Regular Governing Body Meeting - Second Wednesday Wed, Mar 11, 2026 · Governing Body https://santafeminutes.space/meeting/917 == Executive Summary == The Santa Fe Governing Body met on March 11, 2026, addressing a range of community issues and city operations. Key discussions included the temporary placement of the Soldiers Monument remnants in the New Mexico History Museum, which was approved despite concerns about cost and the need for a permanent solution. The council also unanimously approved a significant contract amendment for Phase Two of the Land Development Code update, expanding its scope and budget to ensure a comprehensive and updated code, with a focus on improving public access to information about the changes. Public engagement was a prominent feature, with residents voicing strong opinions on the proposed Marriott hotel development, the future of the obelisk in the plaza, and the need for greater transparency in city government contact information. The meeting also saw the introduction of several new pieces of legislation, including a bill to streamline alcohol sales at city events and a loan agreement for McClure Dam design. The council approved two ordinances related to critical water infrastructure improvements at the Canyon Road Water Treatment Plant, securing over $24 million in loans and grants. == Key Decisions == - Resolution to temporarily place the Soldiers Monument remnants in the New Mexico History Museum was approved (7 'Yes,' 1 'No'). - Contract amendment for Phase Two of the Land Development Code update, reassigning it to Gobel Partners LLC, expanding scope, increasing compensation by $519,657 (totaling $766,354.6), and extending the term to December 31, 2027, was approved unanimously (8-0). - Motion to take no action on the executive session item was passed (7-0 roll call vote). - Motion to move directly to Item 21 (Appointments) before public comment was passed (8-0 roll call vote). - Appointments to the City's committees for the April 2027 term (Rod Gold, Kendell Chavez, John Paul Granil, Roberta Duran, and Lily May Ortiz) were unanimously approved. - Appointments to the Human Services Committee for the March 2028 term (Oran Block and Mark Glasser) were unanimously approved. - Motion to suspend rules and go directly to Petitions from the Floor was unanimously approved. - Bill Number 2024-14 (Backflow Prevention and Control) was approved unanimously (8-0 roll call vote). - Bill Number 2026-1 (Canyon Road Water Treatment Plant Loan/Grant) was approved unanimously (8-0 roll call vote). == Motions & Votes == - Approval of agenda with one amendment (removal of item 9W) — Approved. - Approval of consent agenda (with item 9V removed for separate consideration) — Approved. - Resolution to temporarily place the Soldiers Monument remnants in the New Mexico History Museum — Passed 7-1. - Approval of LDC Phase Two contract amendment, reassignment, scope expansion, increased compensation, and term extension — Passed unanimously (8-0). - Motion to take no action on the executive session item — Passed 7-0 roll call vote. - Motion to move directly to Item 21 (Appointments) before public comment — Passed 8-0 roll call vote. - Approval of Committee Appointments (April 2027 term) — Passed unanimously. - Approval of Human Services Committee Appointments (March 2028 term) — Passed unanimously. - Motion to suspend rules and go directly to Petitions from the Floor — Passed unanimously. - Bill Number 2024-14 (Backflow Prevention and Control) — Passed unanimously (8-0 roll call vote). - Bill Number 2026-1 (Canyon Road Water Treatment Plant Loan/Grant) — Passed unanimously (8-0 roll call vote). == Public Comment == Public comments covered a wide range of topics. Several residents expressed strong opposition to a proposed four-story Marriott hotel, citing concerns about height, architectural fit, traffic, and parking, urging the governing body to appeal the Planning Commission's decision. The future of the obelisk/Soldiers Monument also generated divided opinions, with some advocating for its rebuilding as a historical monument and others arguing for its complete removal due to damage and its painful legacy. Concerns were raised about the proposed city department reorganization (Bill Number 2026-3), the selection process for Charter Commission members, and slow responses from city departments regarding citations. A public commenter also highlighted the difficulty in finding contact information for city departments, expressing disappointment about a lack of transparency. Additionally, a clear and specific definition of 'scrivener's error' was requested for a proposed ordinance. == Topics == - City Department Reorganization - Water Treatment Plant Funding - 4Kids Youth Recreation Program - Backflow Prevention Ordinance - City Attorney/Clerk Authority - Invocation and Remembrances - Agenda Approval - Consent Agenda Approval - Meeting Opening Procedures - Public Comment Procedures == Full Transcript == I would like to call the March 11th, 2026, governing body meeting to order. We will go ahead and start with a Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilor Faulkner, salute to New Mexico flag led by Councilor Garcia, and invocation and remembrances led by Councilor Cassett. Please stand as you're able. Good evening, everybody. So, I need to thank my colleague as I had that moment of, "Oh my goodness, I'm doing the invocation. What should I talk about?" And she reminded me that it was recently International Women's Day. And so I did want to take a moment to recognize all the incredible women that lead this city. We actually have a number of my favorites right here, who we get to hear from, as well as my colleagues on the dais. And I think that it is important that we remember that, you know, every time they have International Women's Day, they talk about how recent it's been since a woman had to have a man sign off for her to get a credit card or to have a right to equal pay. Obviously, we are still struggling with the right to choose. And I think it's a really good reminder for us as we think about some of the challenges that we work through. And how do we improve the lives of our community? And sometimes that's as simple, but not easy—it's never easy—as getting a road paved or redoing a park. But we also discuss a lot of really challenging issues in these chambers. And so I really want to thank my colleagues, as always, for tackling issues with a lot of thought, a lot of heart, really, really caring for the community even when there are differing opinions. We really work to continue to move our community forward. And really recognizing all the women up here with me, as well as the many incredible women that are here in the chambers, as well as in the city. We have some phenomenal female leaders. So, I really want to recognize you all and thank you for your work. Thank you, Mayor. Mayor: Any other remembrances? Officer Faulkner. Faulkner: I would like to remember JD Bullington's father. He was a veteran and served this country with dignity and integrity. And so I'd just like to take a moment to recognize his passing. Cassett: Thank you, Mayor. I did also want to send my condolences to JD and his family. I don't believe I ever had the opportunity to meet his father, but knowing who JD is, excuse me, I'm assuming that his father really was a wonderful person because I know how much he meant to JD. JD has been, he's a constituent of mine. I feel very lucky to represent him and really just want to send condolences to him and his family. Thank you. Castro: I'm not sure if Councilor Travis is going to do this as well, but I do want to remember Diana Travis who passed this week. Let's take a moment to remember those acknowledged, as well as any of those in our community that might need our help or support. Thank you, everybody. Mayor: Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call, please? City Clerk: Certainly. Mayor, Councilor Barrett. Barrett: Here. City Clerk: Councilor Bamonte. Bamonte: Here. City Clerk: Councilor Cassett. Cassett: Here. City Clerk: Councilor Castro. Castro: Here. City Clerk: Councilor Chavez. Chavez: Here. City Clerk: Councilor Faulkner. Faulkner: Here. City Clerk: Councilor Fagali. Fagali: Here. City Clerk: Councilor Garcia. Garcia: I'm here. City Clerk: Mayor Garcia. Mayor: Present. City Clerk: Mayor, you have a quorum. Mayor: Next item on the agenda, approval of tonight's agenda. Are there any changes from staff? Staff: Yes, Mayor. We are removing item 9W because it's a duplicate of 9U. Mayor: Okay. Any other changes? Staff: No, Mayor. Mayor: Any changes from governing body members? Councilor: Move to approve as amended. Councilor: Second. Mayor: We've got a motion and a second. Any discussion? Hearing none. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? City Clerk: Councilor Barrett. Barrett: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Bamonte. Bamonte: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Cassett. Cassett: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Castro. Castro: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Travis. Travis: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Faulkner. Faulkner: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Fagali. Fagali: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Garcia. Garcia: Yes. City Clerk: Motion passed. Mayor: Next up is approval of tonight's consent agenda. Can you please tell us what items may have been pulled? Staff: Mayor, item 9V was removed by Councilor Cassett. Mayor: Okay. Any other items governing body members would like to remove? Councilor: Move to approve as amended. Councilor: Second. Mayor: Okay. So, we've got a motion and a second. Any discussion? None. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? City Clerk: Councilor Bamonte. Bamonte: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Cassett. Cassett: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Castro. Castro: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Chavez. Chavez: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Faulkner. Faulkner: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Fagali. Fagali: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Garcia. Garcia: Yes. City Clerk: Motion passed. Mayor: Thank you, Madam City Clerk. What's the next item on the agenda? City Clerk: Next item on the agenda is presentations. 