Public comment not allowed: Supervisors quickly, quietly renew Hendrix’s contract

KINGMAN – Without much discussion and without accepting public comment, the Mohave County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $163,046 annual contract for County Administrator Mike Hendrix at Monday’s regular meeting.

The 5-0 vote also authorizes a $15,440 contribution to the Arizona State Retirement System.

Supervisors were ready to adjourn to executive session to discuss Hendrix’s contract, along with three other agenda items involving salary increases for county employees, when Supervisor Steve Moss said he didn’t think it was necessary, and Supervisor Buster Johnson agreed.

Hendrix noted that his take-home pay will remain unchanged at $147,500, and that he will pay his own health insurance for himself and his wife.

Steve Robinson, a Golden Valley resident who often challenges the county on financial issues, approached the podium to speak prior to the vote, but Chairwoman Jean Bishop denied him the opportunity, even though Robinson had filed a comment form prior to the meeting.

Bishop said comments are heard on agenda items listed for public hearings, but this was a personnel issue, not a public hearing.

Hendrix retired as county administrator and engineer in December 2014, and was rehired by the board through a contract with Educational Services Inc. of Scottsdale, thereby saving the county $10,000 a year, and his contract has been extended each year.

Hendrix’s salary will be 70 percent funded by county administration, 20 percent by engineering and 10 percent from the TV district.

In other action from Monday’s agenda:

• The board voted 4-1 (Supervisor Hildy Angius opposed) to table a recommendation to increase the information technology director’s salary from $95,243 to $107,557. Angius said the employee has done a fine job, but she was not comfortable with bumping his salary up with years to come on the high end of his pay scale.

• The board voted 5-0 to approve an increase in the county administrator assistant’s salary from $90,034 to $101,296 a year. The increase would be funded through department reorganization and salary savings.

• The board voted 4-1 (Angius opposed) to increase the executive secretary’s salary from $49,421 to $51,896 a year.

• The board pulled an item to recruit a public information officer using salary savings from reorganization of the Risk and Emergency Management.

• The board unanimously approved the Mohave County technology acceptable use policy.

• The board voted 5-0 to approve a salary increase for the clerk of the board from $54,288 to $59,862 a year.

• The board unanimously approved comments on the Arizona Strip environmental assessment for water development projects for submission to the BLM.

• The board continued until December a recommendation from Supervisor Moss to sell a 2-acre parcel to the Santa Fe Ranch owners association for $10 to develop and operate a public park serving the community.

• The board voted 4-1 (Johnson opposed) to accept a 1.8-mile section of Vock Canyon Road from Stockton Hill Road west to Travertine Drive into the Mohave County road maintenance system.

• The board voted 5-0 to deny a petition to make a section of Bryce Road from Highway 68 to Agua Fria Drive a county highway.

• The board voted 5-0 to accept 1.1 miles of Old Pioneer Road in the Beaver Dam area for regular county road maintenance.