Regular Governing Body Meeting - Second Wednesday Wed, Jul 8, 2026 · Governing Body https://santafeminutes.space/meeting/921 == Executive Summary == The Governing Body approved its agenda with one item removed and passed the consent agenda. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to public comments, primarily concerning a proposed resolution for seasonal road closures around the Plaza. Many residents expressed strong opposition to the closures, citing concerns about the cultural significance of "cruising the Plaza," potential negative impacts on local businesses, and a perceived lack of data supporting the change. Some speakers supported the closures, believing they would enhance pedestrian safety and benefit businesses. Councilors also discussed various community events, including "Girls Incorporated" and the J.B. White Memorial Tournament, and recognized Santa Fe's ranking as the #1 city by Travel and Leisure. Concerns were raised by Councilors Chavez and Cassett regarding a lack of communication about events happening in their districts, which the Mayor addressed by encouraging direct communication rather than public criticism. The Governing Body introduced a bill to clarify park impact fees and a resolution to authorize the City Manager to submit an updated Santa Fe Trails Title IV program. == Key Decisions == - Approved the agenda with the removal of Item 9I. - Approved the consent agenda. - Introduced Bill 2026-14 for consideration and adoption, clarifying park impact fees. - Introduced a resolution for consideration and approval, authorizing the City Manager to submit the updated Santa Fe Trails Title IV program to the Federal Transit Administration. == Motions & Votes == - Approval of Agenda (with amendment to remove Item 9I) — Passed (vote count not specified). - Approval of Consent Agenda — Passed (vote count not specified). == Public Comment == The public comment period was dominated by discussion on a proposed resolution for seasonal road closures around the Plaza. The overwhelming majority of speakers opposed the closures, emphasizing the cultural importance of "cruising the Plaza" for families and youth, questioning the justification for the closures, and expressing concerns about negative impacts on local businesses and the potential for "temporary" closures to become permanent. Speakers like Ronald Trujillo and Maya Martinez argued the closures would divide the community and were an unnecessary change. Conversely, Lauren Leib supported the measure, believing it would increase safe access for locals, reduce congestion, and benefit businesses. One speaker, Mr. Vigil, also urged the Governing Body to prioritize rebuilding the Soldiers' Monument. == Topics == - Plaza Road Closure == Full Transcript == I'd like to call tonight's governing body meeting to order. We will go ahead and start with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilor Faulkner, a salute to the New Mexico flag led by Councilor Cassette, and an invocation of remembrance led by Councilor Fagali. Please stand as you're able. I'd just like for all of us to take a moment and think about this great city that we live in and the community that we have here, and to take a moment to remember those who are not with us and who are not fortunate to live in such a great place. Are there any remembrances from governing body members? Okay. Seeing none, let's just take a moment to keep those in our thoughts, those in our community who are in need. Thank you, everybody. Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call, please? Certainly, Mayor. Councilor Bustamante? Here. Councilor Cassette? Here. Councilor Castro? Presente. Councilor Chavez? Here. Councilor Faulkner? Here. Councilor Fagali? Here. Councilor Garcia? Here. Mayor Garcia? Present. You have a quorum, Mayor. Thank you. Next up is approval of tonight's agenda. Are there any changes from staff? Yes, Mayor. Item 9I is removed because it was postponed at the July 6 Finance Committee meeting. Move to approve as amended. Second. Okay. Any discussion on the motion? Hearing none, Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Yes, Mayor. Councilor Bustamante? Yes. Councilor Cassette? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Councilor Faulkner? Yes. Councilor Fagali? Here. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Motion passed. Okay. Next up is consent agenda. Were there any items pulled? No, ma'am. No items were removed from the consent agenda. Move to approve. Second. Got a motion and a second. Any discussion? Hearing none, Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Certainly, Mayor. Councilor Cassette? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Faulkner? Yes. Councilor Fagali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Bustamante? Yes. Motion passed. Okay. With that being said, we're going to move on to item 10. Correct me if I'm wrong. Action items, discussion agenda? You are correct, Mayor. Could you please? Item 10A is a request for approval of Amendment Number One to the General Services Contract Item Number 23-0689 with Vector Airport Systems to extend the term to December 19, 2026, for the collection of aircraft landing fees and parking fees at the Santa Fe Regional Airport. And here to answer any questions is Interim Airport Director Jimmy Gunn. Move to approve. Second. Afternoon. Okay. We've got a motion and a second. Are there any requests for presentations, questions, comments from governing body members? Hearing none, Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Yes, Mayor. Councilor Cassette? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Faulkner? Yes. Councilor Fagali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Bustamante? Yes. Motion passed. Great. Thank you. And thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Councilors. Absolutely. And just for the record, Interim Director Gunn, thank you for your service in your interim role. Much, much appreciated, and you've been a tremendous help in making sure the airport's been moving forward. So thank you. Thank you, sir. Councilor Garcia. Mr. Gunn, real quick, also as Chair of the Airport Advisory Committee, I want to thank you in our public meeting for what you've done to keep the airport going. Your leadership, your passion for our airport and the staff and the people that are there. It's very evident, just chairing the committee and listening to the people that are there. So I appreciate that wholeheartedly and want to thank you for what you've done. Thank you, Councilor Garcia. Appreciate every single one of you. Thank you. Next item on the agenda, please. Madam City Clerk. Next item on the agenda is matters from the City Manager. Mr. Mayor, Councilors, I just want to start by thanking everybody from the fire on last Thursday from Saint Catherine's. I want to thank the Fire Department, the Police Department. We're still dealing with that, but I want to thank everybody and the continuous efforts we've been doing throughout the week. So I want to thank them for all that. Also want to thank everybody for the July 4th. I think it was a wonderful success, and I want to thank the whole city team for all they've done to put it together and then put it back to normal. So I want to thank that. And I'll end with I have July's five-year anniversaries. So I'm going to start with five years and work to twenty-five. So I don't have too many, but I want to honor these employees that have done a tremendous job. So I'll start with Gerald Martinez. He works in Public Works, and he has five years. I have Mike Martinez. He works in Public Utilities. He has five years. I have Caitlin Naranjo. She was in General Government. She has five years. Anna Watson, she works in Community Service. She has five years. Sofia Barefoot has in Community Service, and she has ten years. Jared Nix, she's a police officer. She has ten years. Daniel, if I'm saying this wrong, I'm sorry. Tinoco. He has ten years. Dennis Mades, a police sergeant, he has ten years. Jordan White, police detective, ten years. Ian Freeman, police detective, ten years. Brandon Beets, police detective, ten years. We have Sean Montoya with Facilities, Public Works. He has fifteen years. We have Tim Beheel with Public Utilities, twenty years. Allison Ararane, in Libraries, she has twenty years. And Ernest Ortiz, he's in Public Utilities, and he has twenty-five years. So, those are the lists for July. That's all I have, Mayor. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Madam City Clerk. Next item. Next item 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 for the matters as noticed in the agenda. I move that we enter into executive session in accordance with the Open Meetings Act and MSA 1978 Section 10-15-1 Subpar H7, meeting subject to attorney-client privilege, pertaining to threatened or pending litigation in which the city is or may become a participant, including not limited to NMED versus City of Santa Fe WQCC 24-335, and Subpar H8, meeting for the discussion of purchase, acquisition, or disposal of real property or water rights by the city. 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 Castro? Yes. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Faulkner? Yes. Councilor Fagali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Bustamante? Yes. Councilor Cassette? Yes. Motion passed. Okay. We stand in recess as we enter into executive session. There's enough of us to come back into session. So, but then does somebody have a motion to make? I move that pursuant to the Open Meetings Act Section 10-15-1J, I move that the governing body reconvene in open session and state for the record the matters discussed in closed session were limited to those specified on the motion for closure. Thank you. Okay. We've got a motion and a second. Any discussion? Hearing none, Madam City Clerk, can we get a roll call vote, please? Certainly, Mr. Mayor. Councilor Chavez? Yes. Councilor Faulkner? Yes. Councilor Fagali? Yes. Councilor Garcia? Yes. Councilor Bustamante? Yes. Councilor Cassette? Yes. Councilor Castro? Yes. Motion passed. Next item on the agenda, please. We will move on to matters from the City Clerk. I just want to remind folks that on Friday, July 10, movies in the park, we're going to be showing Elio. And then also a reminder of the Disability Pride Parade that will be on Saturday, July 18. That's all I have, Mayor. We'll move on to communications from the governing body. Okay. We'll go ahead and start on my right, Councilor Fagali. Thank you, Mayor. We've had some really good events in the Plaza and a bunch of concerts in the Railyard as well as soccer viewing events in the Railyard. They've been really great. IFAM starts, I believe, tonight is the opening concert. So we've got a lot of things going on. And before our next governing body meeting, we will be watching the final. I'm going to go ahead and say, "Go Morocco" right now. But July 19, we'll be at the Railyard for a free viewing of the final for the World Cup. Thanks. Councilor Chavez. Thank you. Yeah. I want to thank the staff for everything that's going on. I think summer is always that crazy, well, summer, early fall is always the crazy season that consumes a lot of energy, and everything just goes smoothly and