Rio Rancho has been named by BusinessWeek magazine as New Mexico’s best place to raise kids in 2010. Rio Rancho earned this same distinction for 2009.

“More and more young families with children are calling Rio Rancho home, and this is testament to our tremendous public school system and public safety departments,” said Mayor of Rio Rancho Tom Swisstack. “This ranking is evidence that Rio Rancho’s commitment to quality of life projects and initiatives is getting noticed and on the right track.”

For BusinessWeek’s annual list of best places to raise kids, they teamed with OnBoard Informatics, a New York-based real estate analysis provider, to select a community from every state. Communities with at least 45,000 residents and a median family income between $40,000 and $125,000 were used as a starting point.

From this starting point, the list was narrowed using weighted criteria such as school performance, number of schools, household expenditures, crime rates, air quality, job growth, family income, museums, parks, theaters, diversity, and other amenities. Affordability, safety and school performance were weighted the most heavily when assessing a community.

To view the entire list, visit BusinessWeek’s Web site which can be accessed by clicking the link below.

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The city of Rio Rancho is seeking applications from those interested in serving on a recently created Arts Commission.

The commission will serve in an advisory capacity to the Governing Body and will work to enhance and promote the arts within Rio Rancho.

Representation on the commission will consist of seven residents selected by the mayor and approved by the City Council. Those who submit applications for consideration should have professional experience or knowledge in an art-related discipline.

Applications can be obtained from the Office of City Clerk located on the first floor of Rio Rancho City Hall, 3200 Civic Center Circle NE, or by clicking the link below.

Applications and résumés must be submitted to the clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.

For more information please contact the clerk’s office at (505) 891-5004.
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In early November, residents of Sandoval County, which includes the city of Rio Rancho, will receive their property tax assessments from the Sandoval Country Treasurer’s Office.

Payment for the first half of the 2009 taxes will be due Dec. 10 and the second half will be due by May 10, 2010.

How much the county collects from you in property taxes is based on property valuation/assessed value, net taxable value and the mill levy rate.

What is property valuation?

The value set on property by the county assessor is an estimate of the assessed value of your property using standard and acceptable appraisal methods according to state law.

What is net taxable value?

Taxable value is one-third of total assessed value minus qualifying exemptions such as head of household or veteran.

What is a mill levy?

A mill is 1/10 of $.01 or $.001 (one thousandth). A mill levy is the number of dollars a taxpayer must pay for every $1000 of assessed value.

Example

Based on voter approval in November 2008, an additional 4.25 mills will be added to property tax statements beginning this year to support hospitals in Sandoval County. The increased amount residents will pay as part of their 2009 property tax assessments due to a 4.25 mill levy increase depends on each individual property valuation/assessed value.

For example, if your property valuation/assessed value is $100,000, then your net taxable value is one-third this amount, or $33,333.33.

Your net taxable value ($33,333.33) is then multiplied by the mill levy (.00425) and this amount ($141.67) is the increase property owners can expect to pay due to the passage of an additional 4.25 mills to property tax to support hospitals in Sandoval County.

For questions about address and property ownership changes, tax exemptions or valuations, please contact the Sandoval County Assessor’s Office at (505) 867-7562.

For questions about tax assessments, please contact the Sandoval County Treasurer’s Office at (505) 867-7581.

For the county’s Web site visit http://www.sandovalcounty.com, or click the link below.

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The entire family can enjoy two events at one location!

On Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Sabana Grande Recreation Center, the annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival will provide special, unique and extraordinary gift opportunities to complete every shopping list. This event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is free.

While adults do their shopping at the arts and crafts festival, children can purchase gifts at Santa’s Workshop. All items will be priced at $5 or less. In addition, kids will be able to visit with Santa and have their picture taken. This event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., admission is free and all ages are welcome.

For more information about these events, please call the city of Rio Rancho Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department at (505) 891-5015.

The Sabana Grande Recreation Center is located at 4110 Sabana Grande Blvd. which is located one block north of N.M. 528/Pat D’Arco Highway and Southern Boulevard.

City of Rio Rancho offices and facilities will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Registration forms for Rio Rancho’s Winterfest Parade are now available by clicking the link below, or can be obtained at the City Hall offices of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

Forms must be received no later than Dec. 2 to participate.

This year’s parade will take place on Saturday, Dec. 12 and will begin at 5:15 p.m. The parade will start at the intersection of Golf Course Road and Southern Boulevard, and travel east where it will conclude near the intersection of Southern Boulevard and N.M. 528/Pat D’Arco Highway.

At the conclusion of the parade, spectators are encouraged to visit Haynes Park, 2006 Grande Blvd., for the city’s annual Luminaria Tour. More than 12,000 luminarias will be arranged along several different walking paths. This event ends at 9 p.m.

The Winterfest Parade is sponsored by Mayor Tom Swisstack, the Joiner Family and the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

For more information about either event please call (505) 891-5015. Rio Rancho City Hall is located at 3200 Civic Center Circle NE.

