Magma Ranches Sails Through Unanimous; Valley Farms Battery Storage Divides Board and Community
SAN TAN VALLEY, ARIZONA — July 1, 2026

Magma Ranches Sails Through Unanimous; Valley Farms Battery Storage Divides Board and Community

July 1, 2026 Pinal County Board of Supervisors meeting approved 90-unit Magma Ranches residential subdivision and heard extensive public testimony on contentious 68-acre Valley Farms battery storage facility (recommended for denial by P&Z but supported by major stakeholders), while addressing election system integrity corrections and recognizing long-service employees.

Magma Ranches Sails Through Unanimous; Valley Farms Battery Storage Divides Board and Community

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors on July 1, 2026 breezed through approval of the 90-unit Magma Ranches residential subdivision in unincorporated county north of Florence but held fire on the far more contentious Valley Farms Energy Center—a 68-acre battery storage facility that pitted organized labor, utility executives, and business groups against the City of Kulage, family landowners, and concerned neighbors in an all-day public hearing that underscored the county's growth management tensions.

The Magma Ranches decision was brisk and unanimous. The Valley Farms hearing, stretching across three agenda items and consuming more than two hours of testimony, remains unresolved; the board voted to continue both the application and the public hearing to August 5, 2026, leaving Next Era Energy's $600,000 mitigation fund and newly added visual buffers in limbo.

Magma Ranches: Quick Consensus

Planning staff presented a straightforward project: Ernie Romero of Sultero Developments, on behalf of landowner Carlos Camera, seeks to develop 90 single-family homes on 19.88 acres just south of South Renfro Way between North Quail Run Lane and North Mitchell Trail. The proposal required three pieces: a minor comprehensive plan amendment lifting the site from "moderate low-density residential" (3.5 dwelling units/acre) to "medium density" (up to 8 units/acre); a rezone from general rural to R7 single-residential; and a planned area development overlay to adjust lot sizes, setbacks, and design flexibility.

The Planning and Zoning Commission had endorsed all three requests in April by an 8–1 vote. Staff, presenting no stipulations for the comprehensive plan amendment, recommended two stipulations for the rezone and 13 for the PAD. The two-phase project—each phase holding 45 units—will include two unsignaled full-access intersections on Mitchell Trail and Quail Run Lane, connected by internal streets, with 18.23 percent open space (3.55 acres).

"Staff did an excellent job" — Sean B. Lake, counsel for applicant, noting staff recommendation

Attorney Reese Anderson, representing the applicant via Pew & Lake, PLC, declined to offer a formal presentation, stating that staff had covered the ground well and offering himself for rebuttal if opposition arose. No public opposition materialized. The board voted three times without debate:

The project was off the calendar in under 15 minutes of board discussion.

Valley Farms: A Study in Competing Visions

The Valley Farms Energy Center application consumed the remainder of the afternoon. Items 22, 23, and 24 together propose:

The site sits at the northwest corner of East Bartlett Road and North Clemens Road, just outside the City of Kulage's incorporated limits but within its planning jurisdiction. Landowners Margaret Kamanera and Susan Hansen (co-trustees) are selling through applicant Next Era Energy, represented by Sean B. Lake of Pew & Lake, PLC.

The Project's Evolution

Next Era's Sean B. Lake opened by emphasizing change from a previous iteration:

"This is not the same project that was presented to you last time. There is no solar, there is no green energy. That's why we're changing the plan. This is a contracted project that is needed to support the grid."

The facility has shrunk from 160 acres to 68.77 acres (68 acres rezoned). Of that, only 20 acres will house the battery energy storage system; the remainder accommodates an SRP substation, switchboard, operations facilities, laydown yard, retention ponds, and buffer land. The project includes a decommissioning plan and will be operational by summer 2028 under an SRP contract—not speculative, Lake emphasized.

In response to community feedback, the applicant added three new stipulations after the Planning & Zoning Commission vote:

Staff presented 53 letters of support (including five additional letters received after publication) and approximately seven opposition letters. The Planning & Zoning Commission, however, had voted 6–3 for denial, citing health, fire, and traffic concerns.

Key Speeches

In Support

Carpenters Union and Sheet Metal Workers:

"Battery storage plays an important role by storing electricity when it's abundant and then delivering it back to the grid when demand is highest... From our perspective, it's about jobs. The Valley Farm Storage Energy Storage Project will put skilled Arizona trades people to work, create opportunities for apprentices entering the construction industry, and generate economic activity that benefits local businesses throughout Panol County." — Mark Carter, Western States Carpenters

"Every project like Valley Farms creates opportunities for local men and women to earn a good living without having to leave their communities to find work... projects like this are the training ground for the next generation of workers." — Caesar Corral, Sheet Metal Workers Local 359

SRP and ED2:

"From SRP's perspective, this comes down to one simple issue, and that's making sure that we have the energy and infrastructure in place to keep up with the growth happening in Panal County... Battery storage is one of the quickest and most effective ways we have to strengthen reliability." — Linda Brady, SRP (on behalf of executive leadership)

Logan Gernett, general manager of Electrical District 2, disclosed a term sheet under which ED2 will participate in the project at the same cost as SRP, replacing generation capacity lost to Colorado River shortages:

"we are a not-for-profit public power district organized in Arizona and candidly one of the resources that we have relied on for the past few decades uh is uh currently as a result of the southwest water issues having reductions in capacity and energy and we need to replace that resource."

Arizona Technology Council:

"Nextera is an American-owned and operated developer who has done its best in reaching out to neighbors... This is a developer who understands that these types of projects are true partnerships and that you need to work as a whole in order to get them to move forward." — Sepan Alazado, Arizona Technology Council

Business and Agricultural Voices:

Amy C. (Hob Express, Kulage Safeway Plaza):

"After taking the time to educate myself before forming an opinion, I respectfully ask you to support this project. I believe it is a responsible investment in our community's present and future."

Gregory Wartz, property owner and farmer:

"I have farmed around a power plant and batteries for years. Uh I've never had any issues. They're they're good neighbors."

Kirk Marville, 45-year land broker and son of a generational farming family:

"The water table here is a couple hundred feet lower than it was 30 years ago. It's an unsustainable economic model. When people have a chance to exit and save water for the farmers that will make it, we can transition... logically, we can transition uh intellectually, or we can transition catastrophically."

In Opposition

Jim Wallace (Direct Neighbor):

Misty Brown, speaking on behalf of her father Jim Wallace—whose property borders the proposed battery facility and who has lived on the land for over 50 years—presented a sharp counterargument:

"There is a distinct difference between owning neighboring land and actually living on it... No family has ever said, 'Let me build my home or buy my home next to a solar battery facility.' This is a farming and family community, not a solar wasteland... Drive any number of routes from Florence Junction to Cassagran and you will see it. We are being boxed in by solar and battery facilities that stifle real meaningful growth."

Brown also challenged the claim that next era had community support, noting that at the P&Z hearing,

"every single one of them had a financial tie to next era or the project. Not one neutral resident with nothing to gain stood up and said, 'Yes, build this next to me.'"

City of Kulage:

Phil Garthr, senior planner for the City of Kulage, delivered a municipal no:

"the location and the area east of it to our airport are entirely within our business and commerce land use... such uses and intensities as this are not allowed... and we would not support any major or minor general plan amendment of such to our general plan for proposals like this in this area."

Mayor John Thompson has stated repeatedly that he opposes green energy and battery projects north of Bartlett Road, the city's designated growth boundary.

Tom Bagel (Kulage Resident):

"The city of Koolage and those living in the Koolage area have repeatedly said no to Next's attempts to locate solar facilities and battery storage in this particular area. And yet, they continue to push their project... In the application for change of zoning on page two supporting information item four it states there is no potential for smoke, fumes, dust or glare from this project. Yet at the planning and zoning meeting around 45 minutes was spent talking about what happens if there's a battery fire."

Robert Scott (Regional Opponent):

"The Valley Farms Energy Center proposal is not in the right place... they could receive surplus electricity anywhere along the 230 KV line so their proposed project can be relocated to another place that doesn't affect people and the city of Kulage for future growth path... The city of Koolage has uh sent a representative three times to Panalo County Planning and Zoning Commission with a hard no and the board of supervisors twice, including today with a hard no."

Timeline

Opposition

Number of speakers against: Approximately 5–6 formal public comment cards (plus Planning & Zoning Commission 6–3 denial vote)

Main concerns:

  1. Siting location inappropriate: Project should locate elsewhere along the 230 KV transmission line; not necessary at this specific site adjacent to residential areas and within Kulage's long-term growth corridor.

  2. Municipal and regional opposition: City of Kulage officially opposes via planning staff and municipal council; Mayor John Thompson has stated "hard no" to green energy and battery projects north of Bartlett Road multiple times.

  3. Rural character and agricultural heritage: Area is a farming and ranching community; industrial battery facility undermines future residential and agricultural development. "Solar wasteland" narrative: county is already saturated with solar and battery projects boxing in meaningful growth.

  4. Fire safety concerns: Despite assurances, battery storage fires pose genuine risk; applicant spent 45+ minutes at P&Z defending fire safety despite claiming "no potential for smoke, fumes, dust or glare."

  5. Property rights vs. neighbor impacts: While landowners (Wartz family) have right to sell, direct neighbor Jim Wallace (50+ years on property) should not be forced to accept industrial facility across the property line. No neutral residents testified in favor; all supporters had financial ties to Next Era or the project.

  6. Growth management failure: Project conflicts with Kulage's general plan designation of the Bartlett/Clemens corridor as an "intense commercial center" for future residential and business growth, not industrial infrastructure.

  7. Misleading application statements: Application claims "no potential for smoke, fumes, dust or glare," yet extensive safety discussions contradict this.

Most compelling argument (opposition): The cumulative saturation of solar and battery projects throughout the county, combined with Kulage's three-time formal municipal rejection and the direct impact on a 50-year family landowner, stands against a generic utility-needs argument that could apply anywhere along the transmission corridor—particularly when the applicant has not demonstrated why this location is uniquely necessary rather than strategically chosen to avoid city limits.

Organized groups: City of Kulage (official opposition); Blackhawk Ranch (solar grazer, Jacob Brown—neutral/supportive of concept, but not this project's continuation).

Support

Number of speakers in favor: Approximately 8–9 public comments (plus 53+ written letters, 5 additional letters post-publication)

Main themes:

  1. Grid reliability and energy security: SRP and ED2 explicitly state the 400 MW battery facility is contractually required and strategically sited next to the 230 KV transmission line between AEL and Panau Central substations. Without such storage, rolling blackouts and peak-demand generation plants (expensive, inefficient) become inevitable as population grows.

  2. Job creation and workforce development: Carpenters Union, Sheet Metal Workers Local 359, and labor advocates emphasize ~200–300 construction jobs, apprenticeship opportunities, and local hiring commitments. Permanent jobs sustain families; construction wages are spent locally.

  3. Tax base and community investment: Project generates property tax revenue (not sales tax) primarily benefiting schools (Kulage Unified, junior college) and county taxing districts. Next Era has already donated ~$350,000 and committed $600,000 in local contributions per SRP requirement ($1,500/MW × 400 MW). These funds support schools, fire districts, and community services without raising taxes.

  4. Agricultural transition and water conservation: Kirk Marville (broker, generational farming family) argues the county's water crisis makes farming increasingly unviable; 25% of irrigable acreage can sustainably farm. Projects like Valley Farms allow struggling farmers (Wartz family unable to plant for two years) to exit gracefully, freeing water for remaining agricultural neighbors and enabling logical transition rather than catastrophic bankruptcy.

  5. Responsible developer engagement: Next Era listened to 2024 board feedback, removed solar component, reduced acreage from 160 to 68, added 500-foot setback and new mitigation (10-foot opaque wall, mature trees, oleanders). Four community meetings held; responsive to concerns.

  6. Local economic competitiveness: Panal County's comprehensive plan explicitly states that "without ample and reliable energy, Panal County will not be competitive in attracting business and industry." Growing businesses (manufacturing, data centers, residential) all require stable power. Kulage and Florence are attracting development; grid stability is prerequisite.

  7. Dual-utility use and land optimization: SRP and ED2 both testified that battery storage, unlike solar farms, requires minimal footprint (20 of 68 acres) and serves a utility function (grid stabilization) that benefits all ratepayers, not just speculators.

  8. Precedent and success: Existing battery storage facilities (e.g., 2.5 miles south of Kulage; near Maricopa County farms) have not diminished property values, prevented residential development nearby, or created documented safety incidents. Houses are still being built and sold adjacent to such facilities.

Organized groups in support:

Project Details

Vote Breakdown

Final vote on Valley Farms Items 22–24: Unanimous to continue to August 5, 2026 (not a final approval/denial vote)

Individual votes not stated for continuation (all supervisors voted the same way; transcript confirms motion passed without opposition)

Planning & Zoning Commission prior vote (May 21, 2026): 6–3 denial recommendation (all three items: Comprehensive Plan Amendment, Rezone, PAD Overlay)

Outcome & Next Steps

Decision: No final approval or denial on Valley Farms Items 22–24. Board voted unanimously to continue all three items and to keep the public hearing open to August 5, 2026 (next board meeting), at which time:

Conditions and Stipulations: If approved, the PAD overlay (Item 24) will be subject to 23 total stipulations per staff report, including the three newly added mitigation measures. The rezone (Item 23) will have three stipulations; the comprehensive plan amendment (Item 22) will have one.

Deferred items: Ortown Solar and Storage Project (Items 20–21, separate application by Vantis/Next Era) also continued to August 5, 2026 with public hearing open; 14 public speakers (mostly in support: labor unions, community residents in San Manuel, Arizona Technology Council).

Controversies & Context

The Planning & Zoning Denial

The Planning & Zoning Commission's 6–3 recommendation for denial of all three Valley Farms items stands as the most significant pre-board opposition. Staff did not explicitly detail the commission's rationale in the board transcript, but cited "health, fire, and traffic concerns." This unusual situation—where professional planning staff recommends approval (per staff report) but the P&Z Commission votes denial—puts the board in the position of either overriding the commission (affirming staff) or accepting the commission's skepticism (denying the project).

Siting Rationale Disputed

The applicant argues the site is optimal because:

Opposition counters:

Municipal vs. County Jurisdiction

The City of Kulage lacks direct veto power (the site is unincorporated), but the city's planning boundary includes the property. Mayor John Thompson and the city council have stated three times to P&Z and twice to the board (including today) their opposition. Supervisor Vidiello (whose district includes parts of Kulage) and Supervisor Miller (also representing Kulage-area constituents) have acknowledged the city's position. Chairman McCclure likewise represents Kulage-area supervisory district. The question of whether the board will honor municipal land-use guidance—or prioritize state-level energy infrastructure needs—remains unresolved.

Community Engagement vs. Organized Opposition

Next Era claims 53+ letters of support (plus 5 additional post-publication) and cites community meetings. Yet every formal public opponent (Jim Wallace via daughter, Kulage planner, Robert Scott, Tom Bagel, others) noted that nearly all support came from people without local ties: union officials from out of state, corporate representatives, utility managers. No unaffiliated Kulage residents testified in favor at the hearing (though letters may exist). The question of whether organized labor and utility interests should outweigh local community opposition remains contested.

Battery Fire Safety Debate

At P&Z, approximately 45 minutes of discussion centered on battery fire risk. Today, applicant and fire chief Stephen Kerber stressed modern thermal management, automated fault disconnection, and multiple detection layers that "prevent a thermal runaway." Opponents noted that despite these claims, the application states "no potential for smoke, fumes, dust or glare," yet significant time was spent defending against fire scenarios—a logical contradiction. Chief Kerber, who has worked with Next Era since 2017, stated:

"the battery uh segments disconnect from the grid and from the system automatically whenever there's a resistance fault. It prevents a thermal override or uh runaway and so it reduces the chances for fire."

However, he also acknowledged that battery storage is "all new technology"—meaning long-term operational safety data from utility-scale systems is limited.

State Database Failure and Election Integrity Report

Although outside the Valley Farms debate, Dana Lewis (County Recorder) presented a separate controversy earlier in the meeting. On Saturday morning, a voter discovered that over 1,400 Republican voters in Pinal County received incorrect ballots for the precinct committeeman race (Republican primary candidates were excluded from certain precinct ballots). Lewis's staff worked through the weekend, confirming the error as a state database query issue, not local staff error. All ballots were canceled and reissued correctly within 48 hours; no voter was disenfranchised.

Lewis criticized:

"Instead of throwing taxpayer money at bubble gum, duct tape, and bailing wire fixes for our systems, how about we fund basic infrastructure? Uh, state officials should be having inconclus having conclusive conversations with counties, not having the conversations behind our backs, and then letting us know what they're going to do."

Supervisor Goodman thanked Lewis and noted that online criticism of the Recorder's Office was unfounded:

"I've spoken to probably 20 or 30 people about it and explained to them it wasn't Panell County's fault."

This incident reflects broader state election administration fragility and underscores the board's emphasis on transparency and local-state partnership.

Religious Representation at Board Meetings

Public commenter Deb Dysky raised concerns about invocations at board meetings. Over 90% of invocations, she noted, were given by white male Protestants, despite the county being 40%+ non-white and 49% female. She cited First Amendment Establishment Clause concerns and referenced recent state policies (Texas Bible verses mandate, Four States Ten Commandments mandates, Secretary of War's restriction of approved military chaplain religions from 200 to 31). The board received the comment without formal response, though Supervisor Goodman (earlier in the meeting) praised freedom of speech and civic engagement.

Duration

Other Notable Items

Magma Ranches Residential Subdivision (Items 15–17): 90-unit two-phase single-family subdivision, 19.88 acres, north of Florence, unanimous board approval (P&Z 8–1 recommendation). R7 zoning with PAD, two unsignaled intersections, 18.23% open space. No opposition; swift passage.

Ortown Solar and Storage Project (Items 20–21, Vantis/Next Era): 200-construction-job solar facility on former San Manuel copper mine with agrivoltaic (dual-use farming/solar) design. Carpenters Union, Sheet Metal Workers, Arizona Technology Council, and San Manuel residents in strong support; Jacob Brown (Blackhawk Ranch, solar grazer) spoke in favor of agrivoltaic mitigation. Continued to August 5, 2026 with public hearing open; significant labor-union and community-business backing documented.

Employee Service Recognition (Item 7): Nine employees recognized for 20–35 years of service across Adult Probation, Clerk of Superior Court, IT, Sheriff's Office, and County Jail. Notable: Sheriff's Chief Deputy Scotty Rushing (30 years) emphasized his father (Hiverto Oils) worked 27 years in county elections, connecting family service across departments. Regional Fire and Rescue Chief Stephen Kerber, Navy veteran Louis Vargas (35 years, mountain sergeant), and IT staff (John Marillo 25 years, Lillian Smith 20 years) also recognized.

Parks and Recreation Month Proclamation (Item 10): Unanimous approval. Director Scott Hamilton highlighted Peralta Regional Park (first of planned regional parks), outdoor programming, and heat safety. Summer intern Jasmine Frius read proclamation emphasizing mental health, childhood development, and environmental benefits of parks.

County Recorder Election System Integrity Report (Item 8, Update on Related Items): Dana Lewis detailed 1,400+ voter ballot distribution error (Republican precinct committeeman race), emergency weekend staff response, state database root cause, corrective action within 48 hours. Report to board; emphasis on state infrastructure deficiencies and need for conclusive state-county partnership.

