The Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue Department and the New Mexico State Fire Marshal are asking you to have a safe and enjoyable time this year by offering you these safety tips: [Additional info...]

Effective July 1, 2008 the gross receipts tax in the City of Rio Rancho is 6.9375%. This tax rate reflects an increase of one quarter of one percent.

This increase stems from the passage of a Higher Education Initiative
by Rio Rancho voters last March. This initiative is expected to raise $20 million over its 20-year life span and help the University of New Mexico with infrastructure and land improvements to bring a UNM West campus to Rio Rancho’s new Downtown City Center.

For more information about gross receipts tax please visit the State of New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department's Web site at www.tax.state.nm.us.

Thursday, July 24 will be City of Rio Rancho Night at Isotopes Park as the Albuquerque Isotopes take on the Sacramento River Cats. The first 3,000 people to enter the ballpark will receive a City of Rio Rancho / Albuquerque Isotopes commemorative baseball [Additional info...]

The city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services proudly announces the start of its “Music in the Park” series. Each Sunday night from June 29 to August 17 Haynes Park will be the site for free musical entertainment from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Citizens are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs, blankets, and a picnic to listen to a variety of acts playing at the parks’ Rotary Club Barbeque Pavilion. Those performing include:

June 29: The Hit Squad (music from the 70’s through today)

July 13: South West Wind (folk and country music)

July 20: Holy Water & Whiskey (bluegrass and folk acoustic)

July 27: Plat Eye Prowl (blues, rock and soul music)

August 3: Donohoe & Grimes (rock and pop music)

August 10: John Emory (symphonic music)

August 17: Hungry Mungry (a variety of music)

Haynes Park is located at 2006 Grande Blvd. across the street from Intel on NM 528 / Pat D’Arco Highway. For additional information please call 505-891-5015.

Information related to the city’s forthcoming Development Process Manual (DPM) is now available online.

Once completed and approved, the DPM is intended to serve as a user’s guide to completing development projects in the city in a predictable, consistent, and fair manner. The public is encouraged to review the content that is listed online as well as the relevant dates and meeting times associated with the approval process.

The city encourages the public to submit their comments and suggestions regarding the proposed DPM to the e-mail address DPM@ci.rio-rancho.nm.us. Additional content related to the DPM will be posted online over the next several weeks. DPM content will also be made available for the public to view in the offices of the Development Services Department located on the first floor of Rio Rancho City Hall (3200 Civic Center Circle NE).

www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/DPM

On Monday, June 2 the Rio Rancho Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) field office will begin implementing changes to the way driver’s licenses and identification (ID) cards are issued. To minimize identity theft, changes will include the use of a temporary extension, new cards sent through the mail, and a new card design.

This past April, MVD began using a process where those applying for a New Mexico driver’s license or ID card received a temporary extension that is valid for 45 days from the date of issue. This applies for first-time applicants, transfers from out of state, and those seeking renewal or replacement of a driver’s license or ID. Transfers from out of state and individuals seeking a renewal have their old licenses and IDs hole-punched and returned along with temporary extension documentation. This paperwork is used until the regular card arrives via mail in approximately two weeks. Individuals are not required to get a new driver’s license or ID card until their current card / license expires.

The new, high-tech driver’s license and ID cards have twelve security features and use biometric facial recognition technology. This will allow new photos to be compared with an individual’s most recent photo and every other photo in the MVD database. This new photo verification process and enhanced security feature does not allow licenses and ID cards to be generated and issued by MVD field offices any longer.

For additional information or questions please contact MVD, part of the State of New Mexico’s Taxation and Revenue Department, at 1-888-683-4636 or online at www.idnm.us. By mid-June all MVD offices statewide will be utilizing this new system.

The public’s patience and consideration is appreciated as the Rio Rancho MVD field office transitions to using this new system. The office is located at 4114 Sabana Grande Ave. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is a municipally-contracted office that is funded and staffed by the City of Rio Rancho.
[Additional info...]

Mayor of Rio Rancho Thomas E. Swisstack’s new talk show will begin airing on the city’s public, education, and government cable channels beginning Saturday, 5/31.

“Conversations with Mayor Swisstack” will air on RioVision cable channels 15 and 22 for those Rio Rancho residents who are Cable One subscribers. The mayor’s talk show will have airings each day on channel 15 at 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Channel 22 will show this program each Sunday (6:30 p.m.), Monday (9:00 a.m.), Wednesday (12 noon), Friday (8:30 a.m.), and Saturday (9:00 a.m.).

“It is my hope that residents will find this new show informative and will provide them updates on how the city is addressing their needs. It is my intent that each episode will give residents the opportunity to hear from guests and community stakeholders who are working on the issues and projects that are important to our city,” said Mayor Swisstack.

Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Debbi Moore serves as the host for the first episode in which the mayor discusses his first 60 days in office as well as his transition teams, community conversation meetings, and his plans going forward. In subsequent episodes the mayor will serve as host and discuss a variety of topics with different guests.

Approximately every four weeks, a new episode will begin showing on both cable channels in their regular time slots. In addition, episodes will be posted to the city’s Web site (www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/mayorswisstack) shortly after a new episode debuts on RioVision.

