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Maricopa supervisors give chairman authority to sign utility easements for new elections building
Summary
The Board of Supervisors unanimously authorized the chairman to execute ministerial utility easements for the county's new downtown elections facility, after public debate about concentrating administrative authority in the chair.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously March 26 to authorize the board chairman to execute utility easements for the county’s new downtown elections facility without returning each individual easement to the full board for a vote.
Alex Smith, Maricopa County real estate director, told the board the authorization is intended to streamline construction steps. “This item is to allow the chairman to execute utility easements without further board action once we have unanimous consent of the board,” Smith said. He said the easements are “for utility purposes only” and are tied to previously approved plans for the elections facility.
County legal adviser Michael Liddy described the actions covered by the authorization as ministerial, not discretionary. “What the acts that are covered under this are purely ministerial to allow the utility easements to be in place while the construction is going on,” Liddy said, adding that ministerial acts do not require the exercise of elected officials’ discretionary authority.
Public commenters urged caution about vesting that authority in a single office. Don Adams, among others, said the authorization should not rest with the chairman given recent controversies involving him, saying “silence is complicity” and urging supervisors to withhold the delegation of additional powers. Similar concerns were raised by other speakers, who questioned whether the chairman should be given the convenience of signing routine easements in advance of construction actions.
Supporters of the measure said the change simply avoids delay for construction and utilities. Supervisor Mark Stewart said the item would help the elections building be ready for the 2028 presidential election and described the approval as a common-sense step to avoid utility providers waiting weeks for board votes. Stewart also noted the board retains oversight: any three supervisors can reverse or modify a ministerial action if they object.
After public comment the board made a motion to approve the item; the clerk called the roll. Supervisors Stewart, Brophy McGee, Lesko, Gallardo and Chairman Galvin voted aye. The motion passed unanimously.
The board’s vote grants the chairman authority to execute only the ministerial utility easements described in the agenda item; it does not delegate decisions about the building’s location, budget, design or other discretionary matters, which the board retains.
The approvals clear the way for utility companies to obtain easements quickly as construction proceeds, rather than waiting for the next regular board meeting.