Call to Public (14+ speakers): George Ellison (Greek-Scottish immigrant family lineage celebrating American opportunity); Deb Dysky (religious representation and First Amendment concerns); unnamed resident (praised Chairman McCclure for work, gifted head shot photo, urged voter vigilance and campaign-sign vandalism prosecution); additional commentary noted but not fully transcribed in executive summary.

View source transcript ▼

Source: Pinal County Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting: July 1, 2026 — July 1, 2026. Auto-generated YouTube transcript; may contain transcription errors.

of the new fiscal year. So, happy new year's. All right. There we go. All right. Yay. All right. If everyone would please silence your cell phones, we appreciate it. Uh, today the invocation will be offered by Pastor Jerry Stores from the Sunland Lutheran Church in Kasa Grande. Um, let's see. And followed by the Tell you what, for the pledge today, do we have any uh veterans or active duty members in the audience? Okay. Okay.

I'm going to ask when when we come to that here in a second, I'd like you guys to come up and please lead the pledge. Come to the front of the room. Okay. And then uh for those that wish to participate participate uh if you can please stand. Let us pray.

Eternal God, creator and ruler of all, graciously regard those who have been set in positions of authority among us, including Mike, Jeffrey Steve uh, Stephen, Jeff, and Ro, Rich, that guided by your spirit, they may be high in purpose, wise in counsel, firm in good resolution, and unwavering in duty, that under them our panel county may be governed quietly ly and peaceibly through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God now and forever. Amen. Amen.

So gentlemen, if you please come, gentlemen andor ladies, please come forward and lead the pledge for us. Nobody will take your seats. And ladies, there we go. Algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you all for your service. All right. And let's see. So, with that, welcome to the Panal County Board of Supervisors July 1, 2026 regular meeting.

Uh, in case you hadn't noticed, Supervisor Miller is not here today, but that's the MP chair down there. Uh, item number one here is acceptance. Acceptance. Sorry, too much coffee this morning. So, um, acceptance of a donation and it's a discussion dis approval. approval of accepting the donation of fully engraved stainless steel replicas of the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Civil Rights Amendments from the Charters of Freedom America 250 project.

I believe we have Miss Mareno here, maybe. Well, I I know I'm I'm looking at the name. I got Dana. Dana's doing it. Okay. I'm just checking to make sure. You know, they tell me stuff and don't tell me everything. So, you morning, Miss Lewis. Good morning, Chairman Mccclure, members of the board. Dana Lewis. Um, I'm here on behalf of uh the Arizona Association of Counties. Um, we were approached in early January in regarding this gift uh in recognition of the country's 250th birthday.

um they reached out and uh we found out later that to accept a g a gift of this magnitude we must have the board of supervisors permission. So I come before you today as you can see these fabulous pictures. Uh these are uh five pieces of stainless steel that have been engraved with important replicas of our country's history. They weigh about 500 pounds. Um, but will be, uh, displayed at the votes building, at our public libraries, and then hopefully eventually where our new repository will be.

So, um, if you would. So, I think it's a very generous donation. It's great for a birthday present. Anybody have any comments? So, we keep these. Yes, we keep we keep Where will they be? Chairman Mccclure, uh, Vice Chair Stury, these will originally come in, uh, they will be showcased at the libraries first, do a little bit of a tour, uh, then they will also find home at the panel votes building and then eventually, we believe in the administrative complex.

So, we're going to tour them around till we can get a spot to put them is what's going on. Hopefully, they're vandalism proof. Chairman Mccclure, uh, Vice Chair Certi, I believe how we choose to encase them will matter. Cool. Yeah. Okay. All right. So, any more questions or comments by the board? In that case, I ask for a motion, please. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we accept uh item number one as presented. I have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Motion and second.

Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. I opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. And I'm I'm also I neglected here. I I know I see um that we have a gift for our active duty and or veterans that are in the audience. So there they are. Okay. So hang on just a second. We're done with you. Thank you. Oh, okay. What are we doing? Any bets? Raise your hand, please. How many more you got? Who did not get one? Anybody else? Anybody else? Oh, there you go. Everybody got one. sir.

Okay, thank you all. Those are great great points. Uh item number two, three and four are executive sessions and uh so I need to get a motion please to convene executive session. So moved. I have a motion or second. Second. Motion and a second. Those in favor please indicate by saying I. I. I. Opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. We are in executive session. We'll be back in a little bit. Those in favor please indicate by saying I. I. I opposed hearing none. Thank you very much. Motion passes.

Uh that brings us to item five. Uh discussion approval disapproval of imposition of penalty assessments on those title 48 special districts for any periods of time that a special district is or or was not in compliance with the reporting requirements of ARS 48-251. Uh may I get a motion please on item or are there any other questions? No. No. Okay. Okay. Then may I get a motion, please, on item five? Mr.

Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve to impose penalties assessments on one special district. I have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Motion and a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I I opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you very much. Item number six, county manager report. Mr. Lou. Good morning, chairman. Thank you. Um I know I'd mentioned earlier that we were going to have Dr. Eert from the University of Arizona.

um answer questions related to data centers and their proliferation this um and their status today. We're going to do that in a work session instead in August. Um it's just more conducive to conversation for you and for uh P&Z members. So I think August 12th is when we've got that rescheduled. Um and then I just have an update from um human resources on how our summer um internship program is going. I'm just going to read this and then I know we actually have some of them here.

are with us in the audience. So, if you wanted we um they could stand up and we could applaud them, but I'll go ahead and read this first. Um so, this summer we welcomed 57 interns from across the county to our summers of service internship program. They quickly got involved working with our teams across departments and learning what it means to serve our community. They learned new skills, attended training workshops, and gained real feel for public service.

They saw how local government works, learned about our justice system and elections, and picked up important life skills such as managing money, writing resume, and interviewing for jobs. As they head toward graduation next week, we're proud of how much our interns have grown and what they've achieved, and we appreciate the support from our staff members. Both interns and supervisors have shared very positive feedback, and many interns are now more interested in public service careers.

We'll have some of those um quotes. They're pretty inspiring from the from the interns in the um next meeting. So, looking ahead, we're committed to making this program even stronger and giving students more meaningful opportunities. Thank you to everyone who helped make this summer's internship program a success. So, if um any of them are here, if they wanted to stand up and be recognized, that'd be great. I think they all ran. Oh, there we go.

Hey, but we did have more, but they took off or hiding someplace else. All right. Well, thank you, Mr. Lou. Uh, item number seven is presentation of certificates of service to employees for 20, 25, 30, and 35 years. You're up again, Mr. Lou. Yeah, thank you, Chairman. We have nine employees to celebrate this morning. Um and we'll go through and I'll just announce the department and um the director or elected officials so that they can introduce their um employee.

So um director John Fury is first for adult probation. Good morning chairman and supervisors. I'm John Fury, chief probation officer, Panal County. Thank you for taking the time today to uh recognize our dedicated employees of Panal County. Today we're here to celebrate an incredible mile milestone, 25 years of service by Ruby Dwennis. Uh before I begin, I did want to take a moment to thank our wonderful partner at Kage Elementary School.

25 years ago, they entrusted us with a bright, energetic 10-year-old, uh Ruby Dwinus. Somehow they've never asked for her back. Of course, that's a joke. I want that on the record. She she was 18. Um 25 years is an extraordinary accomplishment. It's not just a measure of time. It's a reflection of countless days of hard work, challenges overcome, relationships built, and lives touched along the way. You started here as an administrative clerk one, which is not even a position anymore here.

And you promoted several times over the years to the position you're in now, administrative manager. Your experience, reliability, and positive attitude have made a lasting impact on this organization. You've been someone people can count on. Someone who shares knowledge with others, lends a helping hand, and consistently demonstrates what it means to be a dedicated employee. So dedicated that now your sister and daughter work for Panel County.

Um, what better compliment is that than to get family to come here. On behalf of everyone here, thank you for your 25 years of service, your loyalty, and the difference that you make every single day. We're fortunate to have had you part of the APD family, and we look forward to celebrating many more milestones with you. Thank you. Thank you. Before we do that, I want to say something quick.

Um, I want to express my express my gratitude to the incredible people that have had a impact during my career. Um, my boss um, Chief John P. Fury um, for being an exceptional leader um, providing guidance and encouragement throughout and of course his sense of humor which makes it easier when we have challenging days. um to division managers that I work with, um Michelle O, Michelle A, and Amanda, thanks for being an outstanding um leader as well.

Um I've learned a lot from you guys and um um I admire and respect them. To my amazing support, administrative team, um their dedication, teamwork, I'm grateful to have an amazing team to work with. Um, and chairman and supervisors, I also want to thank you for your continued commitment um, and support to all our employees and um, making Panak County a great place to work. So, thank you. Have a great day. Thank you very much.

And and don't run off because when we get done, we'll do the picture routine. All right. Next we have our clerk of the superior court, Rebecca Padilla. Sorry. Chairman Mccclure, uh, Vice uh, Vice Chairman Certi, members of the board. Good morning to all of you. I'm Rebecca Pidio, the clerk of the Superior Court. Today, I have the pleasure of recognizing Marilyn Masters for an incredible milestone, 20 years of dedicated service with the clerk of the Superior Court's Office.

Marilyn began her career with our office in May of 2006 in our records management department. She quickly developed a strong work ethic and demonstrated this the desire to learn mastering every case type within the department before earning a promotion to our customer service department. Marilyn was m later assigned to my Cassagrand satellite office where she spent many many many years serving the community with professionalism, patience and such kindness.

Even while working away from the main courthouse, she always was one of the first to volunteer whenever extra help was needed in our Florence location, never ever hesitating to lend a hand wherever she could make a difference. One of Marilyn's greatest strengths is her willingness to serve others. She's a quick learner who embraces new challenges, and she has a remarkable ability to make new employees feel so welcomed in our office. very supported and part of her team.

Her work ethic and dependable nature have earned the respect of both her co-workers and our justice partners. In December of 2024, Marilyn was promoted to the supervisor of my child support and family law department. While this promotion officially recognized her as a leader, the truth is Marilyn has been demonstrating leadership qualities throughout her entire career with the clerk's office.

She leads by example, encourages those around her, and approaches every challenge with integrity, and a genuine desire to help others succeed. On a personal note, it has been especially rewarding to watch Marilyn grow throughout her career in the clerk's office. She's embraced every opportunity placed before her, continually expanding her knowledge and confidence, and is dedicated to our mission in the clerk's office.

Seeing her step into this supervisory role has been both welldeserved and a pleasure to witness. Marilyn, I thank you for your 20 years of outstanding service, your commitment to our office, and the positive impact you have made on our co-workers and the public we serve. Congratulations on this remarkable milestone. I am grateful for every everything you have contributed over the past two decades and we look forward to many many more years of your leadership and service. Congratulations Marilyn.

I say something. Okay. So today I celebrate 20 years of service with Panel County. As I reflect on this incredible milestone, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunities, experience, and relationships I've built over the years. It has truly been an honor to serve our community and work alongside so many dedicated and hard worker hardworking co-workers who have become lifelong friends. Throughout these 20 years, I've learned, grown, and overcome many challenges.

Each one shaping me both professionally and personally. I want to thank my parents for raising me to be the person I am today. Their love, guidance, and value have been the foundation of my journey. A special thank you goes to my mom who is no longer with us. She also dedicated many years of service to Panel County before retiring and she has always been my greatest role model.

Her kindness, strength, and work ethic, and commitment to serving others as qualities are qualities I strive to live by every day. I know she would be proud of me, proud to see me reach this milestone, and I hope I continue to make her proud. Thank you to everyone who has supported, encouraged, and inspired me throughout the years. I am especially grateful for my family, who I didn't know was here today.

the friendships, teamwork, and and the shared commitment to serving the people of Panel County. It has been a privilege to work alongside such amazing individuals. Thank you. Next up we have Jason Cantrell, information technology director. The chief, it says good morning. I'm Jason Catrell, CIO for Panel County. Uh, thank you for Oh, I'm sorry. I should wait till Lilian. Come on up, please. Uh, sorry.

Um, this morning I have an opportunity to recognize these two amazing employees for Panel County IT. Uh, John Marillo and Lillian Smitch. Uh, 25 years and 20 years. Uh, first a few words for Mr. Marillo. Uh John started his career with Banal County back in 2001 as a computer network specialist. In 20 in 2005, he was promoted to an IT engineer.

As an IT engineer, he was assigned to our network infrastructure group where along with the normal day-to-day maintenance and upgrades of our systems, he was pretty much the resident expert on anything the team was not familiar with. No one has worked on it before. Give it to Melo. He'll figure it out. For years, he worked in the background giving employees tools to make their work life easier and more productive.

In 2025, John was promoted to chief information security officer where he leads the team that protects Panal County from cyber threats. This is a constant growing and everchanging problem that requires a very high level of dedication, skill, and knowledge. I've always been so impressed with John's way of thinking. He's always been able to see the big picture.

Countless time, countless times, John has been the one to raise his hand and say, "Did you think about how it would change how that change would affect this system or a different system?" And then he would lay out a better way of fixing the issue. He has consistently found ways of improve improving the systems the right way. Throughout his career, he has never looked for praise or credit for all his accomplishments. He continues just to look to the next step, the next thing that needs attention.

John, your contrib contributions to Pano County are countless, and I'm happy to finally give you some of the recognition you deserve. Thank you for all you've done. Uh, I'd now like to bring up Michael West, our deputy director, to say a few words for Lillian. Good morning. Uh my name is Michael West. I'm deputy director uh it uh good morning chairman Mccclure and members of the board.

Uh I just want to take a moment to celebrate what an incredible milestone it is for Lillian uh who is marking her 20 years with Panal County. Uh Lillian's career began with uh the county in June of 2006 as a personal computer technician. Her exceptional work ethic was apparent from day one, leading to a swift promotion to personal computer analyst in less than a year.

and she was promoted again in 2014 as a server application specialist helping us manage systems like Polaris for the libraries chameleon for animal control and maintenance connection for facilities and then a couple years ago uh when our primary support for onbase left panel county Lillian doesn't didn't hesitate she stepped up once again and took ownership of our largest and oldest application It's that exact drive that led her to her well-deserved promotion to senior server application specialist at the start of this year.

To say Lillian is a hardworking and dedicated employee is a massive understatement. She brings a rare level of grit and comm uh commitment to this team. In fact, her commitment is legendary. Uh years back I remember during the cooler months she would regularly ride her road bicycle home from Florence to Cassagran with Kent Taylor. My god after a full days of work that is u that is the exact kind of endurance and dur determination she brings to everything that she does.

20 years in Panol County is an amazing achievement. through every system upgrade, migration, and late night server issue. Lillian Lillian has been reliable and a brilliant teammate. And for that, I thank her for 20 fantastic years. And Lillian, we couldn't do this without you, chairman, and members of the board. I'll try to keep this short and sweet like me. 20 years ago, I walked through these doors with a lot of enthusiasm, little experience, and 50 pounds lighter.

Over the last two decades, I've survived countless meetings, changing technology, new policies, enough emails to fill several lifetimes. I've learned that a quick question is rarely quick, and this should only take five minutes is one of the greatest fictions of all time. In all seriousness, reaching 20 years is not something anyone does alone.

I've been fortunate to work with incredible colleagues, supportive leaders, and great friends who have made every challenge easier and every success more meaningful. Thank you for your guidance, patience, teamwork, laughter, and for making the the work a place genuinely I enjoy to come to. The memories, friendships, experiences I've gained over these years mean more to me than I can express. It's been amazing 20-year journey. I'm grateful to have started it all with you.

And here's to lessons learned, stories we'll never tell, HR, and whatever adventures the next chapter brings. Thank you guys. I appreciate it. HR's not in the room, right? Okay, just checking. HR is on vacation. That's true. Next up, we have Sheriff Ross Temple. Mr. Chairman, Vice Chairman, members of the board, Penel County, I wanted to start with Louis Vargas, badge number 715, mostly because of the fact that he is so wellliked.

I'm pretty sure there's no deputy in the mountains right now because they're all out in my lobby. Louisie Vargas' badge number is 715 and to the core he is a mountain um sergeant. If you live in the eastern part of panel county, you understand what I mean when I say if you're willing to work in an area where your backup is probably 45 minutes away running code and they actually look forward to working in that area where the radios sometimes don't work but the food is always great in mammoth.

Louis Vargas is a fellow Navy veteran. Go Navy beat Army. After he served honorably in the Navy, he started his c um career with the Mammoth Police Department and he was hired by us in 1996 and he promoted to corporal in 2001, sergeant in 2007 and also in 2007, I'm sorry, sergeant in 2006 and also in 2007 he was made acting lieutenant over the mountain region.

Louie learned what my four lieutenants out there failed to learn and I failed to learn that the best job in law enforcement is a patrol sergeant and he's doing an outstanding job there and he had a couple words he wanted to make. I would like to thank you all for having me here and for having the opportunity to serve my community for over 30 years now. But um my career in serving community started when I was at the age of 14 when I joined the volunteer fire department in my community.

Uh that planted a seed in me and even after I came out of the service um I had like many others on the eastern side of the county started working at the mines. Uh but it just wasn't fulfilling to me and that's where I found a career in law enforcement. Um you know just to share a little story uh myself and my buddy at the time, my partner Dave Houseman, we were working one night and um we got a call of a of a young lady in labor on the side of the road. We got there, it was Dave's call.

Uh he said, "You got this." He goes, "I'm not like I'm not cut out to do this." uh we um helped deliver a beautiful baby boy and um just as God's fate would have it years later I got reacquainted with that young lady and she later became my wife and my oldest son of 24 years. So this career is fulfilling not just for helping people and working in our communities that we grew up in, but also on a personal level that we can kindle relationships like this uh through the people that we serve.

Thank you very much. Thank you. I appreciate it. And as um Chief Hoys is making his way up here, I just wanted to point out that Andrea Kip, 35 years of service, she's just recently notified us that she's retiring. And I thought she's not here today, but I thought it was poignant to point out that she could easily retire and be very proud of her service because by a show of hands, how many people in the audience were born after 1990? None of you. Everybody was born before 1990. Two of them.

Yeah, I'm seeing several hands now. Andrea Kip came off probation before you were born. She came off original probation in 1989. And Loretta Valdez, she would be here today, but she's working on the re-entry program. You may remember from the last POS meeting that um she's recently been put in charge of the re-entry program. And I hope Fagger's sleeping because he's a graveyard detention officer and this is the middle of the night for him. So that's why he's not here.

Next up, we have Chief Hoyos. I I absolutely say this without hesitation that my any success that I have in our adult detention center is directly relatable to him, Captain Scotty Rushing and Captain um Cameron Williams. He has just been an outstanding individual. His badge number is 712 and he started as a detention officer with us almost the same um date as I started as a corrections officer in 1996. He promoted to corporal in 1999, lieutenant in 2005, and captain in 2018.

And he very graciously accepted my offer for him to be the chief over the jail. One thing that I get when I walk through the jail is overwhelming support for him becoming the chief and being the first chief over our adult detention center that came from the jail, that grew up in the panel county jail throughout his entire career and over 20 years, and he's just nailing it. out of the park. And I know he's got some words written down. I ain't going to use my phone cuz I probably can't see it.