8A is the 4Kids organization youth recreation impact recognition. And here to present is Philip Luhan, the Parks and Open Space Division MRC Business Manager. Mayor: Mr. Luhan, could we just make sure that the mic is on that way the folks watching us virtually can hear you. Luhan: How's that? Is that better? Mayor: Perfect. Luhan: Awesome. Good evening, Mayor and members of the City Council. My name is Philip Luhan, and I serve as the Municipal Recreation Complex Business Manager with the Parks and Open Space Division. I have worked with the Parks Division for four years and have dedicated 18 years in total to our government. During that time, I've had the opportunity to participate in several 4Kids golf tournaments. This past August was the first year I had the privilege of helping lead the event. The 4Kids tournament raises funds through team registration, sponsorships, in-kind donations, and event day fundraising. I'm proud to share that the 2025 tournament raised $21,035. The impact of these funds goes directly towards expanding youth recreation opportunities in Santa Fe through the 4Kids Foundation. These resources support youth programming across both the Parks and Recreation Divisions. Programs are delivered at facilities like the Genoveva Chavez Community Center under the leadership of Melissa Butos, as well as youth golf and recreation programming at Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe's golf course under the guidance of our General Manager, Lorenzo Vigil. This effort represents a strong partnership across our city. We are grateful for the collaboration of our recreation team, our park rangers, the MRC and park staff, the team at our golf course, and the many sponsors and volunteers who make the event possible each year. The 4Kids tournament has been a Santa Fe tradition for more than 25 years, and its continued success reflects the community's commitment to providing meaningful recreation opportunities for our youth. Tonight, it's my honor to recognize the impact of this organization and recognize the proceeds from the 2025 tournament to the 4Kids Foundation by presenting our check to Mr. Peso Chavez, former City Councilor and the founder of this tournament and the fund. We look forward to continuing this tradition and hosting the next tournament in August of 2026. Chavez: Mayor, members of the governing body, city manager and staff, and those present here. So, about 30 years ago, I guess I was sitting where all of you are. And when somebody said that you have issues that come up all the time and they're very critical and stuff, this place is memorial for all those times of good times, bad times, good, bad, and the ugly, I guess, as they say. But anyway, I just want to kind of give you a history of what was going on. And I remember somebody telling me that issues back in, I forget when, a long time ago, that issues were about roads, and they'd bring issues, the public would bring issues about roads, they'd bring issues about this. Well, during my time, it was issues about our kids not having places to go to. And I got complaints and saying, "Well, okay, so we built the Genoveva. Then we built the golf course." And then people couldn't afford these places. So I sat there and I said, "Well, okay, let's see if we can really collaborate with small business owners and government." And so I came up with this idea that was probably way out there, but it worked. And we always talk about small businesses are the backbone of our country, right? That's what we all say. You all say that. I know you do because it's true. So I thought, let's bring small business owners and collaborate then with our government, see if we can come to some sort of resolution and helping our children out. And so I remember sitting there and I turned over to Molly Whitted, who is no longer with us, and I said, "Molly," I said, "I have this idea, and I think I need your help." And she says, "I'm in." He said, "Well, I didn't even tell you what it is." That's how Molly was. She was always willing to go ahead and help. God bless her soul. So at that time, we started this thing called the 4Kids Golf Tournament. And it is an institution now where it did this. We wanted to get the kids off of the couch back then. And back then it was doing Tetris, I think, and maybe Monkey Man or something on TV. Get them off the couch and get them into this beautiful place that we established, the Genoveva Chavez Center, to go ice skating, play basketball, do all kinds of things, and out to the golf course. And if you've ever been out to the golf course, it's a 360-degree beautiful place of two things that I can think of. We can all be proud of those two places: the Genoveva Chavez Center because it is used an awful lot, and the golf course as well. And that's just a credit to everyone, the entire community to support it. So anyway, we brought these two entities together, and lo and behold, 27 years later, we're still doing this. We've raised over a little $350,000 for our kids. They have scholarships so nobody can not get off of that couch anymore, you know. And you know, it's really apropos now more than it was back then because, I mean, think about this. We've got kids that all they do is, "Oh, let me get my," all they do is this. That's all they do. They don't get out and touch the ground, the grass, the ice skating rink, whatever it may be, a basketball. So, I think we're doing some really, really good here in that aspect. And it just continues because of folks like you, small business, everybody comes together. I think that's probably one issue that we wouldn't have any, and we all come together for that, and that's what we do. Secondly, if you ever come out to our tournament, when I started this thing, it was like, I came up with kind of a motto: fun, family, and food. Can't go without food in Northern New Mexico. I mean, you have to have a celebration, right? A matanza or something like that. We didn't quite go to that scale, but you go there and you have food everywhere. You have a lot of fun, but it is competitive. It is competitive. And for the last three years, we have sold out. I think it's the last three years, we've sold out about two weeks before because we can only have a certain amount of people out there. I think it's 128. So I think there's, I forget how many teams there are, but we have sold out. It has kind of become an institution. The people that come here year after year after year, golf players and non-golf players, just love the tournament. It's familia, is what it is. It's family. And some of these people come from other parts of, come from Colorado, Arizona, Texas. And some of them are kind of really good golfers, and they've been to these big tournaments put on by big people and stuff. They said, "This is just really down home, and we feel good about it." So, mi casa es su casa extends to our tournament as well. The other thing is when I sat there years and years ago, I always kind of fidgeted around because a 501c3 was coming to stand here, and you knew what they were coming to stand for. They were coming to ask you for money, rightly so, because there's a lot of good 501c3s. I can tell you this right now. I'm pretty sure by saying this statement, I don't think you've ever had anyone from a 501c3 come to give you money. And that's what we're doing here today. We're going to present to the Mayor a check for $21,035. It will go into the fund for the scholarships for this next coming year for kids to participate at the Genoveva Chavez Center and at the Marty Sanchez Links Course. So there's no excuse for those kids not to be utilizing this money. And I will tell you this, every one of you that's sitting up there, you by accepting this and by this organization has touched every constituent in your districts and obviously in the City of Santa Fe. So without further ado, oh, and by the way, I've never had any complaints with the tournament, really. A couple of them and stuff, but I decided this year that if Mr. City Manager, if you could give me the Mayor's card so I can hand out that, but if there are any complaints, he can go ahead and take it. I know he's got thick skin and he can do because he does it every day, right? Okay, with that, thank you very much. And if I can present this to you, Mr. Mayor: Sure. Thank you, Councilor Chavez. Will the governing body members help me on the bottom accept this check? Thank you to former Councilor Chavez and to the city team for showing up tonight. Madam City Clerk, next item on the agenda, please. City Clerk: Next item is 9U. This is consideration of a resolution sponsored by Councilor, oh, I'm sorry. This is a resolution sponsor. It's 9V. Take that back. 9V consideration of a resolution. This is sponsored by Mayor Michael Garcia, Councilor Lee Garcia, and Councilor Pilar Faulkner. It's a resolution supporting the placement of the remnants of the Soldiers Monument in the New Mexico History Museum on a temporary basis, authorizing the City Manager to work with the state officials to enter into a temporary loan agreement. Councilor: Move to approve. Councilor: Second. Councilor: Second. Mayor: Okay. Councilor Cassutt, you pulled this item. Councilor Cassutt: I did. Thank you, Mayor. You know, I had brought this up at Finance, and Mayor, again, I really want to thank you for coming to Finance. I really appreciated you coming to have that conversation. The reason that I pulled this is I, when I've really been listening to the community, what I've been hearing a lot about the Soldiers Monument is, come to a conclusion and stop spending money. And so when I was looking at the fiscal impact of $25,000 estimated to move this as a temporary solution, I just am not feeling as okay with that price tag right now, especially after the meeting the other day when I think that there were a lot of individuals that were, you know, saying for those who wanted it to be rebuilt, we're looking at that impact or at the feasibility report and saying, you know, sounds like you're going to need to rebuild it if you rebuild it with another or brand new materials. And so really thinking about how much money this has cost, knowing that we're going into a rough budget year, the economy is a little shaky. I just wasn't, I'm not feeling comfortable spending $25,000 to move it. I do really understand the thought behind it, the intent behind it, and I really, you know, I appreciate that. I appreciate, you know, as we move forward with this, you know, the out-of-the-box thinking, no pun intended, maybe we should use different language, the creative thinking, the creative thinking about how we continue to move this forward. And as I've said, I really do want to be a part of that as one of the two sitting up here who's been here for the entire journey of the Soldiers Monument, starting in, well, I guess not the entire one, but from it coming down in 2020, and really