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Santa Fe City Council reconvenes in open session, approves settlement tied to estate litigation
Summary
The Santa Fe City Council voted to reconvene in open session under the Open Meetings Act, accepted the city attorney’s recommendation in threatened litigation concerning the estate of Dorothy Stevens, and approved a settlement resolving a plaintiff’s appeal of a district court decision, according to roll-call votes recorded in the meeting.
The Santa Fe City Council voted at its meeting to reconvene in open session under the Open Meetings Act and to accept the city attorney’s recommendation in threatened litigation regarding the estate of Dorothy Stevens. The council then approved a settlement resolving a plaintiff’s appeal of a district court decision, according to roll-call votes on the record.
The motions came after a closed session. A council member moved that the governing body “reconvene in open session and say for the record that the matters discussed in the closed session were limited to those specified in the motion for closure” pursuant to the Open Meetings Act, Section 10-15-1(J). The roll call on that motion recorded the council’s approval.
The council next voted to accept the recommendation of the City Attorney’s Office in the matter of threatened litigation regarding the estate of Dorothy Stevens. The roll call on that motion shows Councilor Romero Worth, Councilor Castro, Councilor Chavez, Councilor Faulkner, Councilor Lee Garcia, Councilor Michael Garcia and Mayor Weber voting yes and Councilor Cassett voting no.
Following that vote, a council member moved to approve a settlement agreement resolving the plaintiff’s appeal of a district court decision involving the governing body of the City of Santa Fe. The roll call on the settlement motion recorded unanimous approval by members present.
The meeting transcript does not include detailed description of the litigation’s factual allegations, the settlement terms, or the amount (if any) involved in the agreement. The recorded proceedings named the matter as threatened litigation concerning the estate of Dorothy Stevens and referenced the plaintiff’s appeal of a district court decision; the transcript does not provide a complete case caption or the settlement’s substantive terms.
There was no public debate or testimony about the settlement in the portion of the transcript provided; the actions on the record were the motions, seconds, and roll-call votes. The council’s votes and the Open Meetings Act citation were captured in sequence on the transcript, and the clerk completed roll calls for each motion.
The council adjourned after the votes. The transcript does not record any further instructions to staff or scheduled follow-up related to the settlement.
