CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY SEVENTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. O-26-33 ENACTMENT NO. _________________________
SPONSORED BY: Tammy Fiebelkorn, Joaqu?n Baca, Nichole Rogers, Stephanie Telles, by
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ORDINANCE
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Amending ROA 1994, Chapter 13, Article 12 ("The Albuquerque Minimum Wage Ordinance") To Increase The Minimum Wage Rate, Change The Calculation Method For Annual Cost Of Living Adjustments, And Remove Obsolete Provisions (Fiebelkorn, Baca, Rogers and Telles, by request)
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AMENDING ROA 1994, CHAPTER 13, ARTICLE 12 ("THE ALBUQUERQUE MINIMUM WAGE ORDINANCE") TO INCREASE THE MINIMUM WAGE RATE, CHANGE THE CALCULATION METHOD FOR ANNUAL COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS, AND REMOVE OBSOLETE PROVISIONS.
WHEREAS, the established minimum wage of the City of Albuquerque minimum wage has been lower than the prevailing state wage for the last five years; and
WHEREAS, the average earnings per job in Albuquerque is 20% below the national average, but Fair Market Rent (FMR), or 40th percentile rent, as calculated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for a two-bedroom unit in Albuquerque is 25% higher than the national average; and
WHEREAS, the FMR for a two-bedroom unit in Albuquerque increased 56% between 2021 and 2026 but the minimum wage has increased only 26% in that same timeframe, and the minimum wage increase would have been lower if not for higher rates adopted by the state, which have pre-empted Albuquerque's minimum wage since 2021; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey, median gross rent for occupied units in Albuquerque increased 36% between 2019 and 2024, tracking with HUD's established FMR; and
WHEREAS, the average earnings per job in Albuquerque is 20% below the national average, but the cost of living in Albuquerque in only 15% below the national average; and
WHEREAS, the combination of lower earnings and higher costs of housing and living in Albuquerque means...
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