So, I have to print it out. Well, 30 years in jail, you know, your eyes. That's right. U Thanks, Sheriff. Um, you know, Deputy Chief Gilbert is here. Good morning, Chairman McCclair, Vice Chairman Sed Cedar, members of the board, and Mr. Lou. Um today I I'm incredible grateful incredibly grateful and honored to celebrate 30 years of service with the Panal County Sheriff's Office and Panal County Jail. This milestone means even more because I have to add this in here.

My journey really started long before I was hired. I had to give a quick recognition. In 1992, my dad, Hiverto Oils, seen back there, joined Panol County as the elections director and dedicated 20 27 years of service to 2009. So, thanks, Dad, for planting the roots that eventually led me here at Panal County Loyalty. Well, one story I must share that I go back to, and I talked about it before, it's kind of ironic.

When I was young, um I remember seeing inmates working for my dad and at his ele and his election crew in the elections department during election season. And this was located at the time in the basement of the old building over here to my right where HR is at. Um at that time I never imagined that years later I'd build a career working at the Panal County Jail with and eventually supervising inmates care custody and control. Just wanted to share that story.

Next, these 30 years of service also belong to my wife. She's sending it back. Thank you for always being there to the fullest. Your strength, your huge huge support, whether it was good, a a good day or a difficult one for me and challenges that I came with my profession. Heck, most recently being right now with my illness, you have been on full throttle to help me recover from my illness since the beginning of April to get back to work full duty and I'm sure back to home duties, too.

In 30 years of my career, I've never been on modified duty. It's first time. Um, I also like to thank my children for being there. Some of them couldn't make it today. Odiselli, who's currently employed at the sheriff's office. Um, Gabriella Emmanuel, he's here. My oldest son, we call little girl, currently at the Arizona Department of Corrections, serving over there here in Florence.

As I reflect on 30 years of service, I want to thank every member of the Panal County Jail staff who has served alongside me or under my supervision and even currently now. from the DOS to corporals sergeants lieutenants civilian staff, cap, my captains, you all make the facility run daytoday and the re-entry program staff. Also, it's been a great true honor and privilege to serve the people of Panalo County for the past 30 years.

Before I wrap it up, I'd like to thank Sher Ross Temple for recently believing in me and giving me the opportunity to serve as a deputy chief of the Panal County Jail. I'm truly grateful for your trust and confidence. So again, it's been an honor and thanks. Thank you board and thanks to thank the county again. Appreciate it. Thank you. And now everyone that has gotten up to speak or been spoken about, could you please come forward, bring your pictures? We'll get a we'll get a group shot.

Oh okay. Sorry. Did we do everybody on your Yes, ma'am. I um Kip and Fagger and read about. I made a mention of Okay. Okay. Just want to make sure. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You're going to be over. Scooch over. There you go. Oh, we're leaving one out. Let's do this. because I'm gonna get you in here. Actually, well, but I want to keep you guys together. There you go. Just a couple inches. Couple inches. Couple All right. Now, make sure you can see the camera.

Otherwise, it doesn't see you. That'll work. That's a bunch of people. Why do we hire so many people? And look in here. Big smile. Three. Two. Beautiful. We're gonna do another one just in case. Three. Two. Oh, hold on. I just got to change batteries. No, I did. I changed him. And we're gonna do it again. Three, two, This is okay. We'll get your answer call. text. All right. That now we clear Mr. Ch. Supervis. Thank you for coming. Supervisor Goodman, you had something? You bet.

uh just while as we're ex exiting I just wanted to make everybody aware that most of the individuals that came up and and had served this long have had family members that have actually been employees of the county. It's been a pleasure to be able to these last 10 years to be a part of Panal County and and even being able to help make things better for our employees. been a part of that with this board and I appreciate the opportunity to be able to do that.

Thank you for our long service individuals. We need them. We do. Thank you. Okay, that brings us Let everybody get kind of out the door there. That brings us to item number eight, Supervisor District updates. I'll start. Supervisor Goodman, since you had the mic, I'm just going to let you I should have just left it alone until then. Um, could we shut the doors in the back though to Thank you.

First of all, I just uh thank everybody, you know, July 4th will be 250 years that we've been the great nation and we continue to be a great nation and the opportunity that we have to to uh the democracy, the country that we live in, and that we're all able to have the liberties and the freedoms. With that being said, um I did go Hawaiian it is in the country. So, um in addition to that, Santam Valley today officially is um they're responsible for all the roads and infrastructure and everything.

They did take a good part of our staff to help them out there. So, that's okay with me, too. You kept pushing them over there. Hey, that's all right. Um at least, uh they've got some good quality people to help. They are having tonight the uh the first tonight at 7 o'clock is going to be um a big special event to kick off not only the celebration of 250 years but Santan Valley as a community. It'll be at Post and High School.

Uh a lot of different activities and things of that nature a as well as a big drone show. So keeping in mind supervisor siy they're taking into consideration no fireworks. So that the drone show is going to be a big item that and a big show. So welcome anybody that would like to come to that event along with uh we'll have a booth there as well as many others. In addition to that um with in our booth we have still the the drive for school supplies for the students.

Uh we'll just bring your any donations or anything that you want to bring for any of the teachers, the students, you can bring them to the booth and and we'll make sure that the appropriate schools that are part of this with us, the two school districts and some of the charter schools, um that they get the supplies.

Uh, one last thing, especially with the call to the public today, I would ask that we honor this great country and many of the men and women that have served and your remarks be held in that direction of giving compliments and things of that nature of what we and the values that we have here in this great country. On a personal note, I would ask that that many of your remarks are directed to that particular item in regards to this great country that we live in.

250 years, probably the youngest country in the world and yet we've survived and we've done phenomenal as a country and we are one of the most powerful countries and most influential countries in the world today. And that's because of all the great lit leaders that we've had in the past. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Uh, Supervisor Vidiello. Thank you, Chairman. Uh, well, it's been a busy two weeks.

I'm going to wrap up some of this stuff really quick because I've been everywhere and I have visited and watched candidate forms in the city of Maricopa, one after another after another. Please get out and look at your candidates that are running for your city councils or your towns. super important that you hear what they have to say and make sure that the leaders that you're voting for, you you you know what you're voting for when you get somebody. I've been to about five of them.

Tonight is I hopefully the last one until if there's a general, but I've been to five of them and I'm going to be going to another one tonight. So to wrap that up for the last two weeks, what I've been doing also had a 347 open house. My three favorite letters uh numbers I should say. We were uh able to get the starting of that road to be widened, which has been a big accomplishment in the city of Maricopa. So, they started that. They're working at night just in case anybody doesn't notice that.

Please obey the 55 and 45 m an hour, especially in the construction zones. We don't want any of these employees getting hit. So, uh also attended a Maricopa Business Alliance, basically the Chamber of Commerce. They asked me to be on a panel with SRPD3 about our favorite words uh power, water and data centers. So that was a lot of fun to be at. Also attended um CSA's we had the end of the year session uh all the bills that were passed and weren't passed.

So I attended watched that virtually online. It was uh you know quite the experience to hear about all the bills. also attended a Junth uh lunchon I was invited to in the city of Maricopa. I was happy to be there. And by the way, happy Father's Day to all the fathers. We weren't here, so I wanted to just wish everybody a happy Father's Day. Hope you enjoyed it with your family. I sure as heck did.

So, also attended um a to I tooured a data center in Chandler, a 619,000 square foot data center, and I was able to sit, listen, and learn and see what they had going on on their data center. attended cool at city council meetings. I also uh virtually went to an open house for night peak. It's a gas generated power plant. Um I virtually watched it and then I went to their open house in the city of Maricopa. Uh also uh candidate meetings like I had mentioned.

Then I was on a very interesting data center panel in um at uh ASU and it was the Arizona Data Center Alliance. And originally they only invited me from penel county. I asked them I need to have some other people invited. So they invited the mayor of Eloy and they also invited the mayor of Florence. We had a pretty good panel and um probably didn't make a lot of friends on that one. So but you know as they say I don't need any more friends. Uh also uh attended a very very special um fundraiser.

Tori Anderson in the city of Maricopa. She has a um a woman's shelter and she has now started because I don't know if people know if you're in a foster home at 18 they say bye-bye. You just go out and fend for yourself. Well, she did this um fundraiser called Dirty Boots and it's for kids over 18 years old that uh we're going to try to build a shelter for men. You know, we have the women's shelter which is great. I support it 100% and I support this also. So, uh, it was a it was a great day.

We had 100 people. She probably raised at least 25 $30,000 for the first event ever, and it was only 100 people there. Um, and then that's it. Thank you, Chairman. Appreciate it. Thank you, sir. Supervisor Certy, so this is the longest break of the year that the board takes. By the time we come back, we will have had Fourth of July and election day. And I would ask that folks take young people with them to vote and explain why they're voting and get them in the habit of it.

And uh the same way with the Fourth of July, there's a lot of people that are against the celebrations. Uh I don't understand that. And uh just teach them how how we arrived at where we are. How many people had to die to give everything.

They put everything on the line way back in 1776 and all of the wars that we fought and uh you know let them know that uh this new radical socialism that's coming both parties that's that's not us and uh let's get back to where we are and let the young people know just how we did arrive here and make them go vote with you. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Well, I don't have a whole lot going on the last couple weeks. I took a week off. So I got to do yard work, tree trimming, pool.

So you know that was work. But um for the 4th of July, for the 3rd, this Friday, uh will be Arizona City Chamber of Commerce and the Eloy Chamber of Commerce are putting on a fireworks show um out at the old San Miguel used to be the San Miguel Golf Clubhouse uh on it's just south of Betaglia there by the I 10. Um, so be there 5 to 9, I believe. 5 to 9:30 on Friday. And that's all I've got going on at the moment. So, thank you very much, gentlemen. All right.

That brings us to update on related uh items. Election Department, county recorder, Miss Lewis, are you still floating around? There you are. Good morning again. Good morning, Chairman Mccclure, Vice Chair Sudi, members of the board, Dana Lewis, Panel County Recorder, here to give you an update. Um, these are our voter registration statistics. I pulled these yesterday. These will not be our official ones that we use for our canvas in August for the primary election. Two key numbers to point out.

Our active voters right now are 289,000 plus and our active and inactive voters uh number at over 330,000. Our members in Panell County that are on the active early voting list are 1,900 1972. Wait, yeah, that big number on the board in copper. Uh small shout out. uh you recently acknowledged the presence of this summer of service interns.

Um I think it's really important they've been in our spaces and we're thankful for that and they've been helping with some of our communications and I want to remind people that the pract practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene pool. Uh it must be taught and learned a new by each generation. And that's a famous quote by Justice Sandra de O' Conor Yokava. We sent out 473 ballots. We have already received 49 back.

We have issued for this election 142 over 142,000 uh 420 emails for those Yokavas mailed over 141,000 and in person 313. Uh I always go over this early ballot return number because returns don't always mean that I physically have them in my hand. Uh accepted are what we have in our facility. uh canceled over 2,000, rejected, uh over 2,000.

What that means though for rejected, these are the ones that uh we sent a ballot and then it was flagged for us as undeliverable by mail uh or the person is temporarily aware. Remember the undeliverable by mail are the ones that create the National Voter Registration Act where we then send another letter. It says, "Hey, do you still live here?" And this is one of the things that cleans up our voter roles. We did have one person send in their ballot.

we received it, but they had already voted in person. And we have 12 that are in cure status. That means that we received their ballot and either the signature doesn't match, it doesn't have a signature, or they didn't return the ballot. They usually in return the instructions. So, we're actively reaching out to the v those voters to make sure that they return that or cure with us before election day.

Uh people who want to check the status of their early ballot are requested to go to www.mmy.arizona.vote. vote. And uh above that you'll see one of our fabulous little dropboxes again on county property uh under recorded surveillance. Important dates to know uh the last day to register to vote was June 22nd. Early voting began a week ago. The last day to request a ballot by mail is next week, July 10th. Uh we request that all ballots be mailed back by July 10th.

And the last day to vote early in person is July 17th, election day July 21st. And the ability to cure any of those signatures is July 26th. Uh important dates for our party chairpersons as required by law that is noted on the slide. Uh we require that they please provide the names for our hand count by July 7th. The handc count is the audit of the tabulation process. Uh this occurs uh on we we pull the convening portion on July 25th, but we do the draw for that on July 22nd.

Our post election LNA is July 31st and then our primary election canvas is set for Monday, August 3rd. Some other updates, a reminder, we are a received by state. We are not a postmark state. This has come up again in regards to the recent Watson vers RNC case that we've seen nationally. Again, this brings it back to the states and of course the counties. Uh that means I need to have your ballot in our in our possession by election day, not after I receive them.

If it's post election day, those ballots do get cancelled. Uh the save system, uh the League of Women Voters versus Department of Homeland Security, we had the SAVE system. It was a great resource. It was most excellent at providing documentary proof of citizenship for voters. Then they changed it and now it really doesn't do us a whole lot. So, one of those things where sometimes litigation isn't great.

E- pole books have been updated and our pole worker training is going well, but yes, we always need more volunteers. Precincts 11,31, 5, and 8 need inspectors calling all my Dems. Uh, and then I need about nine more um volunteers at some of our other voting locations. We informed the Secretary of State's office that the sal the sample ballot household report is still broken. Uh we send out over 250,000 sample ballots. These are for the people who don't receive an active early ballot in the mail.

We're still required to send them, if they vote on election day, the information that they can be expecting to see on their ballot when they arrive at the polls, but we have to make sure that every PND voter knows that what a Republican ballot looks like, a Dem ballot, and a no labels ballot. So, when you do the math, it ends up being two over 250,000 items that are going out in the mail. Um, so just like to let people know that that's happening.

So when the reports don't work, it does create a little bit of a trickle down effect and they won't have them as soon as we had hoped they would have them. We are excited to see that our local political party observers are up active in our voting locations for early voting. Um they have been very active. They have been communicative and they really do love our dropboxes. ID verified stamp at the polls. This was something that was enacted with uh bill 2785. Yes, we are doing this.

No, it's not going to expedite the results any faster. Um, only voters with late early ballots can present an ID at the polls. You know, of course, if you're voting at the polls, you're going to show your identification, but if you show up with your late early ballot at the polls and you have your identification, we can stamp that as ID verified. But if you have your spouses and they're not there, then it still goes into the process.

um we will verify that you have the correct uh ballot affidavit envelope. Still doesn't make sure that I can verify what's in the affidavit envelope. Um so the only part of this that it really does is do is if I have a great signature on that and it's been ID verified, I won't have to reach out to that voter if that signature did not match um after election day. We will have to still process each one of those ballots to ensure that that voter received appropriate voter credit.

If voters want faster results, go vote early in person at a satellite office or show up on election day and vote a live ballot. So, the uh item in the room, I was going to call it the elephant, but hey, we call it a donkey, too, I guess. Um the precinct committee AVID issue, uh we've uh sent out a massive amount of communications in regards to this. There are banners on the website. Uh there are banners on the votes site. We've put out social media. We have reached out to our local stakeholders.

We even went and we reached out to media and let them know this happened. It's better for them to know that this happened for them to then ask or expect us to be hiding something. We were notified on Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon.

A voter reached out and said, "Hey, I think I got the wrong ballot." And I was like, "What do you mean?" and she says,"Well, shouldn't I be able to vote for myself as a precinct committeeman?" And I said,"Well, yes, ma'am, you should." She goes, "Well, my name's not on the ballot." And I said, "Ma'am, that's a problem." Um, automatically we had staff members report to the office. We pulled open the AVID system um and started comparing ballot styles to the one that was presented to that voter.

We did confirm that she was correct. Uh, this did affect over 1,400 voters in Panal County. It only affected Republican precinct committeemen. This isn't a rep or a dem problem. It's because that was the only race uh for precinct committeemen was for two precincts 28 and 136 where precinct committeemen outweighed the number of seats that we had. So if we had 10 seats and they submitted nomination papers for 12 people, that means it goes to the ballot.

It can't be cancelled then for that precinct. Um, so that's when I see on social media, oh, what's happening to the reps again? No, this is just basic layout and and information here. As of noon on Monday, um, we had reached out to emails to over 765 people now, sent text messages, and left voicemail notifications. We did confirm we were able to cancel all of those incorrectly issued ballots uh through the system and then we were able to reissue them the correct ballots.

Uh community stakeholders, media, uh members of the board and county leadership have all been apprised of the situation and uh assisted us in reaching out to our community members. I apologize to Santan Valley and Queen Creek in the mix of trying to put a solution in place. I probably should have called the great Maria and Miss Dana. Um, so thank you for reaching back out to me for clarification of information. I also want everybody to know that correct ballots have been mailed.

We took a problem that was really not ours and we resolved it in about 48 hours. Our staff came in on Saturday, worked until 10 o'clock at night, worked most of the day Sunday, and then Monday reported early so that no voter could possibly be disenfranchised because of this error poll. Um, contrary to messaging um put out by our election partners, the recorders office reviewed all records. We did accurately proof our ballots and the information um and it still does remain a database issue.

um a state database issue. Not that is correct. A healthy partnership is where there is local advocacy, support and guidance. When staff falter or need direction, leaders are consistent and should educate. Instead of being in a cooperative relationship such as this, I as an election administrator must be concerned with playing game um political polarization and being uh it being weaponized or used for campaign fodder right now.

Um as an election administrator, I must walk the line knowing that trust means transparency and stand on my own integrity, but always weigh that too much information can suppress turnout. um or breed clickbait of disinformation. So having to be honest and transparent and say that no, you know, we understand that when there is election problems, it's a human problem. So I hate pointing fingers, but this at no point fell to the staff in the Panal County Elections or Recorders Office.

Uh this is truly a query issue. And regardless, you know, counties, they need a statewide voter registration database that works. And we need cyber security asurances. And instead of throwing taxpayer money at bubble gum, duct tape, and bailing wire fixes for our systems, how about we fund basic infrastructure?

Uh, state officials should be having inconclus having conclusive conversations with counties, not having the conversations behind our backs, and then letting us know what they're going to do. Um, every great database is predicated with data integrity during initial programming. Our database is one of our source documents. This is what we proof off of. We are responsible for the creating of the election in the system.

But how the system behaves and queries the tables for the reports we need or to identify the ballot style of a person voting early person early in person, that's systematic. Gentlemen, I stand for questions. Oh, wait. Any questions for Miss Lewis? Always want to leave with the next election coming up. Yes, I I appreciate I appreciate your abilities and what you did after getting a late night phone call and and taking care of the situation. You did a great job.

I just want to say Dana um we really do appreciate all the hard work you do and you know online you were taking a beating and I've spoken to probably 20 or 30 people about it and explained to them it wasn't Panell County's fault. Yeah. So I appreciate the hard work to get this fixed and um thank you for doing and uh really just keep doing a great job that you are. Thank you. Nothing.

Chairman McGlo, if I might say, when I talk about partnerships, I once again want to reiterate the fact that the partnership that the county elections department and the office of the recorder have with this board of supervisors and county management is a really, really wonderful thing. I hope all leaders across this county and across this great state and country look to the relationships that we have here and see how effective it can be when you govern together.

