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Residents press supervisors on election machines, Davis Road expansion, broadband language and early-childhood funding during public comment
Summary
At the Cochise County Board of Supervisors meeting, multiple residents used the public-comment period to urge action on election equipment, oppose a long-term Davis Road expansion plan, question vague broadband support language, and request support for early-childhood programs funded by First Things First.
Bisbee, Ariz. — Several Cochise County residents used the Jan. 7 public-comment period to raise concerns about election equipment, a proposed long-range road expansion, broadband-support language in a consent letter, and declining early-childhood funding.
Radford Hyde, a resident, urged the board to “revisit the use of these machines” used to count ballots, saying the county experienced problems counting about 35,000 mail-in ballots and criticizing the speed and cost of the current voting machines. “The machine problems that we had counting 35,000 mail in ballots is just ridiculous,” Hyde said, and asked supervisors to reconsider whether the county should continue using ES&S machines.
Bradford Hite, also of Sierra Vista, referenced the same voting-equipment concerns and urged whoever was elected chair to take the issue on promptly.
Cody Esarey addressed a long-range road plan for Davis Road, describing the Road Department’s 40-year plan to widen 23 miles of Davis Road from Highway 191 to Highway 80 into a four-lane divided highway to serve a planned commercial port of entry in Douglas. Esarey said the county could not afford the full expansion, warned the roadway currently lacks adequate shoulders and floods during monsoon season, and raised questions about easement acquisition and potential property takings for ranch land along the route.
Kim Depew questioned two letters of support on the consent agenda that back broadband-service planning. She asked what “work collaboratively and support efforts to develop broadband” would require the county to do and whether that vague phrasing could commit the county to permit waivers, right-of-way actions or other measures. “Exactly what action does the phrase ‘work collaboratively and support efforts to develop broadband’ commit the county to do?” Depew asked.
Melissa Vaughn, regional director for First Things First in Cochise County, asked for board support for potential upcoming legislation that would tax vaping and nicotine products to stabilize early-childhood funding. “First Things First funding does come from tobacco tax. About $0.80 on the dollar does come through our funding for First Things First,” Vaughn said and requested a future work session for the board to learn more about the program’s local activities.
Why it matters: The public-comment items touch on election administration, transportation planning, broadband policy language, and early-childhood program funding — topics that can influence county budgeting, permitting, and intergovernmental coordination. Several commenters asked for follow-up by the board or a work session to explore the issues further.
No formal board action on these topics was taken during the meeting; supervisors indicated some items could be put on a future work session agenda.
