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The Finance Committee on April 25 gave preliminary approval to the Community Engagement Department’s FY26 budget after City Clerk Andrea Salazar and her staff described priorities including a temporary Spanish interpreter for live meetings, a paralegal for the city’s public defender, website accessibility upgrades and implementation of a new constituent case‑management system.

The department, which includes the city clerk’s office, communications and marketing, constituent services, and the public defender office, told councilors it could not accommodate full ADA‑compliance for council chambers, ongoing programming for the government PEG channels, or a nuisance investigator without additional funds. The presentation outlined tradeoffs between one‑time capital requests and recurring staffing needs.

Salazar described three staffing and service items included in the proposed budget: a temporary (likely 30‑hour) Spanish interpreter to provide live translation at meetings when contractors are more costly; funding to add a paralegal to the public defender’s office after staff said the city public defender handles roughly 500 cases with no regular aide; and funding to implement Indiegov, a constituent services case‑management (CRM) tool intended to track incoming requests, pass work to the right city department, and provide better reporting and analytics. Salazar said Indiegov is in early implementation and is expected to be configured and launched by the end of the fiscal year.

Councilors focused questions on the choice to fund a temporary translator position rather than a permanent position, and on whether translation needs for documents vs. live interpretation were being met. Salazar and administrative manager Erica Quintana explained the city already uses contractors for written translations; the proposed temporary hire is intended for live meeting interpretation and committee coverage. HR’s Anita explained temporary positions may be classified in multiple ways and that some term or part‑time arrangements can provide limited benefits; staff said they will coordinate classification details with HR.

The clerk’s presentation also highlighted planned website improvements including an ADA‑accessibility toolbar, ongoing website redesign informed by heat‑mapping analytics, and a toolbar that offers magnification and screen‑reader features. Staff said the city had removed a prior accessibility product that was not working and has identified a replacement similar to tools used by the Secretary of State’s site. Councilors urged converting PDFs to searchable OCR format where possible to improve accessibility.

Public defender staffing drew sustained attention. Salazar said the incumbent public defender is leaving and a contracted public defender will provide interim coverage; the FY26 budget proposes an added paralegal to support an estimated caseload of roughly 500 cases. Councilors described the public defender office as small—one office without a translator—and asked staff to pursue space and logistical solutions so a paralegal and defender can meet clients confidentially.

Constituent services and Indiegov drew questions about anonymized reports and reply language. Staff said constituents may call in anonymously; the trade‑off is the city cannot follow up without contact information. Indiegov will allow use of templated status messages so residents understand whether a request was closed because it belonged to another jurisdiction or because the city took action.

Committee members pressed staff for more detail on several operating line items, including a $75,000 shopping‑cart pickup contract (four‑year contract increased from $60,000), $30,000 for ranked‑choice voting education, and ongoing broadcasting costs for SFC TV. Contracts in the department’s line item include stenographer and records codification services, broadcasting, website annual maintenance, a CRM annual fee, and nuisance‑abatement contractors.

Salazar flagged items not funded in the baseline budget: full ADA compliance for council chambers and permanent simultaneous interpretation for all meetings, program funding for PEG channels (programming rather than capital), expanded nuisance abatement authority, and better translation capacity for land‑use or licensing forms beyond the current written‑translation contract.

The committee voted to give the budget preliminary approval in a roll‑call vote; the motion passed unanimously. Staff said outstanding questions—such as where public‑campaign‑finance funds are held and the details of advertised transfers—would be answered in follow‑up budget meetings and by the budget office.

What’s next: staff will finalize classification details for the temporary translator and pursue recruitment for the public defender vacancy, continue Indiegov implementation with a phased rollout, and return with more detail on public‑campaign‑finance accounting and nuisance‑abatement funding. The committee scheduled follow‑up budget hearings during the FY26 budget process.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget Meeting 4/25","oneSentenceSummary","Community Engagement Department budget wins preliminary approval after staff outlined unmet needs and service priorities.","taxTitle","Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico","taxId",2727,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6260626,"Finance committee preliminarily approves IT & Telecommunications FY26 budget focusing on cybersecurity, cloud backups and AI groundwork",3064,16462000,19526000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3130445-6236306bbacc4f654f2558ca28bb918d&start=16462&end=19526","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3130445-6236306bbacc4f654f2558ca28bb918d/thumbnail_16462000.jpg","/articles/6260626/Santa-Fe/Santa-Fe-County/New-Mexico/Finance-committee-preliminarily-approves-IT-Telecommunications-FY26-budget-focusing-on-cybersecurity-cloud-backups-and-AI-groundwork","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6260626-9c4f7f89ceb0f7a58d0da253ab1b0f1e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770486168&Signature=Dapg4YQvsdlYJWsGsifaRyBneLQpGJ~-T36K332uwZQAOV4ShpUXK4xL9BNxPH7U9u4Jmoy8pNmNBa~o~OKakcyWC2L9dDF1Jdvea2n5SsjKTvCWQdGtwbjyV0S-YbJ80AwXwmgxLeF5kIliMcKaRCFseZH9FAe6jvpWQS2vblgYCI1s84UHqdijer5mCfTQAJFhzLdKoTV2TFBWEdF~SGCdQp85cOVh7eXcWLSFuPES6r1sirX5SapgIjvIP6Awsp0MJmtkrVta0A4PiKOVwim7-OQOXY3GfXqT7Lb6O4BURJepXiF3s8GJfYczmCpwWeyD-yj84fZduND-hfIWtA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee approves IT & Telecommunications budget after department outlines security, resiliency and AI priorities.