is really wonderful for our community because of our city staff. So I just want to shout out the city staff. I do want to bring up something, though. So there is a Richards Avenue micro community meeting next week. Unfortunately, I was made aware of it through Facebook. I had no idea that it was being scheduled. I was not collaborated with. Neither was my counterpart, Councilor Cassette. I think this is the third or fourth event that I had to learn about through social media or the news, and for whatever reason, things keep being held in our district that we are completely unaware of, which is difficult. I do have a full-time job. I'm also a single mom of three kids. So it would be very nice to have some idea before a week's notice and preferably not finding out by social media. You know, I've never ran into this issue until recently, honestly. So, I'm a little confused as to what is going on, but it makes things quite difficult. So if that can be addressed in some way or another, it's quite the pattern for only being halfway through the year. But I would appreciate that just so that we can, I can rearrange my personal life, my work life, my single mom life to make sure that I can be in attendance. That would be very helpful. So I do want to shine light on that. Sorry that I was unaware to my constituents. I had no idea this was taking place until you did, as for many other events that have been scheduled this year. So my apologies for that. But if District 4 can be kept in the loop at some point this year, that would be very helpful. Thank you very much. Councilor Garcia. Thank you, Mayor. I don't have anything tonight. I, well, we have some stuff coming down, going down District 3 here shortly, but I'll defer to my counterpart. He has a lot more information on this. Thank you. Councilor Faulkner. Yeah. So, I want to start with the big fire that happened, the structure fire. There was a lot of light on the firefighters, but I also want to note that we also have EMS, as all firefighters are trained in EMS, and our EMS team had to pick up a heavy load. It was a very, very busy night. And I think, like, the Fire Department in total was amazing because they were fighting this huge fire, and then they also, the EMS crews, like, the ambulance crews didn't have the backup that they normally have. And so I think the Fire Department did an amazing job. I'm no surprise. Councilor Faulkner loves the Fire Department. But I do want to commend the Fire Department because that was a crazy night. There were some very serious accidents and some incidences that took that normally would have taken bigger crews, but they managed to get it done. And so I'm really happy about that. And I also want to note that the drones were used, and it worked, and it was awesome. So I think Councilor Bustamante and I are both thrilled about that, that the drones actually were very helpful to the Fire Department. So we're excited about that. District 3, we are hosting our second annual Back to School Bash on August 1. I know all of you have been supportive and attended, and this is going to be, it should be really big. It's going to have, like, Saint Vincent's Hospital has moved their regional healthcare event to, to this event on the South Side. Girls Incorporated, we're really thrilled about our partnership. The LENSIG 360 has joined this event. We have so many vendors and so many amazing partners. We're trying to give kids experiences in pods, in groups of kids. So we have five snowboards that Coca-Cola donated, and then the Ski Valley is giving free passes and lessons to the kids who get the snowboards. That's just one. There are so many. We're doing art stuff that kids get, and they get lessons, and they get equipment. We're doing soccer. We're doing country club memberships. So we're giving, what's that? Bikes. Oh, and bikes. Yes. What's cool about this event, I'm super excited about it, but what's cool is our big community partners: Anquorum, HomeWise, Housing Trust, Coca-Cola, Albertson's, Sam's, the fire department, the City of Santa Fe. It's endless, the amount of people who are leaning into this event. And we're thrilled because we can give kids in our district the opportunity to have some experiences they may not be able to have otherwise. And so we're super excited about it, and I hope you all can attend and volunteer because it's gotten bigger. I also just want to mention that I think it would be good if something's happening in our districts, I think it would be awesome if the counselors knew that it was happening. Right? I do think if I'm, I feel like it's decorum and professionalism that there have been issues that I've heard about from constituents in other counselors' districts. And I always reach out to those counselors before I engage and just say, "This is in your district. This is what's happening." And so I think it's really important because if we don't speak to each other about what we're doing in each other's districts, then it appears that the council and the administration, or the council District 3 and District 4, aren't talking to each other. I really do think it's important that if we're doing business in the districts in Santa Fe, we genuinely need to let the counselors know so the counselors can be an active participant in helping their constituents learn about the event and help actually do the event. Because I feel like all of us are willing to help if we just know that it's happening. Thank you, Mayor. Councilor Castro: Hello. Thank you. So I have also, thank you to the fire department. Thank you for what's going on in St. Catharines. It was actually a few days