We've done a lot of work in the last four years. Amen. Thank you. All right. Next on the on the agenda is item 10, discussion, approval, disapproval of a proclamation declaring the month of July 2026 as Parks and Recreation Month. Yay. Who do I Oh, we've got Scott Hamilton. How are you today, Mr. Hamilton? I'm doing just fine. Thank you for having us. I have Jasmine Frius with us today who is uh our summer intern uh for open space and trails. But uh good morning, chairman and board members.

I'm Scott Hamilton. I'm the director of open space, trails, and regional parks. We're thrilled to be here for the annual proclamation of July as parks and recreation month. One of the many wonderful things about Panal County is the wide array of natural resources, outdoor recreation opportunities we have across the county, vast expanses of snoring desert, stunning scenery, unique geological features, amazing flora and fauna, and a rich cultural history.

We have numerous state parks, wilderness areas, national monuments, national forests, um as well as some of our own uh facilities that the county manages, including uh Peralta Regional Park, which is the first of our regional parks planned through our open space and trails master plan. Collectively, all of these resources connect us to the outdoors.

They allow us to spend time with family and friends, discover new adventures, improve our health, and they give us a respit from the rigors of our modern lives. We do ask however though that as we're finding respbit this summer that we're careful with the heat. Uh you've probably seen a lot of heat messaging that the that Panal County as well as our other partners have been putting out.

Uh we want you to enjoy the outdoors but try to do it really early in the morning this time of year um to avoid the heat. We do have an exciting opportunity that will help you avoid the heat. We're again offering our bringing the outdoors in programming through the month of July around the county uh which is educational programming covering variety of topics including tortoises, wildlife, uh different flora and fauna.

Uh you can find out more by going to our website at panel.gov or we're also on Instagram and Facebook at panel parks. So, thank you again for your consideration and again, we have Jasmine uh Frius here to read the proclamation at the board's pleasure. Okay, we'll vote on it first and then we'll have Miss Frius read the proclamation. Board, are there any questions for Mr. Hamilton? Well, just other than the statement, are you riding your bike like Kent did? I live in Tempee. Oh, yeah.

It's a little white. I was surprised to hear that one employee rode with him every morning and back and forth from Cassagrand. That was pretty good. I remember Kent doing that. Anyway, all right. Well, with that, I'm ready. You can. Okay, Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve item number 10 as presented. I have a motion. Is there a second? I have a motion. I have a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. Opposed? Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you, Miss Frius.

Please read the proclamation. Thank you. Whereas parks and recreation is an integral part of communities throughout this country, including Panal County, promoting health, wellness, and time spent in nature. Whereas parks and recreation positively impacts mental health, cognitive performance, and well-being, and alleviating illnesses such as depression, attention deficit disorders, and Alzheimer's.

And whereas parks and recreation encourages physical activities by providing space for outdoor recreation, popular sports and many other activities designated to perform to promote active lifestyles. And whereas park park and recreation programming and education activities such as out of schooltime programming, youth sports and environmental education are critical to childhood development.

And whereas parks and recreation increases a community's economic prosperity through increased property values, expansion of local tax base, increased tourism, the attraction and retention of businesses, and crime reduction. And whereas parks and recreation is fundamental to the environmental well-being of our community. And whereas parks and recreation provide adaptable infrastructure that make our communities resilient in the face of natural disasters and climate change.

And whereas our parks and natural recreation areas ensure the ecological beauty of our community and provide a space for children and adults to connect with nature and recreate outdoors. And whereas the US House of Representatives has designated July as Parks and Recreation Month. And whereas Panal County recognizes the benefits derived from the parks and recreation resources.

Now therefore, be it resolved by pa by the panel county board of supervisors that July is recognized as parks and recreation month in panel county and do hereby commend the panel county open space and trails and regional parks department for their profound and enduring impacts they consistently make in our community. Thank you. Thank you. And it's Kevin's coming. We'll get a picture board. How you enjoying Get out of the room. That's my best. I'm coming. and love the outfits by the way.

And three, two, we're gonna do another one. Two. Awesome. Thank you. door All right. Okay. Thank you. That brings us to item 11, which is the purchasing division report. Miss Gorman, you're up. Good morning, chairman, vice chairman, and board of supervisors. Tracy Gorman, purchasing manager, and this is the purchasing division report for July 1st, 2026. In this report, the board is requested to approve one contract award for RFP for inmate core values and behavior con coaching.

The board is requested to approve four contract amendments for RFP 230-628 for weed abatement services. For IFB240328 for pavement maintenance materials, we're awarding to four vendors. IFB250529 for aggregate slurry and Portland cement. We're awarding that to four vendors. RFP 251830 for night vision equipment. There are four cooperative purchasing agreements. we would like to notify you of as they are between $100,000 and $250,000.

And lastly, we are seeking approval of 11 cooperative purchase requisitions over $250,000. I stand for questions. Are there any questions for Miss Gorman? Hearing none, then may I please get a motion? Mr. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve uh the purchasing report for dated July 1st, 2026 as presented. Have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Motion in a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. Opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you, Miss Gorman.

Thank you. That brings us to item number 12, consent uh consent items. All items indicated alphabetically below will be handled by a single vote as part of the consent agenda unless a board member, county manager, or member of the of the public objects at the time the agenda item is called. Um, are there any items that the uh board wishes to pull? Do you have some that I I do, but I'm asking you guys first. I'm being polite. Oh, I think you have E for Miller, right?

I Yes, I'm doing I'm doing E for Miller. Okay. And I'm doing I don't see Mr. Sanchez, are you in the audience? I don't see him. Okay. I'm not pulling it. So E and then G because Miss Jane is there as well. You're pulling that. Okay. G, right? G. Yeah, E and G. Any other items that anyone from the board wishes to pull? Hearing none. County manager? No. Audience? Yes, Miss Pedaski. BK and B. BK and BM. Okay. Are there any others that the audience wishes to pull this time? Okay. hearing.

Seeing none, uh, at this time I get a motion, please, on items A through B T minus items E, G, B, K, and B M. So move. Just kidding. I'd like to um approve the consent agenda A through BT minus E, G, B K, and M. No. BM. Oh, sorry. BM. Okay. I have a motion. Is there a second? Second. A motion and a second. Uh those in favor, please indicate by saying I I I opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you. We'll start with Miss Podski. We'll just start downstream here. BK.

if it's acceptable to you. I'll do BK andBM at the same time. That will work. Okay. Um, last November was the first time I pulled a consent agenda. I think that the fact that I am allowed to do that is a reason for celebration along the lines that Min Supervisor Goodman talked about. It's a great thing about our country that I'm allowed to question things. I appreciate that. I appreciate all of you.

The thing I pulled on November 7th was an agreement between the Panella County Sheriff and I think it was Homeland Security and it was post-dated. It started in July, but it you approved it in November and it started this whole thing I had about why are we doing this this way, etc., etc. And I also wanted more information about it. And I think e and I at that time I said I'm writing this on my calendar. I will not forget. I didn't forget. It's July. And I think it was either BK or BM.

I would like and I've told Sheriff Tel I was going to do this so this is no surprise to him. I I think that we all agree that we do not support uh drugs coming into our country and but we do like to know information and the first one BK agreement 24 a doss-g4416-1 is not particularly helpful if you haven't found out the system that um how to get supplemental material.

So, I'd like him to explain this and I'd also like to offer an opportunity for him and the sheriff's department to talk about what they are doing for the county in these areas because these are important areas and being on a consent agenda I don't think necessarily gives the weight to some really important things that needs to be. I think that these are important issues to the people of Panel County. That's all. Thank you, Sheriff Tle.

Sounds like she's giving you a public service announcement time. Mr. Chairman, vice chairman, members of the board, Panel County, I believe the item that um she's referring to is BK, but I can definitely talk to both BK and BM. I I'll go in reverse and talk about um item number BM. I 1,000% agree with her that I don't know a person that doesn't want to stop illegal drugs from getting to our children. That that's the big thing about this. My narcotics task force is not just panel county deputies.

It's also we have city agencies that lend undercover detectives force. These are the guys that are out making drug buys. They're out at 3:00 in the morning conducting surveillance on the the truly bad individuals like the cartel member that we eventually arrested down in Tucson. And so this money is really needed for that because at the end of the day, most drug dealers and especially meth users don't operate on normal hours. So that's why this overtime is so important for that for as far as BM.

And then I I definitely agree with her that the federal government has way too many acronyms. And it's 24- Arizona Department of Homeland Security- Operation Stone Garden is what that very condensed acronism mean. And Stone Garden is so important because that's assisting with stopping the smugglers from coming across the border. Uh especially Stone Garden was very important with stopping the human smuggling.

when that what became the cartel's number one bread and butter and now it's shifted back to drugs where Stone Garden allows the overtime and pace for fuel and mileage so my deputies can be out there um arresting people. Florence PD also participates in Stone Garden. Most city agencies do and it's just so they can concentrate on overtime hours to stop the illegal trafficking across our international border. Okay. Does that satisfy you? Okay. Thank you, sir.

Sir, uh, Miss Kennedy, can we vote on both these items at once? Yes. Okay. Thank you. Um, if there's no other comments on these on these two items, may I get a motion, please, on item BK and BM. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion to approve BK and BM as read. Second. Have a motion to second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. Okay. Opposed hearing? None. Motion passes. Thank you. Uh now we will pull item um E. Item E is Let's see. I'm sorry here. Let's see.

This is actually for Supervisor Miller. Mr. Wilcox, are you here? You're right there. Um if you please come forward. I want to on behalf of chairman or he's not chairman. I'm chairman Supervisor Miller, that guy that's not here today, him over there. I want to I want to thank Mr. Wilcox for his willingness to serve on the law enforcement merit council. That is uh truly a lot of work with all the volunteers that that uh work in our on all our commissions.

That is a tremendous amount of time taken out of your day. So, thank you very much. Did you have anything you wanted to say about u Mr. Chairman of board? I just want to thank you guys for the opportunity and for uh Supervisor Miller for uh entrusting me to to serve on this committee. Okay. And then I'm presenting you Oh, okay. I'll do that. Thank you so much. Keep me in line. I appreciate that. Uh don't go away. Uh may I get a motion, please, on item E. Mr.

Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve item E as presented. I have a motion. And is there a second? Second. Motion and a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. I. And am I. There we go. Okay. Motion passes. Oh, there it is. So, I'm supposed to look like Miller right now. Where's your hat? Where's my hat? present that to you and this challenge. Thank you. Sure. Sure. Why not? I think you want to go over that way, right? And looking right here. Nice big smile.

Photoshop Miller into that please. Okay, that brings us to item G. Miss Jane, you are here. Would you like to do the honors? Good morning, chairman, vice chairman, members of the board. I'm Anu Jane, director of air quality, and I'm here today to welcome Mr. Gerald Benedict as a new member of the Panel County Hearing Board. Is he here? Oh, he did say he was going to be in attendance, right? Um, he said he was going to be attendance, so I guess he couldn't make it. But, uh, Mr.

Benedict has been a resident of Panal County for 69 years and previously served as a member of the Air Pollution Hearing Board. He also served on the Panal County Industrial Development Authority and Cassag Cassagrand Elementary School Board. Uh with his extensive knowledge of agriculture and broad industrial experience, I'm confident that Mr. Benedict will be invaluable asset to our hearing board. We were going to have him take the oath and but I don't think he's in attendance. So, okay.

He was here earlier. Okay. So, we just lost him in the crowd. Okay. All right. Well, thank you. All right. Thank you. Okay. So, with that, uh, may I get a motion, please, on item G? Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion on consent item G as presented. A motion. Is there second? Second. Motion and a second. Those in favor. Chairman. Chair. Chairman, I'm sorry. Yes. Need to state approve. Yes. I'd like to uh approve consent item G as presented. Okay. I have a motion. I'm going still second that.

You're still going to second. Okay. Motion in a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. I. Opposed. Hearing. None. Motion passes. Thank you very much. That brings us to item 13, which is uh I would like to recess the regular uh meeting of the now board of supervisors and convene the district meeting uh the public health services district board director's meeting. Um so let's see. So we will move to item to public health. Uh this consists of consent items A through F.

All items indicated alphabetically below will be handled by a single vote as part of the consent agenda unless a board member, county manager, or member of the public objects at the time the agenda item is called. Are there any items that the board wishes to pull? No. No. None. Mr. Mr. County Manager. None. Public hearing. Seeing none, then may I please get a motion on items A through F? Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve items A through F as presented. I have a motion.

Is there a second? Second. motion and a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. Opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you very much. We will adjourn the um public health uh services dist board of directors meeting and we will reconvene the uh regular meeting of the board of supervisors which brings us to call of the public.

And call of the public is a time period for members of the public to address the board of supervisors to provide public input relating uh to subject matter within the board of supervisors authority or jurisdiction. Those wishing to address the board of supervisors need not request permission in advance. An action taken as a result of public comment will be limited to directing staff to study the matter or rescheduling it uh for further consideration and decision at a later date.

Uh and I've received a couple of cards here. I have Miss Podowski. You're up. I'm back. I'm Dad Dysky and I live in unincorporated panel county. If I were going to give a headline to what I'm going to say today, it would be campaign sign whistle dog whistles go arai. In the 1980s, the movie Starman was released. An alien had cloned the body of a human. He was driving down a highway and saw a yellow light. He immediately sped up.

His passenger said, "What are you doing?" His reply was yellow means go fast. If star members star man attended a boss meeting, he would assume that to be religious in Benol County, one should be a white male Protestant. In the meetings I have attended, the group that group has given the invocation at least 90% of the time. Yet over 40% of the county's population is not white and 49% of the population are are women. The most popular religion in the county is Catholic, followed by Mormon.

And I don't think I've heard clergy from either one of them give an invocation. Not to talk about people who are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, it goes on and on. The other yard sign that was a faith thing if you into the political science is we the people beginning the constitution. And I want to draw your attention to the first amendment which says congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of a religion.

This also prohibits government from creating aiding an official uh state religion or favoring one religion over another. There is clear evidence that certain cur policies, if not creating an official state religion, definitely favor one religion over another. Texas demanding Bible verses be read and studied. Four states mandate the posting of the Ten Commandments. And uh the secretary of war recently slashed the number of approved religions from in his thing from 200 to 31.

His removal of Unitarians is so ironic as John Adams, Benjamin Rush, Thomas Jefferson, and Paul River were Unitarians. I started well I recently visited Ashwitz and it was so moving to see the power of hatred especially religious hatred what people do in the name of it and I just earlier I said I had core values and I want to add one to that list silence is complicity. Thank you. Thank you. The next card I have is uh Mr. Ellison. Good morning, Mr.

Chairman, Vice Chairman, Supervisors George Ellison, Gold Canyon. I'm scrapping what I was going to say based on Supervisor Goodton's earlier comments. And I'll just call this a tale of two grandmothers. My ancestors came here from Greece and from Scotland legally in the early 1900s. My grandfather on my Greek side drove a push cart selling vegetables on the south side of Chicago. That was uh how he made a living.

They lived on the third floor of an apartment building in the south side of Chicago, which is not a big deal when you're young. It is when you become in your 70s and that's where he lived and died. He never owned a home. His daughter was my mother. She obviously was born in America. I'm second generation American on my on the Greek side. She obviously learned English right away. She became a teacher.

She uh she had to drive not drive, she had to take Chicago city buses about two hours to get to college back and forth. And she eventually got her master's degree. And I'm her son. And on the other side, the Scottish side, my Scottish greatgrandfather came here in the early 1900s. He was a dirt poor farmer in Scotland as were my Greek relatives or Greek ancestors in in uh in Greece. They were dirt poor farmers.

He came and worked on uh in the northern suburb of Chicago is very rich suburb because he knew how to groom horses. That's what he did in Scotland. Then the horses went out and the cars came in and he became a car mechanic. And in the 1920s his last job uh was a night watchman in a Chicago factory. There's nothing wrong with doing that. It's honest work. What I'm saying is none of them did very well in life here in America, but they came to America. And because they came to America, I'm here.

And and uh my white privilege got me a father who worked in a greasy spoon restaurant as his job. And my mother was a substitute teacher in Chicago. He eventually worked his way through restaurants and hotels and became the general manager of hotels in Chicago and of the Playboy Club in Lake Geneva, which was quite a treat for a young 14-year-old guy. I supposed to listen to Jack Jones sing, but my eyes were elsewhere. I went to law school. Somehow I got in.

I worked jobs all during college, all during law school, construction, Chicago taxi, Chicago bus driver. I was a teamster, a service employees union member. Somehow I became a lawyer and somehow I did very well. Not talking financially, I'm talking skill level. Why? Because this is America. Only in America could this have happened. Only in America could I be standing here talking to you now. And only in America would they welcome someone like me. Thank God I'm American.

I love this country and I would die for it. Thank you. Thank you. I have no other cards. Mr. W, I know you turned in a card. Was it for call to the public? Okay. Okay. I'm just check. That was my So, are there others that wish to speak to the board this morning for call to the public? Did you wish to speak before the Okay. You didn't turn a card in. We don't give you a microphone. All right, good enough.

I've missed the last few meetings, but watched the videos and was pleased to see so many celebrations and great agenda items, including today, but just too many to list. This is old business, but thank you for holding agenda item T from April 27th, the county superintendent of education yearly services report.

For questions and observations and allowing Roberto Rellas to present them in my behalf on May 7th, I wish I had been there as some of my questions still have not been answered, tap danced around either at this forum or subsequent emails. Back to the video, I was struck by a statement from Chairman Mccclure that I must criticize today. He stated as chair he would permit Roberto to re represent me because Roberto is better looking than I am.

Even though it's true that Roberto is better looking, it still cut me to the core even worse in absentia. I've been praising your work as chairman accomplished with the dula tones of a voice that was made for radio or voiceovers. But it should be noted that I have never mentioned anything about anyone having a face for radio. I'm bruised, but I have no grudges. So, I want to turn this into a positive experience as a way to remember we all had better days in the past.

Supervisor Mcglur, I have a gift for you, which unfortunately fell out of my folder on the way out of the door this morning. It's a head shot from a photo packet from a school where I coached. It's inscribed with to Jeff how you like me now. Your friend null. I can bring it to the next meeting or if you want it sooner, I can FedEx it to you. I didn't get you a frame.

I thought you'd like to pick something out that would look really good in your office along with the Oval Office gold adorment that I've printed out for you. You'll have to get out the scissors to cut it out yourself. But I will leave this with Clerk Kennedy for safekeeping in the meantime. Now for the serious segment of my time. I offer this to all citizens of Panal County and beyond.

Whether you are MAGA, conservative liberal progressive independent, Democrat, Republican or independent, the election is almost upon us. Even as Republicans chip away at it, the right to vote remains sacred. But along with that right comes a responsibility to educate ourselves fully on the candidates and issues. Study them. Try a variety of med media sources. Remain vigilant about events of the day. In today's media age, it's not that difficult to do.

Whatever your vote, cast it based on thoughtful examination and not ad hominant ideology. Lastly, I ask the Panal County Sheriff's Office to keep your eyes open for campaign sign vandals. It's already happening again in the Republican primary races. It was very disheartening in 2024 to put in the hard work of putting up signs only to see them slashed to pieces with box cutters. That stupidity has to be stopped and prosecuted. Thank you. Thank you.

