[00:00:01]
THIS MEETING OF THE YAVAPAI COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
WE ARE MEETING TODAY IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES VERDE VALLEY COMPLEX HEARING ROOM.
FIRST FLOOR 10 SOUTH 6TH STREET IN COTTONWOOD, ARIZONA.
TODAY'S DATE IS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21ST, 2023.
I'M CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 900 9 A.M..
ALL ITEMS LISTED ARE POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
THE ORDER OF THE ITEMS MAY BE MODIFIED AT THE MEETING.
ONE OR MORE BOARD MEMBERS MAY BE ATTEND TELEPHONICALLY OR VIRTUALLY EVERYONE'S HERE TODAY.
BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDING TELEFONICA VIRTUALLY WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE MEETING.
AND BEING KIND TO ONE ANOTHER.
AMEN. AMEN. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, JOIN ME IN PLEDGE TO OUR FLAG.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR MICHAELS AND BROWN.
CLARK, WOULD YOU HANDLE ROLL CALL? YES. THANK YOU.
PRESENT VICE CHAIRMAN OBERG HERE.
[ AWARDS AND PROCLAMATIONS ]
OKAY, WE'LL START OFF WITH BOARD OF SUPERVISORS APPROVED PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING JUNE 30TH, 2023 AS THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY OF THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS.THE OCCURRENCE WAS ON IN 2013, ONE OF THE FIRST BIG MAJOR ISSUES THAT CAME BEFORE THE BOARD IN THAT YEAR, AFTER THE SECOND FIRE, THE DIXIE FIRE, AND THEN THE YARNELL FIRE.
SO ANYWAY, WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE AND IN A PROCLAMATION, THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS OF JUNE 30TH, 2023, WHEREAS BETWEEN JUNE 28TH, 2023 AND JULY 2ND, 2013.
THE YARNELL FIRE DEVASTATED LARGE PORTIONS OF YARNELL IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
AND ACTUALLY THAT DATE SHOULD BE 2013.
WHEREAS ON JUNE 30TH, 2013, 19 MEMBERS OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS, AN ELITE TEAM OF WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS FROM PRESCOTT, LOST THEIR LIVES FIGHTING THE YARNELL FIRE.
AND. WHEREAS, THE ALPINE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF YAVAPAI COUNTY, WISH TO REMEMBER THE COURAGE AND DEDICATION OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS TO THE PROTECTION OF LIVES AND PROPERTY OF RESIDENTS OF YARNELL AND YAVAPAI COUNTY.
WHEREAS THE YAVAPAI COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF YAVAPAI COUNTY, WISH TO HONOR THE SACRIFICE OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS BY DECLARING A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE ON FRIDAY, JUNE 30TH, 2023, AND A MOMENT OF SILENCE WILL BE OBSERVED AT 4:42 P.M..
NOW THEREFORE, BE ITRILLIONESOLVED.
THE YAVAPAI COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEREBY URGE ALL RESIDENTS OF YAVAPAI COUNTY AND ARIZONA TO PAUSE AND REMEMBER THE DEDICATION AND SACRIFICE OF THE PRESCOTT GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS ON FRIDAY, JUNE 30TH, 2023, AT 4:42 P.M..
SO MOVED. MOVE TO ACCEPT THE PROCLAMATION.
WE GOT A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR BROWN AND A SECOND BY VICE CHAIR OBERG.
ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE? AYE. AYE.
SO IF YOU COULD LET THEM COME UP AND MAKE THEIR COMMENT AND THEN WE'LL GO DOWN AND GET A PICTURE.
[00:05:02]
THAT'S GOOD. START WITH FROM YARNELL.YOU NEED TO TURN IT ON. PUSH THE BUTTON.
HIT THE BUTTON. PUSH THE BUTTON ON THE BASE.
SORRY ABOUT THAT. I JUST WANT TO THANK THE BOARD FOR RECOGNIZING THE YARNELL 19 AND WHAT HAPPENED THERE, THE INCIDENT, AND RECOGNIZING FOR ALL THE PEOPLE AND PUTTING THIS PROCLAMATION INTO EFFECT.
CHIEF. UH, WHO SHOULD WE GO WITH NEXT? CHIEF BURR. SORRY.
CHAIRMAN AND FELLOW COMMISSIONERS.
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE INCREDIBLE SUPPORT IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
THIS WAS TRULY A COMMUNITY IMPACT AND A CONTINUES TO BE JUST THAT.
FIRST OF ALL, IT DOES NOT DEFINE US, BUT IT IS PART OF OUR PROUD TRADITION.
AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
THERE ARE NUMEROUS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE LEARNING AND TRIBUTE CENTER AT THE GATEWAY MALL AND THE ERIC MARSH FOUNDATION THAT HAVE COME OUT OF THIS TRAGEDY AND INNUMERABLE POSITIVE THINGS HAVE COME FROM THAT.
AND SO WHILE THIS TRAGEDY IS SIGNIFICANT, IT ALSO HAS SOME GREAT GROWTH BOTH IN OUR DEPARTMENT EXCUSE ME, BOTH IN OUR DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO WITH THAT, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE RECOGNITION.
AND ON BEHALF OF PRESCOTT FIRE, WE ARE HONORED TO RECEIVE THIS PROCLAMATION.
YOU SOMETHING. CHIEF? SOMETHING. WE'RE JUST GOING TO MAKE A NOTE THAT WAS ACTUALLY WORKING IN EMERGENCY SERVICES AT THE TIME.
YAVAPAI COUNTY. NOW HE'S CHIEF.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY.
THIS IS AN HONOR TO BE HERE IN FRONT OF YOU AND ACCEPTING OF THIS PROCLAMATION.
AND WE JUST WE ACCEPT THIS AND WE'RE VERY HONORED TO DO SO.
THERE ARE SOME OTHER FOLKS THAT ARE HERE IN THE CROWD WHO WERE ALSO ASSOCIATED IN A PART OF THAT PROCESS AND HAVE CARRIED ON SOME OF THOSE ITEMS IN THE AS WE'VE MOVED FORWARD FROM THE INCIDENT ITSELF.
I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE SOME OF THEM.
MISTER CHAKA STANDING HERE IN THE BACK, SITTING THERE IN THE BACK WITH THE WILDFIRE ACADEMY, WHICH YOU GUYS ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT FOR THE TRAINING OF OUR MEN AND WOMEN THAT DO THIS WORK.
AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT AS WELL.
YOU'RE WELCOME. TONY, DO YOU WANT TO COME UP AND SAY SOMETHING? I'VE SAID ENOUGH. THANKS.
HE WAS THE FIRE COMMANDER DURING THE FIRE OVER AT FROM.
AND BASICALLY YARNELL WAS ONLY A MONTH LATER.
SO ADD TWO HUGE FIRES IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
AND THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS ACTUALLY PARTICIPATED IN THE DORSEY FIRE AND.
WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR THEIR SAVING OF THE ALLIGATOR JUNIPER TREE.
THAT'S PROBABLY 1000 YEARS OLD ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, SO.
ANYWAY, ANYBODY ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING? NO. OKAY, LET'S GO DOWN AND GET A PICTURE.
THERE WE GO. WHAT'S THAT? DID WE VOTE? I'M NOT SURE.
THANK YOU. CLEARING THE WAY FOR YOU.
DON'T WORRY. I LIKE BEING IN THE BACK ROOM.
[00:10:01]
YOU HAVE OVER THE ILLINOIS.MALLORY, WOULD YOU? ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA HAVE THE FIVE OF YOU SLIDE DOWN THIS WAY.
KEEP GOING. KEEP GOING, KEEP GOING, KEEP GOING.
WE'RE GOING OUT THE DOOR TRYING TO GET THE COUNTY.
KEEP GOING. YEAH. THERE WE GO.
YOU GUYS KEEP GO IN THAT DIRECTION.
MARRIOTT THERE WE GO. OKAY, I THINK.
YOU KNOW, MR. CHAIR, THAT WAS A VERY TRAGIC TIME FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
AND LATER IN THIS PROCEEDING, I'LL BE ASKING FOR A LITTLE CHANGE IN THAT.
[ PRESENTATIONS]
PRESENTER CRAIG SULLIVAN, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE COUNTY SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION.MORNING, CRAIG. GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO STAND BEFORE YOU.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THEM THAT I'LL WALK THROUGH HERE FOR YOU, BECAUSE WHAT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE DO AS AN ASSOCIATION IN TERMS OF CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION DEVELOPMENT, OUR DATA INITIATIVE AND RESEARCH FUNCTION, AND OF COURSE OUR INTERGOVERNMENTAL WORK THAT WE PROVIDE ON BEHALF OF ALL 15 COUNTIES.
WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK AND WE WANT TO DEFINITELY SERVE YOU IN ANY CAPACITY WE CAN.
AND SO I'LL BE DIRECTING MOST QUESTIONS TO THEM IF AND WHEN THEY COME UP, MR. CHAIRMAN. SO MOVING ON.
WHAT I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT FIRST, JUST FOR FOLKS WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH US, AND I KNOW THIS IS OLD HAT TO YOU, BUT THE COUNTY SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION IS A COLLABORATION OF THE 15 COUNTIES.
WE'RE AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL FUNCTION THAT DEVELOPS A FORUM FOR SUPERVISORS TO TALK TO ONE ANOTHER AND WORK ON COMPLICATED POLICY ISSUES FACING YOUR COMMUNITIES. WE DEVELOP RESEARCH AND INFORMATION TO SUPPORT THAT.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE SERVE AS AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL ENTITY, ENGAGING WITH THE VARIOUS AGENCIES AND LEGISLATURE AND COURT SYSTEM THAT AFFECT YOUR LOCAL OPERATIONS.
BUT WHEN WE'RE AFFECTED BY ALL THESE OTHER ENTITIES, IT'S REALLY POWERFUL TO COME TOGETHER.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO SERVE YOU IN THAT CAPACITY.
I DO WANT TO THANK THIS BOARD FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT.
I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE ENERGY AND ENGAGEMENT YOU GIVE US.
MR. OBERG, THANK YOU FOR SERVING ON OUR LEGISLATIVE POLICY COMMITTEE.
I VALUE THAT. AND WE APPRECIATED HAVING YOU AT THE TABLE.
AND MS.. MALLORY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR CHAIRING OUR MEDIUM COUNTY CAUCUS.
[00:15:03]
AS YOU KNOW, THAT'S A FORUM THAT BRINGS ALL OF YOUR COLLEAGUES TOGETHER AND THAT'S BEEN VERY PRODUCTIVE AS WELL.I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION SHARING.
THERE'S A LOT ON THIS SLIDE, BUT WHAT IT PULLS OUT FOR YOU IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO ON A REGULAR BASIS IS DEVELOPING AROUND OUR CAUCUS FORUMS AS WELL AS OUR BOARD MEETINGS, BRINGING IN ELECTED OFFICIALS, AGENCY HEADS, POLICY PROFESSIONALS TO TALK ABOUT CRITICAL ISSUES AND SHARE INFORMATION ACROSS THE 15 COUNTIES. AND THIS SHOWS YOU A LIST OF THE GUEST SPEAKERS THAT CAME IN OVER THE LAST YEAR.
AND WE'RE PROGRAMING A SIMILAR AGENDA GOING INTO THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR.
AND WE WELCOME OUR FISCAL YEAR AND WE WELCOME ANY INPUT FROM YOU ON POLICY AREAS.
WE ALSO SUPPORT WHAT WE CALL AFFILIATE GROUPS, WHICH ARE PROFESSIONAL STAFF ENTITIES, THE MANAGERS AND ADMINISTRATORS, THE PLANNING DIRECTORS, FINANCE DIRECTORS, THINGS LIKE THAT, WHERE WE ALL WORK TOGETHER ACROSS 15 COUNTIES AS A HUB AT CSA TO SHARE INFORMATION.
IT HELPS US IMMENSELY TO BE CONNECTED WITH LOCAL PROFESSIONAL STAFF AND WE LIKE TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING FROM THE LEGISLATURE AND OTHER ENTITIES SO THEY'RE ABLE TO SUPPORT YOU LOCALLY.
SO IT'S A VERY STRONG COLLABORATION THERE.
AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT.
WE'RE ON THE COMMERCE AUTHORITY.
WE SERVE ON A COMMISSION THAT'S OVER AT THE COURT SYSTEM, AND THEN WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME WORKING ON PENSION RELATED MATTERS, WHICH I THINK, YOU KNOW WELL, TRYING TO PROTECT THE RESOURCES THAT ALL THE COUNTIES HAVE PUT INTO THE PENSION SYSTEMS. AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING OUR TEAM, PARTICULARLY PARTICULARLY VANESSA FIELDER AND BRANDON ME, SPEND A LOT OF TIME SUPPORTING ME IN MY ROLE AS PART OF THE PENSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND THIS IS WHAT MISS FIELDER MANAGES FOR US.
OUR DATA EFFORT IS ALL ABOUT COLLECTING AND CONSOLIDATING INFORMATION, DEVELOPING ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATIONS TO BRING THAT INFORMATION TO THE FORE AND THEN BRINGING THAT TO THE TABLE FOR LOCAL AND STATE DECISION MAKING.
YOU'VE SEEN A LOT OF THESE PRODUCTS DELIVERED.
WHEN WE TALK AT OUR BOARD MEETINGS, IT IS A FOUNDATIONAL PART OF THE ORGANIZATION.
OUR DATABASE EXCEEDS OVER 4 MILLION DATA POINTS.
AND WE WANT TO BE VERY AGGRESSIVE AT BUILDING THOSE TOOLS GOING INTO THE FUTURE AS WELL.
LET ME HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THOSE.
CURRENTLY WE'RE BUILDING OUT AN EXPENDITURE LIMIT RESOURCE GUIDE THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ALL THE COUNTIES THAT WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF EXPENDITURE LIMITS AND WHAT TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU, OPTIONS AND WHAT COUNTIES HAVE, HOW THEY'VE USED THOSE OPTIONS IN THE PAST.
I MENTIONED THE PUBLIC SAFETY PIECE.
WE SPENT AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF TIME PARTICIPATING IN THE SYSTEM, PROVIDING FEEDBACK ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTIES, MONITORING THEIR DECISIONS AND INFLUENCING THOSE DECISIONS THROUGH THE LENS OF PROTECTING LOCAL TAXPAYER RESOURCES.
AND WE'RE ALSO IDENTIFYING WHERE THERE ARE GAPS IN ANALYSIS.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE'VE BEEN PULLING IN DATA ON THE PROBATION FUNCTION AND OTHER RELATED COURT FUNCTIONS JUST TO GET A BETTER SNAPSHOT OF THE STATE COUNTY COURT NEXUS.
WE'RE A PAYER INTO THE COURT SYSTEM.
THEY'RE IMPORTANT PARTNERS OF OURS.
WE NEED A BETTER LENS INTO THE SYSTEM TO COLLABORATE ON THAT IMPORTANT POLICY AREA.
AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT WORKFORCE CHALLENGES.
AND I KNOW THIS IS NOT NEW TO ALL OF YOU.
EVERY COUNTY IS STRUGGLING WITH WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ACROSS THE COUNTY FUNCTIONS.
WE'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AT THE MANAGEMENT LEVEL COLLECTING INFORMATION, GETTING A SENSE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE VARIOUS COUNTIES AND TRYING TO INFORM THE MANAGER'S KNOWLEDGE OF SOME OF THAT WORK.
BUT WE'VE ALSO BEEN PART OF A WORK GROUP THAT'S DIGGING IN A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THAT AREA.
AND SO I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT FOR YOU.
[00:20:04]
SO THERE WAS A BILL A YEAR AGO THAT TASKED SPEAKERS WITH A WORKGROUP TO LOOK AT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION AND POLICE AND FIRE, NOT DETENTION, BUT POLICE AND FIRE.AND SO OUR TEAM STARTED INTERFACING WITH THE BOARD OF REGENTS AND THE BOARD OF REGENTS PUT FORWARD A GRANT TO STUDY RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ACROSS THE STATE IN POLICE AND FIRE.
AND SO THIS GIVES YOU A SENSE OF WHERE ALL THE UNIVERSITIES ARE PLUGGING INTO THIS.
AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO IS SUPPORT THE WORKGROUP BY BEING A LIAISON WITH THE UNIVERSITIES AND A FACILITATOR OF GETTING ALL THIS INFORMATION OUT TO ALL THE RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM.
SO IT'S NOT OUR INITIATIVE, BUT WE'VE FOUND OURSELVES IN A SPOT WHERE WE ARE MANAGING A LOT OF THE DEPLOYMENT AND WE FELT THAT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE'S A BIG NEED FOR INFORMATION IN THIS SPACE THAT YOU KNOW WELL.
THIS CHART JUST SHOWS YOU A LITTLE BIT OF THE CALENDAR ON THOSE VARIOUS RESEARCH PROJECTS AND YOU'LL GET A SENSE THAT THEY'RE ALL IN PROGRESS WORKING THROUGH THE SUMMER AND INTO THE FALL WHEN WE MEET IN COCONINO COUNTY FOR OUR CSA SUMMIT IN OCTOBER, WE'LL GIVE A PROGRESS REPORT ON WHERE ALL THESE ARE AND WE ARE COMING UP WITH ADDITIONAL IDEAS TO ROLL ON INTO OUR RESEARCH PROGRAM GOING INTO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE LEGISLATURE.
YOU KNOW, USUALLY I STAND BEFORE YOU AND THE LEGISLATURE'S OVER THERE NOT COMPLYING THIS YEAR.
SO A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED IN THAT.
AS YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING TO STAY IN SESSION UNTIL THE END OF JULY AT LEAST.
SO THIS WILL BE THE LONGEST SESSION THAT WE'VE EVER OPERATED IN.
AND LET ME TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE POLICY AREAS.
THE STATE BUDGET. WE ALL DEPEND ON THE STATE BUDGET GETTING ENACTED IN A TIMELY FASHION.
SOMETIMES THAT'S NOT THE CASE THIS YEAR.
WITH THE FIRST TIME WE'VE HAD DIVIDED GOVERNMENT IN 15 YEARS, THERE WAS A PROCESS THAT GOVERNOR HOBBS AND LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP NEEDED TO GO THROUGH TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY WERE GOING TO WORK TOGETHER AND CRAFT A BUDGET.
AND SO THE BUDGET NEGOTIATION REALLY PLAYED OUT THAT WAY.
AND WHAT WE SAW WAS HUGE ALLOCATIONS IN INVESTMENTS FOR LOCALIZED PROJECTS, TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER THINGS THAT WERE ALLOCATED BASED ON MEMBER REQUESTS.
THEY BASICALLY TOLD EACH MEMBER, YOU HAVE 20 OR $30 MILLION.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO COBBLE IT TOGETHER? I THINK YOU'VE HEARD SOME OF THIS NARRATIVE.
$2.25 BILLION WERE ALLOCATED THAT WAY.
SCHOOL FACILITIES AND HOUSING.
BUT HIS MANAGERS OF A BUDGET, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KNOW THEY SPEND A LOT ALL THAT CASH DOWN, RIGHT? AND SO THEY THEY THEY TOOK IT ALL LARGELY OFF THE TABLE IN THIS BUDGET AND DID NO ONGOING, MEANINGFUL, ONGOING SOLUTIONS IN THEIR SPENDING.
THIS CHART SHOWS HOW DOLLARS WERE ALLOCATED ACROSS THE STATE.
AND WE WE BROKE IT DOWN BY TRANSPORTATION, LOCAL WATER AND LOCAL DISTRIBUTIONS.
YAVAPAI COUNTY HAD A SERIES OF ALLOCATIONS THAT YOU'RE WELL AWARE OF THAT ON ROAD PROJECTS.
IT WAS TO THE TUNE OF $21 MILLION AND OTHER PROJECTS, ABOUT $19 MILLION.
AND WE DO HAVE MATERIALS THAT BREAK DOWN EACH COUNTY AND EACH PROJECT THAT WE'VE DISTRIBUTED.
NOW, WHEN YOU DO A BUDGET THAT WAY WHERE YOU'RE JUST DOING ONE TIME PROJECTS AND YOU'RE NOT DOING ONGOING, IT DOES REMOVE THE ABILITY TO SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS. SO VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS HAD BIG ISSUES THAT WERE ONGOING ON THE TABLE, INCLUDING US.
AND I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE FOR A MOMENT.
PROBATION WE PAY INTO THE STATE PROBATION SYSTEM.
IT'S A IT'S A FUNCTION OF THE STATEWIDE JUDICIARY.
WE HAVE BEEN ASKING THE LEGISLATURE TO FULLY FUND THEIR RESPONSIBILITY FOR STATE PROBATION OFFICERS.
[00:25:02]
THEY DID PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR PRIOR PAY, RAISES FOR PROBATION.THEY DIDN'T SOLVE THE ISSUE GOING FORWARD.
SO WE WOULD SEE GROWTH IN OUR BUDGET FOR THAT FUNCTION.
THANKFULLY, MEMBERS REMOVED IT AT OUR REQUEST, BUT IT DOESN'T SOLVE THE ISSUE.
THEY STILL HAVE TO FIX IT AS AN ONGOING MATTER.
THIS IS THE TYPE OF ISSUE, THOUGH, THAT IS IMPORTANT GOVERNANCE TO GET FIGURED OUT.
BUT IT HAS TO GET FIGURED OUT.
SIMILARLY, PAYING OFF THE LEGACY DEBT FOR THE ELECTED OFFICIALS RETIREMENT PLAN.
WE PUT ON A PLACE, A PLAN THAT VANESSA FIELDER AND BRANDON NEON, OUR TEAM DESIGNED THAT WOULD HAVE SAVED TAXPAYERS ABOUT $670 MILLION OVER THE LIFE OF THE REPAYMENT OF EORP.
BUT GIVEN THAT THEY WERE PARSING THINGS OUT, THAT TYPE OF ITEM COULDN'T GET ON THE TABLE.
AND SO WE WERE DISAPPOINTED IN THAT.
WE'LL HAVE TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING.
I JUST WANTED YOU TO BE AWARE OF THAT SINCE YOU SIT ON OUR BOARD.
ALL FOUR WERE SIGNED INTO LAW.
THE GOVERNOR SIGNED THE BIOSOLIDS ISSUE FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
AND BRIEFLY ON THE REACTIVE ADVOCACY PIECE.
A BIG PART OF WHAT THE ASSOCIATION DOES IS JUST FIELDING WHAT THE LEGISLATURE PUTS INTO THE SYSTEM.
JACOB EMDEN AND ROBIN HILLIARD ON OUR TEAM DO A GREAT JOB IN THIS CAPACITY.
MR. OBERG, THIS IS WHAT YOU SAT THROUGH WITH US EVERY FRIDAY.
WE PROCESSED A MOUNTAIN OF BILLS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE INPUT WE GOT FROM YOUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF.
IN GUBERNATORIAL VETOES ARE PART OF THE CONVERSATION, RIGHT? THERE'S BEEN A RECORD NUMBER OF THEM NORTH OF 111.
THIS WAS SCORING UP AS OF LAST FRIDAY, AND THAT WILL CONTINUE.
YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE AREAS OF INTEREST THAT ARE COUNTY RELEVANT ON THE RIGHT.
AND WE DID MAKE SOME VETO REQUESTS ON BILLS THAT GOT UP TO THE NINTH FLOOR.
THE COTTAGE FOOD BILL WAS ONE THAT DOESN'T FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY BECAUSE IT WAS BIPARTISAN.
AND WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT THAT BILL WILL COME BACK IN SOME CAPACITY.
I PUT THIS SLIDE IN HERE JUST TO SHARE WITH YOU.
THIS JUST GIVES YOU A SENSE OF THE POLICY DIVERSITY THAT OUR TEAM WORKS ON, ON YOUR BEHALF.
WE WILL PUT OUT A SUMMARY GUIDE FOR YOUR COUNTY AND EVERY OTHER COUNTY THAT BREAKS DOWN EVERY NEW BILL BY BY BY POLICY CATEGORY THAT HELPS WITH IMPLEMENTATION LOCALLY.
A COUPLE OF POLICY AREAS OF INTEREST.
ELECTIONS. 119 BILLS WERE INTRODUCED INTO THE PROCESS THAT TOUCHED ELECTIONS.
UM, OUR LENS IS NONPARTISAN ON ELECTION ISSUES.
WE LOOK AT HOW IT WILL BE IN PRACTICE IN TERMS OF OPERATIONS.
AND WE HAVE A FOR ALL OF OUR ITEMS, WE HAVE A SUPERMAJORITY REQUIREMENT ON OUR BOARD.
AND SO EVERYTHING WE LOOK AT IS THROUGH THAT PROCESS PIECE.
I'M EXCEEDINGLY GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATION, ACO, DID, ALONG WITH THE RECORDERS AND ELECTION DIRECTORS, TO WORK ON THIS COMPLICATED POLICY AREA AND BRING GOOD INFORMATION TO THE TABLE.
DR. MICHAELS, YOU HAVE BEEN A LEADER IN COLLABORATION WITH SUPERVISORS FROM OTHER STATE IN ELEVATING AWARENESS ABOUT THE LACK OF TOOLS IN RURAL ARIZONA, AND I WANT TO COMMEND YOU FOR THAT. I'VE BEEN WATCHING WATER FOR MANY YEARS AND STARTED DWR IN THE 90S LATE 90S, SO I'M STARTING TO DATE MYSELF.
[00:30:07]
THE GOVERNOR HAS CONVENED HER WATER POLICY COUNCIL.I AM A CONDUIT FOR EACH OF YOU AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING ABOUT WHAT POLICY ITEMS ARE ON THE TABLE, WHERE THERE ARE AREAS OF INTEREST, AND WE'LL DO THAT. WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON OTHER MONITORING WHERE VARIOUS GRANTS ARE GOING AS IT RELATES TO WATER AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE WATER AUGMENTATION FUND AT WEIFA, WHICH WAS GETTING DEPOSITS OF ABOUT A IT'S SUPPOSED TO GET TO A BILLION, THEY WERE PUTTING ABOUT A THIRD IN EVERY YEAR.
THIS YEAR'S DEPOSIT WAS TO BE 333 MILLION.
STATEWIDE AUGMENTATION MATTERS A LOT BECAUSE THAT'S HOW RURAL AREAS WILL BE PROTECTED FROM INTERESTS THAT ARE TRYING TO DIVERT RESOURCES OUT OF COMMUNITIES PARTICULARLY.
I WAS ON THE RIVER EARLIER IN THE WEEK AND I HEARD THAT PRONOUNCED CONCERN FROM ALL OF THEM.
EACH OF THESE REPORTS ARE ITEMS THAT WERE DEVELOPING AND DISTRIBUTING TO YOUR MANAGEMENT AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF JUST TO GET A BEARING ON THE LEGISLATURE AND ON RESOURCES. AND THEY ARE ALL COMING OUT.
USUALLY THEY'RE COMING OUT RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY ARE A LITTLE BIT DELAYED.
AND SO WE ARE PIVOTING TO OUR CSR SUMMIT THAT WILL BE IN COCONINO COUNTY.
I WELCOME ALL OF YOU TO JOIN US AT THAT EVENT.
WE'RE ASKING THEM TO BE SUBMITTED BY AUGUST 7TH.
UM, IF YOU NEED HELP IN DEVELOPING IDEAS, WE'RE AVAILABLE TO YOU.
THAT DEADLINE CAN FLEX A LITTLE BIT IF NEED BE.
WE KNOW IT'S TOUGH COMING OFF THIS SUMMER.
I DID JUST WANT AS A FINAL NOTE, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT.
AND WE REALLY ENJOY SUPPORTING YOU AND YOUR COUNTY, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
YEAH, YOU DO A GREAT JOB FOR CSR, DOES A GREAT JOB.
AND YOU, CRAIG, FOR OUR COUNTY.
SO THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD SUPERVISOR BROWN? YEAH. CRAIG SOLOMON, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THE OTHER THING IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW.
WE AS A GROUP WORK VERY HARD ON THINGS.
I KNOW HARRY AND MARY WORKED VERY HARD WITH CSA ON A LOT OF THESE ITEMS AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK THEY DID WORKING WITH YOU AND HAVING THAT MUTUAL EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION.
IT'S UNFORTUNATE AND NOT ALL THAT INFORMATION IS ALWAYS TRUE AND CORRECT, BUT THAT'S NOT YOUR FAULT.
SO ANYWAY, I JUST WANTED TO ALSO MENTION, ARE WE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE ITEMS THAT DID NOT GO THROUGH THIS YEAR TO RENEW OUR EFFORTS TO TRY AND GET THEM NEXT YEAR? YEAH. MR. CHAIRMAN, SUPERVISOR, FIRST, THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS.
