[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6630004,"mediaKeyId","2699233-4732ea7abd984f83e0b0e4515702f0f1","parentId",2699233,"title","Nogales council approves $462,000 Operation Stone Garden reimbursement after public debate","audioSeconds",7030,"startMs",230000,"endMs",7260000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2699233-4732ea7abd984f83e0b0e4515702f0f1&start=230&end=7260","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2699233-4732ea7abd984f83e0b0e4515702f0f1/thumbnail_230000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6630004/Nogales/Santa-Cruz-County/Arizona/Nogales-council-approves-462000-Operation-Stone-Garden-reimbursement-after-public-debate","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6630004-4462cfee309dcb17d88b460cc4583125/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177572&Signature=MXp~Mfbq~YH7lkfpOIvIpc6DY9MycbqWk1~vZdarRNUUDm-2e1a0i8KFm3yDgmuk5cRP2NJVbgC1DkWB9XJHIxepV33lbHTTonzefPaw0ISc~RJVItocJCbkjZ4sTPZcHQwR9caA1WOOegjSfzvnbGJ2djjxKeP0woehtmV-xMhxH4KF-uJq-3eXHFH1M8~~QAolKd64lHWYvXo8YA0nwh1eeKmlEg~u4rqDDAUl7pICzbd5-BPRxtPAqI0~w672S28gHtC990TrJXyqonbqbgigqBL-28BxzfPLQT6sKVHWLUdua9S2E29lDwMBkESKCv5zBd1MJgz7CLIXtaaUnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Nogales","date","2025-03-07T00:02:08.3Z","article","The Nogales City Council on March 5 approved a subgrantee agreement with the Arizona Department of Homeland Security that will reimburse the city up to $462,000 for Operation Stone Garden overtime and mileage.

The vote followed an extended public-comment period during which advocates from the Kino Border Initiative urged the council not to renew the contract, saying the program sows fear in immigrant communities. Sister Tracy Horan of Kino Border Initiative told the council, “For the sake of migrants who work and live in our communities and visitors who come to learn about and experience Nogales, we at KBI would ask the council, to say no to renew this contract.” Sister Eileen McKinsey, also with Kino, said the overlap between local and federal authority creates a “blur” that makes people afraid to call police.

City and law-enforcement speakers pushed back on concerns about local control and described Stone Garden as a reimbursable overtime program. Jose Pimienta, speaking for city officers, said, “When it comes to Stone Garden, the only thing that we get from Border Patrol is our assignments. We do not fall under their chain of command.” He told the council Stone Garden funds are “100% refundable to the city” and pay for vehicles, equipment and overtime so the city does not have to divert local budget dollars.

Nogales Police Chief David Jimenez said the department will not participate in immigration enforcement beyond referring people to federal agents when appropriate and emphasized the department’s commitment to community safety: “You will not see the Nogales Police Department involved in anything like that that you see in the news where there’s raids and arrests and all that stuff happening. That’s not gonna happen here.”

Council members also discussed pension impacts tied to overtime. Councilwoman Montiel said she had consulted retirement-plan experts and was told additional pay can increase pension liability but that extra employer contributions on the higher pay largely offset the effect; she described the expected impact on the city’s unfunded liability as “minimal.” During council discussion the figures for the city pension unfunded liabilities were discussed: Montiel referenced police liabilities around $18 million and fire liabilities around $17 million as the context for the conversation.

The order approved by council authorizes the city manager to execute the subgrantee agreement with the state for reimbursement of Stone Garden overtime and mileage. Council members voted in favor; the motion passed.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Nogales, Az, Regular Meeting March 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Nogales City Council on March 5 approved a subgrantee agreement with the Arizona Department of Homeland Security that will reimburse the city up to $462,000 for Operation Stone Garden overtime and mileage.","taxTitle","Nogales, Santa Cruz County, Arizona","taxId",58188,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":46,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6629990,"Votes at a glance: Nogales council actions March 5, 2025",3144,4116000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2699233-4732ea7abd984f83e0b0e4515702f0f1&start=4116&end=7260","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2699233-4732ea7abd984f83e0b0e4515702f0f1/thumbnail_4116000.jpg","/articles/6629990/Nogales/Santa-Cruz-County/Arizona/Votes-at-a-glance-Nogales-council-actions-March-5-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629990-e33c7cc979c4bec6b0f87a1080045926/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177572&Signature=QFQOp7z3LJ97G24Z6AC~cbNpxGYo1VxEnfe3sQtm3dJpo8LB5j9EjQ4x0K2BHFV~vvlClnxZCR~UILfSdVMdj-kfQ-qfUhlnngcyhU2qjaDhbNPuQYQWslZUVPNwzevgB2Q7OrGGfpDlSPbB120zgO~T6UODuqE0VI1~shDFntvQ9nZA0eqNQe5Oor-1nvYQZ4VE39KGUp8xJQOzD3noBbMP7OMNWQ8-nhjyadcPneORZ2e5cbcESPqc9CXOh8g211UT03kWp9frTNVN5nqfGU5tL4xnUpMZvAf4UAt~-T~Tw3utIw7iOQpgl-aXD8W8hVBHpKUR6ZbnKB5LVQaTtQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Nogales City Council took several formal votes during its March 5 meeting. Outcomes and key details are below.

