During its regular city council meeting last week, the Holbrook City Council interviewed four candidates for the appointment to replace Councilmember Tammy Wood. The candidates included Tammy Gray, Troy Jenkins, Shawn Layden, and Roxanne Pergeson who were in attendance at the meeting and answered questions from the council.
The candidates were asked three identical questions: what motivated them to apply and what they hoped to contribute, how their past experiences had prepared them for the role and what they saw as Holbrook’s most important challenges or opportunities and how they would address them.
Gray said her lifelong familiarity with Holbrook, combined with decades of observing and reporting on city government, gave her both “fresh ideas” and a grasp of “how things came to be the way they are.”
Jenkins spoke about fostering agricultural development and helping residents turn property into sustainable businesses.
Layden reflected on Holbrook’s past economic vitality and said his grant-writing and how coaching background could help “infuse some money into the community.”
Pergeson, who is employed as the Navajo County Attorney’s Office Victim Services Manager, pointed to her state and county-level government work, grant management and nonprofit leadership, saying it was important to “come at this position without an ego” and to focus on measurable, strategic goals. After the ballots were tallied, Pergeson received five votes to Gray’s one and was sworn in immediately. She will fill the position until the December 2026 election, when she can choose to run as a candidate.
Council then heard from Sherry Watson of the Empty Pockets Saloon, located at 2210 Navajo Blvd., who requested an application for a temporary extension of premises to the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control be approved for events during the hours of 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 11-14, during the Navajo County Fair; and Saturday, Oct. 11, for Oktoberfest and Friday, Oct. 31, for Halloween.
Councilmembers Teri Tafoya and Robert Black raised concerns over previous years’ outdoor allowances due to proximity to residential areas, with Black saying, “there was a lot of complaints last year… people weren’t happy.” Watson said she had not received complaints directly and agreed to notify neighbors and follow noise ordinance. She also informed the council that the DJ would remain inside instead of outside. The extension was approved with the condition of notifying neighbors near the premises and a promise to follow noise ordinances, which state that between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., no music/sounds is allowed to be plainly audible or to cause vibrations accompanying the sound at a distance of 100 feet or more from the building or source of where it is located. The motion to approve the application passed with Smith, Tafoya, Pergeson and Vice Mayor Mike Nilsson in favor, and Black opposing.
Several resolutions passed unanimously, including an intergovernmental agreement with Navajo County to allow the county to handle permitting for the Snowflake Solar Project, located approximately 3.5 miles north of Holbrook extending towards Sun Valley, most of which lies outside city limits but has easements within city boundaries.
Another agreement with Navajo County Public Health raised the monthly fee from $1,600 to $3,000 for housing up to 30 county-impounded dogs at the Holbrook Animal Control/Shelter.
The council also approved an agreement with the Arizona Department of Transportation to allow the Holbrook Police Department to use AZTraCS, a statewide traffic and criminal reporting system, with no financial impact.
Members voted to participate in the latest national opioid settlement, with funds allocated to Holbrook to be directed to Navajo County for prevention and education programs.
The council also approved a joint cooperative purchasing agreement with the City of Tucson to save on the cost of supplies and the mobilization costs by partnering a large city. Sullivan said the targeted roads were around schools and in good enough condition for chip sealing. The council approved the resolution to be part of the cooperative and a second resolution was approved for the cost to do the project. The city budgeted up to $400,000 in Highway User Revenue Funds for chip seal work in and the project will begin the end of September.
During the call to the public, resident Rick Fife requested city support in petitioning the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to lower the speed limit on Hopi Drive to 25 miles per hour. “The trucks go over there at 35 to 45 miles an hour and it shakes our houses,” he said, noting that the original homes on that stretch are being damaged. Fife said he had spoken to ADOT, the county board of supervisors and the state representatives but has not been able to make any progress in solving the issue.
Also speaking was Joy Simpson, who asked why a food vendor, Thai 2 Go, she favored was no longer setting up in Gillespie Park. “Why can’t we have them back?” she asked. Mayor Smith responded that the park remains open for vendors who choose to be there and is free to use with a generator or a fee for use of electricity.
The meeting ended with a vote to enter executive session to discuss the city manager’s contract. The executive session was followed by a work session to discuss potential changes for a new draft of the city’s general plan.