SO YOU'LL BE MAKING THAT DECISION IN THE EARLY FALL.
YEAH. AND AS FAR AS THE WATER ISSUE, DO YOU FEEL THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS FINALLY RECOGNIZED THAT THE PROBLEM IS THEIRS AND THAT IT CAN'T BE SERVED BY THE, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY SOLVED BY THE COUNTIES? IS THAT A TRICK QUESTION? I LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT WATER EVERY DAY.
I MENTIONED THAT I STARTED MANY YEARS AGO ON IT, AND I CONTINUE TO LEARN.
I THINK WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT THE PUBLIC AWARENESS IS SIGNIFICANT, BUT LEGISLATIVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WATER POLICY IS LIMITED.
AND I THINK BUILDING THAT CAPACITY IS REALLY CRITICAL.
WE HAD SOME LAWMAKERS WHO WERE VERY, VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE THAT HAVE MOVED ON.
[00:35:09]
BECAUSE SO MANY NEW LAWMAKERS ARE NEW AND THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS ALL LOOKS LIKE.AND GUBERNATORIAL LEADERSHIP WILL MATTER A LOT.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. AND THANK YOU, MR. SULLIVAN, YOUR TEAM, FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR US.
I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
I THINK ON ONE CHART, YOU SHOWED VETOES OF 111.
I THINK IT'S EXCEEDED THAT, HASN'T IT? ABSOLUTELY, SIR. THAT WAS 111 AS OF MAYBE LAST THURSDAY.
OKAY. SO WE KNOW THE NUMBER NOW.
I'M PUTTING YOU ON THE SPOT NOW.
SO IT'S MORE THAN DOUBLE ANY PREVIOUS GOVERNOR.
BUT I UNDERSTAND THERE'S STILL ABOUT 700 MILLION THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE DISTRIBUTED.
WILL THAT BE DISTRIBUTED NEXT YEAR? DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THAT? I GO TO MY LIFELINE REAL QUICK.
YEAH, SURE. DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF THAT? WERE THEY ANTICIPATED? NO.
THERE MAY BE MANY FUNDS. OKAY.
SO I WOULD JUST KIND OF CURIOUS ABOUT THAT.
I BELIEVE OUR STATE BUDGET THIS YEAR WAS ABOUT 22 BILLION.
IS THAT CORRECT? IT'S IT IS DEFINITELY UP THERE.
ONE OF THE SLIDES IN HERE DOES TALK TO ABOUT THE ONGOING SPENDING.
YEAH. SO ONGOING EXPENDITURES ARE ABOUT $14 MILLION IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
BUT TOTAL SPENDING THIS YEAR WENT TO ABOUT 17.8 BILLION.
AND THAT'S STATE FUNDING, RIGHT? THAT'S ALL STATE BUDGET.
WHAT IS A TOTAL BUDGET THAT THE STATE IS OPERATING WITH RIGHT NOW? BECAUSE I WAS TOLD IT WAS 22 BILLION STATE AND ABOUT ALMOST THAT THAT AMOUNT FROM THE FEDS.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT.
I KNOW RIGHT NOW WITH OUR GENERAL FUND, IT'S ABOUT 55% OF OUR GENERAL FUND SUPPORTS THAT.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR OVERALL BUDGET, EDUCATION IS ABOUT ANOTHER 55%.
I THINK WE CAN PUT THAT TOGETHER FOR YOU.
AND LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS, DO WE NEED TO BRING BACK THE ARP TO YOU OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU'RE GOING TO BRING UP AGAIN NEXT YEAR? YEAH, EXCELLENT QUESTION. SO WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT PIECE AND WE'LL BRING FORWARD BASED ON OUR NEW ANALYSIS OF THE THE ENVIRONMENT.
SO HOPEFULLY IT'LL COME UP AGAIN NEXT YEAR.
THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR MALLORY.
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOU BEING HERE THIS MORNING, ALL OF YOU.
AS THE COUNTIES COME TOGETHER ACROSS THE STATE, WE CAN GET A LOT MORE DONE AS WE COME TOGETHER AND BE UNIFIED FOR THE PURPOSES THAT ARE THE BEST FOR ALL OF THE STATE.
AS I HAD SAID EARLIER, WE DON'T ALL UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WITHOUT PROPOSITION 400, BUT WE'LL BE HEARING MORE ABOUT THAT FOR SURE.
THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU, MR. SULLIVAN. I ECHO THE ACCOLADES OF MY COLLEAGUES.
[00:40:02]
IT'S ALWAYS THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS, THOUGH, ISN'T IT? AND SO WATER.AND WHERE ARE WE TODAY? I'M DISMAYED AND DISAPPOINTED THAT WIFI HAS BEEN CUT AND AND THERE'S SO MUCH NEED FOR, YOU KNOW, IN-DEPTH FUNDING TO PROTECT OUR RURAL AND LOCAL VOICE AS IT RELATES TO WATER.
AND THEN THAT, OF COURSE, MOVES US TO THE POLICY POINT TO MAKE, WHICH IS A LEGISLATIVE EFFORT THAT WE CANNOT SEEM TO GET UP THE HILL, THAT WE'RE PUSHING THAT BIG BOULDER AND RURAL STEWARDSHIP AREAS ARE ESSENTIAL.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S MANY FACETS TO THAT DIAMOND MEANING MANY DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS AND AGENDAS ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF LEGISLATION, AS EVIDENCED WHERE WE DID NOT GO.
HOWEVER, I DO LOOK TO CSR TO, YOU KNOW, BE THE VOICE OF REASON ABOUT WHAT THE ALTERNATIVES ARE AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS NOW TO MOVE FORWARD, AS UNIFIED AS WE CAN POSSIBLY BE AS BOARDS AND AS COUNTIES TO DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT OUR LOCAL INVESTMENT IN WATER, WHICH IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR, OF COURSE, OUR ECONOMY.
OKAY. GOING ON TO FINANCE PRESENTATIONS OF THE FISCAL 2021 2022 ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT, AUDIT RESULTS AND FINDINGS OF THE ARIZONA AUDITOR, AUDITOR GENERAL AND WALKER ARMSTRONG LLP.
PRESENTERS WILL BE ARIZONA AUDITOR GENERAL WALKER AND ARMSTRONG.
HI, I'M CONNIE DEKEMPER, THE FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR YAVAPAI COUNTY, AND WE'RE HERE TO PRESENT THE RESULTS OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2122 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
OKAY. GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN GREGORY VICE CHAIRMAN OBERG MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND MR. THOMPSON. MY NAME IS MICHELLE WALTERS AND I'M A FINANCIAL AUDIT MANAGER WITH THE ARIZONA AUDITOR GENERAL.
ON BEHALF OF THE ARIZONA AUDITOR GENERAL, WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH YOU TODAY AND TO HAVE OUR CONTRACT AUDITOR, MR. JAY PARK. WITH WALKER AND STRONG JOIN US IN PRESENTING THE COUNTY'S FISCAL YEAR 2022 AUDIT RESULTS.
BEFORE MR. PARK PRESENTS THE COUNTY'S 2022 AUDIT RESULTS, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLAIN OUR ROLE AS IT RELATES TO THE AUDIT.
ALL RIGHT. FIRST, IT'S HELPFUL TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON THE ARIZONA AUDITOR GENERAL.
THE OFFICE IS A LEGISLATIVE AGENCY MADE UP OF NONPARTISAN STAFF.
WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT SOURCE OF IMPARTIAL INFORMATION CONCERNING STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES AND PROGRAMS. ALTHOUGH WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO ALL 90 LEGISLATIVE MEMBERS, WE REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE AUDIT COMMITTEE OR JLAC FOR SHORT.
AS YOU MAY KNOW, THE REASON FOR OUR PRESENCE AT TODAY'S MEETING AND FUTURE MEETINGS IS BECAUSE LAWS THAT WERE PASSED AND BECAME EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 29TH, 20 2021, AND SPECIFICALLY THAT'S ARIZONA REVISED STATUTE 11 661, WHICH DIRECTS COUNTIES BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO REQUIRE ITS AUDITORS TO PRESENT AUDIT RESULTS AND ANY FINDINGS TO THE BOARD IN A REGULAR MEETING WITHOUT THE USE OF A CONSENT AGENDA AGENDA WITHIN 90 DAYS OF THE AUDIT'S COMPLETION.
THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US AND OUR CONTRACTOR, WALKER AND ARMSTRONG, TO MEET WITH YOU AND PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUDIT WORK PERFORMED AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
WE SOMETIMES CONTRACT AUDITS DUE TO OUR STAFFING LEVELS AND OTHER AUDIT DEMANDS.
WHEN WE CONTRACT COUNTIES AUDITS, WE ENSURE WE SELECT QUALIFIED CPA FIRMS WITH EXPERIENCE AUDITING COUNTIES AND THAT HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW COUNTIES OPERATE WITHIN ARIZONA.
WE CONTRACTED WITH WALKER AND ARMSTRONG FOR THE COUNTY'S AUDITS THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 2024.
[00:45:03]
AS PART OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES RELATED TO THE COUNTY'S AUDIT, WE WORK WITH AND PROVIDE DIRECTION TO MR. PARK AND HIS TEAM THROUGHOUT THE AUDIT.ONCE THE AUDIT IS IN ITS FINAL STAGES, WE REVIEW THE COUNTY'S DRAFT AUDIT REPORTS THAT ARE PREPARED BY WALKER AND ARMSTRONG TO HELP ENSURE THE AUDIT REPORTS MEET APPLICABLE STANDARDS AND THAT AUDITOR OPINIONS EXPRESSED WITHIN THE REPORTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND REPORTED FINDINGS.
THE COUNTY UNDERGOES ESSENTIALLY TWO AUDITS AT THE THAT ARE DONE TOGETHER.
THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT AND THE FEDERAL COMPLIANCE AUDIT.
THE FEDERAL COMPLIANCE AUDIT, ALSO REFERRED TO AS THE SINGLE AUDIT REPORT, INCLUDES THE REQUIRED FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND INTERNAL CONTROL COMPLIANCE REPORTS. THE COUNTY SCHEDULE OF FEDERAL EXPENDITURES AND THE AUDITOR'S OPINION ON IT AND THE AUDITOR'S OPINION ON THE COUNTY'S COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS OVER EACH FEDERAL PROGRAM THAT IS REQUIRED TO BE AUDITED.
ALSO, THE SINGLE AUDIT REPORT CONTAINS ALL FINDINGS NOTED DURING THE FINANCIAL AND FEDERAL COMPLIANCE AUDITS, ALONG WITH THE COUNTY'S RESPONSE TO THOSE FINDINGS. MR. PARK WILL COVER THESE REPORTS AS THEY RELATE TO THE COUNTY'S FINANCIAL 2022 AUDITS MOMENTARILY.
BUT ONE THING BEFORE LET ME EXCUSE ME ONE THING BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO MR. PARK. I WANTED TO MENTION OUR REPORT HIGHLIGHTS WHICH ARE LINKED TO THE EMAIL THAT WE SEND YOU WHEN OUR REPORTS ARE RELEASED.
THEY ALSO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF PRIMARY REVENUES SOURCES AND HOW THEY WERE SPENT.
A RECAP OF THE YEAR'S FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS AND HOW THEY IMPACTED THE FINANCIAL POSITION.
AND A SUMMARY OF ANY AUDIT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
THEY ALSO INCLUDE LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES THAT YOU MAY FIND HELPFUL.
SO WITH THAT, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING, AND WE'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO MR. PARK, WHO WILL NOW DISCUSS THE COUNTY'S 2022 AUDIT RESULTS WITH YOU.
THANK YOU, MS.. WALTERS FOR THE INTRODUCTION.
CHAIRMAN GREGORY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, IT'S A REAL PLEASURE AND HONOR TO BE HERE THIS MORNING.
I'M A PARTNER WITH THE CPA FIRM OF WALKER AND ARMSTRONG, AND I'M NOT NEW TO THE COUNTY.
I HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING THE PARTNER IN CHARGE FOR YAVAPAI COUNTY BACK IN 2006 THROUGH 2009.
I WORKED A LOT WITH MR. JOHN ZANDER, AND THIS IS OUR FIRST YEAR BACK WORKING FOR THE COUNTY AS AS WAS MENTIONED.
WE'RE CONTRACTED THROUGH THE STATE OF ARIZONA OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL.
AND WHAT I'M GOING TO COVER TODAY ARE THE RESULTS OF THE FISCAL YEAR FISCAL 2022 AUDIT.
YOUR FINANCIAL REPORTS REFERRED TO AS THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT IS 136 PAGES LONG.
AND SO I'M GOING TO MAKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH EVERY PAGE OF THAT REPORT.
AND SO WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS SUMMARIZE THAT REPORT ALONG WITH TWO OTHER DELIVERABLES CONSISTING OF THE SINGLE AUDIT REPORT AND ANOTHER DOCUMENT CALLED THE REQUIRED COMMUNICATIONS LETTER.
AND WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE PREPARED A.
AS I MENTIONED, A LOT OF INFORMATION.
THIS SLIDE HERE IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE ALL THREE DELIVERABLES AND SUMMARIZE IT AS MUCH AS WE CAN IN ONE PLACE. AND WHERE I'D LIKE TO START WHEN I TALK ABOUT AUDITS IS I'D LIKE TO GET RIGHT TO WHAT'S MOST CRITICAL IN TERMS OF AN AUDIT. SO WHAT WE DO IS WE LOOK AT A LOT OF INFORMATION.
[00:50:02]
WE DON'T LOOK AT ALL INFORMATION.WE DO STATISTICAL SAMPLING AND WE DO A LOT OF TESTING.
AND THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF WHAT WE DO IS TO ISSUE RENDER AN OPINION.
AND IT'S ACTUALLY TWO OPINIONS.
AS MISS WALTERS MENTIONED, WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT AUDITS.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE SINGLE AUDIT REPORTING PACKAGE.
THERE IS AN OPINION THAT'S EXPRESSED ON WHAT WE REFER TO AS THE MAJOR PROGRAMS, AND THOSE ARE FEDERAL PROGRAMS. AND THE FIRST BULLET POINT HERE IS FOCUSED ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND I'M PLEASED TO REPORT THAT WE DID ISSUE AN UNMODIFIED OR A CLEAN OPINION ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
THOSE ACCOUNTING RULES ARE REFERRED TO AS GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES.
OKAY, SO SOMETIMES PEOPLE WILL ASK ME, WELL, IF YOU DON'T ISSUE AN UNMODIFIED OPINION, WHAT ARE OUR OTHER OPTIONS? THOSE OPTIONS ARE SOME KIND OF MODIFICATION, WHICH IS WHERE WE POINT OUT THAT THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ARE FAIRLY PRESENTED EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN ITEMS THAT WE HAVE CONCERN ABOUT.
OR WE ISSUE A DISCLAIMER OF AN OPINION WHICH BASICALLY JUST SAYS NO OPINION, WE CAN'T GET THERE, OR WE ISSUE AN ADVERSE OPINION, WHICH MEANS THAT THE NUMBERS ARE MATERIALLY WRONG AND CANNOT BE RELIED ON IN ANY MATTER.
SO IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT 20, 22 VERSUS PRIOR YEARS, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME NEW LANGUAGE, SOME NEW NUMBERS RELATED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SOMETHING CALLED GASB, GASB 87, AND THAT RELATES TO LEASES.
AND WE'RE RECORDING THOSE NOW.
A FEW KEY FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES, YOUR CASH INCREASED.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT TOTAL GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES.
CASH INCREASED BY 23 MILLION FROM PRIOR YEAR.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I LOOK AT WHEN I WORK ON GOVERNMENTAL AUDITS AND PARTICULARLY IN PARTICULAR COUNTIES, IS I LOOK AT HOW YOUR CASH IS COMPARED TO YOUR TOTAL EXPENDITURES.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS, JUST IN GENERAL, YOUR CASH BALANCE IS STRONG.
YOUR CASH IS 55% OF YOUR TOTAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES IN YOUR GENERAL FUND.
OKAY. THE REASON I POINT THAT OUT IS JUST AS A GENERAL RULE OF THUMB, IF YOU START DROPPING BELOW 10% OF YOUR OPERATING BUDGET IN TERMS OF CASH, IT'S TIME TO BE A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
SO AT 55%, THAT'S A GOOD NUMBER.
YOUR FUND BALANCE IN THE GENERAL FUND AS A PERCENTAGE OF EXPENDITURES IS 65%.
OKAY. THESE NUMBERS ARE TOTAL.
THIS IS WHERE WE TAKE GENERAL FUNDS.
AND YOU ALSO HAVE $46 MILLION OF UNSPENT ARPA MONEY.
SO THAT'S INCLUDED IN THAT NUMBER AS WELL.
BUT I DO WANT TO FOCUS ON GENERAL FUND BECAUSE THAT'S IMPORTANT.
THESE NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE REPRESENTING UP HERE, THE 22,331 AND SUBSEQUENT 175 AND 20.
THAT'S IN MILLIONS, ISN'T IT? YES, SIR, THAT'S CORRECT.
RIGHT UP THERE. IT DOESN'T MAKE THAT CLEAR THAT THOSE ARE IN EXPRESS IN THOUSANDS.
VERY GOOD POINT. YOU HAVE A LOT MORE THAN $175,000.
YES, I SHOULD HAVE EXPLAINED THAT EXPRESSED IN THOUSANDS, AS IS YOUR FINANCIAL REPORT.
SO THE PRESENTATION IS CONSISTENT WITH YOUR FINANCIAL REPORT.
ALL RIGHT. AND THEN LET'S SEE HERE.
I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR CASH AS A PERCENTAGE OF EXPENSES.
[00:55:05]
78.1%. SO.OKAY. MOVING ON TO THE LAST BULLET POINT HERE.
WE DO HAVE SOME INTERNAL CONTROL MATTERS.
I'M NOT GOING TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THEM.
I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THEM BRIEFLY.
I DO WANT TO POINT OUT, THOUGH, JUST IN GENERAL, THAT THE AUDIT WENT VERY WELL.
OKAY. WE STARTED THE AUDIT IN FEBRUARY.
AMOUNTS ARE EXPRESSED IN THOUSANDS.
AND THIS JUST SHOWS FOR ALL FUNDS COMBINED GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROJECTS, ETCETERA.
AND THEN YOU TAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO AND YOU GET TO THIS THING CALLED NET POSITION.
OKAY? AND YOU'LL SEE THAT DOWN BELOW.
AND IT'S POSITIVE. IT'S $245 MILLION, JUST HIGH LEVEL, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT YOUR DEBT.
I, I, I, I CAN SENSE THAT IN GENERAL, YOU MANAGE YOUR DEBTS, OKAY? YOUR LARGEST DEBT IS REALLY YOUR PENSION OBLIGATIONS AT 147 MILLION FOR ALL PLANS.
OKAY. YOU'VE GOT A COUPLE OF OTHER BOND ISSUANCES.
CERTAINLY YOU HAVE YOUR BONDS FOR YOUR JAIL DISTRICT, ETCETERA.
BUT AGAIN, YOUR BIGGEST OBLIGATION, LONG TERM OBLIGATION RELATES TO PENSIONS.
OKAY. AND SO AND I BRING THAT UP JUST FROM THE STANDPOINT OF I SEE IT ALL.
SO NOT NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING.
CURRENT LIABILITIES INCREASED ABOUT $19.5 MILLION.
AND AGAIN, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR DEBT.
THE BIGGEST ONE BEING PENSION LIABILITIES.
OKAY. AND HERE'S A GRAPH JUST TO SHOW THAT.
SO YOU CAN SEE HERE WHERE WE HAVE, AGAIN, $147 MILLION AS YOUR NET PENSION LIABILITY.
OKAY. THAT'S PRIMARILY JAIL DISTRICT AND THEN A REVENUE BOND AS WELL.
THIS SHOWS WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN 2000 AND 22 VERSUS 2021.
AND JUST IN GENERAL, SOME OF THESE ARE FAIRLY CONSISTENT.
AND THEN ONE THING I DO WANT TO POINT OUT IS YOU DO HAVE STILL A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF ARPA MONEY, $46 MILLION THAT IS SEGREGATED IN A IN A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND AND HASN'T BEEN SPENT YET.
AND YOU HAVE UNTIL 2024 TO OBLIGATE THAT MONEY.
LOOKING AT REVENUES, YOU CAN SEE WE JUST LIKE TO KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE.
YOU KNOW, YOUR TAXES INCREASE THEIR OPERATING GRANTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS FAIRLY STABLE.
CHARGES FOR SERVICES QUITE STABLE.
ON THE EXPENSE SIDE, HIGHWAYS AND STREETS.
THAT WAS REALLY THE LARGEST INCREASE FROM 2022 TO 2021 AND EVERYTHING ELSE PRETTY CONSISTENT.
OKAY. ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IN THAT PUBLIC SAFETY NUMBER IS THAT IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT THE FUND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, THERE IS APPROXIMATELY $17 MILLION INCREASE, WHICH RELATES TO THE EXPENDITURES OF OF ARPA FUNDING.
OKAY. EXPENSES ON A FIVE YEAR TREND.
YOU CAN SEE HERE WE BREAK IT OUT BY FUNCTION.
OKAY. LARGEST FLUCTUATIONS ARE IN GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SAFETY.
HERE'S A CHANGE IN NET POSITION ON A FIVE YEAR BASIS.
NOW I AM SWITCHING GEARS HERE, AND I'D LIKE TO STOP BECAUSE I'M MOVING AWAY FROM NUMBERS NOW.
AND BEFORE I DO THAT, I WANTED TO CHECK TO SEE.
MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE NUMBERS.
[01:00:02]
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. IS IT MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY OF THE SPECIAL DISTRICTS? LOOKING AT THEM AND THEIR THEIR STANDING, IT DOES NOT INCLUDE DISTRICTS SUCH AS SCHOOL DISTRICTS.OKAY. AND WHEN ARE THEY AUDITED? THEY ARE ANNUAL BASIS.
VICE CHAIRMAN. TYPICALLY, YES, THEY DO HAVE THE SAME FISCAL YEAR, END OF JUNE 30TH.
CERTAINLY NOT NOT COVERED BY OUR AUDIT.
BUT, YES, THEY ARE SUBJECT TO AUDIT.
ALL RIGHT. THANKS. SUPERVISOR BROWN.
I'M JUST GOING TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT QUESTION.
WHAT ABOUT THOSE DISTRICTS WHERE WE ACT AS THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS? THOSE DISTRICTS WOULD BE PART OF THIS AUDIT IF THEY'RE CONSIDERED TO BE COMPONENT WHAT WE CALL COMPONENT UNITS.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE YES, IF YOU HAVE OVERSIGHT, THEN THEY DO GET WRAPPED INTO THIS AUDIT.
THANK YOU. OH, NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.
I'M NOT GOING TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THIS.
WHAT THIS LETTER REALLY IS, IS IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE BELIEVE AS AUDITORS, WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH YOU AS THE GOVERNANCE OF THE COUNTY, THEN WE'RE REALLY GOING TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE AREAS IN THIS DOCUMENT.
AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD GO IN HERE IS IF WE HAD DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN PERFORMING THE AUDIT, THEN THEN I'M OBLIGATED TO LET YOU KNOW OF THOSE DIFFICULTIES. WE DID NOT HAVE ANY DIFFICULTIES.
AS AUDITORS, WHAT WE DO IS WE CHECK NUMBERS.
AND SO CERTAINLY WE WILL FIND AREAS THAT WE MAY BELIEVE NEED TO BE CORRECTED.
WE'LL PRESENT THOSE TO MANAGEMENT, THEY'LL GET CORRECTED.
AND SO THOSE ADJUSTMENTS LAND CORRECTLY IN YOUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
AND I'M OBLIGATED TO TELL YOU WHAT THOSE CORRECTIONS WERE.
AND SO I'VE LISTED THOSE OUT HERE.
AND THEN IN TERMS OF THE LAST SECTION OF THE PRESENTATION, WE'RE MOVING INTO ANOTHER DELIVERABLE.
AND ALL THIS INFORMATION IS IN THIS DOCUMENT.
IT'S CALLED THE SINGLE AUDIT REPORTING PACKAGE.
OKAY. SO THIS IS A SINGLE AUDIT IS REQUIRED IF YOU RECEIVE AND EXPEND AT LEAST $750,000 OF FEDERAL MONEY, YOU'RE WELL PAST THAT AT 20 MILLION.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY CAME IN AND DID OUR TESTING.
I AM NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH EACH ONE IN A LOT OF DETAIL.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO, THOUGH, THERE IS SOMETHING, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT THIS DOCUMENT IN MORE DETAIL ON PAGES SEVEN AND EIGHT OF THIS DOCUMENT, THERE'S A SCHEDULE THAT'S A REALLY NICE SCHEDULE THAT SUMMARIZES THE RESULTS OF OUR AUDIT.
IT'LL REFER TO ANY FINDINGS AND THE LEVEL OF FINDINGS.
THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT LEVELS IN AN AUDIT THAT WE REPORT ON.
THE FIRST LEVEL IS SOMETHING CALLED A SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCY.
THE SECOND LEVEL IS SOMETHING CALLED A MATERIAL WEAKNESS IN INTERNAL CONTROLS.
OKAY, WE DID NOTE SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES.
WE DID NOT NOTE MATERIAL WEAKNESSES.
OKAY. MATERIAL WEAKNESSES ARE VERY SERIOUS THOUGH.
SO IF WE WERE TO REPORT MATERIAL WEAKNESSES, THEN THAT IS, THOSE ARE AREAS RELATED TO INTERNAL CONTROL THAT ARE VERY CRITICAL TO REALLY LOOK AT, EVALUATE AND CORRECT.
OUR AUDIT FINDINGS HERE, I'M NOT GOING TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THESE.
THEY ARE IN THIS REPORT JUST HIGH LEVEL.
THERE ARE SOME AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT AS IT RELATES TO THE DISBURSEMENT ACCOUNTS PAYABLE CYCLE.
WE DID HAVE CORRECTIONS, AS I MENTIONED, RELATED TO REVENUES.
SO WE'VE LISTED THAT OUT THERE.
THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF OF A PRIOR YEAR FINDING RELATED TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.
[01:05:05]
AND SOMETIMES I'M ASKED WHY WE ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND HOW THAT AFFECTS THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT.AND THE REASON THAT WE ARE VERY INTERESTED IN THAT IS BECAUSE FROM AN INTERNAL CONTROL STANDPOINT, IF AN ORGANIZATION IS HACKED OR IF YOU RUN INTO A SITUATION WHERE YOU LOSE YOUR DATA AND WE'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN EITHER THROUGH HACK OR INTERNAL, YOU COULD LOSE POTENTIALLY YOUR ENTIRE FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
OKAY. I'M NOT SAYING THAT THAT IS AT ALL.
YOU KNOW, THE THE CASE HERE IN TERMS OF THE COUNTY.
BUT WHAT WE ARE SAYING IS IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT YOUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND JUST HAVE THAT PROTECTION IN PLACE BECAUSE THE WORLD IS GETTING TO BE A VERY SCARY PLACE IN TERMS OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO DO AS IT RELATES TO CYBER RISK.
AND SO OUR COMMENT IS REALLY A CARRYOVER FROM PRIOR YEARS, WHICH IS TO JUST LOOK AT THOSE MAJOR AREAS AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE RIGHT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE IN PLACE TO PROTECT THE COUNTY.
ALL RIGHT. THIS IS ONE THAT RELATES TO FINANCIAL REPORTING.
WE'VE WE'VE LISTED THAT OUT HERE.
AND SO THAT'S A FINDING THERE.
AND THEN WE'RE MOVING INTO THE FEDERAL AWARD PROGRAMS HERE, A FEW ITEMS HERE.
IT'S REALLY AN ISSUE OF ACCURACY AND TIMELINESS.
AND SO WE'VE LISTED THAT OUT THERE.
OKAY. MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM OTHER BOARD MEMBERS? GREG CHERRY SUPERVISOR, MICHAELS.
WELL, THANK YOU, MR. PARKS. THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION AND VERY USEFUL.
I HAVE JUST A QUESTION OF CURIOSITY.
IF YOU KNOW, HOW ARE OTHER COUNTIES LINING UP WITH EXPENDITURE OF ARPA MONEY? FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE 46 MILLION STILL.
WHERE IS THAT IN THE THE PROFILE OF 15 COUNTIES? DO YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION? DR. MICHAELS GREAT QUESTION.
AND I DON'T HAVE EXACT INFORMATION, BUT I CAN SPEAK IN GENERALITIES JUST IN TERMS OF MY WORK WITH OTHER COUNTIES AND ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH IS THE ARPA MONEY IS IS A LOT DIFFERENT THAN THE CARES ACT MONEY.
