Supervisors approve amended consulting contract for Hermosa mine agreement amid public calls for transparency

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 4 approved an amended professional services contract with Stephanie Smith Consulting LLC to develop a community protection and benefits agreement and related NEPA FAST-41 work connected to the Hermosa mine review.

Supporters of delaying or revisiting the contract told the board the county has not seen sufficient status reports or a clear accounting of deliverables tied to the initial engagement. “The amended contract represents an almost $20,000 or 25% pay increase…without a status report on what she's done or any justification specified,” said Pamela Kean, a volunteer with Friends of the Santa Cruz River and the Medical Reserve Corps of Southern Arizona.

The contract approved by the board runs through Feb. 15, 2026, and shifts the consultant’s compensation from billable time to stated monthly payments of $8,000 and $8,333 per month as presented to the board. Several speakers representing local groups asked the board to pause consideration, review invoices and deliverables, or hold additional public study sessions before authorizing the increase.

“Why does Ms. Smith feel she deserves a six-figure salary now? What has she accomplished?” asked Robin Lucky, president of the Calabasas Alliance, representing about 1,000 community members who follow county work on mining and environmental issues. The Calabasas Alliance and other speakers emphasized potential impacts from proposed mining activity in the Patagonia Mountains and called for more transparent public updates and community engagement.

Supervisor Fanning acknowledged the public concern and said he shared some of those concerns but supported approval so the county can continue work and “revisit this at any time” if the board determines the agreement is not producing open dialogue and expected results. Manager Valdez and county counsel told the board the contract contains termination provisions and can be revisited if necessary.

Board discussion also included commitments to add public informational or study sessions to keep residents updated during the consultant’s engagement. Members of the public proposed that such sessions include status reports on negotiations, more accessible online material and town-hall style meetings.

The board took the vote after a motion and second; the clerk recorded the motion as carried. The action item was listed on the agenda as “amended professional service contract with Stephanie Smith Consulting LLC for the development of community protection and benefits agreement; Hermosa mine FAST-41 NEPA response and related services through 2/15/26 in the amount of $8,000 and $8,333 per month.”

The approval lets the county continue consultant-led work on the community protection and benefits agreement while the public and county officials push for expanded transparency and periodic public briefings.

Looking ahead, speakers and supervisors said the board could pause, amend or terminate the contract if deliverables or public engagement goals are not met.