Carina Julig
The Santa Fe New Mexican
(TNS)
Capital outlay the New Mexico Legislature set aside earlier this year for two new Santa Fe firetrucks sparked a recent debate at City Hall over whether councilors should individually lobby state lawmakers.
Councilor Signe Lindell raised concerns during a Finance Committee meeting last week after questioning where the $2.4 million budgeted for the trucks had come from.
Fire Chief Brian Moya said the firefighters union had lobbied lawmakers directly for the funds after the new trucks didn’t make it on the city’s legislative wishlist.
Councilor Pilar Faulkner, a professional lobbyist, interjected, saying she had worked with the union to help secure state capital outlay for the firetrucks and that Moya was not involved. She had “no regrets,” she added.
Lindell, appearing perturbed, indicated the move to secure the state funds was out of bounds. “It just seems like we’re not playing as a team,” she said, “and somebody’s got to address that.”
She pointed out the vehicles had not been listed among the city’s legislative funding requests and had not been presented to councilors as a priority last year when they were considering a spate of one-time allocations using surplus gross receipts tax revenue. She also complained repeatedly during the meeting her District 1 didn’t receive any infrastructure funding from the state for the next fiscal year.
Councilor Carol Romero-Wirth also objected, describing Faulkner and the union’s lobbying as an “end run” around the City Council.
“We really need to not do that in the future,” she said, adding the council has to make hard choices every year about what to prioritize.
But Faulkner, the city’s contracted lobbyist and at least one local state lawmaker all noted the Legislature’s capital outlay process gives legislators and the governor — not the city — discretion over how to divvy the infrastructure funds in their control.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, for instance, allocated $5 million last year for upgrades to Fort Marcy park. The request had not been on the city’s wish list and appeared to be part of the governor’s desire to help beautify the state’s capital city.
This year, the governor allocated $10 million for an abortion clinic to be established somewhere in Northern New Mexico — a move that raised the ire of Republicans.
“The capital outlay process is completely discretionary, and lawmakers alone decide where they want to put their resources for that year,” city lobbyist J.D. Bullington said Wednesday, adding lawmakers for major municipalities such as Santa Fe often coordinate on how to allocate their shares.
‘I have no regrets’
The city received a combined $525,000 from Rep. Reena Szczepanski and Sen. Linda Trujillo, both Santa Fe Democrats, for a new fire engine for Station 3. It also received $1.5 million from Lujan Grisham and another $400,000 from the Legislature for a new ladder truck for Station 7.
Lindell said the total $2.4 million in the city’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 took her by surprise.
Ahead of the legislative session each year, the City Council approves a resolution outlining its legislative priorities, which includes a laundry list of funds for capital projects — some for the city overall and some for each council district. The requests are based on the city’s Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan, which ranks funding needs. The city received about $6 million for its projects, and a total of more than $18 million for projects it