THE ARPA MONEY CAME OUT IN AROUND MAY OF 2021 AND SO WE HAVE UNTIL 2024 TO OBLIGATE IT AND SO WHAT I'M SEEING IS A LOT OF COUNTIES STILL WORKING ON THE BEST WAY TO SPEND THAT MONEY.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ARPA DID COMPARED TO THE CARES ACT IS ARPA IS LESS RESTRICTIVE.
THAT WASN'T PART OF CARES ACT AT ALL.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, YES, I AM SEEING THIS ISSUE WHERE A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING COUNTIES, ARE STILL HOLDING ON TO QUITE A BIT OF THAT MONEY BECAUSE WE HAVE TILL 2024 TO BUDGET AND EXPEND IT.
CHAIRMAN. IF I MAY MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS HERE.
THANK YOU. WELL, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR FOR THIS PRESENTATION TODAY.
AND I WANT TO START BY SAYING THANK YOU TO MS..
DEKEMPER AND HER STAFF FOR WORKING WITH YOU ON THIS AND FOR THE GOOD WORK.
IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE HEARD THIS MORNING, I BELIEVE YOU ALL ARE AWARE THAT THE FINANCE DIRECTOR AND I ARE WORKING ON A NEW PROCUREMENT POLICY, WHICH I BELIEVE WILL ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED HERE.
CONNIE HAS SENT A DRAFT TO ME.
I'M NOW REVIEWING AND EDITING IT.
SO PROGRESS IS BEING MADE ON THAT.
[01:10:04]
PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THEIR OBJECTIVES.SO I BELIEVE THAT WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS ADDRESSING SOME OF THESE ISSUES AS WELL.
THAT'S BEEN MY PRACTICE AS WELL.
SO CONNIE AND I HAD ACTUALLY BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO DO THAT IN THATRILLIONEGARD.
WE'VE GOT OUR FIRST QUARTERLY INTERNAL FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULED AND THAT WILL INCLUDE FINANCE BUDGET, THE TREASURER AND MYSELF FOR US TO MEET ON A QUARTERLY BASIS TO TALK ABOUT ALL MATTERS FINANCIAL.
AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NOW FULLY COMMITTED ALL OF OUR ARPA FUNDS.
SUPERVISOR BROWN YOU SAID IT'S BEEN OBLIGATED AND THEN YOU SAID IT WASN'T OBLIGATED.
I'M TRYING TO. SO WE HAVE FUNDS THAT WERE NOT YET OBLIGATED.
THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR BROWN THE DISTINCTION I WAS TRYING TO MAKE IS I BELIEVE YOU ALL RECALL AS PART OF OUR BUDGET CONVERSATION, WE LAID OUT A PLAN WHICH I'M USING THE TERM THAT'S WE'VE COMMITTED.
WE'VE GOT PLANS FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO USE THOSE.
THANK YOU. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY. THANK YOU.
WE'LL TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK.
WE'LL BE GETTING STARTED WITH THE CONSENT AGENDA.
[ CONSENT AGENDA (Routine items that may all be approved by one motion.) ALL ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA WERE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ITEMS 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, and 40.]
CONSENT AGENDA ARE ROUTINE ITEMS THAT MAY ALL BE APPROVED BY ONE MOTION.I HAVE ITEM NUMBER NINE BEING PULLED BY SUPERVISOR OBERG 12, 14, 15 AND 40 BY SUPERVISOR BROWN AND TEN BY THE COUNTY ATTORNEY.
AND SO ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL ITEMS FROM THE OTHER MEMBERS? SUPERVISORS? NO.
OKAY. WITH THAT, I WILL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS ONE THROUGH 40 WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NINE, TEN, 12, 14, 15 AND 40. SECOND.
OKAY. THE MOTION WAS MADE BY MYSELF, SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR MICHAELS.
ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE? AYE. AYE. OKAY.
OKAY. WE'LL START OFF BY ITEM NUMBER NINE.
[9. Community Health Services - Approve implementation of a Retention Program for Yavapai County Community Health Services (YCCHS) personnel utilizing Workforce Development grant funding. A Workforce Development grant was budgeted and approved by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) for retention of YCCHS staff. APPROVED BY A 4 TO 1 VOTE. VICE CHAIRMAN OBERG OPPOSED.]
VICE CHAIR OBERG. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, AND GOOD MORNING.MS.. HORTON YOU HAVE AN ITEM HERE WHERE WE'VE GOT A GRANT OF JUST SHORT OF $700,000 OF WHICH YOU WANT TO YOU'VE COME UP WITH A.
FORMULA. I GUESS BASICALLY TO HAVE THAT DISTRIBUTED WITH YOUR STAFF, DOES THAT INCLUDE YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND YOUR MEDICAL EXAMINER STAFF ALSO OR JUST YOUR YOUR PRIMARY COUNTY STAFF? YES. CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIR, NEED TO TURN IT OFF.
THERE WE GO. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN.
VICE CHAIR, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, LESLIE HORTON WITH COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES.
AND YES, WE HAVE WORKED WITH OUR COUNTY MANAGER, OUR HR DIRECTOR, AND COME UP WITH A PLAN TO UTILIZE THIS SEGMENT OF FUNDING.
THE GRANT WAS APPROVED A YEAR AGO.
WE HAVE COME UP WITH A PLAN THAT ACTUALLY SPREADS THAT RETENTION PAY PROGRAM ACROSS ALL STAFF, WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS OF SEASONAL STAFF AND THE MEDICAL EXAMINER THEMSELVES.
BUT THE MEDICAL EXAMINER, TEAM, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH TEAM, WHICH TEAM HEALTH, EDUCATION, ALONG WITH ALL OF THE MAIN RESPONDING STAFF THAT HAD TO RESPOND DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, ALL OF THOSE STAFF ARE GOING TO RECEIVE AN AMOUNT OF VARYING LEVELS IF THIS IS APPROVED TODAY.
SO DO I UNDERSTAND THEN THAT WHAT WE APPROVED A YEAR AGO WAS THE 691,158.
OKAY. SO BASICALLY YOU'RE LOOKING AT DISTRIBUTING ALL OF THIS IN THIS FUNDING FORMULA THAT YOU HAVE.
AND I NOTICED THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS HERE THAT THE GRANT COULD BE USED FOR.
ONE IS HIRING ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF FOR JUST SUSTAIN ONGOING INITIATIVES.
[01:15:04]
SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A PANDEMIC RIGHT NOW, YOU DON'T NEED ADDITIONAL STAFF.SO I UNDERSTAND THAT AUGMENT THE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE PIPELINE TO ENSURE SUSTAINMENT RECOVERY FOR FUTURE OPERATIONS OR PANDEMICS, DEVELOP ENHANCED TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR NEW AND OR EXISTING PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF, SUPPORTING PANDEMIC RECOVERY AND EFFORTS AND SUPPORT EXISTING HEALTH PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF THROUGH VARIOUS INITIATIVES, CONTINUED PREPAREDNESS RESPONSE AND RECOVERY EFFORTS.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT THAT'S PROBABLY WHERE THE FUNDING NEEDS TO BE SPENT IS IN TRAINING AND ALSO IN LOOKING AT HOW WE'RE GOING TO IMPROVE PREPAREDNESS RESPONSE AND RECOVERY EFFORTS IN THE FUTURE IF WE HAVE ANOTHER PANDEMIC.
SO THAT'S ONE REASON WHY I'M RELUCTANT TO VOTE TODAY TO APPROVE THIS, BECAUSE I THINK THESE OTHER AREAS NEED TO BE LOOKED AT VERY SERIOUSLY AND THAT YOU WOULD COME BACK TO THE BOARD AND TELL US HOW YOU'RE GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THESE OTHER AREAS OF THE GRANT THAT I FEEL ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN JUST DISTRIBUTING OUT TO INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES.
ABSOLUTELY. AND IF I CAN ANSWER TO THAT COMMENT, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES.
IN TOTAL, 252,000 IS DESIGNATED TO THE EMPLOYEE RETENTION PROGRAM.
ALL OTHER AREAS OF THIS GRANT ARE DESIGNATED TO.
WE'RE CURRENTLY CONTRACTING WITH YAVAPAI COLLEGE TO DO ONGOING LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS TEAM DEVELOPMENT TO GO BEYOND WHAT OUR OWN HR OFFERS IN EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND TO DEVELOP OUR TEAM TO SHOW THEM THAT WE REALLY WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND THEIR POTENTIAL WITHIN OUR TEAM, TO BE ABLE TO MOVE UP AND HAVE AN AVENUE OF OF MOVING PEOPLE UP AS WE HAVE OPENINGS, BUT ALSO TO DESIGNATE THAT FUNDING TOWARDS TRAINING OF OUR CURRENT STAFF TO HOPEFULLY RETAIN THEM AND BE ABLE TO EXPAND THEIR SKILLS.
WE ALL KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS TO GO BACK TO COLLEGE NOW AND I DON'T WANT MY TEAM TO HAVE TO IF THEY DON'T HAVE THE TIME OR THE OR THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO DO THAT, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP THEM RIGHT HERE SO THAT THEY CAN BECOME BETTER EMPLOYEES FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT OR WHEREVER THEY MAY TAKE THEIR SKILLS IN THE FUTURE.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON GEARING UP OUR STAFF, KNOWING WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH TO BE TRAINED AND DEVELOPED IN THE AREAS THAT WE FOUND LACKING OVER THE COURSE OF THE PANDEMIC. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS IN A BIG WAY TO SAY, OKAY, HERE'S WHAT WE WERE PREPARED WELL FOR.
AND THERE WAS A LOT OF AREAS WE FOUND GAPS.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT DEVELOPING THOSE AREAS SO THAT WHATEVER COMES NEXT, WE'LL BE PREPARED.
WE HAVE A COMPONENT OF THIS GRANT BUDGET THAT GOES TOWARDS OUR STAFF.
IF THEY DO CHOOSE TO GO TO SCHOOL AND GET FURTHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION IN THEIR CAREER PATH AS IT RELATES TO PUBLIC HEALTH, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND REIMBURSE SOME OF THOSE COSTS AGAIN OVER AND ABOVE WHAT HR ALLOWS.
THE 252,000 IS BUDGETED FOR THIS EMPLOYEE RETENTION PROGRAM AND SALARY.
AND IN ADDITION TO THEIR SALARIES, IT IS FEDERAL FUNDS.
IT DOESN'T COME AT ALL OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND AND WE CANNOT REBUDGET THAT AREA OF THE GRANT.
SO IF WE DO NOT USE IT FOR THIS, WE WILL HAVE TO GIVE IT BACK TO THE STATE AND IN TURN THE FEDS.
AND TO SAY THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR WORKING SO HARD FOR STICKING WITH US.
AND HOPEFULLY THEY'LL STICK WITH US THE NEXT TIME TOO.
SO WHAT'S YOUR CURRENT STAFFING LEVEL RIGHT NOW? ARE YOU SHORT ANYBODY? YES. WE ACTUALLY HAVE NEARLY 20 POSITIONS, AS I COUNT IT UP AS OF JULY 1ST.
SO COMING UP, WE HAVE ABOUT SIX POSITIONS THAT WILL BE POSTED WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
16 OTHER POSITIONS THAT REMAIN VACANT.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS.
WE ARE HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME HIRING FOR THOSE.
SO WE HAVE TWO OF THOSE POSITIONS CURRENTLY VACANT.
ARE ONE OF OUR PRIMARY BILLING SPECIALISTS.
JUST LEFT US FOR BETTER PAY AND BETTER BENEFITS AT THE HOSPITAL.
[01:20:06]
WE WANTED TO PULL THEM DOWN TO A TIME WHERE WE CAN HOPEFULLY EITHER FIND A DIFFERENT SOLUTION WITHIN OUR TEAM OR PARTNERING WITH OTHER TEAMS, EVEN FOR THINGS LIKE BILLING AND OTHER THINGS THAT WILL HELP US.BUT WE DO HAVE A WHOLE HANDFUL OF POSITIONS THAT ARE JUST NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FILL THAT WE'VE PULLED THEM OFF THE POSTINGS BECAUSE IT WAS THEY WERE JUST SITTING THERE TOO LONG AND THEY LOOK LIKE OLD POSTINGS.
OKAY, SO YOU HAVE 456,893 AND THAT'S GOING TO BE FOR TRAINING AND PROGRAM SUPPORT.
AND YOU MENTIONED YOU HAVE 252 930 APPARENTLY FOR PAID EMPLOYEES.
AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER 456,893.
WHAT IS THAT FOR? THAT'S AN ACTION ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CONSENT AGENDA ITEM.
BUT IT'S A IT'S AN ADDITIONAL GRANT.
SO THAT 456,893 IS A WORKFORCE INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT.
SO THAT NUMBER IS A DIFFERENT AGENDA ITEM THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING IN A LITTLE BIT.
SO THAT'S A DIFFERENT GRANT THAT'S NOT CONNECTED WITH THE 691,000 DIFFERENT GRANT.
SO OF THE 691,000, YOU'RE USING 252 TO DISTRIBUTE TO EMPLOYEES.
WHAT'S THE REMAINDER OF THAT FUNDING GOING TO BE USED FOR? THE REMAINDER IS USED FOR THOSE OTHER INITIATIVES THAT I TALKED ABOUT.
SO THE 252,000 WILL BE UTILIZED COMPLETELY FOR THIS INITIATIVE OF RETENTION PAY.
THE REST IS GOING TOWARDS THE EMPLOYEE TRAINING, THE THE TUITION REIMBURSEMENT, THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST YEAR.
OKAY. THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR MICHAELS.
SO A COUPLE OF THINGS, JUST CLARIFICATION.
ALL OF THIS MONEY THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING AT THIS MOMENT THAT'S BEFORE US FOR AN ACTION ITEM IS MONEY THAT IF YOU DON'T SPEND IT FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TRAINING.
AND THERE WAS ANOTHER ITEM THAT I THINK WAS PRIORITY, THEN IT GOES BACK.
IT DOESN'T GO TO SOMEONE ELSE IN OUR COUNTY.
AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE THESE FUNDS, THE CULTURE THAT YOU'RE WORKING VERY HARD BY THE THINGS YOU JUST LISTED, GIVE ME. HELP ME OUT WITH MY MEMORY.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING AND RETENTION.
AND WHAT WAS THE OTHER THIRD BIG ONE? THE GOALS OF THIS GRANT WERE THE HIRING OF ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF.
SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE'RE TRYING VERY HARD TO DEVELOP INTERNALLY IN ALL DEPARTMENTS AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO USE SOMEBODY ELSE'S MONEY.
I ALWAYS LOVE THAT, THAT, THAT YOU HAVE A MECHANISM TO REPORT BACK TO US THE EVIDENCE THAT THIS MONEY WAS WISELY, WISELY SPENT, THAT THERE'S EVIDENCE THAT IT IMPROVES RETENTION, IT DEVELOPS A BETTER, HEALTHIER CULTURE.
AND THERE ALSO YOU CAN RECRUIT MORE PEOPLE BECAUSE IT'S A BETTER PLACE TO COME TO WORK.
SO I THINK IT JUST MAKES SENSE TO ME THAT WE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO DEVELOP THE HIGHEST PERFORMING DEPARTMENT UNDER YOU.
SUPERVISOR IS THAT A MOTION? DONNA SO MOVE.
ANY OTHER FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR? SAY AYE? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NAY FOR ONE MOTION CARRIES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OUR TEAM.
OKAY, NEXT ITEM WILL BE NUMBER 12 SUPERVISOR BROWN.
[12. Facilities - Approve contract with M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc (dba Gensler) for consulting services and facility planning in the amount of $481,749.00. YC Contract No. 2023-248 (All Districts) APPROVED BY A 4 TO 1 VOTE. SUPERVISOR BROWN OPPOSED.]
WE DON'T DO TEN. NO.[01:25:08]
AMOUNT OF $481,749.MORNING CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, FACILITIES DIRECTOR KEN VANCUREN.
SUPERVISOR BROWN, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM? YES. THE REASON I BROUGHT IT UP IS I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THIS IS THE 481,000 749,000.
THAT BASICALLY WE WERE TALKING ABOUT GETTING A SPECIAL.
UH, DOING. EVALUATING OUR SPACE NEEDS.
SO AND IT'S UNDER THE GUIDANCE, THE RFP THAT WE SENT OUT AND WE TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY, RIGHT? CORRECT. SO THIS COVERS ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT ARE WITHIN THE RFP.
DID WE ALL BELIEVE THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE THIS MUCH MONEY? MM. SO, ALL RIGHT, IF THAT'S A RHETORICAL QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE DID HAVE PAUSE.
SUPERVISOR BROWN AND QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH WE WOULD DISBURSE THESE FUNDS.
AND IN AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION, I THINK I WOULD BE OPEN TO THE CONSIDERATION OF, YOU KNOW, PHASING THE FUNDING TO THIS ENTITY SO THAT WE SEE THEIR PERFORMANCE AS IT UNFOLDS AND CAN BE ASSURED THAT THE QUALITY WE ARE EXPECTING IS BEING DELIVERED ALONG THE WAY.
IS THAT A SAFEGUARD? THAT'S A POSSIBILITY.
I I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT WE IN THE CONTRACT, WE HAVE A STOP WORK ORDER IN HERE SO THAT AT ANY TIME, IF WE FEEL THAT WE'RE HEADED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION OR THAT WE MAYBE WANT TO ELIMINATE SOMETHING, WE CAN ISSUE THAT ORDER AND THEN WE CAN RENEGOTIATE WHAT WE MAY WANT TO ELIMINATE.
SO WE HAVE THAT IN THE CONTRACT.
WELL, I THINK IT'S CRITICAL, MR. CHAIRMAN, BECAUSE AS SUPERVISORS I KNOW I KNOW MY DISTRICT PRETTY WELL.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK WE HAVE TO PLAN LONG TERM, AND I THINK WE HAVE TO KNOW HOW THAT WORKS WITH THE ENTIRE COUNTY, NOT JUST A PARTICULAR AREA.
SO WITH THAT KIND OF SAFEGUARD IN MIND, IT MAKES SENSE TO ME THAT WE HAVE THE BEST PLAN POSSIBLE TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH IT AND IT WILL BE A GOOD TOOL.
BUT I WANT TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT AND MAKE SURE IT'S DELIVERING WHAT WE NEED AND EXPECT.
I THINK WE HAVE FLEXIBILITY BUILT INTO THIS CONTRACT.
THANK YOU. CHAIRMAN, IF I MAY, A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.
FIRST TO ADDRESS SUPERVISOR BROWN'S QUESTION ABOUT COST.
I WOULD REMIND THE BOARD THAT WE SCOPED THIS RFP.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, I WAS SURPRISED THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET BOTH OPTIONS COVERED FOR THIS COST.
SO JUST A REMINDER OF PROCESS AND HOW WE ADDRESSED PRICE.
AND THEN SECONDLY, TO SUPERVISOR MICHAELS COMMENT, THE OTHER PIECE I WOULDN'T DISAGREE, BUT WOULD ADD THE OTHER CRITICAL PIECE I SEE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THIS WORK IS THE PRIORITIZATION.
EACH SUPERVISOR HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE HAS THOUGHTS AND IDEAS AND DESIRES FOR WHAT OCCURS, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO COME TOGETHER AS A BODY AND MAKE DECISIONS AND THEN PRIORITIZE HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FUND THOSE AGREED BECAUSE EACH SUPERVISOR HAS THEIR AREA WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE, SPACE AND MONEY INVESTED.
SO WE HAVE A GOOD GAME PLAN AND THEN EVERY ONE OF US NEEDS TO PUT OUR COUNTY HATS ON AND DECIDE WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT NEED, PRIORITIZE THOSE NEEDS AND GO FORWARD WITH IT. SO AND THAT FROM A NEUTRAL PARTY, NOT FROM ME WANTING THINGS IN DISTRICT TWO OR DONNA WANTING THINGS INDUSTRY THREE WE NEED TO HAVE A BIG AERIAL VIEW OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITHIN THE COUNTY AND THEN WE HAVE A GOOD GAME PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? I'LL MAKE THE SECOND, BUT I DO HAVE SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO SAY.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE CURRENT BODY RIGHT NOW, TODAY.
AND THIS PARTICULAR GROUP OF SUPERVISORS CHANGES POSSIBLY EVERY FOUR YEARS.
THE VISION HERE WITH ALL OF THIS IS TO TRY TO LOOK INTO THE FUTURE AS BEST AS WE CAN
[01:30:08]
FOR THE GOVERNMENT THAT WILL COME BEHIND US.AND LEAVE A GOOD LEGACY FOR THEM.
SO WHAT WE DO TODAY IS ABOUT TOMORROWS.
AND WHAT WE HAVE TODAY IS BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE OF YESTERDAY WORKED SO HARD.
BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WE ALL HAVE DISTRICTS, WHEN WE MEET LIKE THIS TWICE A MONTH, WE COME TOGETHER FOR ALL OF THE PEOPLE, NOT JUST THE DISTRICTS, BUT FOR ALL OF THE PEOPLE.
THAT'S HOW THIS SHOULD WORK, NOT ONLY IN THE COUNTY.
WHEN YOU'RE ELECTED, YOU SERVE ALL THE PEOPLE AND YOU SHOULD REMEMBER THAT.
WITH THAT ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[14. Human Resources - Approve new Class Specification for School Superintendent's Office: School Counselor.]
HUMAN RESOURCES APPROVE NEW CLASSIFICATION FOR SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT.OFFICE SCHOOL COUNSELOR, SUPERVISOR BROWN.
THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY SOMETHING.
SO I THOUGHT MAYBE YOU COULD GIVE US A REAL QUICK IDEA ON YOUR DEFINITION OF WHAT'S TAKING PLACE.
GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN GREGORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
WENDY ROSS, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND RISK MANAGEMENT.
WE ALWAYS LIKE IT IF WE CAN FIND AN EXISTING ONE THAT ALREADY, THAT WILL WORK.
WILL THERE BE PAY INCREASES INVOLVED OR WILL THE GRANTS BE PAYING FOR THE PAY INCREASE? SO ALL OF THESE POSITIONS AS PRESENTED RIGHT NOW WOULD BE ATTACHED TO A GRADE IN OUR COMP SYSTEM, WHICH MEANS THEY WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE INCREASES AND THOSE INCREASES WOULD BE HAVE TO BE COVERED BY THE GRANT.
MOTION MADE BY SUPERVISOR BROWN, SECOND BY MYSELF.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? ALL IN FAVOR.
WAS THAT FOR BOTH OF THEM? 14 AND 15.
15. DID YOU WANT TO MAKE ANOTHER MOTION TO APPROVE OR SUPERVISOR BROWN FOR 15? THE MOTION WAS FOR BOTH, SO.
OKAY. WHATEVER WAY YOU WANT TO DO, IT'S FINE.
ARE WE COVERED THERE? YEAH, I'M OKAY. SHE'S GOT IT.
[40. Sheriff - Approve Memorandum of Agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Program Management Office for the utilization of Yavapai County Sheriff's Office Interoperable System(s) and IPAWS Open Platform for Emergency Networks. YC Contract No. 2023-249]
THANK YOU. NEXT ITEM WILL BE ITEM NUMBER 40.SUPERVISOR BROWN PULLED THAT ITEM AND IT IS.
APPROVE MEMORANDUM AGREEMENT WITH THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEMS. THE ONLY REASON I BROUGHT THIS UP AND GOOD MORNING, SHERIFF.
GOOD. THE REASON I BROUGHT THIS UP, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE ALERT PROGRAM BECAUSE I WANT EVERYBODY AND YAVAPAI COUNTY TO REALLY START PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY HAD SEVERAL FIRES.
THERE WERE SMALL WE WANT TO KEEP THEM THAT WAY.
BUT A LARGE FIRE WOULD ABSOLUTELY HAVE US IN A SITUATION WHERE WE MAY HAVE TO PUT PEOPLE ON ALERT.
READY, SET, GO PROGRAM, WHICH HAS BEEN INITIATED BY YOUR BY YOUR DEPARTMENT, IS GREAT.
YES, MR. CHAIR. SUPERVISOR BROWN.
DAVID RHODES, YAVAPAI COUNTY SHERIFF.
[01:35:01]
SUPERVISOR BROWN THE WHAT THIS AGREEMENT IS.AND, AND SO I'LL GIVE YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY HERE.
WE HAD A CODE RED, WHICH WAS A THIRD PARTY VENDOR.
THAT WAS OUR EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR A WHILE.
THIS SYSTEM WAS NO LONGER RESPONSIVE TO NEEDS.
IT WASN'T COLLABORATIVE OR DYNAMIC.
WE WENT WITH A NEW SYSTEM WHICH IS CALLED EVERBRIDGE AND EVERBRIDGE, UNFORTUNATELY.
WELL, WE ARE GOING THROUGH A CAMPAIGN OF OF INFORMING THE PUBLIC, GETTING PEOPLE TO SIGN UP WITH EVERBRIDGE WHERE YOU CAN GET EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS ON YOUR CELL PHONE, EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, WHATNOT, ANYWHERE THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO.
AND WE NEED PEOPLE TO GO ON THE WEBSITE, ON THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WEBSITE AND SIGN UP BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO BE A PRIMARY NOTIFICATION FOR EMERGENCIES SUCH AS FIRES.
NOW, THIS IS IT WORKS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
AND THIS IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO EVERBRIDGE AN I-PASS TO ESSENTIALLY INTEGRATE.
BUT THE WHAT IPAWS DOES IS ALLOWS US TO GEOFENCE AN AREA WHERE THERE'S AN EMERGENCY GOING ON.
IF A FIRE WAS TO BREAK OUT IN THE VILLAGE OF OF OAK CREEK UP AT PINE VALLEY, WE COULD GO ON A MAP, DRAW A BIG CIRCLE AROUND THAT USING THE IPOD SYSTEM.
WHETHER YOU ARE REGISTERED FOR EVERBRIDGE OR NOT, WE CAN SEND YOU AN EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION THAT YOU NEED TO EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY TO YOUR PHONE.
IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN SOMEWHERE AND THERE'S BEEN AN EMERGENCY AND YOU'VE GOTTEN THIS BIG, LOUD, BUZZING NOTIFICATION THAT COMES ACROSS YOUR PHONE, THAT'S AN IPOD NOTIFICATION. AND WHY THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE THERE CAN BE PEOPLE IN AN ACTIVE, DYNAMIC AREA WHERE THERE'S AN EMERGENCY.
THEY'RE NOT SIGNED UP WITH EVERBRIDGE.
THEY'RE TOURISTS OR THEY'RE FROM OUT OF TOWN OR THEY'RE FOR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.
WE STILL NEED TO BE ABLE TO NOTIFY THEM.
THE USE OF IPADS IS VERY STRICT, THOUGH.
YOU CAN ONLY THERE'S A LOT OF TRAINING THAT GOES INTO IT.
YOU DON'T WANT PEOPLE'S PHONES BUZZING ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON AND AND SCARING THE PUBLIC.
SO THAT'S WHAT THIS MOU IS ABOUT, IS TO ALLOW US TO INTEGRATE WITH WITH IPADS AND AND EVERBRIDGE.
IT DOES REQUIRE US TO DO A LOT OF TRAINING AND WHATNOT, BUT IT IS COLLABORATIVE.
IT LETS US GET INFORMATION OUT JUST IMMEDIATELY IN AN AREA THAT IT NEEDS TO GO OUT.
AND SO WE, YOU KNOW, IT'S ANOTHER TOOL IN THE TOOL KIT AS WE'RE TRYING TO GET EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION MORE CENTRALIZED IN THE COUNTY.
AND THIS IS ANOTHER ANOTHER STEP ON THAT PATH.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY ONE MORE THING IS IF ANYBODY'S GOT A CELL PHONE, GO ON YOUR CELL PHONE.
DO AN INSTANT MESSAGE TO EIGHT, EIGHT, EIGHT, SEVEN, SEVEN, SEVEN.
SO PLEASE CONSIDER THAT IT CAN'T BE MUCH SIMPLER.
THANK YOU, CHERYL. THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENT.
AND WE GOT A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR BROWN AND SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR MICHAELS.
ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE? AYE. AYE.
OKAY. UNANIMOUS MOTION CARRIES.
[1. Board of Supervisors - Consider such action as may be required regarding an appeal to the Board of Supervisors of Administrative Hearing Officer Case No. 22-011055, County of Yavapai v. Jay C. Schumacher and Julie L. Schumacher. PASSED BY A 4 TO 1 VOTE; OPPOSED BY SUPERVISOR MICHAELS.]
