Rio Rancho Governing Body Meeting - March 12, 2026
Rio Rancho Governing Body Meeting - March 12, 2026
On March 12, 2026, the Rio Rancho Governing Body met at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included approval of routine items, several public hearings, and a second reading of a bond ordinance. Notable discussions centered on the Vista Alegria Master Plan and a water utility bond issuance. The meeting adjourned at 7:12 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Approved 6-0: Minutes of the February 17, 2026 Work Session; Minutes of the February 26, 2026 Regular Meeting; Resolution R16 (Budget Adjustment to State Appropriations Capital Fund); Resolution R17 (Disposal of Property).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Stephan vanHorn (public forum) spoke about water challenges in New Mexico, aquifer injection, and the importance of water conservation. He criticized the city's Public Infrastructure Advisory Board for not meeting and urged the Governing Body to reinstate a utilities commission. Mayor Hull responded, defending the city's aquifer recharge efforts and rejecting claims of misinformation, stating the city is a leader in the state.
- Stephan vanHorn (under agenda item O1) questioned the need for a $4 million injection well and again raised concerns about the Public Infrastructure Advisory Board's inactivity. Mayor Hull responded, emphasizing the city's improved bond ratings, infrastructure investments, and transparency.
Discussion Items
- D2 & D3 – Turtle Mountain Brewing Company Liquor Licenses: Both were approved unanimously. D3 was corrected from a Small Brewer Off-Site to a Limited Beer Wholesale License per the Mayor's amendment.
- D4 – RV Storage Site Plan: Approved 6-0 for a property at Rio West Business Park, Block A, Lot 5A1A. The site plan had expired and was reconfigured; staff recommended approval.
- R18 – Resolution Adopting the Vista Alegria Master Plan: Approved 4-2 (Councilors Tyler and Culbreath dissenting). The plan covers properties west of Rainbow Blvd. NE, with a mix of R-6, R-4, and R-3 zoning. Councilors expressed concerns about holdout lots (not included in the master plan), unpaved roads (e.g., Third Street and First Avenue), and the plan's irregular shape. The applicant, AMREP Southwest, Inc., stated they are actively pursuing acquisition of the holdout parcels and will work with the city on road paving during the preliminary plat process. The Planning and Zoning Board had recommended approval.
- O4 – Zoning Map Amendment (Vista Alegria): Approved 4-2 (same vote as R18). The amendment changes zoning from M-1, R-1, and other designations to R-6, R-4, and R-3. It is concurrent with the master plan.
- O1 – Second Reading of Ordinance for Water and Wastewater System Improvement Bonds: Approved 6-0. The ordinance authorizes up to $25 million in new utility revenue bonds (Series 2026) for improvements and refunding of prior bonds (up to $38.4 million), with potential net savings of $1.95 million. The bonds have an estimated all-in interest cost of 3.6% and final maturity by May 15, 2057. The Mayor, City Manager, and Finance Director are delegated authority to set final terms.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar, D2, D3, D4, O1: All passed unanimously (6-0).
- R18 and O4: Passed 4-2 (with Councilors Tyler and Culbreath voting no).
- Next Steps: The Vista Alegria Master Plan will proceed; the applicant will work on holdout lot acquisitions and further traffic studies. The bond issuance for utility improvements is expected by the end of March 2026.
- City Manager Announcements: A spring arts and crafts festival on March 21 at Sabana Grande Recreation Center; St. Baldrick's fundraising event on March 22 hosted by the fire department; early voting for the runoff election begins March 31.
Meeting Transcript
Meaning to order, please silence all electronic devices while attending the governing body meeting. For the record, I will announce the names of the governing body members. When I say your name, please acknowledge your presence. Councillor Dabson. Present. Thank you. Counselor Lindon Time. Present. Thank you. Counselor Tyler. Is he excused? Present. Oh, he's online. Okay, good. Sorry, I didn't realize you were there. Counselor Tyler is with us online. Counselor Weimer. Present. Thank you. Counselor Colbreth. Present. Thank you, Councillor List. Present. Thank you. All right. Before we get started, I need to offer an amendment to the agenda. We have a correction on item number six D3. We need to amend the approval for Turtle Mountain Brewing LLC, the applicant located at 7835 enchanted Hills Boulevard Northeast Suite in 105 Rio Rancho 87104 for a small brewer off site application. We need to change small brewer off site to limited beer wholesale license. Okay. So if there are no objections to that amendment to the agenda. All right. Hearing no objections, that amendment is made. And so no proclamations or awards of merit today. Moving on to public forum. Each comment will be limited to two minutes. So moving on. Mr. Van Horn. Good evening, Mr. Mayor. Good evening, counselors. Congratulations to the winners of your election. I uh presented to you this uh flyer that uh I came across while I was in Santa Fe that I thought you all would be very interested in. This is from the Mexico Tech. Um it's their water division, and the thing I would ask you to pay attention to on the front page, the picture is very interesting. Shows well, it shows wells, it shows water being uh sinking into the ground to refresh the aquifer. There's also on the far right side of that picture, it shows an injection well. There's information in this flyer about injection and about wells, and the main topic of this is how we are monitoring in New Mexico our groundwater, the water that we pump. And there is uh a very interesting paragraph on page five.
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