By L. Parsons Last week’s Navajo County Board of Supervisors meeting was held telephonically with all members present. On the agenda was the county’s strategic response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Assistant County Manager Bryan Layton told the board that county business would be transitioning to limited in-person contact effective immediately. “We are working to find a balance of our stewardship and responsibility to deliver services and our responsibility to help keep our residents safe as they access these services. As well as our responsibility to keep our employees safe as they deliver services. We know this is critical because as we do our part to help keep these residents safe, we are in turn helping to keep their families safe as well as anyone else they might come in contact,” Layton said. The county will remain open for business, he explained, “We will be working with about 50 percent of our employees able to telecommute. The other departments will be staggering schedules so as to maintain proper social distancing. Anyone who needs county services can call the main number at (928) 524-4000.” As far as the County Public Health Department’s response, director Jeff Lee stated that at the time of the meeting, cases in Navajo County numbered 43. “We anticipate over the next few weeks our case counts will rise significantly. We encourage our residents to stay calm, follow the guidance and recommendations and to always use a reliable information source to avoid confusion and rumors. The Arizona Department of Health Services sent out a press release indicating widespread throughout Arizona. What that means is there are enough cases across the state that everyone should assume that the virus is in their cities and towns and to take precautionary measures.” Lee and his team are attending weekly briefings with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS). He continued, “We update our dashboard every morning at 9 a.m. That is the only time we will update the number of cases.” According to Lee, medical centers in the area are experiencing a shortage of supplies. “We received a shipment from the national stockpile. We did not receive many items. It was 1.6 percent of the state’s allotment. With the items we have it won’t fix any of our partners’ concerns about PPE (personal protective equipment) but hopefully it will get them through a critical surge.” In other business, the board: * Approved reports for the Clerk of the Superior Court, juvenile probation, and justice court reports for February from Holbrook, Winslow, Snowflake, Kayenta, Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside precincts. * Approved tax exemption waivers to widows or disabled persons for property tax. * Authorized a letter of support to Troy Egan for reestablishment of a rail spur. * Approved the sale of 131 parcels in the amount of $164,100, sold at auction for back taxes. * Reissued stale dated checks as refunds for overpaid property taxes or investor payments. * Approved an agreement between Northeastern Arizona Local Workforce Development Board and Local First Arizona Foundation for Talent Pipeline management feasibility study. * Approved a new three-year contract with Microsoft for county-wide software in the amount of $279,305. * Approved contracts signed by the county manager for CISCO Security from Sentinel Technologies to mitigate cyber security for county government to keep insurance rates at the lowest possible. The five-year contract is in the amount of $39,315. * Approved the canvassing of results of the March 17 presidential preference election in which Joe Biden was selected by 8,085 of 25,215 registered county voters. * Awarded a contract for employee benefit consultation to The Mahoney Group. * Awarded a contract to Restore Pro, Inc. in the amount of $197,244 for re-roofing of the Navajo County Historic Courthouse. * Approved a contract with Cellular One in the amount of $7,500 for a microwave backhaul service for improved radio performance for first responders. * Added Little Doe Trail and Twin Pines Trail, both in Heber, to the Navajo County maintenance system as primitive roads. * Approved an agreement between the Bureau of Indian Affairs Department of Transportation and the county for the purchase of $20,000 in pavement rehabilitation materials. * Awarded a contract to JE Fuller in the amount of $58,373 for the installation of a mass notification system near the Little Colorado River Levee at Winslow. * Awarded a contract to JE Fuller in an amount not to exceed $31,000 to coordinate, procure and install a sensor for a slide gate in Schoen’s dam in Snowflake/Taylor. * Awarded a contract to Atkins North America, Inc. in the amount of $26,620 to determine high water elevation of Rainbow Lake, located in Pinetop-Lakeside. The next meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors will be at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14. The location or delivery of the meeting is to be determined.