that that was smoldering. Some of the information that I got about the drones actually got put into effect during that, so that's awesome. I also wanted to note that on the 16th at 6:00 PM, there is the Fort Marcy Park Improvement Community Engagement Meeting finally. So if you are interested in what's going on at Fort Marcy, the updates around that park, and have any concerns about what's going on there, please be a part of that community meeting on the 16th at 6:00 PM. It will be at the gazebo at Fort Marcy Park, is my understanding. Thank you so much. That's all for me. Councilor Cassett: Thank you, Mayor. I also want to echo the amount of work that staff puts in during the summer months and just event after event, as well as the regular business of the city, giant fires. Really just an incredible, this is, a former city manager Blair used to call this "silly season" because it's just constant. So, I really appreciate how much the staff puts out. You know, it's the summer. Normally, this is the time people like to go on vacations, and we just have our teams working overtime. And they do that to make sure that Santa Fe is a really enjoyable place during the summer. And I've heard so much appreciation from people about the number of events and activities that are occurring. And this is actually a change over the last, the time I've been in council, of this kind of comment of "there's nothing for families to do," to, I had a comment from somebody who recently moved here that was like, "I love how much stuff there is happening all the time." So, really kudos to the staff who've really put this forward. I also wanted to wish my stepfather a very happy birthday on July 20th. It's a big one. And so I am so appreciative. It's, I know it's an interesting relationship to figure out when you come into a stepchild's life as an adult. So, but he is an incredible Pop-Pop to my kids and a really wonderful partner to my mother and just a, you know, really important part of our family. So I'm very excited to celebrate his birthday with him. Another event that, I actually, Councilor Travis really deserves the recognition for the city's work and city's involvement in the J.B. White Fourth Annual Memorial Tournament. That'll be July 17th through 19th, happening at the Chavez Center, as well as Fort Marcy and SFCC. And so I want to thank Councilor Chavez, Councilor Faulkner. We were able to put forward our sponsorships for these different centers throughout the weekend to make sure that this was an affordable tournament. Really important, raising money to recognize the legacy of J.B. White and also, how can we help with gun violence prevention, youth violence prevention, and have positive activities for youth. And Councilor Travis has just been such an incredible partner with Jude and with Roland Jones from our fire department and just an advocate for this. So, thank you for all your work there. Excited to have this. And then I also just wanted to reiterate what Councilor Chavez mentioned about the upcoming meeting. You know, similar to her experience, I found out that it had been scheduled via Facebook this morning. I had had a meeting about two and a half months ago with the staff saying, "We're going to schedule this kind of looking June-ish, July-ish," and that was the last piece of information I heard. So I believe this is the fourth meeting I can count that is happening in our district over some actually pretty big things. You know, two of those were about the fireworks, three big things, the Spanish, Spanish language forum that was focusing on the South Side, which, of course, is Districts 3 and 4, and then now this for the Richards Avenue community, micro-community. I also have young children, and, you know, it is very hard to pack these into our schedule last minute. I also am hoping for some change. You know, we've talked about being a collaborative council. That was a big piece of this. So we were going to be a collaborative governing body. There was going to be communication and transparency. And this has been really challenging because not being able to show up for our constituency, and I think there have been other meetings that I wasn't aware of until it was too late, or I wasn't able to make time for them because I wasn't informed. So I really want us to be a cohesive unit. I mean, I think that's what's best for the city is that if we are working as a cohesive unit, and so we need to be informed. I don't know what's happening in other districts. But as Councilor Chavez has mentioned, District 4, we are feeling very much left in the dark and not made aware of what is happening in our district until we're hearing about it from public platforms. And so, please, please let me know, you know, Mayor, City Manager, City Clerk, whoever it is, please let me know how we can help you with this because this is important for us to be able to, you know, manage our schedules, be there for our constituents, be a part of these really important conversations. And, you know, please let us know how we can collaborate and how we can help because that's what we're here for. So thank you. Councilor Bustamante: Thank you, Mayor. Also want to give a shout-out to our fire department for handling that situation, our police department for assistance they provided, and also to our public affairs department for keeping the public informed of that situation as it unfolded. And then speaking of family-friendly events, I just want to remind everybody that this Sunday, July 12th, the ninth annual Lowrider Day on the Plaza. They're going to have a DJ, concert, a car show, and some food vendors out