2013 – Current

  • Revised the Tax Bill to be more user friendly to the tax payer and provide access to electronic tax bills as part of our “Go Green” initiative.
  • Expanded our office hours to 7:30 am to 5:15 pm during the first and second half tax seasons.
  • Expanded forms of payment including a drive-through drop box on the North side of the county building and Point of Sale and inside drop box at the teller windows.
  • Have two certified notaries to assist our taxpayers.
  • Tax Researchers are available at the front window areas to provide a more accessible customer-service environment.
  • Worked with the former county manager to design and provide office signs to direct Taxpayers to a quicker route to get to the office.
  • Developed internal procedures for office security, “best practices” and efficiency.
  • Started the Emergency Action Plan for the Treasurer’s Office.
  • STO is now an active member of the state-wide manufactured home committee and is this year’s host for the annual workshop. This committee is tackling our manufactured home concerns in the county. This is a collaborative effort between the Sandoval Sheriff’s office, Assessor’s office, Planning and Zoning and the Treasurer’s office.
  • One Tax Researcher works primarily on Personal Property to assist with collection, tax roll clean up, policy and implementation. That Tax Researcher works closely with both the manufactured home staff and the staff that handles all other personal property in the Assessor’s office.
  • Wrote a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Cash Handling and Deposits to ensure cash handling throughout all offices and departments. This SOP defines the process to ensure the integrity of the daily flow of funds from offices/departments to the Sandoval County Treasurer’s Office (STO) or the County Bank.
  • Clean Audit for the Treasurer’s Office

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CHANGES

  • Provided a computer in the lobby for taxpayers to access and pay taxes using our on-line system.
  • Worked with our online vendor to update and improve online services.
  • Worked with the Sandoval IT department to update our 1-800 number to provide options in both English and Spanish.
  • Continuously worked with Tyler software to improve, modify and accommodate the needs of our taxpayers and office.
  • Provide a replica of the tax bill for taxpayers upon request.

INVESTMENTS

  • One new portfolio manager assisting with investment management. (2014, 2019)
  • The STO is invested in securities that are fully compliant with the Sandoval County Investment Policy, with greater liquidity and decreased market and investment risk.
  • Monthly and quarterly reports are filed with the Clerk’s office according to statute and emailed to the elected officials, directors and STIC members.
  • Expanded Sandoval Treasurer’s Investment Committee (STIC).
  • Revised the Sandoval County Investment Policy for review. (2014, 2017, 2018)

LEGISLATION

  • STO assisted in the collaborative passage of several pieces of legislation that have assisted taxpayers, Assessors’ and Treasurers’ Offices state-wide.

2013

  • SB 406/Sapien -Assists with collection of more revenues for the county when a taxpayer/developer would like to divide or combine property. This bill allows for the county to collect on the property that is being divided or combined through the taxable year. This legislation has allowed us to clean up the tax roll, increase county revenues, and assist with less evasion of taxes and provide state-wide uniformity. Through this effort, millions of dollars has been collected state-wide allowing for fair and equitable collection.
  • SB 289/Shendo -Allows those low-income taxpayers over 65 years of age or disabled to have an automatic value freeze, after being eligible for three consecutive years, unless their eligibility changes. This will assist our seniors and disabled who have a difficult time getting around as well as assist our Assessor’s office in not being overloaded with unnecessary paperwork.

2015

  • HB 49/Wooley -Allows the Treasurer’s and the Assessor’s office to provide taxpayers with their tax bill and notice of value by electronic mail. This will aid us in decreasing our operating budget in future years by reducing printing, mailing, and processing costs for these notices. This will assist our military and overseas taxpayers with receiving their tax bill in a timely fashion. This moves us in the direction of electronic access to online payments.
  • HB 67/J. Trujillo – Allow for certain tax roll changes to be done without having to go to district court.
  • SB 104/Sharer – Allow County Treasurers to accept partial payment pursuant to an Installment Agreement on delinquent accounts that are with Property Tax Division.
  • SB 248/M. Sanchez – Provides an exemption from the imposition of a special benefit assessment for Disabled Veterans.
  • SB 426/Griggs- Added an amendment to exclude the Assessor’s and Treasurer’s office from any unintended consequences from a Scriveners Error Affidavit. (This bill failed in 2015 but was signed in 2016.)
  • SB 47/ C. Sanchez – Assisted in an amendment to remove unintended consequences to the “tangible property cost”.
  • SB 506/Payne – Provides the option for a Disabled Veteran’s property tax exemption to remain or be transferred to the new property if they choose.

