La Paz County approves ballot devices, advertising contract, planning appointee
Supervisors approved new ballot-marking devices, kept the county’s legal-ad contract with Today’s News-Herald/Parker Pioneer, and filled a planning seat that affects zoning calls in District 1.
La Paz County supervisors moved on three items that shape daily life in Parker and across the county: how residents vote, how county notices reach the public, and who helps decide future land use. The board approved 18 ExpressVote ballot-marking devices from Election Systems & Software, awarded its FY26/27 publishing and advertising contract to Today’s News-Herald/Parker Pioneer, and appointed Jim Putz-Artrup to the District 1 Planning and Zoning Commission.
The board met at 10 a.m. Monday in the board room at 1108 Joshua Ave. in Parker, where the county regularly holds meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month. La Paz County is responsible for running primary and general elections, and it also conducts elections for Parker, Quartzsite, school districts and other special districts through intergovernmental agreements. The ExpressVote purchase matters because counties must provide the equipment list used in each statewide election, and the device is a ballot-marking system with a touch screen and integrated thermal printer used in paper-ballot setups.
The advertising award keeps a familiar notice system in place for residents who rely on county publications to track agendas, ordinances and legal ads. The county has repeatedly used Today’s News-Herald/Parker Pioneer for this annual contract, including in FY21/22, FY24/25 and FY25/26, so the June vote extended an existing public-notice arrangement rather than starting from scratch. For people in Parker, Quartzsite, Bouse and Ehrenberg, that contract affects how they learn about county business and when official notices appear in print.
Supervisors also named Putz-Artrup to fill a District 1 vacancy on the Planning and Zoning Commission for a four-year term running from June 1, 2026, through June 1, 2030. That commission makes recommendations on rezoning applications, zoning ordinance amendments, master plans and comprehensive plans, which means the appointment carries real weight for property owners and future development decisions in the county’s far-flung communities.
The regular agenda also included land-use paperwork tied to current development issues. Supervisors considered an updated Atlas VIII Landowner Estoppel Certificate, continuing a series of Atlas VIII energy-project items that have appeared in recent county meetings, and Resolution No. 2026-14 to abandon an easement for a water-retention pond on Lot 65 in Ranchero Estates Subdivision, Unit One. County community development staff oversee planning, design review, construction plan approval, code compliance and environmental health, and the public works manual says La Paz County generally cannot approve water and wastewater systems for commercial or subdivision developments except in limited cases. In a county of 16,557 people spread across 4,496.6 square miles, those technical votes can decide whether property can move forward cleanly or hit a delay.
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