ALBUQUERQUE — The Albuquerque City Council voted 5-4 Monday to raise the city’s minimum wage from $12 to $15 per hour over three years, sending the measure to Mayor Tim Keller for his signature.
Under the ordinance, the minimum wage will rise to $13 in 2027, $14 in 2028 and $15 in 2029, with annual adjustments tied to the Consumer Price Index beginning in 2030. Councilors Brook Bassan, Renée Grout, Dan Lewis and Vice President Dan Champine voted against the measure.
The final ordinance was amended from its original form, which would have reached $15 immediately and tied future increases to both the Consumer Price Index and federal fair market rent data. Council President Klarissa Peña, the lone “yea” vote outside the bill’s four sponsors, backed the revised version.
Supporters say the change will help workers keep pace with rising housing and living costs. Opponents, including representatives of the Hispano Chamber, Albuquerque Chamber and New Mexico Restaurant Association, warned the increase could pressure small businesses to raise prices, cut hours or slow hiring.
Keller called the vote “a sensible step” but said the council “missed a major opportunity to fix the indexing formula to more accurately reflect inflation.” A spokesperson for Keller’s office said the mayor planned to sign the ordinance but would “cross check all amendments first” once the final legislation arrived from council. If signed, the first increase — to $13 per hour — would take effect in January 2027. The statewide minimum wage stands at $12 per hour.
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