Edit House Productions, LLC is the contracted service provider for the city’s RioVision cable channels. “Conversations with Mayor Swisstack” is directed, produced, and edited by Edit House and RioVision staff including Elizabeth Dwyer, Daniel Cova, Matthew Smith, and Mindy Dacus.

[Additional info...]

Grass and turf areas at Cabezon Park, located on Cabezon Blvd. in the Cabezon master planned community, have been surrounded by fencing to prohibit public use. The fencing is anticipated to remain in place until the fall.

The City of Rio Rancho is restricting use of a large section of the park for newly seeded grass areas and to allow older sections of the park to recover from extensive use. In addition, the areas of the park that have been used for practice fields have become rutted and deemed by the city to be a safety concern. Once the park’s grass and turf areas have recovered and meet the Parks, Recreation and Community Service Department’s safety standards restrictions will be lifted.

The new sod area surrounding the Cabezon Recreation Center and Pool and the area located at the west end of the park near the picnic tables and gazebo will remain open for public use.

Residents and organized teams that have used the park for field sports and practice can contact the city at 505-891-5015 for information on other local parks and areas that can be used to accommodate their needs while these restrictions are in place.

The New Mexico Recycling Coalition has selected Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful (KRRB) and staff member Barry J. Conant to receive the New Mexico Recycling Achievement Award of “Recycler of the Year”.

This award recognizes individuals, municipalities, and educational facilities for outstanding efforts to promote recycling and composting throughout New Mexico.

KRRB is a division of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. For more information visit click on KRRB’s Kerby Coyote mascot icon and link.

For a second year in a row, the City of Rio Rancho’s Department of Financial Services has received the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. This award recognizes the city’s 2008 fiscal year budget which extends from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.

In receiving this prestigious national award, the city’s budget had to effectively serve as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communication device. By earning this achievement, the GFOA has honored the commitment of the city’s Governing Body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

“I commend the entire staff of the Financial Services Department for their achievement. Winning this award in consecutive years demonstrates the city’s commitment to providing a budget that is of the highest quality,” said City Manager Jim Payne.

A Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation has been issued to the Financial Services Department by the GFOA. The department will be formally recognized for this achievement at the tomorrow's (May 28, 2008 at 6:00 p.m.) Governing Body meeting taking place at Rio Rancho City Hall (3200 Civic Center Circle NE).

The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving 16,800 government finance professionals throughout North America. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

The Meadowlark Senior Center (MSC) will be closing on the following Fridays for roofing repairs: June 13, 20, 27, July 4, 11, 18, 25 & August 1.
Friday meals will be served at Rio Rancho Elementary School located at 4601 Pepe Ortiz Road from 11:30 a.m-1:00 p.m. Doors will open for lunch at 11:00 a.m.
Sandoval County transportation will be available as usual.
For those who drive, maps to the school will be available at: MSC front desk and County Meal Site office located at MSC.
For more information, contact MSC at 891-5018 or County Meal Site at 896-8313.
We appreciate your understanding.

Mayor Swisstack's transition team reports and Community Conversation Meeting reports are now available [Additional info...]

The City of Rio Rancho has been selected by Fortune Small Business Magazine as the 83rd best place to live and launch in the United States.

Cities and towns included on this list were selected based on successfully mixing business advantages and lifestyle appeal. In particular, Rio Rancho was identified as a business center with affordable land and spacious properties.

To view the entire list visit CNN Money’s Web site at http://money.cnn.com. The 100 Best Places to Live and Launch List appears in the April 2008 issue of Fortune Small Business Magazine.

CNN Money.com Web site

For information regarding the Special Assessment District (SAD) 7A please click "Additional info..." [Additional info...]

For information about Special Assessment District (SAD) 8 [Additional info...]

This year's Sunday is Funday / Mayor Family Picnic will be held on Sunday, August 17, 2008 [Additional info...]

Please click - Additional info... - for a list of frequently asked questions
regarding the City of Rio Rancho, Chamisa Hills Country Club, and the NMED [Additional info...]

An educational video outlining the history of the city’s Esther Bone Memorial Library and its recent re-opening is now available.

The video can be found by visiting the city’s Web site at www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/rioranchouniversity or by checking local listings for RioVision cable channels 15 and 22 for Rio Rancho Cable One subscribers.

Rio Rancho University is a city-funded and sponsored program that has a mission to inform and educate residents about the many different components of local government in Rio Rancho. Educational materials are provided in the form of brief video presentations.

Local media production and advertising agency Edit House Productions, LLC produced this video in conjunction with city staff.

Michael Meek, the Deputy Fire Chief for the Fire and Rescue Department, has completed all the necessary requirements for the Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP).

To earn the EFOP certificate candidates must complete courses in Executive Development, Leading Community Risk Reduction, Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management, and Executive Leadership. Each of these intensive courses requires a written Applied Research Project (ARP) followed by another ARP in each candidate’s local organization.

The EFOP is administered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy (NFA).

Rio Rancho’s Web site has received the Web Marketing Association’s 2007 Outstanding Achievement in Web site Development WebAward in the Government Category. This award recognizes the city’s Web site as being above and beyond the standard of excellence.

