Relief, albeit delayed, may be on the way for residents in Unit 17, who are worried about floods.
The city is going to ask residents if they want a Special Assessment District in their area.
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District 6 Councilor Kathy Colley, whose district includes the area, said that the city will send letters to all the property owners telling them what the plans are for the SAD. The residents will check either “yes” or “no.”
The letters are anticipated to be sent over the next two weeks.
“This way it puts the onus on the city, not the residents,” Colley said. “This may be the model for handling SADs in the future. We are trying to do this one the right way and I think this is the best approach.”
Kristin Brown, who is leading the charge for the SAD, has gone from discouraged after Wednesday’s meeting to optimistic after a meeting with Colley on Thursday.
“I am encouraged and want to commend Kathy Colley for being so proactive on this,” Brown said. “Wednesday night, we left the council meeting discouraged and thought I was spinning my wheels a little, but Kathy stepped up to find a solution to let the citizens and city feel positive about the SAD.”
If the SAD is approved, the cost of the mail-in survey will be added to the residents’ bill.
“I’m encouraged because it really takes a lot of burden off us doing the mailings and the city doing it on our behalf by certified mail,” Brown said. “I feel that a citizen is more likely to open a piece of mail than something I sent them personally.”
Currently, a SAD is the only funding mechanism for the project. So, if safety concerns are going to be assuaged then a SAD appears to be the only answer. But, in the future that could change.
Mayor Tom Swisstack said he is looking at ways of starting a comprehensive infrastructure plan and that the city could help discover who is interested in becoming part of the project.
“We can contact the respective people instead of having the respective homeowners facilitate it,” Swisstack said. “There are a lot of absentee homeowners. Let’s locate them and get their opinion.”
The mayor also wants to ensure that absentee landowners are doing their part in keeping up with their land. He has instructed City Attorney James Babin to research the law to see what responsibilities vacant landowners have.
Regarding federal and state dollars, Swisstack said presently there isn’t much available.
“Maybe three or four years from now, things will be a little different,” Swisstack said. “We must be realistic. If the Corps of Engineers helps us on larger products, what does that mean? The Corps still has to get money from the federal government.”
He acknowledges that residents want answers now, but said he has a 25-year plan for the city, measured in five-year increments.
“We need to see if there are other ways of doing drainage,” Swisstack said. “What are other avenues available to us. “Whether it’s curb and gutter or natural use of the lands, My intent is to go to the public and ask them what they would like to do.”
Though Meyer is looking forward to the vote, he wishes the SAD could get rolling sooner.
“I certainly think it’s a much better vote than turning it down. “I wish it was approved so it can move forward rather than going another 30 days,” Meyer said. “The rains are falling and I care about the economic well-being of the city and its safety.”
Several Rio Rancho residents of Unit 17 told the governing body on Wednesday about safety concerns regarding drainage and impassable roads. Presently in the area, 22 percent of landowners want the SAD. Brown explained to the governing body that the reason the number is low is because a lot of the land is either vacant, locked in probate or the landowner does not even live in Rio Rancho.
Colley and the councilors voted 4-0 to postpone allowing city staff to create a SAD. The council will reconsider the issue on Aug. 27.
Colley wants to see a higher percentage of property owners in favor of the measure.
Brown explained that the homeowners, who have a vested interest in the city, be taken care of.
“We are a substantial tax base and are business owners in the city,” Brown said. “I constantly feel like I am beating my head against the wall.”
District 1 Councilor Mike Williams explained that he is concerned about homeowners. He suggested Sensanbraugher devise a map showing residences that are for the SAD.
“I agree with Mrs. Brown that I’m not too concerned with someone from England, but more so someone who is a resident here and has a financial and human interest in Rio Rancho,” Williams said.
Colley and District 4 Councilor Steve Shaw said they must be aware and look after the interests of vacant landowners, also.
“We need to represent not only the homeowners, but also the property owners and the business owners,” Shaw said. “We have property owners and business owners who live elsewhere, but that’s our responsibility as well.”
“I’m not favoring one group over another,” Colley said. “We want to do this one right not create the problems of other SADs.”
In 2006, the city council proposed a SAD that would have covered most of Unit 17, but was discontinued after heavy protest.
The city spent more than a million dollars for engineering work from Wilson and Company. Sensanbraugher said most of the engineering work already completed in Unit 17 will be used.
In the meantime, several residents are crossing their fingers everyday during the monsoon season that the disaster of 2006 does not repeat itself.
On Tuesday, heavy rains flooded Belen and parts of Albuquerque. Those on dirt roads were stuck.
Though absent from Wednesday’s meeting, in January, District 5 Councilor Larry Naranjo expressed concerns about safety and liability when SAD 7 was discussed. He acknowledged that work needs to be done. He later voted against the proposal
“In the summer of 2006, we received public testimony that identified health, safety and property issues in areas that are being flooded,” Naranjo said. “Roads were washed out and gas, sewer, and water lines were being exposed. As a fiduciary body, we were compelled to comply with state law. When I was sworn in as a city councilor, I promised to obey federal, state and city laws. State law says when a governing body discovers or is led to believe that these conditions occur in a specific area, they must be studied by professionals.”
Ken Alderson, who lives on Vatapa, said that paved streets are necessary.
“I don’t think we should have to beg the city for paved streets,” Alderson said. “We have dirt roads with Fortune 500 Companies moving in. Buses are having a hard time maneuvering through streams. To me, it just doesn’t make any sense.”
Though the city is far from fixing the infrastructure, Swisstack explained that the city has begun working with the New Mexico Finance Authority and the Water Authority.
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3 comment(s)Diane Fowler wrote on Oct 18, 2008 9:06 AM:
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