State money for Santa Fe firetruck sparks debate on lobbying outside of city council
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 will oversee as the fiscal sponsor.
While the firetrucks were a top priority for the fire department, they didn't make the city's shortlist.
Moya took the blame for catching the council off guard.
The fire department union had successfully lobbied the Legislature in the past for money for self-contained breathing apparatuses, he said, and decided to try its hand again.
'I did not communicate clearly with the mayor the union was going to request for these firetrucks to be purchased," Moya said.
Faulkner said she helped the union with the effort, something she felt was necessary this year because of the long lead time to get the trucks built and delivered to Santa Fe — at least two to three years. She pointed out some of the city's older vehicles will be aging out in the coming years.
"If we kept postponing building the trucks, we were going to have trucks that don't work with no trucks coming in," she said. "That is all on me, and I take 100% responsibility for it, and I'm glad that I did it, and I have no regrets."
'The pie is only so big'
While Lindell had argued her district was left out of legislative allocations, one District 1 project did get partially funded. The city requested $1 million for the replacement of a pedestrian bridge at Shelby Street and received $250,000 from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth's share of capital outlay.
Lindell conceded in a Wednesday interview she had been mistaken.
"I was uninformed, and I misspoke on that," she said, adding she is "very grateful" for the bridge funding.
Still, she stood by her disapproval of "outside lobbying."
"I think it's inappropriate," she said Wednesday.
It's unfair to the rest of the city, Lindell argued, because it takes away money that could be going toward projects councilors have identified as top priorities.
"The pie is only so big, and if you add stuff in, you take away from what we had agreed on as a council are our priorities," she said.
Faulkner said she understands the reasoning behind the council's resolution laying out its priorities — but she doesn't feel beholden to it.
"The reality is, we have every right as councilors to lobby for things we think would be best for our district, whether it's in the ICIP list or not," she said.
She also pushed back on Lindell's assertion money for new firetrucks took something away from the city: "That's a benefit for the whole city," she said.
Faulkner in recent months has been the most vocal supporter on the City Council for the police and fire departments and has been actively lobbying for more stringent public safety ordinances.
She co-sponsored a resolution with Mayor Alan Webber last year to restrict sitting or standing in narrow city medians and is working with Councilors Lee Garcia and Amanda Chavez on a package of public safety bills focused on curbing reckless driving and other crimes.
'Line in the sand'
Faulkner said it is an "open secret" some Santa Fe-area lawmakers are frustrated with how slowly the city moves forward with construction projects funded with state capital outlay, leaving funds unspent for long periods of time. She also noted one lawmaker did not allocate any money to a city project this year.
Unspent capital outlay has been an ongoing frustration among lawmakers across New Mexico, with backlogs growing to nearly $6 billion.
Rep. Linda Serrato, D-Santa Fe, said Wednesday she did not give any money to the city except the $300,000 she allocated for Phase 3 of Tierra Contenta, a south-side development led by Homewise Inc. that will include a large share of affordable housing. She cited her frustrations with the city over its failure to spend previous legislative allocations for a sewer line connection on Jemez Road, a neighborhood that long has been waiting for service.
"It is incomprehensible to me why they cannot get a sewer line," Serrato said, especially as the city spends millions of dollars in reserve funding and unanticipated gross receives tax revenue.
She described the sewer line project as her "line in the sand" and said she has made clear to city officials she will not give money to more of its projects until the sewer line is complete.
'I cannot in good conscience give New Mexican dollars when it is not being spent on essential services for my community," she said.
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