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Santa Fe council hears FY26 evaluation of city's wellness-leave pilot; councilors signal support to make it permanent
Summary
Staff reported 352 employees enrolled, 351 used the wellness leave (99.7% utilization) and the pilot cost about $288,000; councilors praised morale and retention gains but pressed for better productivity and equity data before finalizing permanent policy.
Alvin Valdez, the city's benefits and wellness manager, presented a midpoint evaluation of the city's physical and mental well-being pilot program, which launched July 1, 2023 under two rules of personnel policy. Valdez told the governing body that 352 employees enrolled and 351 used the benefit about "9,000 times," averaging 25.5 hours per employee and producing a utilization rate of roughly 99.7 percent. He said the program's direct cost was about $288,000 so far and that 93.6 percent of respondents reported improved morale; 92.7 percent said the program increased their desire to stay employed.
Valdez said use split roughly 67 percent for physical activities and 33 percent for mental-wellness uses, and he described the program as having both qualitative and quantitative benefits: "Everyone we talk to, they love this program," he said, and noted small reductions in medical claims at the midpoint. He also framed implementation questions for certain shift-based and field employees, saying the city can adapt scheduling and approval processes to make the benefit inclusive for night, weekend, and field staff.
Councilors asked for more granular data. Councilor Cassett pressed whether sick-leave claims could be separated into leave taken for employees versus dependents; Valdez said that would likely require third-party claims data (Blue Cross Blue Shield) and could be difficult because employees are not required to state a reason for sick leave. Multiple councilors emphasized that correlation is not causation: "When we're looking at the sick leave ... correlation is not causation," said one member. Several councilors said they were persuaded by the morale and retention signs even while acknowledging measurement limits.
Councilor Kessett said she would continue to press for measures of productivity and said qualitative reports of improved focus and reduced stress were meaningful. Councilor Chavez — who led the pilot originally and said she will bring it forward for permanent adoption — emphasized equity and administrative changes to make access consistent across departments and supervisors.
There was no final governing-body vote tonight to convert the pilot into a permanent policy. Multiple councilors expressed support for moving the item forward to a formal adoption and for working with HR and the city manager on operational changes to ensure equitable access and to address managers' scheduling concerns. The city manager and staff said they will continue to evaluate the program during budget deliberations and prior to any ordinance or permanent-policy adoption.
The next step: council members said they will expect an implementation plan and clearer performance metrics — including how the program will be offered to nontraditional-shift employees and whether the city will incorporate productivity measures before finalizing a permanent policy.
