The Navajo County Board of Supervisors held a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 27, during which the board approved to enter into an agreement of Legacy Learning LLC and Navajo County Accommodation District to provide dropout recovery services for students within Navajo County.
Superintendent of Schools Rachael Lewis stated that in 2024 the county’s high school graduation rate was approximately 86%. She explained that this 14% of students who drop out results in a decline in social, emotional and economic health. “In 2016 there was a study that showed it will cost our communities approximately over $400,000 per dropout.”
Legacy Learning LLC is based out of Show Low and will allow students from across all of Navajo County to have access to a program that will enable them to complete the necessary credits to graduate. The program is online and administered by certified teachers.
Lewis explained the dropout recovery program works at no cost to the county. “This company provides the curriculum and all of the support, and our Accommodation District is basically the vehicle for them to use our accreditation and our establishment of a district.”
During a board work session on May 13, staff presented feedback received from the listening sessions that were held as well as feedback collected online in regard to the county’s renewable energy ordinance, including solar and wind. Staff then developed recommendations to update, clarify and enhance the current ordinance based on the feedback. Director or Planning and Development Services Mischa Larisch and Planning Manager Cody Cooper presented on the initial draft revisions and the development of new draft ordinance language, specifically for solar energy.
Improvements made involve performance criteria, stronger fire and road use regulations, consultation with nearby municipalities and tribes, as well as environmental and cultural studies. “Additionally, we added in requirements for applicants to consult with any municipality or tribal entity if their project boundary is located within five miles of those bodies,” stated Cooper. Unique provisions for wind and solar setbacks were added, along with new fees due to higher review demands.
Specific to the wind ordinance, the proposed ordinance includes a waiver for non-participating properties, allowing neighboring properties to go through and waive any of the setback requirements, with a similar clause for solar. The ordinance will be presented for consideration to the board during the June 24 meeting.
A Medical Aid Award was given to Navajo County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher Kendal Webster, as well as Sheriff’s Life-Saving Awards to Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Austin Huddleston and Show Low Police Department dispatcher Amber Price. The three were presented these awards due to their ability to act quickly and save Overgaard resident Gary Mitchell after he suffered a cardiac arrest in his home, which Mitchell stated has an out-of-hospital survival rate of 10%.
The board recognized the Joseph City High School softball team for winning the 2025 state championship, as well as the Snowflake High School track team for winning the division four track and field state championship.
In other business, the board:
* Approved an amendment to extend a contract with Robert Santos contract for Law Enforcement Services for Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) from July, 2025 to July 2026. Santos is an independent contractor recruit training officer assigned to the Northern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy.
* Approved a resolution for the final application for grant funding from the Arizona State Parks Board for NCSO State Lake Improvement Fund Off-Highway Vehicle/Recreational Trail Program. The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office was awarded funding for the purchase of two side-by-sides with law enforcement lighting and communications, two OHV tandem axle trailers and funding for OHV patrol hours. The total of the award is $275,000, with $211,000 designated for the equipment and $64,000 for personnel costs. The Sheriff’s Office will provide up to $25,000 as an in-kind project match through staff time, which is part of the $275,000.
* Approved distribution of Fiscal Year 2025 Forest Fees to school districts: Snowflake Unified School District (USD) No. 5, $10,361; Heber/Overgaard USD No. 6, $17,915; Show Low USD, $17,747; and Blue Ridge USD, $6,729.
* Approved the renewal of the agreement for CISCO software products for a total of $85,591.
* Approved tax exemptions filed as a Request for Redemption of Waiver.
* Approved the appointment of Joe Cruces Romero, Katherine Coulter Reeve, Jacqueline Mueller, Meredith L. Tabor, Rosemary Yvonne Gallo, Bonnie Lorraine Kennedy, Kihla Danielle Jimenez, Mary Elizabeth Dancer, Eileen P. Lopez, Vanessa Rae Salazar, Karen Lyn Manning, Anne Elizabeth Sheridan, George E. Tsouhlarakis, Bobbye Kay Tsouhlarakis and Joseph Michael Chonka as democrat precinct committeemen for their respective precincts.
* Approved contracts signed by County Manager Bryan Layton pursuant to Board of Supervisors Resolution: Restore Pro change order for the code enforcement facility and EX2 Technology, LLC Change Order for Broadband. This change order encompasses five changes that have made to date throughout the course of the project. Four of the changes are value engineering changes to reduce the overall project construction costs. The other change is an increase in contract value which revises some of the civil site work to improve the site grading and drainage. Overall, the change order results in a net savings of $6,625 for the project.
* Approved an amendment to contract with eX2 for the design, construction, maintenance and marketing of fiber optic infrastructure to add additional rock allowance for $345,015. The original contract scope included an allowance to be utilized, as needed, when subsurface rock is encountered during construction. The project has encountered more rock than originally anticipated. The change order adds additional rock allowance to the contract. This additional allowance will be utilized, as needed, to install our conduit through any remaining rock that is encountered during construction. Funds will come from the Local Assistance Consistency fund.
* Approved sympathy letters of Melcomh Chee.
* Approved awarding contract for hauling waste tires to CRM of America, LLC, Navajo County Public Works administers waste tire recycling program in partnership with Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. This contract is for the hauling and disposal of waste tires from the Navajo County’s waste tire collection sites to a recycling plant. This contract has an initial term of one year with the option for up to four one-year renewals. CRM of America, LLC, has provided these services successfully to the county for the past several years. Funds are budgeted in the fiscal year 2025 and 2026 budget.
Convening as the Navajo County Flood Control District, the board:
* Approved an award of contract, Full House Lane Box Culvert, to Perkins Cinders, Inc., in the amount of $244,316. The contract is to install a concrete box culvert with headwalls and CMPA, replace pavement removed during the installation and replace existing signs on Full House Lane, Show Low. Funds are budgeted in the Flood Control District budget.
