Committee urges earlier public engagement, dashboards and formal amendment window in budget process

Santa Fe’s finance committee spent a large portion of its meeting reviewing lessons from the recent budget cycle and proposing changes to improve transparency and timing.

Councilor Cassett said earlier and broader community engagement would help the public understand tradeoffs in the budget, citing examples such as library hours versus other services. "The budget process from my perspective is still quite opaque," Cassett said, and she urged more upfront dashboards and department breakdowns to make large dollar items easier to evaluate.

Other members echoed the call for clearer materials and for moving toward performance‑based budgeting. One councilor suggested midyear budget reviews so the council can revisit allocations and identify departments in need of supplemental resources.

Staff member Andy recommended creating a formal amendment window—an agreed period when councilors can work with staff to draft, vet and finalize amendments ahead of the final submission to reduce last‑minute rushes and potential Open Meetings Act complications. "I think it might be worth it to try this fall ... formalize more of an amendment process," Andy said.

The chair said the committee is working to establish quarterly reports from major departments for the finance committee that would be available to the full council, and invited councilors to submit items they want included in those reports. No formal policy changes were adopted at this meeting; committee members expressed support for pursuing the improvements as future agenda or staff‑led items.