Councilor Rey Garduño Unhappy with Loss of Capital Money

District 6 City Councilor Rey Garduño is upset with the City of Albuquerque's Administration and their management of community projects that he received State Capital money for planning and design. Since his election, Councilor Garduño has worked with the Asian Community Albuquerque to help them build a Center of their own. Through two State Legislative sessions he has gained financial support from several State Senators and Representatives for the project.

This issue of tracking State money and holding the City accountable was one reason for Councilor Garduño to propose and eventually pass his "Sunshine Bill." With the passage of this bill, this issue would be addressed much sooner as the information of this money will be accessible by anyone and will force the City of Albuquerque to be held accountable for movement of these projects.

Now, this money, along with millions more for Councilor projects is being taken back by the State to reduce their own budget deficit. Below is a story from KOB which features Councilors Rey Garduño and Debbie O'Malley.

ALBUQUERQUE CITY COUNCILOR REY GARDUÑO INTENDS TO BRING SUNSHINE TO CITY GOVERNMENT

Albuquerque, NM – Albuquerque City Councilor Rey Garduño has introduced a bill calling for the City to be more open and transparent when it comes to the taxpayer’s money.

Recently, the headlines have been filled with accounts of corruption and misuse of our public funds. Councilor Garduño’s bill, R-09-319, brings sunshine and a proactive approach to restoring the public trust in how the City of Albuquerque spends it’s money.

“As a Councilor, I hear first hand the public’s distrust of local government and I want to shed sunshine on how our government operates for the taxpayers of the City of Albuquerque. After all, we do work for them,” Councilor Garduño said.

The bill directs the City to post valuable information on the City’s website about six key areas of City Government: A list of all City contracts with contractors’ name, amount, term, service, contact information; a list of existing IRB’s, TIDD’s, and PID’s with their amounts and quarterly updates; a report of all Capital Outlay projects including State grants; a list of all City employees that are currently receiving a pension from PERA; the Quarterly Budget to Actual Expense Report for all operating funds; and an online form to make public records requests easier for all residents.

The Sunshine Bill was to be heard and voted on at the Finance and Government Operations Committee on Monday September 14^th but this important bill was tabled because Councilors Ken Sanchez and Don Harris voted against approval at the request of the City Administration. Councilors Michael Cadigan and Debbie O’Malley voted for approval, since the vote resulted in a tie, the bill remains in committee.

“Tabling a bill whose intent is to bring transparency and good government to the city of Albuquerque continues the cycle of local government being unaccountable to its residents,” said Councilor Garduño.