Holbrook councilmembers, with the exception of Robert Black who was absent, spent much of their Nov. 12 meeting hearing an in-depth update from Nexus Coalition for Drug Prevention before turning their attention to a major rezoning proposal for the Railroad District, a report on emergency food-bank donations, and a brief discussion on the city’s proposed business license system.
Nexus Coalition for Drug Prevention Executive Director Vicki Solomon told the council her team’s work continues to grow across Navajo County and that Holbrook has become one of the coalition’s focus areas. She said, “The coalition’s mission is to lower the substance use among youth, as well as among adults and to build resiliency in youth and in families,” explaining that Nexus operates entirely on grants so “everything that we do for our communities is free.” Solomon informed the council of the work they do by going through the numbers which included 9,600 youth served, 3,400 adults served, 661 activities delivered, 824 naloxone kits distributed with training and more than 42,000 educational materials handed out.
Solomon went on to describe the breadth of programs now touching Holbrook and nearby communities. She explained that Nexus educators have been working inside schools not only with classroom-based resiliency lessons but also with student wellness projects, support groups and early-intervention efforts for youth who may be struggling academically or socially. She also highlighted a newer push to place hygiene pantries in schools after administrators reported that many students lacked access to basic items such as deodorant, shampoo and feminine products. That effort, she said, has helped reduce absenteeism and give students a sense of dignity during the school day.
She described continuing work at Indian Wells Elementary and ongoing weekly resiliency classes inside the Holbrook jail. Solomon told the council that inmates often struggle when released without basic supplies, adding that part of the coalition’s recent work involved stocking hygiene items and other essentials where gaps existed. She also discussed the coalition’s partnership with NCIS youth programs and fitness and arts activities held in collaboration with Northland Pioneer College.
Solomon noted that the countywide student art contest, which focuses on positive choices and substance-abuse prevention themes, has grown so much that the coalition had to divide it into multiple age groups to accommodate participation from Holbrook-area students.
Solomon said Nexus hopes to bring its Junior Leadership Academy to Holbrook next summer and explained the program exposes students to courts, emergency services, local government and community organizations. “It’s two weeks long and it’s completely free to the families,” so people are able to gain these valuable skills without having to spend money on the program.
She also noted that Nexus’s nonprofit arm had been selected for the Snowflake Giving Machine during the holidays, which will allow donors to directly purchase program supplies, hygiene kits, or prevention materials for local youth and families.
After the presentation, the council moved into discussion of a significant zoning rewrite for the Railroad District, a move city staff said was meant to modernize outdated regulations and bring long-standing industrial and commercial operations into compliance.
Planning and Zoning Commission Vice President Aaron Colon walked councilmembers through the update and explained that the changes would allow the area south of the railroad tracks to support small shops, restaurants, light industrial uses and mixed-use housing above commercial storefronts. The rewrite is also designed to legally recognize existing operations such as Carbon Utility’s new lease for the transfer station. Colon emphasized that the plan follows recommendations from the city’s Stantec engineering study and is tied to ongoing downtown revitalization efforts.
The issue with the previous zoning is that it contained no permitted uses, which means that anytime someone wanted to develop there they needed to file for a conditional use permit and gain council approval before they could start. Colon said they looked at several of those conditional use permits and included them as permitted use cases as well as added some additional uses and residential to help build up Holbrook’s oldest neighborhood.
Later in the meeting, Vice Mayor Mike Nilsson gave a report on the recent food-bank shortage, telling the council that the Holbrook Emergency Food Bank had briefly run out of food for the first time due to the federal government shutdown. He explained donations arrived quickly once word spread, noting contributions from a Winslow therapist group, Senator Mark Kelly’s office, Safeway’s workers’ union, Safeway corporate, United Way of Northern Arizona, and St. Mary’s Food Bank. Nilsson said the community’s response was immediate, describing the support as “an incredible outpouring of help at exactly the moment it was needed.” He added that local fundraising events were also successful and encouraged residents to volunteer for the upcoming Christmas food-box distribution in December.
The meeting also contained a discussion and first reading for an ordinance that once passed will establish a citywide business licensing system. Councilmembers raised questions about how home-based businesses would be included, how inspections would be handled and whether the penalty structure needed adjustment. Staff said the goal is to create a consistent way to track businesses, improve zoning and safety compliance, and strengthen communication with operators. The ordinance will return for a second reading in December. The license will be similar to cities like Winslow and not have a fee associated with applying for a permit.
During the meeting, the council also appointed Merrill Young to the planning and zoning commission for a term ending, Oct. 15, 2027.
