ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Council President Klarissa J. Peña issued a statement regarding the Council’s vote to dismiss R-26-58 during Monday’s City Council meeting, following a motion from Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn.
“I am deeply disappointed by the procedural maneuver taken tonight to defeat R-26-58 before the public ever had the chance to weigh in,” said Council President Peña. “To claim that these measures are identical in substance to previously failed Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) proposals is simply incorrect. The parent bill, O-26-57, was thoughtfully designed with structural changes, unprecedented taxpayer protections, and guarantees for our workforce that set it completely apart from past legislation:”
- Balanced Allocation (53/47): Revenue was shifted to guarantee 53% for Operations and 47% for Capital Improvements.
- Built-in Sunset Clause: The capital infrastructure portion of the tax was designed to sunset after 21 years, ensuring taxpayers do not fund projects indefinitely.
- Direct Protections for Employee Wages: Operational funds were designated for employee wages only, excluding benefits, administrative costs, or general overhead.
- Ironclad Taxpayer Protections: The ordinance introduced strict ‘supplement-not-supplant’ language to prevent any administration from siphoning existing funds away from core programs.
“R-26-58 offered Albuquerque a responsible path to local fiscal independence—ensuring we maintain essential services and protect city employees,” Peña stated.
“The City Council must ensure that city government remains resilient during tough economic times. Denying our community the opportunity to debate this tailored solution and ultimately denying voters their right to act as the final arbiter at the ballot box this November is a disservice to the people of Albuquerque.”
