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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Rio Rancho Governing Body Work Session: Municipal Election Review and License Plate Readers (August 18, 2026)

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, August 18, 2026

BodyRio Rancho, New Mexico

SessionMeeting Portal

DateTuesday, August 18, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:15:51

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Councilor List, would you lead us in the pledge?

0:08

And to the Republic for which you stand.

0:11

One nation under God, indivisible Liberty and Justice Brawl.

0:16

You may be seated.

0:20

A reminder for all in the in the chambers, please silence all electronic devices when attending governing body meetings.

0:28

For the record, I will announce the names of the governing body members when I say your name.

0:31

Please acknowledge your presence by saying present.

0:35

Councillor Debson.

0:37

Present.

0:37

Councilor Lynentine.

0:39

Present.

0:39

Counselor Tyler.

0:40

Councillor Mann.

0:41

Present.

0:42

Councillor Calbreath is excused.

0:43

Councillor List.

0:44

Here.

0:45

A reminder that public comment will not be taken at this work session.

0:49

Items up for discussion.

0:52

First item is the 2026 municipal officer election reviewer.

0:57

Ms.

0:57

Davis.

1:02

Good afternoon, counselors.

1:04

I can honestly say I thought when I submitted my canvas, I was done ever having to think about this again.

1:11

But here we are.

1:12

So let's dive in and enjoy ourselves.

1:15

Shall we?

1:17

So the municipal officer election occurs on the first Tuesday of March.

1:26

Um of March in even numbered years.

1:29

So this past March on March 3rd, 2026, the municipal officer election contained the following items.

1:36

We voted for the mayor.

1:37

Congratulations, Mayor Weimer.

1:40

Council districts two.

1:42

Councilor Lynentine, congratulations.

1:44

Councillor Tyler, congratulations.

1:47

And Councillor Colbreth, congratulations.

2:00

So per the city charter, um, an April 14th runoff was required for the Office of the Mayor, since uh none of the candidates obtained more than 50%.

2:14

So here's where we get into the fun stuff.

2:19

So while the voting for the March election began in February 2026, Deputy Clerk Lucero and I actually began working on the election in January of 2025.

2:31

So we began reviewing the election code and working to determine on the number of voting set locations needed based on the currently designated precincts in Sandoval and Bernalillo counties.

2:43

However, we also needed to account for the precincts that would split based on the number of voters in the last two general elections.

2:51

As many of you recall, 2024 had a record turnout for presidential for the presidential election.

2:58

So the number of elections would determine the number of election board officials, election workers for each site, and the equipment and supplies that we would need for the election.

3:10

So throughout January and February, a budget of 450,000 was determined based on 13 to 15 voting locations, dependent upon the number of precincts that split due to the voter turnout.

3:24

So any precinct that had more than 750 voters was analyzed by the county because they actually determined this.

3:33

And those counties, or I'm sorry, those precincts then were split.

3:37

So as we were preparing things, we knew we would need at least 12 because that's what the current precinct count determined, but we didn't know how many splits we'd have.

3:49

And so I had identified by combing through the attendance or I'm sorry, the voting results for each precinct that we could have anywhere from six to twelve precincts could possibly split.

4:01

But again, that's a decision made by the county, and then the county has to submit that to the Secretary of State.

4:07

They have until December 1st of odd numbered years in order to determine that, but I had to plan for our election.

4:15

So we it was kind of this over-encompassing.

4:19

So after we went through all the meeting information and the budgeting, and the uh the budget was approved, Sandoval County submitted the draft MOU for the election.

4:32

So the memorandum of understanding.

4:35

This MOU is different from any of the past MOUs.

4:38

This year, the county would require the clerk's office to pick up and deliver all voting tabulator machines, which in the past they did this for us.

4:48

Provide our own voting booths in the past, they allowed us to borrow those, and pay for any overtime generated by the Sandoval County Clerk staff related to our election.

5:02

There were additional requirements that were struck out due to requiring the Secretary's state approval.

5:07

They wanted us to certify our tabulators in our own facility.

5:11

It does not meet the requirements as outlined in statute and also further explained through the New Mexico administrative code.

