Request for the Board of Supervisors to ratify the approval of contracts signed by the respective Board Chairmen pursuant to the emergency declared on September 27, 2025, in response to the September 2025 flooding.

On September 27, 2025, Gila County declared an emergency as a result of severe flooding that caused significant damage to County infrastructure and created threats to public health, safety, welfare, and property.

The emergency required the County to obtain materials, services, and construction on an expedited basis to respond to the immediate impacts of the flooding, protect public infrastructure, restore access, remove debris, and undertake other work necessary for emergency response and recovery.

Gila County Procurement Policy BOS-FIN-113, Section 8D – Emergency Procurements, provides that the Procurement Officer may make or authorize others to make emergency procurements of materials, services, or construction when there exists a threat to public health, welfare, property, or safety, or when circumstances make compliance with normal procurement procedures contrary to the public interest. Emergency procurements are to be made with such competition as is practicable under the circumstances and limited to those materials, services, or construction necessary to satisfy the emergency need.

Since the declaration of the emergency, the Board Chairman has executed contracts necessary to support the County’s response to and recovery from the flooding event. The contracts presented with this agenda item were procured through the applicable County procurement method or authority identified in the attached contract listing and are being presented to the Board for ratification.

The September 2025 flooding event required Gila County to undertake extensive emergency response and recovery activities involving multiple funding and reimbursement programs. The contracts presented for ratification supported both the physical recovery work and the engineering, environmental, administrative, and federal compliance activities necessary to complete that work.

A significant portion of the County's permanent flood-recovery work is being completed through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program. EWP projects include restoration and stabilization work at Russell Gulch, Copper Hills, Six Shooter Canyon, and Ice House Canyon/Albany Drive. Gila County is also serving as governmental sponsor for the Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center Hospital Flood Wall Project.

NRCS approved funding for the County's EWP projects on March 16, 2026, establishing a 220-calendar-day project period. To meet the compressed design and construction schedule, the County utilized a Construction Manager at Risk delivery method with Tiffany Construction Company, with engineering and construction administration services provided by J.E. Fuller/Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc. Construction activities were coordinated with engineering and design activities to allow work to proceed within the EWP project timeline.

Separate emergency response and recovery activities have included debris and sediment management and disposition, environmental sampling and testing, road and drainage repairs, and other work resulting directly from the flooding event. 

The County has also utilized specialized disaster recovery and debris management administration and federal procurement and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) consulting services to support documentation, reimbursement, procurement compliance, project administration, and coordination with state and federal recovery programs.

Together, these contracts provided the construction, engineering, environmental, debris management, administrative, and compliance resources necessary for Gila County to respond to the September 2025 flooding event and carry out subsequent recovery activities.

Ratification documents the Board's approval of contracts executed by the Chairman under the September 27, 2025, emergency declaration and provides for those contracts to be incorporated into the County's official procurement and contract records.

Staff recommends that the Board of Supervisors ratify its approval of the Chairman's signature on the contracts listed and attached to this agenda item that were entered into pursuant to the September 27, 2025, emergency declaration related to the September 2025 flooding event and subsequent emergency recovery activities.

Information/Discussion/Action to ratify the respective Board Chairmen's signatures on various emergency contracts listed and attached to this agenda item, entered into pursuant to the September 27, 2025, emergency declaration related to the September 2025 flooding event and subsequent emergency recovery activities. (Maryn Belling)