2016

  • SB 56/Rodriguez – Clarifying that county and municipal Treasurers may invest in certain public money in brokered certificates of deposit. New Mexico was the only state that did not have this clarified in law (This bill was introduced in 2015 and API)
  • Testified against several bills regarding decreases or suspension in property valuation of real property.

2017

  • SB 67/Rodriguez – Notification of TIDD to County Treasurers; Requiring that the Treasurer of the county in which a tax increment development district is formed be notified of that formation.
  • SB 356/Rodriguez – Notification of Public Improvement District (PID); Requiring that the Treasurer of the county in which a public improvement district is formed be notified of that formation.
  • HB 184/Youngblood- Property Tax Revenue to Charter School- Assisted in the clarification of the distribution of ad valorem payments from the County Treasurer and the Department of Finance and Administration.
  • Assisted with input for property tax code legislation that was proposed.

2018

  • HB88/Fajardo & SB 109/Baca- Define and the inclusion of a “right of first offer” to permit pueblos, land grants, non-taxable entities such as counties, to have the right of first offer on land they may have previously owned before placing it through the auction process. Define “abandoned real property” to be a part of a subdivision with a minimum of 5,000 vacant lots in delinquency; part of a subdivision plotted before 1980; and the property taxes, penalties and interest have not been paid on more than ten years. Allows real value to be taxed and collected instead of an inflated tax rate due to taxes that will never be resolved. Also permits for an online auction process.
  • HB 69/Wooley- County Classification & Salaries- Eliminates classification of Class C counties which no longer exist and allows for an increase of 15% for annual maximum salaries for county elected officials pursuant to action by the county commission.

2019

  • SB 473/Rodriguez- Relating to public finance; amending Section 6-10-10 NMSA 1978 (BEING LAWS 1933, CHAPTER 175, SECTION 4, AS AMENDED); Defining Investment Policy, Supranational issuer and United States government sponsored enterprises; providing additional investment tools for the State Treasurer, Class A county Treasurer’s and municipalities of 65,000 population or more within a Class A county. (supranational, commercial paper rated A1 or P1 and money market mutual funds)
  • HB 429/Rehm – Relating to Taxation; Increasing the income limit for eligibility for a limitation on property tax valuation of a dwelling occupied by a person who is sixty-five years of age OR older OR disabled from $32,000 to $35,000 beginning tax year 2020.
  • HB 97/Salazar- An act relating to public finance; clarifying that the educational retirement board; the public employees retirement association and the state investment council may participate in the Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP)

NEW MEXICO PROPERTY TAX DIVISION (NMPTD)

  • Worked on a regulation and a statute with NMPTD and other Treasurers to be permitted to collect partial payments on delinquent accounts that have already been sent to the state.
  • The STO has provided two office stations for the NMPTD to assist with the collection of delinquent property taxes. NMPTD’s auction are held annually within the county. We have had 734 accounts that have been on the auction list with a total of $882,975 collected from 345 accounts auctioned from 2013 to current.
  • Since 2013, STO has implemented a new strategy in which the Tax Researchers work on delinquent accounts that are expected to be on the NMPTD list in July. This effort has assisted in keeping several delinquent accounts within the county. In 2013, the total amount was over $3.6 million. They collected approximately $2 million of that amount, keeping interest and penalty due within the county’s general fund.

TRAINING

  • Attended and worked with the New Mexico Association of Counties, the Treasurer’s Affiliate and the National Association of Counties (NACo).
  • Currently Vice-Chair of the Finance, Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs (FPIGA) Committee with NACo and the elected Chair for NACo Next Generation.
  • Worked with New Mexico county elected officials to run for the Western Region representative for NACo.
  • Actively participated and learned from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and the Government Investment Officers Association (GIOA).
  • The Treasurer graduated with her Certified Public Official (CPO) certification from the NMSU NM Edge courses and will graduate with her Certified Treasury Official (CTO) certification in June.
  • Updated all staff positions in the Treasurer’s office with the Sandoval County Human Resources Department to include mandatory Treasurer Certification from all employees within one year.
  • Ten staff members will have graduated with their Certified Treasury Official (CTO) certification from NMSU NM Edge courses.
  • Three staff members have graduate with their Certified Public Official (CPO).
  • The former Treasury Accountant Supervisor completed one year of Star 12 training and the Accounting Specialist began Star 12 training.
  • All staff have actively participated in Risk Awareness Program (RAP) training since its implementation in 2014.
  • The Accounting Specialist, Treasury Controller, Treasury Accountant Supervisor, Deputy Treasurer and Treasurer annually participate in the Audit Rule Training put on by the State Auditor’s office.