A panel of independent Internet experts judged the city’s Web site in areas such as: design, interactivity, technology, content, innovation, copywriting, and ease of use to target audience. Scores for the city’s Web site ranked significantly higher in judged categories compared to other WebAward winners and peer averages.

Founded in 1997, the Web Marketing Association’s mission is to establish the highest standard for Internet marketing and the development of the best Web sites on the World Wide Web. The WebAwards is the premier annual Web site award competition that names the best Web sites in 96 industries and provides a benchmark by which all Web site development can be judged.

The city’s Web site was redesigned and launched in August of 2006. New features include live streaming of Governing Body meetings, archived videos, online forms, online payment for Utility Water and Sewer Service, online job applications, and much more. CivicPlus, a Kansas-based company who specializes in government Web sites, serves as a consultant to the city. Employees in several different city departments and divisions maintain and add new information to the city’s Web site daily.

The City of Rio Rancho has added new online Citizen Question Forms to its Web site. The forms allow the public to submit questions to the city and monitor the status of their inquiries.

By clicking on the Citizen Question Forms link found on the left corner of the main homepage, citizens will find 25 forms for their use. Each form has a staff member assigned to provide responses in a timely manner.

“I encourage those who have questions regarding the operations of the City of Rio Rancho to review and use the forms that are available. This new communication resource will enhance the way the public can contact the city and receive responses to their inquiries,” said City Manager Jim Payne.

To use the forms, citizens will need to create an account, provide an e-mail address, and establish a password. After submitting a form, a case number will be established for each inquiry. To check the status of an inquiry, citizens will log in via the city’s Web site and provide their already established, unique information. Once logged in, a history of questions submitted and responses provided by the city will be listed.

Online forms previously available on the city’s Web site such as the Graffiti Removal Request Form, Code Enforcement Form, and others will still be available. These forms have been integrated into this new system.

The City of Rio Rancho’s Fire and Rescue Department has received notification that the city’s Insurance Service Organization (ISO) rating will be lowered from Class 4 to Class 3 beginning in the spring of 2008. This change indicates that the city is improving its capability to respond to fires. This lower rating also means that Rio Rancho commercial and residential property insurance premiums will be eligible for decreases as well.

ISO is one of the nation’s leading sources for information about risk. ISO collects information related to municipal fire protection throughout the United States. When reviewing a fire department, ISO analyzes relevant data using their Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). This schedule considers and scores several critical areas of a community's fire protection. This includes how well a fire department receives and dispatches fire alarms; amount and type of training fire department personnel receive; maintenance and testing of equipment; geographic distribution of fire stations; and possessing a sufficient water supply for fire suppression.

After an assessment is completed, a Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating from 1 to 10 is assigned. Class 1 represents exemplary public protection; while a Class 10 rating indicates that a municipality’s fire resources do not meet ISO’s minimum standards.

“This new classification is a product of the city’s Fire and Rescue Department working diligently to lower its rating. We have increased our training, response, documentation, equipment, and worked with the Public Works Department to ensure sufficient water supply and pressure zones to reach this goal. Out of 518 fire departments that have received a PPC rating in the State of New Mexico, there are only nine rated at Class 3 or better. Nationwide, less than five percent are rated Class 3 or lower. I am extremely proud that we can provide Rio Rancho residents a premier fire department,” said Fire and Rescue Department Director Jim Tobin.

ISO collects information useful in many aspects of insurance underwriting. This includes evaluations of public fire protection, flood risk, and the adoption and enforcement of building codes in individual communities. Evaluations are performed as a service to the insurance industry and municipalities are not charged a fee for this service. Nearly all United States insurers of homes and business property use ISO's PPC rating to calculate premiums. The price of insurance in a community with a good PPC rating is lower than in a community with a poor PPC rating. ISO conducts and has extensive information on more than 44,000 individual fire jurisdictions.

The city’s Fire and Rescue Department provides fire fighting and emergency medial services for over 104-square-miles. The department has 98 total staff members. There are four fire stations located throughout Rio Rancho with a new station scheduled to open in the Mariposa community (located off of Unser Blvd.) in 2008.

The City of Rio Rancho has been named one of the 100 best places to live by Money Magazine in both 2005 and 2006.

For more information about this recognition and to see where Rio Rancho ranked visit their Web site.

CNN Money Magazine Web site

Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful (KRRB), a division of the city's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, will be honored with the Distinguished Service Citation Affiliate Award. This award will be presented at the 54th Keep America Beautiful National Conference in December.

KRRB is being recognized for their efforts to engage and encourage their local government, business, and private citizens to work together to improve Rio Rancho's beauty and environment. KRRB coordinates such community events as the Trek for Trash, telephone book recycling, comprehensive household hazardous waste collections, Great American Cleanup, tree-cycling, America Recycles Day, and an Earth Day Festival. In addition, coordinator Jennifer Scacco and programming specialist Barry Conant conduct an annual litter index, address illegal dump sites, conduct education programs for students and residents, and much more.

KRRB has been an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful since 1989 and works in conjunction with the state's New Mexico Clean Beautiful.