Rio Rancho Governing Body Regular Meeting – March 13, 2025
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Rio Rancho Governing Body Regular Meeting – March 13, 2025
The Rio Rancho Governing Body met on March 13, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Greggory D. Hull with five members present (Councilors Dapson, Lenentine, Wymer, and List, plus Mayor Hull) and two members absent (Tyler and Culbreath). The meeting was adjourned at 6:33 PM. Key actions included approval of a $32 million bond ordinance for infrastructure projects, a five-year water and wastewater rate adjustment, salary updates for the municipal judge, and a $720,000 budget transfer for emergency communications center upgrades.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of February 27, 2025 Regular Meeting – Approved.
- R24 – Resolution Authorizing the Donation of a Vehicle to La Clinica Del Pueblo De Rio Arriba EMS/Ambulance Special Hospital District Board – Approved.
- R25 – Resolution Authorizing a Budget Adjustment to the General Fund (101) – Approved.
- R26 – Resolution Authorizing a Budget Adjustment to the State Appropriations Capital Fund (315) – Approved.
- All items were approved by a unanimous vote of 5 FOR, 0 AGAINST (Councilors Tyler and Culbreath absent).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public Forum: David Starr spoke about a sustainable living plan for the Navajo Nation, a water study he submitted to the Bureau of Reclamation and Department of the Interior, and urged the city to prioritize green utilities and sustainable living. He expressed frustration with the lack of response to his water study.
- Public Comment on O7 (Water/Wastewater Rates): Stephan vanHorn, former chairman of the utilities commission, warned that aquifer injection of treated sewer water is costly and risky, and that projections indicate 25% less water availability in New Mexico over the next 50 years. He urged public discussion on these issues.
Discussion Items
- Councilor Comments on Water Sustainability: Councilor Lenentine addressed a recent news article that he said painted Rio Rancho negatively. He highlighted the city's water innovation efforts, including aquifer injection, arsenic treatment, and a 50% reduction in per capita water use since 2000. He noted the city's complete inventory found no lead or galvanized pipes, and encouraged residents to visit the city's website for detailed information.
- O5 – Second Reading: Ordinance Amending Chapter 37.02 Lodger’s Tax: Deputy City Manager Peter Wells presented the ordinance to allow the city to collect occupancy tax on short-term rental units, effective July 1, 2025. The ordinance passed unanimously (5-0).
- O6 – First Reading: Ordinance Authorizing the Issuance and Sale of Gross Receipts Tax Improvement Revenue Bonds, Series 2025 (Up to $32,000,000): Director of Financial Services Carole Jaramillo explained the bond will fund widening Unser Boulevard from Cherry Road to Paseo del Volcan, construction of Fire Station 8, and contingency/design of a multi-generational facility. The bond leverages $11.6 million in federal funding and $2 million in state matching funds. Debt service will come from the State shared GRT. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- O7 – First Reading: Ordinance Amending Chapter 51 Water and Wastewater Rules and Rates: Acting Utilities Director Steve Gallegos presented a 5-year rate adjustment schedule (FY2026–2030). The average residential monthly water/wastewater bill will increase by $2.92 in FY2026, reaching $15.54 per month by FY2030. The water rights acquisition fee adds $0.30 per month in FY2026, reaching $1.66 by FY2030. The bulk fill water station fee increases by $0.50 per 1,000 gallons in FY2026, reaching $2.76 by FY2030. Gallegos stated that without approval, the system would be insufficiently funded. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- O8 – First Reading: Ordinance Amending Chapter 30 Governing Body, Chapter 31 City Officials, and Chapter 34 Municipal Court: Deputy City Manager Wells presented changes necessitated by a 2024 constitutional amendment. The municipal judge salary increases from $70,000 to $80,500 (a 15% increase) for the new term beginning in 2026. The alternate municipal judge salary increases from $175 to $200 per day (a 14% increase). Governing body compensation will be set by numeric value (matching the 2024 adopted amount) with an 8% cost-of-living adjustment every four years for new terms. Councilor Wymer emphasized that no current officials receive a raise. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- O9 – First Reading: Ordinance Amending the Quail Ranch Energy Storage LLC Project Industrial Revenue Bonds (Up to $140,000,000): Economic Development Manager Albert Solis presented jointly with O10. The amendment updates the PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) schedule based on 2024 mill levies and student enrollment data. The school district share increases by about 0.65%, equivalent to approximately $2,400 more for schools and $2,400 less for the city. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- O10 – First Reading: Ordinance Amending the Quail Ranch Solar LLC Project Industrial Revenue Bonds (Up to $110,000,000): Same explanation as O9. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- R27 – Resolution Authorizing a Budget Adjustment to the General Fund (101) and the City Facility Improvement Fund (313): Emergency Communications Center Manager Jolene Madrid presented the need for upgrades at the 911 center, including electrical, fire suppression, septic isolation, and office remodel. The resolution transfers $720,000 from the General Fund Unreserved Ending Fund Balance to the building maintenance fund. Total project cost is estimated at $820,000, with $200,000 previously allocated, leaving a $100,000 contingency. Approved unanimously (5-0).
