By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Sandoval County voters could see three General Obligation Bond questions on their November ballot — for libraries, fire training and a beefed-up Bureau of Elections building — after commissioners hear a mill rate study Wednesday night. It’s one of several consequential items packed into a meeting that also tackles who polices the county’s own ethics complaints and who’s minding the property tax rolls.
Bond math: cheap now, pricier later
Financial advisor Rob Burpo will walk the board through three proposed 2026 bond packages totaling $34.4 million: $3.4 million for libraries countywide (Rio Rancho’s branch would get the lion’s share at nearly $1.86 million), $9 million for a new fire training facility behind Fire Administration, and $22 million for a Bureau of Elections building to securely store voting machines.
Ethics Board gets more teeth, less red tape
Commissioners will also vote on an ordinance overhauling how the county’s Ethics Board handles complaints against elected officials. The rewrite strips out a screening step previously performed by a contract compliance officer — complaints would go straight to the Ethics Board for a public hearing — and explicitly limits the ordinance’s reach to elected officials, leaving county employees to the personnel manual. The board would also shift from reporting to the County Attorney to reporting to the County Manager, and meet quarterly instead of annually.
New assessor, new salary bump
Edward Olona, the county’s current Chief Assessment Officer since 2010, is up for board approval to fill out the unexpired term of former Assessor Linda P. Gallegos, who resigned July 10 amid a controversy over holding a second job as a state Cash Manager. Olona would earn $122,063.76 through year’s end — his current pay plus a 5% promotional bump — and the resolution guarantees he can slide back into his old job once his term as assessor ends December 31.
More on the agenda
- A negotiated three-year labor contract with the Sheriff’s deputies union, raising certified deputy pay to a $33.89–$39.29 hourly range and sergeants to $41.88–$45.70.
- A $2.95 million jail health services contract with CorrHealth.
- Renewed ambulance and mutual-aid pacts with Jemez Pueblo EMS ($125,266) and the Town of Cochiti Lake ($117,000) to keep rural fire and EMS coverage running.
- A new records-and-scheduling software contract with First Due, replacing several standalone systems fire crews currently juggle.
Sandoval County Board of County Commissioners, regular meeting
When: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 6 p.m.
Where: Commission Chambers, Administrative Building D, 1500 Idalia Road, Bernalillo
Watch online: sandovalcountynm.gov
Public comment: In person or online at sandovalcountynm.gov/commission/public-comment/