District III Supervisor Jason Whiting has been elected by the Navajo County Board of Supervisors to serve as Chairman for 2020. Whiting will replace District V Supervisor Dawnafe Whitesinger.
Whitesinger was praised for her calm and kind demeanor and leadership style in last week’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting. She has served as chairwoman over the last year and is the first woman to hold that position in Navajo County.
Whiting represents District III which includes Holbrook, Joseph City, Snowflake/Taylor, Woodruff, Shumway, Silver Lake Estates and White Mountain Lakes. He has been on the board since his appointment in 2014 when he took the seat of Sylvia Allen who moved on to the Arizona State Senate.
District I Supervisor Lee Jack assumed the role of Vice Chairman. Jack represents the Navajo Nation including the communities of Sun Valley, Kayenta and Whitecone.
In other business, the board:
* Accepted the warrant and voucher report over $1,000.
* Approved the Clerk of the Superior Court, the juvenile probation report and the Justice Court reports from Holbrook, Winslow, Snowflake, Kayenta, Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside precincts for Nov. 2019.
* Approved constable reports for November from Winslow and Kayenta and for December from Snowflake, Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside.
* Approved the 2020 board committee appointments including adding new District IV Supervisor Daryl Seymore to the Navajo County Community, Economic and Workforce Development Committee.
* Cast a ballot in favor of Insys Theraputics Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan in the U.S Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware. Navajo County is a plaintiff in the multi-district opioid litigation pending in the State of Ohio. Insys Therapeutics is a defendant. As one of the creditors of Insys, the county has been asked to vote on the Chapter 11 plan submitted in the case.
* Approved three back-tax land parcels deeded to the State of Arizona in error. They will be deeded back to the grantee.
* Approved an application for an extension of premises and patio permit for Cheryl Ann Harmon of Moose Henri’s Grille, Corks and Taps in Pinetop.
* Approved a contract with Toni Gibbons for the creation of a quarterly Navajo County newsletter as an independent contractor. The month to month contract will compensate Gibbons $500 per newsletter.
* Appointed Maclorio Rojo and Dennis James Azevedo, both of Show Low, as Republican Precinct Committeemen for their respective precincts.
* Appointed Bessie S. Allen of Pinon; Elizabeth Anne Marsh of Kayenta; Stella Kylilah Bizahaloni of Pinon Elesta Aday of Whiteriver; David Michael Clouse of Snowflake; and Kurt Obermayr of Winslow as Democratic Precinct Committeemen for their respective precincts.
* Approved a resolution cancelling an election for the Timberland Acres (Show Low) Domestic Water Improvement District and appointing Steve Valentine and Glenda Call as board members.
* Approved a resolution cancelling the March 10, 2020, elections for Timberland Acres Special Road District 1 and appointing Richard Wright, Charles Denham and Rick Bowers as board members and White Mountain Lakes (Show Low) Special Road District 2 and appointing William Mast as a board member.
* Approved the official bond and oath of County Treasurer Kari Lopez.
* Approved the reissuance of a stale-dated check in the amount of $139.87 as a refund for overpaid property taxes or investor payments.
* Approved an intergovernmental agreement between Navajo County and Kayenta Township for temporary housing for Navajo County Sheriff’s (NCSO) deputies while assigned to the area or working special events. The agreement is effective for five years.
* Accepted a grant from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program in the amount of $127,580. The grant will be used for salaries, operating supplies and services for Navajo County’s Major Crimes Apprehension Team (MCAT).
* Approved a subscription agreement between Edward and Amato P.C. and the NCSO to purchase law enforcement manuals, updates and renewals. The annual subscription rate is $4,500.
* Approved an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Glendale and the NCSO for off-duty employment allowing off-duty deputies to provide security and traffic management at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
* Amended the Inmate Commissary and Banking contract awarded to Summit Food Services, LLC in November 2019. The amendment clarifies the commission rate, contract term and integration with the Navajo County inmate telephone vendor.
* Renewed a contract with Changepoint to provide services for victims of crime in Navajo County. The contract is funded by a federal grant from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).
* Approved a resolution designating the Navajo County Recorders Office, located at 100 Code Talkers Drive, as an emergency voting center for the March 17 Presidential Preference Election, Aug. 3 Primary Election and Nov. 2 General Election.
* Approved a professional service agreement with nurse practitioner Debra Smalley, CNM, NP to perform provider duties for nursing services in the public health district. Compensation is $3,250 monthly, which includes $2,000 from the Family Planning Grant. The contract renews annually.
* Accepted a grant from the Arizona Governor’s Office in the amount of $51,360 to pay for the Sexual Assault Response Team Coordinator.
* Adopted a resolution designating roads in the Timberland Acres Special Road District 1 as primitive roads. This will allow the county to continue its partnership with the district on road projects and assure quality compliance.
* Approved an intergovernmental agreement between Navajo County and Timberland Acres Special Road District 1 facilitating continued road maintenance partnerships.
* Approved a memorandum of agreement between the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Department of Transportation/Navajo Region and Navajo County for the continued funding support of two Navajo County road maintenance equipment operators. The county will continue to provide the $60,000 combined salary to significantly assist BIA with road maintenance within the Navajo Nation communities.
The next meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors will be at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, in the Supervisor’s Chambers located at 100 Code Talkers Drive.
