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Supervisor raises data and oversight concerns as board approves $2.68 million Stone Garden grant
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Summary
Supervisor Mr. Recht pressed the board for clarifications on staffing counts, 'burn rate' calculations and NIMS compliance in the Pinal County Sheriff's Operation Stone Garden application (request listed at $2,677,835); the board voted to approve the grant application despite the concerns, recording 4 yeses and 1 no on the transcript.
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors approved an Operation Stone Garden grant application for the sheriff’s office on March 4 despite extended questions from Supervisor Recht about apparent data inconsistencies and program oversight.
Supervisor Recht highlighted multiple areas where the grant packet appeared incomplete or internally inconsistent, pointing to a requested total of $2,677,835 for overtime and employee-related expenses and querying figures the packet listed elsewhere such as an "average burn rate per month" of 1,800 hours and a prior funding-cycle figure of 10,647 hours. "What is a burn rate? I have no idea what that is," Recht said, emphasizing the paperwork showed numbers that "don't make sense mathematically or logistically." He also asked whether neighboring jurisdictions such as Pima County were involved in those operations and noted several narrative fields in the packet appeared truncated on the printed application.
Board discussion referenced the grant's objectives — increased patrols, aviation operations, and countering trafficking — and the sheriff's office staffing and deployment descriptions. Recht raised concerns about NIMS (National Incident Management System) compliance checkboxes and whether training and exercises incorporated listed concepts; several form fields in the packet were marked inconsistently or left blank.
Despite those concerns and a supervisor's request that sheriff's personnel be available to answer detailed questions, a motion to approve the grant passed on the floor. The transcript records the board's final tally as four yeses and one no; the record shows a motion and second on the floor prior to the voice vote.
What’s next: The sheriff’s office will proceed with the grant as approved; supervisors requested clarification and follow-up about the packet's inconsistencies and the board flagged the need for clearer documentation when accepting similar federal/state homeland security funds.
