQE article that the proposed extra two cents per gallon could take a "big chunk" out of the city’s road project costs. It would have been November 2022 before the tax would have been put in front of voters.