Santa Fe city council last night unanimously approved the city budget for fiscal year 2026.
Calling it a “conservative financial plan” for Santa Fe, mayor Alan Webber said the $479 million budget represents an 8.9 percent increase over the previous year.
Councilor Pilar Faulkner said after voting in favor of the plan that she wants to work with her city council colleagues and city staff to craft several amendments to the budget.
She and other councilors also called for improvements in the budgetary process, a notion that recently hired city manager Mark Scott agreed with.
Scott, who took the job in the winter after decades of working with towns in California, argued that work on the budget should begin several months earlier and include every council member at every step of the process.
"I don't believe that it's helpful to do budget committees that aren't the entire set of counselors," Scott said.
"I honestly believe from all my years of experience that when you do this kind of budget review, it should be all eight counselors. I mean, it's the mayor's budget, but it should be all eight counselors that are evaluating it and going through the process together."
City manager Scott and Mayor Webber both pointed to a number of priorities manifesting in the plan.
They cited among that list public safety; infrastructure, including a massive paving project; the Midtown construction project; continued airport expansions and improvements; and addressing homelessness.
Mark Scott said that one major expenditure—about $630,000—will go toward park maintenance contract funding.
"We all know that we have a deficit in our capacity to maintain all the parks, medians, trails that this community is blessed to own," said Scott.
"But it's a challenge to keep up with the maintenance. This is one time funding, but it should make a real difference."
Santa Fe’s city budget will have to be approved by the state before the fiscal year begins at the end of June.
