Meeting Minutes
September 4, 2026

The meeting of the Naco Sanitary District was called to order at 5:10 PM. On roll call, Luis Silva, Victor Silva, and Charles Behney were present. Stephen Dey, Vice Chairman, was initially marked absent/excused due to vehicle trouble but joined the meeting remotely. Jesus Guerrero was excused due to a work emergency. A quorum was present.

The board reviewed the minutes from the August 7, 2026 meeting. No additions or corrections were noted. A motion was made by Mr. Behney to approve the August 7, 2026 minutes as written, which was seconded by Mr. Luis Silva. The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Behney reported on the status of grants, loans, regional partnerships, and monitoring wells, WIFA due diligence and census estimates. The current estimated Naco CDP population is 1,011 residents. The Naco Sanitary District contains 319 total tax parcels and 416 total housing units, of which 360 are occupied with hookups and 56 are vacant. Five active local businesses were counted, including the Gay 90s, a coffee company, the country club/Camp Rift, and the RV park. WIFA due diligence materials are due by October 13th, with a board vote targeted for early December. Regarding the City of Bisbee transition meeting, the district was invited to a meet-and-greet on September 13th with the Mayor-elect’s transition team regarding water and regional matters. For the USDA grant and matching funds, USDA approved a $30,000 grant requiring matching funds. Reserve funds are available if necessary, though loan applications through WIFA are being pursued to preserve capital reserves. On monitoring wells and maintenance, accelerated monitoring for nitrates is ongoing. Monitor Well #3 will be inspected during the next quarterly testing following recent rain and flooding. Replacement of two monitor wells is necessary. Fence work and site welding are scheduled by Victor Valenzuela.

Under the Consent Agenda, the board reviewed administrative and election fees. The district paid $250 in election cancellation services following the Cochise County Board of Supervisors approval of nomination petitions. Three incumbent candidates ran unopposed for open board positions. Vendor invoices were reviewed, including Ripple LLC invoices totaling just over $10,000 for flow meter repair, system troubleshooting, cellular control plans, and replacement of equipment, including a Siemens XPS10. Central Analytical Services laboratory testing fees of $595, $1,469.60, and $640 were also reviewed for quarterly water sampling, including nitrates, metals, and total coliform. The board then considered a site manager invoice for 27 hours of work totaling $945. Vice Chairman Stephen Dey assumed leadership to conduct the vote due to the Chairman’s recusal. A motion was made by Mr. Dey to approve payment of the $945 site manager invoice, which was seconded by Mr. Luis Silva. The motion passed unanimously.

Under New Business, the board discussed the Records Request Fee Policy. Electronic records delivered via email remain free of charge. A standard fee structure was proposed for physical paper copies. A motion was made by Mr. Behney to approve a charge of $0.25 per page for paper-printed records requests, which was seconded by Mr. Dey. The motion passed unanimously. The board next reviewed Site Operator Ronald Jacobson’s job performance, compliance track record, and technical work. A motion was made by Mr. Behney to approve a 10% salary increase for Site Operator Ronald Jacobson, raising his monthly compensation from $2,500 to $2,750 per month, which was seconded by Mr. Dey. The motion passed unanimously.

For the Call to the Public, several public comments were made. Ms. Lori Anderson raised concerns over engineering consultant fees from Kimley-Horn and tax dollar spending. Ms. Kimberly Wells inquired about independent contractor qualifications, potential conflicts of interest, past grant funding history, and requested project scope details and quotes regarding the regional preliminary engineering review. Ms. Kerri Ann Blankenship protested property tax allocations distributed to the sanitary district relative to other local districts. Additional public statements included a remark from Ms. Welz directed at Vice Chairman Steve Dey alleging Mr. Dey was “probably drunk. Mr. Dey strongly refuted the remark, clarifying his long-term sobriety. District legal counsel Denis Fitzgibbons clarified that board members cannot deliberate or answer non-agenda items during public comments. Public records requests may be fulfilled per standard statutory compliance, and requested topics can be placed on the agenda for future meetings or public work sessions. Both Ms. Welz and Mr. David Loyd were ruled out of order for disrupting the board and interrupting public comments. Following these exchanges, Vice Chairman Steve Dey excused himself from the meeting.

A motion was made by Mr. Behney to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded by Mr. Luis Silva. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 5:48 PM.

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Charles Behney, Naco Sanitary District Chair