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Board approves $25,501 transfer from community initiatives to District 5 operations after public debate
Summary
The Coconino County Board of Supervisors approved a $25,501 budget amendment moving funds from a District 5 community initiatives account into the district’s operations/travel line after a lengthy public discussion and one dissenting vote.
The Coconino County Board of Supervisors on April 1 approved a budget amendment transferring $25,501 from District 5’s community initiatives account to its operations/travel budget to cover expenses already incurred.
The amendment drew extended questioning from Supervisor Tammy Ontiveros, who repeatedly pressed staff and counsel about policy and precedent. “To me, it doesn’t pass the sniff test,” Ontiveros said, adding that the board has a duty to be “good stewards of taxpayer dollars.” Ontiveros said she would not support the transfer because, she said, the operation line had been overspent and funds originally appropriated for community initiatives had been used instead.
Supporters, including Supervisor Lena Fowler and Supervisor Patrice Horstman, defended the transfer as legally permissible and rooted in longstanding county practice. Fowler said the board’s travel needs—regional and national representation by supervisors—have grown and that using community initiatives for travel had been an historic accommodation. County Manager Andy Bertelsen and Finance Director Siri Mullaney detailed the budget framework: baseline allocations were about $15,000 for operating and roughly $50,000 for community initiatives per district in FY2025, with districts allowed to carry forward unused balances. Mullaney confirmed the transfer was intended to align the line items to actual expenditures incurred from July 1, 2024, through early February 2025.
County legal counsel explained the board had authority to make the amendment at the department/fund level and described the action as a corrective realignment of spending rather than an increase to the overall general-fund budget. Counsel also emphasized the need to strengthen budget-management practices going forward.
After discussion, Supervisor Fowler moved to approve the amendment; Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez seconded. The motion carried 4–1, with Ontiveros voting no.
What the board decided - Motion: approve budget amendment to transfer $25,501 from District 5 Community Initiatives to Operations/Travel. - Mover: Supervisor Lena Fowler. Second: Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez. - Vote: Yes — Chair Judy Begay, Supervisors Patrice Horstman, Lena Fowler, Jeronimo Vasquez; No — Supervisor Tammy Ontiveros. Outcome: approved.
Next steps and context County staff said the transfer will be processed to align appropriations to expenditures; finance and legal staff also said they will continue work on updated budget-management practices and guidance for supervisors’ district allocations to reduce future disputes.
Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the meeting record: Supervisor Tammy Ontiveros; Supervisor Lena Fowler; Supervisor Patrice Horstman; Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez; Chair Judy Begay; County Manager Andy Bertelsen; Finance Director Siri Mullaney; County Counsel (Andy).
