Sandoval County assessor faces scrutiny over alleged dual paychecks

Sandoval County Assessor Linda Gallegos faced scrutiny after records showed her drawing about $86,626 a year from the county while also earning $155,000 a year as head of the New Mexico State Treasurer’s Cash Management Division, a combination that would total roughly $241,626 annually.

The allegation goes beyond a personality clash. The assessor’s office determines property values for homes, businesses and other taxable property, then prepares the county tax rolls for the Sandoval County Treasurer’s Office. Any prolonged absence by the elected assessor, or any outside job that pulls attention away from county duties, can ripple through the property-tax system that funds local government in Sandoval County.

Gallegos also issued a statement criticizing investigative reporter Larry Barker before the story aired, a sign of the political sensitivity around the case. At the time of the investigation, she had not been seen around the courthouse for quite some time and was described as effectively absent from the county office.

The county’s ethics system was created after the Sandoval County Board of County Commissioners passed an ethics ordinance in fall 2018. That local structure was designed to address ethical conduct by public officials, making the current questions over Gallegos’ dual paychecks especially relevant to taxpayers who rely on county oversight.

This was not the first time Gallegos has faced public scrutiny. The Sandoval County Ethics Board dismissed a complaint against her in 2023 that had been filed by Corrales residents Ken DeHoff and Kathleen DeHoff. A New Mexico Court of Appeals opinion in March 2026 also identified Gallegos as the defendant-appellee in a Sandoval County assessor case brought by the DeHoffs, underscoring how long the disputes around her office have followed her.

For Sandoval County residents, the concern is now straightforward: whether one elected official was paid by two government employers at the same time, whether county rules were followed, and whether the county’s ethics safeguards were strong enough to catch the problem before it reached this point. The paper trail has already put the assessor’s office under a bright public light, and taxpayers are left to judge how much confidence remains in the system that values their property and calculates their bills.