Are there are there others that wish to speak before the board this morning? Hearing seeing none, we'll close the call to the public. Thank you very much. And thank you, Mr. Rec. You can bring it the next time. You don't need a FedEx extra. Okay. Um this is uh brings us to items 15. Uh and we'll hear 15, 16, 17 together. Uh this and we have Mr. Amaya. There we are. Hello, Mr. Amaya. How are you? Hello, chair, members of the board. Let me just grab my slides. Yes.

So I'm here to speak on items 15, 16, and 17. This is for the Magma Ranches residential subdivision. So for each case, so PZPA026-25, they are requesting a a minor uh excuse me, non- major comprehensive plan amendment from moderate lowdensity residential to medium density residential, which allows from 3.5 to 8 dwelling units per acre. for PZ036-25.

They are requesting a reszone of from general rural to uh single resident zoning R specifically R7 and then PZPD03 023-25 they are requesting a plant area development overlay to de to amend the development standards and of the proposed residential subdivision to provide flexibility in the lot sizes setbacks and design.

The subject site is located on uh south of South Renfro Way and between North Quail Run Lane and North Mitchell Trail and is north of the town of Florence in unincorporated Panau County. The land owner is Carlos uh Camera. I'm sorry if I pronounced that wrong. And the applicant is Ernie Romero of Sulttero Developments. So this shows the county map compared to to subject site. This is the zoning. So, as I said before, they are requesting the R seven zoning with the P overlay.

So, this is the vicinity map that shows the surrounding area. And then this is the current aerial. So, this was the site posting that was done by the applicants as well as our small signs done by staff. And then these are the site photos looking in all directions. So, for this site plan, they are proposing a 90 90 single family lots. This will be in two phases according to the applicants with both phases having 45 drawing units. They will have two full access unsignalled intersections.

One on North Mitchell Trail and one on North Quail Run Lane. Uh the these will be connected by internal residential streets and then they are meeting the open space requirements with having 18.23% of the net which is about 3.55 acres. So for the reszoning they are requesting 19.88 acres. Uh currently the the moderate low density is not able to uh um support this pres this excuse me this development. That's why they are requiring the comprehensive plan amendment.

And then for your consideration the proposed land use designation is similar to the surrounding areas. Same thing for the reszone. It is there are uh parcels to the east which are also zoned R seven. Uh this at the time of the site plan review the site plan will be uh reviewed. Similarly for the traffic impact analysis and the drainage. Currently we have received two letters of opposition that should not be or support. It is opposition towards this application.

Uh we have met all of the public notification requirements according to state statutes. And then during the April 16th planning and zoning commission, the commission voted 8:1 in favor of approval towards the non- major comprehensive plan amendment, 8 to one towards approval for the reszone as well as 8:1 for the P A uh overlay district. So should you uh so just to break this down to individual applications.

So for PZPA026-25 if you if you wish to approve this application we staff did not have any uh stipulations for the reason if you are wishing to approve this we are recommending the two two staff stipulations as reported in the staff report and then for the P A if that if you do choose to approve it staff is recommending the 13 stipulations. Thank you. That concludes my presentation. Thank you, Mr. Amaya. And the applicant does not have a presentation or cares to speak.

Go ahead if you wish to speak. Thank you, Mr. Maya. Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Reese Anderson with Pewan Lake, 1744 South Val Vista in Mesa. Um, happy 4th of July. And I recognize I'm standing between you, a busy agenda, and that holiday. The staff gave you a great presentation. And so while we have one, I think it would be wise of us to for me to come back up there if there's anyone else that speaks in opposition.

That might be a more efficient use of our time rather than me repeating the good things you heard from your staff. Thank you. All right. Uh let's see. So this these items are public hearings and so at this time I would open the public hearing for items 15, 16, and 17. I have received no cards on this. Are there is there anyone from the audience that wishes to speak on these items? Okay.

Hearing and seeing none, I will close the public hearing and at this time you if you don't have any presentation at this point because nobody spoke about it or I'll get any any other questions or comments from the board. No. Then in that case, may I get a motion please on item 15? Mr. Jar, I make a motion to approve item 15 with no stipulations or am I doing them all together? No, one at a time. So, second. I have a motion and a second.

Those in favor of for item 15, please indicate by saying I I opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you. Make it a motion, please. On item 16. Mr. Chair, I make a motion to approve item 16 as read with two stipulations. Second. I have a motion and I have a second. Uh those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. I. Opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you. Uh and for item 17, a motion, please. Mr. Chair, I make a motion to approve item 17 as written with 13 stipulations.

I have a motion. Second. And I have a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. Opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you very much. This moves us to item 18, which is a public hearing uh for consent items A and B. Uh are there any items here the board wishes to pull from either A or B? hearing and seeing none. County manager public. No, thank you. Okay. Um, nothing being pulled. So, in that case, may I get a motion, please? Well, this is a public hearing, is it not?

No, this is Yeah. Yes. I'm sorry. I'm not reading the whole thing here. Yeah. Correct. chairman. So, yes, this is a public hearing and so with reaching out to the board and then county manager and then the actual public to see if anyone wanted to pull the item, you have satisfied that public hearing. Okay. Thank you. So, no one wishes to speak on it. Closed public hearing. And in that case, may I get a a motion, please, on item 18, which is items A and B. Mr.

Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve number 18, items A and B as presented. I have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Motion and a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. I. Opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you. Uh this brings us to item number 19. Uh which is also a public hearing. Miss Garza, you are right there. Good morning, chairman, members of the board. Celeste Garza, public works deputy director.

Item 19 is an abandonment located in district 1 along Amarillo Valley Road and Peterson Null Road. Uh this abandonment is related to a replplat of a subdivision called Palamino Ranch. Um the engineering consultant is realigning some of these roadways and they are taking them off the section line and through the subdivision. So this that's the reason for the abandonment. Um the Peters and Null alignment is what we share with the Auction Indian community.

Um it doesn't have uh improvements on it today and likely won't be an east west corridor for us. So those the there's a photo looking north from the end of what the subdivision has built today. Um this property is also adjacent to a future school site that'll be developed um to serve the area in the future. And then this is looking along Amarillo to the south. There you can see the Indian community to the north and then future residential planned in that blue and pink area of Palamino Ranch.

This is the Peterson null alignment west and east. And I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. Is there any questions for Miss Garza? All right. I guess not. You satisfied everybody here. Thank you so much. Love that. Thank you. Uh this is a public hearing. So at this time, I'll open the public hearing for item 19. Are there any members of the public that wish to speak to this item hearing?

And seeing none, I will close the public hearing and ask the board uh if they have no other questions for a motion. Please. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve item number 19 as presented. Have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Motion and a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. I. I. Opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you very much. This brings us to item 20 and 21. And at this time, the uh applicant go No, go ahead. Mr. Penko, come forward, please.

Almost. Good afternoon, board members. Almost. My name is my name is Pashik senior planner. Uh regarding this case uh chairman received yesterday the letter from the applicant with request to continue the case. Uh there was no date uh provided by the applicant. Applicant was informed about following open dates for the uh sessions with the board of supervisor and maybe applicant will be able to determine the date. uh uh staff also ready to present the case.

If board wish to to hear for that an applicant is here as well to make the formal uh request to continue the case. We I mean so they're going to continue it. Show I mean we can just continue it to I believe we have I believe the applicant wishes to give us a date they'd like to continue this to. Give me just just a second. Good morning, Mr. Chair, members of the board. Uh Stephen Anderson, 40 North Central, 20th floor in Phoenix.

On behalf of the applicant of Vantis, uh apologize for not including a date certain in our continuous request letter yesterday. We did not have any chance to verify with the staff whether you all would in fact be meeting on August 5. We've now done that. Uh and so that is the date to which we would like to request the continuence. Um so that's August 5 for your record. and I'd be happy to answer any questions about the request. Are there any questions for Mr. Anderson?

I feel like I'm talking to the matrix now. Thank you. No, no, no questions. Thank you. We're good. Uh this these are public hearings, however. Um and so we will I will now open the public hearing on 20 and 21. Okay. Uh, first up I have Mr. Alazada. No. Oh, no. You didn't wish to speak. Okay. Thank you. Uh, second I have uh Mr. Brown. Jacob Brown. Did you care to speak? Come on. Come on down if you want to speak. Hi. Thank you. Please, just for the record, your name and generally where you live.

This Yeah, I got it here. Got it. Okay. Morning members of the board in Penon County. Uh my name is Jacob Brown representing Blackhawk Ranch. Uh I'm a firstg uh rancher and solar grazer. Um being that this is uh numbers 20 and 21 was approved to be continued or to be uh I guess requested to be continued. Um this kind of defeats the point. But I will go on. Um I'm here uh to unite only not only solar devs but also um those that are unsure about uh solar farms or projects.

Uh I am saying that the project can not only just not stir up the dust but also to uh bring on uh aggravax which is basically solar projects that are allowing farmers and ranchers to be able to uh you know take their sheep and or native plants and grow around the projects or the arrays.

uh these this would not only develop the soil but also to help against uh you know reducing the intensity of dust storms uh keeping in uh the stewardship of our lands and conservation of it um just to uh go back on uh or go back to some words from the supervisor Mr. Goodman. Um just this would also help to honor our land here for the last 250 years.

Um we are we have the roots of farming and ranching and therefore we also should be looking forward to the future and why not go hand inand with ranchers and farmers as well as solar devs that are looking towards the future but also uh working with farmers and ranchers to keep that land um developed uh with agriculture and as well as solar. Um, so that was something that I wanted to speak on.

Um, I also want to throw my hat in the ring as a solar grazer um, for projects that are not only here but also in the future um, that are developed around Arizona. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next, I have Mr. Cox. Good morning. I'm happy to be able to show what I believe is support for a solar project in my community. As far as I have studied, which I have studied several years, I see nothing but advantage for this type of energy production.

The site where it is proposed is such that people will actually have to go looking for it to be able to see it from the highway. I see it as an advantage. It is supplying a need for Arizona, but in our situation where I live in San Manuel, it is a secondary supply of a needed utility. If there is an occasional problem with the APS provider of electricity, this becomes a second and that is a beneficial to us.

I would like to state my overwhelming support in that any concerns brought up and I was one at one time they have been resolved successfully. So, I will offer my support for this company to provide a solar generation and storage facility. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Cox. Next, I have Miss Haw. Thank you. I'm Shiman Haw. This is Nico. Miss Kennedy, I have a document I want to introduce to the record. I have to get it from my purse, so I'll bring it to you after.

I too appreciate the opportunity to stand here in support of Avantis and Ortown Solar uh being established in San Manuel. Um the the former mining property is already fenced. It's a former mine production property. It's not actually on the tailings pile which was federally mandated to be recovered and reclaimed and that is in perpetuity that that is supposed to be maintained.

Um, so this solar farm is a really good use for land that would otherwise be toxic and not usable or beneficial to our community at all. Um, other than historically as something to say, wow, that's why we started is because it used to be the biggest hole in the ground in the United States. Um besides that, Avantis has really been very um receptive to community input. They have been very diligent in answering all of our questions. They have given us scientificbased answers to those questions.

They've been meticulous about paying attention to any potential environmental impacts to our area and have even designed their um pad, their overlay design with concerns towards washes that already exist on the property and animals being able to traverse. So, um it's a really great situation. It's going to provide a lot of income for our school district and our fire district and in an unincorporated community. That's a real boon for us.

So again, I join my neighbor Brian in giving full support to this project and I'll be back on August 5th to say it all again. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Oz. Uh Mr. Let's see, Mr. Cardinus. Chairman Mccclure, honorable supervisors, Mark Carter is here on behalf of the Carpenters Union in support of Vantis's ortown solar project. Uh we've worked with the Vantis on other energy projects here in Arizona.

Um and they've earned a reputation with us for partnering with local skilled trades and putting Arizona workers on their jobs. They understand that when you invest in local craftsmen and women, you get a project that's built safely, on schedule, and to the highest standards of quality.

For our members, this project means family supported jobs, opportunities for apprentices to learn a skilled trade, and careers that allow people to stay and work right here instead of leaving the state to find work. Just as important, the wages earned on projects like this are spent in our local communities. They support small businesses, generate tax revenue, and create a ripple effect that benefits all of Panal County.

Advantis has been a good partner to Arizona's construction industry, and we're confident that Ortown Solar will continue that track record by creating quality jobs, will helping meet Arizona's growing energy needs. On behalf of the Carpenters Union, I respectfully act ask for your support of this project. Thank you. Thank you. In August, of course. In August. Yeah. Um Mr. Carral, please. Good afternoon, Chairman Mccclure. Uh, honorable members of the board.

My name is Caesar Corral, and I'm here today on behalf of Sheet Metal Workers Local 359 in support of the Ortown Solar and Storage Project. Uh, for our members, apprentices and workers and our local cities and towns, projects like Ortown mean staying home with our families. When projects are built here in Panol County, our skilled tradesmen and women have the opportunity to work close to home instead of traveling hours or even out of state to earn a living.

That means more time with their families, less time on the road, and more of their paychecks being spent at our local restaurants, our local grocery stores, our local gas station, and our small businesses right here in our community. Ortown will create up to 200 well-paying construction jobs while prioritizing local hiring, ensuring the benefits of this project are felt by the people who call this region home. That's exactly the kind of investment our workforce and our communities need.

Beyond the jobs, Orttown is committed to investing directly in San Manuel through scholarships, support for local schools, improvement to community facilities, and funding for public safety and local events. It will also generate tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue over its lifetime. helping support roads, schools, and public safety without raising taxes.

The project also puts a portion of the retired San Manuel copper mine back to productive use while generating enough clean electricity to power approximately 35,000 Arizona homes. By pairing solar with battery storage, it will help improve our grid reliability and meet Arizona's growing energy needs. On behalf of members of Smart Local 359, I respectfully ask for your support of the ORTown Solar and Storage Project.

It's an investment in our local workers, our local communities, and Arizona's future. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Uh next, I have uh Mr. Crew. Good morning, supervisors, and thank you for the opportunity. Uh my name is Wesley Crew. I'm a representative from an organization called Arizonans for a clean economy. I'm here to submit for public record 57 Panala residents that are in support of the ORT town project that were not able to make it here today.

So, thank you so much. I'm going to submit these for the public record. Thank you, sir. Had one other card, but the Mr. Gutierrez, but you didn't wish to speak. Is that still correct if you're still here? All right. And that's the end of the cards have. Are there any others that wish to speak to this item? Okay, this at this time uh we're going to continue this item. Do we need we don't need a motion. Do we we need a motion to continue? Yeah, we need a motion to continue.

And uh at this time, we'll we'll we'll keep the public hearing open for August 8th. Yeah. Okay. Give others a chance to speak if they wish to or the same or Mr. Cra come speak again. I know he wanted to do that. He just said that a minute ago. Okay. May I get a motion, please, on item uh 20? Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we um continue continue. Thank you.

I was looking for the word continue to August 5th uh at our next board meeting on August 5th and with public hearing to continue the public hearing. Okay. I have a motion. Is there a second? Second motion and a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. Those opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you. Uh for item 20 uh 21, please make it a motion. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we continue till August 5th, item number 21 with uh public hearing. With public hearing.

Okay. I have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Motion and a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I I opposed hearing. None. Motion passes. Thank you. See you on August 5th. Happy 4th. Okay. Which brings us to item uh 22. Uh we will be hearing items 22, 23, and 24 together. Uh this time I have Mr. Amaya to present for 22. Good morning or good afternoon now. Hello. Hello chairman. It's good to be back. So to I'll just wait for the presentation. All right.

So this is for the all three cases are for the Valley Farms Energy Center. So to break down each application, so PZPA028-25 is an approval of a non- major comprehensive plan amendment to develop this from uh green energy production to general public facilities and services to develop the site as a battery energy storage system other known as a BES with an ancillary equipment.

PZ0339-25 is requesting an a reszone of 68 approximately 68.77 acres from general rural to industrial I3 to to develop the best and then PZPD026-25 is a planned area development to develop the uh the site as the best to amend the permitted uses and possible development standards. So the site is located at the northwest corner of East Bartlett Road and North Clemens Road east of the city of Kulage in unincorporated Panal County.

The land owner is Margaret uh Kamanera and uh Susan Hansen's co uh co-living trust and the applicant is Shawn Lake of Pew and Lake PLC. So this shows the county map uh in comparison to the site. It is a little bit east of the city of uh the town of Kulage. And then this is the vicinity map. Uh the brownish color that that's just how our maps are is the city of Kulage just a reference of where it is located. And then this is the current aerial with the purple showing uh city of Kulage.

And then for the comprehensive plan amendment uh so like I said they are requesting to be uh redesated as the general public facilities and services. And then for the zoning, they are requesting that industrial zoning. And then this was the 600 foot uh public notification as required by state statutes. And then these are the broadcast signs put up by the applicant and all the site photos looking in all directions.

So originally when they submitted for this site it was 160 acres but they have gone through a parcel split and I have uh the fee number as well and then it was recorded on May 19th. So it this partial split broke up the parcel into two parcels parcel A and parcel B. Parcel A is the approximately 71.45 acres that will be the subject site for the all applications.

So for the site plan as I said it is approximately 68.77 acres and the pro the project will include the the best system as well as a layown yard set substation SRP switchboard retention ponds as well as internal access roads landscape buffers and then a security fence.

So the pro the existing residential is approximately 600 ft from the sub the subject site uh just across the street to the east and then to break down the site plan even more I have broken shown that where the northern portion which has the be the best system as well as the lay down and retention pond and then the sub the southern portion which would be the substation and the srpit port. So also included within the application was a decommissioning plan.

This includes de disconnecting it from the p from the power grid, removal of the equipment and restoring the property uh back to the original as agreed upon. So uh just a little uh knowledge on the surrounding areas. There are uh 230 kilovolt power lines adjacent to Bartlett Road. I you can see that in the the image to the right with the red line on the southern portion and then there is also the solar generating facility to the southwest as well from solar and SRP.

So uh for items of consideration uh just to sum it up they are requesting the uh non- major comprehensive plan amendment from general public facil from green energy production sorry to general public facilities and services. They are requesting the reszone from general rural to industrial and then they are proposing the PA amendment.

This uh P Amendment or P A overlay, excuse me, would only permit the use as a power plant which the best systems are and adjacent use considered that and it will not allow the wastewater treatment plants and ancillary offices that are also included in our code.

The site will have two access points along North Clemens Road and then uh the location of the solar facilities uh does does show it as a possible location and then a uh traffic impact statement and drainage report will be required at the time of site plan approval. So for public participation uh at the time of uh publishing we did receive 53 le letter letter letters of support from the applicant as well as two letters of opposition from members of the public.

Uh one of those letters came from within of support came from within the 600 foot notification area. During that time from publishing to now we have received five additional letters of support from the applicant as well as five letters of opposition from the public. I have those if you would like to see those as well. And then at the May 21st planning commission meeting, all three cases were voted for recommendation of denial. Uh voted six to three.

And some of the concerns that were expressed during this meeting were included the health, fire, and traffic concerns. So uh the applicant has actually requested adding three stipulations uh shown in for the record. I will read them in. This would include uh number 21, a wall wrapping around the northern boundary of the property will be 10-ft opaque visual screen wall that will wrap around the corners of the project.

