Snowflake Councilors each thanked the public for voting in the primary election held Tuesday, Aug. 30, during the report section of the Tuesday, Aug. 9, council meeting.
Councilor Byron Lewis recognized those running for council and those that voted. Councilor Stuart Hensley thanked the public and said he appreciated the attendance of those voting this year, noting that the new electronic equipment makes it easy to vote. He encouraged everyone to vote Nov. 8.
Councilor Terril Kay, Hensley and Councilor Lynn Johnson thanked staff for their hard work and several councilors expressed appreciation to the fire department and police department for all they do to keep the community safe.
Kay said he was impressed with the community clean-up at the schools stating, “participation was phenomenal” and thanked Chad Brimhall for organizing that event. He thanked the town’s people for making it happen. “It’s made a huge difference,” he said noting, “It’s good to see people working together and everybody getting along.”
Kay said he was excited to read that the fire department was able to bring on two shifts stating, “That was something we worked hard to make happen.” He congratulated Fire Chief Clint Burden and Assistant Fire Chief Willie Nelson in making that happen.
“That was a good way to spend our money this year,” said Kay, referring to the roadwork that was done to preserve the streets.
Kay commended the Public Works Department for their hard work, having worked with them on a project recently. He felt they were very professional and quick in getting the road open.
Lewis said that Navajo County is the 85th poorest county in America and briefly mentioned Kids Care that was approved in recent legislation.
Lewis gave a shout out to Kerry Ballard who has served the town for over two decades, and was recognized by the League of Cities and Towns at their recent convention for 20 years of service.
Johnson spoke of the privatization of the Labor Day softball tournament and said it was successful. He thanked Taylor for “going out of their way” to make sure the tournament went off good. He felt the town should consider privatizing programs in town, but he did acknowledge that many citizens are willing to do a lot of work to make these types of things successful.
Johnson expressed concern about people speeding in the school zones and has approached Chief Larry Scarber about the possibility of putting speed bumps in front of the high school stating, “It’s a dangerous situation.”
Vice Mayor Kerry Ballard acknowledged residents on DeWitt Street for coming together and using millings to improve their road.
Ballard reported that the street lights from Main Street to the bridge on Concho Highway were turned on that evening and encouraged anyone interested to purchase a plaque that the town would put on the light pole for $100. There were 16 poles available with 14 left.
He said that the Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG) meeting to be held on Sept. 7, 2017, would be held in Snowflake, which will be an economic boost for the town. Ballard explained that NACOG holds two meetings a year outside of Flagstaff. Ballard is on the NACOG board and explained that they meet to talk about things that involve the communities, such as transportation, aging and community service.
Town Manager Brian Richards thanked councilors for their praise of the employees noting that Town Clerk Barbara Flake has gone through a lot the last while in order to take care of the Freedom of Information Act. He also acknowledged Chief Scarber and Assistant Fire Chief Willie Nelson who were in attendance and thanked them for their service. Richards said that he appreciated the council and staff.
In call to the public, Lowry Flake encouraged councilors to help defeat Proposition 205, the recreational marijuana bill any way that they could. Kay noted that he opposed the proposition. Johnson told Flake that he appreciated comments he made. “One thing that stuck out substantially is when we work together we can accomplish a lot of things,” said Johnson noting that if we don’t worry about who gets the credit, we can make things happen. “When we come together as a town, we can make an impact,” he said, agreeing with Flake about defeating Prop 205.
