Cochise County proposes adopt-a-roadway program and reviews inmate cleanup procedures

Public Works staff briefed the Cochise County Board of Supervisors on a proposed county-wide adopt-a-roadway program and reviewed the history and costs of inmate cleanup crews.

Public Works Director Jason Fosseo said the adopt-a-roadway plan would formalize volunteer work that already occurs in the county, allow adoption of dirt or paved roads, require a minimum two-year commitment and ask volunteers to work at least twice per year. Participating adopters would receive trash bags and could have a sign posted acknowledging their participation. "It gives an opportunity for the people that are doing it now to have it formal," Fosseo said.

Supervisors raised questions about past inmate-cleanup programs. Board members and staff recalled that Department of Corrections crews were used previously but that intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) tightened after COVID because of oversight requirements, travel costs (bus and driver), insurance and administrative burden. Fosseo suggested the county could explore managed DOC crews or revisit IGAs but said prior arrangements often required county staff oversight that stretched resources.

Fosseo also walked the board through maintenance scheduling and winter projects, including washout repairs, guardrail replacements and chip-seal preparation. He described engineering's role in testing quarry chip for fractured faces and cleanliness before purchase and named a recently qualified vendor near Tombstone (KB and G). No formal policy change was approved at the work session; staff will bring the adopt-a-roadway resolution to the board for a future vote.