OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Rio Rancho Governing Body Meeting - July 23, 2026: Budget, Land Sale, Council Appointment

Meeting Portal — Thursday, July 23, 2026
BodyRio Rancho, New Mexico
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, July 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:22:34

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:05

Councilor Landon Time, will you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:07

I will.

0:08

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:15

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

0:21

Please remain standing.

0:23

Um as have become somewhat of a tradition.

0:26

I want to take a moment to recognize our first responders and their commitment to our safety.

0:32

I also want to take a moment to recognize a fellow city planner who recently passed away.

0:38

Tamara Martinez was very well respected amongst her peers and will be truly missed.

0:43

So let's take a moment of silence.

0:52

All right, you may be seated.

1:04

So um to start the meeting, just make sure that you've got all of your electronic devices silenced during the governing body meeting.

1:12

I'll do that now for my own device.

1:17

Um and then for the record, I'll read the name of the governing bodies.

1:20

When I say your name, please acknowledge your present by saying present.

1:25

Councilor Dabson.

1:27

Present.

1:28

Councilor Lenington.

1:29

Present.

1:30

Councilor Tyler, who is remote.

1:33

Present.

1:34

Councilor Cobreth, who is also remote.

1:38

Present.

1:39

And Councilor List.

1:41

Present.

1:42

Thank you.

1:43

For the record, today at 5 p.m.

1:45

the governing governing body met in closed session in accordance with section 10-15-1, H2 NMSA 1978.

1:54

Limited personnel matters provided that for the purposes of the open meeting act, limited personnel matters means the discussion of hiring, promotion, demotion, dismissal, assignment, or resignation, or in the investigation or consideration of complaints or charges against an individual, public employee, provided further that this paragraph is not construed as an exempt final to exempt final actions on personnel from being taken at open public meetings, nor does it preclude any aggrieved public employee from demanding a public hearing.

2:29

Judicial candidates interviewed by any commission shall have the right to demand an open interview, annual evaluation of city manager per articles 3.01 and 3.07 of the city charter.

2:42

No action was taken at this meeting.

2:45

Tonight we have no proclamations or awards of merit.

2:49

So we will move on to public forum.

2:53

I will remind everyone that I will allow for a special discussion item for item D31 after public forum.

3:01

So for public forum, we have one person signed up, Mr.

3:05

Stephen Van Horn.

3:13

Good evening, Mayor, Counselors.

3:32

I want to draw your attention to the first one.

3:36

It says there's a big circle.

3:38

It says Rio Rancho Pure for future use.

3:41

It's under the heading, is our water supply sustainable.

3:46

This is a very important question.

3:49

The answers given here it just quote it basically just says that they've the cities injected 350 million gallons of water back into the aquifer since 2017.

4:01

350 million gallons of water is what the injection system is supposed to be injecting every year.

4:12

This this question about sustainability.

4:15

Um just saying that you're working on sustainability is not really enough information for the public.

4:23

Uh to have any confidence that the system that we the city is managing is actually sustainable.

4:30

We need to know things about what's happening with the report.

4:33

We need to know is the water level water table declining, has it been declining?

4:39

We need to know there's several things that we have to have some visibility to, and it's not in this report.

4:46

The second page shows very another important thing.

4:50

It's uh do I need to take special precautions?

4:55

Now I've talked about this before, and I know it's controversial, but the pictures have been changed, so apparently you did listen to my concern.

5:00

So apparently you did listen to my concern.

5:04

However, the pictures that now appear, it shows an elder elderly woman drinking a glass of water.

5:11

Shows a pregnant woman drinking a glass of water.

5:15

The warning that's in here says if you're elderly or you're sick, or if you're an infant and you have any sort of health issues, you need to talk to your doctor before you drink top water and re-runchal.

5:30

So again, the pictures that are selected here do not inform a bad meme.

5:37

It's a meme that says everything's okay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████████30%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████████27%
Procedural████████8%
Public Engagement███████7%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability█████5%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Transportation Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Rio Rancho Governing Body Meeting - July 23, 2026

The City of Rio Rancho Governing Body met on July 23, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The consent calendar was approved unanimously. Public hearings included site plan approvals for a church expansion, an indoor soccer facility, and a retail/office/restaurant development. Discussion items covered a land sale for future development, a county annexation, infrastructure contracts, the FY2027 final budget, personnel policy amendments, and the appointment of David Mann as District 4 City Councilor, which passed 4-2 after debate over potential conflicts of interest.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously: Minutes of June 16 and June 25, 2026; Resolution R52 (donation of mobile stage to Sandoval County); Resolution R53 (NMDOT FY2027 LGRF participation); Resolution R54 (disposal of obsolete equipment); Appointments D26–D38 to various boards and commissions; and other routine items.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Stephen Van Horn (resident): Criticized the city's water sustainability report, stating that the claim of injecting 350 million gallons since 2017 lacked detail on aquifer health. He also objected to images in the consumer confidence report showing elderly and pregnant women drinking tap water, arguing the accompanying warnings contradicted the positive imagery. He asked about future water service outside city boundaries.
  • Mike Jackovich (resident): Opposed the proposed removal of Juan Martinez from the Public Infrastructure Advisory Board (PIAB), alleging political retaliation and describing a pattern of excluding volunteers who question city leadership. He requested that Martinez be allowed to serve the remainder of his term. No action was taken on D31 following his testimony; the item was not moved to a vote.

