Yavapai County study session directs staff to draft internship policy, flags partisan-use concerns

Chair Mallory called a study session on Aug. 11 to discuss internships at Yavapai County and to give staff direction on how to handle a currently proposed student placement.

County Manager Maury Thompson told the board the county has "no policy on internships" and that, to date, the county has been treating many interns under its existing volunteer policy. Thompson said the volunteer policy covers security checks and use of county assets but does not clearly define internships, and he recommended staff draft a uniform internship policy for departments and a specific section for elected officials.

Wendy Ross, who carried out an inventory of current internship arrangements, told the board that some interns were hired as temporary paid employees while others worked unpaid, and that formal internship agreements with schools (for example, Yavapai College) would require a signed agreement between the school and the county. Ross said classes at Yavapai College begin Aug. 18, creating an immediate scheduling constraint for a student seeking credit.

Several supervisors voiced concern about interns placed in elected officials' offices and the appearance that interns could be used for campaign or partisan activity. One supervisor framed the concern directly: "my main concern is specifically interns in service to elected officials, because they're these are partisan offices" and asked how the county would keep campaigning out of what should be an educational opportunity. Board members urged clear limits in any policy — for example, banning campaign or partisan activities and defining acceptable duties and supervision.

Supervisors also debated whether an intern working on communications or social media should be routed through the county communications office for consistency. An unidentified member of communications staff said the office already shares a partial PIO resource (Jialene) and recently purchased the Hootsuite scheduling tool, and that the communications office could onboard and train an intern to format posts and schedule content across platforms.

Board members highlighted equity and capacity issues: the internship under discussion was described as roughly 135 hours (about three to four weeks of full-time work) and several supervisors warned that giving one district more communications help could create inequities. Supervisors also noted many students at Yavapai College are nontraditional (working or parenting) and may need flexible hours; Ross said this particular student is a single parent with a full-time job and is seeking an experience that fits her career path in criminal justice and political science.

To address these issues, Ross proposed pursuing a master memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Yavapai College and the county so that HR could vet and place students in departments that match their educational goals. Maury Thompson told the board staff would pursue a written internship policy and suggested including a section that governs internships in elected offices.

Chair Mallory asked whether staff could bring the matter back on the Aug. 20 meeting agenda in Cottonwood for the board’s consideration. County staff confirmed they had sufficient direction to draft a policy and return to the board; there was no formal vote at the study session.

The study session concluded with the board directing staff to prepare an internship policy that: (1) clarifies whether interns are volunteers or temporary employees for county purposes; (2) requires formal internship agreements for school-credit placements; (3) includes explicit prohibitions on campaign or partisan activities; and (4) addresses supervision, hours, and equitable access across districts. The board scheduled follow-up consideration of the policy for its Aug. 20 meeting in Cottonwood.

The board adjourned the study session. The item will return to a future meeting for formal action.