Government of Albuquerque, New Mexico facts for kids
The government of Albuquerque is how the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico is run. It's like the team that makes decisions and keeps things working smoothly for everyone living there. Albuquerque has a special type of government called a mayor-council government. This means it has two main parts: the Mayor, who leads the executive branch, and the City Council, which makes the laws.
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How Albuquerque's Government Works
The Mayor: Albuquerque's Leader
The Mayor of Albuquerque is the city's top leader. This person is elected by the people for a four-year term. It's a full-time job! The elections for Mayor are "nonpartisan," meaning candidates don't run as members of a specific political party. The current Mayor is Tim Keller, who was first elected in 2017.
Each year, the Mayor creates a plan for how the city will spend its money. This plan is called the city budget. The Mayor sends this budget idea to the City Council by April 1st. The Council then has sixty days to decide on the plan.
The City Council: Making Laws
The Albuquerque City Council is the group that makes the city's laws. They have the power to create all the rules and decisions for the city. When the Council passes a new law or resolution, they send it to the Mayor for approval. If the Mayor doesn't agree and "vetoes" it, the Council can still make it a law. They just need two-thirds of their members to vote for it again.
The Council has 9 members. Each member is elected from a different part of the city. Like the Mayor, they are elected on a "nonpartisan" basis. Council members work part-time and are elected for four-year terms. Every two years, either four or five Council members are elected. Each December, the Council members choose a new President and Vice-President from their group.
The Council meets twice a month. Their meetings happen in the Vincent E. Griego Council Chambers. This meeting room is located in the basement of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Center in Downtown Albuquerque.
The Albuquerque Police Department (APD)
The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is the police force for the city of Albuquerque. They are in charge of keeping the peace within the city limits. If something happens outside the city limits, in the "unincorporated area" of Bernalillo County, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department handles it. The APD is the largest city police department in New Mexico. In 2008, it was recorded as the 49th largest police department in the United States.
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