Albuquerque will add 183 homeless shelter beds and 204 senior apartments after the City Council approved $21.8 million in state funding last week, with some unusual oversight requirements.
The funding, deferred from the Sept. 3 meeting for a required second public hearing, comes with weekly progress reports and detailed operational plans that Councilor Dan Lewis called “unusual” oversight requirements showing the state’s “lack of confidence” in city performance. Lawmakers originally planned to send the money directly to the city, but it was rerouted through the governor’s office after a line-item veto, adding stricter accountability.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this,” Councilor Dan Lewis said at the Sept. 3 meeting when the resolution was first discussed. “I think it also shows a real lack of confidence. I think that the state has that the city of Albuquerque is going to perform and use it in a way that’s going to produce the best results.”…