Navajo County Supervisor Fern Benally delivered an update on the Winslow Levee to the Winslow City Council last week. “After much coordination with the Army Corps, Navajo County and contracting engineer firms, the survey and topographical work is complete,” Benally said. She added that Army Corps engineering staff completed sampling for the hydrology portion of the design in March, while county and city staff are working with the Corps real estate team to secure right-of-entry authorization at four properties for well pump testing.
That well testing is expected to take place over the next several months. Benally said the project remains on track to reach a 35% design milestone by July.
The update comes as local officials continue to press for progress on a project that has major implications for flood protection, insurance costs and future development in Winslow. Benally said U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly recently raised the project during a Feb. 25, hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, questioning Army Corps Chief of Engineers Lt. Gen. William Graham on the status of the Winslow levee.
According to Benally, Graham confirmed that the slower-than-anticipated design progress was the responsibility of the Corps.
“The Los Angeles District has made significant leadership changes in the past year to get this important work back on track,” Benally said, adding that Corps leadership has “eyes on the project” as the July target approaches.
The Army Corps has hired a consultant to lead a value engineering process scheduled for May 4 through May 8, in Winslow. Benally said the county has requested an agenda from the Corps and will share details when they are available.
“The value engineering effort is an essential step in the design phase,” Benally said. “It is intended to take a comprehensive look at all elements and assumptions of the project to date and find ways to reduce costs and shorten the project time frame through construction.”
City Manager David Coolidge later expanded on that point, explaining that the value engineering session is tied directly to the project’s rising cost. He said the current estimated cost of the levee is above its federal authorization limit and the purpose of the review is to try to bring the project back under that threshold.
“As you are well aware, the cost of the levee is far greater than it used to be,” Coolidge said. “It’s well over the authorization limit. So the whole goal of this value engineering session is to try and bring it below that authorization so they don’t have to go for a post-authorization fund in 2028.”
Coolidge said he and Public Works Director Tim Westover will participate in the sessions, along with county representatives. “We’re hopeful that they are able to get that cost below the $142 million, which is the authorization,” Coolidge said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Benally also said city and county staff have continued stressing to the Army Corps that the completed levee improvements must be certifiable by FEMA. She closed that portion of her report by saying, “I’m confident the joint team of Navajo County, City of Winslow and the Army Corps understand the importance of getting the levee improved and repaired to keep our residents and property safe from flooding and to bring economic development to Winslow.”
Mayor Birdie Cano said she was glad Kelly was pressing the issue, noting that the project matters to residents both for safety and for the cost of flood insurance. “That is a project that many of our constituents and the residents are very eager to have accomplished,” Cano said. “So they, first of all, have their homes protected and then also to take off the very taxing and cumbersome FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) insurance that most people have to pay in addition to everything else.”
Coolidge’s city manager report focused heavily on housing. He said the city is preparing to comply with Senate Bill 1529 by July 1. The law requires municipalities to make pre-approved housing plans available on their websites so builders can use them and move more quickly through the permitting process.
Coolidge said Winslow is required to comply only with the single-family home portion of the law because the city does not allow accessory dwelling units, duplexes or triplexes in single-family zoning. The city will need to provide at least three single-family home plans with three elevations each, for a total of nine plans.
The city is working from plans made available through Navajo County’s version of the Home of My Own program, which was based on a Yavapai County model. Coolidge said using those plans will likely save the city about $20,000, although the city will still need to pay for modifications to meet local code requirements.
Mayor Cano asked whether the plans could help encourage construction on vacant lots in existing neighborhoods. Coolidge said the city is already thinking along those lines, especially with smaller older lots that may be nonconforming but could still be buildable if setback and development requirements are met. “One of them, I think, is 1,000 square feet,” Coolidge said of the planned home designs. He said that smaller model is important because it can fit on many of the older 4,000- to 5,000-square-foot lots in town.
Coolidge also said the city is exploring a land-bank-style program that could help address vacant or deteriorated properties. He described it as a structure that could allow a separate entity to buy land, reinvest in it, build on it and sell the property, with proceeds helping the program continue. He cautioned that such programs are more common in the Midwest and East and are more difficult to structure in Arizona.
The council also recognized several groups during the meeting, approving proclamations for National Correctional Officers and Employees Week, Teacher Appreciation Week, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day and National Nurses Week. Representatives from ASPC-Winslow, local schools, Alice’s Place, Little Colorado Medical Center and WIC (Women Infants and Children) were recognized. Cano thanked correctional staff as “a huge part of Winslow” and said teachers “make all the difference in this community.” During the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People proclamation, she thanked Alice’s Place for its advocacy for Native people and surrounding communities.
In its only regular action item, the council approved a request from Mother Road Grown, Inc. to waive peddler permit fees and Eagle Pavilion use fees for the Mother Road Farmers Market’s 2026 season. The request applied to the farmers market as an organization, not to individual vendors selling outside the market. Cano said the market has become an important community event. “I got to go to the last farmers market and it’s really great to see so much energy,” Cano said. “People look forward to the market. It’s something that is beneficial not just to the vendor but to our community for things to do.” The council unanimously approved the waiver.
In other business, the council:
* Approved reappointing Lambert Dixon to the Winslow Arts Council.
* Approved the following new and increased rates, fees and charges: increased the returned check fee to $35; added a $15 fee for reversed ACH or electronic debit; added a six-month extension fee for expired building permits at 10% of the original fee for a first request and 30% of the original fee for a second request; added a building permit reinstatement fee of 50% of the permit fee; added a right-of-way permit fee of $40, plus curb, gutter and asphalt as applicable; added a demolition permit fee of $50, plus a $150 refundable deposit if there are no issues with overloading of dumpsters; added a $50 daily reservation fee and $50 refundable deposit for the Public Housing Community Building; increased the fee for setting a 2-foot to 4-foot wide headstone or tablet with base to $200; increased the fee for setting a 4-foot to 8-foot wide headstone or tablet with base to $350; increased the right-of-way cut and repair fee to $11 per square foot; increased exterior door replacement to $250; increased screen door replacement to $160; added insulated window replacement at $650; added “small” to current window replacement; increased oven rack range replacement to $40; increased range hood replacement to $100; increased gas flex line range replacement to $30; increased orifice tube stem replacement to $10; added “ignitor” to oven pilot range replacement and increased the fee to $40; increased cleaning of range to $80; increased range knob replacement to $10; increased toilet seat replacement to $40; increased refrigerator door gasket replacement to $55; increased freezer door replacement to $100; increased cleaning of refrigerator to $80; increased floor tile replacement to $5 each; increased smoke alarm replacement to $60; increased smoke alarm reconnection to $30; increased baseboard replacement to $4 per foot; increased the minimum one-hour charge for yard maintenance to $30 per hour; increased the minimum one-hour charge for common area maintenance to $30 per hour; added a 50-cent fee for color copies; added a $1 fee for digital fax; increased the after-hours call-out fee to $40; increased the insufficient funds check charge to $35; added a $40 zoning clearance fee; and increased the Development Review Board per-meeting fee for up to one hour to $600.
* Approved an amendment to the lease agreement between the city and the US Forest Service for lease of property at the Winslow Airport as an air tanker base.
* Approved an agreement between the city and Bernalillo County for the city to accept and manage funds for federal lobby services related to the I-40 trade port.
* Approved a resolution renewing the city’s membership in the Rural Arizona Group Health Trust.
*Approved a resolution calling for an election to levy an additional 1% transaction privilege tax for a period of ten years Feb. 1, 2027- Jan. 31, 2037, and use of proceeds thereof.
