Coconino County public works wins seventh reaccreditation from APWA

The Coconino County Public Works Department received full reaccreditation from the American Public Works Association on Tuesday, a national recognition county leaders said underscores the agency's long-running work maintaining roads, fleet and capital standards across the county.

The county’s deputy county manager, Eric Peterson, introduced the presentation and said the department’s practices serve broad daily needs in an area where public roads and infrastructure are essential. “I cannot commend our public works department enough for their history of excellence and for the culture they have built,” Peterson told the Board of Supervisors.

Christina Ramirez, who represented APWA Region 7 at the meeting, said a team of evaluators reviewed 135 management practices and found Coconino County in full compliance. “Accreditation by the American Public Works Association is the mark of professionalism indicating that a public works agency has made the commitment to continuous improvement,” Ramirez said. She noted that only 223 agencies in North America hold APWA accreditation and that Coconino is among 13 in Arizona with at least one accredited department.

Christopher Tressler, the county public works director, thanked staff and supervisors and described the internal effort to update policies and the department’s policy manual — including operational plans such as the county’s “snow plan.” “This effort started almost over a year ago as we updated our practices,” Tressler said. He singled out division managers and accreditation staff who led the documentation and field work.

Supervisors praised the recognition. Chair Patrice Horstman, District 1 supervisor, noted the public visibility of public works crews and recalled cheering for county snowplows at a holiday parade: “We hear more about roads from our constituents than probably any other single matter here in Coconino County,” she said. Supervisor Tammy Ontiveros (District 3) and Supervisor Judy Begay (District 4) also thanked staff for the department’s ongoing improvements and leadership.

The board did not take any action as part of the accreditation presentation; supervisors used the item to recognize staff and to hear details about the reaccreditation process and the department’s responsibilities, which include maintenance of roughly 1,000 miles of county roads, nearly 400 “white-iron” vehicles and about 50 pieces of heavy equipment, Ramirez said.

The recognition follows continued county efforts to document and update procedures for construction, drainage, fleet management and capital improvement work, county officials said.

The board recessed after the item and proceeded to other agenda topics.