Regular Governing Body Meeting - Second Wednesday — Wed, Jun 10, 2026 · 19.b CONSIDERATION OF BILL NO. 2026-9. ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 2026-____. (Councilor Pilar Faulkner, Councilor Lee Garcia, Councilor Amanda Chavez)A Bill Amending Subsection 12-6-12.3 of Article VI of the Uniform Traffic Ordinance (“UTO”) to Eliminate Minimum Penalties for Reckless Driving and Raising Maximum Penalties From Twenty-Five Dollars ($25) to Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($250) for First Convictions and From Three Hundred Dollars ($300) to Five Hundred Dollars ($500) for Second or Subsequent Convictions; Creating a New Subsection 12-6-12.4A of Article VI of the UTO, Exhibit A to Chapter 24, SFCC 1987 to Define, Criminalize, and Penalize “Aggressive Driving”; Amending the UTO’s Schedule A Traffic Violation Penalty Assessment Schedule to Increase Certain Penalties, to Specify that all Reckless Driving Fines, Aggressive Driving Fines, as Well as all Schedule A Penalties (Except for Those Dedicated to Traffic Calming) Shall be Split Equally Between the Law Enforcement Fund and the Fire Support Services Fund, and to Require a Mandatory Court Appearance for Violations Related to Aggressive Driving; Creating a New Subsection 12-6-12.25 of Article VI “Engaging in Prolonged, Deliberate, and/or Excessive Tailing of Another Vehicle” and Establishing a Penalty in Santa Fe’s UTO, Schedule A, Traffic Violation Penalty Assessment Schedule for the Same; Creating a New Subsection 12-6-12.26 of Article VI “Unsafe Sudden Stops” and Establishing a Penalty in Santa Fe’s UTO, Schedule A, Traffic Violation Penalty Assessment Schedule for the Same; Creating a New Subsection 12-6-12.27 of Article VI “Throwing Items Outside of Vehicle at Another Vehicle or at a Pedestrian” and Establishing a Penalty in Santa Fe’s UTO, Schedule A, Traffic Violation Penalty Assessment Schedule for the Same. (Ben Valdez, Deputy Chief of Police; bpvaldez@santafenm.gov) Committee Review: Governing Body (Introduction): 04/29/2026Governing Body (Public Comment): 05/13/2026Quality of Life Committee: 05/20/2026Finance Committee: 05/26/2026Governing Body (Public Hearing): 06/10/2026 (POSTPONED FOR NOTICING REQUIREMENTS)Governing Body (Public Hearing): 06/24/2026
FISCAL IMPACT REPORT General Information: (Check) Bill: x Resolution: Short Title(s): Defining Aggressive Driving and Establishing Penalties Sponsor(s): Councilor Pilar Faulkner, Councilor Amanda Chavez, and Councilor Lee Garcia Reviewing Department(s): Finance Department, City Attorney’s Office, Police Department, Fire Department Staff Completing FIR: Ben Valdez, Deputy Chief of Police Date: 4/16/2026 Phone: (505) 955-5040 Reviewed by City Attorney: Date: Reviewed by Finance Director: Date: Summary: The adoption of this bill would create a new subsection of Article VI of the Uniform Traffic Ordinance (“UTO”), Exhibit A of Chapter 24 of SFCC 1987 to define, criminalize, and penalize “aggressive driving”. It specifies that every person convicted of aggressive driving shall be required to comply with a mandatory court appearance and be punished as follows: 1) Upon a first conviction by fine of two hundred and fifty dollars ($250); 2) Upon a second conviction, by imprisonment for seven days, and by a fine of five hundred dollars ($500); 3) Upon a third conviction, by imprisonment for fourteen days and a fine of five hundred dollars ($500); 4) Upon subsequent convictions, imprisonment for ninety days and a fine of five hundred dollars ($500). The bill includes a provision specifying that the court shall permit people who are convicted of aggressive driving and who are determined to be indigent to perform community service in lieu of payment of fines; however, this does not prevent the court from sentencing the person to jail, if applicable. Additionally, the bill amends Article VI of the UTO, Subsection 12-6-12.3, SFCC 1987, “Reckless Driving,” to accomplish the following changes to the reckless driving fines: 1) Eliminates the concept of minimum penalties; 2) Upon first conviction, raises the maximum penalty from twenty-five dollars ($25) to two hundred and fifty dollars ($250); 3) Upon second conviction, raises the maximum penalty from three hundred dollars ($300) to five hundred dollars ($500). Lastly, the bill creates a section in the UTO called the “Police and Fire Resiliency Funds”. Upon adoption of the ordinance, and in compliance with Section 2-2.4, SFCC 1987, all fines collected for violations of the UTO, Schedule A, for aggressive driving, and for reckless driving shall be allocated fifty percent (50%) to the Law Enforcement Fund and fifty (50%) to the Fire Support Services Fund, with the exception of fines FIR No. 10615.0Marcos D. Martinez (Apr 24, 2026 14:48:05 MDT) Marcos D. Martinez04/24/2026ANDREA PHILLIPS (Apr 24, 2026 14:50:43 MDT)04/24/2026 Adopted: 01/12/05; revised 8/24/05; 4/17/08; 2 collected for speeding (which are allocated toward the Traffic Calming Program). Departments Affected: City of Santa Fe’s Police Department, Fire Department, and Finance Department Consequences of Not Enacting Legislation: If this legislation is not adopted, aggressive driving will not be defined as a punishable offense in the City of Santa Fe’s Municipal Code, nor will the fines for reckless driving, aggressive driving, and all fines listed on Schedule A of the UTO be allocated to the Law Enforcement Fund and the Fire Services Support Fund. Performance and Administrative Implications: The Police Department will maintain statistics for the number of violations for aggressive driving when a citation is issued, including the underlying offenses that make the incident rise to the level of aggressive driving. The statistics will be presented annually in the Traffic Unit’s portion of the Police Department’s Annual Report. The Police Department will also conduct enforcement and education to improve the safety of our roads to make drivers aware of the consequences of aggressive driving. Fiscal Implications: ***The fees generated from the UTO’s Schedule A in fiscal year 2025 totaled approximately $124,000. If we continue this trend, we can anticipate a similar collection rate in funds from Schedule A, absent any significant changes. With the implementation of the Ordinance, the City may see a small increase in revenue associated with aggressive driving violations. On a fund level, the General Fund would see a small decrease in revenue due to the reallocation of fine revenue to the Law Enforcement and Fire Support Services Funds, both of which would see a positive impact respectively due to the collection of fees from Schedule A, fees from reckless driving, as well as fees collected from aggressive driving fines. Fiscal Impact Check here if no fiscal impact Expenditures * This includes all staff time associated with executing the job functions of the proposed legislation. Expenditure Narrative: Revenue Revenue Type FYE __ FYE __ FYE __ Recurring (R) or Non-recurring (NR) Fund General Fund $ $______ $ Special Revenue $ $ $ CIP $ $ $ Enterprise $ $ $ Internal Service $ $ $ Trust and Agency Federal $ $ $ $ $ $ Other $ $ $ Total $ $ $ Revenue Narrative: ***See “Fiscal Implications” narrative above. Expenditure Type FYE __ FYE __ FYE __ Require BAR (Y/N) Recurring (R) or Non- recurring (NR) Fund 3-Year Total Cost Personnel and Benefits* $ $ $ Capital Outlay $ $ $ Contractual/ Professional Services $ $ $ Operating $ $ $ $ Total: $ $ $ $ Signature:Email:Signature:Email: