Citizen Portal
Sign In

Camp Verde council votes 7-0 to hold closed sessions on water counsel contract and tribal water talks

Town Council of Camp Verde · March 1, 2026

Loading...

AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

The Camp Verde Town Council voted unanimously July 23 to meet in executive session to consult with special water counsel about the firm's contract and to discuss the town's water portfolio, designation of adequate water supply and potential settlement talks with the Yavapai Apache Nation; the council reconvened and said it gave direction to the town manager.

The Camp Verde Town Council voted 7-0 on July 23, 2025, to go into executive session to consult with special water counsel and to receive legal advice and negotiate matters related to the town’s water portfolio and tribal agreements.

Vice Mayor Wendy Escoffier moved at 5:03 p.m. to convene the closed session, and Councilor Jessie Murdock seconded the motion. The council approved the motion on a roll call vote: Mayor Marie Moore, Councilor Brian Bolton, Vice Mayor Wendy Escoffier, Councilor Robert Foreman, Councilor Robin Godwin, Councilor Jessie Murdock and Councilor Patricia Seybold all voted aye.

The publicly posted agenda identifies two executive-session items. Agenda Item 4, held under A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(4), was a consultation with Special Water Counsel Steve Wene of Moyes, Sellers & Hendricks regarding the firm’s contract with the town for water law services. Agenda Item 5, held under A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(3),(A)(4) and (A)(6), covered legal advice, consideration of litigation and consultation regarding negotiations with members of a tribal council; the agenda lists three specific topics under Item 5: the town’s water portfolio, designation of an adequate water supply, and consideration of water settlement agreements and tribal negotiations with the Yavapai Apache Nation. Town Manager Miranda Fisher is listed as the staff resource for both items.

The council reconvened at 6:46 p.m. Mayor Marie Moore stated that direction had been given to Town Manager Miranda Fisher on Agenda Items 4 and 5. The minutes do not disclose the substance of the executive-session deliberations, consistent with the cited Arizona statutes that permit closed-session legal consultations. Mayor Moore then adjourned the special session at 6:46 p.m. The minutes were later certified by Acting Deputy Town Clerk Jadie Edwards on August 7, 2025.

No formal public action on the underlying water counsel contract, water-rights designations, or any settlement agreement is recorded in the minutes; the record shows only the motion to enter executive session, the statutory bases for closing the meeting, the reconvening time and a statement that direction was given to the town manager.