Greggory D. Hull Mayor 2014 Mayor State of the City Report Hello. I am Mayor of Rio Rancho Greggory D. Hull. It is my pleasure to give this State of the City Report to the City Council, City employees, and the citizens of Rio Rancho. My term started on April 21, so this past week I completed my fifth month as Rio Rancho s new Mayor. During this fivemonth period many positive things have occurred. But more than that, the past five months has set a tone for things that will come to fruition over the next several years. As part of this State of the City Report, I intend to not only highlight the accomplishments of the past year, but also to outline what we anticipate for Rio Rancho s future. When you consider the many things occurring in Rio Rancho and the national accolades our community continues to receive, it s without hesitation that I can report that the state of the City is in good condition and getting better. We continue to cautiously emerge from the recession, with signs of activity throughout Rio Rancho. These include: Presbyterian s $86 million new patient tower, which will add 100 jobs to this campus; the Rio at Cabezon s skilled care facility, which represents a $10 million investment and adds 120 jobs; Wal-Marts Neighborhood Market at Southern Boulevard and N.M. 528; and the Neighborhood at Northern and Loma Colorado boulevards, which will add more than 200 dwelling units and employ 180. Our retail development continues to expand, with the Plaza at Enchanted Hills prepared to start construction in the near future. This will bring new retailers to our community like Bed Bath & Beyond, T.J. Maxx, and other national retailers not present in Rio Rancho. The residential development which creates the demand for these retailers continued at a strong pace over the past year, with 479 single-family home permits issued in calendar year 2013. To support our continued residential growth, this spring we saw the first residential development break new ground in several years for the construction of the Melagro Mesa and Mellon Ridge subdivisions. These subdivisions mark the first of several that will eventually add more than 1,700 housing units in the heart of our community. These projects, in conjunction with other community attributes, make it easy to understand why companies like DHF Technical would relocate from California to Rio Rancho. Recognizing that the governance of the City is not a single-person task, I want to acknowledge the key role the City Councilors have played and will continue to play in the success of the City. Earlier this summer we engaged a facilitator to bring the Governing Body together and create a roadmap for where we want the City to go. This session affirmed the key priorities of the elected leaders and affirmed our positive working relationship with City staff. It is only through a collaborative effort that the City will be able to accomplish the many things that must occur for Rio Rancho to continue positive growth and development.
In establishing the City s priorities, there were five main areas of focus that rose to the top. Everyone will agree that economic development must be our number one priority. In order for the City to provide the level of services desired by our citizens, the City must increase its revenue stream. This can be done through several key strategies. First, the City must continue to partner with others to support regional economic development efforts. Days after taking office, I advocated increasing the funding for a new local economic development organization to a level of $200,000. In doing so, the City is matching the County s participation and ensures a solid foundation on which the new organization the Sandoval Economic Alliance can build. This new focus on collaboration and a regional approach to economic development will pay dividends in the future, as evidenced by the announcement earlier this month. S&P Data s decision to establish their New Mexico presence in Rio Rancho was only possible through the combined efforts of the State, Albuquerque Economic Development, Sandoval Economic Alliance, and the City of Rio Rancho. The $4.4 million in capital expenditures and the 425 jobs to be created by S&P Data brings dollars from outside of our economy and enables them to be spent in Rio Rancho. The second key strategy to our economic development efforts is to build around our existing assets. One of the strongest and most visible assets in Sandoval County is Intel. The first thing that everyone needs to realize is that Intel is not closing next week or next month. There is a commitment by Intel to New Mexico, and the City is working with their staff to position this facility to be successful in attracting future investments and technology. This means working to ensure there are no infrastructure issues that could limit future projects. For nearly 35 years, Intel has played a key role in Rio Rancho