During the Sept. 25 meeting of the Miami Town Council, Town Manager Alexis Rivera ceded his time to Louis Scichilone, Miami’s new police chief, and to Jenna Powell of Local First Arizona.

After brief remarks by Scichilone, the Honorable Rebecca Baeza, Miami magistrate and judge pro tempore, administered the oath of office to him in front of a large audience. 

Powell reviewed the 2023 Rural Policy Forum held at Bullion Plaza in early August. A record-breaking 340 participants attended, representing all 15 counties and over 45 tribal, municipal, county, state and federal agencies.

In a post-event poll, attendees gave the forum experience a rating of 4.3 out 5, and approximately 93% of the attendees gave their visit to Globe-Miami a rating of 4 or higher. Powell noted that comments from participants repeatedly described local people as “welcoming” and “friendly.” She noted that the Bullion Plaza complex is a great resource and made it possible to hold the forum in Miami.

Evelyn Vargas, Miami’s economic development director, reported that a representative from the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) would like to meet with local businesses. The ACA was fascinated by the number of small manufacturers in Miami. Vargas also said she is working with the Miami Business Coalition to develop plans for diverting traffic off US 60 and through Miami. The Keystone Stairs Project is on hold, waiting for an approval.

During the reports from the mayor and council, Councilmember Michael Sosh said he would like council to be able to ask questions during meetings about reports from the town manager and others. Currently, this cannot be done because the agenda does not allow questions for the Reports/Recognitions and Call to the Council sections of the meeting.

Mayor Angel Medina reported that he is continuing to investigate areas of concern with the Sister Cities Agreement proposed by the office of the Mexico Consulate General. He has learned that other towns also have questions about the agreement.

The New Business portion of the meeting was busy, with five items being considered. The council approved the following:

An amendment to the Economic Development Grant between Gila County and the Town of Miami Copper Mountain Transit. Funds from the grant will assist with the continued services provided by Copper Mountain Transit, which provides transportation to local citizens.

Allowing the Friends of the Miami Memorial Library to repave library parking with funds to be obtained from outside sources.

Ratification of a Public Safety Agency Subscriber Agreement with C&M Communications LLC for non-exclusive priority use of repeater system equipment.

Designation of the Globe-Miami Chamber of Commerce as a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Miami.

After discussion, council tabled a proposal to go forward with replacement of the Town Hall roof. Questions included why the materials per square foot for the Town Hall re-roof cost over twice the cost paid for the recent re-roofing of the Transit Center, and whether insurance covered non-roof damage caused by the recent storm.