Cochise County Jail District board retains counsel in election lawsuit, approves health contract rate change; residents urge sales tax and Bisbee site

BISBEE, Ariz. — The Cochise County Jail District Board on Feb. 11 voted to retain outside legal counsel to represent the jail district in ongoing litigation and approved a contract amendment to revise detention-health rates for fiscal year 2025, while residents urged the board to honor voters' funding choice and keep the new jail in Bisbee.

The board voted 3-0 to retain outside counsel to represent the jail district in Daniel LaChance et al v. Cochise County (CV24-0150-PR). The motion to retain counsel was brought before the jail district board during the meeting and passed unanimously. The board also approved Amendment No. 7 to contract YH16-0018-13, an intergovernmental agreement with the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) that revises payment rates for state fiscal year 2025; that motion passed 3-0 as well. Earlier the board approved the consent agenda, including demands and budget amendments and operating transfers, by a 3-0 vote.

Why it matters: the legal-retention vote formalizes defense for the jail district as a named party in litigation arising from the recent election that created the jail district; the AHCCCS amendment affects the county's detention-health billing rates and county detention-health budgeting for the year. Both actions relate to the county's multi-year effort to plan and…