Dan Stoddard

I would like to share my opinion about the upcoming road bond on March 3, 2020.

As I attend public meetings and canvass the neighborhoods of Rio Rancho, one of the top concerns of residents are the road conditions. Historically, Rio Rancho’s roads have seen decades of neglect and substandard work.

However, in the most recent years, funding is being utilized to do the job right while striving to come in under budget. This means more resources for repairing/maintaining more roads.

Per regulation, bonds can only be used on capital projects. By supporting and renewing these bonds, the City of Rio Rancho will be able to continue the good work that’s been initiated by Mayor Hull.

In addition, the approval of the bond would allow resources in the general fund to be utilized on an aggressive approach toward correcting roadways on residential streets and city-wide. If the bond is not supported and passed, it will only take away from the city’s resources to focus on those residential streets.

I encourage every citizen to research bonds passed in 2016 and 2018 with over $19 million in regulated bonds dedicated to seven major roadways in Rio Rancho.

Under the direction of Mayor Hull, each of the projects came in on time and under budget.

I would also encourage each citizen to attend public meetings regarding these issues in order to make an informed decision. The remaining meetings can be located on the City of Rio Rancho’s website.

The city staff members leading these meetings are doing a phenomenal job in educating and informing the citizens of Rio Rancho regarding the issues at hand.

(Dan Stoddard has lived in Rio Rancho for more than seven years and resides in City Council District 6.)