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The city of Rio Rancho has enrolled in the Public Service Company of New Mexico’s (PNM) Peak Saver program to reduce energy use during high demand periods. As part of this program, five well sites maintained by the city’s Utilities Division will reduce their energy usage when called upon by PNM. In exchange, the city will receive monetary payments.

During days of peak electricity demand between June and September, PNM calls on those participating in the program to carry out pre-approved energy reduction strategies. This allows PNM to reduce loads on PNM transmission lines and minimize purchasing electricity from other, more expensive sources.

“This new partnership is a win-win,” said Mayor Tom Swisstack. “Rio Rancho is helping PNM meet its demands by minimizing the need to secure additional electricity generation. By relying on demand reduction instead of generation, we are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, while at the same time cutting our own energy use and costs.”

There is no fee for the city to participate in the Peak Saver Program. If operational requirements prevent the city from participating in a PNM peak demand event, there is no penalty for the city. It is estimated the city could realize more than $40,000 in payments on an annual basis in exchange for its participation in this program.

The Peak Saver Program is made possible through a partnership PNM has with EnerNOC, Inc., a leading provider of clean and intelligent energy solutions. Others taking advantage of similar EnerNOC, Inc. agreements include a variety of government, education, health care, commercial and manufacturing entities from around the country.

Rio Rancho water and wastewater infrastructure is maintained by the city’s Utilities Division, part of the Public Works Department, and contractor CH2M HILL OMI.

The Rio Rancho City Council has approved the guidelines that will administer the city’s next regular municipal election which will take place on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

On the ballot will be the following elective offices:

•Mayor, four-year term elected at-large
•District 2 City Councilor, four-year term
•District 3 City Councilor, four-year term
•District 5 City Councilor, four-year term
•Municipal Judge, four-year term elected at-large

For the first time in New Mexico, voters on Election Day in Rio Rancho will be able to cast their ballot at any of the five polling locations, or voting convenience centers, that will be available.

“By creating voting convenience centers and eliminating the need for individuals to identify and use a specific voting location on Election Day, we are hopeful that these centers will increase voter turnout, which for the past several municipal elections has ranged from 5.66 percent to 19.94 percent of registered voters,” said City Clerk Roman Montoya. “The Secretary of State’s office has approved use of this voting method in Rio Rancho, which has been used in Colorado and other parts of the country.”

When voters arrive at a convenience center location, what elective offices they are eligible to vote on – which is based on their voter registration information – will be verified. After confirmation, voters will use a ballot specific to them. There is no additional cost for the city of Rio Rancho to conduct the election using voter convenience centers.

Voter convenience center locations on Election Day, which will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., will include:

-Rio Rancho City Hall, 3200 Civic Center Circle NE
-Enchanted Hills Elementary School, 5400 Obregon Road NE
-Meadowlark Senior Center, 4330 Meadowlark Lane
-Mountain View Middle School, 4101 Montreal Loop NE
-Soul Rio Community Church, 2003 Southern Blvd. SE

Applications for absentee ballots can only be obtained from Rio Rancho’s Office of the City Clerk, 3200 Civic Center Circle NE, and must be completed and returned by 5 p.m. on Feb. 26, 2010. Completed absentee ballots can be returned to the clerk’s office via mail, in person by the voter casting the absentee ballot, by a member of the voter’s immediate family, or by the caregiver to the voter up until 7 p.m. on March 2, 2010.

Absentee ballots may be marked in person in the clerk’s office during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, from Jan. 26 until Feb. 26, 2010.

Early voting will be conducted at Rio Rancho City Hall from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, from Feb. 10, 2010, to Feb. 26, 2010.

Municipal residents 18 years of age and older who wish to vote in this election and are not already registered to vote, must register with the Sandoval County Clerk by 5 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2010. For more information about registering to vote, the Sandoval County Clerk’s office can be reached at (505) 867-7572 or via their Web site, http://www.sandovalcounty.com.

Those who have questions regarding absentee, early and Election Day voting can contact the city clerk’s office at (505) 891-5004.

The city of Rio Rancho’s recent ‘America Recycles Day’ event once again demonstrated residents’ desire to be environmentally responsible and help keep items out of landfills and illegal dump sites.

Sponsored by the city’s Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful Division (KRRB), this collection of recyclable and reusable items was held on Nov. 7 at the Rio Rancho Wal-Mart and attracted more than 600 residents.

Items collected including 321 televisions, 51 Freon units and more than 90,340 pounds of electronic waste.

“This is the first year we have conducted three recycling events and the results have consistently shown that if an event takes place, residents will utilize it,” said Barry Conant, program specialist for KRRB.

Upcoming KRRB-sponsored events include:

•Tree-cycling from Dec. 26, 2009 - Jan. 11, 2010: Bring your Christmas tree to be turned into mulch by PNM at the Rio Rancho Sports Complex, 3501 High Resort Blvd. SE

•Dex Telephone Book Recycling from Jan. 6, 2010 - March 9, 2010: Outdated telephone books can be dropped off at a variety of locations around the city

The city’s next recycling event where electronic waste will be collected is scheduled to take place on March 6, 2010.

For more information about KRRB and upcoming events, please call (505) 896-8729 or click on the link below.

