KINGMAN, Ariz. – The Kingman City Council voted unanimously Tuesday, July 7, to appoint Vicki Zumwalt to the Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC) Partial Term Appointment left vacant with the resignation of Commissioner Ben LaParne.
Eleven Kingman city residents and three county residents applied for the appointment.
Her partial term appointment begins July 2026 and ends December 31, 2028.
“All applicants made it difficult for this decision,” Mayor Watkins stated and thanked all who had applied.
He then informed the applicants not chosen that there would be more vacancies for various committees available in January 2027.
City Manager Tim Walsh, said those vacancies would be posted on the City of Kingman website starting in late October or sometime in November.
Mayor Watkins urged the applicants not selected to the EDAC to resubmit their applications for those new vacancies.
City Council meeting highlights
With two executive sessions and a traffic study, the Kingman City Council had a lot to discuss and vote on Tuesday evening, July 7.
In a call to the public, Dr. Rob Christensen spoke on his support of KART; Penny Holden spoke about $55M donation from Mohave County for Kingman Crossing; and Ryan Rief, Physician Recruiting Director for Kingman Medical Center, told how she recruits doctors for Kingman, what they want to know about the city, such as what’s the city like, is it a good place to live, are there opportunities for my spouse, etc.
Consent Agenda Items were all approved by a vote of 7-0 including a Liquor license for Kingman Craft House on Hualapai Mountain Road;
Item 3-D – Execute a five-year contract with CSG Forte Payments for Merchant Card Processing services;
3-E – amendment to the Air’Zona Aircraft Services lease at Kingman Municipal Airport;
3-F – Resolution 5629- Intergovernmental Agreement between Northern Arizona Fire District (NAFD) and the City of Kingman for the repair and maintenance of 701 Fire Hydrants within NAFD;
3-G – Amendment to extend the Program Coordination Agreement with Western Arizona Vocational Education District (WAVE) for the Fire Explorer Program;
3-H – Resolution 5630 Accepting Public Utility Easements Associated with the Serena Grace Meadows Subdivision Tract 6006 and Adjacent Parcels, and;
3-I – Resolution 5623 Authorization to Submit an Application to Arizona’s Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) and Authorize the Mayor as the Applicant Authorized Representative, funding to Bull Mountain channeled improvement.
Vice Mayor Cherish Sammeli had pulled this item for discussion because she wanted to address questions asked of why the city is wasting tax payer dollars on trips to D.C.
“This is a good example of what can happen when you sit across the table from your delegates back in D.C.,” Vice Mayor Sammeli said. “We came back with a suitcase full of money. We got $.5M that is going to help with drainage and help mitigate that drainage up Stockton Hill, so I really want the public to understand that these trips are important. These relationships that we foster are important.”
Also approved: 3-J – Sun Belt Sports Park, J2 Design Contract Modification 1, for a drainage channel, redesign allowing for parking, and fill and grading of the south area to tie in with Fire Station 25;
Action Items 4-A for Professional Services for Area Traffic Study at the Intersection of Hualapai Mountain Road, Stockton Hill Rd, and Andy Devine Ave., was approved with a contract to be negotiated by staff to include council comments and recommendations. They want to do part of the study now and a before and after study of Flying Fortress to see what needs to be done to relieve congestion at that intersection. At the recommendation of Vice Mayor Sammeli, the intersection at Hall and Johnson near the post office is also to be included in the study;
Action Item 4-B, Kingman Police Department Recruitment/Retention Strategy and Proposed Recruitment Incentives. Kingman Police Chief Cooper briefed the council that to be competitive with the state, even the nation, they want to offer qualified recruits a hiring bonus from $5,000 to $7,500 with a signed contract from the recruiter stating that they will stay for a certain period of time. They also want to offer up to $2,000 to relocate a qualified officer; the amount of money to help would depend on the number of miles for their relocation, up to $2,000.
A status of Flying Fortress was given by a city engineer. He said a ?-mile section of Airway to Prospector will be paved next week; the northbound lanes on Flying Fortress Parkway would be poured; and paving is starting next week for a month. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for October 5.
The Kingman Public Works director reported on water leaks. He said there have been over 3,000 with 817 needing asphalt cuts and repairs, and over 200 on backlog.
Of that 817 asphalt cuts, he said 490 were completed in-house and 327 completed by contractors.
He said anyone experiencing a water leak 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., call Public Works at 928-692-3115. After hours call the non-emergency number at 928-753-8050. Each call, he said, will be evaluated and prioritized for service.
Mayor Watkins reminded everyone that school starts July 15 and to watch for kids.
He said there will be no city council meeting July 21 because of election day. Next meeting will be 5 p.m., August 4.
