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City council meeting recap, a new candidate for mayor, AYSO and more

Thanks for checking out another issue of the Hey Holbrook Newsletter.

Author

Hey Holbrook!
July 11, 2024

 

Introduction:

Wow it sure is an Arizona summer with this heat! In this week’s newsletter we have:

  1. An updated list of upcoming events.

  2. New ads and promotions with a new highlighted pet from the shelter.

  3. Gives a summary of last night’s City Council Meeting.

  4. A sponsored section where councilman Tim Dixon announces his candidacy for Mayor.

  5. An update regarding AYSO soccer.

Upcoming Events in Holbrook, AZ:

This week (July 11-July 18)

July 11: “Watch Your Flicks on 66” Community Blood Drive. 10am-3pm. 153 W Hopi Dr.

July 16: Free “Lunch & Learn” w/ Holbrook Chamber of Commerce. “Handling Difficult Customers and Kiva Hub Funding.” 12pm. 100 E. Arizona St.

July 17: Public Town Hall/ Open discussion regarding Hunt Park development. hosted by Mayor Smith. 5pm. Holbrook City Hall.

July 17: Meet the new Park & Hulet principal and movie. 5:30pm start, doors open at 4:30pm. Roxy Theater.

On Our radar:

July 19: End of Summer Bubble Party. 10am. Holbrook Public Library.

July 24: City Council Meeting. 6pm. City Hall.

July 30: Election day for city council and primaries.

August 1: HUSD first day of school.

August 3: Triwizard Trivia Tournament. 5PM. Holbrook Library. Event page here.

Don’t see your event listed? If it’s non-profit and for the whole community, we’ll probably list it for free*. Email us at [email protected]. *We do reserve the right to not list any event if we feel it does not belong in this section.

Our Advertisers and Partners:

We have 3 pages of ads this week featuring a variety of local businesses and services, our featured animal shelter pet and an updated showing schedule from the Roxy theater. The images below are low resolution. For higher resolution images, please go to our website.

If you want to become an advertiser during this starting period, we’ll probably give you a week for free! Contact us at [email protected] to get started.

City Council Meeting Summary

Here’s a quick recap of the city council meeting on 7/10/24

  • Calls to the Public: There were no calls or presentations from the public.

  • Annual Budget: There was a designated public hearing regarding the Annual Budget that gave the public an opportunity to ask questions or give concerns. One member of the public expressed frustration that he received a notice regarding weeds when he sees an issue with weeds in the city as a whole. City Council acknowledged his complaint, pointed to the beautification steps in the current budget, but couldn’t expound more regarding the matter as it was outside the budget conversation. No other questions or remarks from the public were made. The $12,412,129 annual budget was passed unanimously. If you would like to see this budget in detail, you can click here.

  • Hazard Mitigation Plan: Every 5 years the City Council votes to participate in and adopt the Navajo County Mitigation Plan. This action was passed unanimously. More info on the Hazard Mitigation Plan can be found here.

  • Designated Financial Representative: It is required by the state to designate a financial representative to present the city’s annual budget to the Arizona Auditor General. It was passed Unanimously to designate Randy Sullivan as this representative.

  • City Council Acknowledgements and Events: Multiple members of the City Council wanted to give special shout outs to the Holbrook Fire Department for the 4th of July fireworks and BBQ and also for the volunteer efforts of the Kiwanis Club. There was an Arizona Livestock event that brought quite a few visitors to Holbrook and the Mayor wanted to thank all those who were involved in that event. Multiple council members also commented on the parks, park lights, and beautification efforts, including the acknowledgement of weeds (a hot topic for this meeting.)

  • Report from City Manager: New City Manager Sharon Jakubowski Wolz reported on having several tours of the city in her first two weeks here. She has met with many city employees, citizens, the Sherriff, Mayor Smith and more. She reported that a police vehicle was unfortunately totaled due to an accident with an elk, but she is working with the police department on a solution for that vehicle. There is also exciting news that there are new recruits in the works for the police department and the police force will be fully staffed by February 2025. The city manager also expressed that the city is anticipating the retirement of multiple employees and leave/replacement plans and procedures are being reviewed and studied.

End of Meeting.

Sponsored Post 
A Message From Tim Dixon with Tim For Holbrook, AZ.

Reader, this is a sponsored post. The views expressed in our sponsored sections are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions or standings of the Hey Holbrook newsletter or its publisher. With political content, this newsletter will always give equal opportunity to all political parties and/or candidates that choose to sponsor a section of our newsletter.

My name is Tim Dixon and I am running to be your mayor in the upcoming election on July 30, 2024. Let me introduce myself and tell you why I would serve you well as your mayor.

I’ve been a resident of Holbrook for over 30 years, worked my dream job as a police officer for more than 25 years, having retired from the Holbrook Police Department in 2013 after working there for more than 21 years. I have been a Holbrook city councilmember for more than eight years, currently in my second elected term. I also served my country for four years in the United States Navy. I love America, I love Arizona and I love Holbrook.

I am now running for mayor because I want to see city government run professionally and successfully for all residents, not just for a few. We need to remember that it is the city manager who runs the city, not the mayor and not the council. The council sets policy and gives the city manager direction and the freedom and tools to do his/her job. The mayor runs the meetings. I will always remember that I am one of seven council members and that the other members have important ideas and thoughts for the city.

Over the past two years under the leadership of the current mayor, city meetings have been run without regard to protocol and proper decorum (just watch the January 10, 2024 council meeting, among others, for proof of this). Before she was mayor of the City of Holbrook, my opponent was involved in the recalls of two former mayors, including the one she succeeded. These recalls contribute to instability in our local government and division in the community. Apparently, if a mayor doesn’t meet with her or her friends’ approval, a mayor can expect to be recalled--it doesn’t matter that those mayors were voted into office by the public. Several years ago, the term for mayor was two years. If elected I will explore the idea of returning this term to two years rather than four years. This will avoid the embarrassment of recall elections that give the city a black eye.

I will run the meetings with order and integrity and will hear all sides of the issues. Decisions will be made with the long-term good of the community in mind, not based on the pet projects of individuals. I will not play favorites to just a few; my “favorites” are all the residents of the City of Holbrook. Furthermore, I will work with the city manager to not allow outside influences to dictate what happens in Holbrook.

I will continue to support the Holbrook Police Department. Having worked there for over 21 years I have an affinity for our police. I proved this when I sent the charter to the voters to change it to protect the police department from the whims of future councils. I will also make sure that the police department’s retirement debt continues to be paid off. My opponent has taken steps to stop paying off the police retirement debt and to use those extra funds for pet projects, putting the police retirement in jeopardy.

Holbrook, in the years preceding the current mayor’s tenure, was on a path to success. Much needed foundational work had been laid, finances improved for the long-term good of the community, new businesses were opened with more in the works, the unfunded liability for employees’ retirement was being paid off, and more. Under the current mayor, Holbrook has fallen off the track to success. For these and many other reasons, I am running to be your mayor. Please vote for me when casting your ballot, whether you are voting early or on Election Day on July 30, 2024, and let’s get Holbrook back on track.

Tim Dixon

AYSO

Holbrook is striving to have the AYSO project again! They are looking for parents/ people who are interested in volunteering or supporting the AYSO community, and are specifically looking for those able to coach a soccer team this year for ages 3-14. If you or someone you know can please contact Esmeralda Aguilera at 928-241-2447 right away. They would love to know who can coach by the end of this week. Thank you!

[END]

Thank you for reading! Have any feedback for us? We listen! Just reply to this email or you can always reach us at [email protected].