Regular Finance Committee Meeting Mon, Jun 9, 2025 · Finance Committee https://santafeminutes.space/meeting/282 == Executive Summary == The Finance Committee met on June 9th, approving both the regular and consent agendas unanimously. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to recognizing Joanne Lovato Montano from the Finance Department for her exceptional contributions to procurement, with Ms. Montano expressing her gratitude for the acknowledgment. The committee also initiated discussions regarding the upcoming budget process. Councilor Faulkner highlighted the urgency of this task, and the committee committed to scheduling meetings to commence work on the new budget. == Motions & Votes == - Motion to approve the agenda — Passed unanimously. - Motion to approve the consent agenda — Passed unanimously. == Public Comment == Joanne Lovato Montano thanked the committee for her recognition, stating she has enjoyed her work with the city since 2022. Councilor Faulkner expressed the urgency and readiness to begin the new budget process. == Topics == - Staff Recognition - Budget Process Reform - Agenda Approval - Consent Agenda == Full Transcript == I hear we are live. So at 5:04, I will call to order the Finance Committee for today, June 9th. If we could get a roll call, please. **Director Oster:** Certainly, Madam Chair. Councilor Cassid, here. Councilor Lindell is excused. Councilor Faulkner is excused. She's excused until she comes to the chamber. I hear she's nearby. Councilor Lee Garcia, present. Chairworth, I am here. Madam Chair, you have a quorum. Okay. So, are there changes to our agenda tonight? **Director Oster:** No changes from staff. Okay. Is there a motion? **Councilor Cassid:** Move to approve. Is there a second? **Councilor Lee Garcia:** Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the agenda, and we're all here. So, all those in favor, aye. **Councilors:** Aye. Anybody opposed? That motion passes. Are there items that have been pulled from the consent agenda? **Director Oster:** Madam Chair, we have no items pulled from consent for this evening. Okay. So, is there anything the committee wanted to hear? And if not, is there a motion? **Councilor Cassid:** Move to approve. **Councilor Lee Garcia:** Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda. All those in favor, aye. **Councilors:** Aye. Anybody opposed? That motion passes. From here, we will go to presentations, and we have Finance Department staff recognition. Director Oster, I'll turn it over to you. **Director Oster:** Thank you, Madam Chair. I am so delighted to recognize Joanne Lovato Montano this evening. I know many of you have worked with Joanne. She's one of our superstars in purchasing. She works with our Chief Procurement Officer, Travis Dutton Lea. And so I wanted to recognize Joanne. She has done some miracle working lately. The procurement team, this is maybe a little-known fact, but they regularly deliver miracles on Friday afternoons when we're trying to get packets ready to publish agendas. And so this last couple of weeks has been no exception. And Joanne really stepped up on some critical contracts to make sure we could get those to you on time and get everything into the packets before we publish agendas on Friday. And so that's just one recent example. Joanne does this on a regular basis. We should really be giving her a cape because she's a true superhero within our department. In terms of her bio, Santa Fe is Joanne's home. She is a native of Santa Fe with deep family roots in New Mexico. She began her career in public service in 2006, almost 20 years. That's so exciting. Congratulations. Her journey started in state government, focusing on procurement. And over the years, she's gained experience across a wide range of financial functions, including accounts payable, budgeting, receivables, and accounting. In 2022, Joanne joined the city as a contract supervisor, bringing her full circle back to the field that she enjoys most, which is procurement, which is so lucky for us. Procurement is not for everyone. It can be challenging. So it is very fortunate that we have passionate and dedicated procurement professionals like Joanne and Travis in our procurement team. Joanne is currently our procurement manager in the procurement office, and she says she truly values the opportunity to work alongside Travis and the dedicated team in purchasing and the incredible professionals of our Finance Department. Joanne's goal is to continue serving with the City of Santa Fe with commitment and pride until the retirement gods decide it's her time, which hopefully will not be for a number of years. Until then, you'll likely spot Joanne in the halls rocking her signature funky fresh outfits. Joanne has some incredible style. So, when you're walking the halls of City Hall, if you see an amazing outfit, there's a good chance it's Joanne. Let's see. And then I have some additional to add here from Travis. Travis is Joanne's supervisor. And Travis said he would like to take a moment to recognize Joanne Lovato Montano for her outstanding contributions to the city. Joanne held things down during the toughest parts of COVID, and she continues to show up every day with unmatched efficiency and a positive attitude. She gets things done quickly and efficiently without complaint and still takes the time to suggest better ways to do the work. She's an incredible asset to this organization, and we're grateful for everything that Joanne brings to the table. And I wholeheartedly second everything that Travis said. Joanne, I personally have hit you with some big requests, and you don't even miss a beat. You don't even blink. I say, "Hey, Joanne, can you move this mountain in the next hour?" And you say, "Sure, we'll get it done." And you do it, which is amazing. And I just want to acknowledge that these are big asks. And the way that you respond and the way that you, in your leadership role within the purchasing team, the way that you lead the team through some of these challenging situations really makes a huge, huge difference, and it matters so much. We really appreciate what you do. Joanne is an incredible asset both to the purchasing team, the Finance Department, and to the whole city. And it is my honor and my pleasure to recognize her here this evening. I have a certificate of appreciation for Joanne that says, "The following award is given to Joanne Lovato Montano in appreciation for performance, service, and dedication to the City of Santa Fe." Thank you so much, Joanne. Come over here, over near Director Oster, so you're in camera view. You don't have to say anything, but if you want to say something, you can. And I want to just acknowledge that procurement and purchasing may not be for everybody, but it's absolutely critical to the workings of city government and our ability to do what we need to do to serve the people of this community. So, with our thanks as well for your hard work. Much appreciated. Make sure you're talking into the microphone, otherwise nobody online can hear you. **Joanne Lovato Montano:** Thank you so much for being here. No, I really, really appreciate this. I came here in 2022, and there hasn't been a boring day since, which I absolutely love. It keeps us going. So, thank you for having me. Certainly appreciate it. Well, congratulations. I can tell your energy is beaming from over there all the way up here. So thank you for everything you do for the city. Much appreciated. **Director Oster:** Well, thank you so much to Joanne and to Travis for being a wonderful team, and thank you, Councilors, for letting us recognize Joanne this evening. 100%. I would like to raid your closet. I hope that's not inappropriate, but it is true. Okay. We are on to discussion items. We don't have any matters from staff. Back to you, Director Oster. **Director Oster:** None at this time. Matters from the committee. Councilor Faulkner. **Councilor Faulkner:** So, I would really like to start working on the new budget process ASAP. I'm ready to do the work. So, put me in, coach. Let's get this done. Yes. And I think we all got an email from the City Manager that that's a high priority for he and Rod as well. And we did have a meeting this morning just to say, let's get working on that. So I'm in total agreement with you. So we will work on scheduling whatever it is we need to schedule to start working that out. So totally agree. Anything else from the committee? Matters from the chair. Our next meeting, Monday, June 23rd. And with that, it's a quick meeting tonight. We're adjourned. Thank you. **Councilors:** Thanks, everyone.