Wednesday Night's City Council Meeting, Senior Center's Event and More

Introduction:

After a quick break, we bring this Saturday edition . Happy Fall!

In this newsletter you’ll find:

1. An updated list of upcoming events.

2. A summary of last night’s city council meeting. (Also included a correction from us regarding an error in our last issue).

3. A call for volunteer committee members.

4. A feature about the Senior Citizen’s Health Fair and Food Bank Fundraiser

Upcoming Events in Holbrook, AZ (that we know of) :

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.}

City Council Meeting Summary

Here’s a quick recap of the city council meeting that occurred on 9/25/24

A lot of first readings for ordinances. What does that even mean? First readings allow for discussion from council members and can give citizens a “head up” of what may be passed soon. No action is typically taken.

• Leasing Land to Sherriff’s Posse Search and Rescue: Discussion was tabled until more details on the lease are created.

• Leasing Land to Daniel Hutchens (Rutz MX): Ordinance was read - very little discussion. Multiple council members see this dirt bike track as a win-win for both sides.

• Sale of land to NPC: 1st reading of ordinance. City Councilman asked if there were any bids placed on the land. City manager confirmed that no additional bids were placed but that legal counsel was consulted and everything was done according to the law. Vice-Mayor Nilsson said that he felt this was another win-win situation, a win for NPC and for Holbrook (always great to see more housing).

• City Cell Phone Policy: 1st reading of ordinance. City will be making the switch from providing a cell phone stipend to providing a dedicated work phone to select employees. This will save the city approx. $900 a month. The policy discussed details how city employees should use the city-provided cell phone.

• Construction on Airport Apron Reconstruction: The construction will cost $2.6 million. Good news is that Holbrook’s airport is FAA certified. That means the federal government will cover 91% of the bill. Holbrook already budgeted to cover the other 9% in their annual budget. Passed unanimously.

• Water Meter Replacement: It was first planned that Holbrook employees will install the new water meters when they could, it was estimated this would take around 2 years. City admin pivoted and a third party was contracted to help install the water meters. This frees up employee energy and resources and also speeds up the timeline significantly. Unanimously passed.

• Purchase of Police Vehicles: The police department is purchasing four new vehicles. This will bring their total number of vehicles to 14. Cost to the city will be around $196,000 with an additional $86,000 to outfit the vehicles. These expenses were planned for in the annual budget. Unanimously passed.

• Charging Credit Card Fees for Utility Bills, etc. : This topic was tabled until more specific numbers are researched and found regarding how much the exact credit card fee (whether a percentage or flat fee) when paying a city utility bill.

  A correction regarding the last time we wrote about this topic: Reader, in our previous issue we mistakenly implied that credit card fees would be passed on to all Holbrook residents. The credit card fees in question would go to those who use a credit card to pay their water bill, etc. The fees will be very similar to other convenience fees you pay for other services when using a card. More details regarding these fees and the decision as a whole will be discussed in future council meetings.

• Letter of support regarding Urgent Care from North Country: Mayor Smith wrote a letter stating support for an Urgent Care in Holbrook from North Country. I believe Council needed to pass this as official communication from the mayor. There was some hesitancy with this. The argument from multiple councilmembers was that this official communication may be interpreted as a commitment to North Country when council members encourage other large health organizations (like Summit or the Little Colorado Medical Center in Winslow) to also consider building an urgent care in Holbrook. Holbrook needs an urgent care (especially with a dirt bike track coming soon) and it would be shame to potentially ward off other parties who may be interested in building one. It was reiterated in the meeting that North Country specifically reached out to Holbrook and suggested a strategic letter of support. That letter of support was made. Voting was 5 in favor, 2 against (against was Dixon and Pacheco).

End of Meeting.

A call for committee members!

Are you interested in participating in Holbrook’s ten-year plan? Councilwoman Pacheco says she needs your help and wants to hear from more Holbrook voices. If you are interested in being part of a committee, (Committee is over Holbrook housing or community design), please email her at [email protected] or send a text to 928-587-9114. Your participation in committee meetings would be greatly appreciated!

Holbrook Senior Center Health & Resource Fair

The Holbrook Senior Center has partnered up with North Country Health Care for a health fair this Thursday. Over 21 tables from various organizations will be there to give help and resources to those who are there! “We’re really proud of the variety of organizations to help our Seniors in Holbrook,” says Mike Nilsson, President of the Senior Center Association Board, “The challenges Seniors face are increasingly more complex; financial issues, health issues, we hope this event can be a benefit for anyone who chooses to visit.”

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