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Record of Proceedings

Rio Rancho City Council Meeting Summary for January 8, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, January 8, 2026
BodyRio Rancho, New Mexico
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, January 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good evening.

0:02

Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:04

Counselor List, would you lead us?

0:06

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:11

And to the Republicans, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

0:21

I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself.

0:23

Please remain standing for just a moment here as we uh uh take a moment of silence to reflect on our first responders.

0:37

Thank you very much.

0:38

You may be seated.

0:42

So call the meeting to order.

0:43

Please silence all electronic devices while attending the governing body meeting.

0:47

For the record, I'll announce the names of the governing body members when I say your name, please acknowledge your presence by saying present.

0:53

Counselor Dabson.

0:54

Present.

0:55

Thank you.

0:56

Counselor Lynn Tyne is supposed to be joining us online.

1:00

So we'll councillor Tyler, present.

1:03

Thank you.

1:04

Counselor Weimer.

1:05

Present.

1:05

Thank you.

1:05

Counselor Colbreth.

1:07

Present.

1:08

Thank you.

1:08

Who's joining us online?

1:10

Counselor List.

1:11

Present.

1:12

Thank you.

1:13

Um I've noted an error on the agenda this evening that I'd like to address and have it amended at this time.

1:19

Item number three.

1:20

The title should be corrected to read R1.

1:26

And I'll need a motion to correct that amended item.

1:31

Motion to correct the amended item.

1:33

Second.

1:34

Thank you.

1:34

Have a motion and a second.

1:40

Thank you.

1:40

Counselor Colbrath?

1:42

Yes.

1:42

Counselor Weimer?

1:44

Yes.

1:44

Counselor Lynnantine.

1:46

Oh.

1:47

Yes.

1:47

Oh, measier.

1:49

Thank you.

1:49

Counselor Dabson?

1:50

Yes.

1:51

Counselor Tyler?

1:52

Yes.

1:52

And Counselor List.

1:54

Yes.

1:54

Thank you.

1:54

The amendment is approved.

1:56

Okay.

1:57

Moving on to uh public forum.

2:00

Mr.

2:00

Van Horn.

2:17

Good evening.

2:20

Mayor, counselors.

2:22

I uh come back before you tonight with a set of questions, and I think all of you have a copy of it.

2:30

Uh my question is has an independent study been done to produce the projected 1.4 billion dollar cost of replacing all city water lines.

2:43

The reason why I asked this is I was reading the uh local newspaper uh the signpost and I saw in the article there and I cited that the mayor said that uh he was emphasizing that water and wastewater infrastructure have been replaced proactively under every major road construction project, though he acknowledged replacing all city water lines would cost approximately 1.5 billion that's far beyond available resources.

3:17

So my questions are if if where's this information coming from?

3:21

Has there been an independent study that's been done?

3:24

And if it has, is it available to the public?

3:28

And if an independent study has not been done, could I ask what what is the basis for uh these numbers that the mayor has put put forward?

3:40

And then my second question was, and this is a repeat from a set of questions I've given you earlier on uh July of last year.

3:50

And that is is the Rio Rancho pure a failed water project.

3:55

Is the injection a failed project?

3:58

And if it's not, when will it begin operating as permitted and as designed?

4:05

And how much is additional funding is going to be needed to operate this as it's permitted?

4:11

Thank you.

4:12

Thank you.

4:14

And I'll offer some clarity.

4:15

I don't have the newspaper article in front of me, but what I specifically said is to replace repave every road in the city and replace all the underlying water infrastructure is estimated at a at 1.5 billion to do it all at the same time.

4:28

So that was my exact quote.

4:30

Now, if they didn't write it down, then that's on the newspaper.

4:33

But I've said that numerous times over the years.

4:36

Repaving every road in the city at over a million dollars a mile, 400.

4:41

That's actually closer to 2 million dollars a mile, plus all the underlying infrastructure when you think about 24-inch mains, the one that we just replaced recently under Broadmore, several million dollars.

4:52

So it was an estim estimated at upwards of 1.5 billion dollars to repave every road in the city and replace every water line in the city concurrently and all at the time.

5:02

So I also said we don't have the resources for that to do it all at one time.

5:06

So there's no specific number.

5:08

Those are estimates based on known factors.

5:12

So to be quite clear.

5:15

Any comments by counselors.

5:20

Hearing none.

5:24

Before we move on to the consent calendar here, I need to uh there's a scribner's error on the December 18, 2025, regular meeting minutes.

5:35

And the meeting date on the header is not November 13, 2025, but should be December 18, 2025.

5:43

And on approval of the minutes, I mean the approval of the consent calendar.