ITEM NUMBER ONE, CONSIDER SUCH ACTION AS MAY BE REQUIRED REGARDING AN APPEAL TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING OFFICER, COUNTY OF YAVAPAI VERSUS JC SHOEMAKER AND JULIE SHOEMAKER.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MARTIN BRENNAN ASSISTANT COUNTY MANAGER.
THESE MATTERS RARELY COME BEFORE THE BOARD.
THIS IS AN APPEAL OF A HEARING OFFICER.
DECISION INVOLVES A PROPERTY LOCATED IN SELIGMAN THAT'S OWNED BY JAY AND JULIE SCHUMACHER.
THE PROPERTY WAS CITED FOR VIOLATIONS.
UH. THE CITED VIOLATIONS WERE NON-PERMITTED STRUCTURES, SEPTIC STEEL CONTAINERS, SOLAR EQUIPMENT AND NO PRIMARY RESIDENCE.
THE MATTER WENT BEFORE A HEARING OFFICER IN FEBRUARY.
THE HEARING OFFICER IMPOSED A $200 FINE AND A $25,000 CIVIL PENALTY.
UM, THE SCHUMACHER'S APPEALED THE HEARING OFFICER DECISION TO THIS BOARD.
[01:40:03]
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY FOR THE BOARD TO REVIEW THE HEARING OFFICER DECISION.THE BOARD'S NOT REQUIRED TO CONDUCT A SEPARATE HEARING, BUT INSTEAD TO REVIEW THE MATERIALS THAT WERE SUBMITTED TO THE BOARD BY EMAIL ON JUNE 16TH AND THAT ARE ALSO ATTACHED TO THIS AGENDA.
IN THE EVENT THE BOARD OR BOARD MEMBERS HAVE QUESTIONS, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IS PRESENT.
THEY ARE REPRESENTED IN THIS MATTER BY THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
SO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CANNOT ALSO REPRESENT OR ADVISE THIS BOARD.
THEREFORE, WE PROVIDED FOR COUNSEL.
DARREN GARY, DEPUTY COUNTY ATTORNEY FROM PINAL COUNTY, IS PRESENT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY LEGAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE ADDRESS THEM TO MR. GARY. IN ADDITION, THE SCHUMACHERS ARE PRESENT IN THE EVENT YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THEM, YOU MAY ADDRESS THEM AS WELL.
JUST GENERALLY, BASED UPON THE PROCEDURES THAT THE COUNTY HAS ADOPTED, THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE BOARD ARE TO UPHOLD OR REVERSE THE HEARING OFFICER DECISION IN WHOLE OR IN PART.
TO SEND THE MATTER BACK TO THE HEARING OFFICER FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION.
THANK YOU. AND SUPERVISOR BROWN.
GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS.
JEREMY DYE, DIRECTOR FOR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
MR.. BRENNAN WAS PROVIDED AN ACCURATE ASSESSMENT.
NON PERMITTED SOLAR EQUIPMENT AND NO PRIMARY RESIDENCE ON THE PROPERTY.
SO NO NO HOUSE WHICH WOULD ALLOW FOR ANY OTHER EXCESSIVE ACCESSORY USES.
SO THERE WERE NO PERMITS ASKED FOR OR REQUESTED.
THANK YOU. ANY FURTHER COMMENT FROM THE BOARD? SUPERVISOR MICHAELS. YES, MR. CHAIRMAN, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO JUST UNDERSTAND THIS A BIT FURTHER.
MR. DYE, WERE THE SCHUMACHERS PRESENTED WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO, THROUGH YOUR GUIDANCE OR YOUR OFFICE'S GUIDANCE, GAIN THE NECESSARY PERMITS IN ORDER TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE? OUR SUPERVISOR MICHAELS AND BOARD MEMBERS.
YES. AT THE END OF THE DAY, OUR GOAL FOR ANY LAND USE CASE IS COMPLIANCE.
SO WE ALWAYS PROVIDE THAT AMOUNT OF A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME TO OBTAIN PERMITS TO TO DO WHATEVER NEEDS TO BE DONE TO TO ABATE THAT VIOLATION.
AND SO THAT WAS THAT WAS DONE.
OUR STANDARD PROCESS AFTER AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME IS HAS ELAPSED WHERE WE'VE GIVEN REASONABLE TIME TO OBTAIN PERMITS, THEN THAT'S THAT IS ADVANCED TO THE HEARING OFFICER AND THAT'S THAT'S WHERE IT LANDED.
MR. DYE JUST AS A FOLLOW UP ON THAT AND FOR CLARIFICATION, WHAT WHAT HAS BEEN THE SCHUMACHER'S RESPONSE WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY YOUR DEPARTMENT THAT THEY NEED TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE? THERE WAS A MEMORANDUM THAT THE SCHUMACHERS PROVIDED IN RESPONSE, AND I WON'T SPEAK FOR THEM, BUT I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE HERE.
IS THERE. HAS THERE BEEN ANY EFFORT TO MITIGATE ANY OF THESE VIOLATIONS? TO MY KNOWLEDGE, SIR, NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO THIS POINT THAT I COULD BE WRONG IN THAT.
BUT AT THE BUT THE HEARING OFFICER MADE THE JUDGMENT THAT.
SO THAT ENDED THE CASE FOR FROM OUR STANDPOINT.
AND THEN I HAVE JUST ONE FINAL QUESTION, MR. CHAIRMAN. AS A CERTIFIED HEARING OFFICIAL NATIONALLY, I DO NOT KNOW, BUT NEED TO ASK, SHOULD I RECUSE MYSELF IN ANY WAY BECAUSE OF OF THE ADJUDICATIONS THAT I DO OR HAVE DONE? GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN GREGORY VICE CHAIRMAN OBERG SUPERVISOR MICHAELS.
[01:45:05]
IN THIS CASE, IF YOU HAD NO HAVE NO INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY OR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PARTIES OR ANY OTHER INVOLVEMENT IN THIS CASE, THEN I DON'T SEE A CONFLICT.I APPRECIATE THAT AND APPRECIATE IT BEING ENTERED INTO THE THE RECORD, THE QUERY AND THE ANSWER.
SO BY CHERRY OBERG THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. SO I UNDERSTAND THAT AFTER THE NOTICE OF VIOLATION, THERE WAS A COMPLIANCE PERIOD OF A CERTAIN AMOUNT 30 DAYS, 60 DAYS AFTER THE HEARING OFFICER'S DECISION. IS THERE ANOTHER COMPLIANCE PERIOD THAT'S GRANTED? THERE WAS A COMPLIANCE, I BELIEVE IT WAS.
I BELIEVE THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL 30 DAYS BEFORE THAT $25,000 CIVIL PENALTY BECAME EFFECTIVE.
SO THAT THAT TIME CAME AND WENT.
I BELIEVE THAT I BELIEVE THAT TIME ELAPSED IN IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR.
AND I DON'T HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME.
ANY FURTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? WE HAVE TWO GREEN SHEETS THAT WERE REFERRED TO BY SRGB.
THE FIRST ONE IS I CAN'T READ THE FIRST NAME, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE LAST NAME IS ALEXANDER.
THIS IS I WANT TO REMIND YOU, YOU GOT TWO MINUTES OR THREE? THREE MINUTES. THREE MINUTES. OKAY.
SHE, AS A DAUGHTER, WANTED TO GAIN INDEPENDENCE THROUGH THE YEARS.
21 YEARS AGO, SHE MOVED OUT THERE.
WHOEVER HAS COMPLAINED ON THIS CASE HAS BEEN RECENT.
SHE WANTS TO BE INDEPENDENT, GROW ON PROPERTY.
SHE'S JUST GONE THROUGH A RECENT DIVORCE.
AND MAYBE SHE HAS SOME BAD ADVICE ALONG THE WAY.
BUT I WOULD ASK FOR YOUR BEING REASONABLE AND LETTING HER COME BACK AND PROVE HERSELF OUT.
AND SHE HAS MADE MOVES TO GET PERMITTED.
SHE'S TRIED TO CALL DIFFERENT DIVISIONS AND SHE'S GOT VERY LITTLE RESPONSE.
SO SHE'S NOT BEEN GIVEN REAL OPPORTUNITIES ALONG THE WAY HERE.
SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT YOU MIGHT WANT TO HEAR HER STORY.
NOW, THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN AND COMPLAINED ABOUT HER SHOT TWO OF HER WILD DOG PETS OUT THERE AND THEY HAVE A PIG FARM NOW. JULIE KEEPS HER PROPERTY IMMACULATE, CLEAN.
AND THEY WORK IN SERVE POLICEMEN, FIREMEN AND EVERYBODY ELSE.
SO SHE'S GROWN AN ENTIRE FAMILY OUT HERE.
SO SHE WOULD LIKE TO COMPLY, BUT SHE WOULD LIKE SOME TIME.
AND SO I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOU GIVE THAT SOME CONSIDERATION.
THANK YOU. OKAY, MR. CHAIRMAN. NEXT IS JULIE SCHUMACHER WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WHEN MY DAD TALKS.
BUT YEAH, I BOUGHT MY PROPERTY LIKE 20 YEARS AGO AND JUST BEEN VISITING AND RECREATING AND ENDED UP I DON'T LIVE THERE. I LIVE THERE OFF AND ON, RENTING FOR YEARS AND YEARS.
I COULDN'T MAKE THE COURT HEARING TO DEFEND MYSELF BECAUSE IT'S LIKE 13 MILES OF DIRT ROAD.
I HAVE TO DRIVE MY KIDS TO WORK.
I WORK AT THE JIU JITSU THING, ONE OF THOSE CONTAINERS.
WE WERE HELPING A FRIEND THAT WAS MOVING TO FLAGSTAFF.
HE WANTED TO BUILD A SHIPPING CONTAINER HOME.
IT WILL COST ME LIKE $1,000 TO MOVE THE THING IN THE MIDDLE UP.
NO. ANYWAY, I DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO DEFEND MYSELF IN COURT BECAUSE IT WAS A HORRIBLE, BAD STORM.
I HAD TO WORK. I HAD TO MISS WORK.
TODAY, MY KIDS ARE ALL WORKING TRAINING.
WE HAVE OVER 200 STUDENTS IN PRESCOTT AT MT.
MY DAD WAS COMPLETELY WE HAVE FIREMEN, OUR SCHOOL, THEIR SUPPORTS, VETERANS.
IT SUPPORTS ORPHANS IN BRAZIL.
MY EX-HUSBAND IS A HANG GLIDER PILOT.
HE FLIES HANG GLIDERS OFF THE AUBREY CLIFFS.
OUR KIDS HAVE BEEN GOING TO THAT PROPERTY SINCE 2002, BUILDING ALL KINDS OF RANDOM STUFF.
[01:50:02]
AND THEY HAVE A JIU JITSU LITTLE SHED THAT THEY PRACTICE JIU JITSU IN THAT THEY TRAIN.MY DAUGHTER LITERALLY JUST GOT THIRD AT WORLDS AND LONG BEACH.
BREEZY SCHUMACHER SHE'S 20 YEARS OLD.
IT'S LIKE WE'VE JUST BEEN PLAYING ON THAT LAND FOR 20 YEARS.
WHEN WE WERE GONE, WE GET SOME NEIGHBORS THAT HAVE A BUNCH OF PIGS.
THERE'S WILD DOGS THAT I FEED BECAUSE THEY WERE EATING OUR STUFF AND THEN THEY SHOOT THOSE DOGS.
THEY JUST THEY FENCED OFF THEIR AREA.
MY DOGS WEREN'T EVEN IN THEIR AREA.
ANYWAY, I'VE JUST FOR 20 YEARS BEEN A STEWARD OF THAT LAND.
I LOVE THE LAND. I WANT IT FOR MY KIDS.
I DON'T FEEL THAT A $25,000 FINE IS I MEAN, I COULD PAY FOR BUILDING PERMITS, USE PERMITS, SHIPPING CONTAINER PERMITS WITH JUST THAT FINE ALONE.
WE HAVE COMPOSTABLE SYSTEMS AND PRETTY MUCH STARTED OUT IN A CANVAS TENT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH BEEN USED NONSTOP ON AND OFF. IT'S THEY'RE CALLED YOUR HOMES.
PRETTY TEMPORARY, BUT YOU KNOW, SHIPPING CONTAINERS STORE.
OUR MAIN IMPORTANT THINGS IS WE'VE RENTED AND BEEN PLACES.
OKAY. HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE? WELL, SO I CONTACTED THROUGH EMAIL ABOUT THAT, TRYING TO GET THE USE PERMIT FORM BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY FORMS ON THE WEBSITE.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START.
WE JUST NEVER GOT TO THAT POINT.
AND SO I NEVER GOT A BUILDING PERMIT TO BUILD ANY STRUCTURE ON A FOUNDATION OR ANYTHING.
SO I JUST DIDN'T FEEL THAT LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D BE GETTING A BUILDING PERMIT FOR.
THEY RESPONDED BY EMAIL THAT IT'S CLOSER TO 700.
IT'S NOT THE EASIEST THING TO SELL AND HAUL OFF A SHIPPING CONTAINER, ESPECIALLY WHEN I WORK AND I'M CARING FOR PRETTY MUCH THREE ADULTS AND A TEEN AND A SEVEN YEAR OLD, LIKE FULL TIME, NONSTOP EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE FOR THE LAST 20, MY OLDEST IS GOING TO BE 26IN JULY.
SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU OWNED THIS PROPERTY? PROBABLY SINCE I WANT TO SAY 2000.
WE BOUGHT IT RIGHT AFTER HE WAS BORN.
UM, I KNEW NOT THE LIKE, STORAGE THINGS.
I HAD NO CLUE WITH THAT I THAT LEADS OFF THE THAT THAT'S NOT A HOUSE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY A TENT THAT THE CANVAS RIPPED OVER THE YEARS AND WE JUST, OUT OF NECESSITY PUT PLYWOOD ON IT.
LIKE A LOT OF THAT STUFF WAS JUST TEMPORARY.
KIDS PLAYING AROUND, MAKING THINGS, CREATING.
I ALWAYS WANTED IF WE WERE TO GIVE YOU SOME ADDITIONAL TIME, HOW MUCH TIME WOULD THAT BE? I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD.
I MEAN, TO FILL OUT SOME FORMS AND START THE PROCESS IF I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT FORMS, THAT WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH TIME. BUT IF I WERE TO MOVE AND DISASSEMBLE THINGS, I FEEL LIKE I'D NEED AT LEAST A YEAR.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TOO MUCH TO ASK, BUT THINGS TAKE TIME TO DISASSEMBLE AND TRASH.
THE PEOPLE IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TRIED TO HELP YOU WITH FILLING OUT THE FORMS AND MAKING.
NO, I. I COULDN'T EVEN REALLY.
SORRY TO INTERRUPT. I COULDN'T EVEN REALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT FORM.
ALL I GOT WAS THE EMAIL THAT THAT THE, THE SHIPPING CONTAINERS ALSO NEED.
LIKE AN INSPECTION OR SOMETHING.
I DON'T KNOW. AND THAT THEY IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW NOT $40 TO GET A USE PERMIT.
SO I DIDN'T I DON'T KNOW I GOT A NUMBER OF LIKE $640 FOR LIKE A USE PERMIT ON A SHIPPING CONTAINER.
WHICH I ALREADY WITH A FINE FOR NOT MAKING COURT AND THE APPEAL.
I WORK PART TIME WORKING ON, YOU KNOW.
[01:55:03]
ALL I CAN DO IS SAY IS THAT I WOULD SAY THAT AFTER 25 YEARS AND I HAD FAILED TO MAKE THE, YOU KNOW, THE NECESSARY CHANGES IN MY LIFESTYLE AND OR GO FORWARD TO GET PERMITS TO PROVE WHATEVER IS TAKING PLACE ON THAT PROPERTY IS A LONG TIME AND ANOTHER YEAR.I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
SO I'D MOVE TO UPHOLD THE HEARING OFFICERS ON CASE NUMBER 20 2-011055.
MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
THIS IS BENJAMIN. THE ATTORNEY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
YEAH. AM I ON THE SCREEN NOW? OKAY, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THIS IS BENJAMIN KREUTZBERG.
AS HAS BEEN STATED BY MR. BRENNAN, I REPRESENT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT OR THE COUNTY IN THIS MATTER.
I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE APPEAL MEMORANDUM FILED ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS THAT THIS BODY IS NOT THE APPROPRIATE FORUM TO CONSIDER THESE FACTUAL DISPUTES ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT COMPLIANCE HAS BEEN OBTAINED AND HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE.
NO APPEARANCE WAS MADE BEFORE THE HEARING.
OFFICER AND THE RULES QUITE CLEARLY SAY THAT THIS BODY CAN ONLY CONSIDER WHAT WAS PRESENTED BELOW.
SO IF THE BOARD IS INCLINED TO CONSIDER THESE THESE FACTUAL ISSUES, I WOULD DEFER THOSE QUESTIONS TO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, BUT RESPECTFULLY SUBMIT THAT THE WAY THE BOARD SHOULD RESOLVE THIS CASE IS SIMPLY BECAUSE NO ARGUMENTS WERE PRESENTED BELOW AND NO ARGUMENTS THEREFORE CAN BE PRESENTED NOW.
CHAIRMAN. MAY I ASK A QUESTION FOR CLARIFICATION HERE? ONE, I THINK WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, BUT ALSO I THINK I HEARD YOU SAY THERE WAS NO HEARING.
THERE WAS A HEARING AND A DECISION RENDERED.
BUT I, I HAVE A DIFFERENT TAKE.
AND IT'S JUST A PROCEDURAL QUESTION.
HOWEVER DIFFICULT THE SITUATION IS WHEN THEY TELL US THEY INTEND AND PROMISE TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE WITH HELP, WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT SOME FOLKS NEED HELP AND THAT THAT'S REALLY OUR ROLE.
AND IF YOU MAKE THAT KIND OF PROMISE AND COMMITMENT, YOU KNOW, I THINK OUR JOB, AGAIN, IS NOT TO TO PUNISH UNLESS, YOU KNOW, YOUR YOUR YOUR INTENTION, WHICH IS NOT WHAT I'M HEARING IS TO REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE OR ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT THE COUNTY EXPECTS WITH YOUR LAND.
AND SO I, I HAVE A DIFFERENT TAKE ON ON THIS.
AND I KNOW 25 YEARS IS A LONG TIME, BUT CLEARLY THERE'S A DISCONNECT IN THE COMMUNICATION AND SOME PERIOD OF TIME TO OBSERVE THIS, UH, UH, EFFORT TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE SEEMS TO ME TO BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR CITIZENS.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
[2. Board of Supervisors - Approve Agreement between Yavapai County and Tobin Business Solutions, LLC to provide government and public relations consulting services, authorize Maury Thompson, County Manager, to sign all required documents, and transfer capacity from general fund contingency, if necessary. YC Contract No. 2023-251 (All Districts)]
AND PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTING SERVICES.AUTHORIZE MAURI THOMPSON COUNTY MANAGER TO SIGN ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS AND TRANSFER CAPACITY FROM THE GENERAL FUND TO THE CONTINGENCY IF NECESSARY. MR. THOMPSON. GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MOREY THOMPSON, COUNTY MANAGER.
ANDY TOBIN TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO YAVAPAI COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
MY CONVERSATIONS WITH MR. TOBIN HAVE INCLUDED A NUMBER OF AREAS WHERE I BELIEVE HE CAN PROVIDE VALUE TO US AS A COUNTY.
I WAS ASKED RECENTLY, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT A LOBBYIST? YES, THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
I BELIEVE THAT WE COULD BENEFIT FROM HAVING OUR OWN REPRESENTATION.
[02:00:02]
REGARD. THEY DO OUTSTANDING WORK FOR US, BUT MANY COUNTIES IN ARIZONA DO ALSO RETAIN THEIR OWN THEIR OWN REPRESENTATION TO HELP AUGMENT THAT AND TO REPRESENT PARTICULAR INTERESTS OF OF THEIR COUNTY.SO I SEE THAT AS A AS A KEY ROLE AS WE SAW THIS SESSION.
YES, THAT MAY BE TECHNICALLY CORRECT, BUT IS THAT A KEY AND CORE ISSUE TO OUR COUNTY? ABSOLUTELY IT IS.
I BELIEVE MR. TOBIN CAN PROVIDE US VALUABLE ASSISTANCE IN THAT REGARD AS WELL.
OTHER ISSUES THAT THAT I'VE IDENTIFIED ARE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND AGAIN, WE THE COUNTIES HISTORICALLY HAVEN'T HAD MAJOR ROLES, BUT THERE ARE ISSUES OF WHAT I WOULD CALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT AFFECT THE WHOLE COUNTY AND THAT NEED A MORE REGIONAL APPROACH.
I THINK HE COULD BE PROVIDING US VALUE THERE.
AND THE FINAL ISSUE I WOULD POINT OUT WAS OUR RECENT EXPERIENCE AROUND HEALTH CARE.
AND AGAIN, WE'VE GOT THOSE ISSUES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE MOUNTAIN, BUT IN PARTICULAR IN PRESCOTT WITH THE ISSUE WITH BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF ARIZONA AND THE HOSPITAL, THERE WAS A NEED TO HAVE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS AND WELL, WHO DID THAT FALL TO? WELL, IT DIDN'T REALLY FALL TO ONE PARTICULAR ENTITY IN TERMS OF A COUNTY, CITY OR TOWN BECAUSE IT WAS AS A FAR REACHING ISSUE.
THAT'S ANOTHER AREA THAT I BELIEVE MR. TOBIN COULD BE PROVIDING HIS ASSISTANCE WITH.
SO WITH THAT BRIEF EXPLANATION, YOU SEE THE PRICE THAT WE'RE PROPOSING HERE TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT, I WOULD PAUSE AND ASK FOR ANY QUESTIONS. ANY OTHER SUPERVISOR.
MORAL CHARACTER, SHALL WE SAY.
AND I KNOW THAT HE WOULD REPRESENT US WELL IN ANYTHING HE PARTICIPATES IN, BUT HE'S ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT WILL GIVE YOU YOUR SIDE AND THEN THE OTHER SIDE AND HOW THEY'RE LOOKING AT IT, WHICH IS SOMETIMES EYE OPENING AND VERY IMPORTANT.
I TALK WITH CRAIG SULLIVAN FOR A FEW MINUTES THIS MORNING, JUST AHEAD OF TIME, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THERE TO BE ANY BUMPING OF HEADS BECAUSE AND SO AND HE ASSURED ME THAT HE'S MORE THAN WILLING TO WORK WITH ANDY AND ANDY WOULD, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE A BIG SERVICE THAT WOULD HELP HIM AS WELL.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I MENTIONED TO MAURY WHEN HE FIRST TOLD ME ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK, AS I SAID, THERE MIGHT EVEN BE AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE ANOTHER ORGANIZATION MAY WANT TO ACTUALLY WORK WITH HIM AS WELL AND SHARE THAT EXPENSE, WHICH IS NOT ENORMOUS.
BUT STILL, THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT OF SOMETHING.
THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR MICHAELS.
IT'S BEEN MY GREAT, GOOD PLEASURE TO ACTUALLY WORK WITH ANDY FOR 30 YEARS.
AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE ISSUE IS.
HE'S A VERY WELL VERSED AND I AGREE WITH YOU, MR. BROWN, OUR SUPERVISOR, BROWN THAT THIS MAN DOES HIS HOMEWORK IN WAYS THAT WE SIMPLY, BY SERVING OUR CONSTITUENTS, DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO HAVE THE DEPTH AND BREADTH THAT HE BRINGS.
I KEEP SAYING I NEED A STAFF OF FIVE.
I'M NOT GOING TO CHANGE ON THAT.
HOWEVER, HE REALLY MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO BE THAT EXPERT IN WHATEVER THE ISSUE IS, WHETHER IT'S WATER OHVS INFRASTRUCTURE.
PUSHING OUR PERSPECTIVE ON GETTING MONEY FOR ROADS, ETCETERA.
AND YOU SPOKE OF MORAL CHARACTER.
HE IS KNOWN STATEWIDE AS A MAN OF GREAT INTEGRITY.
[02:05:01]
HE CAME TO MY OFFICE YESTERDAY.THANK YOU. AND I CONCUR WITH EVERYTHING BEING SAID.
HE'S BEEN AN ASSET FOR US IN THE LAST YEAR, JUST BEING WHERE HE'S AT AND NOT CHARGING US ANYTHING.
WITH THAT, I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MICHAEL, SECONDED BY MYSELF.
AYE. ANY OPPOSED? OKAY. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
THANK YOU. WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK.
[3. Community Health Services - Approve an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for grant funding in the amount of $456,893.00 from the Arizona Department of Health Services, as the pass through agency for federal funding from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for the Workforce Development #2 Grant, establish a new fund number, and authorize Community Health Services Director to sign all related documents. YC Contract No. 2023-202. PASSED BY A 4 TO 1 VOTE; OPPOSED BY VICE CHAIRMAN OBERG.]
$893,000 TO THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES AS A PASS THROUGH AGENCY FOR FEDERAL FUNDING FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION FOR THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.LESLIE HORTON. GOOD MORNING ONCE AGAIN.
LESLIE HORTON COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES.
THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIR AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
I SOMEWHAT APOLOGIZE FOR THIS ONE BECAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON CONSENT AGENDA.
WE WHEN I WENT IN AND APPROVED IT, DIDN'T NOTICE IT WAS ON ACTION.
BUT MOST OF OUR CONTRACTS DO GO THROUGH THE CONSENT AGENDA.
AND I'LL EXPLAIN WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS FROM THE ONE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
AND WE'RE ASKING FOR A FUND NUMBER FROM THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
AND SO THIS GRANT IS A CONTINUATION.
IT'S ONLY ABOUT $150,000 PER YEAR.
BUT THAT'S OVER THE COURSE OF FOUR YEARS.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE UTILIZING THIS FOR IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT FIRST ONE.
BUT REALLY TOO LOOKING AT OUR INTERNAL PROCESSES, PROTOCOLS, MAKING SURE THAT THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND MAYBE AS GAPS AND LIKE DATA MONITORING, MODERNIZATION, THINGS LIKE THAT THAT EVEN A LOT OF AGENCIES ARE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S WHAT THIS GRANT IS PUT TOWARDS, IS MAKING SURE THAT WE DEVELOP THOSE AREAS THAT WERE LACKING AND WE FOUND IS LACKING OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS SO THAT IF SOMETHING ELSE COMES OUR WAY, WE ARE WELL PREPARED FOR IT.
WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO GATHER DATA, TO ANALYZE THAT, TO HAVE THE CAPABILITIES INTERNALLY AND HAVE QUALITY CONTROLS IN PLACE SO THAT WE'RE NOT FIELDING SO MANY ISSUES AS WE GO.
SO THAT'S WHAT THIS GRANT IS FOR.
PART OF IT WILL GO TO CURRENT STAFFING.
WE DON'T HAVE PLANS TO HIRE NEW PEOPLE, BUT CURRENT STAFFING TO FILL THE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AREAS SO THAT WE'LL BE HAVING MORE AUDITS OF OUR OF OUR DATA, OF OUR FILES, OF DIFFERENT THINGS, SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PERFORMING AT THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF QUALITY POSSIBLE IN PUBLIC HEALTH.
SO IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? BETTER. COME ON. SUPERVISOR BROWN, DOES THIS PAY FOR ANY STAFF? IT DOES. IT DOES HAVE STAFFING AT AN AMOUNT OF.
$267,776 OVER THE COURSE OF FOUR YEARS.
SO THAT SOUNDS LIKE EITHER ROUND ONE, ONE STAFF MEMBER? I THINK SO. WE'VE DESIGNATED IT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF ONE STAFF MEMBER ALREADY ON STAFF LIKE WE'RE GOING TO BE WE'RE GOING TO BE SURE THAT WHOEVER THIS PERSON IS THAT GOES TO WORK IN THIS GRANT PROGRAM KNOWS IT'S ONLY FOR THE LENGTH OF THE GRANT.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? SUPERVISOR. OBERG OBERG.
[02:10:01]
AND AGAIN, I THINK THIS IS A SECOND BITE OF THE FIRST APPLE.IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE WITH THE FIRST GRANT.
I FEEL THAT THIS GRANT IS NECESSARY.
UM, IF WE DIDN'T USE THE PROPERLY UTILIZED THE FIRST ONE, THEN I GUESS THIS ONE IS NEEDED.
SO I'LL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO A POTENTIAL VOTE.
THANK YOU. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION.
DO WE HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVE. OKAY.
