Supervisors approve $5,500 community enhancement sponsorship for Tombstone TV series after reviewer defenses

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors approved a $5,500 expenditure from District 2’s community enhancement funds to sponsor a six-episode television series titled Tombstone in the Heart of Cochise County on the Cowboy Channel. The motion passed 3-0 on May 20.

Eli Dalton Webb, the meeting’s first public commenter, asked how the county would benefit from the expenditure and whether the $5,500 would produce measurable economic returns. "What is the county going to benefit off of expending this money?" Webb asked during public comment.

Supervisor Gomez defended the investment as a strategic tourism marketing placement, saying she had met in detail with the series producers and that the Cowboy Channel reaches a large national audience. Gomez attributed legal authority for supervisor district community enhancement funds to ARS 42-17101 and said such expenditures are “strategic investments, not subsidies.” Gomez added the county had recommended a 50–60% cut to supervisors’ enhancement budgets in the current budget discussion, but said some funds remain available for projects deemed worthy by individual supervisors.

Supervisor Krasner and others urged producers to feature additional local sites such as Kartchner Caverns, Slaughter’s Ranch, Camp Naco and the Buffalo Soldier Museum to broaden economic benefit across the county.

The board approved the expenditure without additional conditions. No follow-up reporting requirements or target metrics for return on investment were adopted at the meeting.