Sandoval County commissioners face assessor ouster, $15 million bond vote

The most consequential item facing Sandoval County commissioners is a resolution calling on Assessor Linda Gallegos to resign, a move that goes straight to public trust in one of the county’s most politically sensitive offices. Gallegos is already holding two full-time government jobs, making more than $86,000 a year as county assessor and $155,000 a year as head of the State Treasurer’s Cash Management Division.

Commission Chair Jordan Juarez said Gallegos told him she would leave the assessor’s office when she accepted the state job, but that has not happened. Gallegos has said she works the state position Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and handles assessor duties after hours and on weekends. Her current term does not end until December, so any commission action would land in the middle of an elected term rather than at a natural transition point.

The political stakes are higher because property valuation has already become a countywide flashpoint. In 2024, property owners across Sandoval County, especially Rio Rancho business owners, publicly complained about steep increases from the assessor’s office. That history makes the resignation push about more than one officeholder’s schedule. It cuts into who controls the county’s tax administration, who answers for valuation decisions, and whether residents believe the assessor is working full time for Sandoval County.

Rep. Catherine Cullen, whose district includes parts of Rio Rancho, has backed the move to oust Gallegos, putting additional pressure on commissioners to act. For residents from Bernalillo and Corrales to Placitas, Cuba, Algodones and Rio Rancho Estates, the dispute is likely to be read through a simple lens: who is accountable when property values, tax bills and public confidence collide.

The second major item is a $15 million bond package, which could shape how much debt the county takes on for future capital spending. County Financial Advisor Rob Burpo of First American Financial Advisors is set to open the discussion with a presentation on 2026 general obligation bond project options and their financial implications. Commissioners have already weighed large bond requests before, including $12.5 million in 2025 for a new animal shelter and an emergency telecommunications tower.

The county’s financial picture adds more weight to that vote. Its preliminary FY2027 budget showed forecast revenues of $60,924,836 against general-fund expenses of $42,771,321, after a June 1 state deadline for submission. Any new bond debt could affect future spending room and, ultimately, taxpayers.

Labor contracts are also on the agenda, though they carry a different kind of impact. The commission approved a collective bargaining agreement with the county firefighter union in May 2025, and Sandoval County AFSCME detention-center staff negotiated a successor agreement in early 2025. That matters for staffing costs and service stability across county operations, including Sandoval County Fire and Rescue, which handles fire protection, EMS, burn restrictions, emergency management and heavy technical rescue.