The Finance Committee on April 25 gave preliminary approval to the Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITT) FY26 budget after Director Eric Candelaria and senior staff described targeted investments in cybersecurity, infrastructure consolidation, cloud backup, device refresh and early artificial‑intelligence work. The committee heard how the investments are intended to reduce incident risk, improve recovery time, and lay groundwork for automation and improved service delivery.

Director Candelaria and IT leadership described four priority areas: (1) cybersecurity modernization — expanding multifactor authentication (MFA), rolling out endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, deploying a security information and event management (SIEM) system, automating vulnerability patching and increasing user‑awareness training and phishing simulations; (2) infrastructure consolidation — deploying Dell VxRail hyperconverged hardware to consolidate servers/storage, upgrading network switches and iterating disaster‑recovery approaches; (3) cloud backups and modern telephony — a Commvault cloud backup plan for Office 365 and other critical systems and an Avaya phone‑system upgrade (Teams‑ready) to ensure longer‑term voice reliability; and (4) service transformation and AI readiness — upgrading the IT service management (ITSM) ticket system, implementing an asset management program, refreshing end‑user devices and documenting AI use cases and governance foundations.

Candelaria said the Dell VxRail approach reduces physical footprint and simplifies management, and Commvault cloud backups will speed recovery for email and shared data. IT staff emphasized that about 80% of inbound email is already blocked by existing protections but that human error remains the largest residual risk; the budget includes funding for phishing simulations and staff training. The group also noted growing storage needs (including city video and legal archives) and warned that global hardware price pressure could sharply increase device replacement costs in the near term.

On AI and automation, staff provided a conservative plan: inventory use cases (HR, constituent services, procurement and land use), pursue cloud migrations for legacy systems where appropriate, and create governance and data‑management capacity before production AI deployments. IT also proposed a device refresh and an improved help‑desk ticketing system to reduce time to resolution and reduce lost asset risk.

Committee members asked about timelines and costs for the planned Market Station move (IT workspace relocation) and whether the FY26 budget includes the move; IT staff said the move costs were funded through prior one‑time appropriations and that any carry‑forward for the physical relocation will be addressed in first‑quarter adjustments. Councilors also asked about county and constituent‑facing payment options and whether the city is consolidating payment systems; IT said that cashiering systems are fragmented now and the department is working with finance to consolidate and standardize online payment channels.

The committee voted to give preliminary approval to the IT & Telecommunications FY26 budget. Members praised the security investments and asked staff to return with details on timelines and the vendor rollout schedule for MFA, EDR, SIEM and device refresh procurement.

What’s next: IT will move forward with procurement and phased deployments, coordinate device‑refresh scheduling with departments to reduce operational disruption, and return to the committee with more granular schedule and cost estimates for major procurements including VxRail, Commvault and the Avaya phone upgrade.

","The Finance Committee preliminarily approved the Information Technology and Telecommunications FY26 budget after Director Eric Candelaria outlined investments in cybersecurity (MFA, EDR, SIEM), a Dell VxRail hyperconverged refresh, Commvault cloud backups, Avaya phone modernization, device refresh and initial AI use‑case work.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6260631,"Committee preliminarily approves Community Health & Safety FY26 budget; homelessness, senior services and recreation highlighted",3625,6295000,9920000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3130445-6236306bbacc4f654f2558ca28bb918d&start=6295&end=9920","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3130445-6236306bbacc4f654f2558ca28bb918d/thumbnail_6295000.jpg","/articles/6260631/Santa-Fe/Santa-Fe-County/New-Mexico/Committee-preliminarily-approves-Community-Health-Safety-FY26-budget-homelessness-senior-services-and-recreation-highlighted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6260631-1bc87053eef4fb2336e21e5cb7cba71a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770486169&Signature=mVowkFjCLDvBNz0dqN3b4YAZXAw-UKJn7I~s~g1aGRsJyY0F6nZMYNzXr7Zc01RCsQpPiI~m8bDKC8IeQED-ABe~krtlAS6h6eOrJ343WTwzXf6GKvPkm4tbcaJMgDlXP8rZH~ISPU5ZOsVNBbWUXCayPVwHR-UzSZ2RMoUxQFllq5TOVY-tB1QBP6AI3BosFhbej~qz~JmjfQc3LLtl8UNigeQWN35lM9gNOuCtfpSpf7reBxEvBpxvFYrD4lTYmxeddYMJe1SabF497a4VYvNoWi7ya6PEufs8A1zlAMu9-8MrvE-d2h-j3epe5fgU6UwPlx6ZlCokvnSVqIUA8A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Finance Committee preliminarily approves Community Health & Safety budget after a wide‑ranging presentation on services, capacity and risks.

