Yavapai supervisors approve grants, appoint chair and clear consent agenda; library job description tabled

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors voted on several administrative and budgetary matters Feb. 5, approving a federal/state grant for sheriff’s office detectives, clearing the consent agenda (with three items pulled), approving a recruitment billboard purchase and directing staff to inventory potential county billboard locations, and appointing Supervisor Mary Mallory as board chair effective at the conclusion of the meeting.

Major actions and votes (high level) - Grant acceptance (Item 2): The board unanimously approved acceptance of a $351,690.12 grant award from the Arizona Department of Public Safety to fund two detectives and related employee expenses for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office human‑smuggling/human‑trafficking effort. Chief Deputy Jeff Noonan presented the item; motion carried by unanimous roll call. - Consent agenda: The board approved the consent agenda items 1–21 by roll call with exceptions. Items 12, 16 and 19 were pulled for separate discussion. The clerk confirmed the consent motion passed by roll call; the board then addressed the pulled items. - Item 12 (Library job description): The board tabled approval of a new class specification (Library Network Administrator job description) until after a planned library study session. Library Director Corey Christians explained that approving the job description does not create a funded position and that hiring would return to the board later. Supervisors voted to table the item unanimously. - Item 16 (Granite Oaks Water Company franchise hearing application): The board approved the item and the application for a hearing regarding a franchise agreement; Assistant Public Works Director Chris Steele and county staff said a representative of Granite Oaks Water Company was expected at the scheduled March hearing. Supervisor Kukneil raised questions about well production, seasonal water use (staff cited January consumption near 2 million gallons and August usage rising to 8.5 million gallons for Granite Oaks in packet material), and the need to examine water availability for new development; staff said the hearing will provide more detail. - Item 19 (billboard purchase for recruitment): The board approved spending $33,600 (line item shown in meeting material) to renew a billboard used for sheriff’s recruitment and accepted direction to staff to evaluate county‑owned billboard locations and the feasibility of a county capital project to install multipurpose billboards for recruitment and emergency messaging. Sheriff’s office officials said the existing billboard is paid from special funds (criminal alien apprehension and Smart and Safe funds) and not the general fund; the board instructed staff to inventory locations and provide cost estimates. - Board leadership (Item 3): The supervisors approved a motion making Supervisor Mary Mallory chairman of the Board of Supervisors effective at the conclusion of the meeting; the vote was unanimous. - Executive session and claim denial: After an executive session for legal advice the board returned and unanimously denied a claim for refund by Alexander Cavendish in the amount of $1,024.88 (motion adopted by roll call).

Other meeting items and manager updates: County Manager Maury Thompson reported the Yavapai County Library District was selected for FCC E‑Rate pilot cybersecurity funds (one of 10 libraries nationally) and that Fitch upgraded the county’s bond rating from AA to AA+. Thompson also said he had received formal notice that Chairman James Gregory will resign effective Feb. 19, 2025; county staff delivered the resignation to the county recorder per state statute.

What comes next: Staff will return with details on the library study session and any hiring requests that follow; the Granite Oaks franchise item will proceed to a hearing in March and staff will provide follow‑up cost estimates and location inventories for proposed county billboards. The denial of the refund claim concluded that agenda item.