WE HAVE A AND I'LL SECOND THAT.
WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MICHAELS A SECOND BY MYSELF.
[4. Development Services - Discussion and possible action regarding implementation of department process improvements by Development Services staff.]
OKAY, NEXT DISCUSSION ITEM WOULD BE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DEPARTMENT PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS BY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STAFF DIRECTOR JEREMY DYE.WELL, GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN.
AND VICE CHAIR AND BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M JEREMY DYER, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR, AND I'M HERE WITH A BRIEF UPDATE ON OUR DEPARTMENT ACTIVITIES IN THE, AS YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, MAYBE TWO YEARS AT THIS POINT HAS WE'VE BEEN IN KIND OF A STATE OF SELF EVALUATION, LOOKING OVER OUR WORKFLOWS, OUR WORK PROCESSES, LOOKING FOR EFFICIENCIES IN HOW WE CAN REDUCE OUR OVERALL CUSTOMER SERVICE RESPONSE TIMES.
AND SO AND THAT STEMMED FROM ABOUT THE TIME THAT YOU HAD PLACED ME IN THIS POSITION AS DIRECTOR.
WE APPLIED ALL OF THOSE NEARLY ALL OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND WE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS BACK IN JANUARY, I DID A DEPARTMENT UPDATE AND SHOWED WHERE WE'D MADE SOME SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS IN OUR IMPROVING OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE, OUR PERMIT REVIEW TIMES SINCE THAT UPDATE.
AT THAT TIME, THE BOARD HAD ASKED ME TO COME BACK IN ANOTHER SIX MONTHS AND PROVIDE ANOTHER UPDATE.
SO SINCE THAT UPDATE, BACK IN JANUARY, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES CONTINUED TO MAKE SOME SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR PERMIT REVIEW TIMES, AND I'LL SHOW YOU THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER. AND SO OUR UPDATE WILL COVER THOSE ONGOING EFFORTS TO STREAMLINE OUR WORKFLOWS AND TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE, IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS, THE RESIDENTS OF YAVAPAI COUNTY.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO GOING TO LOOK AHEAD A LITTLE BIT TO SOME OF OUR LONGER TERM GOALS AS WELL.
SO JUST MOVING FORWARD, I'VE GOT A BRIEF SLIDE PRESENTATION.
OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES MISSION STATEMENT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IS DEDICATED TO DELIVERING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND UPHOLDING OUTSTANDING VALUES BY MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND AN ATMOSPHERE OF MUTUAL RESPECT THROUGH EDUCATION, COOPERATION AND AWARENESS.
AND SO THAT IS THAT'S OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE.
THAT'S WHAT GUIDES US IN OUR IN OUR ACTIVITIES, AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO THAT.
AND JUST AS A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE THE SEVEN WORK DIVISIONS ADDRESSING LAND USE, OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT FOLKS, CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PERMITTING BUILDING SAFETY, WHICH ENCOMPASSES OUR PLAN REVIEW AND ALSO BUILDING INSPECTIONS, OUR PLANNING UNIT, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL UNIT AND THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE ADMINISTRATION THERE.
SO JUST SOME RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN OUR DEPARTMENT HERE IN THE LAST YEAR.
OUR HOME OF MY OWN PROGRAM IS VERY HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL.
WE'VE ISSUED 48 PERMITS ISSUED OR IN PROCESS AT THIS TIME.
AND SO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MARK WILL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A LITTLE BIT HERE.
WE'VE IMPLEMENTED THE DEPARTMENT OUTSIDE CONSULTANT RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE ADOPTED AS A COUNTY, ADOPTED THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
WE'VE MADE SOME SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTIONS IN OUR PERMIT REVIEW TIMES.
THOSE THOSE WERE FAIRLY SUCCESSFUL WITH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHERE WE INVITE THE PUBLIC INTO OUR OFFICES, TALK TO THEM ABOUT A SPECIFIC TOPIC, WHAT IS HOW TO GET A PERMIT OR DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUILDING INSPECTIONS OR CONSTRUCTION, HOW TO WHAT CONSTITUTES A LAND USE VIOLATION?
[02:15:05]
WHAT CAN I WHAT CAN I REPORT? WHAT CAN I NOT REPORT AS A LAND USE VIOLATION? WE'VE RESTARTED THAT.WE PAUSED THAT OF COURSE, DURING COVID AND WE RESTARTED THAT THIS YEAR AND WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF VERY SUCCESSFUL LUNCH AND LEARNS ALSO OUR MEET US AT THE LIBRARY PROGRAM. WE TAKE WE TRY TO REACH ALL OF THE LIBRARIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY ONCE PER YEAR WHERE WE HAVE A STAFF MEMBER SET UP AT A TABLE AT THE LIBRARY AND THEY CAN HELP ANYONE ANYONE THEY'RE COMING IN TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS OR GET INFORMATION ABOUT PERMITTING OR HELP THEM WITH THE PERMITTING PROCESS AT THAT TIME. SO. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS, TOO, WE'VE GOT SOME OTHER PUBLIC OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE TRY TO PROVIDE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS, BE THERE TO ASSIST THEM WITH PERMITTING.
AND SO WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF OTHERS.
LAST MONTH WAS BUILDING SAFETY MONTH, AND WE HAD STAFF MEMBERS AT LOWE'S OVER IN PRESCOTT.
THERE WE ACTUALLY HAD TWO, TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHERE WE WERE AT THE LOWE'S.
WE HAD OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TABLE SET UP WITH INFORMATION ON HOME OF MY OWN OBTAINING PERMITS.
WE WERE GIVING AWAY LITTLE, LITTLE TAPE MEASURES WITH OUR LOGO ON IT AND SO FORTH.
WE HAD A LOT OF A LOT OF FOLKS SHOW UP AT AS THEY WERE DOING THEIR SHOPPING AND LOWE'S.
OUR AVERAGE REVIEW TIME FOR BUILDING SAFETY PLAN REVIEWS WAS 8.53 DAYS.
IN THE LAST SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR.
AND SO WHEN YOU COMBINE THOSE TWO NUMBERS TOGETHER, EIGHT AND A HALF AND THREE, 11.5 DAYS, PEOPLE ARE YOU KNOW, WE'RE UNDER TWO WEEKS IN TERMS OF PROVIDING, YOU KNOW, REVIEW TIMES FOR FOLKS ONCE FROM THE TIME THEY APPLY FOR THEIR THEIR PERMIT TO THE TIME THAT THEY GET THAT FIRST REVIEW.
11.5 DAYS IS IS EXACTLY WHERE WE WANT TO BE RIGHT NOW.
OUR STANDARD SEPTIC APPLICATIONS HAVE COME WAY DOWN TO 8.14 DAYS.
OUR AVERAGE REVIEW TIME FOR ALTERNATE SEPTIC APPLICATIONS.
THAT WAS OUT SIX MONTHS, AND WE'VE REDUCED THAT SUBSTANTIALLY.
IN FACT, THIS NUMBER THAT THIS 54.69 DAYS IS ACTUALLY INACCURATE.
AND I'LL I'LL GET INTO THAT IN JUST A LITTLE BIT AS WELL.
AND EVEN THAT NUMBER IS IS A LITTLE OUTDATED AT THIS POINT.
BUT OUR PRIORITY CONTINUES TO BE THOSE ALTERNATE SEPTIC SYSTEM REVIEWS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY STAY THEY STAY IN THAT WHERE WE NEED THEM TO STAY, KEEP THOSE NUMBERS REDUCED.
JUST KIND OF AN OVERVIEW HERE.
HERE IS JUST A COMPARISON BETWEEN THIS YEAR AND LAST YEAR OF OVERALL PERMIT ISSUANCES.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY CLOSE.
WE'VE WE LAST YEAR WAS A RECORD YEAR FOR PERMIT ISSUANCES JUST IN TERMS OF OVERALL DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTY, THIS YEAR IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT. WE'RE GOING TO FINISH OUT A LITTLE BIT LOWER.
THE TOTAL PERMITS ISSUED IN FISCAL YEAR 2122 IS 5540.
WE'RE GOING TO END UP THIS YEAR AND PROBABLY ABOUT THE 51 OR 5200 RANGE.
SO WE'RE ALWAYS KIND OF WATCHING THOSE NUMBERS FOR A SLOWDOWN, BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET.
BUT THAT BEING SAID, OUR DAYS TO COMPLETE OUR INITIAL REVIEWS FROM THE TIME THAT AND THIS IS FOR WHEN SOMEONE APPLIES FOR THEIR PERMIT AND THE TIME THAT THE PERMIT TECHNICIAN DOES THAT INITIAL REVIEW, MAKE SURE ALL OF THE INFORMATION IS THERE, EVERYTHING IS COMPLETE AND MOVES IT ON TO BUILDING SAFETY.
THAT NUMBER, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM MAY OF LAST YEAR, WAS AT 11 DAYS.
THIS MAY, IT'S DOWN TO ABOUT FIVE DAYS.
AND AND THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT OF AN ANOMALY.
BUT WE WANT TO KEEP IT DOWN IN THAT 3 TO 5 DAY RANGE.
SO FROM THE TIME THAT THE PERMIT TECHNICIAN REVIEWS THOSE PLANS FOR COMPLETENESS AND MOVES IT ON TO BUILDING SAFETY FOR THEIR REVIEW, YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE WERE AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR. JUNE AND JULY OF LAST YEAR WAS 23, 24 DAYS.
NOW WE'VE CUT THAT IN HALF TO ABOUT 11 OR 12 DAYS.
SO IN THIS THIS LAST MONTH, THIS LAST MAY.
[02:20:05]
AND THE NUMBERS, THE TREND LINE CONTINUES TO GO DOWN.ALSO FOR SEPTIC SYSTEM APPLICATIONS.
THE STANDARD SEPTICS WERE AT 24 DAYS ABOUT THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
AND OF COURSE, THEY'RE AT JUST ABOUT TEN, 11 DAYS RIGHT NOW.
YOU KNOW, THE AGAIN, AS THE THE WORKFLOW THE WORKLOAD IS IS STILL THERE.
WE'RE STILL SEEING THAT HIGH LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY IN THE COUNTY.
BUT THE NUMBERS ARE PERMIT REVIEW TIMES CONTINUE TO GO DOWN.
THIS IS THE SLIDE THAT I'VE REALLY BEEN WANTING TO SHOW YOU.
AND THIS IS OUR ALTERNATE SEPTIC SYSTEM APPLICATIONS.
SO FROM THE TIME THAT THE ALTERNATE WASTEWATER SYSTEM APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED THROUGH OUR PERMITTING SYSTEM TO THE TIME THAT IT'S REVIEWED, YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT HERE. I MEAN, IT WAS JUST ABOUT SIX MONTHS, JUST IN NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR, SIX MONTHS, AND THAT'S COME DOWN NOW TO IN MAY.
I CAN TELL YOU AS OF TODAY, WE'RE AT THREE WEEKS.
SO SO WE ARE WE ARE ONLY REVIEWING SEPTIC SYSTEM, ALTERNATE SEPTIC SYSTEM APPLICATIONS THAT WERE SUBMITTED IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR OF THIS MONTH.
SO. SO SIX MONTHS TO THREE WEEKS.
THEY PUT THAT PUT THAT FIRST AND THEY THEY'VE GOT THEMSELVES CAUGHT UP.
AND SO OUR GOAL NOW AT THIS POINT IS TO CONTINUE ON, KEEP THAT NUMBER AT THREE WEEKS.
SO JUST OUR NEXT STEPS HERE, WE'VE JUST KIND OF LOOKING AHEAD.
WE'RE WE'VE KIND OF RIGHTED THE SHIP WHERE IT NEEDED TO BE RIGHTED.
AND SO WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK AHEAD AT SOME LONG TERM GOALS AT THIS POINT.
AND OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO STREAMLINE OUR INTERNAL PROCESSES.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO EVALUATE.
THAT'S A THAT'S AN ONGOING THING IN OUR DEPARTMENT.
IMPROVING OUR COMMUNICATION AND OUR CALLBACK RESPONSE TIMES WITH OUR CUSTOMERS.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT WAYS WHERE WE CAN AUTOMATE OUR INTERNAL PROCESSES WHERE POSSIBLE.
WE'RE OBVIOUSLY WATCHING OUR MONTHLY PERMIT NUMBERS FOR SIGNS OF ANY KIND OF ECONOMIC CHANGE.
WE KEEP HEARING SOME WHISPERS OF MAYBE AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN A LOT OF EVIDENCE OF THAT IN OUR DEPARTMENT, AT LEAST FROM OUR NUMBERS.
AND WHAT WE'RE STARTING TO DO NOW IS IDENTIFY SOME LONG RANGE GOALS AND STRATEGIES.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WE'RE CRAFTING TOGETHER NOW A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND SO THAT STRATEGIC PLAN IS GOING TO SOME OF THE SOME OF THE LONG RANGE GOALS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IMPROVING AND ENHANCING OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE, ADJUSTING OUR ADOPTED FEE SCHEDULES.
I'VE SPOKEN WITH YOU, EACH OF YOU, ABOUT THAT.
UPDATING SECTIONS TO OUR PLANNING AND ZONING ORDINANCE.
AND WE'VE WE'VE GOT OUR NEW PLANNING MANAGER ON BOARD.
HE'S HIT THE GROUND RUNNING AND WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO TO HIS HARD WORK.
AND HE'S ALREADY STARTED LOOKING AT AREAS, SECTIONS OF OUR ORDINANCE THAT NEED TO BE UPDATED.
SO WE'RE ALREADY MOVING AHEAD IN THAT AREA.
WE WANT TO FOCUS ON OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND THROUGH CROSS TRAINING AND MENTORING AND REALLY IDENTIFYING A SUCCESSION PLAN FOR EACH OF OUR DIVISIONS AND THE IDENTIFYING THE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO ACHIEVE FURTHER WORKFLOW EFFICIENCIES.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE TO YOU AS THE BOARD MEMBERS APPROVED IN THE LAST BUDGET TO NEW TO NEW SOFTWARE PACKAGES THAT WE'RE ABLE TO USE AND WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING THOSE IMPLEMENTED AT THE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT BUDGET.
SO WITH THAT, MR. CHAIRMAN, WITH YOUR PERMISSION, I'LL TURN THE TURN IT OVER TO OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, MARK LAWSON, TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT A LITTLE A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS HERE AS WELL.
AND I CAN I'M HAPPY TO TAKE SOME QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT.
THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM, BUT NO SPECIFIC ACTION HAS BEEN REQUESTED.
BUT STAFF IS WELCOME OPEN TO ANY ANY DIRECTION THAT THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO GIVE US.
[02:25:07]
ANY QUESTIONS FOR DIRECTOR? YES, MR. CHAIRMAN, COULD YOU GO BACK TO THAT ONE CHART WHERE YOU TALK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF MANDATES REQUIRED FOR KEEP GOING BACK? RIGHT THERE.TIME FOR ALTERNATE SKEPTICS, 54 DAYS.
ALL RIGHT. SO THAT'S THOSE ARE THAT'S A SEVEN DAY WEEK.
SO, UM, THAT'S CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN ONE MONTH.
YES, SIR. WHEN I RAN THIS NUMBER, I RAN IT THROUGH THROUGH MAY.
AND THAT NUMBER HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED EVEN SINCE SINCE I RAN THAT REPORT BACK IN MAY.
OKAY. BUT YOU THINK YOU'RE DOWN BELOW ONE MONTH NOW? YES, SIR. AS YOU INDICATED ON ON A YES, SIR.
WHAT WE ARE REVIEWING NOW IS ONLY APPLICATIONS THAT HAVE COME THROUGH IN JUNE.
OKAY. MAYBE JUST FOR EVERYBODY'S BENEFIT, THE PUBLIC, MAYBE YOU COULD EXPLAIN VERY QUICKLY WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STANDARD AND ALTERNATE? I WILL GIVE YOU THE THE MOST BASIC OVERVIEW THAT I CAN.
THE STANDARD SEPTIC SYSTEM IS BASICALLY THE TANK IN THE GROUND WITH LEACH FIELDS.
AND THOSE ARE THOSE STILL HAVE TO BE DESIGNED BY A PROFESSIONAL, BUT THEY ARE SUBSTANTIALLY THEY ARE A VERY BASIC SYSTEM, MUCH SIMPLER WASTEWATER DRAINS INTO THE TANK AND IT DRAINS OUT INTO THE LEACH.
THE ALTERNATE WASTEWATER SYSTEMS COME IN A VARIETY OF FORMS, AND THAT IS WHEN THE SOIL CONDITIONS DO NOT DO NOT ALLOW THAT THAT WASTEWATER TO PERCOLATE DOWN INTO THE SOIL.
SO THEY HAVE TO BE THEY HAVE TO BE DESIGNED TO A CERTAIN STANDARD.
AND THEY COME IN VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES THAT THAT ALLOW FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.
SO THOSE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE COMPLEX PERMITS, PERMIT APPLICATIONS TO REVIEW.
OKAY. I ALSO GOT A QUESTION ON CITIZENS SERVE.
SO I NOTICED THAT YOU'RE YOU HAD A BULLET UP THERE WHERE YOU WANTED TO START HAVING BETTER SUPPORT INTERFACE WITH THE WITH THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND CITIZENS SERVE.
UM, HOW DO YOU PLAN TO DO THAT? IS THERE GOING TO BE A MAJOR CHANGE TO CITIZEN SERVE OR DO YOU THINK IT'S JUST BASICALLY AN EDUCATIONAL THING OR WHAT? BECAUSE I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN DOING SEPTIC SYSTEMS FOR 40 YEARS.
THEY THEY GO INTO CITIZEN SERVE AND SOMETIMES THEY CAN MAKE HEADWAY.
THEY CAN'T GET ANYTHING ACCOMPLISHED IN CITIZEN SERVE.
SO I THINK IT'S AN AREA WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON.
YES, SIR. AND TO YOUR POINT, OUR OUR EFFORTS ARE GOING TO BE LARGELY EDUCATIONAL CITIZEN SERVE KIND OF IS WHAT IT IS. SO IN TERMS OF MAKING SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES TO CITIZEN SERVE, THAT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR US TO DO.
BUT THERE'S KIND OF A22 PRONGED APPROACH TO IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, NUMBER ONE, THE AVERAGE THE AVERAGE PERSON MAY NOT KNOW WHAT KIND OF PERMIT THEY NEED FOR THEIR PROPERTY OR FOR THEIR PROJECT.
I CONCUR WITH WHAT SUPERVISOR OBERG JUST SAID.
AND OF COURSE, YOU AND I, MR. DI, HAVE WORKED IN THE HARNESS TOGETHER ON THIS CITIZEN SERVE THING.
I THINK IT IS AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS AT THE END OF THE DAY, AND IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT WHATEVER WE'RE USING ONLINE, CITIZEN SERVICE IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
[02:30:07]
IS IT AN INCREASE? ARE THEY NAVIGATING TO COMPLAINTS SUCCESSFULLY SO THAT WE CAN REPORT THAT OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND THEY DON'T HAVE THAT OLD MESSAGE OF YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WHEN YOU GET ONLINE AND THAT THAT IS AN IMPORTANT AREA, I THINK, FOR US TO ADDRESS.THEN THE THE THE OTHER THING I WANT TO RAISE IS THE THE ISSUE OF FILING A COMPLAINT, A CODE VIOLATION AND HOW MANY CODE OFFICERS DO YOU HAVE? WE HAVE OH, YOU PUT ME ON THE SPOT.
WE HAVE SIX. SIX CODE OFFICERS.
YEAH, WELL, AS YOU KNOW, JUST PINE VALLEY ALONE COULD USE ALL SIX OF THEM.
SO, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE RENTING OUT THEIR RVS IN THE IN THE IN THE DRIVEWAY.
AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF CODE VIOLATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
AND THAT NUMBER IS GOING UP BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE DISCOVERING OUR COUNTY.
SO HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ADDRESS THAT WITH GETTING EFFECTIVE CODE VIOLATIONS ON BOARD AND PEOPLE BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEM? SO TO TO SPEAK TO THE FIRST PART OF THAT, OUR COMPLAINT PROCESS, WE ARE OUR LAND USE DIVISION IS COMPLAINT DRIVEN, RIGHT? SO THEY DON'T ACTIVELY GO OUT AND LOOK FOR WEED VIOLATIONS OR OTHER ZONING VIOLATIONS THEMSELVES BECAUSE WE JUST SIMPLY WOULDN'T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO DO THAT.
WHEN WE RECEIVE COMPLAINTS, THEY CAN COME, THEY CAN COME THROUGH OUR CITIZEN SERVE PORTAL, THEY CAN COME THROUGH THE PHONE LINES, THEY CAN THEY CAN WALK INTO THE OFFICE OR THEY CAN SEND US AN EMAIL. THERE'S KIND OF THOSE FOUR, FOUR AREAS OF WHERE FOUR METHODS OF BEING ABLE TO SUBMIT A COMPLAINT.
AND TO YOUR POINT, SUPERVISOR MICHAELS YES, WE HAVE ACTUALLY GONE BACK THROUGH AND LOOKED AT THAT PROCESS, THAT ONLINE COMPLAINT PROCESS, AND MADE SOME MADE SOME CHANGES THERE JUST BASED ON BASED ON INFORMATION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLIC.
SO WE'VE TRIED TO STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS AND MAKE THAT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE.
NOW TO ADDRESS THOSE MOVING FORWARD, OUR NUMBERS HAVEN'T HAVEN'T SHOWN A STEEP INCREASE IN COMPLAINTS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, BUT THEY HAVE THEY HAD THEY DID RISE IN COVID AND THEY AND THEY STAYED PRETTY CONSISTENT FROM THERE.
AND THAT'S JUST A MATTER OF EVALUATING THOSE ON A ON AN ANNUAL BASIS OR A SEMI ANNUAL BASIS AND DETERMINING IF THERE'S, YOU KNOW, DO WE NEED TO ADD A FULL TIME POSITION OR OR ARE WE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT IN OTHER WAYS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. ALL RIGHT.
LET'S HEAR FROM MARK. TURN IT OVER TO MARK.
I. GOOD MORNING, CHAIR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
I AM MARK LARSON, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
I THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY.
SO MOVING FORWARD, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT JEREMY SPOKE ABOUT THAT WAS IDENTIFIED BY THE CONSULTANT IS STREAMLINING PROCESSES AND USING UPDATED SOFTWARE TO HELP IN GUIDING THE THAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
A FEW OF THE THINGS THAT THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS WE ARE LOOKING VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE COMING FISCAL YEAR IS A BLUEBEAM SOFTWARE PURCHASE AND THAT INTEGRATION INTO CITIZEN SERVE.
IT'S A PLAN REVIEW AND MEASURING TOOL THAT OUR PLAN REVIEW PLANS EXAMINERS CAN ACTUALLY USE THIS TOOL TO DO MARK UPS FOR CORRECTIONS NEEDED ON THESE PLANS, REVIEWS THAT ARE SUBMITTED.
SO IT'S GOING TO HAVE ITS OWN SPEED.
IT'S NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT LAG THAT WE'VE COME ACROSS FROM TIME TO TIME WITH CITIZEN SERVE.
SO IT'S GOING TO SPEED UP THIS PROCESS TO ALLOW OUR PLANS EXAMINERS TO MOVE QUICKER THROUGH THAT AND MAKE THOSE NECESSARY EDITS AND CHANGES AND SUGGESTIONS AND CORRECTIONS ON THOSE PLANS. THE NEXT THING IS VIEW SPEC SOFTWARE.
IT'S A SMARTPHONE BASED VIRTUAL INSPECTION AND SCHEDULING SOFTWARE THROUGH YOUR SMARTPHONE.
[02:35:07]
SCHEDULING, WE'LL BE THERE BETWEEN 12 AND 4.KNOW THE CUSTOMER WILL ACTUALLY SCHEDULE THEIR APPOINTMENT FOR 830.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT COST SAVINGS WISE IS TIME ON THE ROAD, VEHICLE WEAR AND TEAR AND THEN THE SCHEDULING SPAN FOR THE CUSTOMER. SO.
THE OTHER THING IS THE EXPANSION OF THE HOME OF MY OWN PROGRAM TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL FLOOR PLANS.
SO WE CURRENTLY HAVE THREE FLOOR PLANS WITH ONE, TWO AND THREE BEDROOM.
AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE'RE LOOKING MORE AT THE TWO BEDROOM AND THREE BEDROOM TO MAKE IT MORE UP TO DATE WITH THE FLOOR LAYOUTS, SIMPLIFYING THE OVERALL FOOTPRINT OR THE ENVELOPE OF THE BUILDING ITSELF, MORE OF A RECTANGULAR SHAPE TO WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY BUILD DIFFERENT TYPES OF LAYOUTS WITHIN THAT WITHIN THAT RECTANGLE.
ALSO PART OF THE BUDGET WAS RECLASSIFYING A PERMIT TO TO A SENIOR PERMIT TECH, WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR EXTRA LEADERSHIP FOR THE PERMIT TECHS IN RECEIVING THOSE APPLICATIONS.
SO AS THE OPERATION HAS EVOLVED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE RECORDS TECHNICIAN CLASSIFICATION IS MOST APPROPRIATE WITH THE NEW DUTIES AND ASSIGNMENTS THAT HAVE EVOLVED INTO THAT.
SO WHAT THIS IS, IS YOU CAN SEE IT'S A FLOOR PLAN LAYOUT WITH DIFFERENT HIGHLIGHTS AND MARKINGS THAT A PLAN EXAMINER WOULD BE ABLE TO USE AND MARK UP AND THEN UPLOAD INTO CITIZEN SERVE OR INTERFACE WITH CITIZEN SERVE.
THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT WILL INTERFACE WITH CITIZEN SERVERS.
SO THAT CONTRACTOR WILL BE ABLE TO SEE ALMOST A LIVE INTERACTION WITH THAT.
IT GIVES THE PLAN'S EXAMINERS A BETTER IN DEPTH AND DETAILED MARKUP TOOL.
IT ALLOWS FOR CLEAR AND EASY VIEWING OF THE PROJECTS.
THEY'RE ABLE TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THIS SIZE AND GET IT TO WHERE THEY CAN PRETTY MUCH ZOOM IN TO THE SIZE OF LIKE AN ELECTRICAL OUTLET ON THE ON THE WALL. THAT'S HOW CLEAR IT'LL STILL BE AS THEY ARE ABLE TO ZOOM IN TO MARK UP THOSE MORE FINITE DETAILS IN THOSE MARKUPS.
AND THEN IT WILL ALSO EXPAND OUR SAVINGS POWER BY IT'S A CLOUD DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SO IT'S SAVED UP INTO THE CLOUD, NOT ON ANY HOSTED SERVER ON THE COUNTY'S END.
A LITTLE SHOW AND TELL ALSO FOR VIEW SPECS.
SO ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU HAVE A CELL.
AND THIS IS WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE ON THE CUSTOMER SIDE.
AND WHAT THAT'LL DO IS THEN GENERATE A TEXT MESSAGE LINK TO THEM.
I. THE INSPECTOR WILL TAKE THE INSPECTION FROM THE OFFICE.
IT ELIMINATES THE BACK AND FORTH TRAVEL TO AND FROM GOING ALL THE WAY SOUTH TO CASTLE HOT SPRINGS AND THEN HAVING TO GO UP INTO, LIKE, MAYOR, YOU'RE LOOKING AT AN AT LEAST AN HOUR DRIVE EACH WAY.
SO TO ELIMINATE THAT TYPE OF TRAVEL TIME AND YOU HAVE LESS HOURS IN THE VEHICLE, LESS TIME TRAVELING IN THE VEHICLE, AND THEN THAT IMMEDIATE UPLOAD INTO THE PORTAL FOR PERMIT ISSUANCE AND APPROVAL.
IT IS INTEGRATED INTO CITIZEN SERVE CUSTOMER SETS THE INSPECTION TIME AND I JUST GOT AN UPDATE FROM VIEW SPECS THAT THEY DID COMPLETE THE OFFLINE ASPECT OF SPECS.
[02:40:04]
SO EVEN IF THEY ARE IN A REMOTE AREA AND AREN'T ABLE TO HAVE THAT LIVE CONNECTION, THE CUSTOMER OR THE CONTRACTOR COULD STILL TAKE THE PICTURES THROUGH THE APP ITSELF AND THEN AT A TIME IT WOULD CONNECT TO IT AND IT WOULD TIME STAMP IT AND GEO FENCE IT TO SHOW THAT THEY WERE AT THE APPROPRIATE PROPERTY FOR THOSE INSPECTIONS.SO THE HOME OF MY OWN UPDATE JUST DOWN THE ROAD.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE THIS HOUSE THAT WAS RECENTLY COMPLETED.
