Coconino County supervisors spent a large portion of their Oct. 21 meeting preparing for next week’s County Supervisors Association (CSA) annual legislative summit in Phoenix. Deputy County Manager Eric Peterson, government affairs staff and the county’s lobbyist briefed the board on recommended positions, talking points and who should speak for Coconino on specific items.

Staff provided a color‑coded binder of proposed resolutions and suggested county positions (support, oppose or neutral) and recommended lead speakers for several measures. Supervisors were advised to "read the room" at the summit and to change positions if necessary based on coalition dynamics.

Key priorities and talking points highlighted by staff included:

- Transportation funding: The county supports identifying a dedicated funding source for roads and bridges and highlighted the decline in gas tax purchasing power since 1990, rising construction costs and the need to capture revenue from alternative vehicles (electric vehicles) and heavy commercial users. Staff recommended Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez as the Coconino lead on transportation topics.

- Homeowners insurance affordability: The board discussed a county‑sponsored resolution supporting reforms to improve affordability and availability of homeowners insurance in high‑risk areas. Staff emphasized avoiding statutory mandates that could narrow political support; Supervisor Tammy Ontiveros was recommended to be the lead speaker for the homeowners insurance resolution.

- Short‑term rentals (STRs): Coconino supports expanded local control to address the conversion of housing stock into commercial STR portfolios and the loss of long‑term rentals. Supervisors discussed tailoring talking points to show local impacts (Williams and Flagstaff examples) and recommended Supervisor Ontiveros as a lead speaker on STR reform; League of Arizona Cities and the Association of Counties are aligned on similar proposals.

- Wildfire and forest health funding: The county is backing a recapitalization of the wildfire emergency response fund and broader forest health investment; Supervisor Judy Begay was asked to speak on wildfire mitigation items.

- Public safety, courts and probation funding: Supervisors raised concerns about cost‑shifts that leave counties paying for services historically funded by the state and asked staff to prepare talking points describing unfunded mandates.

Staff also reviewed dozens of other county and CSA proposals (solar consumer protection, assessor and taxation items, water infrastructure financing changes, election calendar fixes, PSPRS funding and more). The county recommended positions on many items but left supervisors flexibility to modify positions at the summit. Supervisors emphasized political strategy — protecting coalition partners on priority items and avoiding unnecessary votes on peripheral resolutions.

The board will travel to the summit next week and use the staff‑prepared binder, talking points and “salmon sheets” (updated position pages) during the expedited work sessions and Thursday voting.