At the January 21, 2025, Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board approved the list of parcels to be sold at the County’s tax deed auction. The auction will be held March 3, 2025, through March 7, 2025. For more information, contact the Treasurer’s Office at (928) 753-0737.
The Assessor’s Office has a program called the Address Protection Program which allows for property owners to receive notice if someone is trying to make changes to their deed. The cost for the program is $50.00 per parcel. The Board asked the Assessor to provide an analysis of the fee to see if it could be waived. No action was taken and the fee remains in place. The Recorder’s Office offers a free program called Recorded Document Alert where you can register online and should a document be recorded with your name on it, they will notify you by email.
District 2 Supervisor, Rich Lettman, requested the county create a policy allowing for State and Federal elected officials and their staff to temporarily use county offices for meeting constituents and local elected officials.
Additional items from Supervisor Rich Lettman, included a presentation from the Finance Director, Luke Mournian and County Attorney, Ryan Esplin regarding the leases between Mohave County and the Mohave County Airport Authority (MCAA) regarding the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport. Mohave County owns not only the airport, but the property that includes Sam’s Club, Home Depot and a several restaurants. In 2005, the County split the lease into two, separating the airport from the revenue generating properties. The Mohave County Airport Authority pays $1.00 for the entire term of their lease, and if they choose to renew their lease, it will cost $1.00 for forty years. Supervisor Lettman called the lease a form of corporate welfare by subsidizing the airport through the County’s loss of tax revenue. The Board has invited the (MCAA) to a meeting to make a formal presentation at a Supervisor’s meeting.
After years of the Board requesting the County take the Medical Examiner’s office in house, it’s going to continue to be years before that will happen according to County Procurement Director, Tara Acton. She stated they are in the framework of a transition plan. Once they get Board approval, it will be approximately six months to transfer staff and purchase any assets available from the Serenity Memorial Group. Then, it will take an additional twelve months to design and construct the morgue needed to take the services in house. Dr. Daniel Sudilovsky of Monolith Diagnostics and Forensics offered a solution they have tried to present at past Board meetings that would involve Kingman Regional Medical Center as the morgue site, at $18 per square foot. He proposes they could implement their plan in approximately three months. No action was taken at the January 21, 2025, meeting.
Citizen Grand Jury advocate Walter Spawr of Lake Havasu City, requested an item be pulled regarding the reappointment of several judges. Mr. Spawr argued that Judge Kenneth L. Gregory had violated several laws as well as legislated from the bench and should therefore not be reappointed. District 5 Supervisor Ron Gould requested a continuance of the item to gather more information. When the item was heard on February 3, 2025, Pastor Roy Hagemeyer of The Way Church in Fort Mohave, requested another Judge, Aaron Demke, also not be reappointed. Pastor Hagemeyer, advocating for the foster care system, argued that Judge Demke had not followed law and had caused hardship for families dealing with the foster system. Presiding Judge of the Mohave County Superior Court, Steve Moss, spoke in favor of both judges. Judge Moss also mentioned an unspoken code amongst judges to not speak ill of each other. Ultimately, every judge on Judge Moss’s list was approved in a four to one vote with Supervisor Gould dissenting.
At the February 3, 2025 meeting, Jennifer Esposito brought the Board’s attention to an item for the Animal Shelter that has seriously concerning connections to a religious cult. The Best Friends Network Grant was proposed to the Board in the amount of $3,210 for two Shelter employees to travel to Palm Springs for a two-day conference. After Mrs. Esposito’s presentation, Supervisor Gould motioned to continue the item to the next meeting on February 18, 2025 in order for staff to do more research. More information on this organization will be in next month’s edition.
The Home and Garden Show promoter, Desert Canyon Events, LLC requested a waiver of the $3,600 in fees for curtain dividers. “Scotty” McClure of Bullhead City spoke up in support of other vendors who are not receiving the same waiver. Director of Public Works Steve Latoski stated that this fee was recommended in the 2025 fee schedule. The Board continued the item to the next meeting.
The Board intended to review and approve changes to the Mohave County Board of Supervisor’s Rules of Order, but unfortunately there was glitch in the online agenda and no one was able to review the backup. The Board continued the item to the next meeting to allow time for them to review the changes.