2018 GO Bond Information

This bond provides funding to 17 public libraries in Sandoval County so they can purchase new books and periodicals, ebooks and complete upgrades and facility improvements to their facilities.

A facility that is in better shape or has an improved capacity/design and additional books and resources allow libraries to better serve the residents of our communities.

The libraries included in this bond are:

• Bernalillo Library
• Cochiti Lake Library
• Cochiti Pueblo Library
• Corrales Library
• Cuba Library
• Jemez Pueblo Library
• Jemez Springs Library
• Pena Blanca Library
• Placitas Community Library
• Rio Rancho Libraries (Loma Colorado and Esther Bone)
• San Felipe Pueblo Library
• Sandia Pueblo Library
• Santa Ana Pueblo Library
• Santo Domingo Pueblo Library
• Torreon Community Library
• Zia Pueblo Library

If you or your family members utilize any of the 17 public libraries in Sandoval County, you’ll see facility improvements which will enhance your experience and you will also have access to more books, resources, ebooks and periodicals. Generally speaking, you’ll have access to a wider range of library resources in a facility that’s more comfortable.

This bond would authorize the County to issue up to $3,385,000 in general obligation bonds. Those bonds are estimated to take seven years to pay off.

Because the County is responsible with your taxpayer dollars, and there is debt that has fallen off the books this year, there will be no increase in your property taxes if this bond is approved.

If approved by voters, the library bond for $3,385,000 would be allocated to 17 different libraries within Sandoval County. $3,350,000 would go directly to the libraries with an estimated $33,500 to $35,000 being used for the Cost of Bond Issuance. For a full list of how much funding each library would receive, click the link below.

Click here for the full breakdown

 

Sandoval County’s public safety agencies need reliable communication tools to help residents and visitors in an emergency. This bond, if approved, would allow the County to complete important vehicle radio upgrades, purchase new E911 radios that will cover the entire county, complete Phase 2 of the Public Safety Radio System to fill gaps in the system for outlying areas, install a new phone system/network connectivity at senior centers, rebuild the data center and purchase high-capacity backup storage to enhance cyber security.

Without these necessary purchases and upgrades, our public safety agencies can’t protect and serve the residents and visitors of Sandoval County in the most effective way possible. In an emergency situation, it’s vital to have a functioning radio to call in medical assistance, fire assistance, police assistance and more.

In an emergency situation, you want help to get to you quickly. This bond will pay for the improvements necessary so emergency radios function in all areas of the county to ensure help arrives when you need it to help you or your family in an emergency.  Plus, the improvements that will result from this bond will also increase and enhance cyber security for police videos and other evidence stored on servers.

As an added bonus, this bond will pay for improvements to the phone systems and network connectivity at senior centers in the County. For some seniors, the centers are the only connection they have to the internet and to their families.  This bond would ensure that their connectivity is stable and/or enhanced so they can stay connected in this fast-paced world.

This bond would authorize the County to issue up to $5,200,000 in general obligation bonds. Those bonds are estimated to take seven years to pay off.

Because the County is responsible with your taxpayer dollars, and there is debt that has fallen off the books this year, there will be no increase in your property taxes if this bond is approved.

If approved by voters, the public safety and telecom bond for roughly $5.2 million would be allocated as detailed below:

• E911 Countywide Radios – $1.1 million
• Sheriff’s Automobiles and Radio Upgrades – $542, 231
• High Capacity Backup Storage for IT – $130,000
• Data Center Rebuild – $150,000
• Phase 2 of the Public Safety Radio System – $3 million
• Phone System & Senior Center Network Connectivity – $226,000
• Cost of Bond Issuance – $51,484

This public safety bond will pay for projects that will increase the amount of water at our more rural fire stations, will purchase an additional ambulance to serve the residents and visitors in the Rio Rancho/Bernalillo/Santa Ana area, purchase a generator for the County’s emergency operations center, construct a new 3,600 square foot facility for the Fire Department’s Administration staff and construct a new 15,000 square foot Sheriff’s Department facility for our growing department.

