Desert Messenger

8 www.DesertMessenger.com December 15, 2021 COURT FROM PAGE 1 CDBG Public hearing 7pm Thursday, December 16th CDBG Public hearing 7pm Thursday, December 16th CDBG Public hearing 7pm 585 N. Central Quartzsite Open Mon-Fri 8-5 928-927-8787 Johnny DelPino, Owner BEST AUTO RV & TRUCK REPAIR SERVICE SERVICE SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ON! OU CAN DEPEND ON! OU CAN DEPEND ON! YOU CAN DEPEND ON! Y CLUTCHES PRIMARY & SECONDARY Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing, Light Mechanical, Tree and Brush Clearing, etc. HOUSE ~ MOBILE ~ RV Call Wade today! (712) 363-3512 WADE'S HANDYMAN Have tools, will travel! $30 per billable hour orders) and, like other trial judges, also handle requests for orders of protection and injunctions against harassment. The justice courts are ranked by ju- dicial productivity credits. The for- mula for determining these credits is found in state law, ARS 22-125. These credits are used to determine the salaries for justice court judges and employees. ARS 22-125-H states that no jus- tice court may exceed 1,200 credits in a given year. If that happens, the statute states, "the county board of supervisors shall create suffi cient courts, or redraw the justice court precinct boundaries according to section 22-101, in order to reduce the judicial productivity credits for any precinct which exceeds that limit." County Administrator Megan Spielman said the Quartzsite Justice Court currently has 270.93 credits per year, Parker had 178.37, and Sa- lome has 100.30. The total credits of 549.6 is not even half of what the state would require to have more than one court. Spielman said the justice courts bring in $1.5 million in revenue with general fund expenses of $1.3 million. By consolidating to two courts, the county's expenses would be $900,000. With only one court, those expenses would be $600,000. Supervisor Duce Minor said the county's fi nancial situation is still a bit "shaky." If the county closes both Quartzsite and Salome Justice courts, an estimated 15 county em- ployees could lose their jobs. A protest rally to Protest this vote for consolidation will be held this Sun- day at 11 am at Pam's Salon Parking lot in Salome across from the Salome Court. A petition to save the courts will be available for your signature. The public is encouraged to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday the 20th at 10 am in Parker to let them know your feel- ings about closing the courts in Sa- lome and Quartzsite to consolidate into one court in Parker. You can also Email your concerns directly to the Supervisors: Duce Minor: dminor@lapazcountyaz. org (District 2-N. Quartzsite, Brenda, Bouse); Holly Irwin: hirwin@lapazcountyaz.org (District 3-Cibola, S. Quartzsite, Salome, Wenden, Alamo); David Plunkett: d p l u n k e t t @ l a p a z c o u n t y a z . o r g (District 1-Parker, Poston) Regular Meetings are held 10 a.m. 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month at 1108 S Joshua, Parker, AZ 85344. Phone: 928-669-6115 Town of Quartzsite will hold a Public Hearing Regarding Use of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) Funds 7:00 PM on Thursday, December 16, 2021, at Quartzsite Town Hall, 465 N. Plym- outh Ave. Quartzsite, AZ Community Development Block Grants are from the U.S. Depart- ment of Housing and Urban Devel- opment and are distributed in Ari- zona by the Arizona Department of Housing. The program was created in the 1970s to give local authori- ties more control over how federal funds in their communities are spent. The program is intended to be fl exible, and funds are intended to assist low-income families and individuals, improve infrastruc- ture, and mitigate hazards. The Town of Quartzsite is expected to receive approximately $240,000 in FY2022 federal CDBG funds from the Arizona Department of Housing Regional Account (RA). The Town also intends to apply for $200,000 in FY2022 CDBG funds from the State special projects (SSP) account. A public hearing will be held at 7:00 PM on December 16, 2021, at Quartzsite Town Hall, 465 N. Plymouth Avenue to gather citi- zen input on the use of the CDBG funds. Examples of possible uses include the following: 1) Public infrastructure (e.g., water, wastewater, street improvements); 2) Community facilities (e.g., parks, health clinics, shelters and halfway houses, senior or youth centers); 3) Housing (e.g., owner-occupied or multi-family rehab, or utility connections on private property; 4) Public services (e.g., paying the salary of an additional staff person to expand a Head Start program, purchasing a van to transport per- sons with disabilities, equipment and rent to start a new job training program); and 5) Economic development (e.g., a loan to a business for job creation, micro-enterprise development, acquisition of land for an existing business expansion). For more information about the hearing, grievances, or the CDBG program; or to receive assistance in formulating prospective project ideas for presentation at the hear- ing contact the following: Cliff O'Neill, Assistant Town Man- ager. Town of Quartzsite 465 N. Plymouth Ave., PO Box 2812, Quartzsite, AZ 85346 Phone:928-927-4333 ext. 306 Fax: 928-927-4400 TTY: (928) 927-3762 Persons with disabilities who re- quire special accommodations may contact Tina Abriani, Town Clerk, at the above location at least 48 hours before the hearing. Craft Fair 1st Sat. of every month! Daily Activities! QIA 928-927-6325 235 E. Ironwood St., Quartzsite BINGO FRIDAY! Opens at 5pm. Early Birds 6:30pm. Main 7pm. Concession Concession C s Available

• Cover