April 29, 2010
The hours at the Belen Public Library and the Belen Community Center have changed because of employee layoffs. The City of Belen Recycling Center has been closed until further notice, also due to employee layoffs. The new hours for the Belen Public Library are: Monday -Closed Tuesday – 10:00am to 5:00pm Wednesday – 10:00am to [...]
April 29, 2010
Belen Mayor Rudy Jaramillo, the Belen City Council and the city’s employees sent a letter to the citizens of Belen in the monthly utility bills: TO THE VALUED CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF BELEN There has been much publicity in recent days about the City’s budget problems and employees being laid off from their jobs. [...]
April 24, 2010
By the end of the day on Tuesday, 24 City of Belen employees were laid off to help close the gap in a projected $3.2-million deficit. The reduction in force will save the city nearly $1 million annually but means some departments now have to operate with fewer employees. The recreation department was reduced by [...]
April 24, 2010
The New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration is recommending in a memo to local governments that municipalities and counties “take immediate action” to cut back on expenditures. The memo from the budget and finance bureau comes amid concerns that tax revenues aren’t coming in as strong as expected. “It is apparent at the state [...]
April 19, 2010
The Belen City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a plan to eliminate 26 city government positions, effectively cutting more than $956,000 from annual payroll. Belen is facing a projected $3.2-million deficit in the next fiscal year beginning in July, resulting from a combination of the continuing economic recession and years of the city government budgeting [...]
April 03, 2010
The Valencia County News-Bulletin has filed a New Mexico Open Meetings Act complaint against the City of Belen, alleging the previous administration expended $619,000 on a land purchase without a public vote. “Under no circumstances should such substantial amounts of public funds be expended by a governing entity without a vote before the public that [...]
March 27, 2010
City of Belen employees will no longer be allowed to take home city vehicles, after the city’s acting manager yesterday sent a policy directive to all employees banning the practice. “City vehicles will be picked up when the employee comes in to work and returned at the end of the work shift or when emergency [...]
March 24, 2010
An independent utility rate study released this month recommends the City of Belen raise its water and sewer utility rates because both services are running at a deficit. “Under existing water and sewer rate structures and normal annual expenditures, the financial condition of both utilities is poor,” says the report, which was prepared by Trumm [...]
March 21, 2010
In a memo sent to city employees more than a week ago, Belen Mayor Rudy Jaramillo said he’s looking for “creative ways to return the city to financial stability.” The memo was sent to city employees to highlight Jaramillo’s “duty and commitment” to protect jobs under tough financial circumstances affecting the city’s budget and revenues. [...]
March 17, 2010
An amendment to state law that halts double dipping for retirees hired for public jobs after July 1 will benefit Belen by saving the city money. Double dipping occurs when a government employee retires and later returns to work, receiving both a salary and pension. During to 2009 fiscal year, the City of Belen had [...]