Cottonwood’s 2020 Year in Review

January

• The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors heard requests from the public to pass an ordinance in support of the Second Amendment. The board tabled the ordi- nance to retool it.
• The League of American Bicyclists recognized Cottonwood as a Silver Status bicycle community for the efforts made by its government and community to make it more bike-friendly.
• The Cottonwood- Oak Creek School District Governing Board declined to put school district consolidation on the agenda, leaving advocates without the support of any of the three affected districts.
• A 2019 report from the Drug Enforcement Agency found that between 2006 and 2012, 70,846,215 opioid pills were sold by pharmacies in Yavapai County, averaging 48 pills per resident, contributing to the ongoing opioid addiction crisis in the area.
• Clarkdale’s Town Council approved a plan to extend water and waste- water services along the State Route 89A corridor toward Cottonwood.
• The Cottonwood City Council voted to sell a 3.74-acre parcel of land at the corner of Sixth Street and State Route 89A, to Sunridge Properties to develop a SpringHill Suites Marriott hotel.
• The Sawmill Gardens housing development annexed into the city of Cottonwood, due to a desire to take advantage of the city’s fire department, instead of the Verde Valley Fire District.

February

• Yavapai County’s Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to make the county a Second Amendment Sanctuary, banning the use of county law enforcement or resources to infringe on people’s right to bear arms.
• Arizona State Rep. Bob Thorpe [R-District 6] introduced a bill in the state legislature banning school districts from acting to prevent a ballot measure, which he explicitly said was intended to punish the Mingus Union High School District Governing Board for suing to stop 2018’s consolidation vote. The bill was voted out of committee but never become law because the legislature adjourned early.
• School district consolidation advocates began collecting signatures to get a consolidation question on the November ballot.
• Representatives of Verde Valley communities and other stakeholders met to try to develop a regionwide plan on housing to address shortages.
• The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors approved spending up to $70 million for a new criminal justice center in Prescott.

March

• Greg Roeller, former security staff at Mingus Union High School, was appointed to the Governing Board after John McTurk stepped down due to health concerns.
• The city of Cottonwood entered into a plea deal with local property owner John Terry Livingston after prosecuting him for building code violations, requiring him to repair the relevant homes on behalf of his tenants.
• A domestic violence incident in Clarkdale led to the shooting death of Joshua David Lord by a Clarkdale police officer after Lord allegedly attacked his mother and killed his 4-year- old son. Police body camera footage showed Lord acting erratically.
• On March 15, all Verde Valley school districts announced the immediate closure of all schools due to fears of the coronavirus, which was then beginning to spread in the United States.
• At the time, they hoped to reopen on March 27, but the Arizona Department of Education closed schools for in-person learning for the rest of the year.
• The Verde Valley reported its first COVID-19 case on March 19.
• Local businesses and government services shut down in response to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at- home suggestion on March 30.

April

• Donna Michaels filed to run against incumbent District 3 Supervisor Randy Garrison in the Yavapai County election in November. Robin Prud’homme-Bauer filed to run against Clarkdale Mayor Doug Von Gausig. Both incumbents were defeated.
• The Verde Valley adapted to the COVID- 19 pandemic shutdowns. Churches went virtual, musicians started posting performances online and food banks stretched to accommodate massive demand. Workers in industries like food service, tourism and the arts faced months of uncertainty on unemployment.
• After discovering that the state had been collecting sales tax on food by mistake, the Clarkdale Town Council made the decision to continue the practice and allow sales taxes to be collected on food for home consumption.
• Yavapai County paved Ogden Ranch Road on the South end of Cottonwood.

May

• Hair and nail salons became the first local businesses that were allowed to return to operation after being closed by the governor due to the corona- virus pandemic. Restaurants returned soon afterward, and Verde Valley Medical Center resumed elective surgeries.
• Cottonwood police officers were fired at by a Cottonwood man who had been charging passing vehicles, leading to Officer Matthew Strickland being injured.
• Local schools canceled graduation events, leading to alternative virtual events and a parade for Mingus students.
• Verde Connect held a virtual public hearing for input on the proposed road project connecting State Route 260 and Cornville Road.
• Automotive Technical Services, a Cottonwood repair shop, gave Christiana Duran a free car after a car crash totaled her previous one and led to serious neck injuries.
• School consolidation advocates secured enough signatures to get their issue on the November ballot.

June

• After George Floyd, a black man, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, Black Lives Matter protests occur around the country with a small number resulting in violent clashes with police and counter-protestors. On June 8, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey briefly imposed a one-week 8 p.m. curfew statewide.
• At a June 19 meeting, the Cottonwood City Council voted 4-3 against imposing a mask mandate. Mayor Tim Elinski, who voted with the minority, immediately overruled the council by proclaiming a mask mandate anyway.