there, and it kicks off at about 8:30, lasts about four. So, it should be, you know, a pretty cool day looking at some cool cars and just having fun for the family. So, thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council. Just want to again remind folks, I know the news broke yesterday that the city, you know, back-to-back years, was ranked number one. This is the best city in the country by Travel and Leisure. Number 19 in the world. Pretty significant. So, a big accomplishment for our community, and that is our community holistically that needs to celebrate that. And then, just want to thank everybody for all the work that went into the fireworks and drone show. There was a lot of planning, preparation, a lot of concerns, and I think we've had a lot of productive feedback in regards to how the event went, things that can improve, and ultimately, we'll be taking that all into consideration and feedback as we move towards next year's Fourth of July celebration. And then just to respond to some of the comments, if anybody ever has any concerns, they can reach out to me directly. No need to make statements from the dais. I, unfortunately, feel it's a very passive-aggressive way to attack staff. I just read an email where staff was apologizing to some counselors for dropping the ball. And as Mayor, it's my team ultimately, and so I want to make sure that the buck stops with me. I apologize on behalf of my staff. And if you ever have any questions, please bring them up. At least one of the Mayor or counselors who brought up concerns has yet to meet with me this year. I think I meet with probably six of the counselors on a pretty frequent basis. So, my door is an open-door policy, and if folks want to have any concerns, the approach should not be passively, aggressively attacking from the dais. Let's work together as always. So with that, next item on the agenda, Madam City Clerk. Next item on the agenda is introduction of legislation. 16a is consideration of a bill number 2026-14 and adoption of an ordinance. This is sponsored by Councilor Jamie Cassatt and Councilor Patricia Vigali. It's a bill amending Section 14-7.9 SFCC 1987 to clarify a park impact fee exemption as it relates to certain construction permits. Councilor Cassett: Thank you, Mayor. So this, as it said, it's a clarification. When developers develop, they have to pay impact fees to look at, you know, some of the impacts that they're having on our community, specifically with parks, roads, police, fire. Sometimes developers build parks for us. And so in those instances, they do not have to pay a park impact fee. What we want to do is clarify that when the park is built, the other fees, they still do have to pay because there is still impact to those. But, at that point, the park fee is waived. So we want to make sure that people are very clear on the fact that the fees for streets, police, and fire are not waived in the instance that they are building a park that is then taken over by the city, but just those park fees. Thank you. Councilor Figoli: I think Councilor covered it. Thank you. Next item is 16b. This is consideration of a resolution. This is sponsored by Councilor Paul Bustamante and Councilor Patricia Figeli. It's a resolution approving the updated Santa Fe Trails Title IV program and directing the City Manager to authorize its submission to the Federal Transit Administration. Councilor Bustamante: Thank you, Mayor. This is just authorizing the City Manager to release certain information that our transit division needs to report to the federal government each year. Councilor Pagaly, this was a staff request, and Councilor Bustamante and I just put our names on it. So thank you. Next item, please. Next item is petitions from the floor I understand that pedestrian enhancement is really important, but let's also keep in mind that we need to keep it accessible to people who are on walkers, canes, and simply just can't walk long distances. Equity means pedestrians and bikes get the three road closures. Leave the other one for vehicles. The other thing I'd like to say, and that is multimodal access. The other thing that I'm trying to say is that there is a cultural side to this that matters very much to us Santa Feans. For generations, the Plaza has been the living heart of Santa Fe, a place for family gatherings, processions, markets, fiestas, and everyday traditions of cruising the Plaza. I don't expect people from out of town to understand cruising, but it has been around for such a long time, and it is so important to us in many, many ways. It shapes who we are. That's part of our traditions, and it should remain that way. Closing that last street in ways ends that tradition. I really, really hope that the City Council really understands the cultural fabric portion of this because we are still here, and our traditions are still alive, and we do deserve to be respected. Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to Stephanie Beninato. Thank you, Stephanie Beninato. I am a little disappointed that you actually are doing petitions from the floor before seven. I understand you're going to come back at seven, but my fish think it's a bad precedent. And I'm amazed that for several meetings now, you've had so little to do that you are done way before seven in terms of normal business. I'm also not hearing anybody saying that they're going to make a motion to reconsider the vote on the Marriott Hotel, which is again something I think you all should consider, given that at least two councilors weren't there, but also that it was clear that their application was incomplete and saying, "Well, you can make it up later." I don't think that's a good precedent either. And I also want to point out that I made EPR requests, and I was told just yesterday that I supposedly got these responses. I did not get the responses. I've looked at my emails, both spam and regular emails. It's not there. I was also told by one of my councilors that in terms of the notice of violations on Don Cubero and the 1100, there was nothing there. I got several documents because I went and looked online showing notices of violation given in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and yet there has been no action at all. And I really wonder what's going on with that. And then also asked about security cameras and got so much misinformation about Perez opened in 2022, etcetera, etcetera. And the other thing about PETA is I'm still going to urge you, and I'm going to keep urging you, to find the $200,000 that's needed to have it open in a more immediate way because waiting for the million dollars that you're asking the state will mean you won't get the money till April, and it'll be this time next year before that, before it. I feel that that's too long for that facility to sit there, the pool to sit there unused. It's really important to our community, especially to people who have disabilities. It is the only really easily disability approachable pool. Thank you. Okay, we will move on to Sean Noonan. Good evening, Mayor and Councilors. I respectfully oppose this proposal. Well, not this proposal, the resolution to close the Plaza. That's going to be possibly considered today. And I keep hearing that this closure is needed for safety, but I haven't seen the data that supports that conclusion. Before the city closes a public street, I believe residents deserve to see the facts, the analysis, and the evidence behind the decision. I understand that everyone wants the Plaza to be safe. We all do. But major public decisions should be based on more than personal experiences or individual stories, and any injury is unfortunate. But anecdotal examples are not the same as objective data. Santa Fe Plaza is not the only place that attracts large numbers of visitors. Just in New Mexico, just south of here in Albuquerque, there's Albuquerque's Old Town Plaza, which is also popular. It's a walkable destination with heavy pedestrian activity. But it continues to function with vehicle access on surrounding streets. Certain streets being walkable and being open to vehicles are not mutually exclusive. I also want to speak briefly about cruising. I grew up in a small town, not here in Santa Fe, but cruising was just part of life. It's something families and friends have done for generations, and it is still a tradition in many towns and cities across New Mexico and throughout the country. For many people, cruising is part of our culture and our community identity. Closing a public street affects residents, local businesses, visitors, accessibility, traffic patterns, and community traditions. That's why I believe the burden should be on the city to clearly show why this change is necessary before moving forward. Right now, I've not seen enough information that would even justify this decision. There's been no data presented that I'm aware of. And if the city wants to make this change, then I respectfully ask that it first provide a transparent data-driven case to the public so everyone can understand the reasons and where it impacts. Thank you for your consideration. Mayor, there are no other hands raised in the Zoom room. Thank you, Madam City Clerk. And it looks like we might have another person here in the chambers. All right. Apparently, let's get the, hold on one second. Let's get the timer started. Okay, sir, go ahead. Apparently, you guys don't listen. Your constituents are upset with you. They don't talk to you. They commit and do meetings behind your backs because they don't trust you. People are sick and tired of you not listening to them. People are tired of you playing these pissy games. This is the government. You guys forget, you work for us. We don't work for you. We are the boss, not you. When we come to you with a problem and you say, "Oh, this is the solution," but it's not a solution. It's more of a problem that isn't doing anything for our community. You want to shut streets down. You don't know our culture of cruising. We've had a cruise line here in Santa Fe since I was a child. We would go out on Friday nights. We'd go out on Saturday nights, and we'd cruise the whole Plaza. That's where we meet our friends. That's where we would know where the barbecues were happening. That's how Santa Fe socialized in the nineties and early 2000s. You guys tried to take that away from us once before. Why do you guys want to shut down streets? It's not for public safety. No, no, no. It's for self-gain and self-interest. It has nothing to do with public safety. Because if you cared about public safety, you'd actually do studies. What you are doing is closing down public streets for your own interest. It's disgusting. Stop it. That is a Gestapo move. We don't live in that era anymore. We are a democracy. Actually, we are a republic. We give by the Constitution. We, the people, and you aren't part of it anymore. It's us against you. It shouldn't be that way. But yet you've turned that into this situation because you don't pay attention to us. Yeah, I come up here and yell. This isn't even me yelling. You want me to yell? Oh, I'll fucking yell. And everybody, I have to yell because you don't listen. The next speaker, please. Catherine Rivera, District 1. I'm going to reiterate my