Graham County supervisors approve contracts, development plans and 100-foot wireless tower; adopt indigent cremation policy

The Graham County Board of Supervisors met and approved a package of routine contracts, grant applications and land-use actions, while adopting a new county indigent-disposition policy that establishes cremation as the presumptive county-paid method for decedents the county assumes responsibility for.

Sheriff PJ Allred asked the board to renew an annual counseling contract with McDonald Counseling Service for alcohol and drug counseling at the jail. "He comes there and helps our inmates," Allred said, praising the provider’s regular on-site visits. The board approved the renewal, which was described during the discussion as a $75-per-hour engagement for limited on-site hours.

Allred also sought permission to apply for a tribal/community grant to purchase a body scanner for the detention facility. "A body scanner can search for paraphernalia, different drugs, just contraband," Allred said, arguing the equipment would reduce invasive searches and improve officer and detainee safety. Board members clarified the grant would pay for the machine itself while noting there would be ongoing calibration and software costs — discussed in the meeting as roughly $30,000 per year if the county accepted the system — and they approved the request to apply.

The board approved Resolution 2026-05 to provide a county match ($1,009.24) for the juvenile probation family-counseling grant, and it granted permission to apply for a $3,500 United Way grant to buy 100 blood-pressure monitors to loan to residents alongside classes and monitoring instruction.

On public-health funding, Health Department Director Bridal Douglas told supervisors that Amendment 2 to the Prop 21 Smoke Free Arizona intergovernmental agreement reduces funding to the county by $13,000 this year because excise-tax revenues have fallen with decreased cigarette use. The board approved the amendment and briefly discussed whether taxes on vaping or smokeless tobacco could be pursued at the state level.

The board adopted a new indigent-disposition policy presented by Douglas that designates cremation as the county’s default method when it assumes responsibility for a decedent, while preserving a process for exemptions on religious or other grounds. "The main focus of this policy is to deem cremation as the main disposition of a decedent, when Graham County assumes responsibility," Douglas said. Supervisors noted the county would need to refine exemption procedures and be mindful of refrigeration costs and potential delays when next of kin cannot be located.

Justice of the Peace Stephanie Newton presented five routine indigent-defense contract renewals for fiscal 2027 — contracts for attorneys Josie Lopez, Raven Geiser, Dennis McCarthy, Daisy Flores and Rebecca Johnson — and a weekend on-call initial-appearance contract (compensated at $35/hour) for Ricardo Goren. Newton said DUI cases are compensated at a flat $800 per case and other misdemeanor appointments at $450 per case. The board approved each contract.

On land-use and events, the board approved several planning items after public hearings. The supervisors granted a rezone for a 10-acre parcel owned by Colton Lee (Cast Industrial LLC) to allow commercial/manufacturing use and approved a preliminary plat for the Sierra Del Sol development (proposed trade name: Artesia Ridge), a 37-lot subdivision that will use on-site retention, wells and septic systems and proposes 46-foot rights-of-way and 4-inch AB chip-sealed roads (a narrower section than the county’s 50-foot standard). Planning staff and developers said drainage, emergency access and road-section durability would be reviewed further during the design phase.

Event organizer Mr. Feldhaig received board approval for the 47th Mount Graham Hill Climb on Sept. 20, 2026, and for post-race use of the county meeting room for awards. Feldhaig said a recent grant covered additional insurance costs required by ADOT risk management.

The board also approved a special-use permit for a 100-foot wireless communications tower on APN 101-12-013 after applicant Linda Grice and consultants explained the location was chosen to maximize distance from residences and to fill coverage gaps for Safford and the highway corridor. Mike McLaughlin, representing the Western Fire Chiefs Association, and staff noted that the proposed facility’s radio-frequency exposure calculations fall below federal thresholds. Some members acknowledged prior public concern about aesthetics and health effects; staff and the applicant said federal RF-safety limits apply and the project had been sited to minimize residential impact.

Votes at a glance - Minutes (06/15/2026 and 06/29/2026): motion by Supervisor Mack (S2), second Vice Chair (S3) — approved. - Approval of warrants/demands (pay bills): motion by Vice Chair (S3), second Supervisor Mack (S2) — approved. - Renewal: McDonald Counseling Service contract for jail counseling (renewal at $75/hour discussed): motion by Supervisor Mack (S2), second Vice Chair (S3) — approved. - Permission to apply for tribal/community grant for a body scanner (sheriff): motion by Vice Chair (S3), second Supervisor Mack (S2) — approved. - Resolution 2026-05 (juvenile probation grant match $1,009.24): motion by Supervisor Mack (S2), second Vice Chair (S3) — approved. - United Way grant application for 100 blood-pressure monitors ($3,500): motion by Vice Chair (S3), second Supervisor Mack (S2) — approved. - Prop 21 Smoke Free Arizona IGA Amendment 2 (funding reduction): motion by Supervisor Mack (S2), second Vice Chair (S3) — approved. - Indigent-disposition policy (cremation presumptive, exemptions available): motion by Vice Chair (S3), second Supervisor Mack (S2) — approved. - Travel for Emily Riddle to APHA (San Antonio, Oct. 31–Nov. 4): motion by Supervisor Mack (S2), second Vice Chair (S3) — approved. - Indigent-defense contract renewals (Lopez, Geiser, McCarthy, Flores, Johnson): motions by supervisors (multiple) — each approved. - Consulting agreement for on-call initial appearances (Ricardo Goren, $35/hr): motion by Vice Chair (S3), second Supervisor Mack (S2) — approved. - Mount Graham Hill Climb (47th, Sept. 20, 2026) and room use: motion by Supervisor Mack (S2), second Vice Chair (S3) — approved. - Road-name change to "Keith's Place": motion by Supervisor Mack (S2), second Vice Chair (S3) — approved. - Rezone (Colton Lee / Cast Industrial LLC) for commercial/manufacturing: motion by Vice Chair (S3), second Supervisor Mack (S2) — approved. - Preliminary plat (Sierra Del Sol / Artesia Ridge, 37 lots): motion by Supervisor Mack (S2), second Vice Chair (S3) — approved. - Special-use permit for wireless communication tower (APN 101-12-013, 11.46 acres, 100-foot height): motion by Vice Chair (S3), second Supervisor Mack (S2) — approved.

What’s next Several approved items will move to project design or implementation phases: zoning design and road/utility design for Artesia Ridge, follow-up to refine exemption procedures and cost caps under the indigent-disposition policy, and staff follow-up on potential operating costs if the sheriff obtains a body scanner grant. No final county budget transfers or additional appropriations were adopted during this meeting; board members said county fiscal-year-end accounting remains in process.

Sources and attribution Reporting here draws exclusively on statements and motions recorded during the Graham County Board of Supervisors meeting (public hearing and regular session). Quotes and attributions are taken from participants identified in the meeting transcript: Sheriff PJ Allred; Health Department Director Bridal Douglas; Justice of the Peace Stephanie Newton; Herman Andrews (Probation); applicant Linda Grice; event organizer Mr. Feldhaig; and county staff including Planning Director Darren Griffin and the County Manager. If a speaker was not named in the transcript, this article attributes comments by role (for example, "Chair" or "Vice Chair").

Ending The board concluded with a call to the public, heard none, and adjourned the meeting.