An important thing to note is that by constructing a facility for our Fire Department’s Administration Staff, the County would be placing them in a facility that meets current space needs and will save on the rental payment we make monthly for their current facility. It will also make the Fire Department staff more accessible to the public as they would be housed on the County’s main campus on Idalia Road.

In addition, by constructing a new Sheriff’s Department facility, we will be able to:

• Increase the number of deputies we have on staff to better serve county residents and visitors
• Increase the services offered at the Sheriff’s Department as there will be more than double the space of the current facility. This could include things like education and prevention classes for the public, community policing meetings, etc.
• Move the Magistrate Court from their current facility to the old Sheriff’s Department next to District Court which would result in the County collecting a new rental payment from Magistrate Court. With the rental payment, we can comply with State requirements and expand the District Court by adding two additional court rooms.
• Add mental health services for the Sandoval County Detention Center and place those in the old Magistrate Court facility which is connected to the Sandoval County Detention Center to allow easier treatment for inmates. Plus, this space would also allow for video arraignments which saves on inmate transportation costs.

This bond has so many benefits for all of the residents in Sandoval County. Here’s how it might impact you and your family:

• You’ll be safer as we’ll be able to put more deputies on the roads to provide service
• You’ll have easier access to the Fire Department staff for reports, information, etc.
• You’ll get better service from the District Courts as they’ll have more space available for trials
• You’ll be safer as we won’t have as much of a need to transport inmates for arraignments
• You’ll be safer as we won’t have as much of a need to transport inmates for DWI Prevention and Intervention Program services
• You’ll be safer as we’ll have another ambulance available to serve you and your family
• You’ll be safer from structure and wild fires in the more rural areas of Sandoval County with the additional water systems being installed
• You’ll be safer when we have activate our Emergency Operations Center, because we’ll have a generator to keep them running and managing any disaster or large-scale emergency event

This bond would authorize the County to issue up to $4,850,000 in general obligation bonds. Those bonds are estimated to take 20 years to pay off.

Because the County is responsible with your taxpayer dollars, and there is debt that has fallen off the books this year, there will be no increase in your property taxes if this bond is approved.

If approved by voters, the public safety and telecom bond for roughly $4.85 million would be allocated as detailed below:

• Countywide Fire Department Water Projects – $535,000
• Ambulance for the Fire Department – $200,000
• Generator for the Fire Department Emergency Operations Center – $40,000
• New Facility for the Sheriff’s Office- $3,125,000
• New Office for the Fire Department’s Administration Staff – $900,000
• Cost of Bond Issuance – $48,000

Yes. The Sandoval County Fire Department does provide fire, medical and heavy technical rescue services to the residents of Rio Rancho. They work in cooperation with the City of Rio Rancho Fire Department to answer calls for service when there is a need.

In addition, if you take a trip to an outlying area of the County, and need medical or fire assistance, more than likely a crew from the Sandoval County Fire Department will respond to assist you.

If Sandoval County voters opt not to approve the two public safety bonds on the ballot, then both the Fire Department and the Sheriff’s Department would see an impact. The impact would not affect staffing, but it would affect equipment and could potentially impact public safety.

If the public safety bonds fail, then the Fire Department would be:

• Unable to complete new water projects in the more rural areas of the county – This could have an impact on the Fire Department’s ability to quickly extinguish wildland or brush fires without calling in for assistance from other crews or agencies.
• Unable to purchase a new ambulance – This would mean that the Fire Department would have to continue to maintain the current ambulances and pay for continued repairs. A mechanical failure on an ambulance could delay the Fire Department’s response to public safety calls.
• Unable to purchase a generator for the Emergency Operations Center – This could mean that the Sandoval County Emergency Operations Center would face a major vulnerability should we encounter an emergency that interrupts electrical power at the facility.
• Unable to construct a new Fire Administration Building – This would mean that the Fire Department would be unable to grow their administration staff, as there is no more room left at the current facility. In addition, the Fire Department would not be able to better serve the public in a more centralized and accessible location.
• Unable to complete Phase II of the Public Safety Radio System – This would mean that there would still be dead spots in the County where public safety radios for the Fire Department, and other public safety agencies, will not work. This could have an impact on our ability to call in lifesaving support in the event of a call for service.

