The Navajo County Board of Supervisors heard a presentation by the County Supervisors Association (CSA), outlining its activities and accomplishments over the past year. The presentation was led by CSA President Steve Miller, who also serves as the Pinal County supervisor for District Three and CSA Director Craig Sullivan.
Miller opened the session by expressing gratitude to Navajo County for its active participation in the CSA. He highlighted the importance of the organization’s collaborative efforts, noting that it brings together 15 counties to engage in non-partisan research and policy work that supports decision-making at the state, federal, and local levels. Miller specifically acknowledged Supervisor Jason Whiting for his involvement in the Legislative Policy Committee (LPC), speaking to the effective contributions Whiting has made to policy recommendations.
Director Craig Sullivan then provided an overview of the CSA’s core activities and initiatives. He highlighted the organization’s intergovernmental work, which includes policy discussions and collaboration among counties on crucial issues. Sullivan detailed the CSA’s growing data and analytics function, which now includes over 4 million data points.
This initiative aims to support counties by providing comprehensive data to inform decision-making processes. The expansion includes new budgetary data and court-related information, which are essential for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of county operations. Research like this helps counties prioritize their budgets and resources towards effective strategies that lead to more efficient use of public funds.
Sullivan also discussed several strategic initiatives that the CSA has pursued, including securing $1.4 million in grants for university-based research into key county activities. These projects focus on areas such as public safety recruitment, retention, and procurement efficiency. The CSA has also made significant progress in stabilizing the public safety pension system, a strategic initiative set seven years ago.
Through collaboration with various counties and state entities, the CSA has helped improve the funded status of the correctional officers pension system. Sullivan speaks about how much this board has allowed Pinal County to pay down their pension debt and get to a much better place than they were years ago when the organization began working to address this issue. Sullivan said, “Our key now is to make sure that we don’t roll backwards, that we protect those taxpayer assets, and that we link what we know and what we’ve gone through, with decisions that the state legislature may make going forward.”
One of the key topics covered in the presentation was the CSA’s involvement in broadband initiatives. Sullivan emphasized the importance of broadband development and highlighted the CSA’s role in working with the governor’s intergovernmental workgroup to support broadband needs across the counties. He commended the efforts of county management, particularly those from Navajo County, in optimizing this opportunity.
The legislative session was another major focus of the presentation. Sullivan described the CSA’s efforts to prevent the state’s budget crisis from negatively impacting county operations. He outlined the challenges faced during the session, including the lack of ongoing funding for state-funded probation officers and an increase in court-related costs due to salary adjustments for superior court judges and justices of the peace. Despite these issues, the CSA successfully protected several critical areas of county funding, such as indigent defense and juvenile dependency funding.
Sullivan also highlighted the CSA’s role in bill tracking and advocacy, noting that the organization managed hundreds of bills that impacted county operations. The CSA engaged in what Sullivan described as “reactive advocacy,” working with lawmakers to amend or improve bills that were initially concerning. He also pointed to proactive successes, such as policy changes in the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission and improvements to the recount process, as examples of the CSA’s effective legislative work.
As the presentation concluded, board members expressed their appreciation for the CSA’s efforts. Supervisor Whiting emphasized the importance of CSA’s work in advocating for rural communities and thanked the organization for its continued support. The board’s chairman praised the professionalism of the CSA team and highlighted the value of the CSA’s data library in facilitating informed decision-making.
