Service, Efficiency, Capital Projects Are Navajo County’s Goals In 2015

County Manager James Jayne noted that one of the big improvements that residents will see is a major change to the county’s website. Much of the new site has already been redesigned and built, but is not yet live to the public.

“We are expecting greater transparency and access,” Jayne said.

Government Relations Administrator Hunter Moore explained that county staff has studied the metrics of the site and noted how users travel throughout the existing site. The information is being used to create a user-friendly site that will feature the most sought after links on the home page. He explained that information and links across the site will also be better organized to reduce the amount of searching users must do in order to find what they seek.

The new site will allow increased interaction with county staff and include many fillable forms to make it easier for residents to obtain the forms and services they need.

According to Assistant County Manager Homero Vela, the site is also being built with ease of use for county staff members in mind. Each department will be able to manage its own information and complete updates without sending everything through the information technology (IT) department.

“With each department in charge of their part of the site, it will be easier to keep everything up to date,” Vela said.

The website build is in the final stages, and is expected to be fully operational and visible to the public by early spring.

Regional Dispatch

A new regional dispatch center is expected to be up and running before the end of 2015.

“It will enhance public safety, create an economy of scale, and save taxpayers money county-wide,” Jayne said.

Vela explained that a regional dispatch center has been in the works for about five years, and the plan is finally coming together.

“We have started a detailed implementation plan,” he said. “Right now it (coordinating dispatch services) takes too long overall. We need to be state-of-the-art and have a quicker response to emergencies. We are trying to bring all of the police departments, fire departments and emergency services under the same system.”

Reorganization

With the opening of the new public works building, the county will be shifting the location of some departments in 2015, including probation, the library district and the cooperative extension.

Probation will move into a portion of the former public works building and the aging mobile units on the north side of the county complex that currently house probation offices will be removed. The library district offices will shift to the old county road yard on McLaws Road, and Cooperative Extension offices will move to a mobile building that once served as a unit of the jail.

In addition, grand jury proceedings will be held downstairs at the site of the old Cooperative Extension offices in order to allow more privacy, and the employee cafeteria will be remodeled to update the 1970s decor and create a brighter, more inviting space.

Capital Projects

Over the course of 2015, the county will focus on rehabilitating the old Woodruff/Snowflake bridge and completing the Winslow levee feasibility study.

The Woodruff/Snowflake bridge will not be replaced and the historic character will be maintained, but the deck will be upgraded to increase the weight limit from three to 15 tons. It will remain one lane.

“That bridge has a truss design that you don’t see anymore. We’re going to keep the historical aspect because it has significance,” Vela said. “We’ll fix the abutments and change to a concrete deck.”

The project is mainly funded by a federal grant of $1.25 million, and the county will provide a $150,000 match. The design stage should be complete by May.

Federal funding has also been approved for completion of the feasibility study on the Winslow levee and Vela believes the multi-year study can be completed by the end of the year. The study includes hydrology and engineering that will repair the levee to the extent it can withstand a 100-year flood event. Vela pointed out that the study is only the first step in a long process, and the next stage of design will likely take another two years.

In addition to the major capital projects, county public works staff will continue to work on roads, making improvements such as replacing culverts and completing pavement overlays.

Jayne noted that overall the county will continue supporting local communities and serving citizens.

“We expect to continue our partnerships with local communities and see how we can partner to serve the public interest,” he said.