By Tammy Gray Potential changes to Holbrook’s city charter are expected to be considered by the Holbrook City Council at their next regular meeting according to City Manager Ted Soltis. During a council meeting held on May 13, Soltis told the council that in order to address “recent concerns brought up about the charter,” the council essentially has two options. One is to appoint a committee to review the charter. The other is to ask the voters to consider whether they want Holbrook to continue as a charter community. The city’s charter calls for a review by a committee every four years. It has been more than four years since the last review was completed. Soltis did not expand on reasons that the citizens would be asked to consider dropping the city charter. In Arizona, charter cities are given additional abilities to govern themselves beyond the powers specifically granted by the legislature, as long as the charter does not conflict with the state constitution or state laws. The Arizona League of Cities and Towns notes, ” Most of the powers exercised by a charter city are the same as those found in Title 9, but there is the ability to enact other regulations not expressly granted in Title 9 so long as those regulations are strictly of a local concern, and have not been preempted by state statutes.” A vote by residents to abandon the city charter would reduce the authority the city has to govern itself. In other action on May 13, the council: * Appointed Holbrook resident and business owner David Smith to the Holbrook Planning and Zoning Commission. The appointment was made by Mayor Merrill Young, with councilman Tim Dixon stating that he consented to the appointment. A memo to the council regarding the appointment noted that the mayor has the authority to make the appointment with the consent of council, citing section 2.05 of the charter. Section 2.07 states, “The Mayor shall appoint members to various committees, boards and commissions after due official notice to the public and with the consent of the Council.” Smith was the lone applicant for the vacant seat on the commission. In his letter to the council, Smith said, “I have spent my career in the construction industry and since I have moved to Holbrook nearly eight years ago I have had a strong interest in community development. I would like to show my commitment to Holbrook by serving on this board.” * Approved an intergovernmental agreement with Navajo County regarding employment of a magistrate court clerk. The agreement is essentially the same as the previous one with the county, but extends it by a term of five years. * Approved an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for $163,839. The grant, which does not require a match, is expected to cover the engineering costs for work on the apron near the hangar at the Holbrook airport, according to Soltis. He told the council that this grant is the first step in the process, and a larger grant to help cover the actual work is expected in the future and that grant will require a match. * Heard a report from Arizona Public Service Company (APS) regarding wildfire mitigation efforts. The council learned of the work APS is doing to both support firefighters and reduce the chances of sparks from recharged lines starting fires in the area. In some cases, lines supplying electricity to Holbrook could be affected in the event of a major wildfire.
