Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

This report consists of management’s representations concerning the finances of Coconino County. Consequently, management assumes full responsibility for the completeness and reliability of all the information presented in this report. To provide a reasonable basis for making these representations, management of the County has established a comprehensive internal control framework that is designed both to protect the government’s assets from loss, theft, or misuse and to compile sufficient reliable information for the preparation of the County’s financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.

Arizona public school districts' dollars spent in the classroom. In November 2000, voters approved Proposition 301, which increased the State’s sales tax from 5 percent to 5.6 percent to provide additional money for educational programs. The enabling legislation for Proposition 301 requires the Auditor General to “. . . monitor school districts to determine the percentage of every dollar spent in the classroom by a school district.” This report presents our analysis of the percentage of dollars spent in the classroom for the most recently completed school year.

This past fiscal year is best characterized as one of significant accomplishment by the office in the midst of increasing caseloads and budget tightening. Our criminal caseloads are trending back up after some slight reductions in recent years, but the exception is seen in juvenile court filings which are significantly down. We hope this is due, in part, to our prevention efforts and diversion programs. We have proudly partnered with many other agencies to develop new Diversion Courts. We have increased our community outreach and prevention efforts.

As you know, these are dynamic times and more is being asked of each of us in our community – mostly to come together and address the common issues and concerns that affect our daily lives. In an effort to meet the growing needs of our citizens and to create new possibilities for our community. We recognize that we have a responsibility and an opportunity to seek new ways of working together and providing the services you depend on and need.

In fiscal year 2011, Chino Valley Unified School District’s student achievement was similar to peer district and state averages, and its operational efficiencies were mixed with some costs higher and some costs lower than peer districts’ averages. The District’s per-pupil administrative costs were slightly higher than peer districts’ because the District employed more administrative positions per pupil. The District’s plant operations, food service, and transportation programs operated reasonably efficiently, with cost measures such as cost per square foot, cost per meal, and cost per mile that were similar to or lower than peer districts’ averages. However, the District needs to improve controls over access to critical information systems and strengthen controls over its fuel purchase cards.

The greater Williams area CWPP is a strategic plan developed to provide all land owners with a broad spectrum of treatment options as well as prioritize areas for treatment on federal, state, and private lands. Site specific planning and treatment is the responsibility of each land owner or jurisdictional agency and should be guided by this plan.

Community protection and preparedness is a critical step toward mitigating immediate fire hazards and restoring adjacent wildlands. A combination of fuel management, FireWise standards, and appropriate wildfire suppression response across ownerships within and adjacent to at-risk communities will reduce threats to life and property, protect values-at-risk, and create a safe context for the use of fire in subsequent forest ecosystem restoration efforts. This plan outlines actions needed to prepare and equip the community to live and thrive within our fire-adapted ponderosa pine forests.

The collaborative process for developing the Tusayan Community Wildfire Protection Plan began May 5, 2004 at a Tusayan/Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce Board meeting in Tusayan. A CWPP is developed to assist local fire districts, local governmental agencies and residents in the identification of lands—including federal lands—at risk from severe wildfire threat and to identify strategies for reducing fuels on wildlands while improving forest health, supporting local economies, and improving firefighting response capabilities.

In fiscal year 2012, Duncan Unified School District’s student achievement was similar to peer districts’, and the District operated efficiently overall. Although the District’s administrative costs per pupil were slightly higher than the peer districts’ average, the District has taken steps to reduce its costs by reducing its number of administrative positions. The District’s plant operations, food service, and transportation programs were efficient with lower costs per square foot, per meal, and per mile, respectively, than peer districts’ averages. However, the District needs to improve its purchasing and computer controls. The District also needs to accurately determine, and report to the Arizona Department of Education, its ridership information to help ensure the District is properly funded and to allow it the ability to calculate and monitor transportation performance measures such as cost per rider and bus capacity utilization. Further, the District should ensure that its inmate worker documentation complies with statute.