City of Rio Rancho

The Rio Rancho Governing Body on Thursday finalized the waiving of municipal liquor license renewal fees for this year.
The second and final reading of the ordinance amendment passed on a unanimous vote at the quarter-hour governing body meeting at City Hall. Councilor Jeremy Lenentine was absent due to a car crash, in which he wasn’t injured, so Mayor Gregg Hull voted.
City Clerk Rebecca Martinez said the renewal fee would have been $250, and the amendment brought the city in line with state legislation. The move was meant to support businesses struggling to recover from the pandemic and related closures.
Martinez said the amendment would help 42 Rio Rancho businesses.
“A lot of the bar establishments weren’t able to get the value out of their licenses this past year before being closed,” Hull said. “So I think this is an appropriate action to restore some equity to our businesses.”
In other matters, governing body members:
• Approved the first reading of language changes to the Local Economic Development Plan to allow for more options while participating in regional economic development projects; and
• Approved a land-use zone change from low-density single-family housing to neighborhood commercial for property on the corner of Idalia Road and Loma Colorado Boulevard. The city denied the zone-change request last year, but the applicant submitted another with more detail, satisfying city staff and the governing body that the change was acceptable.