By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Rio Rancho drivers dodging ruts, detours and orange cones got a progress report Oct. 22, and a light at the end of the work zone.
Mayor Paul Wymer delivered his first State of the City address to the Governing Body, putting roads, public safety and growth front and center.
Wymer called roads the issue residents talk about most, especially after recent storms left dirt roads rutted and impassable. City crews have three major rebuilds underway: Barbara Loop wraps in January, Springer Drive in February and Western Hills Drive in April. Improvements to the Esther Bone Library parking lot finish next month.
The pressure comes from growth, and Wymer said the city has to keep pace.
“We need to continue to add services to keep up with that population growth,” he said.
Census data backs up the boom. Rio Rancho counted 104,046 residents in the 2020 census, and the 2024 Census population estimate put the city at 112,524, roughly the 8% growth Wymer’s slides showed.
Homebuilders averaged 877 new units a year from 2021 to 2025, up from 586 in the previous five years, Wymer said.
The fiscal year 2027 budget puts $14.4 million into Fire Station 8, set to open in summer 2027. Police get $1.4 million for two new officers and two real-time crime center operators, while Fire Rescue adds nine positions.
Community projects are rolling, too. The Broadmoor Senior Center expansion is finished, and the Animal Resource Center kennel expansion and Esther Bone Library renovation are headed to construction. A multigenerational center remains in conceptual design.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 643: New homes built in Rio Rancho, January–August 2026
- $133.5 million: Residential construction value, January–August 2026
- 94%: Residents who would recommend living in Rio Rancho, per the city’s citizen survey
- $3.9 million: Fire rescue apparatus
- $3.2 million: Police vehicles
- $1.62 million: Fire station improvements and major repairs
- $1.33 million: Police mobile command parking structure
- $1.5 million: Grant funding to build College Boulevard Phase B at City Center
- 5%: Citywide compensation adjustment for employees
Weigh in on city priorities:
- Next Governing Body meeting: Nov. 19, 6 p.m., City Hall, 3200 Civic Center Circle NE
- Watch the full address: youtube.com/watch?v=WwKqCzTd4nA&t=8839s
- Track road projects: rrnm.gov/2223/Current-City-Projects
- Contact your councilor: rrnm.gov/29/Governing-Body
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