SANTA FE, N.M. — The Santa Fe Finance Committee on Aug. 11 tied on a resolution asking city voters on Nov. 4, 2025, whether to amend the city charter to restrict when the mayor may cast a vote, leaving the proposal to proceed to the full governing body despite the committee deadlock.

The measure would limit the mayor’s authority to vote only to break ties, a change sponsors say would strengthen checks and balances between the mayor’s office and the City Council.

Committee members debated whether the change would improve separation of powers or reduce transparency. “We need to strike a balance between the power of the mayor and the and the power of the city council,” Councilor Faulkner said, identifying herself as a sponsor of the ballot question. Councilor Cassett, who pulled the item from consent for discussion and said she will vote against it, argued the proposal could make mayoral positions less public: “I just think that it has less transparency as opposed to more, which is something that we’re always looking for.”

Staff clarified procedural details raised during debate. A staff member, Marcy, said the idea was recommended by the 2023 Charter Review Commission and noted the commission produced a 24-page report of recommendations. Marcy also said the city’s quorum rules would remain unchanged under the proposed amendment: a simple majority of councilors constitutes a quorum and the mayor would participate only in tie votes.

Several councilors urged pairing any vote-limiting amendment with broader charter changes — including veto or signature-and-override language — so the charter would remain internally consistent. Councilor Cassett described two amendments she and Councilor Lindell were considering: one to require that any mayor-vote change be forwarded to the Charter Review Commission and, if recommended, placed on the 2027 municipal ballot; and a second to require the mayor to publicly state a vote that would be recorded but counted only when necessary to break a tie.

Committee consideration ended with a formal motion to approve the resolution. The chair called a roll; the motion resulted in a tie, and committee action failed. Committee staff noted the resolution had passed in other committees and will still move forward to the full governing body for consideration at a future meeting.

The debate at the finance committee reflected a broader and ongoing discussion in Santa Fe about the balance of authority between the mayor and the council, and whether piecemeal charter changes should be placed before voters or handled together in a comprehensive charter review process.