July

• Ducey forced bars and gyms to close for a second time after briefly reopening.
• Cottonwood’s city council passed a $76 million budget, a smaller increase than anticipated, as falling sales tax revenue due to the pandemic forced the city to reduce services.
• Clarkdale passed a $19 million budget, increasing by 7.5% on the previous year after not seeing a significant decline in sales tax revenue.
• Parties in the battle over consolidation agreed on the informational packets that would be sent to voters.
• Clarkdale created a historic preservation commission.

August

• Robyn Prud’homme- Bauer stopped Clarkdale Mayor Doug Von Gausig from winning a fifth term, beating him in the primary election.
• Wendy Rogers defeated incumbent Arizona State Sen. Sylvia Allen [R-District 6] in the primary.
• An unusually dry summer and “nonsoon” led to local fire agencies extending restrictions well past their normal end.
• The Cottonwood City Council voted to limit the mayor’s proclamation powers, preventing Tim Elinski from being able to overrule the council as he had in June on the mask mandate.
• Verde Valley schools reopened for remote-learning, facing issues with providing internet access to all students in the disruptive time.
• Cottonwood completed re-striping of Main Street, reducing the road to just one lane in each direction on the way into Old Town and turning Old Town parking spaces diagonal to allow for more cars to fit.
• Ducey allowed bars to reopen for the second time.
• Anti-consolidation advocates formed a political action committee, which faced accusations of teachers advocating against consolidation during school hours.
• After running into regulatory hurdles and local opposition at the county level, the Borowsky family, owners of the land that would include the proposed Spring Creek Ranch development, requested to have the land annexed into Cottonwood.

September

• The city of Cottonwood updated its nuisance abatement codes in order to allow for more proactive enforcement by the city.
• Cottonwood-Oak Creek and Clarkdale schools returned for in-person learning.
• The Verde Valley Homeless Coalition sought approval from the city to function as a nightly shelter, but was rejected by the city council due to inability to meet fire code requirements.
• The pandemic led to new opportunities for recovering addicts in the Steps to Recovery program, who used the time locked in together to develop new skills, such as a new furniture refurbishment program.
• Cottonwood Police Department Cmdr. Jody Makuch was killed in an off-duty motorcycle crash. The department mourned the beloved leader at a well-attended funeral.
• Ron Sauntman was hired to replace Mike Kuykendall as Cottonwood Fire Chief.
• The Clarkdale Design Review approved a proposal for a development in the Mingus Shadows neighbor- hood, despite some local opposition.

October

• Mingus Union High School returned to in-person learning on Oct. 22, after fall break.
• Early voting in Yavapai County broke turnout records weeks before Election Day.
• Clarkdale and Cottonwood regulated marijuana sales in advance of the November ballot referendum. Clarkdale imposed restrictions on zoning to limit where dispensaries can open, while Cottonwood will only allow recreational sales at facilities that already sell medicinal marijuana.
• The Verde Valley Homeless Coalition’s executive director was arrested on embezzlement charges, accused of stealing tens of thousands from the organization.
• A new spike in COVID- 19 cases in the Verde Valley began, far outpacing the previous spike in early summer.

November

• The effort to consolidate Cottonwood-Oak Creek and Mingus Union High school districts was defeated by a significant margin at the ballot box.
• Republicans swept state legislative races in the area, with Walt Blackman and Brenda Barton winning seats in the Arizona House of Representatives and Wendy Rogers winning in the State Senate.
• Democrat Donna Michaels unseated incumbent Republican Randy Garrison in the race for Yavapai County District 3 supervisor.
• Local recreational marijuana dispensaries began looking into the process of getting licensed for recreational sales after voters approved Proposition 207.
• The Sedona Film Festival began a program showing films at the Old Town Center for the Arts in Cottonwood.
• Verde Valley Fire Chief Joe Moore announced his retirement.
• Former Mayor Ruben Jauregui ended his long term of service in the Cottonwood city government, retiring from his position on the city council.
• The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors voted to end the proposed Verde Connect project, citing outsize costs. Due to a technical glitch, the board was to vote again to confirm its earlier vote, but instead reversed course and undid the earlier decision.
• The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors denied a request to develop a wildlife refuge in Cornville after neighbors expressed misgivings about having animals close to them and the resulting noise.
• MUHSD’s governing board voted to delay the post-Thanksgiving return to in-person learning, fearing increased coronavirus cases.

December

• The Mingus board voted to keep the school district closed for in-person learning for the remainder of December. Cottonwood-Oak Creek and Clarkdale-Jerome School Districts’ boards both voted to keep the districts in remote learning for an extra week after the Christmas holidays, returning on Jan. 11.
• The Cottonwood City Council voted to keep running CAT buses for free through June, using federal funds allocated through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
• Food banks experienced continued high demand, as both the holiday season and the ongoing pandemic led to increased need.
• The first round of coronavirus vaccines arrived in Yavapai County and began being administered to health care workers.
• An auditor-general report found issues with COCSD’s finances due to declining student counts, which the district attributed to increased costs for special needs students.
• Local schools saw significant drops in attendance in the first semester of this year, much of it attributable to ongoing changes due to the coronavirus.