seeing what's happened in the community. And as I said, you know, at Finance, I submitted my name to Marcos. I really do want to continue to move forward with finding a solution. And for the first time, maybe in a long time, I feel like we're close, or maybe ever, I feel like we're really close to finding how we are going to move forward with this as a body and as a community. And so because of that as well, feeling like we are getting closer to finding a solution. And honestly, it very well may be that the remnants do go into the museum and that, you know, is a permanent solution. But I am really in favor of moving forward as fast as possible, spending as little money as possible. And I, the juice is worth the squeeze, if you will. Thank you. Mayor: Thank you, Councilor. Councilor Faulkner. Councilor Faulkner: Whereas I do agree with Councilor Cassutt that we should make a decision as soon as possible, I also think that a lot of trust in the governing body in the city has been broken because of how long this issue has been allowed to go on, and the way it was managed by leadership only furthered the divide. And so for me, the amount of money spent on putting this in the museum would be worth educating the community on what our options actually are, and providing some transparency that has not been provided before, which I know the community has asked for many, many times. And so to me, this money is well spent in that it will provide an opportunity for the community to see what the actual status of the obelisk is. And perhaps it will also illustrate that we have a new governing body that values transparency and that wants to ensure that the community has all the information that we have available as a governing body. And I do like this effort, and I signed on to it because I do believe that the community is part of the government and that there have been times in government where we have different styles of leadership have separated the community from their sacred right to participate in the decision-making for issues just like this one. But we cannot just act. We have to make sure that everyone has all the information that they can have so that we can make just and good decisions. And so that, that's why I'm supporting this. I think the amount of money being spent to educate the community and to allow for transparency and hopefully build some trust in the community, I think it's worth it. In comparison to our entire budget, it is very small. And if that brings trust back to the community, then I think it's worth it. Mayor: Thank you, Councilor Faulkner. Councilor Castro. Councilor Castro: Thank you, Mayor, and thank you to my colleagues for being able to have these difficult conversations. I just briefly wanted to address a conversation I had with a constituent about the weight being held by this monument and the amount of effort and energy we have spent, including resources, including money, including time, staff time on trying to deal with our colonial history in the City of Santa Fe. This is much bigger than just this monument and the decision that we're going to make to address our true history. And as our colleagues have heard for hours of testimony, what this community is asking for is truth, is an honest opinion of our governing body of what truly happened. And truth and honesty are difficult things to peg down. So though I do have some hesitation in contributing more city funds and resources to this conversation, it is small in comparison to what we've already done in 2020. Councilor Cassutt alluded to, I was on the other side of this conversation saying that the folks on this dais should not be the ones to make the decision, and I stand firm in that. As Councilor Faulkner mentioned, this is a community decision, not for us to make, but for everyone to be a part of. So, anything I can do to create more transparency, more information, better context, I do want to do that. Mayor: Thank you, Councilor. Any other comments or questions from the governing body? Councilor. Councilor: Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to point out in terms of the financial impact of this, it is small, but it is still more than the check that we just accepted for youth recreation. So, when we're looking at our budget, I think those things are important to consider. Thanks. Mayor: Thank you, sir. Any other comments or questions? And Councilor Chavez, I think I don't see a hand up, so, okay, with that being said, Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? City Clerk: Certainly, Mayor. Councilor Cassutt. Councilor Cassutt: No. City Clerk: Councilor Castro. Councilor Castro: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Chavez. Councilor Chavez: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Faulkner. Councilor Faulkner: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Fagaley. Councilor Fagaley: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Garcia. Councilor Garcia: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Barrett. Councilor Barrett: Yes. City Clerk: Councilor Vigil. Councilor Vigil: Yes. City Clerk: Motion passed. Mayor: Thank you, Madam City Clerk. What's the next item on the agenda, please? City Clerk: The next item on the agenda is item 10. This is the action items discussion agenda. 10A is a request for approval of Amendment Number Two to item 22-052121 with Clarion Associates to reassign the contract to Gobel Partners LLC, change the scope of work to include Land Code Update Phase Two substantive updates to regulations and procedures in the Land Development Code that implement key community standards and land development policies, increase the compensation by $519,657 for a new total amount of $766,354.6, and extend the term to December 31st, 2027. And Janice Blinkoff, sorry, Blinkoff is here to present. Thank you. Mayor: Thank you, Janice. Do you want to give us an update or a presentation on the topic, please? Janice Blinkoff: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I have no presentation today, but I can give a brief explanation of the request. You have the memo in front of you, as well as the amended contract, the proposed scope of work, and the letter from Clarion Associates. The letter from Clarion Associates, you'll see, is fully executed by them, relinquishing any interest they have in the remainder of the contract for the Land Development Code update. That is acknowledging their reassignment to Mr. Matt Goble of Gobel Partners. As the City Clerk had mentioned, this is a three-part request. The first is to reassign from Clarion Associates to Gobel Partners. That would be for phases two and three of the LDC update project. The second is to extend the contract term by 12 months. We don't anticipate needing that time at all, although Procurement had advised us this would be the most appropriate time to include it just in case. That would end the contract at December 31st of 2027. And the third assigns the value of the remainder of the contract at $519,657. You may remember from Phase One, the original contract included a funding amount for Phase One only and kind of pushed the task down the road to determine the amount needed for Phase Two, which is this request. Now, I want to clarify that given the new consultant taking on, which actually is our old consultant, he just switched firms, the Phase Two and Phase Three, we anticipate at this point that those will actually be collapsed together to create an efficiency there. So really, the $519,657 should be enough to fund the all the way to the end of the project with full adoption of the new code. However, we are leaving Phase Three in the contract technically if there is an unexpected delay as there was last time with Phase One where extra elements are desired to be put into Phase Two or Phase Three, or if there are any items that we can't get to in Phase Two during the fiscal years that are assigned to it. We just want to have that kind of as a holding space. So Phase Three will probably be consumed into Phase Two, but we're leaving it in as a placeholder. And I stand for any questions that you have. Mayor: Questions from the governing body. Yes, Councilor Fagaley. Councilor Fagaley: Thank you, Mayor. Miss Blitnikov, thank you for that. That is very helpful. I have a couple questions. So I know that we amended a previous contract to account for, my understanding, some additional requests that we had and some additional time that was needed. Have we accounted for those things in Phase Two so that we won't have to do that again? Mr. Mayor, Councilor Fagali, yes, we have accounted for that. If you dug way deep into the archives of this project, at the very beginning of the Land Development Code update, when Clarion Associates was having to take a guess at the value of potential future phases, they had estimated that it could be $375,000 for Phase Two. That was before we went through the odyssey of Phase One. Additional sections and elements were requested. A protracted review happened on the internal side for the draft of LDC Phase One. And so there were some additional expenditures that ended up making Phase One a little bit more expensive than it anticipated. Mr. Goel, having been with us for that entire journey, had anticipated that, and you will see that there is a contingency built into the budget that you have in front of you. Okay. And then the second question is, so I understand that there probably won't be a Phase Three. It'll probably be a single larger Phase Two. But if there is a Phase Three, is that going to be more money or is that included in this money? Mr. Mayor and Councilor Fagali, there is always a chance that there could be additional complexity that is unanticipated. I think it depends on what comes out of our public scoping and what comes out of this council as well as our Planning Commission as necessary elements as we go through it. So I, we want to leave a little bit of space for improvement while we are building the code rather than having to go back again later to build in things that come up that are worth a little bit more investment at that time. So that's a maybe. It's a maybe. Okay. Thank you. It's a, I hope not. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Councilor Faulkner, then Councilor Casset. I do think we're, whereas we need to be fiscally responsible, I think we also need to provide space where if something needs to be done and it's the right thing to do and it will save time and money in the future, that we need to be able to be a little bit agile and flexible because circumstances change. I think all of us on the dais have enough life experience to know that a year earlier things looked one way, a year later they look another way. And so I do support the idea of having some range of flexibility that allows us to adjust if circumstances change. But I do think we need to be fiscally responsible, but I think there's, we can strike a balance in that. Casset: Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Janice, so much for being here and for, I know that we've had this discussion about making sure that this is fully funded, a fully funded project. So, as I have told some of your directors, please, please come forward. This has been a really big issue for a very long time and causes a lot of challenges in the community. So, to Councilor Faulkner's point, I think really making sure that we are investing in something that has such a big impact on the community is important. I have a bit of a question about the processes coming up as I've received a number of inquiries from various groups who are interested in various parts of the code. They're interested in historic, they're interested in lighting, they're interested in water. So, all these different places that either the code or the general plan are touching. And explaining that this time we have learned, as you said, from our, after our odyssey, it really was quite an odyssey. Marcy's here to attest to that as well. From Phase One that we'll be chunking out this process a bit more and really deep diving into various pieces and adopting it not necessarily as a whole as we just did, but rather really looking at specific pieces. How can the community be notified, be aware of when the component that they are most interested in is coming up and do we already have a prioritization of what we'll be tackling first? Mr. Mayor, Councilor Casset, I will answer that in two parts. The first being that with this approval, if you deem it approved, Mr. Goel will begin work immediately as soon as we can get his contract passed through the process. And our consultant is actually responsible for the project website. So as you may have noticed, our project website for the Land Development Code is in need of updating at this time. It's very out of date. So I would recommend that the public go to the Land Development Code update in the next month or so and sign up for the listserv. Also, we're going to be updating that more often as we start moving quickly through Phase Two and through those chunks or parts that we had described. The second part of my answer would be that we do have a prioritization roughly sketched out at this point. We need to confirm this with Mr. Goel. However, we anticipate that the first set of corrections to the Land Development Code will be scrivener's errors and some technical errors that took place in the adoption of the first phase. That is easy to process. The second step would be to process clerical errors that may be deemed substantive. So that will depend on the City Attorney's office and their determination of which of the corrections are, they may be clerical, but to change them might have impacts on some people. So we want to be extremely careful with that. And then after that, I believe Director Lamboy recently had spoken with you about the list of our top priority items. These are not in exact order, I apologize. But we'll be including the Wildland Urban Interface regulations, our massage parlor regulations, the streets standards. That's really the first huge one is the changing the streets standards to better coordinate with Public Works. And the other items are slipping my mind at this moment, but we'll be chunking out the top priorities to come in the first batch of changes and then going section by section after that. So we want to prioritize the most urgent items first, of course. Got it. Thank you. And I think that's helpful, you know, as really community members who are very interested in how they get the information because the difference between the general plan and the Land Development Code is not always well understood by the public. Is there a possibility, and honestly, some, I have moments that I'm like, is that general plan or, you know, it's complex. But is there a possibility of combining the websites with the Santa Fe Forward, which I know has gotten a lot of traffic and we've been able to drive a lot of people there? Can we either, you know, combine them or at least connect them so that, you know, we do have this back and forth for individuals that are looking for one or the other? Mr. Mayor, Councilor Casset, those are currently connected on SantaFeForward.org, also on the City Smart website. That's our mapping-based information source that's related to these projects. So they are connected, but as I mentioned, it's unfortunately kind of going to a dead end because once it gets to the LDC update page, it's not updated at this time. We have considered combining them into a single webpage and we may end up doing that in the future for budgetary purposes so that we can kind of keep that great information source alive longer. But at this point, there is a lot of conflation happening in the community between the two projects and given the stage that they're both in, we would prefer to keep them separate at this time. But of course, if we do combine them, we will work with the Comms Department to vastly publicize that so that people know exactly where to go for information in the future. Okay. All right. Got it. Thank you. And it sounds like we'll get that website updated probably ASAP. Last question might be a question for Marcos regarding the scrivener's errors. Excuse me. We have the ordinance moving through right now that I believe it's on public comment. If that passes, well, that should apply to the entire code. So, they should not have to come through us to make those changes. Correct? Yes. Yes, that is correct, Councilor. Okay. Wonderful. Thank you. That's all. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Councilor. Any other questions? Governing body members, comments? Hearing none. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? We need a motion. Move to approve. Second. Councilor Castro, Yes. Councilor Chavez, Yes. Councilor Faulkner. Councilor Fagali, Yes. Councilor Garcia, Yes. Councilor Barrett, Yes. Councilor Bamonte, Yes. Councilor Casset, Yes. Motion passed. Okay. Thank you. Thank you all. Next item on the agenda, Madam City Clerk. Next item is matters from the City Manager. Mr. Mayor, I just want to thank staff for the great job they did in the chambers. So, I just wanted to thank specifically staff for painting. We're starting to clean this, get this a little more organized. So, I just want to thank staff. And I want to thank Marcy. I don't know if you noticed, but we moved Marcy up close so she could be more interactive with you guys. So, we're trying to keep this place moving fast. Thank you. Next item on the agenda, Madam City Clerk. Next item on the agenda is matters from the City Attorney. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the Governing Body. I recommend that the Governing Body go into executive session to address the matters on the agenda. Might have a motion, Mayor. Sure. Councilor Castro. So I move that we enter executive session pursuant to Open Meetings Act Section 10-15-1H, subpart A for discussion of purchase, acquisition, or disposal, is that right, of property? No, of pending litigation. Should we say a motion for both? Yes. Okay. Okay. So, we'll start with discussion, purchase of acquisition or disposal of real property and water rights by Governing Body. And I move that we enter into executive session pursuant to Open Meetings Act Section 10-15H, subpart 7 for discussion of threatened or pending litigation in which the Governing Body is or may become a participant. Second. So, we got a motion and a second. Any discussion? There are none. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Councilor Travis, Yes. Councilor Faulkner, Yes. Councilor Fagali, Yes. Councilor Garcia, Yes. Councilor Barrett, Yes. Councilor Bamonte, Yes. Councilor Casset, Yes. Councilor Castro, Yes. Motion passed. And Madam City Clerk, we got Councilor Chavez a link. Okay. All right. Thank you. I would like to make a motion that pursuant to the Open Meetings Act Section 10-15-1J, I move that the Governing Body return in open session and state for the record that the matters discussed in the closed session were limited to those specified in the motion for closure. Second. We've got a motion and a second. Any discussion? There are none. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Certainly, Mayor. Councilor Faulkner, Yes. Councilor Fagali, Yes. Councilor Garcia, Yes. Councilor Barrett, Yes. Councilor Bamonte, Yes. Councilor Casset, Yes. Councilor Castro, Yes. Councilor Travis, Yes. Motion passed. Okay. Next item on the agenda, Madam City Clerk. The next item is item 13. It's an executive session action item. Okay. What's the will of the governing body? So, it is the will of the governing body that we do not have to take action. We will take no action on this item. Okay, we've got a motion for no action on this item and a second. Any discussion? Second. Okay, hearing none. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Councilor Fagali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Barrett? Yes. Councilor Bamante? Yes. Councilor Casset? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Councilor Travis? Yes. Councilor Faulner? Yes. Motion passed. Thank you. Next item, please. Madam City Clerk. Next item is matters from the City Clerk, and you all will see that I left for you a couple of projects that the community engagement team is working on. There's one for the affordable housing community input session. This will take place on Tuesday, March 24th, at 6:30 p.m. and this will be at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center community room. And then the second is the annual egg hunt and big truck event. This will take place on Saturday, March 28th. The gates open at 9:00 a.m. and the event will begin at 10:00 a.m. So, if you all have the opportunity, please attend these. And also, my daughter knocked over three home runs today at her game. So, shout out to Mita. Good job. Thank you, Madam City Clerk. Next item on the agenda, please. Next item, Mayor, is communications from the governing body. And I'm going to start on my left. Councilor Bamante. I have nothing, Mayor. Thank you. Councilor Cassip. Thank you, Mayor. All I have is that I want to wish my stepmom a very happy birthday. So, happy birthday, Bri. She, actually, I have no idea how old she turned. She's never told me her age, but I hope that they had a wonderful, wonderful weekend celebrating. Thanks, Mayor. Okay. Thank you, Councilor Castro. I asked permission. So, I'm going to wish Councilor Chavez and Councilor Faulner happy birthdays. They both had birthdays this past week since we met. So, happy birthday. Councilor Faulner. I just want to take a moment to thank staff. I know when we're transitioning between administrations, it can be very stressful, and I have worked with many staff members since the transition, and I just want to appreciate all the work that you guys are putting in and the patience you have with us as we are adjusting to the new transition, and I just think staff is doing a good job of keeping up with the change. Thank you, Councilor. Councilor Garcia. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I want to give a shout-out to the city team and their outreach to the community, especially with what's going on on the Southside construction. Got three pretty large projects going on, and they're just asking everyone for patience if anybody's listening out there. But thank you to the team for putting out their information because it definitely has been very difficult to get this information to constituents over the past few years, and light at the end of the tunnel. So, Airport Road, South Meadows intersection, and the trail extension are all underway. And so that's a few projects in our district that are creating quite a lot of disruption to traffic flow. And so patience is what we really would like to have from our community members. And then just on a lighter note, I wish my wife and my sister, my sister's birthday is today. My wife's will be next week. So, happy birthday to them. And Councilor Chavez, I know you're not in your seat, but you're the next up in the role on the disc. Thank you, Mayor. Yeah, it's a lot of birthdays in March. So, I want to wish my brother a happy birthday. His birthday is March 9th. My great colleague and one of my best friends, Councilor Faulner, her birthday is March 6th. And then my son turned 14 on March 5th. And just focus on him a little bit. He makes us proud every day. He has a heart of gold. I don't think we could walk through Milagro Middle School without a teacher stopping us and thanking us for having him exist because he just makes the world a better place. He also, he missed his tournament because he got the flu for the second time. So, he missed his eighth-grade basketball tournament, which was a huge deal for him, but he showed up for his team when he could, and he was nominated a player or a top player. I don't know what they called it, but he got an extra award just for his athleticism this year on the basketball team. So, you know, he's just making gains as he's getting older, and I'm really proud of him. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Chavez. Councilor Barrett. I was going to say, Councilor Bamante and I were able to attend the fundraiser for Corazon de Corazones. I think they raised $8,000. They're trying to open a free clinic. And shout out to Piper also in Backroads because they host all these awesome fundraisers all the time. And then just shout out to Genoveva Chavez, Genoveva Chavez Center. I'm there every Saturday. Today was our first indoor season for Northern at Genoveva Chavez. They just do all the things, and we're always there ice skating, you know, playing sports, the pool. So, they just do everything, and thank you so much for all you do. Thank you, Mayor. I would also like to shout out the Travis Center. They've been, they have been doing a great job. I've also been spending a fair amount of time there now that I have my city employee membership. It's quite lovely. I would like to tell folks that Councilor Castro and I and the county, two of the commissioners from the county who are on the Area 1B working negotiating team, we are going to have a public input session. We are still pinning down exact details. It will most likely be the 19th, a week from tomorrow, next Thursday, somewhere. We're trying to find a room, but that is, that is the plan to have it the 19th at 6:00 p.m. There will also be plenty more opportunity for discussion once we have a plan that is going forward, which we hope to have in April. So, hopefully, we will be able to report back to you with what is coming out of those negotiations and public comment and get that moving this spring. And that is all I have. Thanks. Thank you, Councilor. The only thing I want to do is just give a shout-out to our public utilities team, Director Roach and his team. They worked to get an appropriation from working through Teresa Led, Representative Teresa Ledger Fernandez's office. There's a $2.3 million check. So, we actually had two check ceremonies in the chamber today. One this morning, one this afternoon. But that will help to ensure that we have clean water and work to produce effluent. As we all know, effluent has become a high commodity, and these resources will work to ensure that our wastewater treatment plant is on the up and up. So again, thanks to the city team as well as Representative Ledger Fernandez for that. No other updates on my behalf. Can we move to item 21 that we're getting close to public comment? I think we can get through. We still have introduction of legislation that you wanted. Oh yeah, put it before introduction of legislation and public comment or continue on and then at seven we move to public comments where we're at. I would say. I withdraw my motion. As we can, I think we can quickly get through a couple things. I'll read fast, Councilor. All right, moving on to introduction of legislation. 16A is consideration of a resolution. This is sponsored by Mayor Michael Garcia. It's a resolution authorizing the sale and consumption of beer and hard cider during the Party on the Pitch soccer tournament on May 30th, 2026, pursuant to Section 23-6.2C SFCC1987. Okay. I think it's self-explanatory. 16B is consideration of a bill number 2026-8 and adoption of an ordinance. This is sponsored by Councilor Alma Castro. It's a bill amending Section 23-6 SFCC1987 to remove the resolution requirement for the purpose of approving sales and consumption of alcohol at public events on city property and requiring that the governing body approval be recorded in regular governing body minutes upon the City Clerk's recommendation for approval. Councilor Castro. Very interesting that these two are on the same docket, but because we so often hear these resolutions, I think it would be appropriate for staff to take the lead on these. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor. Next item, please. Item 16C is consideration of bill number 2026-5 in adoption of an ordinance. This is sponsored by Councilor Amanda Chavez and Councilor Pilar Faulner. It's a bill authorizing the execution and delivery of a water project fund loan grant agreement by and between the New Mexico Finance Authority and the City of Santa Fe in the total amount of $2,500,000, including a loan in the amount of $1 million, evidencing an obligation of the borrower grantee to utilize the loan grant amount solely for the purpose of financing the cost of designing McClure Dam to the outlet conduit and spillway, including related work and revisions, and solely in the manner described in the loan grant agreement. Providing for the pledge and payment of the loan amount and administrative fee solely from the net revenues of the water utility system of the borrower grantee, certifying that the loan grant amount together with other funds available to the borrower grantee is sufficient to complete the project. Approving the form of and other details concerning the loan grant agreement. Ratifying actions heretofore taken. Repealing all actions inconsistent with this ordinance and authorizing the taking of other actions in connection with the execution and delivery of the loan grant agreement. Okay, Councilor Chavez or Councilor Faulner. I think that caption is very detailed. So, I think we are good. Thanks, J, for reading it. Councilor Faulner. Okay, next item, please. Okay, item D is consideration of a resolution. This is sponsored by Mayor Michael Garcia. It's approving budget amendments and requesting that New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration approve the City of Santa Fe's second quarter budget amendments for fiscal year 2026. Okay, I think that one is self-explanatory as well. Next item on the agenda, please. Next item on the agenda is petitions from the floor. So, now can I make the motion that we do appointments, Mayor? Okay. Okay. So, what is the item appointments? Item 21. Okay. So, there's a motion to move directly to item 21. Is there a second? Second. There's a second. Any discussion? Sure. Sure. Absolutely. Just want to clarify for the public the reason that we are jumping because I saw somebody getting up ready. Is that we do not start petitions from the floor public comment until 7 o'clock. So, we want to, we, the way it was done in the past didn't work very well. So, that is why we are jumping over that. And at 7 p.m. we will be shooting right on back over. So, thank you. Any other discussion on this item? None. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Yes, Mayor. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Barrett? Yes. Councilor Bamante? Yes. Councilor Casset? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Faulner? Yes. Councilor Fagali? Yes. Motion passed. Okay. Can you take us to the next item, please? Next item is 21A. Appointments. Is there appointments to the Charter Review Commission? Pamela Ray, appointed by Mayor Michael Garcia, with a term ending April 2027. Renee Varang, appointed by Councilor Castro, with a term ending April 2027. Maria Perez, appointed by Councilor Fagali, term ending April 2027. Brandon Vega, appointed by Councilor Bamante, with a term ending April 2027. Rod Gold, appointed by Councilor Barrett, with a term ending April 2027. Kendell Chavez, appointed by Councilor Falner, term ending April 2027. John Paul Granil, appointed by Councilor Garcia, with a term ending April 2027. Roberta Duran, appointed by Councilor Casset, with a term ending April 2027. And Lily May Ortiz, appointed by Councilor Chavis, with a term ending April 2027. Motion to approve. Second. So we got a motion and a second. Any discussion? Hearing none. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Yes, Mayor. Councilor Barrett? Yes. Councilor Bamante? Yes. Councilor Cassett? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Falner? Yes. Councilor Fagali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Motion passed. Moving on to 21B. This is appointments to the Human Services Committee. Oran Block, appointment with a term ending March 2028. And Mark Glasser, appointment with a term ending March 2028. Move to approve. Second. So, we've got a motion and a second. Any discussion there? None. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Councilor Bamante? Yes. Councilor Cassett? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Falner? Yes. Councilor Fagali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Barrett? Yes. Motion passed. I'd like to make a motion that we suspend our rules and go straight to petitions from the floor. Second. We've got a motion and a second to go directly to petitions from the floor. Any discussion? None. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Michael, if you'd please set up the timer. Oh, wait, wait, wait. Not yet. But we got our... Sorry. Okay. Yes. Let's go with roll call vote. Councilor Casset? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Falner? Yes. Councilor Fagali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Barrett? Yes. Councilor Bamante? Yes. Motion passed. Okay. So, we are going to move now directly to item number 17, which is petitions from the floor. If any members of the public would like to address the governing body, now is the time to do so. As noted by the City Clerk, each individual will have two minutes to address the governing body. And as folks address the governing body, please state your name and your council district and your address if you'd like. Mayor, if I may, before we begin, if we can get the timer on the screen. Thank you, Michael. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor, members of the Council. My name is Tony Gerich. I am not sure what district I am in. I think, let's see, I am, I think I'm in Councilor Barrett's district because I was in Councilor Garcia's district. And I come here to advocate for a petition, not a petition, but a resolution that was passed at last year's City Council by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. I was a member of that and still am a member of that committee, as well as a board member of Bike Santa Fe. And thanks to then Councilor Garcia's leadership, we did pass a resolution that the cycling community was very excited about. And the current cycling community is not really sure what the impact of that resolution has been on our community. And I just wanted to read very quickly, the resolution did establish or was to establish a regular inspection schedule to assess the condition of the city's bicycles and pedestrian infrastructure, develop and maintain a geographic information system based inventory on the physical condition of each element of the city's bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and then use that to prioritize maintenance and development. Terrific resolution. And last week at the Bike Santa Fe's Winter Social, which Councilor Bustamante and Barrett attended, thank you. We had many questions. What was the effect of that resolution? Can we see the impact of it? And no answer for it. And I'm assuming that it got folded into the infrastructure and into the guts of the city's funding mechanisms. But it would be great if we knew exactly what that is and how much and where and all of that and make this resolution integral and implemented with fidelity. Thanks very much. Speaker, please. Garcia, counselors, my name is Roberto Ryal. I live in District 1. I'm here to talk about the obelisk again. I strongly urge you to not spend any money on this obelisk anymore. I know you're spending some money now to take some pieces to the museum. I hope it is very temporary. I think the only expenditure that should be made for this obelisk is to take it to the city dump. I've come here before. I've said this several times. I will continue to say this. The monument is egregious. It's just very egregious. The native folks here do not want it. It's a slap in the face. The Union soldiers, people like to say how the Union soldiers saved New Mexico from the Confederacy. That's true. Got to give them credit for that, obviously. But that doesn't absolve them for hanging indigenous peoples on the plaza. I think we don't need monuments to genocide, basically. Monuments around the country from the Confederate soldiers and on and on with massacres. They're taking down those monuments. I think we should continue that and not honor genocide, which is just plain and simple. And I just really strongly, strongly urge you to get rid of that. Take it to the dump. Thank you. And I will be back again whenever it comes up on the agenda. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Hello, my name is Marcia Emerton. I'm in District 4, and I wasn't going to talk about the obelisk at all, but I have an idea. If you've ever seen John Lennon's memorial in Central Park, it's like a 12-foot circle. It says "Imagine" in the middle. It's a mosaic. What if we did one that just said "Remember"? Now, on to what I came to talk about. I'm here to talk about the hotel that's happening or whatever at the corner of Cerrillos and St. Francis. They did jump through all the hoops to get it going. That's not the problem. I just think it's a seriously bad idea trying to put two turn lanes in there on the corner, and you can't. There used to be an old saying, "You can't get there from here." It's true in a lot of Santa Fe, and that's definitely going to be true. When you're coming to the north on St. Francis, you can't turn left to get into the turn lanes. It's just in the wrong place. As one of the planning commissions said during that meeting, it's like 10 pounds of sausage trying to go into a five-pound bag. I think that was Mr. Scott. It made me laugh, but I think it's true. It's just the wrong place. Oh, the other thing is, just because you can doesn't mean you should. I say this to small children a lot, and I think it's true of this. It's just a wrong place for it. Now, what is the procedure for this? I have no idea, and I can't get any answers. I've written several letters, different people. What is the recourse? And I don't know how to find that out. And I'm probably asking a question, and you guys can't talk back to, but if anyone has any ideas, I'll be somewhere. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. My name is Pelican Lee. I live in District 1, and I'm also here to talk about the Marriott Hotel that's proposed for St. Francis and Cerrillos. Mostly the traffic problems there are already not great. I go through, I live near there. I go through that intersection most every day. And when a train comes through, especially at rush hour, sometimes it takes three lights to get through that intersection, and that's without that hotel there. So, I think that the idea of having all those people additional trying to get in and out of that intersection so close to the lights is just not a good idea. And this passed the planning commission barely by one vote. So, I also don't know what the recourse is, but I think that the traffic problems itself are really bad. But also the parking, they're allowing for one parking place for each room. But where are the employees going to park when it's Indian Market or the management if that hotel is full? Where are they going to park? There's no parking in that area that's available for people like that who might be employees. So, it's a bad idea. That's all I got to say. Next speaker, please. Good evening. My name is Alena Shaskkovski, and I'm part of District 2. Honorable Mayor and counselors, thank you for the opportunity to comment tonight. I read on the news that Mayor Garcia's goal with the resolution accepted by the governing body tonight regarding the remnants of the obelisk is intended to help the community move forward in the interest of the broader benefits of all of us here in Ogapog. Unfortunately, I'm concerned that the resolution does not address the underlying issue, which is namely the base of the monument. And while I share the interests of everyone who supports unity and healing, it is painfully apparent in the passionate commentary we've heard even tonight that the continued presence of any part of this monument in the plaza does not promote unity or healing. In my few short years here as a guest on Taywa homelands in Noap, I've learned that the monument is far more than a symbol for Civil War soldiers. It is a reminder of the violent impacts of colonization of this land and the ongoing harmful legacy that infects indigenous people today. Prolonging the process of removing the monument continues to perpetuate indigenous erasure and reinforces the message that the longer history of this place, the history that existed way before 1868, does not matter as much. Regardless of what happens with the loan decision, I urge the Mayor and counselor to not only make any subsequent decision with the consultation and engagement of native folks directly impacted by the racist plaque and oppressive symbol that this monument to colonizer warfare represents, but also honor the promise of a future plaza that celebrates and uplifts a vibrant city where the land, her original stewards, and all her current residents are honored. An open space of plants and possibility. Thank you. Next speaker, please. My name is Stan Diamond. Public version of the... You could just try to speak into the mic, please. Okay. It's dusk, and I'm driving back to Santa Fe from the Albuquerque airport. I'm tired from a long day's travel as I navigate to seek the surreal sign. There it is. I squint a note on the east side of I-25. What appears to be a flashback to my youth. Stacks of Good & Plenty boxes containing the Gisha light. Rice was right. The Gish fine. I blinked the fantasy away to focus on what is. As the black and white boxes devolve into schools at parking building, the same black and white color equally evolve presentations. Not ready for acceptance of what I deem dine onslaught of the integrity of what makes Santa Fe unique, I retreat to another rationale. I must have slipped into a coma, a functional coma, causing me to overshoot my exit by 400 miles, landing in Denver. As I sober from noting landmarks familiar, the defunct shopping center, the fully operational Walmart, I'm faced with a sad reality. A city different is now moving to look like the city. Dallas, Phoenix, Denver. Enough elaborate. Where do we go from here? The good news is that remediating the incursion is an easy fix. Paint them the same earth as the neighboring apartment complexes. There are so many reasons, traditions, to remain consistent with our architecture, our history. Please, let's pay attention and respond. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening, Mayor, Counselors. Martinez, District One. I wanted to say I attended the March 8th meeting of the Planning Commission when the non-elected officials approved the facts and finding conclusion for the new Marriott Hotel at the intersection. At that meeting, that gave us 30 days to appeal. So far, I've not seen an appeal, and their decision that needs to be a four-story hotel that is planned for that intersection is a disastrous decision. My hope is that within that time period, one of our elected officials will say, "Let's appeal," or maybe all you guys will say, "Let's bring it to us and let's make a real decision on it," because right now you guys don't have to make a decision on it because the commission already did, and you guys washed your hands. That's not the way it should be. Something that bleak should be represented by our elected officials to come up and say that we don't really like what's going on there. I mean, if we really want to look at it, if you look from Cerrillos Road from Osage all the way down to even the end of Cerrillos Road, there are no four-story buildings that are butted up to the road. This is only a 65-foot setback for this four-story building. Everything else is all single, two-story buildings at high. I mean, you could ask that hotel to come down to two stories, make this better. A four-story building at that intersection is just not right for this intersection. And I think you guys here have the power to do that. Come back and look at it. Make a decision for Santa Fe. This is our town and your town too. I just don't feel that this hotel is at the right place, and somebody needs to stand up and say, "You know, Rick is right," at least one time. Say, "I'm right one time." But to me, I just think the way the decision was made by the Planning Commission, a previous speaker said it was a split vote that broke by a tie. Some of those commissioners knew this wasn't the right thing for it, and I just think that we have an opportunity here, you guys have an opportunity here, to say, "Let's take a look at it. Let us make the decision, not let non-elected officials make this decision for this hotel." And I thank you. Thank you. And next speaker, please. Good evening, Mayor, Counselors. I concur with what Mr. Martinez just said. I'm supposed to say... Get your name and... I'm nervous. No worries. It's okay. I've thought a lot about what is the purpose of zoning, and I think that there are many reasons to appeal, as Mr. Martinez said. But I would like to address specific... The Supreme Court of the United States in 1926 decided the case of Euclid v. Ambler, which became the basis for zoning laws all over the United States, as communities tried to institute zoning that would benefit the wider community as far as land use, height, and community use versus single entity or business. I think these are very important principles to keep forward in our mind. We also have the due process clause of the 14th Amendment that we need to appeal when there's a good basis for appeal to protect public health, safety, welfare. When Justice Brandeis wrote for the majority in this decision, I only found this today, he talked about also the appropriateness that only the community knows a particular place or a particular piece, and having a pig in the barnyard versus a pig in the parlor. And I think you can probably guess where I think the pig belongs. Thank you so much. Next speaker, please. All right. So, I'm here to talk about the obelisk. I'm here... Sir, can you please state your name? You already know. You already know. You already know. You already know. Can you please state your name for the record, sir? I mean, how about this? I'll make you a deal. When the police officers are allowed to ask immigrants for their immigration status, I'll give you my name. Can you please state your name for the record, sir? No. I'm in your district, so I'll be getting you out next election. So, are you going to let me speak? Speak, sir. All right. So, let's talk about the hotel. The hotel, four stories tall, doesn't need to be that tall. It's a waste of space, waste time, waste energy. It's going to bring a few construction jobs. It's going to bring a tiny few jobs to the actual city. It's going to make our skyline look ugly. Going to destroy it. So, there's that. Let's talk about the obelisk. The obelisk is part of our history. It has been here since the 1800s. Yes, people are upset. We can't change the past. We can only move to the future. When that obelisk was destroyed in 2020, it was not even took into court by the city, and that person brought up on charges. It was let go. So that told me right there the city didn't care. We need to rebuild that obelisk. It is our history. It is part of our pictures. It is part of our history. So if you want to look past history and you want to just say, "Oh, okay. We're just going to let history go," why have history books? Why even look back in the histories that is there? Yes, it may be a hard thing for people to see, but it's there, and it's going to stay there. You know, you guys want to lose our history. Stop giving our city, our history, and our everything away. Let us be us. Sir, your time is expired. Next speaker, please. Hi, good evening. It sounds so quiet compared to where I've just been. I can tell you about that another time. My name is Elizabeth West, and it's too bad the gentleman before me didn't give his name because I happened to agree with much of what he said. Maybe not the way he said it. I know one time I was talking to some people who I was having a real disagreement with, and I got heated, and I in the end apologized for being heated, but I did not apologize for what I said. So, and that happens a lot. I basically, you know, I've sent you all an email at some point, and I have been out of commission. I've been too busy. So, I haven't, I didn't come last week, I mean, last meeting. And I just want to say that my idea... Sorry, I don't know. I needed to go out to dinner instead of come here. I can't swallow anything. Excuse me. I think the intention that the governing body has at the direction of the Mayor, I believe, to move forward about the Soldiers Monument is excellent. And I salute that. I think it is time to make a decision. And some of you probably know what my decision would like to be. I kind of agree with the gentleman who spoke just before me. I don't believe Santa Fe needs to be afraid of its history. However, if you decide to make some kind of a compromise in order to work things out, that's your choice. I actually think it would help if one of you were an agent to appear before the H board, and you could just get a designation of status. It will make things easier. It doesn't determine at all what the treatment will be or what you will be doing. I have three seconds left. I'm so proud of myself. Thank you very much. You guys are doing really well. I'm rather impressed, quite frankly. Thank you. Are there any other members of the audience that would like to address the governing body? Madam City Clerk, is there anybody online? Yes, Mayor. There is one hand raised in the Zoom room. Stephanie Benonato. Good evening. Can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you. Stephanie Benonato, District 2. I wanted to just say about EPRA that I think part of the problem is that the departments don't respond in a timely way. I've been waiting to hear about citations for lack of sidewalks and curbs in the 1100 block of Don Cubo, which you, Mayor, are quite aware of since you asked twice to have those curbs and sidewalks repaired. And two and a half months later, I have gotten no response. And this is a big problem in terms of also asking now why you want the request. That really flies in the face of the law. In terms of the obelisk, it's nice to say that it should be statused, but there's not the structure does not remain as it was. It is more than half destroyed. And I don't see how the board could status it at all. It's just kicking the can down the road to think that you should take it to the H board. And you also have an ordinance that talks about non-conforming buildings cannot be repaired or replaced but only removed. And I think that is the controlling statute here or ordinance. And I think that you should pay attention to that because it helps direct what you can and cannot do. And then I just have questions about your selection of charter commission members. I noticed, I know that the Mayor encouraged people to apply but said that it didn't really matter that each counselor could pick whoever they wanted. And I noticed that a lot of the people, maybe half even, were on the former commission. Maybe that's not a bad idea. I noticed there was a sort of reciprocity in certain picks where somebody had supported somebody, and now that counselor is supporting that person for the commission. And I just wonder too, I didn't notice that any one of these members is a lawyer. Not that I think it should be lawyer dominated, but it is about the law, and it seems to me that it would be helpful to have had at least one lawyer on the charter commission. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any other members of the public online that would like to provide comment? Mayor, no other hands are raised. Okay. With that being said, let's go ahead and move on to our next item on the agenda, please. Next item on the agenda is 18. This is public comment on bills. First public comment, no action. 