WE ARE AT A CURRENT STATE OF 48IN PROCESS OR HAVING BEEN COMPLETED SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN LATE 2020.
THE BETTER INVESTMENT, I THINK, LONG TERM FOR THE FAMILY.
AND WITH THAT I SAW SOME PENS WRITING.
SO I THINK THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS.
VICE CHAIR OBERG. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. AND IF YOU CAN GET THE CASTLE HOT SPRINGS ON.
I'D SURE LIKE YOU TO TELL ME HOW YOU DO THAT, BECAUSE IT'S NORMALLY ABOUT TWO, 2.5 HOURS TO GET THERE AND ANOTHER TWO AND A HALF BACK.
BUT ANYWAY, THE V-SPEC PROGRAM, I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD IDEA.
I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE BRINGING THAT UP.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS I'M HEARING FROM PEOPLE IS AFTER AN INSPECTION SOMETIMES IS SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY GET THE APPROVAL, PARTICULARLY ON ALTERNATE SEPTIC SYSTEMS. SO ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE SOME CAPABILITY HERE THAT YOU WOULD GIVE AN IMMEDIATE APPROVAL AND THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN MOVE ON AND OR MOVE THEIR EQUIPMENT OR ANYTHING ELSE. THE ALTERNATE SEPTICS ARE KIND OF A BEAST OF THEIR OWN AND THEY ACTUALLY DO NEED OUR REGISTERED SANITARIANS TO GO OUT AND DO THOSE MEASUREMENTS AND CALCULATIONS ON THAT.
THE MORE CATCHES CATCHES FIRE.
SO TALKING ABOUT BUILDING SAFETY THEN.
SO ONCE YOU'VE DONE THE INSPECTION, YOU CAN GIVE AN IMMEDIATE APPROVAL.
AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE? WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE AN EMAIL OR SOMETHING SO THEY KNOW THEY CAN PROCEED? CORRECT. OKAY. THANKS.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HOW YOU WERE AT LOWE'S.
IS THAT CORRECT? WAS IT LOWE'S? YOU KNOW, THAT'S A FANTASTIC IDEA BECAUSE YOU'RE SAVING A LOT OF TIME, AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE THERE AND THE PEOPLE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY GO UP TO YOU AND GET SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED RIGHT THEN AND THERE.
AND ONE OF THE AREAS THE LAST THING I JUST WANT TO ASK ON THE LUNCH AND LEARN.
DO WE DO A LUNCH AND LEARN IN REGARDS TO THAT PROGRAM, CITIZEN SERVE, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WOULD EVEN BE A POSSIBILITY? I'M JUST I JUST WAS THINKING IT MIGHT HELP PEOPLE SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFICULTIES HERE AND THERE.
YOU KNOW, MR. CHAIRMAN AND SUPERVISOR MALLORY.
AND WE'VE WE'VE ACTUALLY GOT SOME SOME KIND OF CANNED PRESENTATIONS THAT WE CAN WE CAN ROLL IT OUT AGAIN TO IF THERE'S A IF THERE'S A REQUEST FOR THAT WE'RE HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT THAT SUBJECT.
AND THOSE ARE I DIDN'T MENTION BEFORE, BUT OUR LUNCH AND LEARNS ARE ALL RECORDED AND THEN THEY'RE UPLOADED TO OUR OUR YOUTUBE SITE OR OUR EXCUSE ME, OUR FACEBOOK PAGE SO PEOPLE CAN GO BACK AND LOOK AT PAST PAST LUNCH AND LEARN PROGRAMS AS WELL.
WELL, THAT'S THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW.
SO IN CASE I DO GET SOME CALLS, WHICH BY THE WAY, I WANT YOU TO KNOW, I REALLY NEVER GET ANY MORE CALLS IN REGARDS TO ANY ISSUES IN THIS DEPARTMENT. AND THAT'S THAT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVE GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
YOU GO TO THE PEOPLE AND THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
[02:45:01]
JUST KIDDING. BECAUSE IT IS IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE AS WELL.AND YOU KNOW, MR. DI, YOU AND I HAVE WORKED EXTENSIVELY ON HELPING COMMUNITIES TO GET RIGHT SIGHTED ABOUT WHAT PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES ARE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.
AND CITIZENS SERVE HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT LEARNING CURVE, AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS WITH THAT. THE ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS EVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT BE HARD TO FIND A LOWE'S ON THIS SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, PLEASE COME TO FARMERS MARKETS.
BOY, THE ONE IN SUPERVISOR GREGORY'S DISTRICT IS FABULOUS AND IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO HAVE COUNTY PRESENCE THERE TO HELP PEOPLE IN OUR MORE RURAL AREAS.
ONE REALIZE THAT THERE IS A DEVELOPMENT SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT REALLY DOES CARE AND PROVIDES I WANT THAT TAPE MEASURE TO AND AND CAN REALLY HELP EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND GET THEM GOING WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, LOOKING AT HOW TO BEGIN THE PROCESS.
AND I JUST WANT TO REITERATE WHAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS SAID.
YOU GUYS DO A FANTASTIC JOB AND IT'S NICE.
IT SHOWS BY THE RESULTS THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED TODAY.
WITH THAT, IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION BY THE BOARD? THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE.
AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A 20 MINUTE BREAK.
95.035.08 5.13 6.016.03 AND 6.05.
[5. Human Resources - Approve revisions to Human Resources Policies and Procedures 1.01, 3.03, 3.04, 3.09, 5.03, 5.08, 5.13, 6.01, 6.03 and 6.05.]
RANDY ROSS. BUTTON.SOME OF THEM ARE VERY MINOR AND SOME OF THEM HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE SUBSTANCE TO THEM.
THE MEMO AND THE POLICIES THAT WERE ATTACHED, THERE WERE A TOTAL OF TEN OF THEM.
I ACTUALLY AM GOING TO REQUEST TO PULL TWO OF THOSE TODAY.
THEY'VE BEEN POSTED FOR EMPLOYEE COMMENT FOR THE LAST 15 WORKING DAYS.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO PULL 5.03, WHICH IS OUR HOLIDAY POLICY AND 6.01, WHICH IS THE ON THE JOB INJURY AND ILLNESS POLICY AND BRING THOSE BACK TO YOU, HOPEFULLY AT THE NEXT MEETING WITH SOME BETTER CLARIFYING, CLARIFYING LANGUAGE IN BOTH OF THOSE POLICIES.
SUPERVISOR BROWN. IT'S NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION ON THE REVISIONS THEMSELVES, BUT YOU ALREADY PUT THIS OUT TO STAFF AND YOU'VE GOTTEN FEEDBACK FROM THEM AND OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS. THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF FEEDBACK POINTING OUT.
IN FACT, ONE I THINK ONE PERSON POINTED OUT SOME TYPOS THAT NEEDED TO BE FIXED, BUT VERY LITTLE FEEDBACK RELATED TO THESE POLICY REVISIONS.
SO NOTHING NEGATIVE THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER.
THERE WAS ONE COMMENT, ALTHOUGH IT WAS AN ANONYMOUS COMMENT.
AND SO I DON'T I WASN'T ABLE TO TALK TO THE PERSON WHO BROUGHT UP A CONCERN ABOUT THE ONE POLICY CHANGE, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH SECTION 1.01.
AND WE ARE CHANGING THE WAY THAT WE POST THEM FOR EMPLOYEE COMMENT.
AND THERE WAS AN ANONYMOUS COMMENT THAT CAME THROUGH EXPRESSING SOME CONCERN ABOUT, WELL, HOW WOULD EMPLOYEES KNOW ABOUT POLICY CHANGES? BUT I WASN'T ABLE TO.
I DON'T KNOW WHO THAT WAS. AND SO I WASN'T ABLE TO TO HAVE A CONVERSATION.
AND CAN WE MOVE FORWARD TODAY OR DO WE HAVE TO WAIT OR IS THE TIME UP FOR THE HEARING? THE THE 15 DAY POSTING NOTIFICATION HAS PASSED.
AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE HERE TODAY FOR APPROVAL.
IMPROVE THOSE REVISIONS OTHER THAN 5.03 AND 6.01 AS LISTED IN THE SECOND.
OH, SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR YOU SECOND.
[02:50:01]
OKAY. WE GOT A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR BROWN AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR MICHAELS.ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION BY THE BOARD? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES.
[6. Library District - The Board of Supervisors will resolve into the Board of Directors of the Yavapai County Free Library District and following consideration of this item, will reconvene as the Board of Supervisors - Approve a one-year extension to an existing agreement with the Prescott Historical Society in the amount of $38,500.00 to partially fund the archivist position at the Sharlot Hall Museum. YC Contract No. 2018-202A5 (District 1 - Supervisor Oberg)]
NUMBER SIX.THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WILL RESOLVE INTO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE YAVAPAI COUNTY FREE LIBRARY DISTRICT AND FOLLOWING CONSIDERATIONS OF THIS ITEM WILL CONVENE AS A BOARD OF SUPERVISORS APPROVE A ONE YEAR EXTENSION TO THE EXISTING AGREEMENT WITH THE PRESCOTT HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN THE AMOUNT OF $38,500 TO PARTIALLY FUND THE ARCHIVIST POSITION AT SHARLOT HALL MUSEUM.
COREY IS GOING TO BE JOINING US IN PRESCOTT OR IN PRESCOTT.
COREY. UH, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
UM, WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY, I BELIEVE, IF MY RECOLLECTION IS CORRECT, SINCE 2008, PARTIALLY FUNDED THE ARCHIVIST POSITION FOR THE ARCHIVES PORTION OF THE SHARLOT HALL MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES.
THE FUNDING OF THIS POSITION DOES ALLOW THEIR PUBLIC ARCHIVES TO BE AVAILABLE FOR USE.
UM, AS IT IS PROPERLY STAFFED BY A MASTER DEGREED ARCHIVIST THAT IS EMPLOYED BY THE BY THE SHARLOT HALL MUSEUM. AND EVERY YEAR WE HAVE THIS INTENTIONALLY SET UP AS A ONE YEAR AGREEMENT, A ONE YEAR EXTENSION TO THE EXISTING AGREEMENT.
SO IT GOES IN FRONT OF THE BOARD SO THAT I'M MADE AVAILABLE FOR ANY COMMENT OR ANY ANY ISSUES THAT THE BOARD MAY HAVE WITH WITH THIS OR ANY OTHER DIRECTION THE BOARD MIGHT LIKE TO GIVE.
SO WITH THAT, I AM OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
I KNOW IT'S BEEN A STRAIGHT UP LEARNING CURVE REGARDING OUR FREE LIBRARY DISTRICT AND THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE WITH THE BUDGET AND THE APPROPRIATIONS TO OUR OUR LIBRARIES.
DOES THIS PARTICULAR FUNDING PIECE CHALLENGE ANY OF THE THINKING THAT WE DID AS A BOARD REGARDING DECISIONS ON SHARING THE DEFICIT WITH OUR OUR INDIVIDUAL LIBRARIES THAT ARE CONCERNED ABOUT SOME OF THE CUTS? IS THIS AN EQUITY ISSUE OR CHALLENGE? HAVE YOU HAD THAT IN THE PAST? AND IF THERE IS ONE THIS YEAR, ARE YOU PREPARED TO ADDRESS THAT? UM. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, SUPERVISOR MICHAELS.
I CAN SAY THAT THIS POSITION WAS ORIGINALLY FUNDED AS A WAY TO KEEP THE ARCHIVIST EMPLOYED AND THE LIBRARY OPEN WHEN THE THE THE RECESSION HIT IN 2008.
AND SINCE THEN, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO HELP FUND THAT POSITION AS PART OF ADDRESSING THE BUDGET CONCERNS OF THE LIBRARY DISTRICT FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR.
WE DID LOWER THE AMOUNT FROM $42,000 TO THE $38,500 REQUESTED IN THE AGREEMENT.
SO WE DID HAVE SHARLOT HALL TAKE A BIT OF A HIT AS WE HAVE THE THE REST OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES WITH THEIR CONTRIBUTION AS WELL.
I HOPE THAT ANSWERS THE SUPERVISOR'S QUESTION ADEQUATELY.
AND IT'S NICE FOR OUR LISTENING AUDIENCE TO HEAR THAT EVERYBODY IS SHARING THIS BELT TIGHTENING THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COREY.
YES, THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN COREY, I JUST WANTED TO ASK, SO I KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING THAT.
WE'RE DOING ALL OF THESE TYPE OF CUTS THIS YEAR GOING FORWARD.
WE'RE LOOKING AT IT NEXT YEAR AS WELL.
AM I CORRECT ON THAT? SO THIS WILL ALSO BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION, I TAKE IT.
THAT WILL BE SINCE THIS IS A YEAR LONG AGREEMENT AND WE HAVE IT RENEWED BY THE BOARD EACH YEAR, IT WILL BE A DISCUSSION ITEM FOR NEXT YEAR, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE BOARD AND IT WILL BE A DISCUSSION WITH THE SHARLOT HALL ARCHIVES AS WELL.
OKAY. WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT.
[02:55:03]
THANK YOU. AND COREY, I HAVE ONE QUESTION.DID YOU SAY THAT THIS WAS APPROVED IN OH EIGHT JUST TO GET THEM THROUGH THE RECESSION PERIOD AND HAS CONTINUED SINCE THEN? THAT IS CORRECT.
GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I GUESS ONE QUESTION I HAVE, AND I DON'T KNOW THIS MIGHT BE FOR OUR BOARD ATTORNEY, IS THIS CONTRIBUTION SUBJECT TO GIFT CLAUSE STATUTE? CHAIRMAN, SUPERVISOR OBERG IT IS NOT.
THERE IS SPECIFIC AUTHORITY FOR THE LIBRARY DISTRICT TO MAKE THIS TYPE OF CONTRIBUTION.
IT'S BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED.
ALSO, COREY, WHO'S PAYING THE OTHER PORTION OF THIS PERSON'S SALARY? IS THAT JUST COMING FROM CHARLOTTE HALL? THAT IS CORRECT.
OKAY. UM, HAS ANYBODY LOOKED AT TALKING TO THE CITY OF PRESCOTT? BECAUSE I THINK THEY GET A LOT OF BENEFIT FROM THE CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTE HALL, MAYBE, AND THE USE OF THE LIBRARY.
I'M NOT SURE WHY THEY'RE NOT SUPPORTING THAT TO SOME EXTENT TO.
UM. I NOBODY HAS LOOKED INTO THAT.
I BELIEVE THEY DO HAVE THEIR OWN FUNDING AS WELL.
SO IT COULD JUST BE THAT JURISDICTION WISE, PEOPLE HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.
UM, OR IT'S NOT BEEN A CONSIDERATION, BUT IT'S, IT'S CERTAINLY NOTHING I'VE LOOKED INTO.
SUPERVISOR BROWN. YEAH, I WAS JUST GOING TO MAKE A COMMENT.
MY WIFE WAS SAT ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR SHARLOT HALL.
AND WHAT THIS DOES GIVE US, AND I'VE TALKED THIS OVER WITH PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBERS AND IT GIVES US THE ACCESS THAT WE MIGHT NEED IN THE COUNTY TO THE HISTORICAL INFORMATION AND OR THINGS THAT ARE AT SHARLOT HALL.
AND I WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT'S HOW WE GOT THE FOUNTAIN DOWN AT THE PLAZA.
THE ONE THAT. RALEIGH, SIMMONS.
SO IT'S JUST A GOOD STIPEND THAT I THINK WE'RE GIVING TO SHARLOT HALL.
AND CHANGE. WHAT ABOUT DOING MAYBE SUSPENDING IT UNTIL THE QUARRY REACHES OUT TO THE CITY OF PRESCOTT TO FIND OUT IF THEY CAN HELP WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING ON THIS? I DON'T KNOW WHAT EVERYONE'S THOUGHTS IS ON THAT, BUT IT DOES BENEFIT THE CITY OF PRESCOTT.
WHAT A BIT TOO. AND WE AGREED TO GET THEM THROUGH 2008 AND WE JUST CONTINUED THE FUNDING AND WE RECOVERED TWOFOLD SINCE 2008.
MR. CHAIRMAN, THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME.
IT'S IT'S NOT THAT WE DON'T WANT TO FUND IT.
IT'S THAT, YOU KNOW, HOLDING IT AS A MORATORIUM UNTIL WE HAVE THIS DISCUSSION WITH THE CITY OF PRESCOTT AND PERHAPS OTHERS.
LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE SOME WORK TO DO.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR AFTERNOON.
OKAY. MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN PUBLIC WORKS.
[7. Public Works - Approve designation of an approximate 7-mile portion of Walker Road from mile posts 0.35 to 7.82 as an official Yavapai County Scenic/Historic Route. (District 5 - Supervisor Mallory)]
APPROVED DESIGNATION OF APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILE PORTION OF WALKER ROAD FROM MILEPOST 0.35 TO 7.82 AS AN OFFICIAL YAVAPAI COUNTY SCENIC HISTORIC ROUTE.I'M DAN CHERRY, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR.
WE'RE HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE YAVAPAI COUNTY SCENIC HISTORIC ROUTE PROGRAM, WHICH IS MAINLY BROUGHT ON BY A RECENT APPLICATION BY BY A GROUP IN THE COMMUNITY OF WALKER ASKING THAT A PORTION OF WALKER ROAD BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM.
SO I HAVE A BRIEF SLIDE SHOW HERE THAT I WANTED TO GO THROUGH, HIT ON A FEW SALIENT POINTS THAT I FEEL ARE NECESSARY TO BRING TO THE BOARD'S ATTENTION, AND THEN WE CAN LOOK FOR A DECISION FROM THE BOARD ON INCLUDING THIS IN.
[03:00:01]
THE THE SCENIC HISTORIC ROUTE PROGRAM WAS ORIGINALLY ESTABLISHED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IN APRIL OF 22,009.AT THAT TIME, THEY THERE WAS A DESIRE TO KIND OF CREATE, I GUESS I CALL IT A LOCAL VERSION OF THE STATE'S PARKWAY SCENIC AND HISTORIC ROADS PROGRAM, LOCAL ROADS THAT ARE OWNED AND OPERATED BY COUNTIES OR CITIES OR WHAT HAVE YOU, REALLY ARE NOT SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO BECOME PART OF THE STATE SYSTEM.
AND THIS WAS THE IMPETUS FOR THIS.
THERE IS A DOCUMENT THAT WAS ADOPTED AND APPROVED BY THE BOARD THAT GIVES GUIDANCE FOR THIS.
AND I BELIEVE ALL OF YOU RECALL THAT THE SPRING WE HAD ASKED EACH ONE OF YOU TO APPOINT A PERSON THAT WOULD BE A MEMBER OF A COMMITTEE THAT WOULD REVIEW THE APPLICATION AND PUT FORTH A RECOMMENDATION ON THAT.
THE FIRST ONE IS PAGE SPRINGS ROAD, ABOUT FIVE MILES OF THAT.
FOR WALKER ROAD SPECIFICALLY, THIS IS THE PAVED PORTION OF WALKER ROAD.
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE UNPAVED PORTION.
HE REPRESENTS THE WALKER COMMUNITY ACTION ALLIANCE GROUP OUT THERE.
THAT WAS A FAIRLY EXTENSIVE APPLICATION THAT CAME IN WELL DOCUMENTED.
IT WAS REVIEWED BY THE COMMITTEE, WHICH I'LL GET TO THAT MOMENTARILY.
BUT BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY PUT FORTH A STRONG ARGUMENT FOR INCLUSION OF THIS.
SOME OF THE HIGH POINTS ARE THAT IT HIT ON OUR SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HISTORICAL AREAS OF OF WALKER REALLY RELATING TO THE EARLY DAYS OF PRESCOTT. THIS INCLUDES A LOT OF THE MINING ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS UP THERE.
THAT INCLUDES THE INFAMOUS POLAR WALK POLAND WALKER TUNNEL.
OF COURSE, THERE WAS THE C.C.C.
CAMP THAT WAS UP IN THAT AREA IN THE 1930S AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF PRESCOTT'S HISTORY.
THERE IS A HISTORIC CHARCOAL KILN THAT WAS OPERATIONAL UP THERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
AND THEN THERE'S A LOT OF PAST CULTURE REMNANTS, ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES, AS WELL AS EVIDENCE OF THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY AND LATE 19TH CENTURY JUST DEVELOPMENT THAT OCCURRED IN THE AREA AS SETTLERS MOVED IN AND WERE OPERATING ON MINING CLAIMS AND WHATNOT IN THE AREA FROM A NATURAL PERSPECTIVE.
MUCH OF THIS SECTION GOES THROUGH THE PRESCOTT NATIONAL FOREST.
IT GOES ALONG, OF COURSE, THE SHORES OF OF LAKES LAKE.
AND THE HIGHLAND CENTER FOR NATURAL HISTORY IS LOCATED JUST OFF WALKER ROAD, WHICH THEY'VE PUT TOGETHER AN AMAZING FACILITY THERE THAT CERTAINLY WAS BROUGHT TO ATTENTION, THE ATTENTION OF THE COMMITTEE BY THIS APPLICATION.
I'VE GOT A MAP HERE SHOWING THE FULL LENGTH ON THE LEFT OF THE SCREEN.
ON THE RIGHT OF THE SCREEN KIND OF ZOOMS IN.
THE LITTLE POINT MARKERS ARE REALLY I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO DETAIL ON THOSE, BUT THOSE WERE ALL THE LOCATIONS THAT WERE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE APPLICATION THAT WERE OF NATURAL OR HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE WITH REGARDS TO THE CONSIDERATION.
THAT IS THE FULL LENGTH OF THE COUNTY SECTION OF MAINTAINED A ROADWAY.
YES. SUPERVISOR BROWN, YOU HAVE A QUESTION? THIS IS NOT A THESE ARE COUNTY ROADS THAT ARE PAVED.
NOT STREETS FROM A TOWN OR HIGHWAYS OF THE STATE.
LET ME FINISH, PLEASE, IF YOU WILL.
WE BROUGHT TOGETHER THE COMMITTEE, WHICH INCLUDES AN APPOINTEE FROM EACH OF THE FIVE DISTRICTS AS WELL AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND A MEMBER OF THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S HOW WE MAKE UP THE SEVEN MEMBER COMMITTEE THAT REVIEWS THIS.
THAT IS ALL PER THE GUIDELINES THAT WERE ADOPTED BY THE BOARD.
THEY EACH REVIEWED THE APPLICATION.
THERE ARE SEVEN CATEGORIES THAT WERE PART OF SCORING, INCLUDING IMPACT OF THE ROUTE ON HISTORICAL OR SORRY, CULTURAL HERITAGE IMPACT OF THE AREA AS IT RELATES TO A HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTION, PROXIMITY TO HISTORICAL AREAS, THE UNIQUENESS OF THE ROUTE, THE VIVIDNESS OF THE ROUTE.
[03:05:03]
THE INTACTNESS OF THE ROOT MEANING THAT ROOT IS NOT BEEN CHANGED OR ALTERED WITH ALIGNMENT CHANGES AND WHATNOT.AND OF COURSE THE UNITY OF THE ROOT IS THE FINAL ONE.
SO WITH SEVEN MEMBERS AND SEVEN CATEGORIES, EACH ONE EACH EACH COMMITTEE MEMBER WOULD RATE 1 TO 7 ON THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, TOTAL OF 49 POINTS TOTAL FOR EACH MEMBER.
THAT GIVES A TOTAL OF 343 TOTAL SCORE ON ON THE ENTIRE COMMITTEE.
THIS SCORED A 302 OUT OF 343 OR FOR 88% IN THE OPINION OF THAT COMMITTEE.
THE I WILL SAY THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT TO BE CONSIDERED IS A SCORE OF 70%.
SO IT'S WELL ABOVE THE THRESHOLD.
I WANTED TO TOUCH ON THIS MOST IMPORTANTLY SO THAT EVERYTHING IS ABOVE THE TABLE.
ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE, WHICH IS THE POWER PROVIDER FOR MUCH OF THIS AREA, IS CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH AN EFFORT TO RELOCATE AN OLD LINE THAT GOES THROUGH THE FOREST IN THAT VICINITY OF WALKER.
APS HAS ALREADY GONE THROUGH SOME DESIGN WORK.
THEY'VE GOTTEN INPUT FROM THE PRESCOTT NATIONAL FOREST AS WELL AS THE COUNTY.
THE IF IF THIS WERE TO BE RELOCATED INTO THE EASEMENT THAT THE COUNTY OPERATES FOR WALKER ROAD, THAT NEW POWER LINE WOULD FALL UNDER OUR FRANCHISE AGREEMENT PROCESS, WHICH, OF COURSE, THEY HAVE A FRANCHISE AGREEMENT ALREADY.
WE DO NOT FORESEE PROBLEMS WITH THAT.
THERE'S NOT A HEARING REQUIRED FOR THE ADDITION OF THIS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO. THE THE INTENT OF APPS FOR THIS PROJECT IS REALLY JUST TO MODERNIZE THE EXISTING LINE.
THE LINE GOES THROUGH A KIND OF A REMOTE SECTION OF THE FOREST THAT'S AWAY FROM ROADS.
IT DOES NOT HAVE GOOD ACCESS TO IT.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO GET IT IN A IN A SPOT THAT IS A LITTLE MORE EASIER TO MAINTAIN.
THE COUNTY WOULD, OF COURSE, CONTINUE MAINTAINING THE ROAD.
SO NOT ONLY ARE THEY GETTING IN A BETTER LOCATION FROM A SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE STANDPOINT, BUT THEY ARE ALSO UPDATING IT WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY.
THEY'VE BEEN IN THE GROUND FOR, IN SOME CASES 100 YEARS, WE ARE TOLD.
AND AND THEN THEY'LL THEY'LL, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S AN ISSUE WITH THEM, THEY CAN RESPOND QUICKLY.
THEY WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME REDUNDANCY WITH THEM SO THAT IF WE HAVE A PROBLEM, IF APS HAS A PROBLEM, THEY CAN GET LINES BACK OPERATIONAL MORE QUICKLY THAN THAN CURRENTLY.
PRESCOTT NATIONAL FOREST HAS REVIEWED THINGS.
THEY ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF IT.
THEY ARE THEY WOULD GRANT AN EASEMENT THAT WOULD BE COINCIDENT WITH THE ROAD EASEMENT WE HAVE AND THEN PROBABLY ABANDON THE EXISTING EASEMENT THAT THE CURRENT LINE IS IN AT THAT SAME TIME.
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT FIRE, AND WE HAVE SOUGHT SOME OPINIONS NOT ONLY FROM FIRE EXPERTS THAT WORK WITH APS, BUT ALSO THOSE WITH THE PRESCOTT NATIONAL FOREST, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS NOT A CONCERN.
WE HAVE BEEN ASSURED THAT IT IS NOT.
AND AND THE ACCESSIBILITY OF IT IS A HUGE ADVANTAGE TO IMPROVING UPON WHAT IS OUT THERE CURRENTLY.
UM, UNDER THE EXISTING PROGRAM FOR THE SCENIC HISTORIC ROUTE, WE HAVE CRITERIA AND STANDARDS THAT ARE TO BE FOLLOWED WHEN IT COMES TO UTILITIES WITHIN THESE CORRIDORS.
THESE THESE ROUTES, IF YOU WILL.
I'VE PUT THEM ON THE SCREEN HERE BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO TO SEE.
BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT IT'S IT NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED ABOUT THE THE POSSIBILITY OF WAIVING THESE REQUIREMENTS IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE BECAUSE WE ARE WE'RE TRYING TO HELP APPS.
MAKE IMPROVEMENTS OUT HERE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, FOR THE BENEFIT OF SAFETY, FOR THE BENEFIT OF DEPENDABILITY, FOR THESE SUPPLY LINES OF ELECTRICITY TO THE WALKER AREA, AND TO PUT ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS ON THEM THAT ARE IN OUR GUIDELINES JUST WITH THE ADOPTION OF A OF A ROUTE INTO THIS PROGRAM, I THINK IS CONCERNING AND AND IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE WITH REGARDS TO WHAT THE INTENT OF SAFETY OUT THERE
[03:10:03]
IS. SO WITH THE WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS? SO WHEN WHEN THESE ARE ADOPTED, THERE'S A LIST OF.THERE ARE EXPECTATIONS THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF SIGNAGE IN THESE AREAS THAT TAKES AWAY FROM THE SCENIC PROPERTIES OF THE OF THE ROUTE WHEN IT'S WHEN IT'S ADOPTED. BUT IT DOES NOT TAKE AWAY THE COUNTY'S ABILITY TO MAKE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS OR CAPACITY IMPROVEMENTS OR THINGS LIKE THAT ALONG A CORRIDOR.
