During last week’s meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors, the board authorized the funding of two eligible projects selected for Opioid Settlement Funds after going through the vetting process conducted by the Opioid Settlement Agreement Steering Committee previously delegated by the Board of Supervisors and approving a revision to a previously approved project. One project is the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Peer Support, for a total cost of $314,082 over three years. The second project is Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Adult Detention Center in Custody Women’s 90-Day Substance Use Treatment Program, for a total cost of $468,000 over two years. The third project revision to Navajo County Public Health Services District – Navajo County Peer & Stigma Reduction Initiative, previously known as WE CAN Save Lives Project, for a total cost of $300,000 over three years.
The board also made a proclamation declaring National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 5–11. During this week the county calls upon all residents to take proactive steps to prepare for fires in their homes and businesses. This year’s theme brings awareness to the dangers of lithium-ion batteries around the homes and businesses in our county. Community members can take proactive measures to avoid risks from lithium-ion batteries by remembering to buy, charge and recycle safely.
In other business, the board:
* Approved contracts signed by County Manager Bryan Layton pursuant to Board of Supervisors Resolution: Health Care Service Provider Agreement between My Daughter’s Home Health and Navajo County, as well as a professional services contract amendment with John Osgood for professional services for the Little Colorado River at Winslow for an extension through Sept. 12.
* Approved to conduct a board member election for White Mountain Lakes Special Road District and Timberland Acres Special Road District on March 10, 2026.
* Authorized a board member election for White Mountain Summer Homes Domestic Water Improvement District on May 19, 2026.
* Approved the appointment of Savannah Danielle Meritt, Marleen Silverhatband, Jodie Ann Fearing, Angie Lynn McMillan and John Palmer Suttman as Democrat Precinct Committeemen for their respective precincts.
* Approved Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Arizona Attorney General’s Office’s Victims’ Rights program grant agreement in the amount of $32,100. Funds from this grant provided over 20,000 mandated notifications to victims in fiscal year 2025. Notifications to victims ranged from legal updates to case status to notifications of rights due to the victim because of victimization. Specifically, funds pay the partial salary of two office support specialists that are part of the notification process. There is no match requirement with this grant.
* Approved the terms and conditions and purchase of security operations center services from Rapid7 in the amount of $90,710.
* Approved sympathy letters to Deputy Todd Kulikowski, and Timber Mesa Fire and Medical District.
* Adopted the FY 2025-2026 Property Tax Rates for the Joseph City Street Lighting Improvement District. The prior tax levy and rate was calculated with the secondary assessed valuation instead of the primary assessed valuation. The rate will remain unchanged at 0.4234.
* Approved the revision of the FY 2026 levies for the Show Low Unified School District (SLUSD) and Northeastern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT). The secondary tax rates were inadvertently applied to the secondary assessed valuations rather than the primary assessed valuations, resulting in inaccurate secondary tax levies. The secondary tax levies for SLUSD and NAVIT have been recalculated in accordance with the revised summary tax rates table. The tax rates themselves remain unchanged.
* Approved a resolution extinguishing 50-foot public ingress and egress easements on Sections 5, 9, 15, and 17, T14N, R21E. Public Works received an extinguishment request from Ty Utton to benefit the Red Hills Solar and Storage Project. The purpose of the request is to extinguish specific interior right-of-way (ROW) easements within the designated solar array area of the Red Hills Solar Project to enable construction permitting and project commencement. Staff reviewed the proposed extinguishment and found no negative impacts. The extinguishment will not land lock any properties or hinder potential future growth by being needed for secondary access. The public roadway easement is not developed.
* Approved a professional services contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for the Navajo County Transportation Master Plan (TMP) in the amount of $98,230. The last TMP for Navajo County was completed in 2009. Kimley-Horn has been selected to prepare the new TMP, which will include technical analyses, public and stakeholder engagement, project development and prioritization, and policy recommendations. The TMP will serve as a guiding document for future transportation investments, helping the county address current challenges, plan for growth, and position itself for competitive state and federal funding opportunities. This is a budgeted expense.
* Approved a resolution to adopt the vote precinct maps to combining precinct 19 and 20 with precinct 16. The combination will have no impact on constituents or their ability to vote.
Convening as the Public Health Services District, the board:
* Approved an extension request for Arizona State Homeland Security grant project 24014-01 for an additional six months in order to procure the equipment approved for the grant.
Convened as the Navajo County Flood Control District, the board:
* Approved a contract amendment to the Kimley-Horn and Associates, LLC contract for the Woodruff Drainage Improvements Final Design Project to include additional services.
