Rio Rancho City Council Meeting Summary - January 22, 2026
Rio Rancho City Council Meeting Summary - January 22, 2026
The Rio Rancho City Council convened on January 22, 2026, presided over by Deputy Mayor Lennon Time, with Counselors Dabson, Tyler, Weimer, Colbreth, and Colbreth (online) in attendance. The meeting proceeded with a moment of silence, public comments regarding water safety, and the approval of the Consent Calendar. The primary discussion centered on Resolution 5, the Fiscal Year 2026 Mid-Year Budget Adjustments, which received unanimous approval. The Deputy Mayor also delivered a City Manager's Report highlighting upcoming hiring events, library activities, and a civic admonition against election misinformation.
Consent Calendar
- The Consent Calendar was approved unanimously (6-0) following a motion by Deputy Mayor Lennon Time and a second, with no discussion or objections raised by any council members.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mr. Van Horn: Stated he supported adding a visual warning to the upcoming consumer confidence report. He cited a graphic from the New Mexico Department of Health regarding private well owners in Mora County, where groundwater was found to be contaminated by fire suppression chemicals from the Hermit Peak Fire. He argued that the current report's graphic, depicting "happy smiling faces," fails to convey the risk of harm to immune-compromised individuals or well owners, and advocated for a visual alert similar to the one used by the state.
- Mr. Van Horn (on Resolution 5): Expressed concern that the Public Infrastructure Advisory Board had not been utilized to review the mid-year budget adjustments. He stated that this is a failure of accountability, noting that the board is intended to provide independent citizen input on budgetary items and infrastructure (roads and water) but is currently bypassed. He asked the council to acknowledge that the city is not utilizing its advisory bodies as intended during the election year.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 5: Fiscal Year 2026 Mid-Year Budget Adjustments
- Don Martinez (Budget and Grants Division Manager) presented the resolution, explaining it amends the General Fund, special funds, capital funds, debt service funds, and utility enterprise funds. He noted that Conservative budget practices and economic forecasts from the UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research (which budget for pessimistic/recessionary scenarios) have resulted in a surplus, allowing for a 2.15 million increase in General Fund sources and uses. Key revenue increases included property tax ($529,000, a 2.1% increase) and GRT ($1,363,000, a 1.8% increase), driven by certified property values and actual GRT collections ahead of estimates.
- Counselor Colbreth: Requested clarification on a $19th Avenue drainage facility line item. He inquired about proposals to address complaints regarding mosquito overgrowth and vegetation in a retention pond on 19th Avenue. He sought details on the proposed funding to purchase a mobile pump and a sound wall, and a $500,000 non-recurring transfer for a feasibility study for a permanent pump house.
- City Manager/Deputy Mayor: Responded that the pond predates modern regulations (early 1960s) and operates as a retention pond (water leaves via evaporation) rather than a detention pond. The current budget includes $98,000 to acquire a mobile pump and a sound wall to reduce noise and manage water levels to control mosquitoes, as well as $500,000 for the feasibility study of a permanent pump house to address these long-term issues.
- Counselor Colbreth (continued): Expressed strong support for the budget, highlighting the receipt of additional state funds for road reconstruction on Barber Loop and Western Hills, and thanked Director Gottlieb for securing these funds.
- Counselor Tyler: Expressed full support for the budget approval, citing critical road repairs needed in his district. He noted that nine roads on Nativas and Tratra require repairs totaling approximately $1,555,000 (including a $1,000,000 mill and inlay project), and emphasized that the mid-year budget is essential to fund these repairs and increase weed mitigation funding. He stated he was "always on [BJ's] about weeds" and supported the increased spending on weed control.
- Deputy Mayor Lennon Time (Response to Tyler): Clarified that while the city wants to address weeds, the issue involves vendor availability and budget constraints, noting that historically there has only been one vendor willing to apply.
- Deputy Mayor Lennon Time (Response to Dabson): Explained that the surplus and increased revenues are not due to new tax levies but rather conservative revenue estimation (budgeting against pessimistic economic models) and growth in property tax and Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) due to certified values and actual collections ahead of estimates. He noted the city maintains an ending fund reserve of 25.8% (well above the state's 8.3% requirement).
- Counselor Dabson: Asked if the increased revenues correlated to population growth and increased service needs, and requested clarification on the surplus. He confirmed understanding that the surplus resulted from GRT and property tax increases reflecting actual certified values, not new taxes.
