Deputy Navajo County Attorney Jason Moore delved into the complexities surrounding the categorization of political subdivisions as election districts in last week’s meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors. A common misconception he addressed is the belief that two municipalities or a combination of a municipality and unincorporated county land, as well as two school districts, cannot coexist within the same election district.
Contrary to this belief, Moore clarified that they indeed can. He further highlighted the entities that have designated election districts, such as the state, justice court and the community college district. Additionally, Moore pointed out that schools and cities/towns stand as exceptions, as they aren’t divided into election districts. Drawing a parallel, he mentioned Maricopa County’s practices, emphasizing that they follow a similar approach and are the largest county in the state with the best access to legal expertise for this kind of thing. According to Moore, Maricopa County has established election districts for the state, county justice court and community college.
RaNae Rowles, a Republican Precinct committee member, shared her insights on precinct boundaries. While she acknowledged the concerns about the number of individuals assigned to each precinct, her primary focus was on the potential for confusion. Given that different ballots are distributed at the same voting spots, Rowles fears this could lead to mass confusion among voters. This is despite the fact that the county has successfully operated under this system for several elections without any major hiccups.
Rayleen Richards, the Navajo County Elections director, updated the board as well on the precinct changes. She informed that while the number of precincts is set to increase from 14 to 21, the number of voting locations would remain consistent. Emphasizing the county’s adaptability, Richards stated that voters have the option to vote at any voting location within the county’s jurisdiction. She also touched upon the prevalent voting patterns, noting that a majority, specifically two-thirds of the voters, lean towards voting by mail over in-person voting. Addressing turnout concerns, Richards assured that even if there was a complete voter turnout, the county is well-prepared to handle the volume with the current precinct setup.
Also discussed at the meeting was a development in Show Low by Show Low Holdings 307, LLC/Universal Show Low Properties, LLC that could reshape the residential housing landscape in that area. County Planner Sondra Starke presented a plan that requires board approval for a large residential development. This resolution seeks to amend an already approved Master Development Plan (MDP) that initially allowed for an approximately 508-unit single-family residential development with commercial uses. The amendment aims to incorporate recreational vehicles/park models and manufactured homes, increasing the total number of units to 758. This expansion would be accommodated within the Show Low Mountain Ranch Special Development in the White Mountain Lakes area, alongside other amenities, accessory uses, and commercial ventures.
For context, the current MDP for the project was sanctioned and adopted by the Navajo County Board of Supervisors back in 2007. It permitted the development of the 307-acre parcel up to a cap of 508 units. Infrastructure-wise, there are already some developments in place. A water tank and water lines have been partially set up. Moreover, the sewerage system for the first phase of the development is somewhat operational, with a lift station in place and an attempted installation of a valve for pressure regulation. The infrastructure in this area began developing in 2007, but when The Great Recession hit, it put the brakes on this project that they are looking to now complete.
As project developer Greg Loper informed the board, the original plan proposed back in 2007 was for single-family detached homes, but now the project includes recreational vehicle and manufactured home spaces and spaces to help traffic and to build parks. Loper looks at this development as being rented to people full-time but only to live in during the warmer parts of the year when many people come from Phoenix and warmer areas to enjoy the cooler Show Low temperatures.
Supervisor Darryl Seymore spoke about giving this space to people who do not live full-time in the town, instead of developing single-family detached homes, so that residents can live in this community rather than being pushed to other areas that may cost more. Loper said that financially it isn’t feasible to develop that kind of property but would like to see how they can implement workforce housing in this plan to try and fill the needs of the region.
Leah Westover, a resident who would live very close to where these developments would occur, spoke about her concerns with the board. Her issues include sanitation and sewer infrastructure not being able to handle the increased load. She also discussed concerns about the traffic study they did for this development, which was done in 2008 and thinks that it would not accurately reflect the current traffic conditions. Also, Westover thinks that this will also strain the fire and police departments to the point of causing danger to residents. This development was tabled by the board to be revisited when more information becomes available.
The board also discussed a new 80-foot wireless communications tower located at 1785 Edmonds Circle in Show Low. This project had a few members of the public, Kathy Henderson-Else, Bob Reester and Tony Tangalos, speaking in opposition due to concerns of the danger the 80-foot pole might pose to nearby structures and the health of nearby residents. Usually, for every foot of vertical height it would need to be that distance away horizontally from existing structures, but that requirement can be waived by the supervisors, which is what was presented before them that day. However, a representative from Vertical Bridge, the communications company that is behind this project, amended his project to be only 62 feet, which would no longer fail any of the standards set by the county.
Supervisor Jason Whiting addressed many of the public’s concerns with the project by saying that this tower would be on private land, which makes the role of the supervisors not to discuss whether or not the tower ought to exist but to determine whether it breaks any county ordinances. However, because it was amended, the board felt as though the public did not get a fair chance to see the approved project in its final form before the meeting began and chose to table this issue for a later date. Originally, the board considered whether to vote in against it and make the developer begin the year-long process all over again, but decided it would be better to table the matter, which wouldn’t force the developer to wait another year before reaching a verdict.
In other business, the board:
* Approved the vote centers and polling places for the Nov. 7, election.
* Approved a contract with MGT America Consulting, LLC to perform the county’s cost allocation plan for a cost of $45,250 over three years.
* Approved an agreement with the Arizona Department of Homeland Security as part of a cybersecurity grant program so the state can improve the county’s cybersecurity.
* Authorized the publication of the back tax land list.
* Approved a sympathy letter to former supervisor Jesse Thompson.
* Approved a contract with The Law Office of Michael S. Penrod for legal consulting for the Opioid Overdose Program at a cost of $100 an hour.
* Authorized acceptance of a grant from United States Department of Justice for a veterans’ treatment court in the amount of $950,000.
* Approved an intergovernmental agreement between Arizona Department of Health Servies for the Women, Infants and Children supplemental nutrition program.
* Approved a revision to Justice Court precincts map and new voting precincts map and polling places.
* Approved an intergovernmental agreement between the county and the City of Show Low for assistance in the city park drainage improvement project at a cost of $140,000.
* Approved a special use permit to allow 132 wind turbines on a site originally approved for 104 at the West Camp Wind Farm south of Joseph City, while still maintaining a 500 MW wind energy generation facility and 250 MW battery storage facility and associated facilities, on approximately 52,500 acres.
The next meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14, in the board chambers located at 100 E. Code Talkers Drive.
