Issues
This is what I am hearing from all of you so far:
La Paz wide:
Water - fears about our water being contaminated or depleting. For some this isn't a fear but reality. Our District 3 County Supervisor, Holly Irwin is making fantastic headway with this issue and I would encourage you to reach out to her with questions. Getting heard at the state level takes years and she is there. I will support her in any way I can to ensure that this issue continues to be addressed and resolved.
Crime - Fighting crime is a team effort. The smaller the available budget the more we need to work together and think outside the box. That team includes the residents, law enforcement, attorneys, judges, and the Board of Supervisors. "Together let's make it right" is absolutely applicable here. It's time we get all of the pieces of this puzzle together and create a safer community. In Bouse, we are already doing our part as residents... we are working with the Sheriff's department to create communication channels for information, building neighborhood watches and attending court appearances for some of those that have habitually targeted our neighborhoods. And it is having an impact. I am happy to help any neighborhood establish or strengthen their neighborhood watch program - just give me a call 928-554-7000
Shutdown of Services - specifically the courts in Quartzsite and Salome and the more recent disbanding of the public defender's office. Shuttering these services is a backwards move. Closing completely makes it far more challenging when the opportunity comes to open them again. Regardless of those decisions made, I will be working to get these services and others that have shut down back open and available to support our outlying areas.
Lack of Services - the most common ones brought up are Veterinarian, early childcare, transportation, and Veteran Services. Part of being Proactive over Reactive is that we as a county take steps to create an environment that is enticing to these types of service providers. Having a strong county foundation is just one part of this that I will be addressing as County Supervisor.
AWC - Arizona Western College - UPDATE: HB2501
The bill failed. Hopefully if it is reintroduced the language will be more favorable.
This bill was actively being promoted by Mr. Minor. I really wanted to be excited about this. An option to vote out a college district that wasn't serving our needs or providing enough value looks great on the surface. However, I have concerns with the language of this bill. Click bill to read for yourself.
It is no secret that we are heavily taxed for this College. The Quartzsite building has been underutilized (to be polite). Most taxpayers are not seeing a return on their investment. This is a very involved subject. From what I have learned so far AWC's annual budget is almost 3 times what our County budget is. That means that what we contribute to AWC is only about 4% of their overall budget. Our $5million is a lot to us and not much to them. On the flip side - I get the impression that they are making positive steps to provide more services here in La Paz. Last year they partnered with local law enforcement to introduce new training. That partnership could be very beneficial to strengthening our workforce. I will be advocating for a continued shift into trade and local specific training to fill much needed La Paz jobs and strengthen our communities.
Bouse/Brenda/Vicksburg/Harcuvar:
Last to know - there is a resounding feeling of being the last to know about any major activity, businesses, and changes happening in these areas. And you are right. If I understood the incumbent's analogy at one of our Bouse Chamber meetings - he doesn't think we need to know or act until game time. As County Supervisor, I believe it is our responsibility to inform and keep taxpayers up-to-speed on issues that may impact their decision making.
Heliogen - UPDATE
In June, 2024 Heliogen representatives reached out to say that they were altering their proposal to BLM to take out the hydrogen production and instead just use the land for solar. They indicated that they had heard the residents' concerns about water.
April 4th a representative will be at the Bouse Ladies Luncheon (12:30pm) at the Booster Club. April 8th a representative will be at the Bouse Chamber meeting (6pm) at the Booster Club.
On February 1, 2024, representatives from Heliogen gave a presentation to the County Planning & Zoning Commission, which was a public meeting. This was a presentation only. Click here to download the meeting. Many residents from Brenda and Bouse were in attendance and asked important and thoughtful questions. There are many of us researching and preparing in the event that BLM gets to the public comment phase. If BLM turns down the project outright, we may not see it come to the public... but we will be ready.
a perfect example of not knowing until they were drilling. Heliogen is a hydrogen producer that is working its way through the BLM Leasing processes. The two wells that have been drilled on 42E by Hwy 60 are part of that process. They have pulled their application with the County for an amendment change to our Comprehensive plan. From my last communication with BLM, they are still working through the lease process. This project will likely be unsuccessful in its bid but is something that we should certainly keep an eye on.
American Rare Earth Mine (Bouse) -This company has been looking at Bouse for more than a decade as a potential site for a rare earth mineral mine. The incumbent, after increased pressure, finally presented a person from the company to speak to the public in Bouse. It was very insightful and quite frankly should have been an ongoing conversation from much earlier on.
Quartzsite:
The townspeople have a lot of the same concerns as the rest of La Paz County. Most of your local issues are addressed by your town council.
One issue that does fall under county is the closure of the Justice of the Peace Court. This building is now sitting empty which is never a good thing for a town. The incumbant talks out of both sides of his mouth on this one. One claim is that it is saving the taxpayers $800,000 a year. Our taxes have not dropped. Then it was that we were at half of the Judicial Productivity Credits that we needed to just have one court, but he couldn't define what JPCs were. Well, here is the truth. The Judicial Productivity Credits are used to determine judge wages, period. If a court precinct has more than 1200 of the JPCs then the county must open a new precinct or redraw precinct lines. It does not say that they must close precincts if they are under. The Quartzsite JP court was bringing in more profits than the Parker court ever did.
The operational savings that came about from consolidating were funneled into the jail budget that was struggling. It seems much smarter to address the department that is floundering then to uproot departments that are thriving. So yes, I am going to be looking into what the Quartzsite residents wish to have done with their court building. If it is reopening the courts, then that is what I will work towards while simultaneously finding solutions for the jail budget. If the residents would rather see that building used for other services or mixed use, then I am open to creating and implementing a viable plan.
Upriver:
WAPA Lines - Western Area Power Administration - Bouse Upgrade Project. This is a federal project that hasn't been revamped since 1950. The re-build, upgrade, and decommissioning project has hit many hiccups and homeowners that live under these lines have been let down since the early 90's. Living under deteriorated lines for this long has potential health ramifications and poses a serious threat to life and property. The County Supervisor's role in this is to maintain a communications relationship with the DOE and WAPA to encourage forward movement on behalf of their citizens.
Buckskin Sanitary District - At this point I have a lot of research to do to understand the intricacies of this issue. The concern I am hearing is that residents further upriver have been waiting a long time to see these services. If anyone has more insight into this - please call me.
Airbnb's - Some residential neighborhoods are being overrun by short term rentals. This is creating an imbalance, uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation for those neighborhoods. Short term rentals are an important part of the river infrastructure. Many rental owners are cognizant and considerate to the concerns of their neighbors. For those that may not be we may have to look at education and policy that would encourage awareness.
My point to all of this is that I am hearing you. That is my primary job. Choosing me at the ballots means you are choosing you because you are who I will be working for. This list will grow as I continue to get out into the communities and talk with you. Please don't hesitate to contact me. I want to hear from you! 928-554-7000