Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves small senior nutrition grant and $183,229 utility assistance contract for FY2026
Summary
Supervisors accepted a $2,500 Arizona Community Foundation grant for the Williams senior center nutrition program and approved a $183,229.60 contract for a county utility assistance program delivered by Wildfire (formerly Arizona Community Action Association).
The Coconino County Board of Supervisors approved two consent items Tuesday that provide direct assistance to local residents: a $2,500 grant for a Williams-area senior nutrition program and a $183,229.60 contract to deliver the county’s utility assistance program.
The board voted unanimously to accept an Arizona Community Foundation award of $2,500 to support the senior services nutrition program in Williams. Michelle Oxland, director of Health and Human Services, said the Williams Meals on Wheels program serves “over 22 seniors” and that the grant will help feed additional residents.
Separately, the board approved an independent contractor agreement with Wildfire (formerly Arizona Community Action Association) to distribute $183,229.60 for the 2025–26 Utility Assistance Program. Oxland told the board the program works with partners including APS and UniSource to pay utility bills and to purchase items tied to health and safety — for example HEPA filters, washers, dryers and water dispensers — and that the program serves residents both on and off reservation lands across the county.
Supervisors removed the two related items from the broader consent agenda for brief discussion before voting to approve both. Questions from the board focused on program reach and qualification criteria; Oxland said eligibility generally follows federal poverty guidelines and that staff can help callers determine if exceptions or alternate fund sources are available.
Why it matters: both items are relatively small but target basic needs — meals for homebound seniors and help paying essential utilities — and fit into the county’s existing social-service delivery infrastructure. The utility assistance award represents a larger, contract-supported program that county staff said reaches households across the county and works through existing local partners.
