The Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District Governing Board continued to discuss pursuing a joint management agreement with the Verde Valley Fire District during their June 28 meeting.
The board also administered the oath of office to the newly appointed interim fire chief, Nate Bailey, and unanimously adopted the proposed tentative budget of $9,270,958 for fiscal year 2023-24.
The board said that the Sedona Fire District is not interested in a joint management agreement with CCFMD but that the Verde Valley Fire District is.
VVFD Fire Chief Danny Johnson offered a draft intergovernmental agreement based on examples of previous joint management agreements in Arizona adapted to the current situation. The VVFD board has conducted a preliminary review of the agreement.
VVFD itself began sharing services with the adjacent Clarkdale Fire District in 2015. The two districts voted to merge in March 2016 after equalizing tax rates.
Johnson said that going forward, his goal would be to start with transparency. He noted crew members’ nervousness in the past due to a lack of transparency and said it needs to be a team process.
“I applaud VVFD’s effort for their willingness to help us in this situation,” CCFMD Governing Board Chairman Joshua Maxwell said.
The board then discussed how to proceed. No action was taken but all members agreed to work with Johnson and VVFD’s Governing Board to bring back a second or third draft of the proposed agreement.
