Bullhead City Council Meeting – April 15, 2026 (Transcript dated April 7)
Bullhead City Council Meeting – April 15, 2026
Note: The meeting transcript indicates the meeting occurred on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. The user-provided date of April 15, 2026, conflicts with the transcript. The summary below is based on the transcript content.
The Bullhead City Council met for a regular meeting. All council members were present. The meeting opened with an invocation, presentations, and a call to the public, followed by discussion and votes on several items including a new police chief, a restroom construction contract, a software subscription, a well rehabilitation, and a process to temporarily fill the mayor position after Mayor Rodney Head resigned to run for election.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda (routine approvals and unanimous actions) was approved by a vote of 6-0 without any items withdrawn.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Diana Lestatt (Elks Lodge #2408): Announced a four-player golf scramble on April 25, 2026, at Mojave Resort Golf Course to benefit local charities.
- Ben Gary (Capstone Arrow, CEO): Raised compliance concerns regarding the Laughlin Bullhead International Airport’s governance structure and FAA grant obligations. He asked whether the FAA has formally confirmed compliance and noted that unanswered questions pose a risk to the sponsor (Mojave County).
- Carolyn Ota (Resident): Requested clarification on street approval and turnover requirements for Rancho Colorado Estates. She stated that after 21 years of deferred maintenance during build‑out, the community faces repaving costs nearing $1 million, a liability not disclosed by the developer (Century Complete). She urged the city to review its oversight role.
- Susan (Founder, Saving Animals in Need Together): Reported free spay/neuter clinics (200 animals each) on April 17–19 and again in September, funded by a sponsor. Also noted that last year the organization issued 1,200 vouchers (cost $65,000) and spent another $35,000 on pet medical assistance.
- Rose Jacobs (Vice President, Colorado River Women’s Council): Described the Golden Rule City programs, including Kindness Clubs for children, rock painting for seniors, and the Caught Being Kind program. Sought volunteers and community sponsors.
- Carolyn Ellison (Republican Women’s Club): Promoted the Lincoln Day dinner on April 25 with three speakers.
- Dana Walter (CEO, Bullhead City Mojave Valley Association of Realtors): Announced a bingo event on April 23 benefiting BHC Saints, and a spring business expo on April 30.
- Julie Hastett (Colorado River Concerts): Thanked supporters and announced the 2026–2027 season (four shows for $100). Noted that proceeds support student education and outreach programs.
- Paula Fontus Hambi (Resident): Encouraged residents to use the library to access C‑SPAN and other reliable sources. Announced monthly meetings at Rule Rising Training.
- Janice Johnston (Resident): Circulated petitions for Save Our Schools to increase transparency in the ESA voucher system. Also promoted the Colorado River Historical Society’s traveling museum (April 9) and “Evening with the Old Timers” (April 15 at 5:30 p.m.).
- Misty Davinny (Resident): Supported Jennifer Esposito’s voter integrity challenge before the Arizona Supreme Court, urging the council to speak up for upholding election laws.
- Unidentified male speaker: Filed a formal election challenge against Councilmember Tammy Ring’s nomination signatures, alleging fraud and invalid signatures. He stated he would serve legal papers, and a court hearing is set for April 16. Councilmember Ring confirmed she was served and said the matter would be handled in court.
Discussion Items
- Lazy Harry’s Bar (Item 8 – Discussion Only): City Manager Toby Cotter clarified that the city has not purchased property from the owners and has an active permit. The city has worked with the owners for years to rebuild. The owner (an active‑duty firefighter) intends to rebuild under a new name. Councilmember Smith confirmed the owner has no issues with the city. No public comment; no action taken.
- Liquor License for Sand Bar (Item 2): Staff had no concerns. Approved 6-0.
- Professional Services Agreement for Public Defender (Item 3): Approved 6-0. Contract with C. Ray Lundberg, Attorney at Law, for $150,000.
- Construction Contract for Community Park Restroom (Item 4): Awarded to TROR, Inc. for $494,098 (lowest responsive bidder after the initial low bidder was disqualified). Funded by an Arizona Parks and Trails grant. Approved 6-0.
- NeoGov Subscription Agreement (Item 5): HR Director Candon Stanley presented a three‑year, $578,536 contract to consolidate existing HR/payroll modules. Pricing based on headcount ($2–$6 per employee per month). Council members praised her efficiency. Approved 6-0.
