Albuquerque mayor discusses city budget
Posted at: 11/20/2012 5:52 PM
| Updated at: 11/20/2012 6:26 PM
By: Joseph Lynch, KOB Eyewitness News 4
 Photo: Mayor Richard Berry |
For four straight months the city of Albuquerque has seen the amount of money it takes in from sales taxes drop. The city is 10 million dollars short of it's revenue projections, but said it's actually more worried about what could happen further down the road.
Mayor Richard Berry's administration said over the last three years, Albuquerque has had 140 million dollars worth of red ink. To fix it, every department's budget will be scrutinized for savings or cuts. In the meantime, city leaders are hoping that a strong holiday shopping season will help close some of the gap. Mayor Berry suggested buying local. It helps.
"Get out to one of our local shops. Spend your money right here inside the city of Albuquerque, because those monies come right back to the city and we return those to you in the form of public safety, police officers and firefighters and road repairs and all the things that we do," Berry said.
Mayor Berry said he's committed to making no changes to city services. If there are any reductions it would be a last resort. If the realities of a budget shortfall have been tough for the last four months, it won't be any easier according to Budget Officer Gerald Romero.
"City Hall's kind of down to the meat and bones at this point. I think we've trimmed most of the fat that had been there. So it will be a difficult budget season as we move into spring and build the fiscal year 14 budget," Romero said.
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