ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque’s November election is focused heavily on the race for mayor and whether voters will help fund a brand new soccer stadium but there are other important bond questions you’ll be voting on. There’s more than $130-million worth in bond questions voters will decide on. Money that could affect public safety, schools and parks.
Albuquerque voters have a long list of bond questions to consider this November. They included hundreds of millions for city and school projects. “It will be $200-million over two years for the general obligation bond and $430-million collected from local property owners over six years,” said Albuquerque Public School‘s Capital Master Plan Executive Director, Kizito Wijenje.
APS said if voters approve of their two ballot questions, people will pay the same amount on their property taxes to continue funding things like building maintenance, HVAC installations and security upgrades. “Cameras, whether it’s automatic key access for door locks, whether it’s fencing whether it any other issue that keeps our school safe,” said Wijenje.
As well as renovating schools. “Desert Ridge was never built with total classrooms for the number of kids that go there so this will be the final classroom block taking away all the portable buildings and that’s a $13.4-million project,” said Wijenje.
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The city’s bond questions include tens of millions for things like street repair, replacing the cramped Fire Station 12 off Juan Tabo and Central and homeless services like the new Gateway Center, which the city said could get at least $2-million if the community services bond passes.
“The historical use of our bonds have been really beneficial and I don’t think it would be sustainable without it,” said CABQ Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, David Flores. The department said with their own $27-million bond question, some of the money could go towards things like upgrading tee boxes and golf cart paths at the city’s golf courses and improving security at parks by adding lighting, fencing and cameras.
“People have rediscovered the value of parks, rediscovered the value of open spaces and getting these bonds passed is something we honor and see it as our obligation to deliver the best results,” said Flores.
Also on the ballot: city council and APS school board seats. Election day is November 2. One early voting location opened on Tuesday and absentee ballots are being sent to voters who requested them. The deadline for absentee ballots to be received is October 28.
