Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Donna Michaels hosted a town hall meeting at the Sedona Public Library in the Village of Oak Creek on Tuesday, February 27. Also in attendance were Flood Control Director Lynn Whitman, Yavapai County Free Library District Director Corey Christians, Roads Director Verl Cook, Development Services Director Jeremy Dye and Deputy Development Services Director Mark Russon.

Michaels began his speech by talking about his efforts to lobby Gov. Katie Hobbs on behalf of Cottonwood's “Manufactured Home Dwellers for Change,” a group that is seeking state rent control over ground rent increases.

“I was appalled to learn recently that their site fees have increased, in some cases exponentially,” Michaels said before screening a short film provided by the lobbying group. “They formed their own task force and contacted me and asked, 'Coach, is there anything we can do?' And, of course, my initial answer was, we don't know yet, but I think it would make sense to do anything we can to help them remain in their homes.” Michaels added that Yavapai County “doesn't have rent control.” [and] There is no regulation of site fees.”

Michaels also spoke about his lobbying efforts to advance Senate Bill 1221, which would allow counties to expand regulation of groundwater use by creating watershed management districts and would require the U.S. Forest Service to stagger planned burns so they don't overlap with grape harvest season in the Verde Valley, so smoke particles don't change the taste of the wine. As discussed at a recent “smoke summit” by state officials, any changes to the burn schedule would require regional meetings involving public input, federal agencies and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

“that [meeting] “But as we prepare for fire season, that may not happen until fall,” said Tiffany Davila, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

Michaels expressed optimism that the village of Oak Creek would be included in any upcoming broadband expansion agreements with the villages of Beaver Creek and Rimrock, or Cottonwood and Verde, but he also retracted a statement he made Feb. 7 to the nonprofit VOC about broadband expansion.

“Broadband will be coming to the Village of Oak Creek,” Michaels told the nonprofit on Feb. 7. “We have approved WeCom as the preferred bidder for this contract. They are a family-owned business with an excellent reputation. Work to install broadband service will likely begin in September and is expected to be completed in 2025.”

“Actually, I said the wrong thing about it,” Michaels told town hall attendees. “It's not at the top of the list, but I just want it to be here. I want it so badly that I can get a taste of it. We've got to meet the needs of our most vulnerable communities, our most underserved communities, and I'm for that. So Beavercreek, McGuireville and some of these other communities are going to get the broadband that they need.”

flood control

Whitman described the list of projects the Yavapai County Flood Control District is working on with the VOC and the district's goal of having residents fill out a survey about their homes and drainage issues. The district completed a preliminary study in 2009 and has completed two projects. Several other projects have been put on hold due to funding constraints and an inability to secure easements, and the district is currently expanding the scope of the study to evaluate these projects.

“Once we have these potential projects ready, we'll reach out to people to see if we can get an easement, because if we can't get an easement, there's no reason to spend the money on the design,” Whitman said. “Once the design is done, we'll put it into a five-year plan or… [we] “We're going to start spending it ourselves or applying for grants. There are a lot of problem areas in the VOC.”

Once the district decides which projects it wants to move forward with, public meetings will be held to solicit community input.

Telemedicine

Michaels speculated that VOC's Sedona Public Library branch would remain open and that library services could expand to include telehealth services if a lease-purchase agreement for the county to take over Big Park Community School is approved. Michaels and the Board of Supervisors voted in May to cut funding for city libraries by $475,000 over the next two years, including a cut of $76,826 from the Sedona Public Library.

library

Christian explained how the county is expanding telehealth options for residents with the upcoming launch of the Verde Valley Healthcare Network. “The Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition has been leading the way in getting this organization up and running,” Christian said.

“The Verde Valley Rural Health Network was established to strengthen partnerships with medical and behavioral health providers and community organizations to improve access to health care and basic needs for adults and adults with disabilities in Sedona and throughout the Verde Valley,” VVRHN Network Director Linda Clark said in a prepared statement on Tuesday, March 12.

road

Cook said they “put just over $1.05 million into the VOC” in road-related spending over the past year, with $250,000 of that going to routine maintenance, with Concho Drive being the largest project.

“We are not necessarily [VOC]”If you're commuting to Cottonwood, you're likely going through Beaverhead Flats and Cornville Road,” Cook said, “We're going to be doing some crack repairs next year on Beaverhead Flats, where we're going to be chipping away some of the cracks… Another big project that's underway is the roundabout at Tissot.” [Road] and Cornville Road.”

Michaels pointed to the roundabout as evidence of an improved relationship between Yavapai County and the Arizona Department of Transportation following the demise of the Verde Connect project, which he opposed.

“We just need a little solar lamp or something at night,” the resident said. [at the intersection] … I drove past it once.'” “There should be a light on that signal,” Cook said. “If there isn't, I'll make sure it's working on my way back there.”

Development Services

“One of the things that's really been growing over the last few years is the proliferation of property hoarding and properties with a lot of junk,” Dai said. [Cook] Like I said, we can't be everywhere at once. There are only six code inspectors for the entire county, so we rely on you to be our eyes and ears.”

Russon gave an update on the county's “Home of Your Own” program, which provides pre-approved home plans at no cost to those wanting to build a home in the county.

Russon estimates that about 50 homes have been built in Yavapai County over the past three years, and the department has received outside interest in the program.

“We have some agreements in the works right now with Prescott Valley, Prescott and Pinal counties. [and] “We would like to allow Clarkdale to use the same plan and be able to share it with residents,” Russon said. “But right now, it's a separate program. [in] Unincorporated Yavapai [County]you can build one of these projects on your property for free… We're kind of building a highway at a discount through the permitting process. So, our average estimate is probably an immediate savings of $10,000 to $15,000.”

Dai added that the number of free plans available through the program is expected to double to six by early July.

One resident asked about the progress of efforts to amend the county's nighttime lighting ordinance to eliminate exemptions for non-conforming lighting.

“I don't know how far we've gone on that yet. Whether we'll be able to continue to grant that exception or not. [some] “There is some sort of end date and that is currently in the works, or our lawyers are reviewing that information,” Dye said.

Dye later added that a Dollar Tree will open in that location, replacing the now-closed VOC's Tuesday Morning.