18A is consideration of Bill Number 2026-3 and adoption of an ordinance. This is sponsored by Mayor Michael Garcia. It's a bill relating to city administration amending Section 2- SFCC1987 to reorganize certain city departments, creating new sections of code to include 2-8.10, 2-8.11, 2-8.12, 2-8.13, 2-8.14, and 2-8.15. Amending Section 2-8.1 SFCC1987 to include a general provision section and Exhibit A. Amending Section 2-8.2 to rename Community Health and Safety Department to Community Services Department and to include Youth and Family Services and Recreation and to remove the Office of Emergency Management. Amending Section 2-8.3 SFCC 1987 to eliminate the Community Development Department. Amending 2-8.4 to establish the Office of Emergency Management and changing the name from Office of Emergency Management to Emergency Management Department. Amending Section 2-8.5 creating a new department, the Economic Development Department, and to include the Arts and Culture Division and the Film Division. Amending 2-8.6 creating a department, the Land Use Department, and to include the Affordable Housing Division. Amending Section 2-8.7, creating Tourism Santa Fe Department. Creating Section 2-8.14 to include a new Regional Airport Department. Creating Section 2-8.15 to include the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency and renaming it Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Department. Repealing Sections 2-14, 2-15, and 2-20 SFCC 1987. Repealing Exhibit C of SFCC 1987, City Organization. Are there any members of the public that would like to give their public comment to this item? I don't see anybody in chamber. Is there anybody online? I am City Clerk. Yes, Mayor. One hand is raised. Stephanie Beninato. Miss Beninato, the floor is yours. Good evening. Thank you. I just hope that this is, I don't know that it's really intuitive, under community services having recreation. I mean, I understand it is a service, but it wouldn't exactly be where I would have looked for it. And I'm wondering how the organization works. Like, who's reporting to whom? Are all these departments, or I guess they're departments, reporting to the city manager, or is it divided like it was before? I just hope that this is not just making things look seemingly better, but not actually functioning better. And I would love to have some discussion from the City Council about what these changes really mean. And I understand you're just introducing it tonight, but I hope that before there is a vote, that the council will discuss the organizational changes and whether it increases efficiency and also helps people find departments. And we still do not have people listing their emails under departments. It's very, very hard to find anybody's email or even phone number, too. And I thought this was going to be a change that was going to occur under this administration for transparency, and I hope that it happens sooner rather than later. Thank you. Thank you, Madam City Clerk. Are there any other folks online that would like to provide comment? No other hands are raised, Mayor. Okay. Let's move on to the next item, please. The next item is consideration of Bill Number 2026-4, an adoption of an ordinance. This is sponsored by Councilor Amanda Chavez and Councilor Alma Castro. Be it ordained by the governing body of the City of Santa Fe, authorizing the execution and delivery of a loan and subsidy agreement by and between the New Mexico Finance Authority and the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the total amount of $17 million. I apologize. Evidencing an obligation of the borrower to utilize the loan amount solely for the purpose of financing the costs of constructing a new flocculation and sedimentation process and making improvements to the Canyon Road Water Treatment Plant as a component of the system owned and operated by the borrower, and solely in the manner described in the loan agreement. Provided for the pledge and payment of the loan solely from the net revenues of the water utility system of the borrower. Certifying that the loan amount, together with other funds available to the borrower, is sufficient to complete the project. Approving the form of and other details concerning the loan agreement, ratifying actions heretofore taken, repealing all actions inconsistent with this ordinance, and authorizing the taking of other actions in connection with the execution and delivery of the loan agreement. Thank you. Are there any members of the audience that would like to speak to this item? Seeing none, Madam City Clerk, is there anybody online that would like to provide public comment to this item? Mayor, no hands are raised in the Zoom room. Okay, seeing and hearing that nobody would like to provide comment, let's move on to the next item, please. Next item is consideration of Bill Number 2026-7, an adoption of an ordinance. This is sponsored by Councilor Jamie Cassutt. It's a bill creating a new Section 2-2.10 of SFCC 1987 to establish City Attorney and City Clerk authority to correct scrivener's errors. Are there any members of the public that would like to provide public comment to this item? How about online, Madam City Clerk? Mayor, one hand is raised. Okay. Stephanie Beninato. Thank you. I just hope the term "scrivener's error" is very clearly and specifically defined so that there isn't an overreach and changing actual substantive parts of an ordinance, and it is just for grammatical errors or stylistic errors, such as "his" and "now" being "that person" or a comma or something like that. So, I do hope that term is very specifically and clearly defined in the ordinance. Thank you. Thank you, Madam City Clerk. If we can move to the next item, please. Next item is 19. This is final action on legislation. This is a public hearing. 19A is consideration of Bill Number 2024-14 and adoption of an ordinance. This is sponsored by Councilor Amanda Chavez and Councilor Anna Castro. It's a bill amending Section 25-4.1, Exhibit A, Rule Number 2, to adopt new definitions and adopting a new Rule Number 7, imposing requirements for backflow prevention and control for certain customers, imposing fees for administering the program, and imposing fines for violations. And I do have Justin Gonzalez, cross-connection specialist, in the Zoom room. Okay. Mr. Gonzalez, if you wouldn't mind, please, giving us a brief overview of the item for us. Hello. Good evening, Mayor and City Council members. Can you hear me? Yes. Okay, great. So, this ordinance would basically be giving us the ability to enforce what's already in code by having backflow prevention assemblies tested annually and having them also required where they may have been overlooked or maybe were not installed to begin with. This will provide better safety for our drinking water system and, you know, prevent any contaminants from getting back into our water system, therefore causing anyone to get any type of harm. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Gonzalez. We will now move to the public comment portion of this public hearing. Are there any members of the public that would like to address this item? Seeing nobody in the audience step forward, Madam City Clerk, is there anybody on Zoom that would like to provide public comment? Mayor, no hands are raised in the Zoom room. Okay, we will now move to questions from the governing body for this item. Seeing no questions. Okay, seeing no questions, we'll go ahead and close the public hearing portion. Any discussion or potential motion from the governing body? I move to approve. I'll second. Okay. So, we've got a motion and a second. Any discussion on the motion? Hearing none, Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Yes, Mayor. Councilor Castro? Yes. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Faulkner? Yes. Councilor Falgali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Barrett? Yes. Councilor Bamonte? Yes. Councilor Cassutt? Yes. Motion passed. Okay. Thank you, Madam City Clerk. Next item on the agenda, please. Next item is 19B. This is consideration of Bill Number 2026-1 and adoption of an ordinance. This is sponsored by Councilor Amanda Chavez. Be it ordained by the governing body of the City of Santa Fe, authorizing the execution and delivery of a Water Project Fund Loan Agreement, Loan Grant Agreement, by and between the New Mexico Finance Authority and the City of Santa Fe, in the total amount of $7,750,000, including a loan in the amount of $3,100,000, evidencing an obligation of the borrower grantee to utilize the loan grant amount solely for the purpose of financing the costs of construction of new flocculation and sedimentation improvements to the Canyon Road Water Treatment Plant, including demolition of existing clarifier equipment, structural additions, new flocculation and sedimentation equipment, all associated power controls, process and chemical piping and valves, new flocculation master control center, electrical building and associated grading and paving, potable water yard piping relocation, and all associated instrumentation, electrical, architectural, and HVAC design components, including related work and revisions, and solely in the manner described in the loan grant agreement. Providing for the pledge and payment of the loan grant loan amount and an administrative fee solely from the net revenues of the water utility system of the borrower grantee. Certifying that the loan grant amount, together with other funds available to the borrower grantee, is sufficient to complete the project. Approving the form of and other details concerning the loan grant agreement. Ratifying actions heretofore taken, repealing all actions inconsistent with this ordinance, and authorizing the taking of other actions in connection with the execution and delivery of the loan grant agreement. And we have Alan Hook, Water Resources Coordinator, here to present. Thank you, Madam City Clerk. Mr. Hook, the floor is yours for presentation. Honorable Mayor, Councilors, it's a very detailed description. I don't know if I have much more to say. But this is complementary to the previous bill that was introduced with the revolving loan fund. Again, the good news is we've got $4,650,000 as a grant. The other $3 million is going to come as a loan. Those loans, the loan itself, the term of the loan is 20 years at a quarter of 1%. That'll be covered by the utility revenues. And so this is going to be advantageous to us as a utility. It's going to increase, along with our filter plant upgrades, to estimate approximately 12 million gallons a day. Comparatively, so we're at 9 to 9 and a half max right now. So it's definitely an upgrade for that facility. And with that, I'll stand for any questions and also public. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Hook. Now is the public comment portion of this agenda item. Are there any members of the public that would like to speak to this? Seeing none in the chambers, how about online, Madam City Clerk? Mayor, no hands are raised in the Zoom room. Okay. How about we'll go and move to questions from the governing body? Being none, we'll go ahead and close the public hearing portion of this agenda item. We'll move to now discussion or potential motion. I move to approve. Second. So, we've got a motion and a second. Any discussion on the motion? Hearing none, Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Yes, Mayor. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Faulkner? Yes. Councilor Falgali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Barrett? Yes. Councilor Bamonte? Yes. Councilor Cassutt? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Motion passed. Okay. Thank you, Madam City Clerk. I believe that completes our agenda for tonight. So, we stand adjourned.