General obligation bonds are debt the city takes on and promises to pay back with interest. These bonds are paid with property taxes, and typically, new ones are issued when old ones are paid off. That way, property taxes don’t increase. 1) Public Safety About $10.5 million would be spent on fire station renovations, firefighting equipment and APD facilities. 2) Community Centers and Other Enhancements About $11.5 million would go to renovations, including $300,000 for De Anza Motor Lodge and $1 million for Railyard improvements. The rest goes to senior centers and such. Also on the list for upkeep are the following community centers: Los Duranes, Westgate, Dennis Chavez, Singing Arrow, Holiday Park, and East Central Health and Social Service Center. 3) Parks and Rec About $22.5 million would be spent on swimming pools, land for future parks, land for Open Space, Bosque restoration and other park projects. There’s also cash here for a Balloon Museum tribute ($500,000), Balloon Fiesta Park ($2.4 million) and park vehicles ($1.3 million). 4) Energy and Water Conservation, Public Facilities and System Modernization About $23 million would go to repairing the roofs of city buildings, upgrading parking structures, fixing up city computer rooms and replacing city vehicles. There’s also $1.2 million for equipment and upgrades of the city’s animal shelters. 5) Libraries About $9.5 million would be spent on fixing up the bibliothecas in the International District and at Central and Unser, and for library materials and projects all over town. 6) Streets About $50 million would go to road projects and lighting, landscaping, and improvements. In particular, $500,000 would be spent making Osuna wider, the Lead and Coal upgrades would get $500,000 to cover the patch between I-25 and Broadway, and Unser would be widened from I-40 to Ouray for $500,000. Trails and bike paths get another $2 million. 7) Public Transportation About $6 million would be spent primarily on vehicle replacement. Bus stops would get $100,000 in upgrades. 8) Storm Sewers About $13 million would go to arroyo crossings, drains, pump station rebuilds and planning. 9) Museums and Cultural Centers About $4 million would be spent. This time around, the South Broadway Cultural Center gets some cash for repairs ($350,000), the Albuquerque Museum receives $1.5 million for renovations and ¡explora! takes in $2 million. 10) Affordable Housing About $10 million would go to workforce housing: homes for working families and inexpensive rental properties for senior citizens. 11) Zoo and BioPark About $3.5 million would be spent on renovations at the BioPark, the second phase of the Insectarium, a “penguin chill” and improvements to Tingley. 12) Sportsplex and Paseo del Norte Interchange This is the tricky bond on this year’s ballot. It ties $25 million for the Paseo del Norte and I-25 interchange to $25 million for a sports complex out of ABQ the Plan. If you vote for the interchange renovation money, you’ll be simultaneously giving the thumb’s up to Mayor Berry’s expensive and ill-fated boutique pet project. And the money is coming from gross receipts tax (that’s a tax on businesses).
Bonds (In Plain English)
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