5:21

We don't have a facility like their voting warehouse that outlines that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Election Process█████████████████████████████████████████████48%

Public Engagement██████████11%

Technology and Innovation██████████11%

Public Safety█████████10%

Transportation Safety█████████10%

Personnel Matters████4%

Procedural███3%

Budget Equity Analysis███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Rio Rancho Governing Body Work Session: Municipal Election Review and License Plate Readers

On August 18, 2026, at 3:00 PM, the Rio Rancho Governing Body convened a work session in Council Chambers, streamed live on the City of Rio Rancho website. Present were Mayor Paul Wymer and Councilors David Mann (District 4), Deb Dapson (District 1), Karina Culbreath (District 5), Jeremy Lentine (District 2), Nicole List (District 6), and Bob Tyler (District 3). Per the Governing Body Rules of Procedure, public comment was not taken, and no minutes were available for the meeting. The work session covered the 2026 municipal officer election review, a license plate reader (ALPR) program presentation, and speed radar trailer data.

Public Comments & Testimony

None. Public comment was not taken at this work session per the Governing Body Rules of Procedure.

Discussion Items

2026 Municipal Officer Election Review

City staff presented the 2026 municipal officer election review. After the budget was approved, Sandoval County submitted a draft memorandum of understanding for the election, and the Governing Body approved two resolutions before July.
Staff reported that some proposed options would not meet ADA requirements in the election code or city requirements. Training guides were developed, training schedules were set, and local legal posting requirements were scheduled in December to meet statutory and publication deadlines.
Every candidate was validated for voter registration and residency: citywide for mayor/judge and district residency for councilors. Tabulator certification took four days across both elections. Voting occurred at five recreation centers and five schools.
Staff said the election could not have been completed without assistance from all city departments; additional hours were not included in the final election cost but affected department response times and public services.
Staff cited turnout comparisons, noting the town of Ernolio (as transcribed) had one voting site but more voters than Clovis. In one case, an individual did not realize the absentee deadline had passed and could not be provided a ballot; staff said the explanation of the exception process drew "colorful language."
Asked whether the work differed from prior elections, staff said no: each department did what it normally does. The City Clerk added that "every clerk before you've had to do it," and the process is time-consuming and costly, "but it's something that the voters or the citizens have said that they want."
The City Clerk stated that if the city consolidated its elections, she would request at least two additional staff in the next budget cycle.

Election Consolidation, Voter ID, and Plurality Discussion

Staff said the Governing Body "one way or the other" still has to decide whether to consolidate the municipal election to November, and noted the city cannot have two elections happening at the same time. A runoff decision would be required; options discussed included plurality (the person with the most votes wins) or a qualification threshold such as securing 100 votes in a district. Staff noted the Secretary of State rejected an attempt to apply such a change in the last election.
A council member expressed the position that it is inappropriate for the Governing Body to unilaterally change voter ID requirements; that should be decided by voters. Another member said telling the City Clerk to "read your election manual" was rude.
Councilor Mann suggested using the 2027 citizen survey to gauge public opinion, since the Governing Body still must make the consolidation decision. Staff agreed the best available option would be citizen survey questions.
Staff discussed the risk that deciding now would mean consolidating with the understanding that voter ID would go away; voters previously approved via charter question the elimination of voter ID, after which the Governing Body consolidated.
Councilor Tyler said the plurality question is relevant no matter when the election is held. Staff noted that a Democratic primary in February 2028 would require New Mexico legislature action at the next (2027) session and that "there's strong support" based on what has been read, though legislative timing is uncertain.
Staff referenced charter review committee minutes for additional context and said "we don't have enough facts to say what's next" regarding a state-led consolidation. If the state proactively consolidated Rio Rancho to November 2027, the city would have to act in August.

