Justice of the Peace John Taylor, Deputy Wes Bauer and District 4 Supervisor Jean Bishop
Deputy Wes Bauer announced that three deputies are assigned to the area and that the probation department has assisted with arrests for parole violations. Additionally, several suspects in burglaries in the Dolan Springs area were arrested. Just as in Meadview, the rumor mill has been in overdrive and it’s unfortunate that Wes didn’t know how many burglaries had been reported this year. He said that there were about the same numbers of burglaries in Meadview as in Dolan Springs, but Dolan has twice the number of residents.
I recently spoke with one of the victims and either he or his wife are almost always home. On one of those rare occasions when both were gone, he came home, realized his house got broken into and he actually pursued the burglars and he got a license plate number. Unfortunately, the pickup wasn’t registered and the owner of record claimed to not know who was driving the truck. Of course the thieves took the security system, cameras and the computer with all the recording.
You have to automatically UPLOAD surveillance video so it can’t be stolen!
Justice of the Peace John Taylor explained that only misdemeanors are prosecuted in justice court and the maximum jail term for a misdemeanor is six months. Felonies are transferred to superior court. Somebody asked whether a burglary was a misdemeanor. Apparently many of the felony burglaries are pled down to misdemeanors and of course it doesn’t take long until the thieves are back in business. This is an issue to take up with the county attorneys’ office.
Former constable and current supervisor for District 4 Jean Bishop was also present and stated that she would support additional funding for law enforcement and she talked about her time as constable and deputy.
Fire District Chief Patrick Moore was next.
Apparently all is going well towards paying off the remaining debt by July 2015. The Miner has an article with additional info:
Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District recovering financially
Apparently it currently costs $1,800 for an ambulance trip from Dolan Springs to Kingman (one way).
John Flynn, the government affairs consultant hired to help turn the insolvent district around, is apparently still overseeing the daily business. According to Moore, the billing for ambulance services, collections, etc. are handled by outside companies. I’d like to know whether he still receives $4,000 to $7,000/month (couldn’t find any other numbers). It’s one thing to pay that much to straighten out a bankrupt fire district, but I certainly hope that he no longer receives such an outrageous salary.
What exactly does Mr. Flynn do for the fire district now and how much does he get paid?
Next up was Planning and Zoning Commissioner Jack Pozenel and he explained that he only makes recommendations to the board of supervisors based on the information he has. Obviously, submit YOUR input!
When asked whether we are allowed to change how washes run through our property, he mentioned private property rights. However, Jean Bishop explained that it depends on the type of wash and you may have to get a permit from the county.
Of course you should consider where diverted water will run. Into your neighbor’s yard?
Jack Pozenel is also on the board of the Western Arizona Vocational Education District (WAVE) and he answered questions about the Dolan kids now having to go to Kingman high schools. Here is a related Miner article:
Despite opposition, Kingman school district cuts Mt. Tipton
Dolan Springs resident Gary Wilson expressed his frustration:
Gary Wilson stated that he now home schools his kids and that the Mt. Tipton school building was GIVEN to KUSD. He used to be a scout organizer, but now the kids are too tired when they get home and barely have time to do their homework, so there are no more scouts. He also speculated that many kids dropped out and asked:
Who will track how many kids did drop out?
Conservative Republican candidate for State Representative Sam Medrano was also present and I may have a few things to say to and about him in a future post.
It was an interesting meeting, despite the campaigning by candidates. Attendance was good, unfortunately primarily because people don’t want their stuff stolen.
Some even requested that supervisors from OTHER districts drive to Dolan Springs. Why? So they can listen to you rant, rave, whine, bitch and moan? Not one person brought a handout with a summary about their pet peeve and an action plan. With today’s technology it’s so easy to organize and publicize your cause.
Of course I realize how frustrating it is to try to get anything done in our corrupt government. And the few people who do work hard to make Mohave county a better place for all don’t get the support they need. But then again, if you don’t try, you’ve already lost.
As I was just reading some of the comments at the Miner, I realized once again that most people can’t get beyond name calling and politics. The lack of intelligence displayed in so many comments is downright scary.
And when it comes to the Dolan and Meadview residents, most are sick, old and tired and they moved here to retire and get away from the BS, politics and corruption. It’s understandable that they prefer to watch TV or play Bingo.
Why should retirees worry about schools anyway?
Maybe you’ll figure that out when some kid with no education steals your stuff.
Here is the entire audio of the meeting:
