Cochise County appoints Bradley A. Simmons interim county engineer

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 20 to appoint Bradley A. Simmons as interim county engineer.

The board approved Resolution 26-01 naming Bradley A. Simmons interim county engineer effective January 2026. Speaker 2 moved the item and the board adopted the resolution without extended debate. Speaker 1 then addressed Simmons: "Mister Bradley, you are now acting county engineer. Congratulations." The appointment was recorded on the meeting agenda as Resolution 26-01 and described by the board as the first resolution of the year.

Board members discussed the rationale for a short-term appointment. A board member (Speaker 2) said the county needs to "point somebody in the county here to hold the position" while staff and board review the department's direction. That same board member said officials will "explore" consolidating departments as a possible way to reduce costs and will return with an approach and a work session for further discussion.

County staff present (referred to in the meeting as "Joe") was asked to explain next steps and said staff would bring back recommendations and an approach for the board to review. No detailed staffing plan, timeline for consolidation, or budgetary breakdown was provided at the meeting.

The board recorded the resolution as adopted and congratulated Simmons. The board set the next regular meeting for Jan. 27, 2026.

The appointment and the board's instruction to return with an approach for possible consolidation are the most recent procedural developments; no additional formal actions or budget approvals tied to a consolidation plan were taken at this meeting.