Santa Fe finance committee adopts FY26 budget, reallocates Green Bank funds to boost parks maintenance

The City of Santa Fe Finance Committee voted May 12 to approve the fiscal year 2026 operating budget as amended, moving $525,400 previously held in a city “Green Bank” account and $108,500 in recurring contractual-services funds into parks and open-space maintenance programs. The committee approved the budget and both amendments by roll call, with Chair Tara Merroworth, Councilor Cassatt, Councilor Lee Garcia and Councilor Lindell voting yes; one councilor was excused.

The amendments are intended to fund a one-year pilot that will increase contract labor for medians while redeploying five city median crew staff to a floating “parks action team” to address urgent litter, weeds, graffiti and other high-priority maintenance needs. The pilot is explicitly time-limited: the $525,400 reallocation comes from one-time funds moved into the Environmental Services Division in FY23–FY24 and therefore cannot be used to create permanent positions.

Committee members and city staff framed the change as a trade-off with the city’s sustainability agenda. Mayor Alan Weber said the reallocation followed the committee’s budget hearings and the need to respond to public priorities: “we're responding to everything we learned in in the budget hearings.” He and others said the city remains committed to sustainability work and noted a state-level green bank has since been enacted that targets lower-income, rural and tribal communities.

Parks Division Director Melissa McDonald described how the funds would be used operationally. She told the committee that parks staff conducted time studies and used a 1-to-5 level-of-service scale; most parks currently operate at a level 3 and the pilot aims to raise targeted areas to level 2. On the pilot she said, “what we came up with was the idea that we could contract, for a year with our median crews that are working on our medians and kinda have that really, a routine that's really going well, and move our internal staff to do what we call a, parks action team.” McDonald said the floating team would respond to customer requests (CRMs), heavy litter, excessive weed growth where safety is a concern, and graffiti removal.

Budget staff explained the funding sources. Andy, the city’s budget officer, said the amounts in the Green Bank account originated from one-time transfers from the Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) Fund 216 in FY23 and a subsequent transfer in FY24; about $525,400 remained unspent. In contrast, the $108,500 moved under the second amendment was described to the committee as recurring contractual-services funding from the city manager’s office.

Committee members pressed for evaluation metrics. Councilor Cassatt and others said they want reporting on the pilot’s effect — for example, CRM close rates, frequency of contractor service, and movement on the level-of-service scale — so the governing body can assess whether to continue or convert the work to permanent staffing in future budgets.

Formal actions recorded: amendment A (reallocate $525,400 one-time Green Bank funds to parks maintenance) was moved by Councilor Meriwirth, seconded by Councilor Lindell and approved by roll call; amendment B (reallocate $108,500 recurring contractual-services dollars to parks) was moved and seconded and approved by roll call. The full FY26 operating budget resolution, as amended, passed by roll call.

The committee adjourned with staff directed to implement the pilot and Parks staff indicating they will provide follow-up performance information to the council during the next budget cycle.