On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, four members of the City Council introduced a resolution directing the City Manager to take next steps based on some of the recommendations of the final CHART report.

In particular, it directs the City Manager to create and budget for an Office of Equity and Inclusion, and directs the City Manager to hire conservators, designers, and/or historians to determine specific proposals to mend, redesign, and/or reframe the Obelisk (the “Obelisk Proposals”) as follows:

• Use original pieces to show the lines where the Obelisk fractured, by bonding it together with a modern, contrasting material that delineates the fractured lines caused by the toppling of the Obelisk on October 14, 2020;
• Display an interactive interface, such as a QR Code, where the public may access more information and learn about the varied perspectives about the community’s complex history and contribute their own perspectives; and
• Contemplate updates to the four plaques.

The Resolution was originally sponsored by Councilor Romero-Wirth, Councilwoman Villarreal, Councilor Rivera, and Councilor Chavez. Councilor M. Garcia, Councilor Cassutt, and Mayor Webber have also signed on as co-sponsors.  

The Resolution will go before the following committees on the dates noted:*

• Quality of Life Committee: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 (passed)
• Finance Committee: Monday, February 27, 2023
• Public Works/Utilities Committee: Monday, March 6, 2023
• Governing Body: Wednesday, March 8, 2023

*The committee review schedule can be amended by a committee.

A copy of the proposed resolution can be downloaded here. It is also available online via the City's online public meeting portal under Governing Body - Regular Meeting, February 8, 2023.

Residents can provide public comment three ways:

During Petitions from the Floor on Feb. 22, 2023 (Petitions from the Floor are usually heard around 7 p.m. in-person or on Zoom)

• Online, once the March 8, 2023 agenda is posted, via the City's online public meeting portal. Residents can enter public comment starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 3.
• By emailing a Governing Body member (Click here for contact information)  
• Once the proposals are developed, the Governing Body would approve the proposal that best allows the Plaza’s continued use as a public park.

While the proposals for, conversations about, and reframing/redesigning of the Obelisk are developed, the City would remove the box covering the broken Obelisk, take down the fence surrounding it, and, to the extent permitted in code, install temporary lights to shine into the sky, representing hope. The resolution requires the plaques currently existing to be preserved and that they be accessible to the public (such as through a future museum display or exhibit on the history of Santa Fe).

The Office of Equity and Inclusion would base its work on the CHART Final Report recommendations and survey results; the Culture Connects findings and recommendations; and compliance with federal, state, and local human and civil rights laws. It would have internal and external roles, and shall commit to working toward better addressing racial and social disparities and to achieving equity across all populations and 20 indicators. As one of its first tasks, the Office of Equity and Inclusion would work with stakeholders to recommend language for four new plaques for the Obelisk: describing a complete history of the Obelisk providing an Indigenous land acknowledgment; restating the Entrada Proclamation dated September 7, 2018; and describing the events that led to the Obelisk’s destruction with a pledge for healing and reconciliation.