By Rodd Cayton The Village of Corrales is getting closer to protecting its water rights and holding onto any additional rights it might gain in the future. The village’s water team presented a draft 40-year water development plan to the Village Council on July 16, stressing the importance of finishing it and filing it with […]
Local Government
Posted inSandoval County
Sandoval County rejects redistricting ruling, says current maps are legal
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. A state judge ordered Sandoval County to redraw its commission district boundaries, ruling the county’s 2021 map failed to consult tribal nations and didn’t give Native American and Hispanic voters an equal say. Now the county says the judge got it wrong — and the maps aren’t changing anytime soon. […]
Posted inRio Rancho
New District 4 councilor, final FY2027 budget approval on tap for Rio Rancho’s Thursday meeting
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho’s District 4 council seat has sat empty since Paul Wymer traded his councilor badge for the mayor’s gavel in May. That changes Thursday, when the Governing Body votes to confirm attorney David Mann as Wymer’s replacement. Who’s getting the seat, and why Mann, a 12-year District 4 resident […]
Posted inCorrales
Traffic code update hits Corrales council
By Rodd Cayton Village councilors in Corrales Thursday will do some heavy lifting on new and returning items. One holdover is an update to the traffic code and penalty schedule. At the July 6 meeting, staff asked councilors to delay discussion of the matter, citing the document’s large size and a need to give themselves […]
Posted inSandoval County
Sandoval County commissioners to weigh $34.4M in bond asks, ethics overhaul and a new assessor Wednesday
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County voters could see three General Obligation Bond questions on their November ballot — for libraries, fire training and a beefed-up Bureau of Elections building — after commissioners hear a mill rate study Wednesday night. It’s one of several consequential items packed into a meeting that also tackles who […]
Posted inSandoval County
Defiant to the end: Assessor Linda Gallegos resigns, criticizes commissioners
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County Assessor Linda Gallegos has resigned, closing out a two-term tenure that became a countywide controversy after she kept collecting her county paycheck while working a second, higher-paying state job. Her resignation, effective July 10, comes five weeks after commissioners voted to formally demand it. In a resignation letter […]
Posted inLocal Government
RRPS attorney tapped to fill Mayor Wymer’s old council seat
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. District 4 residents are one vote away from getting a new voice on the Governing Body. Mayor Paul Wymer says David Mann, a Rio Rancho Public Schools lawyer, is his pick to fill the council seat Wymer left empty when he became mayor. Wymer announced the nomination at the June […]
Posted inCorrales
Village unveils draft 40-Year water plan Thursday
Corrales has been drawing more water from its municipal wells than its water rights allow — and the Village wants residents’ input before locking in a fix. The Village Council will hold a special meeting Thursday, July 16, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers to unveil a draft 40-Year Water Development Plan. Water rights attorney […]
Posted inElections & Politics
Should voters fund campaigns for county officials? Voters will get to decide this November
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Bernalillo County residents will get to decide in November whether their tax dollars should help fund county campaigns — a move commissioners say is aimed squarely at kneecapping the influence of big donors and corporate PACs. The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously June 23, to advance a package […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
July 4th keeps Albuquerque firefighters busy buying illegal fireworks undercover, brush fires and a body in the Bosque
The Paper. — The Independence Day holiday always keeps Albuquerque firefighters on their toes. Last year, the city’s Fire and Rescue Department spent the days before the holiday responding to a house explosion linked to a large illegal fireworks stash that killed a homeowner and injured two others in the Northeast Heights. This year, they […]