Mayor Hull delivers State of the City to Governing Body

RIO RANCHO — “I believe we have made great strides and put into place policies that will keep Rio Rancho on the right track for generations to come,” said Mayor Gregg Hull closing out his wrap-up remarks to the State of the City address he delivered via video and live speech at Thursday night’s city council meeting.

This was his 11th time giving this update to the city, but before Hull spoke, the Governing Body and those in attendance watched a short video encapsulating all the progress Rio Rancho has made over the last 10 years.

In it, Hull highlighted the $33.5 million the city has invested in Rio Rancho roads over the last year, new projects like THE BLOCK and infrastructure upgrades, such as new residential water meters and upgraded playground equipment.

In the seven-minute video, Hull delivers his speech from the 50-yard line at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

“I’m proud to say that Rio Rancho continues to have low crime rates and ranks in the top 4% of fire departments nationwide when it comes to responding to structure fires,” Hull says in the video.

Hull also pointed out new projects.

“What excites me the most is the journey ahead,” he said.

The video highlighted The Village, a 65-acre multiuse development at Westside and Unser boulevards set to open to residents in the next year.

“It’s great seeing other people realize what we’ve known all along: Rio Rancho is a great place to live,” Hull said.

To view the full video, visit rrnm.gov and follow the links, go to the city’s YouTube channel.

After the video, Hull gave a “wrap-up speech” and went into more detail concerning the projects mentioned in the 2024 State of the City video.

“I gave my first city report five months after taking office, in April 2014. At that time, the Governing Body was not cohesive and growing less so each and every month,” Hull said. “As a result, staff morale was low and developing and executing plans to address road and public safety needs were few or non-existent. In addition, the city was still feeling the impact of the Great Recession.”

From there, he highlighted the massive growth of the city and its progress in all areas since those days.

According to Hull, the administration has increased the police and fire department personnel by 20% and increased public safety investment by $15 million.

“Rio Rancho continues to have low crime and be the safest community in New Mexico with a population above 10,000,” he said.

His speech also highlighted infrastructure projects, quality-of-life advancements and economic development and community investment.

Hull spoke about the city’s new five-year strategic plan, which was developed in the last year and establishes goals and objectives for Rio Rancho’s immediate future, before closing out with a statement about the city’s improved financial position.

“I am proud to say that Rio Rancho’s bond ratings have been upgraded.”

Hull closed out his remarks and the Governing Body moved onto the remainder of the night’s agenda.

“In closing, it has been an honor and privilege to serve as mayor for the past decade. I truly believe Rio Rancho is moving in the right direction.”

Other businessPublic hearing items were voted on and the following all passed unanimously:

D42 – Site plan approval for a parking lot expansion at Petroglyph Medical Plaza.

D43 – Approval for a renewed Restaurant B liquor license for Poke Serrano. A renewal is required due to a recent ownership change.

D44 – Approval for a new Restaurant B liquor license for Screaming Coyote Restaurant, which will open at 2500 Mariposa Parkway, Suite 200.

D45 – Approval for the transfer of a dispenser license to MSCHIODA, Inc., which is just the fancy name for Sprouts Farmers Market.

D46 – Advice and Consent of the Governing Body to award a contract to All-Rite Construction to remodel the Council Chambers and upgrade the room’s ADA accommodation and security.

D47 – Advice and consent of the Governing Body to award a contract to Musco Sports Lighting LLC to install lights on two additional fields at the Rio Rancho Sports Complex.

A Second reading was heard on O23, ordinance amending the Solid Waste and Recycling Management Franchise Agreement between the city of Rio Rancho and Waste Management of New Mexico, Inc. No amendments were made to the ordinance from the First Reading.

O23 passed by a vote of 5-1, with Councilor Bob Tyler being the dissenting vote. Tyler reemphasized his concerns from the first reading, which included hundreds of thousands of dollars in backpay to Waste Management Inc. for past services and language that Tyler feared may leave the city on the hook for an unspecified amount to be determined later.

O23 will not mean an increase in residents’ monthly trash bill this year. However, it will mean an increase of 25 cents per month starting in 2026 and another 25-cent increase in 2027.

Waste Managment Inc. cites a 733% increase in recycling costs since 2018 as a large reason for renegotiating its contract with the city.

A first reading was heard for O24, which would amend the language in the Rio Rancho Code of Ordinances to include “short-term rentals” in all “land usage” ordinances.