- Well 16‑1 Rehabilitation Ratification (Item 6): Utilities Director Mark Clark reported that the 50‑year‑old well (first rehab) needed CO2 injection to restore production. Total cost $79,236.44 (after tax). Council noted an emergency procurement exception was used. Approved 6-0.
- Temporary Mayoral Appointment and Vacant Council Seat (Item 7): Due to Mayor Head’s resignation to run for mayor, the council discussed how to fill the mayor seat (until a new mayor is elected) and whether to appoint a seventh council member. After debate, the council reached consensus: (1) Do NOT appoint a seventh member; (2) Use a paper ballot process (names read publicly) at the April 21 meeting; (3) Only council members NOT running in the election (three members: Gene, Karen, Jason) are eligible for mayor; (4) No picture on the wall and no extra pay. The item will be brought back for formal action on April 21.
Key Outcomes
- All agenda items (consent calendar, items 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) were approved by unanimous 6-0 votes.
- Council directed staff to prepare an agenda item for the April 21 regular meeting to formally select an interim mayor via paper ballot from among non‑running council members, with no appointment to the vacant seventh seat.
- City Manager Toby Carter announced the selection of Paul George as the new police chief (starting in May), an upcoming America 250 event on April 9, a safety plan for Highway 68 under review by ADOT, and budget workshops on April 20–22.
- The city reminds residents to flush only human waste, toilet paper, and gray water to avoid sewer backups and costly pump repairs (up to $40,000–$50,000 per incident).
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight is the regular council meeting, Bullhead City Council. Today's Tuesday, April 7th, 530 PM. And can I have a roll call, please? All council members are present. Thank you very much. Now we're going to have an invocation from Pastor Earl Johnson from the Spirit Life Church. Can you all stand, please? Let's pray. Lord, we just want to give you thanks tonight for this beautiful city that we have an opportunity to live in. Father, that you would help them to come to unity in every difficult situation. And Lord, give them leading and guidance as they think about the future of this city. And we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Ready? Now before we start. Larry, we have some presentations to be to be made. I'm with the Bullhead City Morning Cawanas Club. With me are members of our Board of Directors and our Cawanas Kids Expo Committee. Other partners that are in kind include Western Arizona Regional Medical Center for a full pallet of ice of bottled water. Mather Brothers for a full pallet of ice to keep the water nice and cold and free for everyone all day. Also, City Graphics Daniel Subject Services, Republic Services, Wiener Sitzel, Court Distributing, Mountain View Homes, Keller Williams, River Rock, Signs and Promotions, and the Laughlin Volunteers and Partnership. This was our eighth year. And about 10 years ago, we formed a committee out of our Kowanas Club to address projects and raising money. Hence the Cowanas Kids Expo was created. I was asked to chair the committee. My first meeting was with City Manager Toby Cotter. I presented the idea and received full support from Toby. Little did he know he was involved in his parks and recreation director, uh Dave Heath, uh also for the park parade permit, park permit, and then uh the parks team with Kevin and the roads team with Angie and our club would like to say thank you to each and everyone for their support and just mention we live in a great city. Thank you, Toby. Thank you, thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you. Over the years, we've purchased 75 easy ups. With our incredible unpredictable wins, we also purchase 121 gallon buckets to fill with water to keep them on the ground on train road. Our utilities division shows up at 6 a.m. on the morning and fills each bucket with water. This is priceless. This year we still lost three easy ups. Thank you, Mark Clark. And finally, and Jason's been here long enough to remember our probably our first parade permit because when you shut down a city street, you have to get permission to do that, especially for 10 hours like train road. Not only do they provide us with a permit, but their community policing unit, the public relations unit bring out the SWAT gear, the SWAT truck, motorcycles, bomb robot, patrol units, and off-road patrol units. They display the best. Thank you, Deputy Chief Jason Harms. And finally, I'd like to thank some individuals that came that day to understand what all the booths are about and can spread the words in our town. Our elected officials Hilda Angus, our senator, Rich Lettman, our Mojave County Supervisor, Linda and Dave, or excuse me, Linda and Dan, our vice mayor, and then also Rod and Cindy. Thank you all very much. Thank you very much.
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