Yuma County staff brief board on state and federal bills: broadband authority supported, instant-solar permitting opposed
Summary
County intergovernmental affairs staff updated the board on key bills: Yuma County supports a bill to allow local broadband service districts, the county is opposing a state instant-solar permitting mandate it calls an unfunded overreach, and biosolids legislation remained under negotiation.
Alejandro Figueroa, Yuma County’s economic development and intergovernmental affairs lead, updated the board on state and federal legislation on May 5 and flagged several bills the county is actively monitoring.
Figueroa said Senate Bill 1661, authorizing a local broadband service district or similar authority, had the board’s support and a letter of support was sent to legislators. The county is backing the measure to enable local groups and jurisdictions to form authorities to deploy broadband infrastructure in underserved areas. "We have just submitted a letter of support this morning," Figueroa said.
Figueroa said the county is opposing a version of HB 2033 that would require counties and municipalities to adopt an online ‘instant’ permitting process for certain home power (solar) installations. Staff described the measure as an unfunded state mandate that could undermine local oversight, especially in rural areas where fraud and fly-by-night installers are a concern. The County Supervisors Association legislative committee voted to oppose the bill; county staff and supervisors reported active outreach to legislators on this point.
A separate bill on biosolids land application (SB 1212) remained under negotiation; Yuma County staff said several of the county’s requested amendments were included in the Senate and that additional stakeholder meetings were ongoing but that no final compromise had been reached. On the federal side staff noted bipartisan congressional proposals to fund broadband technical assistance for rural communities and encouraged the board to follow those developments.
Figueroa requested board feedback and said staff would continue to engage with legislators and stakeholders as these measures move through the remainder of the session.
