Board approves municipal contracts, fleet and roadwork; several routine items pass unanimously

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors on March 5 approved a series of routine and substantive actions by unanimous vote, including multi‑year voting equipment contracts, a sheriff’s fleet purchase, a chip‑seal road contract and franchise agreements for a water utility. The board also approved several smaller land‑use and administrative items and tabled the Whispering Canyon Phase 11 final plat for further review.

Key approvals (votes recorded at the meeting):

- Elections: The board approved a four‑year extension of the contract with 10X Software Solutions, Inc., for electronic poll‑book equipment and professional services. The extension covers 170 tenth‑generation iPads and associated charging/stands and foam inserts; the four‑year contract period is July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2029 and the contract total shown at the hearing was $317,274.40. The motion passed unanimously (Supervisor Cech, Supervisor Kuchnio and Chair Mallory voting "yes").

- Elections: The board approved a four‑year extension with Unisyn Voting Solutions for central tabulation stations, ADA ballot‑marking devices and ballot‑on‑demand printers, for a four‑year total of $362,061.55; staff said the extension yields savings over buying annually. Motion passed unanimously.

- Fleet / Sheriff: The board approved transferring $1,860,886.45 from general‑fund contingency to buy 27 pursuit/special‑service vehicles, upfit 18 previously purchased vehicles and apply decals, for the Sheriff’s Office. Director Gil Rivera told the board supply‑chain delays created a replacement backlog; the purchase and upfitting package was approved unanimously. Upfitting estimates discussed at the hearing were roughly $35,000–$39,000 per law‑enforcement vehicle for lights, radios, prisoner partitions, k9 cages and related hardware.

- Public works / chip seal: The board awarded a chip‑seal contract for District 2 to Earth Resources Corporation in the amount of $1,177,000.99, funding approximately 308,497 square yards of CRS‑2P chip seal and related fog seal and striping; Public Works anticipates about 35 ten‑hour working days on the contract. The item passed unanimously.

- Water utility franchise: The board approved a renewal of the county franchise agreement allowing Granite Oaks Water Users Association to operate transmission lines in county right‑of‑way; the association serves roughly 1,000 customers and the renewal was approved after the required public notice period.

- Street‑name change: The board approved Resolution 2147 renaming Crazy Hill Lane to Last Frontier Way after staff confirmed notice and a majority of property owners supported the change; county counsel advised name changes must be justified by public safety, health or welfare and the board made that finding.

- Right‑of‑way extinguishment for ADA parking: The board approved a resolution extinguishing a 5‑foot portion of South Iron Springs Road right‑of‑way in Skull Valley to allow ADA parking for the reopening of the Skull Valley Diner; approval included a condition that the petitioner complete required extinguishment documentation within 120 days or the approval would be rescinded.

Other routine items: The board approved proclamations (National Vietnam War Veterans Day and Procurement Month), recognized employee anniversaries and Golden Plate awardees, and approved a Seligman historic‑district parking‑waiver request to allow a small cafe to operate with two on‑site spaces and on‑street parking.

How the board voted: Where roll calls were recorded, supervisors voted "yes" (Supervisor Cech, Supervisor Kuchnio and Chair Mallory). Vice Chair Compton was absent from the meeting.

Ending: The meeting’s consent agenda (items 1–17) passed unanimously. Several items required follow‑up by staff and will appear on future agendas, including the tabling of Whispering Canyon Phase 11 to April 2.