The Graham County Board of Supervisors approved a slate of routine administrative and operational items during its December meeting.

Appointments and contracts: Mindy Young of Superior Court asked the board to reappoint pro tem judges for fiscal years 2026–2027; the board approved Travis Ragland as a full-time paid pro tem and Jerry Landau and William Richardson as part-time unpaid pro tems so the county could meet state submission deadlines. Young also requested ratification of a limited-services contract with Dr. Scott Naglee for court-ordered assessments for pretrial defendants (Oct. 1, 2025–June 30, 2027); Young said the rate and terms remain unchanged and the board ratified the contract.

Health department items: Brian Douglas presented Amendment 1 to the Arizona Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention Program IGA, saying scope items were added to align with work already underway and that the amendment did not create additional work for the county. He noted a price-sheet update showing an increase of $1,636.36 for fiscal year 25–26; the board approved the amendment. Douglas also requested out-of-state travel for Gavin Lawson and Lisa Maston to attend the environmental health conference in Laughlin, Nevada (Jan. 26–29, 2026) to complete pool-operator certification and required CEUs; the cost, he said, is under $3,000 and was included in the FY25–26 health budget. The board approved the travel.

Licensing, leave and planning: Planning and Zoning presented a special-event liquor license application from Gila Valley Samaritan Home for a Mardi Gras fundraiser set for Feb. 21, 2026; supervisors asked about security plans and approved the license. County Manager Welker requested a half-day off for eligible employees on Dec. 24, 2025 (customary practice); the board approved the half day. During Planning & Zoning’s public hearing the board approved private-easement road names Portessa Lane (for Matthew Sherwood), Mirkwood/Merkwood Lane and Clearview Drive after brief discussion of 9-1-1 and GIS considerations.

Procurement: Staff opened multiple bids across service and materials categories (corrugated pipe, petroleum products, signposts, emulsified asphalt, grader blades, cover material/chips, AB material and cold mix). In each case supervisors moved to refer bids to staff for conformity review and to recommend awards to the lowest responsible qualified bidders; staff said bid-tabulation results would be provided to bidders later in the week.

Votes at a glance (recorded outcomes): approve demands/warrants (approved); approve meeting minutes for 12/01/2025 and 12/04/2025 (approved); approve Sheriff travel for Lieutenant Susan Hill Patton (approved); approve pro tem appointments (approved); ratify limited-services contract with Dr. Scott Naglee (approved); approve overdose-prevention IGA Amendment 1 (approved); approve Gavin Lawson/Lisa Maston travel to Laughlin, NV (approved); approve Rave connector purchase (approved; see separate article); approve special-event liquor license for Gila Valley Samaritan Home (approved); approve half-day Christmas Eve leave (approved); refer multiple procurement bids to staff for conformity review and award recommendations (approved by motion).

The meeting closed after a presentation recognizing DOC’s work on fairgrounds parking and routine adjournment.