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The Village of Corrales and other local governments are looking to write up a new Joint Powers Agreement after the City of Rio Rancho decided to go it alone with an emergency dispatch center on its own.
Rio Rancho currently manages and operates the Sandoval County Regional Emergency Communications Center (SCRECC), which handles all 911 and non-emergency calls in the area.
The City serves as fiscal agent under a JPA with the Village, Sandoval County, Town of Bernalillo and Santa Ana Pueblo. But for several years has complained about the distribution of funding and its representation on the board of directors. The bulk of calls that come into the SCRECC originate from Rio Rancho.
At the Jan. 22 meeting of the Village Council, Mayor Jim Fahey reported the news, saying that the other members were looking to draw up a new JPA “that will work for the rest of us.â€
The mayor said the current JPA expires at the end of June 2025. He said the long-term plan could result in it being operated by a separate entity independent of the government entities.
Corrales Fire Chief Anthony Martinez serves as chair of the SCRECC board.
“We’re in the process of working the details out,†he said, adding that no matter what happens area residents can be assured emergency communications will not be disrupted. “Someone will always respond to 911.â€
Martinez resported that Sandoval County will likely serve as fiscal agent under a new JPA. While the size of a new dispatch center hasn’t yet been determined, a building identified on Santa Ana Pueblo might be a possibility, he said.
Also during the Jan. 22 Village Council meeting:
- Councilors got some insight into how emergency communications are directed the other way – from the communication center to the public – from Fire Commander Tanya Lattin, in wake of a homicide in Corrales the previous day.
A “Code Red†shelter-in-place alert went out to residents on the sourthside immediately after the shooting when it was still unclear if the suspect was in the area. Not all Village residents received the alert. She said the system can target different neighborhoods and in this instance it was just in the area of the shooting.
In addition to the Code Red, Lattin said 133 emails were sent out to those who had signed up to receive alerts in that manner. She also posted the information on Nextdoor and Facebook.
The shelter-in-place was in effect for a little more than an hour.
- Village Clerk Melanie Romero and Village Administrator Ron Curry provided another update on the progress with the beleaguered animal shelter, which was red tagged by state officials soon after the portable structure arrived from its manufacturer in Pennsyvania.
Curry said the Village is more or less isolated from the dispute over who’s responsible for the mishap, which has delayed the opening of the facility by several months. People with the state’s Construction Industries Division are detailing with Horizon Structures over the dispute, while the Village is working with Facilty Build to assure the building gets up to code.
Romero said problems include insulation throughout the building not being sufficient. Plumbing and drainage also need to be improved to meet state regulations.
Curry said at a previous meeting they hoped to get the shelter open by the end of March or early April.
- Another building that’s been delayed is the opening of the new gymnasium, being constructed by Facility Build. The project was on schedule for a January opening until permitting issues slowed things down.
Mayor Fahey said he learned through dealing with the problems involving the animal shelter that state inspectors were having a hard time keeping up with demand for their services statewide. He said the problem has impacted the gym and the remodeling of the old Sandia Bar. Work on the bar had been delayed several months, partly due to electric hookups by PNM. While work has resumed, he said a utility pole on the site still has to be moved.
- With an antidote, Curry announced that a page has been added to the Village’s website intended to help new businesses navigate what’s required to set up shop in Corrales.
Curry said he was seated next to a gentleman who was complaining about how hard it was to meet the Villages building requirements and regulations. When he got back into the office on Monday he brought up the man’s concerns to Romero. And lo and behold she had already been working on a webpage that outlines some of the steps and includes links to other relevant information.
Prospective businesspeople can get to the “Corrales is Open for Business†page by clicking on the “Starting a Business†tab on the main page: www.corrales-nm.org.
- Council Mel Knight said that she had attended a meeting for farmers and irrigators in Bernalillo put on by the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. She said it was enlightening to learn so much about water, the compacts the state has with Colorado and Texas over sharing Rio Grande water, and to get an update on the process with replacing the Corrales Siphon, which won’t be done until 2025.
She was also impressed with the number of people from Corrales who attended the meeting, estimating that about 20 people from the Village also made the trip
The biggest thing to come out of the meeting, she said, was a discussion about irrigation ditchbanks. While equestrians and pedestrians use the ditchbanks as travel routes, they are also work areas for mayordomos and ditchriders.
In his weekly “Mayor’s Message†emailed to those residents that subscribe, Fahey reminded folks that ditch roads provide farmers access to turnouts and for maintenance. He mentioned that the Village has been asked not to show ditch roads on trail system maps.
- In the health and safety report, Lattin said indicators show that COVID-19 cases in New Mexico and across the country were in decline, except for deaths attributed to the virus. She reminded everyone that vaccines were still available.
- At the Village Council’s next meeting on Feb. 13, councilors will discuss modifying the rules of procedure for meetings.
Councilor Burkett offered three proposed changes. One would flip the order of Councilor’s Forum and Corraleños Forum, so councilors would have the opportunity to respond to the public after they spoke. Another would move Presentations up toward the top of the agenda, so if things like awards were being presented the honoree and their families wouldn’t have to sit through agenda items for too long.
He also suggested that the Village consider adding town halls to the Council’s schedule. Burkett said he attended the public forums relating to a proposed multi-use facility and found that they helped create dialoge.
Councilor Knight said she also attended one of the town halls, thought they were great and learned a lot.