s past and there is no reason to think they will not be a key player in the City s future. In addition to building around large businesses like Intel, the City must also work with our smaller businesses to create an environment where they can successfully grow and expand. Supporting businesses such as Bladewerx, Rachel Mathew Homes and Wealth Management Group- who all expanded their presence in Rio Rancho over the past year it s critical to growing our community. Helping businesses expand creates additional jobs and brings new investment to Rio Rancho. The third key strategy for the City s economic development efforts is to continue its investment in key infrastructure projects that encourage future growth and development. By making logical investment of public funds, the City is able to create the connectivity needed for Rio Rancho residents to access the opportunities developing here whether those opportunities are the stores locating in Enchanted Hills, class offerings at UNM West, or golf at Club Rio Rancho. Logical investment in public infrastructure can remove impediments to future investment and create the connectivity required for Rio Rancho to flourish. A fourth key strategy to the City s economic development approach is to methodically work to attract the necessary balance of retail development in Rio Rancho as compared to homes. The first step is to map locations where retail development and specifically the type and amounts of retail development can
and should occur. By doing this, we can have a focused and targeted approach in working with commercial brokers and developers to attract the retail users that will be successful in Rio Rancho. We know that we re not going to have a Sam s or Costco on multiple corners throughout the community. But, we need to establish the sites where these developments can be developed, and then work to bring projects forward. To identify what types of retail is desired and needed in our community the City needs to work with our partners like the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce to perform the analysis required by retailers when searching for new sites. The fifth and final component to the City s strategy for growing our community is to develop a mindset of continuously reviewing the City s processes and regulations to ensure an environment exists that does not create barriers to new investment. With the recent sunset of the impact fee moratorium, the City through a methodical, analytical process must review its impact fees to find the critical balance between incentivizing new development and establishing a funding mechanism to pay for the critical infrastructure required to support these developments. City staff has started this process and will be bringing recommendations forward for Governing Body consideration. It s the actions of City staff over the past year that gives me confidence that municipal government will develop a solution that will meet needs going forward. Over the past year, the City has placed an emphasis on changing the perception of our Development Services Department from one of being problematic to one where employees have a problem solving mentality. A testimony to the progress that has been made was recently given by one of the principles associated with the Plaza at Enchanted Hills. This person who has developed properties and projects in Rio Rancho over the past 10 years indicated that this is by far the best attitude and performance they have encountered during the years they have developed here. I want to recognize the efforts of the Assistant City Manager Laura Fitzpatrick who prepared the assessment of this key department. I also want to recognize the efforts of Director Dolores Wood and her management team for the steps they have taken to develop a problem-solving mentality throughout the department. But most of all, I want to recognize the employees of the department who are responsible on a daily basis for invoking positive interactions with customers. It is these efforts that have changed this department. Thank you and I encourage you to keep up these efforts. Although economic development is the number one priority for the City, it s not our only one. The second priority for the City is to continue making infrastructure an area of investment in the coming years. By making strategic investment in our infrastructure upgrades, the City can facilitate private sector investments, thereby creating maximum benefit for our residents. One of the most visible road construction projects occurring in Rio Rancho is the widening of N.M. 528 from Southern Boulevard to Ridgecrest Drive. This $12 million dollar project will improve traffic flow through our community. We appreciate the New Mexico Department of Transportation s investment in our community and look forward to the completion of this project, and the next phase of widening along N.M. 528 by the state.