Votes at a glance

- Support for city event (Cordova Park egg hunt): Council approved in-kind support (security) for the April 16, 2025 egg hunt; motion passed by voice vote. Amount requested on agenda: $144 in-kind services.

- Special-event liquor licenses: The council approved two special-event liquor-license applications: one submitted by Herman Celaya for a Boys & Girls Club event and one submitted by Jose Aguirre for the Public Safety Global Alliance (supporting an intermayors summit). Motions passed by voice vote.

- Operation Stone Garden subgrant (Order 2025-02-005): Council approved a subgrantee agreement with the Arizona Department of Homeland Security for Operation Stone Garden reimbursements up to $462,000 for overtime and mileage. The council approved the order; motion passed.

- Budget transfer for fire- and life-safety system upgrades: Council approved a budget transfer not to exceed $250,000 from the general fund reserve to Facilities for purchase and installation of fire-suppression/safety upgrades at City Hall and the Public Works building (contract through Johnson Controls Fire Protection). The motion passed.

How these items were handled

All items above were considered on the consent or regular agenda and passed on voice votes; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the meeting transcript. Several items drew brief discussion on scope and implementation (for example, the fire-system upgrades and the Stone Garden order), while the liquor-license items were routine approvals.","At its March 5 meeting the Nogales City Council approved several agenda items including in-kind support for a community event, two special-event liquor licenses, an Operation Stone Garden subgrant reimbursement, and a budget transfer for fire- and life-safety system upgrades at City Hall and Public Works.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6629996,"Nogales council updates city vehicle policy and moves to implement GPS fleet monitoring",242,4198000,4440000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2699233-4732ea7abd984f83e0b0e4515702f0f1&start=4198&end=4440","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2699233-4732ea7abd984f83e0b0e4515702f0f1/thumbnail_4198000.jpg","/articles/6629996/Nogales/Santa-Cruz-County/Arizona/Nogales-council-updates-city-vehicle-policy-and-moves-to-implement-GPS-fleet-monitoring","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629996-a44170421123be1f88dbf12f05b37b13/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177572&Signature=k~fa4wbzTGLJOAEO3N97OhbdPqo4Yb279-Sp6V6zpe44j1p5B-R6ssCENhIXfQ9i1Zc9xW1xQ5fPhdF3F959b1k9SeWkIz6WGabbZSUyn-9jpyfellSegculnFKi3SsAHcQDdSM4RGMPv9-lC0qSHnzoIzgJdt92Aqkh-nnbmghzzkVlyYt1I~ni4YTinNaeksQSQnw61lNCDtI9k1ECeERKz7Wrr2ss78qljcJuZngT1meaeCbtimqjn3CzjMJoCFsHKLNyznFDTztSDbOm-7qE4z~sEyQd5vEwlk-QR5dwVQiK0Z6IeRmzLD6iurS9G01d6iT9D~a8VZDLIywJfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Nogales City Council voted March 5 to approve an update to the city vehicle policy clarifying applicability to all public officers, employees and city-owned or controlled vehicles, including tractors, trailers and heavy equipment.

City staff told the council the vehicle-policy update ties into a planned GPS monitoring program for the municipal fleet. City manager Joe Kramer and staff displayed screenshots from the chosen vendor platform (referred to in briefing as a Sentara program) and described functionality including live vehicle location, trip assignments, safety and compliance dashboards, training tracking and idle-time and fuel-use metrics. Kramer said the program costs about $30,000 a year for the city and that department directors would be able to see and manage their vehicle assignments.

Staff emphasized that the monitoring program will not be applied to police or fire operational units; Kramer said public safety units will be excluded from that part of the system unless those departments choose otherwise. The presentation noted fleet features to support defensive-driving training, incident reporting, scheduling and maintenance tracking. City officials also described plans to require major equipment vendors to locate support and maintenance capacity in Santa Cruz County and to develop apprenticeship programs tied to large projects like the Hermosa mine.

