Sheriff to seek $557,000 in OHV enforcement funds to boost patrols and coordination

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors unanimously authorized the sheriff to apply for $557,000 in OHV enforcement funding from Arizona State Parks to support targeted enforcement, equipment purchases and a coordinator position.

Sheriff David Rhodes told the board the funding request came after several years of rising OHV use and enforcement demand across the county, especially in Crown King, the Red Rock Country and areas near Congress and public forests. He said licensed OHVs in Arizona rose sharply during the pandemic and that much of the enforcement burden falls on local law enforcement rather than federal land managers. "We were able to work with [Arizona State Parks] to identify funding...for all the sheriffs in the state that would come from these OHV fees," Rhodes said.

Rhodes described the intended uses: an OHV equipped enforcement vehicle, a certified OHV coordinator to organize targeted patrols during high‑use periods, training and partnership work with land‑management agencies. He estimated the grant would fund equipment and a full‑time equivalent (FTE) position for a multi‑year period and said the office had discussed sustainability in case future state funding levels change.

Board members who spoke in favor cited community safety, damage to fragile land, and the need to protect private property and trails. Supervisor Cech thanked community members Becky Ross and Deanna Bindley for their work on the issue; both were on the sheriff’s OHV committee, Rhodes said. "What you'll be getting for it is much, much better OHV enforcement coordination around the county at different times," Rhodes told the board.

The board approved the resolution authorizing the application by roll call vote and asked staff to proceed with submitting the application and preparing administrative acceptances if the grant is awarded.