Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Council Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Santa Fe study recommends council program manager, retains decentralized support with $250K budget placeholder
Summary
A Baker Tilly study presented to the Santa Fe governing body recommends keeping the city’s decentralized council-support model but adding a centralized council program manager role to improve coordination, legislative research and constituent communications; staff noted a $250,000 FY27 placeholder for potential staffing changes.
Deputy City Manager Andrea Phillips introduced a Baker Tilly council‑staffing study Wednesday that recommends retaining Santa Fe’s current decentralized support structure while adding a centralized council program manager to coordinate support functions and improve transparency.
The consultant, Annie Rose Favro of Baker Tilly, told the governing body the firm interviewed outgoing and incoming councilors and staff, reviewed peer benchmarks and examined governance processes. “We’re recommending retaining your current support structure, but adding into it a centralized council program manager role,” Favro said, describing a manager embedded in the city manager’s office who would coordinate administrative work, constituent engagement and legislative support.
The study outlined three support models: a one‑to‑one full‑time aide for each councilor (most expensive), a shared centralized team, and Santa Fe’s current decentralized model. Favro said the city’s decentralized structure leaves gaps — especially in legislative research, meeting preparation and constituent communications — and recommended clearer roles and documented workflows.
Councilors raised procedural and separation‑of‑powers questions about placing a program manager in the city manager’s office. Councilor Casset said one‑to‑one staff would be “great” but likely unaffordable and asked whether peers use strong‑mayor or council‑manager forms. Favro said peers used all three forms and that centralized teams typically report to a city manager in model B, while one‑to‑one staff report to individual council members in model A.
Phillips told the council staff placed a $250,000 placeholder in the FY27 budget for council support or staffing options; she described that as an initial funding option to discuss further with council. Multiple councilors said they wanted additional detail on peer comparisons and on models that split funding between a program manager and legislative support staff.
What’s next: staff will return with additional peer comparisons, job descriptions and options for how to use the FY27 placeholder. The governing body did not take a final vote on implementation at Wednesday’s meeting.
