The Navajo County Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday, April 8, during which the board received a presentation regarding the county’s current wildfire conditions, fire restrictions and migration efforts.

Emergency Management & Preparedness Director Catrina Jenkins gave a wildfire preparedness update, in which she stated, “We’re still in extreme severe drought.” She explained the month of April has an above normal potential for significant wildland the eastern portion of the state, including the White Mountains. The high risk for wildland fire then has a potential to spread to nearly all of northern Arizona in May, with a possibility of the fire season extending even further if dry conditions persist into June.

Jenkins explained the county’s wildfire coordination team has continued to meet weekly and Stage One fire restrictions remain in place. “What Stage One means is there’s no debris burning. All permits are suspended until further notice,” she stated, adding that it also prohibits smoking outside of designated areas, consumer fireworks and tracer round ammunition or explosive targets. The importance of insuring vehicles with chains or low hanging undercarriages aren’t hitting the ground to reduce the potential of sparks was also noted.

Janet Dean with Arizona Public Service (APS) also presented on how the company works to provide wildfire mitigation. Actions such as vegetation management, grid hardening investments, asset inspection, monitoring and operational mitigations were all listed as ways APS currently works to reduce the spread of wildfires. APS uses AI smoke detection cameras, pan-tilt-zoom cameras, as well as weather stations to monitor potential wildfire areas.

APS also has a system called Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). “This is a tool that could call for us to turn power off proactively when the conditions are at the extremist of extreme,” explained Dean. PSPS can be used to help prevent or reduce wildfires, which is only used in extreme conditions and impacts a limited number of customers within high-risk communities. APS also utilizes an advanced notification system that works to notify potentially impacted customers of power shut offs days in advance and keeps them informed on estimates of when power will return as well as available resources.

“The biggest message we’re sharing is a message of preparedness,” stated Dean, adding the importance of customers to make sure their contact information with APS ia up to date as well as signing up for the county emergency alerts.

The board also recognized the Snowflake High School girls basketball team for winning the 3A state championship. Winslow High School’s Division IV 144-pound weight class wrestling champion Michael Romero, Snowflake High School’s Division III 215-pound weight class wrestling state champion Devin Kinlicheenie, and Mogollon High School’s Division IV 165-pound weight class wrestling champion Hadley Porter and 106-pound weight class wrestling state champion Anthony Pimentel were also honored.

The board passed a proclamation declaring April as “National County Government Month,” as a celebration of county government. It provides an opportunity for county officials to raise public awareness and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of counties and to highlight essential county services and effective programs.

Another proclamation was passed as well declaring April 13-19 as “National Telecommunicator’s Week” in the county. Public safety telecommunicators are the single vital link for first responders by monitoring their activities by radio, providing real-time information and ensuring their safety.

Supervisor Alberto Peshlakai and Vice Chair Dawnafe Whitesinger were absent from the meeting.

In other business, the board:

* Approved the renewal of the DarkTrace cybersecurity software for two years at a cost of $61,769. The amount was budgeted in the IT department.

* Approved a grant application for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Traffic Case Processing Fund (TCPF) Court Field Trainer. The funding sources for this position are from the court’s Fill the Gap funds, local judicial collections enhancement funds and the TCPF grant. No general funds are required.

* Approved a grant application for FY2026 Court Fill the Gap funding. The Fill the Gap initiative is to improve criminal case processing. The court annually applies to utilize court funds for this initiative.

* Approved the FY2026 re-appointment of Michael Penrod and Steven Williams as judges pro tempore to serve in the Navajo County Superior Court for a term beginning July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

* Approved a donation agreement between the towns of Snowflake and Taylor, and the county for the Navajo County Probation Department to take over ownership of police dog Zeus due to the phase-out of the police department’s K9 unit. The towns’ joint police department is phasing out its K-9 program and seeking a new home for Zeus. The county’s probation department has a need for the dog and can properly care for and house the dog.

* Approved a license agreement between Cellular One of Northeast Arizona, a division of Smith Bagley, Inc. dba, and Navajo County Sheriff’s Department for the Adamana tower and property. It is a five-year lease agreement for use of a tower located at 9978 Old U.S. Hwy 66 for the installation and upgrade of its radio systems. Commencement of this agreement will be 90 days from full execution or upon issuance of a Notice to Proceed, whichever occurs first, with a renewal option of up to four additional and successive terms of five years each. The annual license fee for the use of the tower and property is $2,000, plus any sales, use, gross receipts or any other tax.

* Approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) for the lease of a U.S. Department of Defense helicopter between Pinal County and Navajo County for critical law enforcement operations. The agreement will commence on the date of completed execution by each party and will carry an initial term of one year, with a renewal option of up to four additional one-year terms. The Sheriff’s Office has secured and received funding through Local Border Support funding to cover costs, causing no financial impact to the county.

* Approved a resolution reaffirming the county’s fair housing policy, making known its commitment to the principle of fair housing and describing actions it shall undertake to affirmatively further fair housing in Navajo County.

* Approved a sympathy letter to Kaitlyn Lerma.

* Approved an amendment to the contract with Hawker & Evan Asphalt Company Inc. and Cactus Asphalt, Inc., for Supplying & Delivering Liquid Asphalt Products to extend the contract one additional year to May 13, 2026.

* Approved an amendment to Wilson & Company Professional Services contract for the Joseph City Pedestrian Improvements Project to extend the contract one additional to May 22, 2026.

* Approved an amendment to the Wilson & Company Starlight Pavement Reconstruction Final Design Project to extend the contract for six additional months to allow for completion of construction on the project.

* Approved tax exemptions filed pursuant to ARS §42-11153 as a Request for Redemption of Waiver.

* Approved a resolution supporting the Heber-Overgaard Community Food Bank to apply for the 2025 Gila River Indian Community grant opportunity.

* Approved contracts signed by County Manager Bryan Layton pursuant to Board of Supervisors Resolution: Master Service Agreement between Navajo County and Benefits & Risk Management Services Inc. Annual Renewal; Statement of Work between CDW Government LLC and Navajo County for the addition of Copilot for M365 licenses.

Convening as the Navajo County Public Health Services District (NCPHSD), the board:

* Approved an amendment to the Overdose Data to Action IGA between the Arizona Department of Health Services and NCPHSD to continue to provide naloxone training and help reduce overdose deaths. There were no significant changes to the scope of work.

* Approved an amendment to the IGA between the Arizona Department of Health Services and NCPHSD to continue the overdose fatality reviews. NCPHSD has been reviewing local overdose deaths since 2019. These reviews are a formal process to systemically share information on the death event and identify risk factors in those deaths. The team members make recommendations for program and policy changes to help prevent overdose deaths.

* Approved a service agreement between NCPHSD and Summit Healthcare Association for general medical equipment calibration. This is a renewal of a long-standing contract with Summit Healthcare to perform this service for our organization.

Convening as the board of equalization, the board:

* Approved stipulation between the County Assessor and Petitioner on Petition for Review of Proposed Correction Real Property APN: 212-37-096B.