comments that I've made over the last couple of meetings. There is no proof that San Francisco Street is unsafe. There has been no data. Nothing has been shown by the city. And I believe to continue a resolution claiming that San Francisco Street is unsafe is perpetuating a fraud on the city of Santa Fe. Let's be real about what is the real root cause. If it's because a department can't get the work done, it's because they don't have the staff, they don't want to do the work, they don't have the budget. Let's highlight that. But to indicate a street is unsafe without data is absolutely incorrect, and I do not know how anybody can vote on that kind of a resolution without data. And I don't believe anybody should be able to put forward an amendment to a resolution without data. The Plaza is not broken. This has been something that has been fabricated. It is not broken. Leave it alone. Thank you. My name is Elise Gutierrez, and I'm, hold on one second. Let us reset the clock. Okay, go ahead. Okay. My name is Elise Gutierrez, and I'm a District 1 resident. I also serve as the chair of the Mayor's Youth Advisory Board here in Santa Fe, and I'm urging you guys not to close down the road near the Plaza. As someone who talks to many youth and constituents alike, not one person has told me that they want the road by the Plaza closed. I don't see where you guys are getting this information from. Maybe it's the tourists that come here and tell you they want the road closed because they can't take a picture in the middle of the road. I don't know. But we do not want this road closed. We have nothing to offer youth in Santa Fe, and you're taking one more thing away from us. I spend my nights sometimes driving down the Plaza because that's literally all there is to do. We have nothing else to do. Unless you're going to offer us something else, don't take it away from us. I have more to say, but I have a feeling you guys are going to hear more later from other people, so I'll save you the time. Just please don't close the road, not just for the young people, but for the old people alike. How many of you were born and raised in Santa Fe, councilors? Because there's no one in the audience. Can you raise your hand for me if you were born and raised in Santa Fe? We, we can't respond. I apologize. Well, I can tell you. You were. You were. I don't think you were. You were. Maybe you were. I heard you weren't, but you've nine months, close enough, and you were. So if you were born and raised in Santa Fe, you can tell me that you probably did the same thing. You probably drove the same roads when you had nothing else to do. My grandma can tell me stories about that. Don't close the road. Reassess. Listen to what your people are telling you and move forward. Thank you. One second. Let us get the timer reset. Okay, go ahead. You're good? All good. Mayor, councilors, everyone, good to see you. Members of the Santa Fe City Council, I urge you to carefully consider any proposal to close the Plaza to all vehicular traffic. A permanent change to one of Santa Fe's most iconic public spaces should be guided by clear evidence, thoughtful analysis, and a full understanding of how it will affect the people who live, work, and gather here every day. The Plaza belongs to everyone: pedestrians, cyclists, diners, business owners, seniors, families with young children, people with disabilities, and residents who wish to drive through the heart of their city and remain connected to it. Public spaces are strongest when they welcome the broadest possible range of people and experiences. For many years, some local residents have felt increasingly disconnected from the Plaza. Decisions such as this can create an impression that longtime residents are no longer welcome in a place that belongs to them. We should be careful not to send that message. As a councilor, I helped establish the annual Children's Fishing Derby, a community event designed to bring families together. When city staff asked me whether they would, whether I would like Alameda closed for the event, I specifically said no. I declined. I wanted the community to see children enjoying the outdoors and to experience something positive happening in Santa Fe. Community events should be shared openly, not isolated behind road closures. I hope this administration continues to focus on bringing people together rather than separating them from the places they value. We can support vibrancy, safety, and accessibility without making permanent decisions that divide our community. Your decision will become part of your legacy. If you approve this resolution, history may remember this city council as the one that closed the Plaza of the People of Santa Fe. Please choose a path that strengthens our community. Keep the Plaza open and accessible to everyone who calls Santa Fe home. Ronald Trujillo, Santa Fe District 4. And any members of the audience are online? If not, we heard the previous motion that was approved. We would after this, oh, we got a hand raised in the Zoom room there. Okay. Lauren Leib. Yes, hi. Thank you. My name is Lauren Leib. I am a resident of District 1, and I just want to express my support for this measure. And I also just want to thank my city councilors for putting forth and championing this measure. I agree with many people that it has been hard to access the Plaza during the summer months. In my experience, it has been precisely because of the car congestion and how hard it is to navigate on the streets. It does feel like a lot of times, locals cannot access the Plaza in the summer because it is so overrun with tourists. But where