If the public safety bonds fail, then the Sheriff’s Office would be:

• Unable to complete Phase II of the Public Safety Radio System – This would mean that there would still be dead spots in the County where public safety radios for the Sheriff’s Office, and other public safety agencies, will not work. This could have an impact on our ability to call in lifesaving support in the event of a call for service.
• Unable to purchase E911 Countywide Radios – This would mean that the Sheriff’s Office would need to keep using the less reliable equipment they currently have to communicate. If equipment failure occurs, it could impact a deputy’s ability to respond to a call.
• Unable to construct a new Sheriff’s Office Building – This would mean that the Sheriff’s Office would need to look for alternative ways to manage property and evidence storage as they are near capacity at their current facility. In addition, they would not have the internal space to allow for additional detectives and command staff as the Sheriff’s Office continues to grow to serve the growing population so Sandoval County.
• Unable to purchase new vehicles – This would mean that the Sheriff’s Office would have to continue to maintain the current deputy fleet and pay for continued repairs. A mechanical failure on a Sheriff’s Office vehicle could delay the Sheriff’s Office response to public safety calls.

Yes. If all three bonds are not approved by voters, then property taxes would go down. See below for the impact you might see on a properties valued at $100,000, $150,000, and $200,000.

Assessed Property Value: $100,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $17.10

Assessed Property Value: $150,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $25.65

Assessed Property Value: $200,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $34.20

Again, the approximate figures above would be seen if all three bonds fail to be passed by voters. If only one or two bonds fail to be passed by voters, then the decrease in property taxes would be a lower amount.

Yes. If the library bond is not approved by voters, then property taxes would go down. See below for the impact you might see on a properties valued at $100,000, $150,000, and $200,000.

Assessed Property Value: $100,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $5.40

Assessed Property Value: $150,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $8.10

Assessed Property Value: $200,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $10.80

Again, the approximate savings figures above would be seen if just the library bond fails to be passed by voters.

Yes. If the public safety/telecom bond is not approved by voters, then property taxes would go down. See below for the impact you might see on a properties valued at $100,000, $150,000, and $200,000.

Assessed Property Value: $100,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $8.29

Assessed Property Value: $150,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $12.44

Assessed Property Value: $200,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $16.59

Again, the approximate savings figures above would be seen if just the public safety/telecom bond fails to be passed by voters.

Yes. If the public safety bond is not approved by voters, then property taxes would go down. See below for the impact you might see on a properties valued at $100,000, $150,000, and $200,000.

Assessed Property Value: $100,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $3.45

Assessed Property Value: $150,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $5.17

Assessed Property Value: $200,000
Property Tax Approximate Decrease: $6.90

Again, the approximate savings figures above would be seen if just the public safety bond fails to be passed by voters. 

The library bond will impact all residents by allowing better access to various resources at 17 libraries across Sandoval County. Access to libraries has a direct impact on literacy and education rates. A population with better literacy and education rates makes for a better community. Plus, many libraries offer more than just books and magazines. By taking a visit to one of the 17 libraries you may find a service that suits your needs even though you don’t have children that will utilize the facilities.

In some locations, such as Cuba, Jemez Valley and Pena Blanca, seniors just don’t have the funds to have internet access at home. By having better network and internet connectivity at the Cuba Senior Center, Jemez Valley Senior Center and Pena Blanca Community Center, we take away the worry and give seniors the access they need to the internet. This could allow them to communicate with family that lives in another area, pay bills, order medications, learn about hobbies, and so much more. It’s an invaluable service that we can offer to seniors. In this high-tech, high-speed internet world we live in today, the County wants to make sure seniors aren’t left behind and that they have the same access so many of us take for granted each and every day.