La Paz County Supervisors to Consider Wireless Tower Permit, Proclamations April 6

The La Paz County Board of Supervisors took up a contested wireless tower application Monday that pitted a unanimous Planning and Zoning Commission denial against an AT&T infrastructure push backed by out-of-county developers, while also entering at least three closed-door legal sessions tied to opioid settlements, eminent domain, and active claims.

At the center of the agenda was Conditional Use Permit application CUP2026-01, filed on behalf of property owners Dana and Linda Robertson by Misty Hunter of Smartlink Group. The proposal calls for a 149-foot monopole on the Robertson parcel, a 1,500-square-foot walled compound with eight-foot perimeter walls, and radio center equipment to support an AT&T antenna array at 145 feet. The Planning and Zoning Commission rejected the request without a single dissenting vote at its March 5 meeting, setting up Monday's board review as a direct test of whether the supervisors would back their advisory body or chart a different course.

Approval would allow a major carrier to plant substantial infrastructure in a rural stretch of the county, with potential benefits for cellular coverage and 911 reliability but with neighbors and commissioners already on record opposing the tower's visual footprint and land-use precedent. A board override of a unanimous commission denial is uncommon in La Paz County and would signal how the board weighs connectivity concerns against community opposition going forward.

Beyond the tower dispute, the board also convened executive sessions under three separate provisions of Arizona's open-meeting law. One session addressed opioid litigation settlement discussions under A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(4), a process that has drawn counties across Arizona into multi-year negotiations over settlement allocations. A second closed session invoked the eminent domain statute, A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(7), indicating the county is actively engaged in or preparing for a condemnation proceeding. A third session under A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(3) covered at least one notice of claim, the formal precursor to litigation against a public entity in Arizona. None of the specific parcels, claimants, or dollar figures involved in those matters were disclosed on the public-facing agenda, as the law permits.

On the financial side, the board considered adopting the employer and employee benefit cost distribution schedule for fiscal year 2027, a routine but consequential decision that shapes payroll budgets and the share of health and benefit costs borne by county workers in the coming fiscal year.

The supervisors also approved three proclamations: recognizing April 11 through April 17 as Week of the Young Child, designating April 2026 as National County Government Month, and declaring April Fair Housing Month across La Paz County.

The meeting was held at the board's chambers at 1108 Joshua Ave. in Parker, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The full agenda packet, including staff reports, maps, and legal memoranda for the tower application, was posted through the county's Swagit video archive page, where recordings of the session are also made available after the meeting concludes.