At its October 12 meeting, Miami’s Town Council postponed a proposed traffic change on Forest Avenue to allow public input. Council also renewed an air ambulance membership benefit for residents and heard an update on efforts to secure funding for flood mitigation, and Councilman Medina urged residents to learn more about the County’s voting equipment and processes.
Council tabled a proposal to make a short stretch of Forest Avenue one-way toward Highway 60. The proposal will be brought back for a study session where residents can weigh in.
The proposed change would apply from the bottom of Franz Avenue to the first curve on Forest Avenue. Councilman Gil Madrid brought the proposal forward because of safety concerns along the narrow stretch, saying he wants to “make sure we never have another wreck or horrible accident.”
“It is pretty scary,” Madrid said.
Council discussion focused on how the change would affect people who use the road and whether it could shift more traffic onto other neighborhood streets.
Mayor Sosh expressed support for the safety goal but wanted residents to have an opportunity to comment before the change takes effect.
A date for the study session was not set during the meeting but will be announced on Miami’s website and social media.
Council approved a renewal of the town’s PHI Air Ambulance resident membership benefit agreement.
Specific information about the program and coverage will be provided to Miami residents, potentially via flyers, posters, mailers, email content, and social media posts, according to Carrie Brookshire of PHI Cares.
The program covers 607 households at a stated cost of $8.75 per household. Residents also have the option of joining a national plan at a discount.
The aircraft has completed 299 flights since January 2026, and the Miami crew is based in a building across from Pinto Valley Mine.
When the local aircraft is already on a call, other PHI bases can provide backup, Brookshire said. PHI has 12 air bases serving Arizona, including locations in Mesa, Oracle, and Deer Valley.
Brookshire said PHI responds to scene requests from emergency responders and can’t take requests directly from patients. PHI also cooperates with Tri-City Fire on emergency calls.
Councilman Medina encouraged residents with questions about voting machines to observe Gila County’s election processes.
Participating as a designated party observer, Medina recently attended the county Elections Division’s logic and accuracy testing and helped compare test ballots with the tabulated results. Gila County has only one tabulation machine, he said.
County staff from the Election Division were testing the machine prior to a visit from the official state election machine testing team. The test involved comparing test ballots with the final tabulation of those ballots.
Medina was particularly impressed by six accessible voting machines that were tested during his visit. This equipment helps voters with disabilities cast their ballots independently, including voters with vision or hearing difficulties.
The accessible voting machines have headsets that will provide spoken instructions in English, Spanish or Apache.
Medina highlighted the need to make more residents aware of opportunities to observe election procedures and learn how the equipment works.
“I would like to suggest that individuals interested in the elections process attend this open-to-the-public process, especially those individuals that are suspicious about voting machines and their process,” Medina said.
The elections facility has two viewing windows, including one where the public can watch counting and verification work inside the room.
“They have one for the public where you can stand there and actually see what’s going on inside the room,” Medina said.
Residents can contact the Elections Division for more information.
Miami has applied for an additional $4.6 million grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, but this grant will require $1.5 million in matching funds from the town, Rivera said.
Town staff plan to approach local stakeholders for financial support, and if those efforts are unsuccessful, the town will seek assistance from the governor’s office.
Council also approved town payroll of $87,025.93 and general demands covering September 18 through October 1 in the amount of $128,826.39.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here