At its Dec. 11 meeting, the Sandoval County Commission authorized over $2 million in funding for the relocation of the county’s emergency dispatch center, which is set to move to the Sandoval County campus at 1500 Idalia Rd.
The approval came as part of ongoing efforts to meet the tight July 1 deadline for the move.
“We are on a little bit of a time crunch at the dispatch center,” said Sandoval County Fire and Rescue Chief Eric Masterson. “We need to start doing this so that our contractors can get this equipment in on time.”
Masterson had a busy night at the meeting, presenting six agenda items to meet the deadline for transferring the emergency dispatch center from its current location.
The funding is to purchase and relocate essential equipment, including radio consoles and 911 call-handling systems. The funds are sourced from a General Obligation bond, capital funds and anticipated state reimbursements.
According to Masterson, the county is working with telecommunication company Motorola to purchase new radio consoles and other equipment and with Advanced Network Management to relocate the computer-aided dispatch system.
The state of New Mexico has agreed to cover some costs, including 911 trunk lines and the dispatch recording device. However, the county needs to act quickly due to long lead times for equipment. MCM Consulting is managing the project.
To expedite the process, the county requested to serve as the fiscal agent and a 50/50 split with Rio Rancho of the $2.3 million capital fund to purchase equipment and cover lease and operating costs. Timely completion is crucial to maintain emergency communication services.
“Tonight, after four years of disagreements about the structure of the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), we will be approving an agreement with Rio Rancho that will allow them to focus on urban dispatching, while the county focuses on rural dispatching,” Sandoval County Commission Chair David Heil said.
Masterson said the fire chiefs representing each partner have approved the JPA amendment and are seeking approval from their respective governing agencies. Once all partners sign the JPA, the amendment will go to the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) for final approval.
Masterson emphasized the importance of completing the process before the legislative session begins, as DFA attorneys will have limited availability during the session, potentially delaying expedited review.
The Corrales Village Council and the Rio Rancho City Council have already approved the JPA amendment. The county is still awaiting approval from Bernalillo County and Santa Ana Pueblo’s Governor and tribal council.
Masterson presented a video to commissioners highlighting the 2024 activities of the Sandoval County Fire and Rescue Swift Water Team. The regional team is made up of Sandoval County Fire and Rescue, Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue, Village of Corrales Fire Department and Albuquerque Fire Rescue.
He also praised the team for doing a “phenomenal job,” highlighting its growth and strong leadership under Battalion Chief Adam Quinn. He emphasized the team’s successful collaboration with other agencies, including their role in water rescues in Ruidoso last July, where they assisted the National Guard and other partners.
“I’d also be remiss if I didn’t also thank Sandoval County Office of Emergency Management for all the funding they’re able to get through grants,” Masterson said.
Jicarilla Apache Nation Inauguration
The commission adopted a proclamation declaring December 2024 as a celebration of the Jicarilla Apache Nation’s inauguration, held in Dulce on Dec. 6. The proclamation honored the nation’s leadership and its commitment to unity, cultural preservation and the well-being of its citizens.
“I really believe the importance in the county is to make sure that we nurture all of our relationships with our tribal communities, recognize their sovereignty and their leadership,” Sandoval County Commissioner Joshua Jones said.
The Jicarilla Apache Nation’s leadership, including President Adrian Notsinneh, attended the meeting to express their gratitude for the recognition and highlighted the value of collaboration with Sandoval County.
Post Election report
Deputy Chief Clerk Joey Dominguez presented a post-election report to the commission which showed Sandoval County had strong voter turnout. Among the 112,295 voters in the county, early voting accounted for the highest turnout, followed by Election Day voting and absentee ballots.
According to Dominguez, the political party breakdown was 45,877 Democrats, 30,291 Republicans, 1,325 Libertarians and 26,792 voters who declined to state a party. The report also addressed the processing of provisional ballots and discrepancies identified during the tabulation process.
According to Dominguez, who praised the election staff for their hard work throughout the election, same-day voter registration proved challenging, with Sandoval County having the second-highest number of same-day registrations in the state, behind Bernalillo County. He discussed the necessity for improvements in upcoming elections and stated additional enhancements to the voter registration system are crucial.
In other meeting news…
The commissioners approved an ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $300 million in taxable Industrial Revenue Bonds for the Gila Monster Project, a battery storage facility near the Rio Puerco substation. Developed by esVolta Development, LLC, the project will finance land acquisition, construction, equipment installation and other costs.
At the Oct. 23 commission meeting, commissioners raised concerns and Masterson addressed them by identifying the risks and advising the company how to resolve them. The company incorporated these solutions into the lease agreement.
The commission also recognized the Town of Bernalillo for receiving its first-ever Top Hat Award for Outstanding Event for the 9th Annual Mountain West Brew Fest, held on Aug. 24. The Sandoval County Tourism Alliance nominated the festival and a panel of tourism industry experts selected it as a finalist.
Christina Jones, Bernalillo’s community and tourism director, attended the meeting on behalf of the town to express gratitude for being named a 2024 Top Hat Award finalist.