On May 21, 2024, the Albuquerque City Council approved a balanced city budget after incorporating an amendment aimed at enhancing accountability and transparency within city government operations.
The Council's review of the budget commenced with an in-depth analysis by the Council Budget Staff of the Mayor's Administration organizational chart. The examination revealed several positions on the Mayor/Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) internal organizational chart that were not clearly defined in terms of chain of command and were funded by other departments.
Council President Lewis proposed an amendment to address these ambiguities. The amendment identified all such positions, reassigned them to the CAO’s office, and reallocated their funding from various departmental budgets to the CAO office budget. This adjustment increased the Chief Administrative Officer’s budget from $3.1 million to $6.6 million, marking a $3.5 million rise.
“This amendment brings accountability and transparency to the Mayor’s office,” stated Council President Lewis. “By identifying staff who report directly to the CAO and Mayor, we can better work with them to do the business for all residents of Albuquerque.”
The $1.4 billion FY 25 budget, which funds all operations of the City of Albuquerque, will take effect on July 1.
