Project Ranger outreach continues as Rio Rancho presses county on fire‑protection MOU and funding gap
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
City staff reported Project Ranger developer outreach meetings with dozens of residents; Rio Rancho Fire Rescue said an MOU from Sandoval County leaves three unresolved issues about authority and inspections, and the city flagged a roughly $12.5 million gap on planned roadway funding tied to Paseo/PDV.
City officials updated the Rio Rancho governing body on Dec. 10 about Project Ranger outreach and outstanding public‑safety and funding questions tied to the project.
City staff said Castilian Corporation representatives (Andrew Kreitz, chief financial officer) held three public outreach events on Dec. 9–10 with attendance of about 29, 19 and 55 people. The sessions were presented as drop‑in office hours and one larger presentation to field resident questions about the project.
Chief Wenzel explained that Rio Rancho received a proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU) from Sandoval County administration on Nov. 21, reviewed and returned comments on Dec. 10. The city identified three outstanding issues focused on which agency would hold authority having jurisdiction for annual fire inspections, pre‑plans and incident action planning for the Project Ranger site. Chief Wenzel said Rio Rancho seeks to perform annual inspections, produce pre‑plans and craft incident action plans as the responding agency; if Sandoval County will not accept those changes the city may revisit automatic‑aid arrangements.
Several councilors said they support Rio Rancho Fire Rescue serving as the ultimate authority and indicated they would not renew or would terminate automatic aid if the county does not meet Rio Rancho’s conditions. Council members framed the dispute as a public‑safety and operational issue for both Rio Rancho and parts of Sandoval County that rely on the city’s response.
City manager and staff also summarized funding for roadway components tied to the project. The Paseo/PDV work was described as part of a roughly $24 million program; about $11.2 million is currently funded and a funding shortfall of approximately $12.5 million remains. Sandoval County has submitted a capital‑outlay request for roughly $20.7 million to legislators to cover two projects including the 28th/29th Street extension; timing for construction depends on legislative appropriation and could be delayed to later in the year unless emergency funding accelerates the schedule.
Councilors asked about construction‑traffic routes and urged keeping heavy vehicles off local residential streets; staff said county plans include grading and heavy equipment and that routing could use Progress and 20th/29th streets to avoid King Boulevard through Northern Meadows.
No binding decision was recorded during the work session; staff said they would continue negotiations with Sandoval County and the state fire marshal’s office and return with updates.