Votes at a glance: council approves budget process changes, internal audit plan, airline deal and several appointments

The Santa Fe City Council took a series of formal actions during its regular meeting. The council voted to adopt a resolution that changes the city’s budget development process, approved a revised internal audit work plan, authorized a short‑term airline subsidy agreement to preserve Los Angeles service, and confirmed a set of board and commission appointments. Below are the outcomes, vote records where available, and key notes for each action.

1) Resolution: improvements to the FY2026–27 budget process (sponsored by Councilor Romero Worth, Councilor Cassett, Councilor Faulkner and Mayor Weber)
- Action: Adopted (motion and subsequent amendment B approved).
- Summary: The resolution moves the city toward early, performance‑based budget conversations, requires community roundtable discussions, a day‑long special governing body meeting to adopt midrange goals and one‑year priorities, and clearer joint hearings with the Finance Committee. The governing body added language to ensure community roundtables and constituent feedback inform priorities.
- Vote: Unanimous approval as called on roll (all members present voted yes).

2) Request for approval: Fiscal Year 2026 revised internal audit plan (reduced scope)
- Action: Approved.
- Summary: Staff and the audit committee revised the originally adopted plan (approximately $190,000 scope) to a $150,000 plan that keeps HR recruitment, risk management and procurement operational reviews but postpones separate grants management and cash‑management audits that were earlier proposed. Council discussed outstanding external audit findings and the rationale for reprioritizing internal audit work.
- Vote: Approved on roll call; councilors recorded as voting in favor included Councilor Michael Garcia, Councilor Lindell, Councilor Romero Worth, Councilor Cassett, Councilor Castro, Councilor Chavez, Councilor Faulkner, Councilor Lee Garcia, Councilor Michael Garcia and Mayor Weber (all present voted yes).

3) Contract award: American Airlines service agreement for Los Angeles (through 10/24/2026)
- Action: Approved; city will make contingent payments not to exceed $1,800,000 to compensate for revenue shortfalls on underfilled flights; estimated fee waiver value $142,387; some funding comes from a state air service enhancement grant.
- Summary: The agreement is structured to support continued air service between Santa Fe and Los Angeles; payments are contingent on shortfalls. The city manager clarified the $1.8 million is a contingency ceiling and that actual payments depend on load factors and airline revenues.
- Vote: Approved by roll call (all members present voted yes).

4) Notice: 30‑day public comment period — CDBG annual action plan
- Action: The council opened the required second public hearing comment period and accepted the plan for a 30‑day public comment window. The plan will be updated with public comments and submitted to HUD once comments are incorporated. The public comment window opens and closes per the schedule in staff notice.
- Vote: Motion to open and accept the public comment period carried on roll call.

5) Appointments and reappointments
- Ethics and Campaign Review Board: Andrew Black (reappointment, term to July 2029) and Justin Miller (reappointment, term to July 2029) — Approved by roll call.
- Mayor’s Committee on Disability: Appointments of Jamini Schell, Eli Fresquez (reappointment) and Carrie Cottle and Robin Garrison (appointments) — Approved by roll call. Councilor Faulkner recused herself from the Robin Garrison vote for a stated family relationship.

Other procedural votes
- The council approved routine agenda motions, consent agenda approvals, a temporary agenda flip to move presentations and a motion to convene an executive session on Midtown property disposition (privileged executive‑session vote). Those procedural items carried without recorded opposition.

What councilors said in debate
- On the internal audit plan, some councilors voiced concern that several issues listed in the external financial audit (grants management, cash management and asset records) were repeated findings and urged an independent review to verify corrective action; staff and the city manager said they expect some items are being addressed internally and the audit committee favored redeploying limited internal audit funds to procurement and other process reviews.

Record and next steps
- Staff will post materials associated with the budget process resolution and the SantaFeForward assessment report; the internal audit and procurement reviews will proceed under the revised $150,000 plan; and staff will return with public postings and updates on the airline agreement and the CDBG public comment incorporation.