Sandoval County commissioners approve 2025 mill rates and authorize electronic signatures

Sandoval County commissioners voted unanimously at a special meeting to adopt a resolution setting property tax mill rates for the 2025 property tax year and to approve electronic signatures for the related documents.

The action came after a brief staff explanation of the statutory process by County Attorney Michael Eshman and a short period for commissioner questions. The board approved the mill-rate certification and the electronic-signature authorization by voice vote of the commissioners present.

County Attorney Michael Eshman told the board that, "by statute by the September 1 of every year they send a certificate to you and the other county commissioners and, within 5 days you're supposed to then approve that certificate," and described the approval as "a ministerial task that you don't really have any leeway on." Eshman said taxing jurisdictions (for example, the City of Rio Rancho, the Flood Control District and a local soil and water district) certify their millage to the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), which reviews and forwards the certificate to the county. Assistant/administrator Michael Jaramillo had circulated the certificate to the jurisdictions on the board's behalf, Eshman said.

The attorney outlined the timeline the meeting followed: DFA sends its certification by Sept. 1; the county is expected to act within five days; the assessor certifies taxes to the treasurer by Oct. 1; and the treasurer issues tax bills by Nov. 1. Eshman cautioned that if errors are discovered by a jurisdiction, they may need to be addressed, but he said the commission lacks authority to change the certified figures.

During the meeting, commissioners thanked staff for outreach to local jurisdictions and urged care from those jurisdictions to avoid last-minute corrections. A commissioner told colleagues that he has drafted language for a bill to be introduced in the upcoming legislative session that would remove the county commission from this step of the certification process and have DFA certify rates directly to the assessor; the commissioner said he would circulate the proposed language to fellow commissioners. That proposal was announced as an intention; no formal motion or vote on the draft legislation was taken at the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to adopt "Resolution 9 4 25.3, approving the Sandoval County order setting property tax rates for the 2025 property tax year as required by DFA." Mover/Seconder: not specified. Vote: Chair Meek — yes; Vice Chair Juarez — yes; Commissioner Hurd — yes; Commissioner Brook — yes. Outcome: approved.

- Motion to approve electronic signatures for the documents related to the mill-rate certification. Mover/Seconder: not specified. Vote: Chair Meek — yes; Vice Chair Juarez — yes; Commissioner Hurd — yes; Commissioner Brook — yes. Outcome: approved.

The meeting record shows one commissioner (Commissioner Jones) was not present. County Assessor Linda Gallegos was present and available to answer technical questions; no substantive changes to valuations or millage amounts were raised during the meeting.

The board adjourned after the votes.