The Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers regulates individuals and facilities involved in funeral directing, embalming, and cremation. The Board should strengthen its licensing process by ensuring that application forms are consistent with all of its administrative rules. The Board should also apply late fees for untimely renewals, ensure that its renewal application forms are consistent with rules, and either audit continuing education or require documentation of it with the renewal application. In addition, the Board needs to improve its inspection process by inspecting facilities at least once every 5 years, as required by statute, and by better documenting inspection results and following up on deficiencies. Finally, the Board adequately investigated and resolved complaints in a timely manner, but should implement procedures for providing accurate and complete public information about those it regulates.

The Office of the Auditor General has conducted a sunset review of the Department of Environmental Quality using the criteria in Arizona’s sunset law. This report includes responses to the sunset factors and is the final in a series of three reports on the Department. The first report focused on the Department’s processes for monitoring and enforcing regulated facilities’ compliance with state and federal environmental laws and regulations. The second report examined the Department’s processes for ensuring that owners and operators of petroleum underground storage tanks comply with state and federal laws and regulations regarding financial responsibility for leaks and spills.

The Arizona State Board of Cosmetology licenses and regulates cosmetologists, salons, and schools. The Board should continue to ensure that it issues licenses only to qualified applicants, comply with statutorily required time frames for issuing licenses, and develop and propose legislation requiring continuing education for license renewal. The Board should also revise its inspection approach to ensure all salons are appropriately inspected in a timely manner based on the risks that the salons pose to the public. Additionally, the Board should improve its complaint resolution processes by conducting adequate investigations and addressing weaknesses in its decision-making processes. Finally, the Board should provide timely and complete information about licensees over the phone and on its Web site.

In fiscal year 2011, Elfrida Elementary School District’s student AIMS scores for reading and writing were similar to the peer districts’ averages, and its math scores were lower. The District’s operational efficiencies compared favorably to peer district averages in most areas. All of the District’s nonclassroom areas operated with lower per pupil costs than peer districts’ averages and were reasonably efficient overall considering the District’s small size. However, the District’s transportation cost per mile was 59 percent higher than the peer districts’ average, partly because of slightly higher staffing levels. Providing transportation services cooperatively with neighboring districts could help bring costs closer to the peer district average. Further, the District needs to strengthen its accounting and computer controls.

The San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation is home to approximately 2,000 people. Numerous others come to the District to visit the San Xavier del Bac Mission Church. The San Xavier District Pedestrian Access and Safety Study is being prepared to improve the walking and bicycling environment on the San Xavier District for Community members and visitors alike. The study is being funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation Multimodal Planning Division’s Planning Assistance for Rural Areas program.

The Planning Assistance for Rural Areas program is sponsored by the Arizona Department of Transportation Multimodal Planning Division, and provides federal funds for the purpose of conducting transportation planning studies. Lake Havasu City first participated in another ADOT program for local governments, the Small Area Transportation Study program, in 1991. Under the SATS program the Lake Havasu City government successfully developed a citywide roadway plan, and then took part in the SATS program to update the plan in 1997 and 2005. The PARA program is flexible and allows for studies of neighborhoods or sub-areas within jurisdictions. The subarea program provision made it possible for the City to apply for and receive PARA funding for the North Havasu Study Area.

The Graham County, Safford, Thatcher, Pima Small Area Transportation Study was initiated by Graham County, in conjunction with the Arizona Department of Transportation, to develop a countywide, long-range multimodal transportation plan for this growing rural Arizona community. The project sponsors selected the PB Americas team to conduct this study under the direction of a Technical Advisory Committee, which included representatives from Graham County, City of Safford, Town of Thatcher, Town of Pima, Southeastern Arizona Governments Organization, and ADOT.

In 1992, Graham County conducted a transportation study for the Gila Valley Region. This study prepared a long-range transportation plan and a transportation improvement program. Many of the improvements have been completed. The purpose of this study is to update the 1992 transportation plan and to address the current issues within the area.

The Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030: Place Matters (Regional Plan) updated the Flagstaff Area Regional Land Use and Transportation Plan (2001). The vision and goals for the Regional Plan are directed toward creating a cohesive and sustainable land use and development pattern resulting in a contextsensitive and efficient transportation system that supports economic development, multimodal transportation, and improved safety and accessibility.

The Arizona Department of Transportation assisted the Town of Clarkdale to develop the Clarkdale Transportation Study through the Planning Assistance for Rural Areas program. The PARA program assists counties, cities, towns, and tribal communities to address a broad range of multimodal transportation planning issues including roadway and non-motorized modes of travel. Existing multimodal needs and deficiencies, or those projected as a result of future growth and development, were identified through the analysis of existing transportation conditions, stakeholder input, and review of existing plans and studies.