Board approves settlements on Gilbert road projects; two payouts reported from Gilbert

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved a set of settlement and indemnity items during the April 9 meeting. County staff said two settlements related to municipal road widening projects will be paid by the Town of Gilbert under intergovernmental agreements.

Thomas Liddy, chief of the civil division in the County Attorney's Office, and Alex Smith, director of real estate, told the board that the settlement in Maricopa County v. Keith Butler (case referenced during the hearing) had been resolved and that the Town of Gilbert would provide $102,500 under an intergovernmental agreement to assist with the Lindsay Road right-of-way. Liddy said Gilbert sought and confirmed authority to pay the amount before the item was finalized.

Staff also said a second Gilbert-related settlement for a separate county island road widening (item number 73 on the agenda) totals $73,712 and will likewise be paid by the Town of Gilbert under a separate intergovernmental arrangement. County staff emphasized that because the town — not the county — is bearing those costs, the amounts did not appear in the county's expenditure lines on the agenda packet.

A separate settlement listed on the agenda (item number 71, Maricopa County v. KLM Industrial Complex LLC) was presented as a county case; staff did not provide a settlement amount for that item in the hearing. The board approved the package of items 71 through 74 by unanimous vote.

Supervisors said the approvals were routine to resolve right-of-way and related litigation matters and to allow the county and Gilbert to move forward on road widening projects.