Key Outcomes
- All consent calendar items, ordinances on first and second reading, and the resolution were approved by a vote of 5 FOR and 0 AGAINST (with Councilors Tyler and Culbreath absent).
- The O6 bond ordinance will enable the city to close on bonds by mid-May 2025, funding Unser Boulevard widening and Fire Station 8.
- The O7 water and wastewater rate adjustments take effect July 1, 2025, with a five-year schedule.
- The O8 salary changes for municipal judge and governing body will apply to future elected officials only, beginning with the 2026 municipal judge election.
- The O9 and O10 amendments update the PILOT schedule for the Quail Ranch energy projects, slightly shifting payments to school districts.
- The R27 budget transfer of $720,000 will fund emergency communications center upgrades.
City Manager Report
- City Manager Matt Geisel announced seasonal hiring for Parks and Recreation (lifeguards, camp counselors) and a Shop Local event at Sabana Grande on March 29, 2025 (later corrected to April 5, 2025 at Cabazon Park). He also noted that the library has secured a Smithsonian exhibit, “Why We Serve: Native Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces,” running from March 22 to June 1, 2025, with related events including a Code Talker lecture on March 29.
Meeting Transcript
The United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Please remain standing as we take a moment of uh silence and reflection for all of our first responders. Thank you very much. You may be seated. Okay. Remind everybody to please silence all electronic devices while attending the governing body meetings. And if you need to take a call, you please step out into the hallway or outside over there. And for the record, I will announce the names of the governing body members. When I say your name, please acknowledge your presence by saying present. That's Councillor Dabson, who is remote. Thank you. Counselor Linantine. Present. Counselor Tyler has been excused. He is not feeling well. Counselor Weimer. Present. Counselor Culler Colbreth has been uh excused. She is traveling. Counselor List. Present. Thank you. All right. No awards or proclamations of merit. We'll go move on into public forum. Each comment will be limited to two minutes and no more than two hours in total will be allotted for public forum. Mr. David Starr. Good evening. The old pennies back. I wanted to check with you on the request that I had last month regarding talking about the me showing you the sustainable living plan for the Navajo Nation, which would be we we could use it here. That's one. Number two, since we last talked, the water situation came up. And I've just uh leverage you a copy of my uh water uh study that was for the Rio Grande and Colorado River basins. Submitted it to the uh Bureau of Reclamation and the uh Department of Interior, and uh no response, uh which really whiz me off because there's a lot of energy and time put in that so now the water problem across the Southwest still exist and they still don't have an answer for it, and it looks like we don't either. So uh anyway, I uh we should look at that and uh if uh there's anything I can uh say that to help you come up with a decision of how to handle that. Um I'd like to have that that conversation with you folks. Um and uh as far as the uh the first item, I uh I really would like uh to talk with you about that. I've I've talked to Paul about it. I gave him a call and he explained some things which I understand regarding developers, but you got to uh crawl before you can walk. We've got to get sustainable living going. And you know, I had a friend that was uh uh a um broker around here would do some designs of uh uh of uh uh industrial parks and commercial centers and so forth. Good job. What would I mean? Look at it and say what I thought. Looks fine. I said now let's talk about utilities. And uh let's talk about green utilities. Okay, he says, oh no, we're not gonna do that.
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