Newly appointed District 1 Gila County Supervisor Steve Christensen was elected vice chair of the board of supervisors Jan. 19.
Several years ago, the supervisors established a policy that each member would serve as chair for 16 months. District 2 Supervisor Woody Cline just completed his 16-month term and District 3 Supervisor Tim Humphrey was just appointed chair of the board. The late Tommie Martin, supervisor for District 1, was to have taken the chairmanship for the next 16 months, but with her death in December, the duty fell to Humphrey.
The supervisors also reviewed special committee and board assignments at the Jan. 19 meeting.
Cline agreed to step into Martinâs post on the County Supervisors Association Legislative Policy Committee. He will continue on the CORP Local Board for Sheriffâs Office Dispatchers; Gila County Board of Health; and the San Carlos Apache Tribe Partnership Steering Committee.
After years of talk, Payson is finally getting a new county building at the corner of Main Street and State Route 87.
The Gila County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Jan. 19 approved spending $5.5 million for the construction of the Payson Complex Multipurpose Building and Site Improvements in what is now an empty lot between the courthouse and the post office. The building will be 11,944 square feet and include:
⢠Offices for elected officials, plus service areas for the county recorder and assessor
⢠A large meeting room for board and other meetings and available for jury trials
⢠A sally port for safe movement of prisoners to trial
The Gila County Board of Supervisors is mulling over having a lobbyist represent it at the state level.
A work session on the issue was held as part of the BOS meeting Dec. 15. On hand to talk with the supervisors regarding Arizona legislative activity and issues that have the potential to affect Gila County was James Candland from Clarus Consulting.
Currently, the County Supervisors Association provides some lobbying efforts on behalf of Gila County, but since it represents all the counties in the state, it tends to focus on issues that have the widest impact.
âIâm the critical one for having a state lobbyist,â said Woody Cline, District 3 supervisor and chair of the BOS. âWe work with the CSA and we have contact with our legislators. Whatâs the benefit of having you?â
The first was a public hearing to de-annex property from the Star Valley town limits.
Star Valley, in October, submitted a letter to the Gila County Board of Supervisors requesting to de-annex the public right of way â an approximate 2.7 miles of State Highway 260 between Lion Springs Road and Preacher Canyon â located in the Town of Star Valley and return it to Gila County.
The Town of Star Valley is responsible for law enforcement on this portion of State Highway 260 in Star Valley, which begins at Lion Springs Road and continues to Preacher Canyon. If the board of supervisors determines that the public interest is served by the Town of Star Valleyâs de-annexation of this public right of way and annexing by Gila County, it would take away the ambiguity that the Town of Star Valley has law enforcement responsibility for this portion of State Highway 260.
The Gila County Board of Supervisors is facing the hard task of filling the vacancy created by the recent death of Tommie Cline Martin, longtime District 1 supervisor.
County manager James Menlove said, âArizona Revised Statutes §16-230 stipulates that Martinâs peers on the Board of Supervisors will appoint a successor from her same political party (a Republican), to serve through the 2022 midterm elections.â
He said they would take action after the New Year, which brings the traditional election-year swearing-in of leaders chosen during the November election. However, the District 3 Supervisor Woody Cline, BOS chair, and District 2 Supervisor Tim Humphrey went into an executive session at the Dec. 15 meeting of the BOS to seek legal advice regarding filling the office of District 1 supervisor.