I differ is that I think that closing the Plaza and closing those roads to car traffic will actually increase the ability of people like me and others to be able to safely access and enjoy the Plaza and enjoy the businesses and the thriving community that exists when we can actually meet in person versus in our cars. And I just want to speak to that there is plenty of data that actually shows, especially from the pandemic, that when you close roads to car traffic, it actually increases business revenue for those areas where there are traffic closures and it's increased pedestrian activity. And so I want to recognize everyone's concerns. I think this is a great discussion, but I do think this is a great move for Santa Fe and that it is only a seasonal closure, not a permanent closure. And it does make Santa Fe more accessible for everybody. And I just really hope that our city can continue to build the infrastructure that allows us to not have to rely on cars to get around and to enjoy the city that we love. Thank you. There are no other hands raised in the Zoom room at the moment. With that being said, we will stand in recess until 7:00 PM. Miss Romero, that song is going through my head now. Thank you. It's going to be going through my head all night. Okay. Let's go ahead and resume. If there are any members of the public that would like to provide public comment, now is your time to do so. Hold on one second, Mr. Vigil. Let us get the timer set up for you. Well, Mayor, hold on one second. You're good. Mayor, councilors, thank you for this apparent opportunity to be here. We are at the six-month point right now when you all came as a new administration because the last administration was an inept administration. They couldn't make decisions, and the people are really happy and looking forward to all of you to do the right thing for the City of Santa Fe. We know that decisions are hard to make, and then you're not going to please everybody. We understand that. But make the decision. That's a requirement for you to make a decision. We hope it's good. One of our priorities should be, continue to be, the Soldiers' Monument. The Soldiers' Monument has been ordered by the courts to be rebuilt. Now, if you're looking at the museum and at the VA, all that, you haven't had a response from them. Okay. You haven't had a response from them? So act. Why should those two take precedence over a court order? They should not. They should not take precedence over the court order. The court order says that you need to rebuild this monument. So please, please consider rebuilding it soon because it's already been half a year. And the last time was five years, and we don't need to go through that again. There's been some changes that have been proposed, and most of the changes that have been proposed in the Plaza have been from members that have not really have any roots or traditions of Santa Fe. They come over here. They join the council, but they don't really understand their roots, their traditions, and the culture and our history. They say, well, we're going to close the roads. They did. Most part of them. Now they want to close them out, and they say temporary. There's not such a thing as temporary here. It's temporary forever. When you change it, it stays changed. They don't open. Well, we're going to change it only for the summer. No. And then you continue going on. That Plaza area was for the people, for the people of Santa Fe, not for the vendors that work there and make their living out of there. The people is what that place belongs to. Mr. Vigil, your time has expired. Thank you. Are there any other members? Oh, I don't see any other members in the audience. How about online, Maddie? Maddie? Yes, Mayor. There is one hand raised, and we will go to Maya Martinez. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, members of the governing body. I am calling to speak against this proposed resolution brought up by the freshman councilor. I think that resolutions like these are brought up in special interest, especially in the first year of a councilor's term. And I think that a better use of time would be to get to know the community before big, drastic, harmful changes like this are made. I think that, one, the Plaza is not broken. The Plaza is working. I think that there could be solutions to the way that pedestrians flow. Right now, the pedestrians have a free-for-all, and that's not fair. It is just not fair. It's not fair to a driver. It's not fair to the pedestrians. It's not fair to bicyclists. There are other measures that can be taken to protect pedestrians that are jaywalking. The other thing is, you know, this is our city. This is our city as a community. And rather, Councilor Trujillo stated, why are we dividing this community instead of bringing it together? This is a huge division. I think the obelisk divided our community big time, and this is just going to add to that. And then for this to be a temporary solution, this is not a temporary solution. This is a gateway for this Plaza to be closed permanently. And I just, I don't think it's fair. I think I hope that you all act equitably and consider this and how it's going to divide the community. And I just want to ditto what Elise Gutierrez spoke. I hope we bring more young people up to protect their heritage, their community, their fellow Santa Feans to run for office. So I thank you for your time, and I hope you take it into consideration how this will divide the community. Mayor, there are no other hands raised in the Zoom room. Seeing nobody else in the chamber and nobody else online, we stand adjourned.