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The Winter Storm of 2019 not only created declarations of emergency throughout the various counties and cities of northern Arizona, but most recently as reported by Jeff Lee, director of Navajo County Public Health at the Navajo County Board of Supervisors meeting on March 12, Governor Doug Ducey signed a State of Emergency on Feb. 28 to support the agencies who had declared an emergency in preparation for or in response to the storm, which included 11 counties, various cities as well as the Hopi and White Mountain Apache tribes and the Navajo Nation.
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“As a result of the county declaration, county staff started keeping track of hours, materials and equipment used,” said Lee. “And now as a result of the governor’s declaration, Navajo County was able to submit documentation to the state for potential reimbursement of some of those activity costs that were performed during and after the storm.” Lee was quick to admit that the reimbursement process from the state can be lengthy.
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“As of last night, the total man hours dedicated to the event was 1,872 hours with 1,390 equipment hours. I just want to say a big thank you to all the responding agencies and our citizens. People paid attention to the warnings. People were prepared and even though we had a significant amount of snow, the overall impact to our communities was very minimal.”
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In other business, Clerk of the Board Melissa Buckley requested the approval of all properties sold as auctioned during the back tax land online auction as well as requesting that the board allow the sale of the remaining unsold properties to be sold over the counter for the amount due.
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“This year we sold 90 parcels in the online auction with approximately $103,000 coming to Navajo County,” shared Buckley. “The overage due to the bidding was about $25,000, most of that will come to the general fund.”
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Buckley also noted that before the properties are listed in the online auction, they are reviewed by Planning and Zoning to see if there are parcels that Navajo County might want or any right-of-way that shouldn’t be sold.
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In response to Buckley’s presentation Supervisor Jesse Thompson said, “I get chills when I think of people losing their properties. What is the process?”
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Buckley gave a brief rundown of how the process works: a property has to be delinquent on taxes for at least three years before it is added to the lien sale held by the Treasurer’s Office. “Once the property is listed on the lien sale, anyone can come in and purchase that lien,” continued Buckley. “The property owner still has the option at that point to pay the back taxes and regain their property.”
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After seven years of non-payment of taxes, the Treasurer’s Office then issues a treasurer’s deed, which is recorded with the state. “At that time, the owner no longer has their property,” concluded Buckley. Property owners can still bid on their property during the online auction and if they are the high bidder, the property becomes theirs. If a property does not sell in the online auction, it can still be sold and purchased over the counter for the amount of taxes due.
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In other business, the board:
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* Approved contracts signed by county manager pursuant to resolution for schedule B to the professional services agreement between Navajo County and Interim Public Management, LLC.
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* Approved naming an existing unnamed road in the Linden area as Saddlemaker Trail.
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* Approved two grants from the Constable Ethics Standards and Training Board for ammunition in the amount $2,000 and for vehicle purchase shortfall in the amount of $3,282.
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* Approved the appointment of Chris Lewis for a three-year term to the Northeastern Arizona Local Workforce Development Board.
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* Approved the request to transfer $114,000 from Fiscal Year 2018 Title One B Grant funds from dislocated worker program to the adult program due to a 62 percent average enrollment of adults versus nine percent average enrollment of dislocated workers.
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* Approved a resolution canceling the board member election on May 12, 2019 for White Mountain Lakes Special Road District Number Two.
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* Approved a resolution canceling the elections for White Mountain Summer Home Domestic Water Improvement District and appointing the candidates or deeming the position vacant.
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* Approved a proclamation declaring March 20, 2019, as Small Business Development Centers Day in Navajo County and wished the Arizona Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network and the local SBDC in Show Low, hosted by Northland Pioneer College and serving all Navajo County businesses continued success in the future.
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* Approved the award of contract to supply various roadway materials to Perkins Cinders, Inc., Hatch Construction and Paving, Inc., Brimhall Sand and Rock and Building Materials, Inc., and Cholla Ready Mix.
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* Approved an agreement with Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Western Navajo Agency, Division of Transportation for BIA Route N2/N71 road materials not to exceed $25,000.
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* Honored the Alchesay High School girls basketball Team for winning the 2A State Championship against Scottsdale Christian Academy on Feb. 23.
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