5:47

Uh the uh clerk Davis will correct if there's no objection from the council.

5:55

Okay.

5:56

I'll take a motion to approve the consent calendar.

5:58

I move to approve the consent calendar.

6:01

Thank you.

6:02

I have a motion and a second.

6:03

Ms.

6:04

Davis.

6:05

Thank you, sir.

6:06

Counselor Lennon Time.

6:08

Yes.

6:09

Councilor Colbrith.

6:11

Yes.

6:12

Counselor Taylor?

6:13

Yes.

6:13

Counselor Dabson.

6:17

Yes.

6:18

Counselor List.

6:19

Yes.

6:19

And Councillor Weimer.

6:21

Yes.

6:21

Thank you.

6:22

The consent calendar is approved.

6:24

Thank you.

6:24

Moving on to R1, item number three.

6:28

Resolution designating voted convenience centers and consolidation of precincts for the March 3rd, 2026 election.

6:35

I'll take a motion to approve.

6:37

I'll make a motion to approve.

6:39

Thank you.

6:40

Second.

6:40

I have a motion and a second.

6:41

Do we have anybody signed up to speak on this item?

6:43

No, sir.

6:44

We do not.

6:44

Any comments by council?

6:46

No.

6:47

Hearing none.

6:48

Ms.

6:48

Davis.

6:49

R1, please.

6:50

Do you want me to run through it?

6:53

Do you just want to vote?

6:54

I'm sorry.

6:55

I apologize.

6:56

It's okay.

6:57

Yes.

6:58

So this is the final time I will bring this before you.

7:02

There were seven precincts that split.

7:05

We gained eight additional precincts.

7:07

They were in the higher growth areas.

7:09

So district one had one split.

7:12

District two, I believe it was three splits and the same thing within district three.

7:19

And it resulted in again the eight additional.

7:22

So I had to reassign some of the precincts to meet the already established polling locations for the March 3rd election.

7:31

Thank you.

7:32

Now you want a roll call?

7:33

Yeah.

7:34

I have a motion in a second.

7:36

Thank you.

7:37

Thank you.

7:37

Councillor List?

7:39

Yes.

7:39

Counselor Tyler?

7:40

Yes.

7:41

Counselor Dabson.

7:42

Yes.

7:43

Counselor Lynnantine.

7:45

Yes.

7:45

Counselor Weimer.

7:47

Yes.

7:47

Counselor Colbraith.

7:49

Yes.

7:50

R1 is approved.

7:52

Thank you.

7:53

That concludes our regularly scheduled agenda.

7:56

Mr.

7:56

City Manager, do you have a report?

7:58

Mr.

7:59

Mayor, members of the governing body, yes.

8:01

Quick brief report.

8:02

Just want to highlight slash plug a couple things that are available from the city or be available from the city soon.

8:08

Our utilities department is distributing their annual calendar.

8:13

So there's actually somehow here in City Hall in the front lobby.

8:16

But a beautiful calendar.

8:24

And then hitting mailboxes starting this weekend is our newsletter.

8:30

As we know, we uh produce this newsletter three times a year.

8:33

Uh send it to all uh addresses in Rio Rancho via the U.S.

8:38

Postal Services Bulk Mail mailing list, which is the cheapest form to mail something.

8:44

Um but it also means that sometimes they miss a couple of the mailboxes.

8:47

So if you don't get one in your mailbox, uh they'll be available, will be available online as well as for uh pickup at any of the um uh Rio Rancho facilities, such as the libraries, the aquatic center, and things like that, the senior centers.

9:01

Um encourage everyone uh to uh pick up the the newsletter or look for it in the mail.

9:06

Um it has uh snow on the front, which is very fitting for this evening, um, and also talks about the upcoming elections uh with our general obligation bonds, additional information inside the newsletter, um, special events, road work updates, these uh the center, two pages actually um talk about current road projects as well as a map of um uh of city road work um of residential road work that has been completed completed over the last few years.

9:31

Library programs, uh there's a section also on uh updates on uh different um, you know, uh different things happening at parks and rec and also very informative uh since we get in this time of year.

9:42

Um back towards the back, we have a breakdown on the property tax.

9:46

Um people, you know, one of the things we commonly hear is I pay my property taxes, and the mayor commonly says about 27% of that comes to the city.

9:54

It's not all coming to us as well as uh gross receipts tax comparison.

10:00

Um as we know, um, Rio Rancho has the uh lowest gross receipts tax rate um of any of the five largest municipalities in the uh uh state of New Mexico at 7.4375.

10:10

Um so just informative uh updates here.

10:12

Encourage everyone to look for it in the mail.

10:14

Start to hit this Saturday um between Saturday, Monday, Tuesday.

10:17

Um, folks should see it in the mailbox.

10:19

If not again, available for pickup um at uh city facilities.

10:23

And if all that fails, call the mayor's office, the city manager's office at 891 5002, and we'll put one in the mail to you.

10:29

Thank you, Mr.

10:30

Mayor.

10:30

Thank you.

10:31

All right, with that, we're adjourned.

10:34

Thank you all.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████67%
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████24%
Election Process██████9%
Summary of Proceedings

Rio Rancho City Council Meeting Summary for January 8, 2026

The governing body convened on January 8, 2026, to address agenda corrections, public inquiries regarding water infrastructure costs, the approval of election precinct changes, and to receive a utility department report. The meeting proceeded with the correction of an agenda item title, followed by a public forum where a citizen questioned the basis of water line replacement cost estimates and the status of the Rio Rancho Pure project.

Consent Calendar

  • Correction of December 18, 2025 Minutes: The Mayor noted a clerical error where the meeting date on the header was incorrectly listed as November 13, 2025, instead of December 18, 2025. The Clerk was authorized to correct this error upon approval.
  • Approval of Minutes: The consent calendar was approved unanimously (7-0) after a motion and second were made by Council members.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Inquiry on Water Infrastructure Costs (Mr. Van Horn):
    • Position: The speaker expressed concern and sought clarification regarding the projected $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion cost estimate for replacing all city water lines.
    • Specific Questions Asked:
      • Whether an independent study has been conducted to produce the cost projection and if it is available to the public.
      • If no independent study exists, what is the basis for the numbers.
      • Whether the Rio Rancho Pure injection project has failed.
      • If the project has not failed, when it will begin operating as permitted and how much additional funding is required.
  • Mayor's Clarification on Cost Estimates:
    • Position: The Mayor (or a council member responding) clarified that the $1.5 billion figure is an aggregate estimate for repaving every road and replacing every water line concurrently, not a specific budget for immediate implementation.
    • Context Provided: The Mayor stated that repaving every road would cost approximately $1.5 billion (citing approximately 400 roads at roughly $2 million per mile) and noted that the city lacks the resources to execute the entire project simultaneously. The Mayor emphasized there is "no specific number" for a single standalone project, but rather estimates based on "known factors" for a comprehensive overhaul.

Discussion Items

  • R1: Resolution Designating Voted Convenience Centers and Consolidation of Precincts:
    • Agenda Correction: A motion was made and approved to correct the title of Item Number 3 from an incorrect identifier to "R1."
    • Staff Presentation: The City/County Clerk or relevant official explained that the resolution addresses the March 3, 2026 election. The action involved splitting seven existing precincts to create eight additional precincts in higher growth areas (District 1 had one split; District 2 had three splits; District 3 had similar adjustments). These splits required reassigning precincts to meet established polling locations.
    • Deliberation: No public testimony was solicited or received for this item, and no council comments were made prior to the vote.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on Agenda Correction: The motion to correct the title of Item 3 to "R1" was approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Vote on Consent Calendar: The consent calendar, including the corrected minutes, was approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Vote on R1 Resolution: The resolution designating voted convenience centers and consolidation of precincts for the March 3rd, 2026 election was approved unanimously (7-0) on a roll call vote.
  • Adjournment: The City Manager provided a brief report on the distribution of the annual utilities calendar and a newsletter containing updates on bond initiatives, road work, property tax breakdowns, and gross receipts tax comparisons (Rio Rancho cited at 7.4375%). The meeting concluded without further action.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Counselor List, would you lead us? Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republicans, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself. Please remain standing for just a moment here as we uh uh take a moment of silence to reflect on our first responders. Thank you very much. You may be seated. So call the meeting to order. Please silence all electronic devices while attending the governing body meeting. For the record, I'll announce the names of the governing body members when I say your name, please acknowledge your presence by saying present. Counselor Dabson. Present. Thank you. Counselor Lynn Tyne is supposed to be joining us online. So we'll councillor Tyler, present. Thank you. Counselor Weimer. Present. Thank you. Counselor Colbreth. Present. Thank you. Who's joining us online? Counselor List. Present. Thank you. Um I've noted an error on the agenda this evening that I'd like to address and have it amended at this time. Item number three. The title should be corrected to read R1. And I'll need a motion to correct that amended item. Motion to correct the amended item. Second. Thank you. Have a motion and a second. Thank you. Counselor Colbrath? Yes. Counselor Weimer? Yes. Counselor Lynnantine. Oh. Yes. Oh, measier. Thank you. Counselor Dabson? Yes. Counselor Tyler? Yes.

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