By L. Parsons In the absence of councilmen Peter Cake and Rickey Jackson, as well as Vice Mayor Samantha Crisp, the Winslow City Council met last week to unanimously approve a contract amendment for use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds authorizing a substantial expansion of the previously approved street lighting project, according to the written motion. Winslow City Manager John Barkley said, “This grant is for administration, engineering and construction of LED street lighting in the City of Winslow in the amount of approximately $270,000. “The project, originally approved in November 2020 was amended due to the success of the bidding process, which brought us about $90,000 under the original grant amount. Therefore, the bid was awarded to add approximately an additional 50 light fixtures around the city which will bring us to about 300 new fixtures. The expansion of the scope of work will require more studies and engineering,” explained Barkley. Funding will come from the Federal Government’s Housing and Community Development Act. Barkley gave a status report that included a congratulations to the Winslow Police Department. “Our department is poised to become the 34th accredited department in the state. This is a big deal. This is a result of years of work by Chief Ken Arend and Lieutenant Ernie Cano. They passed the audit which was the final step in the process, with 100% compliance. There are over 400 public safety agencies with this distinction so it puts a good light on our department and how they operate.” According to Barkley, Councilman Jim Maclean has been spending “an inordinate amount of his own time joining meetings with our stake holders; BNSF and the Army Corps of Engineers as well as offices of congressmen. This is a great start in getting the message of our levy situation into the hands of the Pentagon. We are also pleased to learn that Congressman Tom O’Halleran’s office has put $500,000 toward getting the word out on the project.” The Winslow Levy is in need of refurbishing in order to garner a recertified declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This designation would lower flood insurance rates in Winslow as well as be an incentive for potential developers. There is no timeline for a resolution. In other business, the council: * Continued a discussion and action on the proposed tax levy due to lack of an acceptable quorum until the July 27 meeting. * Held a public hearing on the use of Community Development Block Grants. No public comment was made and no action was taken. * Heard the monthly finance report for May from Finance Director Elias Jouen. Citywide revenues for May were $1.9 million bringing the year-to-date total to $17.1 million. Citywide expenditures for May were $1.5 million bringing the year-to-date total to $13.3 million. * Heard the quarterly report from the Winslow Justice Court for the months of April through June. In his report, Justice B.J. Little said, “There were 175 criminal misdemeanors heard in the Justice Court, 56 of those were property crimes.” * Approved an agreement between the City of Winslow and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) administration to contribute the non-federal share of supplemental Medicaid payments to Little Colorado Medical Center. The City assists with payment to LCMC to cover AHCCCS services with 25% of the City’s Transaction Privilege Tax collected. * Approved a participation agreement between the Winslow Police Department and the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The purpose is to track and report overdose incidents to enhance the development of regional strategies designed to prevent the spread of substance abuse disorders resulting in overdose incidents. * Approved an agreement between the City and the Northeastern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy. The purpose of the agreement is to provide the area with a police training academy. * Designated Winslow Finance Director Elias Jouen as the Chief Fiscal Officer for the purpose of officially submitting the fiscal year 2021-2022 expenditure limitation report to the auditor general. * Cancelled the Aug. 24 City Council meeting as a recess. The next meeting of the Winslow City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27, in the Hubbell Building, located at 523 W. Second St.