Council discussed rollout and procurement. Kramer said the city will begin implementing the policy and program promptly and that some fleets will be prioritized. Leo (the city’s new safety/risk manager) will oversee training and OSHA-related protocols linked to the policy. The council approved the policy update by voice vote.","The Nogales City Council approved revisions to the city vehicle policy clarifying that it applies to all public officers and to city-owned vehicles, and staff outlined plans to implement a GPS fleet monitoring program to track vehicle usage, idling and compliance.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6629999,"South32 outlines Hermosa mine plans: $2.2 billion investment, remote operating center in Nogales and local hiring commitments",1180,1140000,2320000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2699233-4732ea7abd984f83e0b0e4515702f0f1&start=1140&end=2320","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2699233-4732ea7abd984f83e0b0e4515702f0f1/thumbnail_1140000.jpg","/articles/6629999/Nogales/Santa-Cruz-County/Arizona/South32-outlines-Hermosa-mine-plans-22-billion-investment-remote-operating-center-in-Nogales-and-local-hiring-commitments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629999-df6474d947630788a8852013198cda80/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177572&Signature=OB3LiP-Kmx70Z1TgrsTHr0YuVsVnhPWQQCivUBWYO1A1uFegOlcgIUjgGJF0Sxnvd9l3igL~8wZ9tJfXwzL1ZFMtpJe5ogBNLyBbZTHVR2xaOLLqE88~mryt5JS04Hsl~BZL~THNbVXXHuUpawVzDna6LN312S-NKkbu-FxEKaNnKQC72CD~5Q8L0APYiyMKChHEp5Euhsjaml2bPJYasQFzhJfZ4REHJIF780CA9snTP~hhRK9VdaRgsZVkFRjgIlLtAK5fizWNgeW31JLa4oUgSoz1hsh92alTS-vo6kcdD4UWfONV78L9D6gCst0mZ0rZpurscKu6He4hEf9Ysg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","South32 told the Nogales City Council on March 5 that it has committed roughly $2.2 billion to develop the Hermosa zinc deposit south of Patagonia and is studying a manganese deposit and an adjacent copper prospect.

Pat Reisner, a South32 representative, described the project as a strategic domestic source of critical minerals and said the company has already invested hundreds of millions of dollars. Reisner said South32 will sink two 25-foot-diameter shafts to roughly 3,000 feet to access the zinc deposit, drive a decline to access manganese and construct surface processing facilities. He said the company has between 600 and 700 construction workers now at the site with an expected ramp to about 1,000 by July, and that first zinc production is expected in 2027 with more routine revenue beginning by about 2028.

Reisner said South32 has committed that at least 80% of the long-term permanent workforce will be residents of Santa Cruz County and that more than 200 people will work at a remote operating center, called Centro, that the company will build in Nogales. “We have committed to at least 80% of our long term permanent workforce will be existing residents of Santa Cruz County,” Reisner said, adding that remote operations will allow the company to train new employees in about 18 months for roles historically requiring years of mining experience.

South32 presented economic-impact estimates prepared by Ernst & Young: roughly 8–900 direct jobs at full production, roughly 2,400 indirect jobs in Santa Cruz County and annual county tax revenue of about $26 million — roughly double the county’s current annual property tax intake, the company said. South32 also described a Hermosa Community Fund that has made grants to local nonprofits and local STEM programs that the company said will expand to support workforce development.

Reisner discussed environmental controls and permitting. He said the operation is designed to “disturb about 95% less land than a typical open-pit copper mine” and to use about 90% less water than typical mining operations, and he described a goal to reach net-zero operational greenhouse-gas emissions. South32 said it holds state permits for construction and operation on private land but that a separate federal process run by the U.S. Forest Service would conclude in mid-2026; a draft environmental impact statement was scheduled for release in May with public meetings late that month.

The company described an existing water-management program permitted through the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). That program treats groundwater that has naturally high metal content and discharges permitted flows to Harshaw Creek; Reisner said the operation is permitted to discharge up to 4,500 gallons per minute but that current managed flows are roughly 1,500 gpm. He said South32 is pursuing targeted aquifer recharge (rapid infiltration basins) in the federal permitting process in response to community input so some treated water can be recharged rather than routed down Harshaw Creek.

Council members asked for regular updates, additional detail on water quality and recharge plans, traffic and infrastructure impacts, housing and training programs, and legal review of a proposed community protection and benefits agreement (a “good neighbor” agreement) that South32 said it will make legally binding for the company’s commitments. Councilwoman Montiel said she wanted the city attorney involved early to ensure municipal interests are represented; South32 said listening sessions and a refreshed community advisory panel will gather public input in the coming weeks.

South32 encouraged residents to visit the project on monthly tours and posted project information and job openings online. The company said it will require major contractors to establish maintenance and support capacity in Santa Cruz County and to develop apprenticeship and training programs for local hires.","South32 presented an update on the Hermosa critical‑minerals project, describing a $2.2 billion commitment for zinc development, a potential manganese operation, a remote operating center to be based in Nogales and workforce and environmental measures. Council members pressed for more detail on water, permitting and community protections.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Nogales council approves $462,000 Operation Stone Garden reimbursement after public debate

Votes at a glance: Nogales council actions March 5, 2025

Nogales council updates city vehicle policy and moves to implement GPS fleet monitoring

South32 outlines Hermosa mine plans: $2.2 billion investment, remote operating center in Nogales and local hiring commitments