Earlier I referenced part of our economic development strategy is to invest in key infrastructure as a way of facilitating private investment. Two projects that reflect this approach are the completion of Westside Boulevard and the connection of Broadmoor Boulevard from Norwich Avenue to Paseo del Volcan. The completion of Westside Boulevard from Golf Course Road to Unser Boulevard is important to support continued growth we re seeing in this quadrant of the City. The recent additions to the Unser Pavilion and Presbyterian s construction of the second patient tower will continue drawing more people to this area. The first phase of this critical roadway project is moving towards construction thanks to the support of our State Legislators. Specifically, I want to thank Senator Brandt and Representatives Lewis, Harper, Pacheco, and Powdrell-Culbert for their support of this and Rio Rancho s other projects. Now that the first phase of critical corridor improvements are moving forward, I have initiated dialogue with key stakeholders to expedite the second phase of this corridor improvement project improving the connection between Golf Course Road and N.M. 528, which is within the City of Albuquerque s boundaries. The third phase of this corridor from Unser Boulevard west will be a key investment in the future, as well as new development and potential employment centers come forward. The completion of Broadmoor Boulevard from Norwich Road to Paseo del Volcan will connect the heart of Rio Rancho s population to the UNM West campus and its UNM teaching hospital, the Sandoval Regional Medical Center. The use of Higher Education Gross Receipts Tax funds for this construction represents a key partnership between the City and UNM. At a time when UNM is delivering on their promise to grow their operations in Rio Rancho, the City will be investing in infrastructure that encourages continued growth of UNM s facilities. We look forward to working with UNM on starting the next buildings in our City Center. Although these are two of the more critical road projects, they are not the only ones. Over the past year the City has initiated the planning for Southern Boulevard s eventual reconstruction. The City has initiated a dirt road stabilization program to reduce the amount of maintenance required by our road crews and to improve their overall condition. The budget for the City plans for $4.7 million in road preservation over the next five years. This is the highest level of commitment made by the City to our local streets in years. A third priority and area of focus centers around water resources. The various work sessions held by the Governing Body over the past year have helped to clearly explain the issues surrounding the City s various permits as well as the City s overall water management plans. These discussions have enabled people to understand that there is sufficient water available to provide Rio Rancho s only golf course Club Rio Rancho with the reuse water it needs to restore this facility to its true potential. It will be important for the City to fully resolve the issues pertaining to the reuse water rate so that Club Rio Rancho and other users of reuse water can plan for their future. By giving indication of what the City is planning for this rate going forward allows businesses to build this cost into their future plans. Our goal is to maximize the use of our resources while creating a sense of certainty for the business community.
The discussion around reuse water is only one component of the City s water resources that needs to be addressed. The City must continue its water service line replacement program. In addition to this, the City must move forward with other critical projects from completion of the components surrounding the City s Aquifer Storage Program to drilling new wells to create additional capacity. These projects will require the investment of millions of dollars and are critical to supporting the continued growth and development of our community. Rio Rancho s reputation of being a safe community is a reflection of the City s commitment to our public safety departments. This will remain one of our top priorities in the coming year. In the past year the City was able to add three additional officers to the Police Department through a federal COPS grant. The most recently adopted budget allocated funding to add two personnel to the Fire and Rescue Department. This will enable the department to add the power shift recommended by the staffing analysis conducted during the past year. Our fifth priority for the coming year is a commitment to neighborhood quality. This will be reflected through a renewed focus on nuisance abatement throughout our residential neighborhoods. From dealing with derelict properties to abating graffiti as quickly as possible, the success of these efforts will rely upon a cooperative working relationship between our residents and the City staff responsible for this program. Although it may take some time to perfect the process, the City s resolve to addressing the quality of our neighborhoods is absolute. When you consider the many positive attributes of Rio Rancho from its outstanding educational system to its low crime rate and the networks of parks it is easy to see how USA Today reported recently that Rio Rancho was rated the 38th best City to live in America. This ranking can only be viewed as a testimony to the wonderful and dedicated people that is Rio Rancho. There are so many exciting things taking place that it s impossible to list them all. Things like art projects being added to our community, to the efforts taking place with the studio class at UNM, to the planning of future commercial areas and projects each one has an impact that will shape Rio Rancho for decades to come. In the coming year, I am committed to continuing the engaged outreach and collaborative approach that I have taken during my first five months as Mayor. I am committed to working with business groups, civic groups, the Visionaries, and residents to ensure they play a role in our City going forward. Through a collaborative approach, we can rise to the challenges before us and create a better community for our current and future residents. I am excited to have been given the opportunity to serve as your Mayor and I look forward to working with you to truly make Rio Rancho the best City it can be. Thank you for taking time to listen to my 2014 State of the City Report and God Bless.