Coconino County facilities leaders outline repairs, energy and capital priorities in FY26 budget hearing

Coconino County’s Facilities Management presented the department’s FY26 budget priorities to the Board of Supervisors on May 14, identifying rising utility costs, higher construction prices in the Flagstaff region and ongoing capital renewal needs as the main drivers of the department’s requests.

The presentation summarized a year of staffing changes, planned capital renewal work and new tools for energy and asset management. Facilities said it will rely on an annual capital renewal allocation previously approved by the board, new one-time funding requests for targeted repairs and building-envelope work, and a $77,000 Department of Energy technical-assistance voucher to support countywide carbon reduction planning.

Facilities Assistant Director Tara Clifton and Director Tom (last name not recorded in the transcript) described the department’s three-division structure—administration, capital planning and operations & maintenance—and five program areas, and noted work across the county from Flagstaff to Page, Fredonia and Williams. Clifton said the department completed a new facilities master plan adopted Feb. 4, and highlighted completed or advancing projects including admin-building boiler replacement, new courthouse air-handler designs, expansion of space at the jail for pathways-to-community, King Street youth behavioral health center design work and a King Street lobby remodel in design.

Tom and Clifton told the board that facilities has added limited-term construction capacity (Tim Schultz moved into a construction manager role) and that repair-and-replacement funding will remain a priority to avoid “catastrophic failures.” Clifton said the department budgets roughly $400,000–$600,000 annually for capital renewal and uses a computerized maintenance management system to prioritize projects.

Officials warned the board that construction cost estimates have risen dramatically—Clifton said prices now range “from $500 to more than $1,000 per square foot” in the local market—and that Flagstaff’s remote location and supply-chain factors add a premium (a concern the presenters called the “Flagstaff factor”). The department also described labor shortages for skilled trades, higher custodial costs in remote areas and smaller but continuing price increases from suppliers such as office furniture vendors.

Facilities described several near-term items that will appear in budget and capital briefings: electronic access-system upgrades, building-envelope repairs for the 110 Building, carpet and seating for the Coconino Center for the Arts and continued work on the admin elevator and HVAC master plan. The department said it will return to the board with quarterly capital updates, starting June 3, and described a proposed joint Coconino County Operations Center (Emergency Operations Center and Flood Control District operations) planned around a 6,000-square-foot existing truck barn.

Board members asked about prioritization of the master plan, congressional-directed funding for the Tribal Nations Service Center (presenters said the county had submitted requests and that final federal agreements were pending), and roof, elevator and HVAC projects paid from the capital renewal fund. Multiple supervisors praised facilities staff for daily operations and event support. Facilities promised renewed emphasis on a building-representative program to improve department-to-department coordination and said it will present implementation steps for the facilities master plan and for capital project estimating improvements at upcoming meetings.

Several comments from supervisors emphasized readiness for emergency response (the EOC project) and a desire for continued quarterly reporting so the board can track implementation and prioritization.