The Navajo County Board of Supervisors awarded the communications roadmap consultant project to Federal Engineering, Inc., at the Aug. 14 meeting.
Emergency Management and Preparedness (EMP) Director Catrina Jenkins said, “This is a regional project that will utilize a consultant to compile a complete inventory of all communications-related equipment and radio frequencies that are being used in Navajo and Apache counties. The consultant will provide recommendations on future equipment purchases to allow interoperable communications throughout the entire region.”
The EMP department received sealed proposals until March 30. The project is being paid for by the Homeland Security Grant program in the amount of $75,000 and requires no matching funds from the county.
Roger Owens, a resident of Heber, addressed the Board to support Jerry Call being appointed an interim member to the Heber-Overgaard Fire District Governing Board, to serve through 2020.
Chairman Steve Williams noted that there had been six applicants for the position and he and Navajo County Manager Glenn Kephart met with all six applicants. “The challenge is that five people will be disappointed. We were impressed with everyone that applied.”
Williams said the reason the matter had been brought before the board was due to the inability of the remaining four members of the Heber-Overgaard Fire District board to produce a vote to fill the vacancy.
Williams continued, “I would recommend the board consider putting Call into that position.”
The position has been vacant since March 26, which exceeds the 90-day period the fire district board had to fill the position. The vote was unanimous for Call.
In other business, the board:
* Approved the adoption of the Fiscal Year 2018-19 property tax rates for all Navajo County Taxing Districts, which includes the primary tax rate for the county as 0.8951 percent.
* Approved the 2019 Tax Rates for the school districts. These rates are established with the local governing school boards and the County Superintendent of Schools.
* Approved the following items from County Treasurer Debra Kester: Receipt of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-18 annual report of collections and delinquencies, settlement of accounts and request for authorization to invest and reinvest county, school and special district funds in FY 2018-19.
* Authorized acceptance of the FY2019 Attorney General’s Victims Rights Program Grant Agreement in the amount of $21,527, with no match requirement by the county. Funds from this grant provided over 14,000 mandated notifications to victims in FY 2018. Notifications to victims ranged from legal updates to case status to notifications of rights due to the victim as a result of victimization. Funds pay the partial salary of two office support specialists who are part of the notification process.
* Approved an amendment to the contract for professional services with Special Deputy Legal Defender Jon Saline in which the original agreement dated Feb. 12, 2018, was changed to the following: The contract shall be extended and shall become a month-to-month contract until either part terminates the contract; and the contractor (Saline) shall be paid monthly by the County in the amount of $6,248.
* Approved the over-the-counter purchases of 19 back tax land parcels in the amount of $9,789.
* Approved the request for the County Attorney Anti-Racketeering Revolving Funding for Holbrook Youth Football & Cheer in the amount of $500 to provide sponsorship for either five football players or eight cheerleaders.
* Authorized a Victims’ Rights Clerk award in the amount of $13,302. The Sheriff’s Office partially funds a Victims’ Rights secretary’s salary and employee-related benefits with grant funding from the Office of the Attorney General. For FY2019 the funding has decreased and will only fund approximately 38 percent of the salary and benefits. The remaining expense is paid from the Inmate Commissary and Phone Profit Fund.
* Approved the FY 2018 Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification report from the Sheriff’s Office. The total amount spent from the fund was $90,456 and was used for the operation of the Major Crimes and Apprehension Team.
* Approved the naming of an existing unnamed road in the Overgaard area to Majestic Elk Road.
* Approved the renaming of a portion of an existing road in the Overgaard Area from Beaufeaux Lane to Beaufeaux Ridge Road.
* Approved the renaming of a portion of an existing road in the Heber area from Sawmill Ridge Loop to Arbor Lane.