Number 22, a landscape buffer on the northern boundary will be planted with oversized mature trees. And number three, a landscape buffer to the on the east, west, and southern boundaries will be planted with large oleanders as well. And then they have the Latin name for them as well.

uh because uh these similar are mostly aesthetic we do it does not require a substantive they are not substantive in nature and do not need to go back to the planning and zoning commission and then should you approve the uh PZPA028-25 staff is recommending the one stipulation uh for the reason PZ039-25 if If you choose to approve it, staff is recommending the three stipulations.

And then should you approve the planned area development that would uh staff is recommending the 23 st uh stipulations. Does that does that include the last Sorry. Yeah, that includes the last three the last three that they added. Yes, it does. Okay, cool. Did I get that correct? All right, that concludes my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions. Are there any questions for Mr. Amaya? Yes, M. May I see the letters? Yes, please. Thank you. Do I need to give this to the that away?

Any other questions from the board? Um just explain to me the the current zoning is green energy production. Yes. Uh the current zoning is green energy production. Uh at the previously they had applied for a large solar facility that was uh denied by the board of supervisors and the green energy production only allows the solar generation. So the the what they are going for the general public facilities would allow the best system not the green energy would not this last year. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Okay. Thank you Mr. Maya. And then the the applicant is here to present. Yes. Okay. Thank you. And Mr. Applicant that's amazing you have the same last name. Is that Mr. Lake? Quite the quite the coincidence. Good afternoon board. My name is Sean Lake 1744 South Val Vista here on behalf of Next Era.

appreciate the opportunity to be before you uh this afternoon to talk about this project and and I'm going to try to simplify it as as best I can so that I understand it because there's a lot of things that go into making our society the way it's going happen. And one of the things that is needed to make our society happen is energy. And with us here today we have representatives from SRP and ED2, both of which are in support of this project.

but they can take on the real technical questions on how we bring energy into our home, into our businesses, and into uh making our lives the way we've chosen to have them with this next generation. I'm not going to talk everybody, we've all met with Next Era. Everybody knows Next Era is a very large energy production company. They do all forms of energy and so they're not just one or the other. They're a very large company and and so we're glad to have them here and let me see if this works.

There we go. So, we have representatives from Next Era that are here to talk about specific or technical questions that may come up. I will go through kind of an overview of the project. Uh we have experts from hopefully all fields to entertain all questions that may or may not come up. Um staff did an excellent job of of going through the proposal. It's an interesting piece of property that's designated green energy, but the board said no on green energy.

And so we're coming back and amending that to go back to just uh general public facilities because this is just a battery system. All of the other stuff that had to do with green energy is gone. Literally, this is a battery that is put on the ground that taps into the existing grid directly adjacent to it and pulls energy and stores the energy in these batteries during low demand and then releases it back into the grid during peak demand. Now, why is that important?

Because you don't want to build energy production to meet high demand. It's too expensive. It doesn't make sense and it causes rates to go up for the rateayer. What you want is to have systems like this that can support the grid. So when it's 115 degrees outside and the overflow area is like a meat locker over in there in in the board of supervisor o overflow room, we can run our air conditioning and all feel good about living in the valley in the summer.

So, let me walk walk you through what's changed from the last time this was before the board. A substantial amount has changed from the last time the board saw it in a public hearing. So, now this there's no longer any solar. This is a standalone battery facility. We were 160 acres. It has been reduced down from 160 acres.

And as staff pointed out, we've split this parcel off and and no longer go all the way to the north and have a rather large buffer on the north, but we're down to a 68 acre site that we're reszoning. And of that 68 acres, only 20 of that is the best facility. The rest of that is going to be used for an SRP substation and and other substation and operating and just leftover land. So only 20 of the 68 acres will be used for BES. This has been shifted to move itself outside of the freeway corridor.

Uh after meetings with Kulage, uh we did create that 500 foot setback on our property. So that's not set back from the property owner, that's set back on our property. So that's 500 feet of of our property dropped down from the north and I think it's like 900 plus feet to that uh residential home to the north. um in discussion with uh supervisors and neighbors in the neighborhood meetings that we've had. We've had four community events uh on this project, one as late as a week last week.

We incorporated more things on this project to help mitigate or address concerns of the neighbors. Specifically, we incorporated a 10-ft wall along the north side of the property that will wrap as condition I think 21 uh points out that there's a reason why that's a 10-ft wall because those best containers are about 12 10 11 12 feet tall. So, I mean it will really buffer from a opaque structure if you are a wall.

So you won't be able to see it like you do when you just the solar arrays as you'd come into town from from north town which is just a chain link. So we do have a a wall. In addition to that wall and in listening to the neighbors and and others in our meetings over the last several weeks we've added mature trees along that northern boundary. We've also the balance of the site will wrap it with oleanders which those of us who grew up here know is a very hearty ve vegetation.

You just can't kill it. You water it and it will grow fast and it will grow and it it's just there and it will provide an excellent screening visual buffer around this site.

So we think those additional conditions that were added those last three since P&Z most everything stayed the same from what was presented at PNZ and presented to the neighbors but we added those additional three things in condition 21 22 and 23 to help further mitigate the the measures that had already been taken to reduce the size and scale of this project. Now why is this needed?

As we as a society continue to use more and more as electricity, um SRP and and other power companies have projected the need our need for power is increasing and this facility as you'll note on the lower right hand corner valley farms 400 megawatts is needed for the summer of 2028. We're hoping to have this done in 2027 and get this up and operation and functional so that we can support the grid so that we don't have any problems. Um, it is a contracted project with SRP. This is not spec.

We're not here maybe this is going to happen. This is a contracted project and we have SRP and and ED2 here to talk about that. Um, it will support the electrical grid. It will store energy in that low demand so that it can be delivered and support the grid during high demand periods. Again, as as I mentioned, it will support the increased energy demand as we continue to grow both in population and industry.

Here's kind of a a a zoom in on on some of the buffer issues and and what we've done along the north south uh side. We we cut and pasted some pictures of of what those mature trees on the north would be and and what an oleander for those that aren't haven't grown born and raised don't know what that looks like but us locals we'd know those things will grow dense thick and hardy is is that a good way to put it. I I think that's the best way to put it.

Um but this project will have all the buffer mechanisms in addition to the distance measure and it will comply with all industry standards um and in smoke detection, fire detection. We can go into that if you want to, but I'm going to pass right past that. Uh, and if you want to talk those safety, we have experts here to talk about that. Um, why is this needed at this location? That was a big discussion at at planning commission. Why at this location?

Well, this project is located between the AEL and Panal central substations and it is located along the um 230 KV power lines. So we can tap directly into the power lines to pull the energy off in low peak demands and store it in the batteries. And I would say electrical grids, and I'm not an expert. We have experts from SRP here. Electrical grids are kind of like what we would call wells, water wells to feed a water line.

You can't put all of your electrical or wells in one location and hope to supply water to a big population based. You have to put those wells throughout the community. It's the same thing with an electrical grid. You have to have various different locations throughout the grid to feed into that grid and support that grid so that it doesn't drop down and have brownouts like California does. So, let's talk about um growth and development.

You'll notice on the lower left in in green, the Panal County general plan comprehensive plan says without ample and a reliable energy, Panau County will not be competitive in attracting business and industry. Pano County has been competitive in attracting business and industry. And that's why we need a stabilized grid to support that power.

With some of these businesses that have written letters of support, but they they need a a reliable grid in addition to the people who live here want a reliable grid. That's what we're trying to provide. We will be using LG batteries in this facility that will be made in here in this county. And we all remember the the groundbreaking of the LG facility. So we'll be using local batteries in a local storing to support local businesses and local residences.

So we think uh we're trying to stay here and stay local and and keep the energy utilized here. Now, as far as how will this be a better will it produce sales tax or no, it doesn't produce sales tax, but it does produce property tax or uh because the improvements that will be on the property. And so we this is a projected revenue stream of what this will produce versus if it remained in agriculture.

And that will primarily b benefit the schools um and other county uh taxing districts such as the unified school district kage unified as as the as well as the junior college. We did have, as I pointed out, four n four meetings and community meetings, neighborhood meetings, and did get letters of support. And I think you received all of those in addition to some last minute ones, not only from businesses, but um uh property owners in the immediate area.

Um we did um and I wanted to read this, Valley Farms has a substantial number of letters of support from Panal County residents in including residents of Coolage. So, as staff pointed out, 53 letters of support. We've included just a few a few here to highlight the neighbors. Um, it's coming not only from from the recognition that the project provides critical energy and security for the region, but also from the community engagement.

Next resources has participated in working with the community and making donations and and contributions to Panalo County and Panal County uh charities or needs in the community. already making some of those donations with their existing projects and will continue to continue to support and be part of the community with those donations.

We have received letters of support from Salt River Project, the Arizona Technology Council, Panal Partnership, Panal County Farm Bureau, Regional Farm and uh Fire and Rescue, South Florence Volunteer Fire Department, LG, the Florence Chamber, Small Business Owners Hub Alliance, and other 48 other individuals in Panau County. So in summary, sorry for being winded. This is not the same project that was presented to you last time. There is no solar, there is no green energy.

That's why we're changing the plan. This is a contracted project that is needed to support the grid. This will provide uh the needed and necessary reliability and affordability so that we don't have to produce power at the peak demand and build power plants to do that. We can build less power plants and still meet the high demand by storing it during the low demand season. And it's also strategically cited right next to the 230 KV lines and between the two SRP substations.

So it's in a great location. It will provide enhanced security and stabilize the network and with the additional buffers and mitigation measures that we've gone through uh to make this uh more amendable. Uh we think this is a good project and we would urge your support with the additional conditions number 21, 22 and 23 that staff has already put in the staff report. We think this is a great project and and will help uh those that need the power when they need it in the middle of summer.

So with that, I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Any questions for Mr. Lake? Not at this time. Not at this time. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Um this is a public hearing. So I will at this time open the public hearing for 22, 23, and 24. Uh, I have quite a few cards here. I have a couple that don't wish to speak, but I think I have about 14 that wish to speak. And I'm going to start with Mr. Carral. Good afternoon, Chairman Mccclure, members of the board.

Uh, thank you for the opportunity to speak once more. As mentioned, my name is Caesar Carral and I'm here today with Sheet Metal Workers Local 359 in strong support of item 22, which is the Valley Farms Energy Storage Project. Um, just to mention one more time to us, they're not just energy projects. Uh, these are investments on our local workforce. They're investments on our apprentices, investments on our local communities.

Every project like Valley Farms creates opportunities for local men and women to earn a good living without having to leave their communities to find work. It allows our members to come home to their families every night, coach their kids, baseball teams, volunteer in their communities, and spend their paychecks at local businesses instead of taking them somewhere else. Just as importantly, projects like this are the training ground for the next generation of workers.

Our registered apprentices don't learn their trade sitting in a classroom alone. They learned by building real projects alongside experienced craftsmen. Today's apprentice is tomorrow's journeyman, foreman, superintendent, and business owner. They are the future builders of Arizona. And if we don't continue investing in projects like this, we risk losing the workforce when our state needs it most. Valley Farms also strengthens the infrastructure that our growing communities depend on.

As Panau County continues to expand, reliable energy is no longer a luxury. It's a necessity. Energy storage helps ensure our homes stay cool, our businesses stay open, and our families remain safe during Arizona's extreme summer heat. This project creates approximately 300 construction jobs, generates millions in local tax revenue, and invest in the future of both our workforce and our communities.

On behalf of the members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 359, I respectfully ask for your support of the Valley Farms Energy Storage Project, item 22. When you support projects like this, you're not just approving infrastructure, you're investing in Arizona's workers, developing the next generation of skilled trades people, and helping build a stronger future for Panal County. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I ask you guys for an approval. Thank you.

Uh, Miss Sai, Amy Sai, are you still There you are. You don't have to run. Good afternoon. Um, chair and members of the board. My name is Amy C. My family and I live in Kulage and we own Hob Express, a printing and multicarrier shipping business uh, store in the Safeway Plaza. We have been humbled to be recognized by the Kulage Chamber of Commerce as community partner of the year for the past two consecutive years.

I mention this only to share that we are committed to this community and strive to demonstrate it through our actions and not just words. I grew up under a dictatorship in another country. Rotating blackouts were part of everyday life. I experienced firsthand what unreliable electricity meant for families, businesses, and entire communities. That experience taught me never to take reliable electricity for granted.

Like many businesses, Nex Era has been one of our customers and that gave me an opportunity to read more about their projects. And rather than rely only on what I heard from others or read online, I decided to do my own research in terms that an ordinary person like me could understand. The biggest concern with battery storage facilities I found was fire safety.

But I learned that today's utility scale battery systems are installed in protective enclosures and include multiple layers of monitoring the temperature controls, detection systems, emergency shutdown features, and other safety measures that continue to improve over time. As a lay person, here's how I came to look at it. Cars still have accidents every day, yet we continue driving because they are essential to our daily lives.

Instead of giving up on them, engineers have continued making them safer. I was also curious about the leading cause of home fires in the United States. It's cooking, actually. Yet, nearly every home has a stove because the benefits outweigh the risks, and we continue improving safety. My family and I support renewable energy. As more renewable energy is added to our electric grid, reliable energy storage becomes an important part of the solution.

Panal County is growing rapidly and uh projects like this help provide reliable electricity, create jobs, attract investments, and strengthen our local economy. I also believe that ensuring a reliable and secure supply of electricity is a shared responsibility. I appreciate our community for being engaged and I sincerely thank the board for carefully evaluating projects like this as you prepare Penel County for the next for the future.

After taking the time to educate myself before forming an opinion, I respectfully ask you to support this project. I believe it is a responsible investment in our community's present and future. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Uh, Mr. Card I said Cardanus before. Is it Cardinus? How did you say that? Honorable chairman. I've heard it so many times. As long as you give it a shot, I'm good. Okay. All right. We're on. Um, morning again. Mark Carter is here with Western States Carpenters.

Address is 10797 West Randolph Road, Cassagrand, Arizona. here in support of the Valley Farms Energy Storage Project. Arizona, as Arizona continues to grow, we need to build not only new sources of energy, but the infrastructure that makes our electric grid stronger and more reliable. Battery storage plays an important role by storing electricity when it's abundant and then delivering it back to the grid when demand is highest. That helps improve reliability for Arizona families and businesses.

From our perspective, it's about jobs. The Valley Farm Storage Energy Storage Project will put skilled Arizona trades people to work, create opportunities for apprentices entering the construction industry, and generate economic activity that benefits local businesses throughout Panol County. Our members take pride in building the infrastructure that keeps Arizona moving.

Whether it's schools, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, or energy projects like this one, we know these investments create lasting benefits for our communities. The Valley Farms Energy Storage Project is a smart investment in both Arizona's energy future and Arizona's workforce. On behalf of the Carpenters Union, I respectfully ask for your support. Thank you. Uh, Mr. Lewis, Dylan Lewis, the board. Uh, hello, Mr. Mccclure. Thank you for seeing me. Hey, my name is Dylan Lewis.

I live at 618 West uh 14th Street in Florence. I have a sustainability asset company called Doca and Sustainability Advisors. And I have a we actually built it right here in Florence. One of the things that we do is we identify the most optimal solutions for land, whether it be manufacturing facilities, standalone battery, housing, office space, farming, etc. The the Valley Farms project location is a piece of land without enough water to really farm or really do anything that require water.

That's why we think it's, you know, one of the best spots we could have it. SRP has stated specifically that they need the capacity and are currently not on pace to keep up with the future growth. And so there we go with blackouts. So we know we need it. Um all of the battery capacity is staying right here in Panol County. So it's not going to to California, it's going to SRP, it's going to 82, which is, you know, very big. We're keeping it right here in Panol County.

Um, also, um, there's there's no solar, and I know that's such a big, uh, a big issue right now. There's a lot of solar fatigue, but there's absolutely no solar. It's it's capacity. It's just standalone battery. Um, I haven't had the opportunity to meet Mr. Wallace, but I'd like to. I know he doesn't live here year round, but I want to meet him and congratulate him because I do believe that he's in a win-win situation. If if this project moves forward, uh, his land value is going to go up.

his children could inherit, you know, a much more uh uh valuable piece of land in the future, which fantastic. If it doesn't move forward, then, you know, he won't have a, you know, standalone battery near his property, but we are still in the same boat. We still need the capacity. So, on that note, uh, Next has already contributed about $350,000 to the community. They've committed $600,000 just to this project for the betterment of Koolage.

Uh, they've created a lot of construction jobs and many full-time positions. Uh they buy their trucks uh for their fleet from Garrett Motors and I've personally worked at a food bank with them here or in Koolage. Uh they use many of Koolage and Panel County vendors. They've purchased land in the middle of Koolage and are currently building a facility for the Koolage employees and are making a plan to make a home in Koolage. Um they're a blue chip company. I want them in Koolage.

I used to live in Koolage. I live in Florence now. We I think we need more companies like them. So the more we help our community members uh the more we actually help our community and next is shown to be a community member of Kulage and of Panell County. So thank you. Thank you. Next is Mr. I believe it's GRight. Is that my curs my curses? Okay. So I the story there we used to write in cursive for our kids and they couldn't read it. So it's totally secret code. Oh that's uh all my fault.

My handwriting is not great these days. Anyway, thank you Mr. Chairman, members of the board. I'm Phil Garthr. I'm the senior planner for the city of Koolage, Arizona. In this matter, we acknowledge that Next Era NSRP have come and talked to us directly. Though in Panol County, the location lies within Koolage's planning boundary and the location and the area east of it to our airport are entirely within our business and commerce land use for several square miles.

This is noted as being within our business and commerce land use whereby such uses and intensities as this are not allowed. while also noting directly west of the site is our urban and neighborhood land use of also several square miles and again such uses of intensity that are also not allowed there.

So as seen this entire area for nearly a dozen square miles of business and commerce along with urban neighborhood land uses where three4s of the area are already annexed into Coolage are where proposals like this are not allowed and we would not support any major or minor general plan amendment of such to our general plan for proposals like this in this area. Thank you. Thank you. I have uh looks like Ms. Brown and Mr. Wallace.

Hi, I'm Misty Brown and this is my father, Jim Wallace, whose property sits directly adjacent to the proposed battery site. We are here in opposition of this project. My father has lived on this land for more than 50 years. At the planning and zoning meeting, Next Era told the commission, quote, "We have received support from surrounding neighborhoods except for one who would like to see just no development here." End quote. That one is my father.

There is a distinct difference between owning neighboring land and actually living on it. And to the claim that my father is simply against any development, that is not true. We would not be standing here today if next era were proposing homes instead like the ones being built just a mile away. There was never this was never about opposing growth. This was about the kind of growth our community deserves. They've talked about jobs and economic benefit. Here is a consider a comparison to consider.

The construction workforce can also pull from regional and national labor pools. They build it and they move on. And there has been some speaking today about the some jobs. But the actual question is is how many of those are permanent local jobs does this facility create for people who live here year after year versus 160 acres of 1acre custom home lots meets potentially a hundred families each paying property taxes every year.

Those homes stand not just for 20 or 30 years like a project but indefinitely. Each one of those families enrolls children in our schools, spends in our local businesses and becomes permanent part of this community. They've talked a great deal about being good neighbors and community support with their donations. None of that outweighs what this region stands to lose.

No family has ever said, "Let me build my home or buy my home next to a solar battery facility." This is a farming and family community, not a solar wasteland. And that is exactly what we are being turned into. Drive any number of routes from Florence Junction to Cassagran and you will see it. We are being boxed in by solar and battery facilities that stifle real meaningful growth. I'd ask the board to also look at who actually spoke in favor of this project at the planning and zoning hearing.

