Another year is almost gone,
Another trip around the sun.
Before ‘24 breathes its final gasp,
Let’s measure up the City’s tasks:
Team Santa Fe and its dedication
In every fire and police station,
Public Works, Parks, and Rec,
They always say, “All hands on deck!”
Econ Dev, Tourism, too,
And Community Services work all year through,
To make our city the best of the best,
Whether North or South, East or West,
Santa Fe outdoes them all,
In answering every resident’s call.
Finance, HR, Legal serve
To navigate each admin curve.
City Councilors, we must remind us,
Work long and hard solutions to find us.
EDS picks up our trash,
Streets fills up potholes in a flash.
Utilities makes our water flow.
Need a book? To the Libraries go!
Land Use checks out all the plans,
So Santa Fe stays “different,” man.
Another great year for Culture and Arts.
It’s in our DNA and our hearts.
The Airport’s handling lots more flights,
And Public Works has switched out lights
To LED so the night sky’s pretty
And cut down on our electricity.
When someone’s in need Fire’s always ready,
Courageous, steadfast, strong, and steady,
Just like PD, whose calls for service
Go up and up, but they’re not nervous.
They’re public servants, through and through,
Trained to help us, tried and true.
Team Santa Fe works hard together,
No matter what the day or weather.
(Here’s to Streets who plough snow quickly
So we don’t drive on streets too slickly.)
As we turn another year,
Let’s clap our hands and give a cheer,
To the top 10 things that we got done,
Making a difference, having fun,
Serving families and friends, all who live here,
Blessed to greet a Happy New Year!
The Top 10 Things of 2024
1. The Audit was turned in on time. The Finance Department, with the help and support of every City department and outside consultants, completed four audits in 18 months, including the current year’s audit on time. We’ll await its release from the State Auditor to get the results.
2. The Governing Body approved the first deal to develop Midtown in conformity with the adopted Master Plan and Community Development Plan. The result: Housing, jobs, and millions of dollars of private investment in the film and digital industries.
3. Public Works filled 7,131 potholes, heading into December—1,020 more than last year.
4. SFPD greeted 10 new police cadets in December, bringing the vacancy rate to 8% or 14 unfilled positions. This year the City welcome 17 officers to the police department. At the same time, SFFD brought on 10 new firefighters, including two women, leaving fewer than 10 vacancies in the Fire department.
5. In housing, the City helped facilitate an agreement that makes Homewise the developer for Tierra Contenta Phase 3. The development will add more than 1,000 units to the City’s housing stock, 40% affordable.
6. The people of Santa Fe overwhelmingly approved a $25 million bond issue dedicated entirely to improving streets and roads across every part of the city, including a set-aside for neighborhood street improvement projects.
7. The Tourism department reports more than 3 million visitors to Santa Fe, with Lodgers Tax collections reaching more than $17 million. Santa Fe was named #2 best small city in the U.S. and #1 small city to live and work in moviemaking.
8. The Teen Center has 600 Santa Fe youth enrolled as members; Senior Services delivered nearly 8,000 meals every month to homebound seniors; Senior Centers provided 4,000 meals on site every month; and Senior Services provided almost 1,500 rides per month for seniors needing transportation to doctor appointments, pharmacies, or shopping.
9. The Airport completed Phase 1 of the modernization of the terminal and parking lots and is now beginning the planning for Phase 2 and the overall airport master plan.
10. The Public Works team completed the conversion of 1,000 more streetlights to LED, protecting the night sky and saving around $750,000 in electricity bills.
That’s this year’s list, or at least a start,
From Team Santa Fe with all its heart.
Working hard from year to year,
The City Different we hope it’s clear:
We love this place and all it stands for,
Knowing we can always do more.
Say adios old ’24,
Fling open wide January’s door,
And welcome ’25 with cheer
To say “Santa Fe! Happy New Year!”