October, 2025 - Naco Sanitary District

Meeting Notice
and
Agenda

2:00PM October 3, 2025

NSD Business Office
1326 W. Highway 92 #12
Bisbee, Arizona 85603

The Naco Sanitary District will hold a meeting at the NSD office, 1326 W. Highway 92, Suite 12 at 10:00 AM on Friday October 3, 2025.

AGENDA

ANY ITEM ON THIS AGENDA IS OPEN FOR DISCUSSION. THE ORDER OR DELETION OF ANY ITEM ON THIS AGENDA MAY BE SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION AT THE MEETING

2:00 PM

CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL

Old Business

Discussion and possible approval of the NSD Minutes for 9/5/2025.

Discussion of legal services.

Discussion of the status regarding USDA, NADBank and WIFA grants and loans. Impact of federal government furloughs and shutdown.

Public Comments

Public comment will be limited to 3 minutes. State statutes prevent Board members from responding directly to public comments or questions. The board may, at it’s own discretion, place the topic on a future meeting agenda for discussion.

Adjourn Meeting

To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/kbo-htuw-ijx Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +1 513-486-2641 and enter this PIN: 510 485 358#, To view more phone numbers, click this link: https://tel.meet/kbo-htuw-ijx?hs=5

__________________________
Charles Behney, NSD Chair

Posted at the Naco Fire Station and the Naco Post Office At 7:00 PM on 10/1/2025
Posted online on 8:30 PM 10/12025

Meeting

9/05/2025
NSD Business Office
1326 W. Highway 92 #12
Bisbee, Arizona 85603

Minutes

The regular meeting of the Naco Sanitary District was called to order at 9:37 AM. Present were Charles Behney, Jesus Guerrero, and Luis Silva. Andrew Foster (sick leave), Steven Day were absent.

First order of business was the discussion and approval of the Special Meeting Minutes for June 13, 2025. Charles Behney discussed corrections for the June 13, 2025, public budget and special hearing minutes. Jesus Guerrero found a redundant paragraph and a typo that were removed. The motion to approve the corrected minutes was unanimously passed.

Minutes for the August 1, 2025, work session (which included a plant tour) were also discussed and unanimously approved as written. Charles Behney included a sentence regarding Mr. Francisco Morales’ (NADBank) suggestion for an executive summary of the Naco Community Wetlands Mitigation Plan.

New Business

Charles Behney announced the resignation of Chris Willhoite as the Site Manager for NSD. Mr. Behney suggested leaving the position vacant to save money due to tight district finances, as most funds would not be received until November. The current site workers, while capable, do not currently possess the necessary experience or equipment for the site manager role but are performing well in their current capacities.

Legal counsel was discussed next. Mr. Behney informed the board that a letter was sent to Adriane Hofmeyr, an environmental attorney specializing in environmental justice, to inquire about her interest in providing legal services to NSD to facilitate progress on contracts and other district business.

Naco Community Wetlands Mitigation Plan Executive Summary 2018-2020 was discussed. Mr. Behney explained the five-page executive summary for the plan was created at Mr. Morales’ request for NADBank and other agencies. The summary, though initially intended to be two pages, expanded to five pages due to the plan’s complexity. It outlines the resolution approved in 2023 and has been shared with stakeholders including EPA, IBWC, NADBank, and others. The plan provides a regional solution to water insecurity and pollution by modernizing NSD lagoons, fostering bi-national cooperation, ensuring the long-term adequacy of the aquifer, and creating environmental and recreational improvements for the three communities. Mr. Behney outlined the significant regional challenges, including aquifer degradation, water trespasses, flood hazards, sewage overflows, and bi-national aquifer problems, which have led to water rationing and population decline in Bisbee and Naco. The proposed solutions involve connecting the three communities, treating Bisbee’s effluent in NSD lagoons, remediating the sulfate plume, and creating a wildlife observatory and recreational park for the local residents. Institutional barriers, such as Bisbee’s pipeline plan and the arbitrary removal of the Colonia designation by Cochise County, along with funding inequities, need to be overcome.

Next on the agenda was the Preliminary Engineering Review quote from Kimley Horn to NSD. Mr. Behney reviewed the proposal from Kimley Horn for the preliminary engineering review. Kimley Horn has extensive experience in water and wastewater projects and an experienced bi-national team. They provided a quote of $60,000 for comprehensive services, which is an excellent deal compared to the anticipated $120,000. $30,000 is already pending from USDA, and the remaining $30,000 is being sought from either USDA or WIFA, with potential for loan forgiveness due to the project’s focus on colonias and the low-income status of Naco. This engineering work is crucial for moving forward with NADBank, which has precedence for funding due to the project’s environmental remediation and transboundary border benefits.

The scope of work with Kimley Horn includes initial assessment and data collection, evaluation and analysis, recommendations development, cost estimation, and final reporting.This encompasses site visits, review of existing documentation, infrastructure assessment, technical analysis, and the development of phasing strategies and timelines.
NSD’s crew will assist with inspections of buried pipelines and the operation of electrical panels and valves, as these are excluded from Kimley Horn’s scope.

The meeting adjourned at 10:34 AM.

__________________________
Charles Behney, NSD Chair