Eight people stood up that day and every single one of them had a financial tie to next era or the project. Not one neutral resident with nothing to gain stood up and said, "Yes, build this next to me." These are people who have no vested interest in the betterment of Panal County beyond the dollar that they can make. We thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Uh, next is Mr. Tom Wartz. Hello, Thomas WZ 309 South Blue Sky Lane, uh, corner of La Corner Road and 287.

For four generations, the Wartz family has been part of a Arizona agriculture, producing crops, creating jobs, investing in the well-being of the community. Unfortunately, due to ongoing water crisis and continued reduction in farmable acres, I had to step away from full-time farming two years ago after spending 10 meaningful years along the side of my father. That was not an easy decision.

Like many young agriculture families, we are facing the reality that water, land, and economic pressure are changing. That is or changing what is possible for the future of farming in Arizona. Even though I am no longer full-time farming, I remain deeply involved in our agriculture community through my work at Stoach Equipment, the local John Deere dealer. I continue to support farmers, ranchers, and producers who keep this region moving forward.

At the same time, I recognize that our community is changing. My family now lives near a large battery storage facility within eyesight. While change can be difficult, I also believe that these projects represent an important opportunity for Panal County. Battery storage and energy development can bring new jobs, strengthen the tax base, support local services, and help provide reliable power for Arizona's growing communities.

I also I have also seen firsthand that the presence of battery stores like the one I live less than a quarter mile from has not stopped growth in our area. Housing prices in my neighborhood have not been negatively affected by the battery plant. Homes continue to be built, sold, and occupied. Families are still choosing to move here, invest here, and build their lives here. that matters because it shows that responsible energy development and residential growth can exist together.

In many ways, energy projects can help create more stable future for rural areas that are already facing serious challenges from water shortages and reduced farmable acreage. As agriculture adapts, responsible energy development can provide another source of opportunity for land owners, workers, schools, and local businesses. Panal County has always been built by people willing to work, adapt, and invest in the future. My family has been part of that story for four generations.

Through agriculture, I believe the responsible energy development can be part of the next chapter, helping provide jobs, stability, and opportunity for generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Gernett, I believe. Did I get close on that one? Yes, you did. Okay, good. Just making sure. All right. Okay. Good afternoon, Chairman Mccclure. Uh members uh of the board of county commissioners. Uh it's good to be with you all. Um Mr.

Chairman, uh with your permission, I have a letter here that mirrors uh our comments if it's all right. So, uh yeah, good afternoon again. Um so, my name is Logan Gernett. I am the general manager of electrical district 2. uh took over for Ken Robbins and I've had the pleasure of meeting with with a few of you. Uh we are here today in support of the project as you've heard. Uh ED2 is a public power utility organized in Arizona.

Uh and you know we were originally founded to serve uh and benefit agriculture in Panal County alongside APS. Uh we now serve in and around Cassagran, Kulage uh and Florence. Um, you know, I do not appear uh here and and even if I weren't fairly new at ED2, uh I would not appear here very often in support uh of a generation project. Um there are two that we stand to uh benefit from. Uh that is this project as well as Panal Solar uh for which you may see me in a few months.

Um but effectively, you know, as our letter of support explains, uh we support it primarily because uh the district, the electrical district, uh is a beneficiary. Um SRP and ED2 have partnered uh in the past on transmission projects, generation projects. Um and SRP has been gracious enough to give us the opportunity to participate with them in this.

uh I just recently signed the term sheet with them uh whereby we will be given the where we have the opportunity to participate uh in this project at the same cost uh that SRP has. We are a notfor-profit public power district organized in Arizona and candidly uh one of the resources that we have relied on for the past se few decades uh is uh currently as a result of the southwest water issues having reductions in capacity and energy and we need to replace that resource.

uh you know effectively we understand that next era has met with a community um as well as local representatives made changes to mitigate impacts uh taking that feedback into account u I understand there's a local development fund to benefit Culage as well as Panal County and really from my perspective this is what you hope for uh and I I hope that this testimony stands out to Although I haven't been at ED2 that long, I've been in this business quite a long time, largely on the nonprofit side.

I care about serving customers. That's my desire. And what you hope for is amid all of these generation projects, you hope that the generation project benefits the local people living around it and you hope that people do it in the right way, which we believe that they have. So with that, I urge you to approve uh the changes. Thank you. Uh Gregory WS German Mccclure. Supervisors, I'm Gregory Wartz, 12006 North Hazeldine Road, Kasa Grande, and my wife and I are the owners of this property.

I'd like to start off maybe with just a little bit of history. We've been in the process se selling this property for four years. The reasons we decided to sell were downsizing, the lack of dependable water. Being a farmer, I'm on a farm. I don't like managing vacant land. I've only been able to farm a half to a quarter or less of the property in any one given year. We when we decided to sell the best offers came from energy companies and that's why we're down this road.

We felt it was a good use for the property. Others did not. The concerns that came up have been answered. The acres went from 160 to 170 acres. There are no solar panels. Safety concerns were also addressed. I will continue the farm to land directly to the north and to the west. My neighbors farming family that farmed to the south and east are in favor of this project. I have farmed around a power plant and batteries for years. Uh I've never had any issues. They're they're good neighbors.

People and businesses are coming to Panal County. There are lots of needs to fill directly or indirectly by the county. Roads security water power. This project should help with the power component. Infrastructure needs to come first as much as possible for a continued orderly growth of Panal County. In closing, I would ask for you to approve the item before you. Thank you. Thank you. Next is bo the whole family. Bobby Wartsen. Okay. Where's the kids? Where's the little kid? All right. Mr.

Chairman, supervisor. Thank you for having me. Bobby WZ 17 West here at Vista Drive. Um I come uh here to speak just as my profession land advisor organization. I'm an adviser and wanted to talk about why we think this is a a great site for an energy development.

Um we look at the growth of coolage and yes I we did hear the city um planner speak that this is where you know speak against it but why we think we this is a a good growth area for energy development is given where we're facing in terms of it's not just a local problem a national problem is a a housing affordability crisis builders are going to where they can build and and build at an affordable price. They need to go where there's utilities.

And in Arizona especially, they need to go where there's water. West of Koolage is where there's utilities. That is where there's sewer and water treatment. And there's also where there are certificates of certificated land. So that's wet water. There's over 4,000 acres um really 4,800 acres of certificated land west of the city of Kulage. Now at 3.5 units to the acre that's 17,000 units west of Koolage within that's part of the planning of Koolage that has utilities.

So this is what's most likely going to be developed. Now you take you know 2022 a robust housing year 419 units were were pulled single family permits were pulled for the city of Kulage. 23, 136, 24, 236, 20, 25, 282. So, let's use the uh a healthier housing market, 419 permits. That's roughly 40 years of inventory west of town that has water and utilities. Now, I would like to think that Koolage is going to grow faster than that, but what's going to that's going to take?

It's going to take jobs. And when you need jobs, you need industry. What attracts industry? You need three things. You need labor, you need water, you need power. And this is and that's why and so why we think we can use uh more power generation and a reliable grid is to attract energy I mean excuse me industry which will help coolage long term and help the growth. So with all that being said um I think it's obvious uh but we're in favor and I urge you guys to vote yes on this. Thank you.

Thank you. No more words this right. Okay, just checking. Okay. Uh we have uh Mr. Alza. Good afternoon. Sepan Dalazado with the Arizona Technology Council, 2800 North Central Avenue, Sweet 1530 in Phoenix. Uh before I begin my comments, I want to just take a moment to thank Supervisor Goodman for his comments on free speech and our democracy. As some of you may know, I am an American of Iranian descent.

And over the past 47 years, I've had family members be persecuted, abused, arrested, and even executed for expressing their views in free speech and trying to get their points across. So, I am very very grateful and it's always an honor and a privilege to stand before you to make comments. Uh, as I said at the planning and zoning commission, Arizona Technology Council is very supportive of this project.

Now, Nextera is an American-owned and operated developer who has done its best in reaching out to neighbors. They have tried to engage as many stakeholders as possible to ensure that this project moves forward in a timely and responsible fashion. They heard what you all said last year. They came back removed the solar generation portion. Uh whenever I had questions as a member of the tech Arizona technology council, I would always get a response within 24 hours from the the team there.

And if I'm getting responses within 24 hours, I can only imagine what residents, business owners, etc. who are in the region near this proposed project, how quick they are getting responses. This is a developer who understands that these types of projects are true partnerships and that you need to work as a whole in order to get them to move forward.

Now, as I've mentioned before, uh, regarding battery energy storage systems, you know, these facilities are very, very critical because we need energy for economic development in Panal County. This isn't the Arizona Technology Council saying that. This is Panal Partnership, local chambers of commerce, state chambers of commerce. They are all saying you need energy in all its forms.

Now, a single battery energy storage system is not going to resolve all the needs that the county needs, but it's going to be a piece of the puzzle, the mosaic, as I like to say, of meeting the energy demands of this growing county. So, with that, I want to take a second just again thank you all for uh entertaining public comments on this, and we hope that you will be supportive of this project as it moves forward. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Brady. Linda Brady.

Good afternoon, supervisors, Chairman Mccclure. My name is Linda Brady. I'm here representing SRP and our executive leadership and speaking in support of the Valley Farms battery energy storage project. From SRP's perspective, this comes down to one simple issue, and that's making sure that we have the energy and infrastructure in place to keep up with the growth happening in Panal County. And we're all seeing it. We're seeing more people moving here.

We're seeing more businesses wanting to invest here. And that's a positive story for the county, but growth only happens when there's reliable infrastructure in place and power. As a utility, our responsibility is to plan ahead. We have to build the infrastructure our customers need before the demand arrives and not after. If we wait until there's a shortage, we've waited too long. Battery storage is one of the quickest and most effective ways we have to strengthen reliability.

And this isn't just a future concept. As has been described, SRP has a contract with this project to receive power from it. And as Logan from ED2 shared, um, what has changed from the last time you considered this project, even though SRP doesn't provide electric service in Coolage, we've worked closely with ED2 because we heard the concerns about power availability and possibly missed economic development opportunities in the area.

So as a result now ED2 has the opportunity to participate in this project and access reliable competitively priced energy and that's significant because the utility that's serving Coolage sees the value in the project and how it can help with meet their future energy needs. We've um also heard concerns that battery storage will increase electric bills. That's simply the opposite.

The reality is is that batteries allow utilities such as SRP to fill the battery when power is cheap and then release it when demand is highest and energy is at its highest cost. This is how keeps cost down for customers. Another important thing is that next era listened to the concerns that were raised last year. They made changes to the project including they removed the solar. These batteries will be filled from the grid. the SRP grid.

I also want to highlight a direct benefit to the community. SRP requires renewable energy projects to support local communities with a hundred a $1,500 contribution per megawatt. So for this 400 megawatt project, that's $600,000. That's on top of what Next Era has already done for the community. Finally, I do want to say there's been a concern and I've heard it about the number of projects in this area. SRP heard the message when Valley Farms was selected by SRP. It was in 2023.

We will not pick any more projects in this area. This is it. Valley Farms. Thank you, Miss Brady. Please support it. Thank you, Mr. Tobin. I don't think you're still here. He did. Okay. In a rodeo to go. Oh, I thought you wanted to go. I thought you Well, I feel like a rodeo, too. Okay, shake. Okay, Mr. McCarville. My name is Kirk Marville, 9405 North Poy, Cassag Grandandy, Arizona. Uh, I'm a longtime real estate broker in Canal County. 45 years I've been doing this.

My dad practiced law here for 54 years. A lot of it in this building right here. Uh I don't work for Next Hour. However, I do work for the Words, but I'm not in other words. Anyway, they hired me six years ago to help them sell this land. We've been at this for six years. Uh when I I also come from a generational farm family. My father grew up on a farm in Iowa. I went to school to become a farmer. I went to Mississippi State University. Go dogs. Uh I got a I got a degree in aronomy.

I wanted to be a farmer. The last class I had my senior year was agricultural economics. I came back here. I put together a business plan. I went to the farm service agency to get a first-time farmer loan. I did the economics. If I was lucky, I might break even. If not, I would soon be farming my equity. So, my business plan, luckily, I had one. I didn't I didn't I didn't go through it. I I would have been bankrupt.

Uh my father said, "Well, for $300, you can get a real estate license." I said, "That's a great idea. Can I borrow $300?" So I started out helping generational farmers like the Worses and the Barnes and the Englands and all the people in Cagrand that got roads named after them that don't farm anymore. The Courtsson's uh I mean uh the Sings that none of those people farm anymore. The the the economics for farming were tough in the early ' 80s. They're brutal now.

The reason is there's way more farmland than there is water. There's there's probably enough farm water to farm about 25% of our irrigable acres. The worstas are experiencing that now. They haven't put a seed in the ground in this farm in 2 years. Luckily, they have an opportunity to exit, which we should be embracing because they're in a utility corridor. They're next to a substation. They can exit. And when they exit, the water they're not using is available to their neighbors.

It actually helps the fewer farmers who are going to make it will be able to share the water from the farms that are turned into nonwater using projects like utility scale solar. Solar is tremendously beneficial to the remaining farmers and uh not if we can embrace this transition in the number of acres which is already happening. The number of acres being planted now is way smaller than it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago. It's going to be smaller every year.

This is going to happen whether we like it or not because the Colorado River is not going to start running again. The fish are dying in San Carlos Lake right now and we've overp pumped the water table. The water table here is a couple hundred feet lower than it was 30 years ago. It's an unsustainable economic model. When people have a chance to exit and save water for the farmers that will make it, we can transition.

We can transition logically, we can transition uh intellectually, or we can transition catastrophically. because if the preventive planning drought assistance payments goes away today, bankruptcy starts tomorrow and uh I don't want to sell farms on the courthouse steps. Thank you for your time. Thank you. And that's all the cards I have. Are there any others that wish to speak the public hearing to these items? Mr. Scott. Oh, okay. We'll go here and then Mr. Scott, you're next. Mr.

Chairman, thank you. Board of Supervisors, Mr. Lou. Uh, my name is Stephen Kerber. I'm the fire chief, founder and president of Regional Fire and Rescue. Been serving greater panel county for 31 years. Uh, I did provide a letter of support for Next Era Energy and the Valley Farms Energy Project. Uh, dated May 20th. It should be in your packet. I don't have anything uh written uh uh in advance. I just wanted to obviously express my support for the project.

There seems to be a lot of community support and compelling argument in support of the project. Uh notwithstanding everything we've already heard here today, uh I realize that there are, you know, fire concerns. Um I think there are some key points in my letter that should be understood that some of the community has expressed concern about fire hazard and some of the comparative examples were given of a decadesl long ago fire that occurred in California of which involved battery storage.

Uh this is all new technology. uh the battery uh segments disconnect from the grid and from the the system automatically whenever there's a resistance fault. It prevents a thermal override or uh runaway and so it reduces the chances for fire. I'm not an expert, but I am a fire chief that has been exposed and interested ever since my first contact with Nexta Energy in 2017.

So we have almost a decade of experience with their transparency and diligence and providing all the information regarding the safety and our fire department's actions with regard to a fire. This began with the central uh energy uh panel central energy project which was over at 19 South Sunshine Boulevard at 287. So we've been covering that since uh it was completed.

Um, now they're in need of services in the unincorporated area for the Valley Farms Energy Center and we're more than happy to provide them service. Um, as far as the uh uh information that has been uh discussed today, I I think it's overwhelming and compelling that this is an important uh infrastructure project and uh we're happy to support the Valley Farms Energy Center and I hope you will too. Thank you very much. Thank you, Chief. Uh, Mr. Scott.

Uh, Chairman Mccclure, Vice President Syria, supervisors. I just wanted to point out that my family is also a generational uh farmers in Arizona since 198 or 1880. You know, I'm not against solar. I'm not against bass. They just simply need to be in the right place. The Valley Farms Energy Center proposal is not in the right place. Let me tell you why.

Next era was asked at the planning zoning meeting if they were going to store excess electricity that was generated from their three solar farms that are in the city of Kulage limits. They said no. They said that it was important to be next to the 230 KV line that is where the surplus surplus uh electricity is.

With this being said, they could receive surplus electricity anywhere along the 230 KV line so their proposed project can be relocated to another place that doesn't affect people and the city of Kulage for future growth path. We we have been taught that electricity doesn't go left or right. It just goes and it is removed where it is needed which could be any place. SRP has a contractual agreement with ED2 to supply electricity which is go which is a good thing.

SRP has a large presence of a gas powered generation plant 2 and a half miles south of Koolage and has active relationships with many other solar farms and best facilities. According to the website, Bartlett Road in the city of Kulage general plan shows a four-lane arterial road bringing potential growth uh and links to Koolage from the north uh south alignment freeway.

The panel county uh comprehensive plan shows the intersection of Bartlett Road and Clemens as an intense commercial center that surrounds the current zone green energy that they are currently at. The county is well aware of the growth and commerce business that is in the future of this area. Mayor John Thompson of the city of Kulage has stated many times that he doesn't want any green energy or best projects north of Bartlett Road.

The city of Kulage has uh sent a representative three times to Panalo County Planning and Zoning Commission with a hard no and the board of supervisors twice, including today with a hard no. Koolage is unique in that it is represented by three board of supervisors. Supervisor Miller, Chairman Mccclure, and Supervisor Vitello all have taken the charge to protect and approve positive well thought growth to the constituents and stakeholders.

We have heard today from the city of Kulage that they are not in favor of Valley Farms Energy Center at this current location. To be supportive and consistent, I would assume that the board of supervisors that represent the citizens in Kulage will vote no on this proposal. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Scott. Any others that wish to speak? Mr. back down. Good afternoon, Chairman Mccclure, Vice Chairman Suri, board members, Tom Bagel, South Sunshine Boulevard, Kulage, Arizona.

I'm here today to ask you to vote no on agenda items 22, 23, and 24 regarding Nexter's energ next Energy's request to locate battery storage facility just outside of the Koolage city limits. The city of Koolage and those living in the Koolage area have repeatedly said no to Next's attempts to locate solar facilities and battery storage in this particular area. And yet, they continue to push their project. Why are they so insistent on this or any version of the project to be located in this area?

Doesn't make sense. Jim Wallace, who will be the closest in proximity to this project, does not want this near him. Yet, Next Era continues to push. Next's representatives that are here to push the project do not live here. They have tried to make an issue with local people that they shouldn't be concerned if they live in town. Again, they do not live here. They provide letters of support with most, if not all, coming from people or organizations outside of Culage. They do not live here.

In the application for change of zoning on page two supporting information item four it states there is no potential for smoke, fumes, dust or glare from this project. Yet at the planning and zoning meeting around 45 minutes was spent talking about what happens if there's a battery fire. Sounds to me that there there is a potential but the good folks at next just want to downplay it. Again they do not live here.

In the past, the city of Kulage has been very generous to Next, approving the Story Energy Center, solar Saint solar energy center, and Selma energy center in that they still want more with very little return to the Koolage community. The city of Koolage is a big no in regard to this project. Thank you very much. And I'm asking you to please vote no on this project. Thank you. Thank you. There any others that wish to speak to this item? Richie Kennedy, uh, 5136 West Click Road.