License Plate Reader (ALPR) Program

Police Captain Khashotti (as transcribed) presented the automated license plate reader (ALPR) program; the Governing Body extended the meeting without objection so he could complete the presentation.
The captain said officers must verify ALPR information before taking any action and cannot act on it independently. Access and searches are restricted to law enforcement-specific functions.
Flock Safety runs the license plates and houses the data; data is maintained for 30 days and then deleted. The company does not own, sell, or maintain the information; it only provides data to the law enforcement agency.
In 2025, ALPRs helped identify a bank robbery suspect who was taken into custody shortly after the robbery.
The captain stated that under Senate Bill 40, all ALPR information is confidential and is not considered a public record under IPRA. Officers who misuse the data are subject to prosecution and termination. The department performs quarterly audits of the system, users, and search activity, confirmed in response to Councilor Tyler's question.
One council member expressed frustration at the disparity: body camera footage and field sobriety test recordings are obtainable via IPRA requests, while the city has built extensive safeguards around LPR data.
Councilor List highlighted program benefits, including locating missing people entered in NCIC, checking on their safety, and giving families clarity. Mayor Wymer called the program "a significant benefit to our community and to the people in the state of New Mexico." Councilor Tyler thanked the police on behalf of District 4 and city residents.

Speed Radar Trailers

The captain reported on speed radar trailer data, calling the early information encouraging although the trailers have been in place only a short time. The towers assist in areas where a 24-hour police presence is not feasible; the goal is to change driver behavior.
Staff said the current violation number is "a big number" and much higher than the last full calendar year of data (2024), when eight vans were available but frequently down for maintenance, so all eight were never fully deployed at the same time.
Councilor Tyler said there is enough data on fatal crashes between Santa Fe Hills and the area in question and referenced asking the same person who previously "conquered that mountain" for help again.
Staff said officers use enforcement contacts to educate the public, in addition to advertising.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes were taken; the work session was informational.
The Governing Body must still decide whether to consolidate municipal elections to November. Councilor Mann suggested using the 2027 citizen survey to gauge voter preferences on election structure (e.g., plurality).
Staff noted voter ID and plurality changes cannot be made unilaterally by the Governing Body; voter ID would require a charter question for voters.
The City Clerk plans to request at least two additional staff positions in the next budget cycle if elections are consolidated.
The ALPR presentation confirmed 30-day data retention, quarterly audits, and restrictions on data use under Senate Bill 40; no action was requested.

Meeting Transcript

Councilor List, would you lead us in the pledge? And to the Republic for which you stand. One nation under God, indivisible Liberty and Justice Brawl. You may be seated. A reminder for all in the in the chambers, please silence all electronic devices when attending governing body meetings. 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. Councillor Debson. Present. Councilor Lynentine. Present. Counselor Tyler. Councillor Mann. Present. Councillor Calbreath is excused. Councillor List. Here. A reminder that public comment will not be taken at this work session. Items up for discussion. First item is the 2026 municipal officer election reviewer. Ms. Davis. Good afternoon, counselors. I can honestly say I thought when I submitted my canvas, I was done ever having to think about this again. But here we are. So let's dive in and enjoy ourselves. Shall we? So the municipal officer election occurs on the first Tuesday of March. Um of March in even numbered years. So this past March on March 3rd, 2026, the municipal officer election contained the following items. We voted for the mayor. Congratulations, Mayor Weimer. Council districts two. Councilor Lynentine, congratulations. Councillor Tyler, congratulations. And Councillor Colbreth, congratulations. So per the city charter, um, an April 14th runoff was required for the Office of the Mayor, since uh none of the candidates obtained more than 50%. So here's where we get into the fun stuff. So while the voting for the March election began in February 2026, Deputy Clerk Lucero and I actually began working on the election in January of 2025. So we began reviewing the election code and working to determine on the number of voting set locations needed based on the currently designated precincts in Sandoval and Bernalillo counties. However, we also needed to account for the precincts that would split based on the number of voters in the last two general elections. As many of you recall, 2024 had a record turnout for presidential for the presidential election. So the number of elections would determine the number of election board officials, election workers for each site, and the equipment and supplies that we would need for the election. So throughout January and February, a budget of 450,000 was determined based on 13 to 15 voting locations, dependent upon the number of precincts that split due to the voter turnout. So any precinct that had more than 750 voters was analyzed by the county because they actually determined this. And those counties, or I'm sorry, those precincts then were split. So as we were preparing things, we knew we would need at least 12 because that's what the current precinct count determined, but we didn't know how many splits we'd have. And so I had identified by combing through the attendance or I'm sorry, the voting results for each precinct that we could have anywhere from six to twelve precincts could possibly split. But again, that's a decision made by the county, and then the county has to submit that to the Secretary of State. They have until December 1st of odd numbered years in order to determine that, but I had to plan for our election.

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