On Aug. 12, the City of Albuquerque announced that it has successfully negotiated a 30% reduction in payments to the Independent Monitoring Team responsible for overseeing the Court Approved Settlement Agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and APD. According to a press release, the Monitoring Team's latest report indicated that the APD achieved 92% operational compliance under the settlement agreement.
“After making the initial offer, the City engaged with negotiations with Dr. Ginger and reached agreement on a reasonable amount based on the expected workload for the team of monitors,” said Lawrence Rael, the city’s Chief Administrative Officer, according to the press release. “This amount will be subject to renegotiation in the future as APS assumes more responsibility about the monitoring team’s workload is reduced.”
Under the new arrangement, the city has agreed to pay approximately $1.1 million for the current budget year that started July 2023, a significant reduction from the previous annual payment of $1.6 million. With a forward-looking perspective, the city plans to reassess the payment structure around January 2024, taking into account ongoing developments and progress to determine the most appropriate rate for the subsequent budget year according to the press release.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a monitor, in its role as an independent third party, maintains a distinct and separate status from the corporation or government entities. This separation is crucial, ensuring that the monitor remains detached from the corporation's directors, officers, employees, and representatives. It is important to clarify that a monitor is not the corporation's legal counsel, and the corporation cannot seek or obtain legal advice from the monitor. A monitor does not hold the status of a government agent or employee. It is essential there is open and transparent communication between the corporation, the government, and the monitor throughout the entire duration of the agreement.