Board approves $25,501 transfer from District 5 community initiatives to operations after heated debate

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a budget amendment transferring $25,501 from District 5’s Community Initiatives (CI) fund to the district’s operations and travel account, aligning the accounting for expenditures from July 1, 2024, through about Feb. 4, 2025.

The motion to approve the transfer was made by Supervisor Lena Fowler (District 5) and seconded by Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez (District 2). The board approved the transfer on a 4–1 vote: Supervisors Begay, Horstman, Vasquez and Fowler voted yes; Supervisor Tammy Ontiveros voted no.

Board members and county staff framed the action as legally permissible but sharply debated whether it followed best practices and whether the board should permit continued routine transfers from CI funds to pay for supervisors’ travel and operations. County counsel and the finance director told the board that state statute and the county’s budget-management rules allow transfers among line items at the department/fund level, provided the full fund remains within its adopted appropriation and the board approves the amendment at a public meeting.

Supervisor Tammy Ontiveros said she could not support the transfer. She said the request “doesn’t pass the sniff test” when money allocated for a particular purpose is repurposed after the fact, and argued the board should set and enforce higher fiduciary and ethical standards for use of taxpayers’ funds. Ontiveros also asked for additional policy work and said she would not vote for the item.

County Finance Director Siri Mullaney explained the county’s budgeting structure and the baseline allocations for supervisors’ offices: “the baseline allocation was just over $15,000 for operating and just under $50,000 for community initiatives,” and districts may carry forward unspent funds from prior years. Mullaney confirmed the $25,501 requested is to align the current FY25 expenditures with the appropriation and covers spending through early February 2025.

County Manager Andy Bertelsen and County Counsel (referred to in the meeting as “counsel Ring/Rang”) advised that transfers at the department/fund level were allowable and commonly used to align line items with actual expenditures. Counsel added that, while the transfer is legally permissible, ongoing auditing and stronger budget-management practices are a continuing responsibility.

Supporters of the amendment, including Supervisor Fowler, said supervisors routinely travel for county business and that travel needs have grown since the budget was adopted; Fowler and others described travel for statewide and national association work as part of county representation and advocacy that benefits the county. Vice Chair Patrice Horstman and Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez said the public conversation about the item was healthy and urged better policy and clearer practices going forward.

The board directed staff to continue work on improving budget-management practices and to propose clearer policies governing transfers between CI and operations/travel accounts to reduce future disputes and increase transparency.

Votes, clarifications and next steps - Amount moved: $25,501, from District 5 Community Initiatives to District 5 operations/travel. (Finance director gave the amount.) - Time period covered by the transfer: July 1, 2024, through approximately Feb. 4, 2025. (Finance director/assistant clarified dates.) - Baseline supervisory allocations (as stated by finance staff): approximately $15,000 for operations and just under $50,000 for Community Initiatives per district in FY25. (Finance director Siri Mullaney.) - Board direction: staff were asked to update policies and report back with recommendations to reduce risks and clarify permissible transfers.

Ending The board approved the transfer to reconcile District 5’s books, but the discussion revealed differing views among supervisors on acceptable uses of CI funds and on enforcement of budgeting practices. Supervisors emphasized that future changes to policy and closer auditing should accompany any similar requests.