By Jesse Jones
The Town of Bernalillo’s books are in good shape — auditors gave the town a clean bill of financial health for its 2024 fiscal year, with no findings or red flags.
The April 28 Town Council meeting also recognized the community art project behind the fire department’s new ladder truck mural, designed by former Bernalillo High student Brandon Chosa. The council approved changes to police and fire incentive pay to comply with federal labor laws. Councilors also reviewed the town’s Multimodal Transportation Safety Plan, which analyzed crash data and proposed improvements to enhance pedestrian and traffic safety. The plan’s next steps, including funding and implementation, were also discussed.
Mayor Jack Torres said the clean audit reflects years of hard work and steady progress by town staff.
“[The staff, directors and chiefs have] come light-years forward,” Torres said. “It’s a testament to work that the folks at finance, as well as all the directors and chiefs, are doing day after day after day. I feel comfortable that we’re moving in the correct direction.”
The audit was presented to the council by Heather Lucero, the audit supervisor for red flags.
Bernalillo received a clean audit opinion for its 2024 fiscal year, signaling sound financial management and full compliance with state reporting requirements.
According to Lucero, the town received an unmodified or clean opinion, which is the audit opinion that the town should be striving for. Meaning its financial statements were accurate with no red flags. It’s the highest opinion possible under government auditing standards.
She said the audit uncovered just one issue tied to old, uncashed checks — the town has been working to resolve it. Four findings from last year’s audit were corrected, which included problems over inventory and fund balances.
Lucero said there were no problems with management cooperation and no significant audit adjustments were needed.
“I want to say thank you for making it so easy, because sometimes we get audits that really can overwhelm a person,” said Town Councilor Sharon Torres-Quintana. “Knowing what a great staff we have, really does make it a lot easier.”
Firetruck art
The interim Fire Chief, Mike Carroll, unveiled the new decal for the department’s aerial fire truck during the council meeting.
The decal was designed by Brandon Chosa, a former Bernalillo High student who has since graduated. Chosa won an art contest started by firefighter Richard Maestas during a school career day about two years ago to decorate the fire department’s new aerial truck.
According to Carroll, graphics company Leighton Moon Design donated time and equipment to digitize the design, and BHS staff member Jennifer Jaramillo helped coordinate the effort.
Torres said the project was a great example of community collaboration and added that the ladder truck looks impressive, especially with the new artwork.
Public safety promotions and pay
Two brothers in the police department were promoted following a recent round of testing and interviews for promotions.
Bryan Cantril was promoted to Corporal and Bradley Cantril to Sergeant following what Chief Chris Stoyell called a competitive selection process.
“Bradley stays late and [Bryan] goes above and beyond, and dedication has obviously shown,” Stoyell said.
Mayor Jack Torres thanked the officers for taking on leadership roles and praised the department, saying they might not always get the credit they deserve, but their work means a lot to the town.
The council also approved incentive pay for both the Bernalillo Police and Fire departments, effective with the first payroll in May 2025.
According to Town Clerk Ida Fierro, the changes to the police department’s incentive pay align with federal regulations, ensuring officers are paid hourly for qualifying incentives, including overtime. She added that the original pay method violated federal law, so the corrections were made to address the issue and benefit officers with overtime pay.
Fierro said the new structure ensures officers won’t lose pay. As long as the officers work full hours, they’ll earn at least the same amount as before. If they work overtime, they’ll earn more because the incentive is now included in overtime pay. The change converts the fixed dollar amounts into an equivalent hourly rate.
The categories for incentive pay, including bilingual pay, remain the same. Officers were previously paid $25 per pay period, but this wasn’t in line with federal regulations. Now, officers will receive 63 cents per hour, which matches the original dollar amount and applies to overtime as well.
The police and fire department incentive plans share similarities but are tailored to each department’s needs. Both reward staff who go above and beyond. For example, fire department personnel on teams like the heavy technical rescue team receive extra pay.
Unlike the police department, the fire department’s plan didn’t need corrections because it had never been brought forward. Torres said the process took longer than expected due to its complexity and that they wanted to get it right. He also apologized for the delay.
Councilors discussed the difference in bilingual pay rates between the departments. The fire department’s rate is lower because of the number of hours worked, as fire staff generally work more hours than police.
The discussion also touched on incentives for other departments, like water and wastewater, which offer pay for certifications. It was noted that bilingual incentives for other staff could be considered, with the requirement of a third-party test to qualify.
Multimodal Transportation Safety Plan
Paul Barricklow with Lee Engineering and Kevin Eades with Molzen-Corbin presented the council on the multimodal transportation safety plan.
The plan included data compiled from a Steering Committee of 10 town residents. They held three committee meetings and one public meeting during the about eight-month study, which focused on crash data and traffic volumes in key areas like Highways 550 and 528, Camino Del Pueblo and Avenida Bernalillo, which saw significant traffic. The analysis revealed four fatalities, including one pedestrian and one cyclist.
The plan recommends several safety improvements, including narrowing lanes from 12 feet to 11 feet on major sections and adding transition areas to signal drivers they are entering the town. This could include larger signs, speed limit changes, and community features like gateway medians. The goal is to help drivers adjust their speed and awareness as they move from the freeway into the town.
Other proposals include pedestrian interval signals and crossing upgrades like hybrid beacons at key locations, along with American Disabilities Act-compliant ramps and push buttons.
According to Barricklow, they found the need for better connectivity for pedestrians near the rail trail and 550. He suggested working with the New Mexico Department of Transportation to explore paths under the overpass for safer access.
“We weren’t able to look at every street and everything,” Barricklow said. “So what can happen additionally with this study is if there was a neighborhood recommendation for a neighborhood street that’s most likely going to be compatible with many others in the area, and so there is a bit of that expansion that can happen over time.”
The study also lays the groundwork for future projects, identifying funding sources like the Highway Safety Improvement Plan and Safe Streets for All grants.
According to Torres, the next step is identifying priorities so the town can decide how to fund projects and which grants to pursue.
“Because there’s definitely a lot of work to do, and it’s going to be a step at a time, sort of thing,” Torres said.
Get involved
The next town council meeting is at 6:30 p.m., May 12, at the Town Hall Council Chambers, 829 Camino del Pueblo.