Um, I'm just going to stay pointed to the notion of property rights. It's appalling to me to sit in these meetings and listen to what a mayor can dictate, what he what he feels is right for people's property. And there's only one family here that pays the taxes on that. They should have the right to do whatever they want with this property, sell it to who they want with the notion of this company is coming with a clean record, a good neighbor, good faith. They've shown it. I've seen it.

The community has seen it. I think you all have seen it. I think we're dealing with people that just don't like the color of their neighbors houses. And it's a shame. SRP for many meetings has said, "We are going to be dealing with rolling blackouts." At what point do we not take that at face value? I don't want my AC off. I actually won't because I have a generator. Thank God for my dad's planning. But look at the people in this community. What are they going to do?

What are the people going to do that are moving in? They need power as well. The last little tidbit that I'm going to add, I farm in in Maricopa County. Um my yard sits right next to uh SRP, one of their uh generating stations. It has battery storage. Um, my wife's family sold I think it was about a 40 acre parcel just to the south. Guess what? It sold for six figures an acre. And you know what's going in there? Houses right across the street. Why? Because SRP like Nextera are good neighbors.

They care about the community. They're involved. I think both of these organizations as well as adding ED2 because we've been blessed. We deal with ED2. or here where we live in Cassag Grand. Um we're dealing with companies that we all should trust. I think they have proven records. And the last thing I think I'm just going to add that I just have a hard time dealing with is the notion that people don't live in Koolage. You're right. I don't live in Koolage. But you know what?

If I was ever annexed, I would be in Koolage. We're right on the border. I do most of my business in Koolage. Um, I have a large solar project that's going to move in right next pretty much an eighth of a mile away from me. I'm happy. You know why? Maybe I'm the weird guy, but I don't want neighbors. I don't. And the last thing I want to add is solar can always go back to farm ground. It always can.

One of the pieces that I farm SRP had a lease with some or somebody had a lease with SRP and the solar was taken out. Guess what? I'm farming it. It can happen. Thank you. Any others that wish to speak before the board on this item? No, you don't get to speak at the public hearing. You get to come back in a second. Okay. Any others wish to speak for the public hearing on this item hearing? Seeing none, I'll close the public hearing and applicant, you wish to have one more go at it here.

Um, chairman, board members, appreciate the opportunity and it's uh um proving to be a long day. I just wanted to clarify a couple of points. Several people have brought up solar. There is no solar in this project. This is taking power off of the grid, storing it, and putting it back on the grid on 20 acres. That's what we're talking about.

Substantial mitigation measures, visual mitigation measures, so that the mistakes that have been made in the past don't happen on this site where we're going to have walls and a lot more dense vegetation to the mistakes or whatever you want to call them that have happened in the past with other projects are not going to happen. Also, issues were brought up with with uh battery safety.

We have our experts here if you have questions about battery safety, but the the we think the issue is a non-issue as far as battery safety. Um and so we we're here to address that if you would like to discuss that. Um but the bottom line, I hear a lot of things. The property owner, he they should build homes or they should build industry or they should build businesses. But what are one thing? What do those things all have in common? They all need power.

And so nothing really happens as far as growth in Panal County or in this area unless we stabilize and have the power for those things to happen. And that's why we're here. Both ED2 and SRP have both gotten up in support and said, "This is a good location. This is a great spot to have this. We need this to happen so that it can go online summer of 2028. This is good use of this property.

This allows the property owner to do something with their property, which they're struggling with and have for six years. And it supports not not only Panal County, but the locals to have ED2 sell this energy to support the grid. So, we would uh happy to answer any questions, but would urge your support on this great project. Thank you. Are there any questions from the board at this time? Just just some statements, but go ahead, Supervisor. Supervisor Vidiello, I think you have a question. Sure.

Um, I've read all the letters. I've listened to people. I've actually called. I've actually met with a lot of people. I've met with Coolage. Um, but some of the questions I have is what is the $600,000 being spent on? I think that's something the public may want to know. So, I'm just curious. What is that 600? Abs. Absolutely. Thank you, uh, Chairman Supervisor Vidiello. Uh we have contacted the city of Kulage and we have allotted $600,000 to be given to the community.

They have identified two different projects and Kyle's here at the he's been speaking directly with Koolage about that. Excellent. Uh Supervisor Vidella, thanks for the question. Uh so far what we've talked with Koolage about they've identified two primary projects for it.

Uh the first one is a mobile generator for their adult center there in Koolage where they host a whole bunch of activities and also serves as essentially a an emergency space in case there's a power outage and and that mobile generator would support that. Uh in addition as you know the regional park has a number of unfunded portions of it so far. Uh and in working with the coolage staff they recommended that the lights uh which had not yet received funding be the next priority.

Uh transparently that that is about a $300,000 commitment between those two projects. And as Linda mentioned, our contract with SRP is such that it's $1,500 a megawatt or $600,000. And so we have a remainder of $300,000 that we need to find a home for. And we're looking forward to working with either the Panal County staff or the Koolage staff to find out exactly what the most impactful donations could be. Okay. So, uh I thought part of it was also for the transformer at their airport.

Didn't they have something at their airport they needed? When we spoke with them last, what we understood was that there was some work being done by APS at the transform at the airport. that was not what was brought up at our most recent meeting which was just a couple weeks ago. Uh if that's next on the list and we have the the rest of that fund to go for it. So that $600,000 is 100% guaranteed to the city of Koolage. The 600,000 however they need it.

The $600,000 is guaranteed by the contract with SRP. It is a requirement to do it. Uh we were unable to enter an agreement with Kage uh to do a contract with them since they're not the zoning authority here. So we went about it with SRP uh but fully understand that the benefit of it the purpose of it is so that members of coolers have a tangible benefit of having this project and next era as a neighbor uh more so than just making sure the lights stay on. That's exactly right.

Um also it's been mentioned that there's 30 to 50 acre feet of water used for gush dust control. That's a lot of water for dust control. Um is that a true number? How again how do I justify 30 to 50 acre feet? Is there something that you've done you know how to use? How do I go about understanding how that goes? Another Thank you for the question uh chair mccclur and supervisor video.

Uh so we've done this before uh and and quite honestly when we went back to our ENC team and we asked hey how much water is it going to use? They think it's the 30 uh acre feet of water for construction. What we put in there was 30 to 50 to be conservative because we're not trying to undersshoot the numbers. We're trying to be transparent here.

Uh I think what's important to note is that that amount is for the construction period only which is about 14 months and then the ongoing water use is as we mentioned for those oleanders and the other vegetation which is incredibly low. And so if you look at it from a 20 years time frame which is what our contract is with SRP we actually only use about 2.4% of the water rights that are allocated to this piece of property.

And that's even accounting for uh taking it down to just 68 acres out of the original 160. So while yes, I understand that upfront that number might sound a little bit large, uh it's in line with all other types of construction and is just a small upfront to to get a large benefit over the 20 years. Okay. So I thank you for the trees, the 10-ft walls, the oleanders. I had asked to have those batteries pushed back even further and did not get an answer. I'd like to know where that stands.

we had mentioned about the retention basin being put to push these batteries further back from Mr. Wallace's property. Where do we stand on that? Again, thank you for the question, uh, Chair McCclar and Supervisor Vidello. Uh, so as you mentioned, couldn't swap the locations of the substation and the battery just based on where that transmission line is and NSRP's plan. What we did do, took your feedback, consolidate as much as we could, shift them around as much as possible.

And while the property line of course has not changed and that's still 500 feet from the northern property line, the actual battery container from Mr. Wallace's property uh was about 890 and about 900 feet away. So we were able to bring it materially further away from from his structures on his property there. Uh and again transparently that is actually an augmentation battery, meaning it won't be there day one. That'll be later on in the the lifespan of the project when those batteries go in.

So uh again, we've really tried to take in your input as well as the communities and and think we did the the best we could. Yeah, I mean appreciate the trees and everything. So, there was a comment made um that this is a Bartland Road. Let me go to that one first. Is that going to be an issue down the road for them to expand to four lanes? Because it's in their plan. I heard Mr. Scott mention that uh that it may not be able to go to four lanes.

Is that true that this couldn't be widened to four lanes? What I can say can chairman clear supervisor video I can say from our project is we're we're well outside of that the ride ofway that's there I do know that there's again that existing transmission line uh that is already there that that may or may not be within the four lane wide but our project is is well north of any existing rideway. Okay. Yeah.

And then again the the the issue with the water obviously is a big thing uh not so much for the project but in general it was mentioned that you'd rather have houses there economic development and uh businesses which I am 100% for. I guess the question is without any extra battery or any extra energy how are they going to do this? So, this is just a question that I want you guys to understand that I'm concerned without the power, you ain't bringing anything.

And you definitely don't have enough water for housing. If you're going to bring a lot of houses, 1,700 houses, I know farmland uses a little bit more water. I understand all that, but the tradeoff there. And um so again, I just was wondering if you bring economic development, how you going to power this place? And and then my final thing is who's going to service this area firewise? Who is the local fire department that is going to show up there? Sure. I'll let Ashley take that.

She's been uh talking to all the fire agencies nearby. I messed up on procedure there. Kyle Whittier, director of development at Next Energy Resources. Hello, Ashley Johnson. I'm the developer on this project. We've been in communication with many of the local fire departments. As you know, this is an unincorporated panel county. So, we've been in discussions with the Florence Volunteer Fire Department, the regional volunteer fire department, as well as rural metro.

So, we got a lot of eyes on this project and we'll make sure that they are adequately responding to any any emergency that that were to happen. So, no contract. Well, we need to make sure that we can we can construct and operate the project first before we sign a contract. All right. Thank you. Supervisor Goodman, you had a comment. Yeah, several. Okay.

You know, when I first elected in 2017, you know, 85% of our population in the community was where I served in district 2, go outside of our community to go to work. So, quality of life for those families has been pretty demeaning, especially since they spend two or three hours on the road every day just to and from work. So, and and so one of my main reasons for running for this position was to help improve the quality of life for individuals here in our in our great county that we have are in.

Um been happy to say that we've brought a lot of industry here and a lot of growth is happening. You mentioned that LG which is a new plant that's going to be opening here and Supervisor Certis and my districts is going to be providing the the batteries for this facility um is big. That's huge. which is uh my kind of actually just being able to use your own products that are being built here and going and being used in another location within our county is major.

A lot of those employees that are going to be there, it's going to be a large percentage of them are going to probably be from this region, from this particular area as we move forward. I you know the biggest thing is you know to supervisor Vello's comments that he just made in regards to I heard somebody say that you should put more homes here or you should should do this. We've got the city of Kulage that's come up here and has spoken about their planning area.

You know, I've seen planning areas with cities that have gone on for years them to have planning areas and that have asked for to be have consideration for these planning areas and yet there's nothing there. Um and and it's not growing. It hasn't been growing. But in order for it to grow, it's got to have the infrastructure to be able to accomplish that.

Energy power is the biggest thing and we've got to find it somewhere because if we're not careful the way we've been growing, we're not going to be able to sustain new growth when it comes to industry and even with our homes that are being built here, let alone take care of the needs that we currently have. So, I I I I welcome projects like this, especially ones that store the energy and then use it at different rotates all that.

We had we did a we did we had a work study group a year ago that we had SRP and APS come in and talk specifically to what their needs were going to be. This particular project was on their list of projects that they were going to need to be able to sustain the growth that's going forward. Um for me I don't see any other direction because we really need to be thinking ahead of the game. I like the gentleman that spoke last when he talked about property rights.

That's a big thing for myself and for other supervisors on this. The water is scarce in that area. We've heard that. We know that. And uh this is a good project for that. It's the location of it is perfect for everything else. So um I I commend you. I especially commend you for reaching out to the community, the people locally, and getting their involvement, their input.

Even with even, it sounds like you've even been working with the uh town of Koolage um coming up with projects and things that you guys could help support the community itself. So, that I commend you for that. So, I appreciate that. That was it. You want me to go on? I thought you were still going to go. I don't know. I just I don't have a story this time. So, okay. All right. Any others who wish to speak before the board? Oh, I'm sorry. I closed it. Never mind. Don't do that.

Don't Don't go there. Sorry. I just got lost in your Oh, okay. Got caught up. Any any other comments from the board? Questions? Questions or comments? Either one of those. Yeah. I'm I'm just thrilled that there's no solar involved. It's just batteries which strengthen the grid. So if there was solar which is on its way out everywhere I think I would be against this. Okay. We chairman I also wanted to point out conditions three, five and seven also address the right of way for roadway.

So those are conditions of approval to address that concern. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. With that no other comments, questions. Thank you, Mr. Thank you. Appreciate. Okay. with that. Um, in that case, uh, I'm looking for a motion for item number 22. Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we approve item number 22 with one stipulation. I have a motion. Is there a second? Second. A motion and a second. Those in favor, present the key by saying I. I. I. Oppos. I. Wait, that was a Yes. I I I Okay. Okay.

Just checking. Okay. Just check. Okay. Uh Okay. Those I know he's throwing me off. Okay. All I'm hungry. Okay. So, all oppo. Any opposed? Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you. Okay. Item number 23. Motion, please. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve item number 23 as presented with three stipulations. Have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Motion and a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. I said I. Okay. Just checking. Okay. Uh opposed. Hearing none.

Motion passes. Item number 24. Motion, please. Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we approve item number 24 as presented with 23 stipulations. Second. Wait, wait, wait, wait. with 20 stipulations. Yeah. Okay. So, it's approved as presented with 23 stipulations, including stipulations 21, 22, and 23 as read into the record. I was about to say that because I can read. Mr.

Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve item 24 with 23 stipul 23 stipulations including stipulations 21 22 23 as read into the record. I have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Motion and a second. Those in favor please indicate by saying I. I. I opposed. Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you very much. All right. Item number 25 is a public hearing and discussion approval disapproval of CSR-009-25. Uh this has Miss Bedward. There you are. You've been around for a while.

How are you today? I am doing well, thank you, chair. And yourself? Very well, thank you. We'll let the room clear before you start in here. That's how you clear a room, you know. Okay, Miss Bedward, please continue. Okay. Thank you, chair. Good afternoon, chairman. Uh, good afternoon, supervisors. My name is Tanya Bedward, senior planner within, uh, the community development department.

And the proposal I am putting forward to you this afternoon is for the installation of it's a comprehensive sign package for the installation of an elect a freestanding electronic messaging board sign and this is a total of uh 45 square ft and this is located at the Gold Canyon Resort and Spa which is located at 61000 South Kings Ranch Road and Gold Canyon.

Uh as indicated on the county map, it shows the location of the of the where the sign will be installed um in relation to the surrounding area. And this is the vicinity map which presents uh represents um the overall vicinity of that location. And this provides an aerial overview of the site within which the sign will be installed. The photograph shows that the where the requisite notification was installed and placed on the property um to invite feedback from members of the public.

As it relates to the specification of the sign, as indicated, it's a freestanding sign uh with an LED proposed with an LED uh monitor with a height of 5t by a length of um 9 ft. And this would be mounted on top a platform of a monument um base of a height of 4 feet and a width of 10 ft. And this is a visual depiction of what it would um it would look like in the location it is being contemplated.

uh staff considered several factors, several criteria as outlined includes um visibility and placement um the quantity size illumination material and context as well as other considerations. Just to note that the based on the the based on what was provided all the conditions were met um except for illumination as code requires that signs that are illuminated under the flexib flexibility provision is required to be um submitted for the board's consideration and approval. Hence we're here today.

Um the matter was considered by the sign review committee um which met on the 23rd of September 2025 and at this time the committee recommended approval um of the sign four to zero and with a stipulation with five stipulations. Just to note that four of the stipulations were taken as provided uh with one amendment as outlined on the slide. Uh the code requires that um well speaks to deactivation of the signs at 11 p.m.

However, the sign review committee recommended an amendment to deactivation at 10 p.m. rather than at 7. Uh to date the county has received four letters of opposition and those were uh provided in the packet along with the the staff report and outlined is a mo outlined are two motions. one um to approve um case CSR00009-25 as presented with the five stipulations as outlined on the slide or secondly uh case a motion to deny um and the matter is now placed before the board for its consideration.

I'll take any questions and just to note chair that the applicant is also here if there are any questions. Thank you. Any any questions for Miss Bedward this time? No questions. Okay. Thank you, Miss Bedward. Um, and the applicant is not doesn't have a presentation. It doesn't look like No, he doesn't. No. And he's like, "No way." Okay. Yeah. Just check it. Okay. So, yeah, I don't want to do that. Okay. Thank you. Uh, in that case, I'm going to open the public hearing.

And anyone from the public care to speak on this item? I have no cards and one public. There we go. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of the board. My name is Terry Lyn Klukar, 5015 East Jacob Waltz in Apache Junction. And I'm opposed to this sign mainly because it doesn't fit in with the aesthetics of the neighborhood. I know you've had four letters of opposition. I'm sure there's other people in Gold Canyon who probably aren't going to like this sign once it's up if it does go up.

Um there is another sign similar down the street that was approved a few years ago. the same LED format with the moving banners and similar time zone or similar time limitations, foot candles, the whole the whole nine yards. My concern is I looked through the whole entire presentation and I'm kind of anal on documents. the documents that were the affidavits that were notorized.

As I was reading through, I noticed the name of the notary is a person that I know personally and she works at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort. So, if she's the notary that signed those documents, she's technically a party to those to the whole project and legally she's not allowed to sign those documents. So my question is why was she allowed to sign that the affidavit being that she does work at the resort and if there's some explanation to that I'd like to hear what that is.

If not, then I would like to find out if they could have a different notary sign those documents, either continue this case and get a legitimate notary to sign the documents the way it should be signed because she definitely works at the golf cart, the resort because I just looked it up on the website just to make sure. And she's the controller at the resort and she also signed the affidavit. That's all I have. Thank you.

Do do you do do you have my understanding of course is that a notary just attest to the fact that the person signing it is is the person is the idea makes no difference and they're not signing anything except to say yes that's the person that signed um validate anything about the document itself. It's just that this is the person that came before me. This is their ID. Here's my ID. Yep. That looks like you. Yes. And that's all there is. Yes. designated who it is, right? Okay.

Does that answer your question? No. No. Okay. Um, are there any other members of the public that wish to speak hearing? Seeing none, I will close the public hearing. And, uh, Miss Bedward, you're finished with your presentation. You got nothing else. Excellent. In that case, I would ask for um a motion, please. Unless the board has questions. I just want to make a comment.

The commenter mentioned there's one down the road and there was a lot of controversy about it, but it's now become part of the neighborhood and they've actually been trying for this sign for two years. That's how slow our system is. And as long as it con conforms to dark skies, I don't think there's a problem which and it can be dialed back. If there's complaints, we can dial back and take the take the uh brightness down and it will go off every night also. So that's it for me. Okay. Okay.

Any other comments or questions from the board? Okay. In that case, I would ask for a motion, please, on this item. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion to approve item 25 with five stipulations. Second. Have a motion and a second. Those in favor, please indicate by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Hearing none. Motion passes. Thank you very much. Item number 26. Um discussion of future agenda items. Anybody have anything they'd like to put on the agenda in the future this time? Immediate lunch.

Immediate lunch. Okay, we can put that on as item 27. Great. Any anything else from anyone? Okay, with that there's no more business before the board. We're journed.

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