During the Navajo County Board of Supervisors meeting last week Navajo County Emergency Management and Preparedness Director Catrina Jenkins shared that due to the monsoons starting, “the Mogollon region is now below the 90th percentile and we are seeing some good recovery. But I don’t want people to get too excited because the fuels are still out there and the moisture has been scattered and not completely soaking.”
As a result, the White Mountains Fire Restrictions Working Group has chosen to maintain the Stage Three fire restrictions. “We are asking our citizens to continue their vigilance and understand that there is a small light at the end of the tunnel,” shared Jenkins, who also noted that last week the lightning strikes were creating a number of fires, which the crews worked to fully suppress due to conditions being too dangerous to let them burn.
“Once we get rain that is completely across the board and that are continuous, wetting rains, then we will be more secure in lifting the restrictions,” said Jenkins.
For the latest information on the fire restrictions, citizens are encouraged to check out www.311info.net or www.firerestrictions.us/az.
In other business, the board:
* Approved the final budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018-19 in the amount of $12.3 million for Navajo County with no changes from the tentative budget approved in June.
* Adopted the final FY 2018-19 budgets for the 13 special districts, which include the districts of Navajo County Public Health Services; Navajo County Library; Navajo County Flood Control; White Mountain Lakes County Recreation Improvement; Silver Creek County Road Improvement; Victory Heights Road Maintenance; Scott’s Pine Meadow County Road Improvement; Shumway Road Improvement; and the Improvement Districts of Bucking Horse, Hilltop Drive, Mountain View, North Whistle Stop Loop and Joseph City Street Lighting. There were no changes from the preliminary budgets.
* Approved an agreement amendment for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program. This amendment provides supplemental funding from the Arizona Department of Health Services to further develop and enhance Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP). PHEP utilizes these funds for plans, training, in real world exercises that affect the citizens of Navajo County.
* Approved an agreement between the City of Holbrook and the Navajo County Public Health Services District for Animal Control Services from July 1 until Sept. 30, while Holbrook Animal Control Officer Merrill Young is on vacation.
* Approved an agreement between the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Navajo Regional Office and the county for the continued funding of two county road maintenance equipment operators. District I Special Board of Supervisor Road Funds will be obligated for operators in the amount of $25,000.
* Approved an agreement with the City of Holbrook authorizing the county to provide financial assistance for the purchase of materials, labor and equipment to be used to chip seal various streets in the City of Holbrook with expenditures not to exceed $56,500. Funds are available in the County’s Capital Improvement Project (CIP)/District III special road projects fund.
* Approved an agreement with the Town of Taylor authorizing the county to purchase and place material in support of a joint partnership chip seal project on various roadways within the Town of Taylor. No District III special road project funds are requested, as the town will reimburse the county.
* Approved an agreement with the Town of Snowflake authorizing Navajo County to provide financial assistance for the purchase of materials, labor and equipment to be used to chip seal various streets in the Town of Snowflake with expenditures not to exceed $27,000. Funding is available in the County’s CIP/District III special road projects fund.
* Approved ratification of the Navajo County Political Subdivisions Modification Commitment Amount Request Agreement between Wells Fargo Bank and Navajo County
* Approved a cooperative purchase agreement between the county, the City of Tucson and WSP USA Inc., for developing a signage plan for the east and west approaches of BIA Route 15 and State Route 87 for a total cost of $8,013.
* Authorized a letter of support for the White Mountain Apache Tribal Department of Transportation application for the 2018 BUILD Funding, Route 12, Cibecue Project.
* Approved the 2018 Cooperative Fire Rate Agreement with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
* Approved the fiscal year 2019 Fill the Gap (FTG) grant application. The court will receive $31,735 in state FTG funds and will use the court’s FTG funds in the amount of $126,812.
* Approved the fiscal year 2019 grant application for traffic case processing funds. This a state grant for $25,000, which supports the court trainer position.