KRRB is a division of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

The city of Rio Rancho’s Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful (KRRB) Division is now accepting grant applications for recycling, litter prevention, beautification and environmental education activities which serve the community.

Mini-grants up to $1,000 are available to schools, churches, community-based groups and nonprofits. In total, $4,000 has been provided by New Mexico Clean and Beautiful under the New Mexico Litter Control and Beautification Act.

The grant application, as well as additional guidelines for how grant funding can be used, is available by clicking the link below. For additional information or questions, please contact Jennifer Scacco, KRRB coordinator, at (505) 896-8389 or jscacco@ci.rio-rancho.nm.us.

Applications must be submitted to the KRRB offices located at Rio Rancho City Hall, 3200 Civic Center Circle NE, by 5 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2009. Applicants will be notified about the status of their application no later than Jan. 15, 2010.

Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful is a division of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

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The latest episode of Mayor of Rio Rancho Tom Swisstack's talk show has begun airing on the city's public, education and government cable channels.

In this installment, Mayor Swisstack interviews Linda Wedeen, communications manager for Hewlett-Packard’s Rio Rancho site.

"It's my hope that citizens will find this show informative and that each episode provides them updates on issues and projects that are important to Rio Rancho," Swisstack said.

Conversations with Mayor Swisstack can be seen on RioVision cable channels 15 and 22 for those Rio Rancho residents who are Cable One subscribers. The mayor's talk show airs each day on channel 15 at 6 a.m.; 7:30 a.m.; 11:30 a.m.; 5 p.m.; and 8 p.m. Channel 22 shows this program daily at 8 a.m.; 11 a.m.; and 6 p.m.

Approximately every four weeks, a new episode airs on both cable channels in their regular time slots. In addition, episodes are posted to the city's Web site - click link below - 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 RioVision staff.

Visit RioVision online at http://www.riovision.tv.

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Visit the New Mexico Department of Health's Web site for the latest H1N1 information. [Additional info...]

Mayor Tom Swisstack applauds the recognition of New Mexico-based MIOX Corporation who was recently named a Global Cleantech 100 company by Guardian News and Media and Cleantech Group, LLC. The Global Cleantech 100 highlights the most promising private clean technology companies around the world.

“MIOX is deserving of this recognition as their technology has brought added safety to our water operations and residents,” said Swisstack.

The city of Rio Rancho has been utilizing MIOX since 2006 and currently has 11 of their systems installed. Using MIOX on-site generation water disinfection systems at city wells has replaced the need for chlorine gas for water disinfection, creating a safer and greener disinfection process for the city and its residents.

The technology used in MIOX systems disinfects drinking water on-site and on-demand using only salt, water and power, eliminating the need to purchase, transport and store chemicals in the process of providing affordable and safe water.

The Global Cleantech 100 recognizes companies at the forefront of cleantech innovation offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The list of 100, which was compiled from approximately 3,500 nominations, was determined by leading experts from around the world.

For more information about MIOX Corporation’s on-site generation technology, which is used in more than 30 countries, visit their Web site, http://www.miox.com.

Learn more about the 2010 Census [Additional info...]

Learn more about why roundabouts are used and how to navigate them. [Additional info...]

A new episode of “Cop Talk” is now airing on RioVision, the city of Rio Rancho’s public, education and government cable channels.

In this latest installment, host Officer John Francis provides tips for parents including information on stranger danger, the Amber Alert System and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“Cop Talk” episodes air daily on RioVision - available to Cable One subscribers - on cable channel 15 at 11 a.m.; 3 p.m.; and 5:30 p.m. Channel 22 shows this program at 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

The intent of “Cop Talk” is to educate the residents of Rio Rancho about the different divisions of the Police Department as well as items of interest to all.

Edit House Productions, LLC is the contracted service provider for the city’s RioVision cable channels. Episodes of “Cop Talk” are directed and edited by RioVision staff.

Visit RioVision online by clicking the link below.

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Work is taking place on the Presbyterian Rio Rancho Medical Center. Learn more about this project by visiting Presbyterian's Web site. [Additional info...]

Development in Rio Rancho’s downtown City Center and Central Business District can now be viewed via two new Web cameras or webcams. [Additional info...]

Learn more about how to apply for federal stimulus funds and how this money will be spent.

www.recovery.gov

www.recovery.state.nm.us

View the city's strategic plan. [Additional info...]

A SUBWAY restaurant is located on the first floor of City Hall.

Hours of operation are Monday-Thursday (7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. breakfast/10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. lunch) and Friday (7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. breakfast/10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. lunch).

The Rio Rancho Police Department has teamed up with CrimeReports.com to provide maps that show where incidents in the city have occurred. [Additional info...]

New customer service and technical support center to be located in the downtown City Center. [Additional info...]

For more information please click on the link. [Additional info...]

Click on the link for more information regarding Special Assessment District 7A [Additional info...]

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

The Rio Rancho public libraries will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 26 and 27, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. They will reopen on Saturday, November 28.

This exhibition of acrylic and alkyd paintings include depictions of the Last Supper; Amish/Mennonite life; and landscapes of Ohio and Colorado.