At last week’s Holbrook City Council meeting, Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Michael Sample and Vice Chair Aaron Colon reviewed proposed changes to the rules for mobile vendors, including food trucks, explaining that the city had never designated a standard location or time limit for these businesses.
Under the original proposal, vendors in regular parking spaces would be limited to three hours, while those using specially designated spots could operate for six hours. However, the council opted to double those limits that were originally presented, raising them to six hours for regular spaces and 12 hours for vendor-specific spaces.
According to the new provisions, a mobile vending unit may not operate in a city-owned parking lot unless it is a stall expressly marked as mobile vendor parking, but the unit may operate in a legal parking space in the city right-of-way. A mobile vending unit, including any semi-permanent structure, may not obstruct adjacent parking spaces except during a permitted event. Additionally, a vendor may not claim or attempt to establish any exclusive right to a particular street location.
For purposes of determining time limits, “occupy” includes staying within 100 feet of the unit’s original location.
The commission clarified that “mobile vending unit” encompasses vehicles, trailers, or other portable devices used to sell goods or services, and “legal parking space” typically refers to on-street spaces rather than city parking lots, unless a lot is specifically designated for vendors. At Gillespie Park, the commission designated specific spaces for vendors and is considering installing similar signage at other parks. The council also discussed increasing the daily fee for vendors to use electricity from $5 to $25 whenever vendors connect to utilities. Mayor Kathleen Smith remarked, “We have to keep it fair for all the brick-and-mortar restaurants that pay more for their electricity bills.”
Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse then briefed the council on recent developments within his office. “It is not required by law to meet with council, but we want to be as transparent as possible,” said Sheriff Clouse. After which Chief Deputy Brian Swanty gave an overview of drug enforcement work through the Major Crimes Apprehension Team, highlighting a surge in methamphetamine seizures from 341 pounds in 2023 to 622 pounds in 2024, as well as an increase in cocaine seizures from 130 grams in 2023 to 180 pounds in 2024.
He noted that fentanyl pills had decreased from around 1.8 million pills in 2023 to roughly one million in 2024, largely because of a drop in market price. The Sheriff’s Office closed or opened multiple felony investigations, assisted other agencies more than four hundred times, and pursued criminal operations in Show Low and Snowflake. K-9 units helped uncover 114 pounds of methamphetamine on Interstate 40 in July 2024, as well as 82 pounds of fentanyl pills the month prior, leading to several arrests and ongoing court proceedings.
Councilmember Karina Peck asked about slowing semi-truck traffic on major highways. The Sheriff’s Office explained that the Arizona Department of Transportation sets the speed limit, and they just enforce it.
Councilmember Robert Black thanked law enforcement for responding to residents’ safety concerns near McLaws Road, where trucks often carry heavy loads to a solar farm and were supposedly driving carelessly and causing alarm amongst the people who live on that road.
Holbrook Chamber of Commerce President Janet Dean and Director Cindy Tafoya also spoke at the meeting with a presentation focused on local economic development, tourism and organizational achievements. Dean appealed to the council to continue supporting the chamber’s initiatives, reminding them that although it is a small group, it plays a substantial role in town.
Tafoya described the chamber’s strategic plan, built on encouraging business growth, promoting tourism, and developing its board. She cited progress in an entrepreneur assistance program started in 2021 that has helped two new businesses open, with more in the planning stages.
Tafoya mentioned collaborations with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and the Winslow Moonshot program, the chamber’s website and community calendar as promotional tools, and the Brownfields Program used as an effort to revitalize downtown Holbrook.
She emphasized the events that keep the organization active in the community, pointing to events like Old West Fest, local festivals, movie nights and golf tournaments. She closed by emphasizing the broad economic boost the chamber provides to Holbrook and encouraging the city to maintain its longstanding partnership.
During the meeting the council also had a second reading and adoption of amending the code regarding the Holbrook Planning & Zoning Commission setting all term limits to the same length and creating a non-voting position to take care of administrative duties.
The council finished the meeting with an executive session to convene about the Anil Patel litigation, with no action taken following the session.
