SAFFORD — The Graham County Board of Supervisors endorsed a switch that should have more federal money spent locally.
The board voted unanimously Monday to OK the switch from the Eastern Arizona Resource Advisory Committee to the Southern Arizona Resource Advisory Committee.
“Which would make our funds available to be used, basically, in the forests that are in Graham County. So it could be used for Mount Graham,” said County Manager Dustin Welker.
The committees advise how to spend the portion of federal Secure Rural Schools funding that does not go to schools.
Prior to the switch, in the Eastern Arizona RAC, Graham County’s portion of the non-school funds were spent in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which is located in Greenlee, Apache, Navajo and Coconino counties.
Graham County received almost $801,000 in Secure Rural Schools funding for schools this year, which was distributed to Bonita, Dan Hinton, Fort Thomas, Pima, Safford, Solomon and Thatcher schools on an 80/20 basis — 80 percent of funding based on student population and 20 percent on the amount of public land in each district.
In addition, $100,000 was distributed to the Graham County Highway Department to maintain roads used by school buses.
