Votes at a glance: Cochise County Board approves appointments, licenses, grants and leases, and retains counsel

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 21 approved a series of motions including appointments, liquor-license applications, grant acceptances, leases and contracts. The board voted on multiple routine items during its meeting; the decisions below reflect the formal motions and recorded tallies.

Key votes (motions and outcomes)

- Consent agenda and appointments
- Consent agenda items 1 and 3 approved, vote 3-0.
- Reappointment of Robert Montgomery to the Planning & Zoning Commission (District 1), effective Jan. 1, 2026–Dec. 31, 2029 — approved 3-0 (sworn in at the meeting).

- Liquor licenses
- Series 13 farm winery license — Quirito Dairy and Wines (Wilcox) — approved 3-0.
- Series 13 farm winery license — Saint Isidore Vineyards (Pierce) — approved 3-0.
- Series 18 craft distiller license — Arizona Wineries LLC (Wilcox) — approved 3-0.

- Land use and zoning
- Appeal by Mario and Angela Robles (SUA25-03) of Planning & Zoning Commission denial of SU25-18 (special use for guest lodging and events at Wild Horse Lane) — approved 2-1 (see separate article for full coverage).
- Rezoning ordinance RZ25-14 (rezoning tax parcel 205-12-347B from SR-22 to RU-2; SunSites Unit 7) — adopted 3-0.

- Grants and program funding
- ACJC Drug, Gang and Violent Crime Control Program grant — approve funding agreement $68,745.04 with required match $22,915.01, effective 7/1/2025–6/30/2026 — approved 3-0.
- ACJC Criminal Justice and Treatment Improvement Program (CJTIP) agreement (initial amount reported) — approved 3-0 (board noted an amendment will come to extend through Sept. 30, 2026).
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security / FEMA grant (EMV2025GR05060) for targeted violence and terrorism prevention — $1,000,000 approved 3-0 (includes funding for O&M and two 287(g)-compliance detention positions; program scope limited to in-jail 287(g) activities as discussed by staff).
- Arizona Supreme Court traffic case processing funds (FY26) — $66,000 total (with local matching funds) — approved 3-0.
- FAA grant for fuel farm self-service system at Cochise County Airport (Wilcox) — $70,841 — approved 3-0; matching ADOT grant portion $1,864 approved 3-0.

- Contracts, leases and facilities
- Facilities contract 26-01-FAC-01 with Desert Springs Construction — demo and remodel at 1415 W. Melody Lane (Collections and Treasurer) — $231,760 — approved 3-0.
- Lease — Master Aircraft Services Inc., additional hangar at Douglas Airport — $20,000/year through 2045 — approved 3-0.
- Lease — Cochise Air Lease LLC, ~2 acres adjacent to Taxiway A (Wilcox) — $1,500/quarter, 20-year term — approved 3-0.

- Health & social services
- Professional services agreement: Cochise Health and Social Services to Cochise Harm Reduction — $145,000 for safer-use practices and peer outreach — approved 3-0.

- Legal representation and litigation
- Retention of outside counsel Joseph Canfield (Snell & Wilmer LLP) to represent Cochise County defendants in Gruver v. Antinori et al. (Cochise County Superior Court CV202500676) — approved 3-0; board noted suit had been dismissed but approved retention to authorize payment for services already rendered.

Board members and staff gave short procedural explanations for several items; some grants will require future amendments or reporting (staff noted the CJTIP grant will be amended to an end date in September 2026). Several items carried no formal public opposition; the Wild Horse appeal generated the most public testimony and a separate, detailed article covers that matter.