IN FACT, IT'S RIGHT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR AGENDA ITEM TODAY, AS WELL AS AT THE BOTTOM OF OUR APPROVED DOCUMENT THAT THAT THAT THAT WITH THE ADOPTION OF THIS INTO THE PROGRAM, THE COUNTY STILL MAINTAINS ANY IMPROVEMENTS OR MAINTAINS THE NEED TO DO ANY IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE HEALTH SAFETY WELFARE OF OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
WE DO INSTALL SIGNS WHEN THIS IS ADOPTED.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE SIGN THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE BOARD IN 2009.
FAIRLY BASIC, BUT IT DOES CALL SOME ATTENTION TO IT.
SO WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT THIS BE ADOPTED.
AND AND I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE NOTE THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING A STIPULATION AS PART OF THE ADOPTION FOR THE SEVEN MILE STRETCH, THAT THE UTILITY PROJECTS ALONG THIS ROUTE THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR REDUNDANCY AND SAFETY DUE TO INCREASED DEMAND OF THE REGION SHALL NOT BE AFFECTED BY THIS APPROVED DESIGNATION. SO I'M THROWING OUT THAT OUT THERE FOR CONSIDERATION BY THIS BOARD.
AND WITH THAT, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSS THE MATTER.
SUPERVISOR MALLORY, THIS IS YOUR DISTRICT.
SUPERVISOR BROWN DID MAKE A MOTION.
SO HOW DOES SUPERVISOR BROWN, DID YOU WANT TO WITHDRAW YOUR WITHDRAW THAT? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
YEAH. SO, UM, I THE COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER.
THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET A DESIGNATION HERE, AND I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
SO I'D BE GLAD TO GO FORWARD WITH THE MOTION ON THIS ITEM.
A MOTION TO APPROVE ADOPTION OF A SEVEN MILE SEGMENT OF WALKER ROAD INTO YAVAPAI COUNTY SCENIC AND HISTORIC ROUTE PROGRAM WITH THE STIPULATION THAT UTILITY PROJECTS ALONG THE ROUTE THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR REDUNDANCY AND SAFETY DUE TO INCREASED DEMAND TO THE REGION REGION SHALL NOT BE AFFECTED BY THIS DESIGNATION.
I WOULD SECOND THAT, MR. CHAIRMAN, BUT I HAVE A QUESTION TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE VISUAL IMPACT OF POLES RATHER THAN BURYING THESE LINES, PARTICULARLY IN A SCENIC AREA.
CERTAINLY SO. AND AND THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED.
SO WHAT APS HAS RECOMMENDED IS THAT IF THE COMMUNITY OF WALKER WOULD LIKE TO SEE THOSE BURIED, THEY CAN ESTABLISH A DISTRICT TO RAISE THE FUNDS TO, YOU KNOW, CHARGE ASSESSMENTS FOR THOSE AND USE THOSE FUNDS THEN TO CONVERT THAT TO SUBGRADE IN THE FUTURE AT SOME POINT. BUT APS IS NOT GOING TO WAIT AROUND ON THEIR PROJECT.
THEY FEEL THIS IS A CRITICAL NEED AT THIS TIME.
OKAY. WE GOT A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR MALLORY.
A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR MICHAELS.
JAMIE, DO WE HAVE SOMEBODY IN PRESCOTT THAT WISHES TO SPEAK IN REFERENCE TO THIS MATTER? YES, SIR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
I HAVE THE APPLICANT PRESENT, RICHARD TWO-PACK, WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD.
OKAY. THANKS. UM, FIRST OF ALL, I'M GLAD THAT THE BOARD IS APPROVING THE SCENIC ROUTE, BUT AFTER ALL OF WE'VE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH APS ON THE POWER POLES, AND WE ARE DEFINITELY WAY AGAINST THE NEW POWER POLES GOING DOWN WALKER ROAD.
THAT'S NOT THE ONLY POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE FOR PUTTING IN NEW POWER LINES.
[03:15:01]
UM, APS SAYS THAT IT'S GOING TO COST A LOT OF MONEY, BUT THERE IS NO OFFICIAL COST STUDY PERFORMED.THE OTHER THING IS WALKER ROAD IS OUR ONLY AND WE HAD A MEETING WITH APS ON THIS AND CAN GET THE MEETING MINUTES FOR THE BOARD, BUT THAT IS OUR ONLY EVACUATION ROUTE OUT OF WALKER IS THE PAVED WALKER ROAD.
WE HAD A MEETING AND THEY EVEN THE PUBLIC WORKS ROAD GUYS WERE THERE AND THEY AGREED THAT THERE IS NO OTHER ACCEPTABLE ROUTE OUT OF WALKER ROAD. IF THE WALKER ROAD POWER LINES SPARKED A WILDFIRE AND SHUT DOWN OUR EVACUATION ROUTE.
SO THIS IS MUCH IT'S UNDER CONTROVERSY AND THERE'S THERE WAS NO MEETING THAT SAID THAT WE COULD MAKE A DISTRICT AND YOU KNOW, PAY FOR IT AND THAT STUFF. THAT'S ALL ASSUMED.
WALKER RESIDENTS ARE FULLY AGAINST OVERHEAD POWER LINES GOING DOWN WALKER ROAD.
CURRENTLY JUST PICKED WALKER ROAD BECAUSE IT WAS THE EASIEST AND.
UH, MOST ACCESSIBLE FOR THEM, NOT FOR US.
OKAY WITH THAT? WE HAVE A SUPERVISOR BROWN.
WE'RE NOT HERE TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE.
THAT'S A SEPARATE ISSUE, IS IT NOT? THAT IS CORRECT. THAT IS AN ISSUE THAT IS THAT IS, IN OUR OPINION, BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY OF WALKER AND APPS.
DECISION THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE.
WE ARE JUST TRYING TO STAY OUT OF BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TWO MATTERS AT THIS PART.
WHY IS IT PART OF THE PROPOSAL THEN, SIR? YOU HAD YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK FOR THREE MINUTES.
SO HOW WOULD THE PEOPLE OF WALKER GO ABOUT HAVING THIS APPROACH TO APPS IN REGARDS TO ISSUE? IF WE APPROVE, THIS OBVIOUSLY WON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO.
CERTAINLY I TOUCHED ON IT BEFORE.
IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS UNDERGROUND.
THERE ARE AVENUES THERE EXPLAINED ON APPS WEBSITE FOR THE FAQ RELATED TO THIS PROJECT.
IT IS VERY CLEAR WHAT THE AVENUES ARE FOR THEM TO GET THIS UNDERGROUND, BUT APPS IS NOT INTERESTED IN IN FOOTING THE COST FOR PUTTING THEM UNDERGROUND THEMSELVES.
AT THIS POINT. THEY SHOULD CALL APPS AND OR CALL THEIR SUPERVISOR, CORRECT? POTENTIALLY. SO, YES.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE OTHER ACCESS EMERGENCY ACCESS OUT THERE ARE NOT IDEAL, THEY'RE NOT PAVED, BUT CERTAINLY THERE IS ACCESS OUT TO THE TWO SENATOR HIGHWAY WITH REGARDS TO A ROUTE THAT THE COUNTY MAINTAINS.
IT'S VERY NARROW ALONG HASSAYAMPA.
OKAY. THE OTHER IS BIG BUG, MESA ROAD.
AGAIN, IT IS NOT WELL MAINTAINED.
MALLORY. UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE'S A COUPLE OF OTHER AREAS THAT WE HAVE DONE THIS WITH, AND I TAKE IT THERE'S BEEN UTILITIES PROCESSED THROUGH THOSE OTHER ROUTES PRIOR TO YOU MAKING IT THIS IN A HISTORIC ROUTE OR SCENIC ROUTE IN THOSE AREAS AS WELL? I, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE JURISDICTION OVER UTILITY COMPANIES.
YEAH. CERTAINLY THE GUIDELINES THAT THE PROGRAM HAS, THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY REQUIREMENTS.
IT'S IT'S MORE GIVING THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AN ADVANTAGE JUST TO TO, YOU KNOW, TALK WITH THE UTILITY COMPANIES TO FIND METHODS THAT ARE MAYBE SOFTENING OF THE IMPACTS OF THE UTILITIES GOING IN THERE.
[03:20:01]
SO THEY BLEND IN BETTER WITH THE THE TERRAIN AND THE TREES INSTEAD OF A SHINY, GALVANIZED POLL, IF YOU WILL.THEY ARE APS IS ALREADY DOING THAT.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE FOREST ASKED THEM TO DO.
AND SO THAT IS ALREADY BEING ACCOUNTED FOR TO THAT DEGREE AS WELL.
THANK YOU. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ANY OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
THANK YOU. AND WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO HEARINGS.
[ HEARINGS]
COURTESY HEARING TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED FIRE OR LET ME BACK UP.COURTESY HEARING TO DISCUSS PROPOSED SPECIAL DISTRICT FEE SCHEDULE FOR 2324.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN AND BOARD.
SO EACH YEAR THE COUNTY IS REQUIRED TO ADOPT A FEE SCHEDULE FOR THE USE OF SERVICES OF THE COUNTY BY SPECIAL DISTRICTS AND THE INCREASES AND DECREASES ON THE FORM THAT YOU SAW THAT WERE ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA ARE BASED ON CALCULATIONS DONE BY THE COUNTY FINANCE DIRECTOR IN RELATION TO THE 2324 BUDGET PROPOSALS.
SO TODAY WE HAVE A COURTESY HEARING.
THERE IS NO NEED FOR A VOTE, BUT I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
ANY QUESTIONS BY THE BOARD SUPERVISOR? BROWN JUST FOR THE PUBLIC'S SAKE.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE INCREASED THESE FEES? THE FEES ARE INCREASED EVERY YEAR AT THIS TIME.
SO THIS OCCURS ANNUALLY? YES. AND YOU REASSESS THE COSTS EVERY YEAR.
WE DO REASSESS THEM AND THE ACTUAL REIMBURSEMENT SCHEDULE DOES NOT EXCEED ACTUAL COSTS FOR THOSE SERVICES. WELL, THEN HOW DOES SOME OF THESE GO DOWN? I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW THEY GO UP, BUT HOW DO THEY GO DOWN? WELL, THEY ARE BASED ON THE CALCULATIONS FROM THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT ON ON FEES THAT ARE CHARGED FOR EMPLOYEES.
SO THERE COULD HAVE BEEN FEWER ACTUAL EMPLOYEES IN A DEPARTMENT.
ANYONE ELSE? BUT CHAIRMAN YES, I CAN PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF CLARITY.
SO THE EXPLANATION I WAS GIVEN WAS TWOFOLD.
ONE, WE HAD OUR RANGES, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE SALARY SURVEY DONE SINCE THESE WERE COMPUTED LAST TIME, WHICH WERE LAST APRIL I BELIEVE, WHICH AFFECTED THE SALARY SCALES FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS, OF COURSE, BUT IN PARTICULAR THESE TWO AND ALSO AND PROBABLY MORE IMPORTANTLY IN PRIOR YEARS, WE HAD SOME COST. OUR COST ALLOCATION PLAN ADDRESSED ITS DIFFERENTLY THAN IT DID THIS YEAR.
SO THAT WAS ANOTHER IMPACT CAUSING THOSE TO ACTUALLY DECREASE.
[ STUDY SESSION]
MOVING ON TO STUDY SESSION BOARD OF SUPERVISORS DISCUSSION REGARDING FISCAL YEAR 2023 2024 BUDGET.AND THAT WOULD BE MR. THOMPSON.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
AS I TALKED TO THE BUDGET MANAGER THIS WEEK, I THINK WE CAN BE BRIEF THIS WEEK.
I THINK IN THE THE BECAUSE OF OUR TIME CONSTRAINTS HERE TODAY, WE CAN FOREGO THOSE SLIDES.
WHAT I DO NEED TO VISIT WITH YOU ABOUT IS KIND OF THOSE FINAL ODDS AND ENDS OF THE BUDGET TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF THOSE AS WE PREPARE THAT TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR YOUR REVIEW AT OUR NEXT MEETING.
[03:25:01]
IF WE DO THAT FOR A FLOOD CONTROL, WHICH HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED NOW THAT ELIMINATING THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE OVERHEAD PAYBACK TO THE COUNTY OF $559,000, WE CAN REDUCE THEIR TRANSFER OF 1.25 TO $690,000.SO WHAT'S THE IMPACT OF THAT ALLOWS MORE MONEY TO ACTUALLY GO TO FLOOD PROJECTS? AND AS WE JUST HEARD DURING OUR PRESENTATION FROM THE AUDITOR, OUR CASH AND RESERVE POSITION IS VERY STRONG.
LYNN WHITMAN IS HERE TODAY AND CAN ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THAT AS WELL.
AND I MIGHT ADD, THE BUDGET MANAGER IS IN PRESCOTT AND READY TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS AS WELL.
SECOND ITEM WAS IN RECORDER OFFICE AND VOTER REGISTRATION.
WE HAD A SORTA EQUIPMENT AND LICENSES OF $243,000 THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT.
WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THOSE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE COSTS UNDER THE RECORDER SURCHARGE FUND.
SO WE NEED TO MOVE THAT CAPITAL EQUIPMENT REQUEST TO VOTER REGISTRATION IN THE GENERAL FUND.
WE HAD SOME TIMING ISSUES THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF.
ORIGINAL BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR WAS $2.9 MILLION FOR FLEET THAT WAS REDUCED BY $560,000 DUE TO THAT RECENT CHEVY TAHOE PURCHASE THAT GIL BROUGHT FORWARD ON THE APRIL 19TH AGENDA.
WE HAVE ESTIMATED CARRYOVERS OF $475,000.
NEXT WAS THE GLASFORD HILL OR GLASFORD DELLS REGIONAL PARK.
NOW OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THAT THAT THE BOARD HAS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED, JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT THE PLAN THERE WAS TO USE OUR LOCAL ASSISTANCE AND TRIBAL CONSISTENCY FUND OR TCF.
WE HAVE $6.5 MILLION AS A PLACEHOLDER IN THAT FUND.
OUR REQUIRED COSTS ARE ABOUT $1.8 MILLION.
SO AGAIN, JUST A REMINDER THAT THAT WAS THE PLAN TO FUND THAT.
NEXT ITEM IS IN JUVENILE PROBATION, HAVE A TO ACTUALLY RECLASSIFICATION REQUEST HERE.
OKAY. SO LAST KIND OF ODDS AND ENDS TRULY HERE WITH THESE TWO ITEMS. OUR TRAVEL POLICY, I BELIEVE, IS THE BOARD IS AWARE.
WE'VE HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE'RE MANAGING OUR TRAVEL.
THIS IS NOT IN POLICY, BY THE WAY.
IT'S JUST MAYBE NOT EVEN PROCEDURE.
WE'VE HAD A PRACTICE HOW WE DO THIS, AND THAT IS THE USE OF OUR EXHIBIT SIX.
SO WE NEED TO DO SOME WORK ON THAT ON OUR TRAVEL POLICY IN GENERAL.
SO I'VE GOT A PROPOSAL THAT I'D LIKE TO MAKE TODAY FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION UNTIL THE FINANCE DIRECTOR AND I CAN COME BACK WITH YOU WITH A NEW TRAVEL POLICY, WE WOULD LIKE THE FLEXIBILITY TO MANAGE WHAT YOU'VE APPROVED FOR TRAVEL IN THE BUDGET TO THAT BOTTOM LINE NUMBER AND NOT BE HELD TO THE SPECIFICS OF THE EXHIBIT SIX.
QUITE FRANKLY, IT'S CAUSING SOME CONSTERNATION IN MANY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING OURS, ABOUT REALLY TYING OUR HANDS, NEEDING TO PLAN MONTHS IN ADVANCE FOR SOME THINGS THAT WE DON'T KNOW ARE GOING TO OCCUR.
AND THEN WHO WANTS TO GO MAY CHANGE SLIGHTLY.
FINANCE HAS TAKEN A VIEW, AND I WON'T SUGGEST INAPPROPRIATELY ALWAYS DOING THEIR DUE DILIGENCE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING OUR OWN PROCEDURES WHEN IT COMES TO OUR AUDIT AND MAKING SURE WE'RE COMPLIANT.
BUT THEY HAVE VIEWED THAT THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN TO THE TO THE LINE OF THOSE EXHIBIT SIX'S, AGAIN, CAUSING US SOME PROBLEMS ACROSS THE BOARD.
AGAIN, WHAT I'M ASKING IS JUST SOME FLEXIBILITY UNTIL WE CAN BRING THAT NEW POLICY BEFORE YOU AGAIN ADHERING TO THE BUDGET, THAT NUMBER THAT YOU'VE AUTHORIZED TO BE SPENT, BUT PROVIDING US A LITTLE FLEXIBILITY.
MORE. THIS WILL APPLY TO ALL DEPARTMENTS.
SUPERVISOR YEAH. SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, I'VE HEARD REPEATED CONCERNS ABOUT HOW WE'RE MANAGING TRAVEL.
AND I THINK AS WE'VE STARTED THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WE NEED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES.
AND AGAIN, NOT TALKING ABOUT INCREASING SPENDING, BUT JUST HOW WE IMPLEMENT WHAT YOU'VE APPROVED.
HOW SOON DO YOU THINK WE'D BE LOOKING AT THIS? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT NEXT BUDGET SEASON?
[03:30:02]
NO, NO. MY MY GOAL IN TALKING WITH CONNIE IS TO HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU SOMETIME THIS SUMMER.AND THAT'S WHY I'M BRINGING IT TO YOU NOW FOR THIS.
SO I'M UNLESS COUNCIL DIRECTS ME.
OTHERWISE, THIS IS NOT IT'S NOT IN POLICY.
SO JUST SOME GENERAL INDICATION THAT.
THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH YOUR DIRECTION TO HEAD IN THAT AND DOWN THAT PATH.
I THINK WE'RE GOOD. I DON'T HAVE ANY ISSUES.
THANK YOU. AND LAST ITEM THAT I WOULD MENTION TO YOU, JUST KIND OF FORECASTING AHEAD.
OUR RESERVE POSITION IS VERY STRONG, WHICH IS GREAT NEWS.
AS YOU KNOW, OUR PROBLEM HERE IS EXPENDITURE LIMIT.
WE ARE NOT ALONE. THERE'S A HANDFUL OF OTHER COUNTIES IN THE STATE IN THE SAME SITUATION.
SO LOOKING AT WHAT WE NEED TO DO, WHAT ARE THE RULES AROUND EXPENDITURE LIMITS? AND IF WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT ADJUSTING THAT, HOW DO WE GO ABOUT THAT? SO JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT ON YOUR ON YOUR AGENDA AS WE BEGIN TO LOOK AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR.
AND WITH THAT, CHAIRMAN, THAT CONCLUDES MY MY REMARKS.
THANK YOU, MARIE. YOU'RE WELCOME.
ANY FURTHER COMMENT, SUPERVISOR BROWN? YEAH, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE THINGS THAT MARIE HAS SAID, AND THERE'S JUST ONE ADJUSTMENT THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, IT HAS TO DO WITH THE 19. BACK IN 20 1314, WE DID ALLOCATE $19,000 TO BE GIVEN AS A DONATION TO THE ARIZONA WILDFIRE ACADEMY AND REMEMBRANCE OF THE 19 THAT PERISHED.
AND I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF ANOTHER WAY WHERE WE COULD PROBABLY AFTER TEN YEARS, COULD PROBABLY THINK ABOUT BUMPING THAT UP A LITTLE SO WE CAN INCLUDE MORE FIREMEN IN THE IN THE PROCESS.
AND SO I WAS THINKING THAT WE WOULD MAKE A DONATION OF AN ADDITIONAL 19,000.
I'M TRYING TO KEEP THE WORD 19.
AND AS A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE BY US.
SO FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, I'M IN SUPPORT OF THAT AND WE CAN FIT THAT INTO THE BUDGET.
IT SEEMS REASONABLE. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY.
THANK YOU ALL. DO WE NEED A MOTION ON THAT OR ANYTHING, OR.
NO. WITH THIS DIRECTION, WE WILL PREPARE THAT AS PART OF THE TENTATIVE BUDGET.
INCLUDE IT ALL, AND THEN YOU'LL VOTE TO APPROVE OR NOT THAT.
WELL, GOOD, BECAUSE I'D LIKE IT KNOWN PUBLICLY THAT THIS BOARD MOVED THAT WAY.
MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
DAVID ROACH, YAVAPAI COUNTY SHERIFF, I HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO KEEP THIS TO TWO HOURS.
I'M JUST KIDDING. WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS PRETTY QUICK.
TODAY I WANTED TO THIS WAS A REQUEST OF MINE TO PRESENT TO THE BOARD PUBLICLY ABOUT NOW THAT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE FACILITY IS MOSTLY COMPLETE, THERE'S STILL LITTLE THINGS THAT THEY'RE TIDYING UP AND THINGS ARE GETTING DONE ON THE PUNCH LIST.
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO BE USING THIS IN FULL TILT AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES? AND SO I'VE INVITED CAPTAIN ERIC STUMP HERE TODAY.
AND IN JUST A MINUTE, HE'S GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PHASED OPENING OF THE FACILITY AS FAR RELATED TO THE JAIL PORTION OF IT AND HOW MANY STAFF THAT WE NEED FOR EACH ONE OF THEM.
AND THEN I'M GOING TO HAVE DIRECTOR SAMANTHA RUSSELL COME UP AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ALL THE RECRUITMENT EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE MADE AND KIND OF WHERE THAT'S AT, BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY, WE REALLY DON'T HAVE THE STAFF AT THIS MOMENT TO OPERATE THE FACILITY AT FULL TILT, AND THERE ARE SOME REASONS FOR THAT.
SO IN 2021, AFTER I TOOK OFFICE OF SHERIFF, WE UNDERWENT A STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION AND IDENTIFIED WHAT THE PHASED OPENING OF THE FACILITY WOULD LOOK LIKE AND HOW MANY PERSONNEL THAT WE WOULD ACTUALLY NEED AT WHAT TIME WE MADE
[03:35:07]
PRESENTATIONS TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.THOSE PRESENTATIONS WERE ADOPTED AND FUNDED AS REQUESTED BY ME.
EVERYTHING WAS IN PLACE FOR US TO HIRE, TRAIN, GET PEOPLE READY TO GO.
WE WERE PLANNING ON OPENING THE JAIL OR THE GRAND OPENING WOULD BE SOMETIME IN THE FALL OF 2022.
SO THE PLANS TO OPEN THE FACILITY IN THE FALL OF 2022 KIND OF BLEW UP AND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
SO WHY NOT? THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS.
THIS IS A NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE FOR PEOPLE WORKING IN PUBLIC SAFETY, PARTICULARLY IN CORRECTIONS.
WE'RE DEALING EVERY AGENCY IS DEALING WITH THIS EVERYWHERE.
WE DID PUT A NUMBER OF STRATEGIES IN PLACE RELATED TO RECRUITMENT AND RETAINING.
AND IT'S HELPING WITH RECRUITMENT.
ALSO, WE WERE ABLE TO GET HIRING AND RETENTION BONUSES FUNDED BY THE ARIZONA LEGISLATURE.
BUT I'M GOING TO INVITE CAPTAIN STUMP UP HERE RIGHT NOW TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THIS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE AND WHAT A POTENTIAL TIMELINE COULD BE. MR. CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'LL BE PRESENTING AN OVERVIEW OF OUR PLAN USING A PHASED APPROACH TO OPEN THIS FACILITY.
THE PHASED APPROACH IS A BALANCE BETWEEN STAFFING LEVELS AND OUR CAPACITY TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE POTENTIAL THAT THE FACILITY IS DESIGNED FOR. A FEW THINGS THAT I WANT TO GO OVER BEFORE WE GET INTO THE THE PHASE PORTION OF IT.
NUMBER ONE, THE STAFFING THAT WAS PROPOSED AND APPROVED AT THE CUSTODY LINE LEVEL AND FIRST LINE SUPERVISOR POSITIONS AND THAT TOTAL 77 POSITIONS FOR THOSE ROLES AND THOSE INCLUDE NEW AND EXISTING POSITIONS.
A QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE TRAINING LOOKS LIKE WHEN A RECRUIT BEGINS THE ACADEMY.
SO THAT KIND OF GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A TIME FRAME ON WHAT IT TAKES TO TRAIN SOMEBODY TO WHERE THEY'RE DOING THE JOB WITHOUT A TRAINER EVALUATING AND BEING WITH THEM AT THEIR SIDE DURING THEIR THEIR DAILY OPERATIONS.
SO AS WE GO THROUGH THE PHASED OPENING, A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANT TO POINT OUT.
SO FOR PHASE ONE, AS YOU SEE, THERE'S A BASIC FLOOR PLAN AND THE HIGHLIGHTED AREA REPRESENTS THE INTENDED AREA THAT WILL BE USED DURING PHASE ONE. SO THE SERVICES THAT WE PLAN TO PROVIDE DURING PHASE ONE IS THE SAME SERVICES THAT WE'RE PROVIDING AT THE GURLEY STREET FACILITY, AND THOSE STAFF WILL BE TRANSFERRED OVER TO USE IN PHASE ONE.
SO PHASE ONE COVERS INTAKE OF NEW ARRESTS, COURT SERVICES, OUR OFFICERS BRINGING FOLKS TO AND FROM COURT ON A DAILY BASIS, AND THEN ALSO THE FRONT LOBBY FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE BUSINESS TO DO WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AT THIS LOCATION FOR THEM TO CHECK INTO.
THE TOTAL STAFF MEMBERS FOR THE LINE LEVEL AND FIRST LINE SUPERVISORS IN THOSE ROLES IS 24 MEMBERS.
AND THOSE ARE READY TO BEGIN JULY 17TH, WHICH IS IN CONCERT WITH THE COURT'S PLANNING FOR BEING IN THAT BUILDING AND STARTING TO USE THE COURT FUNCTIONS.
WE HAVE 11 HOLDING CELLS IN THE INTAKE AREA, WHICH COMPARED TO OUR CURRENT OPERATION IN VERDE AND AS WELL AS THE OLD FACILITY IN GURLEY STREET, THERE WAS ONLY THREE CELLS IN THE INTAKE AREA IN EACH OF THOSE FACILITIES WHERE NOW WE HAVE 11.
SO THERE'S A LOT MORE FLEXIBILITY AND OPTIONS TO USE THAT SPACE.
[03:40:06]
NEXT MOVING INTO PHASE TWO.BUT MEDICAL OUR MEDICAL VENDOR WOULD MOVE IN FULL FUNCTION FOR THAT SPACE AT THE SAME TIME.
THE SERVICES THAT WE WOULD INCREASE IS THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO ACCEPT ALL OF THE SAME REQUESTS THAT VERDI NOW ACCEPTS BECAUSE WE HAVE MEDICAL STAFF THAT ARE THERE AND WE ALSO HAVE THE PROPER STAFFING LEVELS TO HANDLE COMBATIVE PEOPLE AND PEOPLE THAT NEED TO FIGHT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THE BED SPACE FOR MEDICAL IS 16 BEDS.
THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL TO THE PHASE ONE.
IT'S TEN IN ADDITION TO PHASE TWO.
PHASE ONE. SO A TOTAL OF 34 TOTAL.
THIS IS GOING TO BRING ON OUR VENDOR FOR KITCHEN SERVICES AS WELL AS USING INMATE WORKERS TO PROVIDE AND PREPARE MEALS IN THE KITCHEN AND TO DO THE LAUNDRY FUNCTION OF THE FACILITY.
THERE'S NO INCREASE TO HOUSING SPACE IN PHASE THREE.
PHASE THREE COULD COINCIDE WITH PHASE TWO, DEPENDING ON IF OUR VENDORS PREPARED TO MOVE IN AT THAT TIME, AS WELL AS OUR STAFFING LEVELS. MOVING INTO PHASE FOUR, WE WOULD BEGIN USING THE HOUSING UNIT.
AGAIN, THIS WOULD BE AN INCREASE OF TEN PERSON OR TEN STAFF MEMBERS TO BEGIN OPERATIONS IN PHASE FOUR, AND OUR BED SPACE WOULD INCREASE TO 78 BEDS, WHICH WOULD BE HALF OF THE HOUSING UNIT.
MOVING INTO PHASE FIVE, AGAIN, THIS IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER TEN STAFF TO OPERATE IN PHASE FIVE.
AND THAT BRINGS OUR TOTAL TO 56.