Discussion Items

  • D31 – Removal of Juan Martinez from PIAB: Public comment heard; no motion made. Item effectively tabled.
  • D22 – Sagebrush Church Expansion: Site plan amendment for a 6,968 sq ft addition at 7555 Enchanted Hills Blvd NE. Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval. Applicant presented parking analysis showing 274 spaces provided (required 262) with counts of 153 and 199 on Sundays. Approved unanimously.
  • O11 – Indoor Soccer Facility Zoning: Ordinance to rezone five lots from NC to SU for NC uses plus indoor soccer. Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval. Council members expressed support for adding youth recreation options. Approved unanimously.
  • D39 – The Village Retail/Office/Restaurant: Site plan for spaces behind Blake's Lotaburger. Staff recommended approval; applicant agent present. Approved unanimously.
  • R55 – Sandoval County Annexation: Resolution supporting county's petition to annex ~7.8 acres into Town of Bernalillo for judicial complex expansion. County Manager Wayne Johnson presented details, including a need to resolve jurisdictional issues. Water service would continue as historically provided. Approved unanimously.
  • R56 – Sale of 0.56 Acres of City Land: Resolution to sell a portion of Camino Encantadas Park to facilitate development of a high-end multifamily project. City Manager Geisel explained the access constraints under state standards. Applicant Angela Parowski said the land would allow proper spacing for a future project (30–60 units). Debate centered on potential conflicts and density; Councilors Tyler and Lenentine opposed. Approved 4-2.
  • D40 – Western Hills Drive Reconstruction: Award to TLC Company, $2,340,943.55, funded by NMDOT grant and city funds. Construction begins September, lasts six months. Approved unanimously.
  • D41 – Loma Colorado Boulevard Extension Design: Award to NV5 Inc., $1,981,694.15, for design of extension from Broadmoor to Chessman, including a roundabout at Loma Colorado & Chessman. Two-year project starting September. Approved unanimously.
  • R57 – FY2027 Final Budget: Resolution adopting the final budget, required submission by July 31. Changes from interim budget included roll-forwards, deferred capital projects (city hall renovation, Tulip Road design), and $381,000 for union/non-union pay enhancements. Maintains structural balance and 25% reserve. Approved unanimously.
  • R58 – Personnel Policies Amendment: Updated PERA enhancement pay tiers for non-union employees, extending benefits to communications management personnel. Cost $48,648, effective August 10, 2026. Approved unanimously.
  • D42 – Appointment of David Mann as District 4 Councilor: Mayor Wymer nominated David Mann, general counsel for Rio Rancho Public Schools. Councilors List, Dabson, and Culbreath supported him, citing character and community service. Councilors Lenentine and Tyler opposed, citing potential conflict of interest given Mann's role as lead attorney for a major city entity that frequently interacts with the city. Mann had briefly withdrawn from consideration but later re-entered. Approved 4-2 (Yes: Dabson, List, Culbreath, Wymer; No: Tyler, Lenentine).

Key Outcomes

  • All consent calendar items approved.
  • Public hearings for D22, O11, and D39 all approved unanimously.
  • Resolutions R55 (annexation), R56 (land sale), R57 (budget), R58 (personnel) approved; R56 passed 4-2.
  • Infrastructure awards D40 and D41 approved unanimously.
  • David Mann appointed as District 4 Councilor (4-2).
  • No action taken on D31 (removal of Juan Martinez).
  • Moment of silence held for former city planner Tamara Martinez.

Meeting Transcript

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilor Landon Time, will you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? I will. I pledge allegiance 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. Please remain standing. Um as have become somewhat of a tradition. I want to take a moment to recognize our first responders and their commitment to our safety. I also want to take a moment to recognize a fellow city planner who recently passed away. Tamara Martinez was very well respected amongst her peers and will be truly missed. So let's take a moment of silence. All right, you may be seated. So um to start the meeting, just make sure that you've got all of your electronic devices silenced during the governing body meeting. I'll do that now for my own device. Um and then for the record, I'll read the name of the governing bodies. When I say your name, please acknowledge your present by saying present. Councilor Dabson. Present. Councilor Lenington. Present. Councilor Tyler, who is remote. Present. Councilor Cobreth, who is also remote. Present. And Councilor List. Present. Thank you. For the record, today at 5 p.m. the governing governing body met in closed session in accordance with section 10-15-1, H2 NMSA 1978. Limited personnel matters provided that for the purposes of the open meeting act, limited personnel matters means the discussion of hiring, promotion, demotion, dismissal, assignment, or resignation, or in the investigation or consideration of complaints or charges against an individual, public employee, provided further that this paragraph is not construed as an exempt final to exempt final actions on personnel from being taken at open public meetings, nor does it preclude any aggrieved public employee from demanding a public hearing. Judicial candidates interviewed by any commission shall have the right to demand an open interview, annual evaluation of city manager per articles 3.01 and 3.07 of the city charter. No action was taken at this meeting. Tonight we have no proclamations or awards of merit. So we will move on to public forum. I will remind everyone that I will allow for a special discussion item for item D31 after public forum. So for public forum, we have one person signed up, Mr. Stephen Van Horn. Good evening, Mayor, Counselors. I want to draw your attention to the first one. It says there's a big circle. It says Rio Rancho Pure for future use. It's under the heading, is our water supply sustainable. This is a very important question. The answers given here it just quote it basically just says that they've the cities injected 350 million gallons of water back into the aquifer since 2017. 350 million gallons of water is what the injection system is supposed to be injecting every year. This this question about sustainability. Um just saying that you're working on sustainability is not really enough information for the public. Uh to have any confidence that the system that we the city is managing is actually sustainable. We need to know things about what's happening with the report. We need to know is the water level water table declining, has it been declining?

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