- Counselor List (Online): Expressed full support for the budget revisions and the conservative fiscal approach. She highlighted the allocation for Parks and Recreation (including new picnic tables, grills, and mulch) and emphasized the importance of maintaining the city's financial stability to handle unforeseen economic downturns without drastic measures.
- Counselor Weimer: Verified his interpretation of the General Fund summary sheet, confirming that the 1.2% difference between the initial estimate and current status represented a conservative approach of recognizing only positive revenue variances already in hand (bank accounts) without assuming future collections, resulting in a 2.15 million total budget increase.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 5 Passed: The Fiscal Year 2026 Mid-Year Budget Adjustments were approved unanimously (6-0).
- General Fund: Sources and uses increased by $2.15 million. Property tax revenue increased by 2.1% ($529,000); GRT increased by 1.8% ($1,363,000). General fund reserves remain at 25.8% of expenditures.
- Capital/Debt/Special Funds: Increased by $8.1 million, primarily to fund state-awarded grants for road projects and a new bay at Fire Station Three.
- Utility Fund: Decreased by $283,000; cash reserves maintained at the 90-day target level.
- Specific Allocations Approved:
- $98,000 allocated for the acquisition of a mobile pump and sound wall for the 19th Avenue drainage facility.
- $500,000 non-recurring transfer for a feasibility study and design for a permanent pump house at 19th Avenue.
- One-time expenditures for park improvements (picnic tables, grills, trash cans, mulch) totaling $259,000.
- Public Safety: The council received a report on an upcoming "fast track hiring event" for street workers, operators, and police, and a reminder regarding the March 3rd municipal election.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned after the City Manager's Report and public comment section.
Meeting Transcript
Uh Counselor Tyler, could you lead us? I point to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. As we always do, we'll start with a moment of silence for all of our workers in the community, emergency response in our city and across this state. Thank you very much. You may be seated. Please take this opportunity to silence all electronic devices while in here for the governing body meeting. I'll be running the meeting tonight as the mayor is not able to be here. I'm going to go ahead and uh announce the uh folks that are in the room. We should have counselor uh list joining us online shortly. And so when I say your name, please acknowledge your presence by saying present. Counselor Dabson? Present. Counselor Tyler. Present. Counselor Weimer. Present. Counselor Colbreth. Present. And we don't see Counselor List yet. If she comes in, I will make sure to announce her at that time as well. Okay, uh, we don't have any uh proclamations or awards of merit at this time. However, we do have one signed up for public forum, and that would be Mr. Van Horn, and we'll give you uh two minutes there, sir. Thank you so much for signing up to speak tonight. Good evening, counselors. Yes, sir. I uh would like to speak to you this evening about the uh the next consumer confidence report, the the water quality report that should be coming out this week or see this month. And um this page in this report, it tells about the the issues of using tap water if you're immune compromised or if you're undergoing chemotherapy, or if you have had transplants or HIV AIDS or other immune system disorders, if you're elderly or an infant with uh risk of infection, it's a precaution saying you should probably use bottled water, you should not use top water. Well, what I gave you is out of this paper that's up north. I happen to be in Santa Fe, and on page seven of this paper, is this announcement by the New Mexico Department of Health that's cautioning private well owners in Mora County to have all their water tested because they've they're finding out four years later that the fire suppression chemicals they were using for the Hermit Peak Fire is contaminating the groundwater in those wells and they can't use it. The reason why I'm telling you this is this picture on this page that's saying be careful about using tap water. If all you do is scan this and you see the pictures of these happy smiling faces, everything seems okay. And I was taken by this is Department of Health. How they if you look at the graphic, it's saying be careful, don't drink the water in this case if you're a private well owner, but this would be something I would ask that you would consider that you put in this water quality as a visual warning, right? If you need to be concerned and draw attention to the possibility that you could be harmed. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Van Horn. Okay, ums by counselors at this time. Uh I just wanted to say that we got the new uh for the first of 2026 um city newsletter here, and a great job again by the team putting this together. Wanted to highlight it because in there there's some road improvements to talk about uh all throughout the city and major roadways also gives a really helpful property tax breakdown. I thought was really great, and then city budget, kind of how are you spending your money, and then also uh those new uh photo enforcement speed vans that everything that you need to know about and slowing down so that you don't get a hundred dollar fine. And so uh that's something really cool. Also, all of the election day stuff is in there, which is really helpful, and uh so pick up one of those if you don't have one already, and there's probably already one in your mailbox, or you can get them at any of the uh public facilities around town here. Moving on to the consent calendar. Uh I'll take a motion on the consent calendar. To approve the consent calendar. Very good. Uh any discussion on the consent calendar.
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