AND IF I CAN BRING YOU BACK TO THE FIRST NUMBER OF STAFFING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STAFFING THAT WE ASKED FOR TO OPERATE THE LINE LEVEL AND FIRST LINE SUPERVISOR POSITIONS WAS 77.
SO THIS IS MINIMUM STAFFING TO SAFELY OPERATE THIS SPACE AND THAT WITH 56 POSITIONS BEING FILLED, THAT WOULD LEAVE US WITH 21 VACANCIES FOR THIS FACILITY.
OH, AND THAT WOULD BRING OUR BED SPACE UP TO 154IN THE HOUSING UNIT, 16IN MEDICAL, AND THEN THE 11 CELLS THAT ARE IN INTAKE. SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO SAMANTHA RUSSELL.
BEFORE. BEFORE CAPTAIN STUMP LEAVES, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PART OF THE PRESENTATION? SO WOULD YOU ENTER EACH STAGE AS YOU GOT THE STAFFING TO STAFF IT? YES. SO WE'LL CONSTANTLY BE BEING WE WILL CONSTANTLY BE EVALUATING WHAT OUR STAFFING LEVELS ARE AND HOW WE CAN BEST USE THE SPACE THAT'S THERE. SO IF WE SEE THAT WE'RE EFFICIENTLY USING AND WE DON'T NEED AS MANY STAFF AS WE'VE PLANNED FOR, THEN WE'RE GOING TO READJUST AND EVALUATE THEN.
BUT STAFFING IS THE MAIN FOCUS POINT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION.
OKAY. ANY OF THAT ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS FROM VICE-CHAIR OBERG ARE YOU PLANNING ON USING INMATES IN THE KITCHEN AS KITCHEN HELP? VICE CHAIR YES, WE ARE.
WE USE INMATE WORKERS AND THEY HAVE TO MEET A CERTAIN CRITERIA.
BUT DO YOU THINK THAT'S GOING TO OCCUR HERE WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT BASICALLY TEN DAY STAYS? SO IT WOULD BE TEN DAY STAYS FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION FOR OUR INMATES.
BUT SINCE VERDE AND PRESCOTT ARE GOING TO SHARE THE SAME INMATES, IF THERE'S INMATES THAT ARE IN VERDE THAT WOULD QUALIFY, THEN WE WOULD MOVE THEM OVER TO FACILITATE THIS FUNCTION.
[03:45:02]
OKAY, THANKS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SUPERVISOR BROWN. THIS IS STRICTLY A MANPOWER SITUATION.THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BUDGET AND OR ANYTHING ELSE.
SUPERVISOR YES, THAT I WOULD SAY THAT'S CORRECT.
REASON I'M ASKING THIS IS FOR THE PUBLIC, SO.
THANK YOU. SO I WILL ASK SAMANTHA RUSSELL TO COME UP NOW AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE RECRUITMENT FOR SOME OF THE NUMBERS THAT WE'VE SEEN, SOME OF THE DEPARTURES, A FEW THINGS LIKE THAT, AND THEN I'LL WRAP IT UP.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN GREGORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M SAMANTHA RUSSELL, DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
BEFORE I ACTUALLY GET INTO THE NUMBERS OF HIRING AND TESTING, I WANT TO KIND OF TAKE A STEP BACK AND DISCUSS WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS DURING THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS AND THE HIRING PROCESS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS BECAUSE DETENTION OFFICER IS A UNIQUE POSITION.
IT'S NOT YOUR TYPICAL ENTRY LEVEL POSITION.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SPECIFIC SKILL SET IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS POSITION.
DAILY. THEY GO THROUGH THESE APPLICATIONS.
THEY ASSESS THEM TO SEE IF A PERSON IS QUALIFIED AND THEY ARE CONSTANTLY MAKING PHONE CALLS TO PEOPLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS TO GET THEM SCHEDULED FOR TESTING IF THEY DON'T FEEL THEY'RE A GOOD FIT FOR THE POSITION, WE TRY TO FIND ANOTHER POSITION WITHIN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE OR ADVISE THEM TO GO ON TO THE COUNTY WEBSITE AND SEE IF THERE'S ANOTHER POSITION WITHIN THE COUNTY THAT MAY SUIT THEM.
IF THEY ARE INTERESTED IN THE POSITION, WE IMMEDIATELY TRY TO SET THEM UP FOR RETESTING.
WE NOTIFY THEM WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE.
IF THEY NEED ASSISTANCE WITH GETTING TO THOSE PHYSICAL STANDARDS, WE WILL ASSIST THEM WITH THAT.
AND THEN ONCE THAT IS DONE, WE ACTUALLY.
BEGIN THE BACKGROUND PROCESS AT THAT TIME.
SO THE BACKGROUND PROCESS IS NOT DELAYED WAITING FOR SOMEBODY TO ACTUALLY TEST FOR THE POSITION.
WE BEGIN THE BACKGROUND PROCESS TO HELP INCREASE THE TIME FOR HIRING, AND I WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE ONE OF THE GREAT IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY MADE IS WE'VE ACTUALLY MOVED FROM.
PROCESSING A BACKGROUND FROM THREE MONTHS TO 28 DAYS WITH THOSE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE.
BACKGROUND WITH THAT CONSTANT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EMPLOYEE.
ONCE WE GET THEM SIGNED UP FOR TESTING, WE REACH OUT TO THEM ONCE AGAIN BEFORE TESTING TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS IF THEY NEED ANY ASSISTANCE ONCE THEY'RE AT TESTING. IF THEY'RE NOT DOING WELL, WE TRY TO GET THEM INTO ANOTHER POSITION.
OKAY, SO MOVING FORWARD, LET'S DISCUSS DETENTION OFFICER TESTING.
SO I PULLED NUMBERS FROM 2021 TO 2023 SO YOU COULD SEE KIND OF A THREE YEAR DIFFERENCE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, RECEIVING APPLICATIONS IS NOT OUR CHALLENGE.
WE'RE RECEIVING PLENTY OF APPLICATIONS.
AND IF YOU CAN SEE HERE, ONCE WE GET THOSE.
PEOPLE. YOU CAN SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE WE ACTUALLY HAD SCHEDULED.
WHEN I SAY SCHEDULED, THAT MEANS HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAID, YES, I AM INTERESTED.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAD 302 PEOPLE SCHEDULED OUT OF THE 607 APPLICATIONS OVER THREE YEARS.
AND OF THAT 50%, OUR NEXT CHALLENGE IS, OKAY, IT'S TESTING DAY.
ONLY ABOUT 50% OF THOSE ACTUALLY SHOW UP.
WHAT WE DO IN TURN AFTER THAT IS WE ONCE AGAIN REACH OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO DID NOT SHOW UP FOR THE TESTING AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY OTHER RESOURCES WE CAN PROVIDE THEM TO GET THEM READY FOR THE NEXT TESTING.
OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS NOT RECEIVING RESPONSES FROM PEOPLE WE CALL AND THEM JUST NOT SHOWING UP.
AND WE ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE FACT THAT IT IS A DIFFICULT JOB, IT IS A UNIQUE POSITION.
[03:50:10]
PEOPLE? NOW, IF WE LOOK AT OUR DISQUALIFIED APPLICANTS, YOU CAN SEE WE DISQUALIFIED 59 APPLICANTS.AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING DISQUALIFICATION, WE'RE NOT TALKING.
MINOR INFRACTIONS WITHIN THEIR HISTORY.
OUR NEXT SECTION IS NON SELECTED.
NOW THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAD SOMETHING IN THEIR BACKGROUND PROCESS.
THEY JUST NEED A LITTLE MORE TIME MAYBE TO GET A LITTLE MORE EXPERIENCE.
WE NON SELECT THEM FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME, ANYWHERE FROM SIX MONTHS TO TWO YEARS.
AND THEN THE LAST IS WITHDREW.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE LOOKED AT OUR PROCESS AND MODIFIED IT FROM THREE MONTHS TO 28 DAYS BECAUSE WE WERE LOSING SO MANY APPLICANTS THROUGH THE PROCESS, BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO WORK TODAY, THEY DON'T WANT TO WORK IN THREE MONTHS.
28 DAYS WAS AS FAR OUT AS WE COULD GO IN ORDER TO PROCESS SOMEBODY APPROPRIATELY.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE STILL GET A LOT OF WITHDRAWALS.
WE STILL GET PEOPLE WHO WANT TO WORK TODAY AND THEY GET A JOB TOMORROW AND THEY CAN'T WAIT FOR US.
A LOT OF THE WITHDRAWALS THAT WE DO GET ARE FAMILY RELATED.
SO I FEEL LIKE WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE THAT ROADBLOCK.
UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, IF I MAY, JUST A QUICK QUESTION.
UH, SO IS THERE A THOUGHT ABOUT HOW WE BRIDGE THAT TIME PERIOD WHILE THEY'RE IN SUSPENDED ANIMATION WITH A STIPEND FROM GRANTS OR THE LIKE? BECAUSE THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE EVERYWHERE AND WE SHOULD HAVE A WAY TO KEEP THEM IN THE PIPELINE, AT LEAST IF THEY'VE MET ENOUGH OF THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED.
CHAIRMAN GREGORY SUPERVISOR NONA THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
SO WHAT WE DO IN TURN WITH THAT DURING THOSE 28 DAYS IS WE DO A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT.
WE DO A LOT OF CALLS TO THEM TO KEEP THEM INTERESTED IN THE POSITION.
OUR NEXT SLIDE HERE IS DETENTION OFFICER GAIN AND LOSS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO ASK YOU ONE QUESTION.
YES, MOVE ON. I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU.
THERE IS A LARGE POOL OUT THERE OF PEOPLE.
CHAIRMAN GREGORY SUPERVISOR BROWN ANOTHER REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
YES, WE HAVE WE'VE HAD THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
WE'VE ACTUALLY IN THE PAST ADVERTISED FOR TEMPORARY DETENTION OFFICERS WITH THAT SPECIFIC CRITERIA AS A JOB RECOMMENDATION THAT THEY MUST HAVE. SO WE'VE TRIED THAT AND WE'VE WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN SOME ASPECTS, BUT A LOT OF TIMES THEY'RE NOT LONG TERM.
I CAN UNDERSTAND. OFFICER GORDON LAWSON.
WHAT I WANT TO POINT OUT ON THIS SLIDE IS THE NUMBERS LOOK LARGE, BUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND IS A DETENTION OFFICER LOSS IS ALSO AN OFFICER WHO GETS PROMOTED OR MOVES TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT OR RETIRES.
AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR NUMBERS ARE PRETTY CONSISTENT OVER THE YEARS, 2023, I BELIEVE WITH THE NEW PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED, OUR NUMBERS ARE GETTING BETTER AND WE HOPE TO CONTINUE SEEING THAT.
YOU HAVE THE NUMBERS UP THERE FOR 21, 22, 23.
SO WAS THAT 17 REPRESENT PEOPLE THAT GOT TESTED, PEOPLE THAT GOT ACCEPTED.
SO THOSE ARE THE NUMBERS OF TESTS THAT OCCURRED DURING THAT YEAR.
OKAY. SO IN 2021, WE HAD 17 TESTS, 13 AND 2022 AND 6 IN 2023.
[03:55:02]
THANK YOU. SO I WENT AHEAD.HOW CAN WE HELP YOU? SO I WANTED TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THOSE REASONS THAT THEY ARE GIVING US TO WHY THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS OR.
WE GET A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT APPLY FROM OUT OF STATE.
A LOT OF OUR DETENTION PERSONNEL MOVE UP TO LAW ENFORCEMENT POSITIONS TO PATROL.
THEY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO WORK, SHIFT WORK BECAUSE OF FAMILY.
AND A LOT OF OUR CHALLENGE IS CONTACT COULD NOT BE MADE AFTER THE INITIAL APPLICATION.
RECRUITMENT EVENTS. SO WE DO A LOT OF RECRUITMENT EVENTS.
I WANT TO HIT ON ONLINE ADVERTISING BEFORE I HIT ON MILITARY AND SCHOOL EVENTS.
THE MAJORITY OF OUR INTEREST DOES COME FROM ONLINE ADVERTISING AND SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO WE'RE OUT THERE A LOT ONLINE.
WHEN IT COMES TO MORE PHYSICAL ENGAGEMENTS, WHAT WE'VE REALLY HIT THIS YEAR IS ON MILITARY EVENTS.
MILITARY PERSONNEL HAVE THE JOB REQUIREMENTS THAT WE WOULD NEED IN ORDER FOR THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
AND WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT THIS IS IT'S NOT JUST OUR RECRUITMENT AND BACKGROUND FOLKS DOING THIS.
SO THAT'S BEEN A GREAT PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'VE CREATED IN THE AGENCY.
SO WHAT WE STARTED DOING LAST YEAR IS TARGETING HIGH SCHOOLS AND DISCUSSING DETENTION OFFICER POSITIONS WITH THEM AND HOW IT CAN BE A GOOD CAREER COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. WE HIT A LOT OF SCHOOLS IN ARIZONA.
I JOKED AROUND AND CALLED IT THE SCHOOL TOUR OF 2022.
WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME CANDIDATES COME OUT OF IT AND COME WORK FOR US.
AND THE LAST THING IS WE ALWAYS ATTEND JOB FAIRS.
REALLY HIGHLIGHTED ON THE $5,000 BONUS.
THAT'S BEEN A HUGE INCENTIVE AND IT DEFINITELY HAS UPPED OUR NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS COMING IN.
AND THESE ADVERTISEMENTS CAN BE FOUND ANYWHERE FROM BANNERS ON FENCES TO DIGITAL BOARDS TO TABLES AT RESTAURANTS TO THE WRANGLERS ARENA. SO THERE'S A LOT OF LOCATIONS THAT WE HAVE THESE ADVERTISEMENTS ON.
OKAY, THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART.
SO WE STARTED THIS JUST LAST YEAR AND IT'S STILL GROWING, BUT THE BIGGEST ADVOCATES FOR RECRUITMENT ARE GOING TO BE THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR YOU AND THE PEOPLE COMING IN.
SO WHAT WE DID WITH THAT IS WE CREATED AN ORIENTATION, ONBOARDING, MENTORSHIP AND EXIT INTERVIEW PROGRAMS. THE JAIL HAS AN EXCELLENT MENTORSHIP AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM THAT THEY UTILIZE WITH THEIR EMPLOYEES ALREADY.
SO THAT'S JUST AN ADDITION TO THAT.
AND WHAT I WANTED TO DO IS SHARE SOME OF THE REMARKS THAT HAVE COME FROM THIS.
SO THESE ARE REMARKS FROM OUR FROM OUR ONBOARDING PROGRAM.
SO OUR ONBOARDING PROGRAM IS FOR SIX MONTHS.
AND IT HELPS US SEE WHERE THEY WANT TO MOVE SO WE CAN START BUILDING THEM TOWARDS THAT GOAL.
[04:00:04]
AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE IS SOME OF OUR EXIT INTERVIEW COMMENTS.THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF THE JOB.
A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST WAS NOT A POSITION FOR THEM.
IT WAS NOT A POSITION THAT THEIR FAMILY COULD ADAPT TO.
THEY LOVED WORKING AT THE AGENCY.
OKAY, SO WHAT IS COMING UP? SO 20, 23, YOU KNOW, IT'S HALFWAY OVER.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE WE CAN RECRUIT.
HOW CAN WE CHANGE THINGS? ADVERTISING IS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TRIAL AND ERROR.
YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GOING TO WORK UNTIL YOU DO IT.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT ARE BILLBOARD ADVERTISEMENTS.
YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO GROW THAT.
WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO FIND AREAS TO TRAVEL TO, TO RECRUIT THOSE.
WE DO KNOW THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE WITH MILITARY EVENTS BECAUSE YOU WON'T HAVE THOSE PEOPLE AVAILABLE TO COME WORK UNTIL THEY'RE DONE WITH THE MILITARY, BUT WE'RE ABLE TO GET THEM STARTED THROUGH THE PROCESS.
AND THEN A NEW RECRUITMENT VIDEO.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON A WHILE AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO, ESPECIALLY SINCE A LOT OF OUR INTEREST IS COMING OUT OF STATE, BE ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LIVE IN YAVAPAI COUNTY AND WORKING YAVAPAI COUNTY.
SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT AS WELL.
SOME OF THE INTERNAL STRATEGIES CONTINUE TO WORK ON ONBOARDING AND ORIENTATION TO GROW THAT PROGRAM, TO INCREASE OUR RETENTION, TO INCREASE OUR LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE AGENCY.
AND THEN OUR INTERNAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE GOING ON RIGHT NOW IS DEVELOPING A MASS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR THE AGENCY.
YES. HAVE YOU APPROACHED THE MILITARY AT ALL AND ASKED THEM ABOUT AN EARLY OUT PROGRAM WHERE PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING READY TO LEAVE THE MILITARY SAY THEY'VE GOT 90 DAYS, 100 DAYS, SIX MONTHS, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, WHERE THEY COULD POSSIBLY GET 30 OR 60 DAYS EARLY OUT IN ORDER TO COME AND JOIN YOUR ESTABLISHMENT.
THERE IS A OH, THERE IS A THING CALLED SKILLBRIDGE THAT THEY CAN GET OUT SIX MONTHS EARLIER.
I KNOW THIS BECAUSE MY SON'S IN THE MILITARY.
AND THAT'S CALLED THE SKILLBRIDGE PROGRAM.
I BELIEVE OUR RECRUITERS HAVE SKILLBRIDGE, WHICH I'M NOT TOO WELL VERSED IN IT, BUT I WILL DEFINITELY TAKE IT BACK TO MAKE SURE IT'S SOMETHING WE ARE UTILIZING IF IT'S AVAILABLE. WELL, I CAN GO FROM ONE BAD SITUATION TO ANOTHER ONE.
SO CONTINUE INTERNAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. WE'RE WORKING ON A HUGE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM.
SO IF WE CAN GROW THOSE WITHIN, WE CAN RETAIN AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HIRING.
SO ONE OF THE REPORTS RECENTLY THAT WE REVIEWED WAS A COMPARISON OF WAGES FOR HOUSING AND CHILD COSTS IN THE QUAD CITY AREAS PROVIDED BY THE YAVAPAI COLLEGE. SO I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON THAT A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK AT THE POSITION FREQUENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WITHIN THE MARKET VALUE AND BE ABLE TO MEET THOSE NEEDS OF THOSE PEOPLE WANTING TO RELOCATE TO YAVAPAI COUNTY.
[04:05:04]
IF YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE YAVAPAI COUNTY MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS 53,000.THE US MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS 67,000.
AND I'M GOING TO JUMP TO THE NEXT THE NEXT SLIDE, BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT TO SEE WHAT THE INCOME IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO BUY A MEDIAN PRICED HOME IN PRESCOTT, ARIZONA.
WITH NATIONWIDE TO PURCHASE A HOME IS ABOUT 76,000.
AS I STATED, A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE WANTING TO RELOCATE HAVE FAMILIES.
THEY'RE WANTING TO BRING THEIR FAMILIES TO LIVE IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
SO LOOKING AT THOSE COSTS OF WHAT IT COSTS IN ORDER TO DO THAT AND HAVE DAYCARE.
FOR YOUR FAMILY WHILE YOU WORK.
OKAY. WITH THAT, I'LL CONCLUDE MY MY PRESENTATION IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, SAMANTHA.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE DOING AS MUCH AS WE CAN THINK TO DO TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN PEOPLE HERE.
AND I KNOW I'M GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THE BOARD HAS DONE WORKING WITH US ON THIS.
THERE ARE CHALLENGES THAT ARE NOT UNIQUE TO YAVAPAI COUNTY, OF COURSE, COST OF LIVING, COST OF HOUSING, ALL OF THESE KIND OF THINGS VERSUS WHAT CAN BE PAID.
BUT I WANT TO TAKE JUST ONE MINUTE TO POINT OUT YAVAPAI COUNTY IS A FANTASTIC PLACE TO LIVE.
THESE ARE NOT CHOICES THAT WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE.
WE HAVE TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE TO THE COUNTY AND TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
AND SO TO DO THAT, THOSE SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY REQUIRES PEOPLE.
AND SO WHEN I'M MANAGING, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT WHEN WE'RE GOING TO OPEN THIS OR WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT LEVERS THAT YOU CAN PULL OR A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT GO INTO THOSE DECISIONS.
JAIL POPULATIONS IS A MAJOR FACTOR.
OF COURSE, STAFFING THE TYPE OF OF INMATE POPULATION THAT YOU HAVE, ALL OF THESE THINGS.
AND SO WE'RE IN A FORTUNATE POSITION RIGHT NOW WHERE THERE IS ENOUGH BED SPACE IN THE VERDE TO MEET THE CURRENT JAIL POPULATION, WHICH HAS GIVEN US THIS FLEXIBILITY TO TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET THE STAFFING LEVEL UP OVER IN PRESCOTT.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON.
THE NUMBER ONE FACTOR, OBVIOUSLY, IS SAFETY.
AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE ADEQUATE NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO TO DO THE JOB SAFELY.
IT'S AN HONORABLE, NOBLE, GREAT PLACE TO WORK.
WE HAD A LOT OF VERY POSITIVE COMMENTS.
AND SO I WOULD BE GLAD TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD.
AND I PRAY GOING FORWARD, THINGS WILL, YOU KNOW, HAVE A LIGHT AND AND SOMETHING WILL CHANGE.
YEAH, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION.
I KNOW SHE HAD THE FIVE PHASES AND FIRST ONE STARTS JUNE, JULY 17TH.
DO YOU HAVE ANY BASIC TIMEFRAMES ON WHEN THE NEXT ONES WILL START? IS THAT BASICALLY DUE TO IF YOU HAVE THE STAFFING? SO THE JULY MR. CHAIRMAN. VICE CHAIR OBERG THE THE JULY.
17TH OPENING DATE OF PHASE ONE IS GOING TO INVOLVE EXISTING STAFF, MAYBE A FEW OVERTIME SHIFTS MOVING INTO THE NEXT PHASE. I'M TRULY HOPING OR HOPING WILL HAPPEN SOON.
WE DO HAVE, I BELIEVE, SEVEN PEOPLE IN THE ACADEMY.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS GETTING THAT SECOND PART OPEN.
YOU NEED THE KITCHEN TO BE FULLY FUNCTIONAL AND TO BE HOUSING VERY MANY PEOPLE THERE.
SO I DON'T HAVE ANY ANY HARD DATES.
IF I HAD TO GUESS, YOU KNOW, ONE, TWO AND THREE WOULD BE GOING BY SOMETIME THIS FALL.
BUT GETTING INTO THE HOUSING UNIT COULD TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE STRATEGIES THAT THAT ARE ON THE TABLE TO TO RECRUIT MORE PEOPLE.
[04:10:07]
AND WE'RE RESERVING THOSE TO SEE THE OUTCOME OF ALL OF OUR EFFORTS NOW AND GET SOME GET SOME ADEQUATE DATA.AND I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME GOOD DATA THAT YOU SAW HERE TODAY.
WE'RE KIND OF TREADING WATER, YOU KNOW, AND YOU'RE NETTING EIGHT, SEVEN A YEAR AND YOU NEED 60.
YOU CAN YOU CAN DO THE MATH ON THAT AND SEE THAT'S GOING TO TAKE A LONG TIME.
SO WE MIGHT BE COMING BACK HERE IN A FEW MONTHS TO TALK AGAIN ABOUT WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE.
THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? THANK YOU. GOOD JOB ON THE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU. OKAY, WE'LL GO MOVE ON TO CALL TO THE PUBLIC.
[ CALL TO THE PUBLIC: Individuals may address the Board for up to three (3) minutes on any relevant issue within the Board's jurisdiction. Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.01(H), Board members shall not discuss or take action on matters raised during the call to the public. The Board may direct staff to study the matter or direct that the matter be rescheduled for consideration at a later date.]
INDIVIDUALS MAY ADDRESS THE BOARD FOR UP TO THREE MINUTES ON ANY RELEVANT ISSUE WITHIN THE BOARD'S JURISDICTION PURSUANT TO ARS 38 430 101 EACH BOARD MEMBER SHALL NOT DISCUSS OR TAKE ACTION ON ANY MATTERS RAISED DURING THE CALL TO THE PUBLIC.LUCY. I MIGHT HAVE BUTCHERED THAT.
DON'T HIT IT YET. NOT A PUBLIC SPEAKER.
SO IF IF IT'S OKAY WITH YOU GUYS, I'M JUST GOING TO READ MY STATEMENT.
NOW YOU CAN ADD IT. MY NAME IS MIRIAM LUQUE.
I'M HERE TO ADDRESS THE ONGOING SAFETY ISSUES CREATED BY THE PARKING SITUATION AND VOLUME OF TOURISTS THAT HAS DEVELOPED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD OVER THE PAST 2 TO 3 YEARS, WHICH HAS BEEN EXASPERATED BY CRESCENT MOON STATE PARKING, NOW ALLOWING FOOT TRAFFIC AT THE ENTRANCE AND SLIDE ROCK PARK BECOMING A RESERVATION ONLY PARK DUE TO THE SAME ROAD PARKING ISSUES. CRESCENT MOON PARK ON RED ROCK CROSSING STREET HAS PARKING LOT THAT FILLS BY 9 A.M., AT WHICH POINT CARS START PARKING AT THE TRAILHEADS, WHICH ARE THEN FULL BY 10 A.M.. AT THAT TIME, TOURISTS NO LONGER PARK IN DESIGNATED AREAS, BUT ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS, ON OUR PROPERTIES AND OUR AND ON THE DESERT LAND.
WE HAVE BEEN ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE WITH DEPUTY HAWKINS FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW.
ABOUT ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A 1 TO 2 ACRE FIRE STARTED BY TOURISTS IN CRESCENT MOON STATE PARK, AND RESIDENTS STOOD SHOVELING SAND, WAITING ON THE FIRE TRUCKS WHICH COULDN'T GET THROUGH THROUGH THE THRONG OF CARS.
I HAVE VIDEO AVAILABLE IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IT.
THREE YEARS AGO ON MEMORIAL DAY, I PERSONALLY CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DUE TO A RATTLESNAKE IN MY BACKYARD, AND IT TOOK THEM OVER AN HOUR BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY COULD NOT GET THROUGH THE CARS PARKED ON THE STREET.
CHAVEZ UPPER RED ROCK LOOP AND OTHER ROADS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ARE 23FT IN WIDTH, NOT THE STANDARD 28FT THAT ALLOWS FOR ON STREET PARKING A STANDARD CAR MEASURE SEVEN FEET IN WIDTH. THOSE TWO OF THOSE OCCUPYING EACH SIDE OF THE ROAD HAS REDUCED THE ROAD TO ESSENTIALLY NINE FEET.
A ONE LANE ROAD, A STANDARD FIRE TRUCK, HOWEVER, IS TEN FEET WIDE.
THUS, AT 23FT, RAILROADS BECOME INACCESSIBLE TO EMERGENCY VEHICLES DUE TO ON STREET PARKING.
TOURISTS ARE WALKING BICYCLING ON UPPER RED ARC LOOP, WALKING THROUGH OUR BACKYARDS AND LITERALLY CAMPING IN OUR BACKYARDS IN ORDER TO WAIT FOR THE PARK TO OPEN THE NEXT DAY.
I'M SORRY. I'VE HAD PEOPLE PARKING IN MY DRIVEWAY AND NOT RETURNING UNTIL 10 P.M.
AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS DETERIORATED SO MUCH THAT A LARGE PERCENTAGE HAVE SIMPLY SOLD AND MOVED.
IT IS SIMPLY NOT WORTH THE MENTAL STRESS AND PHYSICAL SAFETY TO OUR RESIDENTS, NOR THE DESTRUCTION OF COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST AND CRESCENT MOON PARK DUE TO THE GARBAGE IN THE FORM OF SOILED DIAPERS, PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES, TAMPONS, FOOD, CONDOMS, PLASTIC BAGS, JUST TO NAME A FEW OF WHAT WE GO ON A MONDAY AND PICK UP.
IN ADDITION, THE WATER QUALITY OF THE CREEK REGULARLY EXCEEDS STATE AND FEDERAL SAFETY LIMITS.
[04:15:08]
THE SIDES OF THESE ROADS, WITH ENFORCEMENT THROUGH TICKETING AND TOWING BICYCLE LANES ON UPPER LOOP AND MAKING CRESCENT MOON PARK A RESERVATION ONLY PARK, THEREBY LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC.I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR LISTENING.
IS THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE THAT WISH TO SPEAK? I HAVE NO FURTHER GREEN SHEETS.
WITH THAT, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? THANK YOU. OKAY.
AND DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. BY SUPERVISOR MALLORY.
ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE? AYE. MEETING ADJOURNED.
MEETING ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.