$200 Million In General Obligation Bonds On November 7 Ballot For Voter Approval; Voters Should Vote YES To Invest In Ourselves And City’s Quality of Life

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On the November 7 City of Albuquerque municipal election ballot,  in addition to the District 2, 4, 6 and 8 City Council positions, are seven general obligation bond amounting to $200 Million.  It was in April that the Albuquerque City Council approved the city’s general obligation bond package  to place the funding on the November 7 ballot.  Funding for one project can be moved to another within the same grouping where needed.

Following are the 7  areas of funding:

  1. Public Safety
  2. Parks and Recreation
  3. Senior, Family and Community Centers and Affordable Housing
  4. Energy and Water Conservation
  5. Storm Sewer System
  6. Street and Transportation and
  7. Library, Museum and Cultural Facilities

Not surprising is that street and transportation projects will receive the largest funding at $50 million.  $4.3 million in bonds would be used to rebuild major streets and intersections, $1 million of which will be used for the intersection of Paseo del Norte and Unser and McMahon.

$35 million in general obligation bonds will be used for parks and recreation.  Included in that $35 million is funding for the long time planned  North Domingo Baca Aquatic Center. The center is  costing    between $56 million and $58 million and the $35 million on the ballot will fully fund the project.  with the approval of the bond.

The seven bond questions with the major capital improvement  projects are as follows:

Following are the General Obligation Bond questions with  totals listed for the projects:

  1. Public Safety bonds: $25 million
  • $1 million toward the Albuquerque Community Safety facility
  • $8 million for new fire stations and $2 million for existing station renovations
  • $6 million for rehabilitation of and upgrades to the Albuquerque Police Department
  1. Parks and Recreation bonds: $35 million
  • $1 million to Balloon Fiesta Park improvements
  • $5 million to the North Domingo Baca Aquatic Center
  • $4.9 million for Little League fields rehabilitation
  1. Senior, family, community center, homeless, affordable housing, metropolitan redevelopment and community enhancement bonds: $36 million
  • $5 million for the Gateway Center
  • $7.5 million for affordable housing
  • A total $5.8 million for the Highland Senior Center, Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center and Cibola Loop Multigenerational Centers
  1. Energy and water conservation, public facilities and system z modernization bonds: $24 million
  • $6 million for energy conservation
  • $1 million for city vehicle replacements
  1. Storm sewer system bonds: $14 million
  • $5 million for Southeast Heights Green Stormwater improvements
  • $2 million for Pueblo Also Mile-Hi Flood Mitigation
  1. Street and transportation bonds: $50 million
  • $1.9 million for renovations at the Transit Department’s Yale Facility
  • $4.3 million for major street and intersection reconstruction
  1. Library, museum and cultural facilities bonds: $16 million
  • $3.2 million for library materials
  • $2 million for the Tijeras Arroyo BioZone Education Center
  • $4 Million for Unser Racing Museum

A complete and detailed breakdown of the city’s 2023 general obligation bond program with detailed project descriptions and amounts can be reviewed in the city’s 46 page “2023 General Obligation Bond Program and Capital Implementation Program” at the below link:

Click to access 2023-bond-program-entire-book.pdf

Links to quoted sources are here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/election/election-2023-bond-questions-what-else-is-on-the-nov-7-ballot/article_d8446ad0-7781-11ee-b382-2fbf7cf27444.html

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/local/if-albuquerque-voters-approve-200-million-in-bonds-this-fall-here-s-how-the-city/article_7793a40f-7c93-57ee-9661-f0d1a6864e4d.html

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

“General obligation bonds  fund a host of capital improvements that directly affect the basic needs and quality of life of every Albuquerque resident. These improvements include critical police and fire facilities, vehicles and equipment; basic street and storm drainage improvements; public transportation improvements; medians, parks, recreational and open space facilities; cultural institutions, including the libraries and museums and senior and community centers. …   All these capital facilities and more are funded primarily by general obligation bonds. Revenue bonds typically fund improvements to the Sunport, Double Eagle II Airport and to the Solid Waste Management and Disposal systems.”

Public approval of general obligation bonds for major projects is city government working at its very best. It gives the general public the opportunity and indeed the responsibility to invest in the city. Major projects financed by general obligation bond projects without a doubt enhance the quality of life of the city.  The voting public is urged to vote YES on all the general obligation bonds.

 

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About

Pete Dinelli was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is of Italian and Hispanic descent. He is a 1970 graduate of Del Norte High School, a 1974 graduate of Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and a 1977 graduate of St. Mary's School of Law, San Antonio, Texas. Pete has a 40 year history of community involvement and service as an elected and appointed official and as a practicing attorney in Albuquerque. Pete and his wife Betty Case Dinelli have been married since 1984 and they have two adult sons, Mark, who is an attorney and George, who is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Pete has been a licensed New Mexico attorney since 1978. Pete has over 27 years of municipal and state government service. Pete’s service to Albuquerque has been extensive. He has been an elected Albuquerque City Councilor, serving as Vice President. He has served as a Worker’s Compensation Judge with Statewide jurisdiction. Pete has been a prosecutor for 15 years and has served as a Bernalillo County Chief Deputy District Attorney, as an Assistant Attorney General and Assistant District Attorney and as a Deputy City Attorney. For eight years, Pete was employed with the City of Albuquerque both as a Deputy City Attorney and Chief Public Safety Officer overseeing the city departments of police, fire, 911 emergency call center and the emergency operations center. While with the City of Albuquerque Legal Department, Pete served as Director of the Safe City Strike Force and Interim Director of the 911 Emergency Operations Center. Pete’s community involvement includes being a past President of the Albuquerque Kiwanis Club, past President of the Our Lady of Fatima School Board, and Board of Directors of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation.