APRIL 2016
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
GILA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Tuesday April 5, 2016 10:00 AM Gila County Courthouse
The 2015 Annual Report for the Gila County Sheriff's Office
was unveiled at yesterday's Regular Meeting of the Gila
County Board of Supervisors. It will be online at
gilacountyaz.gov by next week. Last year, there were over
20,000 911 calls and over 39,000 regular calls for service.
That's up 3,000 from last year. Arrests included 757
misdemeanors and 685 felonies, up 200 from last year,
including 416 burglaries, 328 thefts, 11 underage drinking,
and 60 DUIs. There were 214 collisions, 47 injuries and
three fatalities. $1,555,477 in drugs were seized. One
quarter of all arrests were drug related, another quarter were
DUI and serious driving offenses. 17% were violent crimes.
The Lake Patrol & Dive Team unit had one vehicle recovery,
two agency assists and three body recoveries. There were
also extensive community programs and services.
Supervisor John Marcanti questioned the increase in heroine
problems. The Sheriff explained that as prescription
medicine has become too expensive, drug users follow the
cheapest path. Heroine production is now dirt cheap. The
deaths are generally due to kids who don't know enough to
use the drug. The first shot is too much for them. It's very
tragic, and the problem is occurring across the board from
rich to poor.
The department's operating budget for Fiscal Year 2015 was
$10,657,163. It breaks down to $3.7 million for detention,
$733,000 for detention health. $4,129,000 for patrol,
$1,009,000 for dispatch and $1,084,000 for administration.
4,000 department reports were processed, there were 804
record requests, 485 background checks, 1206 civil papers
serviced and 3,488 warrants served. Warrants account for
18% of all booking. There were 149 full time positions, 5
part-time, and 8 K9s, predominantly Belgian Malinois,
including Duco, Rocky, Roman, Kingston, Dozer, Arco,
Seebon and Felix.
The employee of the month for April's Spotlight on
Employees is Denise Cox, a treasurer services specialist.
April was proclaimed National County Government month.
Events coming up this month include two on Saturday the
23rd: the STEM fest at Bullion Plaza from 9 to noon, and a
free Green Waste disposal at the Russell Gulch Landfill from
8 to 3:30. On the 27th from 11 to 1:30, Community Bridges
and the Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center will present
an event at the hospital for parents, educators and the
community on understanding behavioral health. There is an
Earth Day art contest for school students with submissions
due April 15th, and it's burgers on the patio at the
Courthouse in conjunction with Relay for Life on Tuesday
the 12th.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
TOWN OF MIAMI MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Monday April 11, 2016 6:30 PM
Town Council Chambers - Sullivan Street
Concurrent with last night's Regular Meeting of the Town of
Miami Mayor and Council was the second of two public
hearings required in the process of passing “Home Rule”, an
alternative expenditure limitation. The arcane process is part
of Arizona state law that limits spending by municipalities to
the amount spent in Fiscal year 1979-80, unless either a
permanent base adjustment, a home rule in the form of an
alternative expenditure limitation, or a one-time adjustment
is passed by voters. Permanent base adjustments have the
benefit of not requiring regular passage of alternative
expenditure limitations, but the municipality is then limited
to the base adjusted rate, unless an alternative to it is passed.
The alternative expenditure limitation, the Home Rule,
provides the most flexibility, but if it is not passed by voters
according to the process set forth by the state, a municipality
faces hefty financial penalties for any spending that exceeds
that of Fiscal year 1979-80. Miami in the past has paid these
penalties.
Home rule was last adopted by Miami in 2012. In 2013, the
Arizona legislature approved extending the alternative
expenditure limitation through 2017, providing a
municipality seeks voter approval in 2016. There were no
public comments last night, and Resolution #1169 passed,
putting Home Rule to a public vote on August 30, 2016, the
date of the Arizona primary.
Town Manager Joe Heatherly announced that the Public
Works Department may have an announcement of a new
supervisor/director in the next week. The department is
currently working on filling the remaining potholes and
cutting grass and weeds on Sullivan Street. Heatherly said
he anticipate splitting Public Works into five divisions:
1. Streets and parks.
2. Trash and garbage
3. Wastewater Plant
4. Maintenance
5. Facilities and building support
Heatherly reported that there was a code enforcement
inspection by the Town's insurance carrier, and the state of
safety in Miami is 98% better. Coming soon will be a
proposal for an IGA with Globe for a fire inspector. A one
year extension for the IGA with Tri Cities Fire was
approved, and the Fiscal year 2014 financial audit report
should be done next week.
An update on Phase 2 of the Sewer Project was presented.
On April 20th, repaving begins on streets affected.
Southwest Gas has been helpful in changing design for
Canyon Avenue, but Arizona Water is being very difficult.
They've been in possession of the plans since 2011, and their
stance is they will not do anything to relocate conflicting
lines until construction starts. By when construction starts,
it's too late. There are several intersections where this is a
problem, and it has delayed Phase 2. But as Heatherly points
out, it's important to work this out without escalating it to a
legal dispute as Arizona Water is in a position to spend a
great deal of money on lawyers before anything will get
done.
Resolution 1170, authorizing the submission of an
application for Fiscal Year 2016 State Community
Development Grand funds was passed. It specifies that the
CDBG money will go for resurfacing streets disrupted by the
sewer project.
There was no police report as Chief Scott Gillen was absent,
still involved with a critical incident on Hwy 60 that
occurred earlier in the day near Copper State Sanitation.
Librarian Delvan Hayward's report included a reminder that
next month is the Friend's of the Library semi-annual book
sale. The White Elephant sale was a big success, netting the
library over $1,000. The heater is finally fixed, but it's old
and parts are hard to find. And tax forms are available at the
Library, along with computer training for seniors.
The Boomtown Spree will be held this Saturday, the 16th, a
busy day with several events planned in the area, including
Globe's ATV Jamboree. KQSS' Jon Cornell suggested that
for next year's event, the town should coordinate with Globe
so that events will not be scheduled simultaneously.
Next weekend, April 22nd and 23rd, STEMfest, the Art Walk
and the Paint The Town project will all be held. Paint The
Town is a joint effort with Taliesen.
Resolution Copper presented a project update. Project
Director Andrew Taplin and others from the company were
in attendance. They're using a number of Gila County based
firms as part of their efforts, including Marcanti Electric, and
a dozen other local vendors.
During 2015, Resolution Copper supported many projects in
Miami including renovations to Bullion Plaza, Summer In
The Park, the Miami Schools Robotics program, boys and
girls high school soccer teams, and the Gila Community
Food Bank. They've just completed the scholarship awards,
where they offered $3,000 to graduating seniors through
three programs: General Scholarship, Native American
Scholarship, and the Steven L. Besich leadership grant.
Recently, Resolution Copper was acknowledged for its
safety performance by the National Mining Association.
Last year, the Land Exchange Act was passed, and now
Resolution Copper is in the NEPA process, which as been
extended for a 120 day comment period. Taplin said final
approval for the mine should take another five years. He
also addressed the issue that has been in the news-that Oak
Flat has been designated as a heritage site. He explained that
between the Pinal Mountains and the Picket Post Mountains,
there are 409 possible sites that could be designated as
traditional cultural property by the Department of the
Interior. Oak Flat will probably be one of them, but it's only
one of four possible cultural sites that exist in the Resolution
Copper footprint. The bottom line is that the proposed
heritage designation for Oak Flat will not prevent the project
from advancing.
Taplin also had good news about relations with the San
Carlos Apache Tribe. Previously Resolution Copper was not
allowed on the reservation to discuss the project. But now,
three meetings with the Tribe, with about 150 tribal members
attending, have been held.
So far parent company Rio Tinto has spent $1.2 billion in
developing the Resolution Copper Mine site. #10 shaft is
completed. $540 million was spent on it. They're going to
build another shaft at the same cost. In preparation for the
EIS, the Environmental Impact Statement, they've been
doing extensive groundwater testing on 40 different sites.
Taplin asked the Council for a letter of support for the
project during the US Forest Service Comment Period.
There's no doubt they will get it.
The Council debated authorizing the underwriting of a trip
for three students and one adult chaperone to attend the
Arizona League of Cities and Towns meeting. They agreed
to do it, but expressed concern that it might be difficult to
find students interested in the civic process.
There was discussion about using a building behind Bullion
Plaza as a food bank, since the current Miami location is
now closed. Councilmember Susan Hanson said not a viable
option, but the Council is intent on finding a location.
Mayor Darryl Dalley brought up proposed improvements to
Veterans Memorial Park including adding security cameras,
repairing lighting and erecting a rules sign, and a fence along
the creek. Heatherly voiced his opinion that if resources
could be found, they would be put to better use renovating
the Public Works Yard as protecting vehicles is a higher
priority. The Council is working on a grant to underwrite the
cost. KQSS volunteered to make the rules sign and donate it
to the town of Miami.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY OF GLOBE MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Tuesday April 12, 2016 6:00 PM City Hall - Pine Street
The first public hearing on Home Rule was held last night at
the Regular Meeting of the City of Globe Mayor and
Council. Another one must be held before Proposition 300,
Globe's alternative expenditure limitation, known as Home
Rule, can be put on the August 30th ballot. City Clerk Shelly
Salazar outlined the process, which is necessary to comply
with state law. Without the public approving Home Rule,
the city will not be able to spend more than about $8 million
dollars in 2017, a figure based on a formula in place from
fiscal year 1979-80. But, as expected 2017 revenue is
anticipated to be more than twice that amount, it's important
hat this pass. It's highly likely that it will. It has every time
it's come up since the first vote in 1982.
Even if Home Rule doesn't pass, it won't affect the 2016
budget, said finance director Joe Jarvis who outlined the
upcoming meetings related to the Fiscal Year 2016-17
budget. On April 19th, revenue and expense projections will
be discussed. On May 3rd, the Council will prioritize the
budget. On May 10th, a tentative budget will be announced,
and if all goes as planned the final budget will be approved
during the June 28th Council meeting. The public is
welcome at all the budget meetings, which will be held at
5:15 in the City Council Chambers.
Mayor Terry Wheeler announced that the dispute with
Arizona Water Company is now closed, after five years of
contention. There are no details on the agreement reached,
as the Arizona Corporation Commission must first approve it
before it can become effective.
There was also good news about the dispute with Freeport
McMoran. Mayor Wheeler said a deal has been struck there
as well, which will have Freeport McMoran paying for its
sewer effluent once the agreement is signed. The previous
agreement, spanning 50 years, cost Freeport McMoran
nothing. Now their sewer effluent will be a revenue source
for the city.
The Mayor also requested that we all keep Councilmember
Mike Humphries in our prayers. He said Mike is still
seriously ill after his recent back surgery.
City Manager Paul Jepson said that the work on Highway 60
should be completed next week, with painting done and
markers in place.
Mayor Wheeler proclaimed April 10th through 16th as
National Library Week, and Tuesday April 12th as National
Library Workers Day. Librarian Adria Ricke received the
proclamation from the mayor. She presented certificates of
appreciation to Deputy Librarian Mary Helen Avalos, and
administration clerk Melissa Williams.
Councilmember Mike Stapleton said that the home tour went
well, with 500 guests, despite the rain this past weekend. He
reminded the public that Wednesday the 13th at 3:30 there
will be a meeting of the Globe Clean and Beautiful
committee at The Copper Hen.
Councilmember Roberta Lee Johnson reminded everyone
about the ATV Jamboree is this weekend, and director of
planning and zoning, Chris Collopy, gave a brief
presentation on the associated events. Registration for the
ATV Jamboree can be done online at GlobeAZ.gov, and in
person, across the street from the Active Adult Center, all
day Wednesday and Thursday.
Police Chief Mark Nip presented the Chief's Unit Award and
the Meritorious Service Award. Chief Unit Awards were
given to Eddie McGuire, Mike Boyd, Katrina Kjellstrom,
Clint Taylor, and Kevin Fane. The Meritorious Service
Award went to Mike Boyd for his efforts in apprehending
two suspects.
On March 23rd, Officer Boyd was at home when he heard
glass breaking a neighboring house owned by Dr. Chad
Campbell. He ran out to investigate and saw two people had
broken in but were then fleeing on foot. He led a four hour
manhunt, following the suspects' footprints which led to
their capture in a house where they were armed with a 9mm
stolen handgun. Four people were arrested in what Nipp
categorized as a great effort.
A resolution proclaiming Globe's Commitment to Fair
Housing was approved. Its passage is required for CDBG
funding and grants. And a resolution for restricting voting to
a mail in ballot for the August 30th primary election was
read into the record. It will appear on another agenda, and
then will be up for a vote by the Council.
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE TOWN OF MIAMI
MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Monday April 25, 2015 6:30 PM
Miami Town Council Chambers - Sullivan Street
If you live in the Town of Miami and are planning to vote in
the primary on August 30th or the general election on
November 8th, you'll have to do it by mail. Resolution 1172
specifying an all mail-in ballot for those elections was
passed at Monday night's Special Meeting of the Town of
Miami Mayor and Council.
New bulk trash rules will go into effect in a couple months.
First they must be posted and then finalized. According to
Utility Service Coordinator, Vera Fisher, the rate will be
$5.00 per month, with waivers for unoccupied properties and
those with no vegetation. All current waivers will be
cancelled and eligible property owners will have to reapply.
There will also be new rules for pickup safety.
Code Inspector Gary Leveque reported seven new cases, 25
open cases, four cases currently in court and a total of 31
cases closed so far this year. He also said there were four
animal calls.
Police Chief Scott Gillen gave the report for March. The
department had 480 calls, 48 citations, 38 traffic stops, eight
arrests (none juvenile), 19 911 calls (13 of which were
medical), 15 alarm calls, seven criminal damage, one child
abuse, five domestic violence, four disorderly conduct and
100 miscellaneous calls. Gillen said all police vehicles are
in good shape with the exception of some windshields that
have dings, which need to be fixed.
Joe Heatherly announced that the Fiscal Year 2014-15 audit
is not complete, but he expects the preliminary report next
week. He also expects the draft budget for Fiscal Year
2016-17 next week.
Heatherly updated the Council on the Merritt Ramp
construction project. One third of the concrete has been
poured. The second third will be poured next week. He did
not have a timetable for completion. He reported that all
tubing, parts and swamp coolers are being replaced in Miami
town buildings, and reminded residents that three council
seats are up for election this year. The packets to apply will
be available next week at City Hall and they're due back by
June 1st.
Miami has a new Public Works Supervisor. Town employee
Tom Moreno has been promoted to that position. Joe
Sanchez was reappointed as a member of the Municipal
Property Corporation, which requires two members. There
have been no takers for position #2.
An IGA with the Globe Fire Department for the purpose of
investigation and code enforcement was approved.
Boomtown Spree, Stemfest, Paint the Town and the Art Walk
all went well. The Council unanimously praised all events,
which spanned two enjoyable weekends.
Jameson Owen from Kinkaid Civil Construction updated the
Council on Phase 2 of the sewer project. East end to the 76
station is complete, as are all jack and bore operations. 24
needed spot repairs will be finished next month, and Arizona
Water Company continues to be difficult in the resolution of
several problem areas, but he's hopeful that progress is being
made.
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
CITY OF GLOBE MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Tuesday April 26, 2016 6:00 PM City Hall - Pine Street
Like Miami, Globe passed a resolution at last night's Special
Meeting of the Mayor and Council restricting the August
30th primary and the November 8th general election to
mail-in only voting. Councilmember James Haley dissented.
Another resolution was passed codifying election details
including the date and purpose of the election and last date
for voter registration, as well as designating the place and
last date for candidates to file their intent to run-which is
June 1st at City Hall.
The second and final Public Hearing for the Alternative
Expenditure Limitation (Home Rule) was held with no
citizens commenting. With almost no discussion among the
Councilmembers, Proposition 300 was passed after rules
were waived due to an agenda error.
Mayor Terry Wheeler proclaimed May 14, 2016 as Letter
Carrier's Food Drive Day. A proclamation was presented to
local postal representative Tom Stallings who spoke about
the upcoming Saturday food drive. Please leave
non-perishable food offerings by your mailbox on Saturday
the 14th or bring them to the post office.
Terry Stallings and daughters
Diego Ortega presented a Resolution Copper update. He said
the project will be the largest copper producer in the United
States, yielding about 25% of the total US copper
production. The mine is the single largest capital investment
in Arizona. So far spending has reached $1.5 billion with an
estimated $6 to $ 8 billion more before production begins.
When it does, there will be over 3,000 workers involved.
1,400 will be direct employees and over 2,000 will be
indirect contractors.
Brian Seppala & Diego Ortega
In 2015, Resolution Copper donated over $20,000 to Globe
organizations including Friends of the Library, Pinal
Mountain Little League, the Gila Community Food Bank
and the Globe Robotics team. Ortega said that Resolution
has started the NEPA process, where the Forest Service
solicits extensive public comments before permits are
granted. He asked for comments from the public, which can
be made online through ResolutionCopper.com, and by
email at comments@resolutionmineeis.us. Find out more at
the US Forest Service's website, ResolutionMineEIS.us.
Finance director Joe Jarvis mentioned that there will be
another budget meeting May 3rd at 5:15 pm. He hopes the
tentative budget will be ready by May 10th. He discussed
employee benefits and reported that there will be an
increased cost to employees of about 8.5% overall, but it
would be offset by two pay period holidays, likely in
November where no benefits will be charged, giving
employees more spending money for Christmas. Roberta
Lee Johnson brought up coverage problems, particularly
with anesthesiologists. Jarvis said he discussed this with
Blue Cross Blue Shield who gave him a list of 16
participating local anesthesiologists. Joe said he reviewed
the list and found that none of them were practicing here. He
said he's currently trying to work out an agreement for a
valley company that provides anesthesiology services to
Cobre Valley Regional Medical center.
An IGA was considered between Tri City Fire and the Globe
Fire Department to formalize the verbal agreement in place
for years about joint responses to emergencies. It will be
voted on at the next meeting.
A letter of agreement was passed between Globe Fire
Department and Eastern Arizona College for educational
programs, paramedic and EMT training. And a resolution
was passed about uncollectable water bill debts, which will
no longer be considered assets. About $6,000 was written
off.
An upgrade is necessary for the equipment that controls the
pumps and tanks for the water department. It's expected to
cost the city $18,000 but it will be reimbursed by WIFA.
Bids should be in by May 6th for the work. In 2013, WIFA
provided $5.5 million dollars to the city. $3 million was in
the form of a grant. The remaining $2.5 million, which must
be spent by July 2017, was a loan. Current water rates are
insufficient to cover repayment, which has already begun.
So a notice of intent to increase water and wastewater rates
will be posted on May 4th. There will be a public hearing on
May 24th at 5:00 PM to discuss the increase, which will be
10.4% per gallon. Directly after the hearing, a vote will be
taken at the Globe Meeting.
City Manager Paul Jepson reported that the test of the head
for Well #4 produced better than expected flow and the
necessary equipment to fix it has been ordered. He said it
should be operational by the end of next month.
There was discussion of an amendment to the Sellers & Sons
US 60 project. The completion date has been moved to May
16th with an additional almost $73,000 dollars added to the
cost, which WIFA will reimburse. Striping of the highway,
the last piece of the puzzle, should begin next week.
There's a new president of the Cobre Valley Center for the
Arts. She's Leslie Kim. The Mayor introduced her at the
meeting. Leslie, who has been here for the last eight years,
spoke of her theme for the venue being “Community and
Connectiveness”.
Leslie Kim
The Mayor also singled out Andrea Ricke who runs the
library. National Library week went well. 250 people
participated in the Why I Love The Library contest.
Councilmember James Haley mentioned the water incident
at Copper Rim Elementary where they had to cancel classes
and send kids home. The problem with a private pump was
fixed with the help of public works. Haley also
complimented Superintendent Jerry Jennix for his
cooperation.
Councilmember Mike Stapleton said fellow Councilmember
Mike Humphrey is still sick. He's suffering from cancer and
is in the hospital. Stapleton said that cards would be
welcome, as would visits, but he suggested that anyone
wanting to visit first call Shelly Salazar for details.