The Finance Committee on April 25 voted to give preliminary approval to the Community Health & Safety Department’s FY26 budget after Director Henry Hammond Ball and Deputy Director Maria Sanchez Tucker outlined needs and program priorities across libraries, senior services, recreation and youth and family services. The department requested larger staffing capacity for homelessness work, improvements to senior and youth facilities, and investments in data and program evaluation.

Director Hammond Ball said the department’s total proposed FY26 budget is roughly $41.25 million, with 226 positions (201.5 FTE) and roughly 40 vacancies. He said community services (centralized administration) supports libraries, recreation and senior services and that he is focusing personally on homelessness response and emergency management. The presentation noted that budgets were prepared using a three‑year average and that accounting changes affecting transfers may affect year‑to‑year comparisons.

Libraries: The department proposes to maintain three libraries, expand digital access and continue planning a Midtown (Fogelson) redesign. Staff said recent heat‑mapping of the site drives a user‑focused cleanup rather than a full redesign. Councilors and library staff discussed continued public‑access concerns, and staff said cardholder and program participation have increased since FY17.

Senior services: Senior services operates three senior centers, provides congregate and home‑delivered meals and transportation, and staff said the division has 11 vacancies and aging facilities. Director Manuel Sanchez (senior services) asked for restoration to pre‑pandemic staffing levels; staff identified seven positions (health‑promotion and arts instructors) that would restore programmingity. The budget includes $40,000 one‑time nuisance funding for emergency cleanup and cited legal and administrative costs tied to abatement and lien recovery.

Recreation: Recreation (three centers, nine pools, a teen center and an ice arena) showed a $13.1 million program request and continued needs for preventive maintenance, pool and ice facility repairs and staffing shortages in aquatics and supervision. Staff said 27 vacancies exist across recreation, many in aquatic roles; registration demand for summer youth programs can exceed capacity (500 participants' registrations fill quickly). Councilors discussed prioritizing city residents when program slots are limited and pursuing county cost‑sharing for heavily used facilities in county neighborhoods.

Youth and family services: This division covers homelessness response, violence‑intervention programs, eviction prevention, guaranteed income pilots, early childhood programming and nonprofit contract management. The department reported that most of FY26’s spending in this division is programmatic rather than personnel; new budgeted positions will create a four‑person homelessness and housing‑services team (three program managers and a data/policy manager) to expand eviction prevention, landlord outreach and emergency homelessness response. Staff announced plans to establish at least two additional micro‑community sites (small, managed outdoor shelter sites) to expand shelter capacity.

Capital and one‑time projects: Staff described a state appropriation of approximately $1.7 million to expand the Southside teen‑center kitchen and pantry; staff expect design and construction to require up to a year after design completion. One‑time funding will also support facility upgrades at pools and the ice arena and the MEG center expansion.

Grant funding and federal risk: Directors flagged reliance on federal and state grant funding for some programs (AmeriCorps funds, federal grant support for senior services). They said a change in federal funding could trigger state shortfalls that would affect local matching requirements. Staff said some grant stacks have cascading matches and that the department is pursuing state and private grants to continue select ARPA‑funded programs. Councilors and the mayor discussed the need for a broader conversation with Santa Fe County about cost‑sharing for services that benefit both jurisdictions, such as libraries, pools and teen services.

The committee voted to grant preliminary approval to the department’s FY26 budget by roll call. Councilors asked staff to return with more detail on vacancies, anticipated county cost‑sharing, and the evaluation results of direct cash assistance programs (a UNM evaluation was described as forthcoming in June). Staff said eviction‑prevention funding previously distributed this year expended quickly.

What’s next: The department will continue homelessness program hiring, pursue teen‑center kitchen construction design and carry out preventative maintenance and capital planning for recreation facilities. Staff will provide requested vacancy breakdowns and follow up on county cost‑sharing options.

","The Finance Committee gave preliminary approval to the Community Health & Safety Department budget after Director Henry Hammond Ball outlined priorities across libraries, senior services, recreation and youth & family services, including new homelessness program managers, micro‑community expansion and a teen‑center food pantry construction plan.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Finance committee gives preliminary approval to Community Engagement budget; staff pitch translation, public‑defender and ADA access investments

Finance committee preliminarily approves IT & Telecommunications FY26 budget focusing on cybersecurity, cloud backups and AI groundwork

Committee preliminarily approves Community Health & Safety FY26 budget; homelessness, senior services and recreation highlighted