A board of supervisors is a group of elected officials responsible for overseeing county government. They are tasked with ensuring that public services are provided effectively and efficiently while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Each of the three Cochise County supervisors represents one district.
Generally, the supervisors have 4 main responsibilities:
-
Pass and repeal laws.
-
Approve county budgets.
-
Oversee county departments.
-
Approve or disapprove zoning changes.
The Board of Supervisors (BOS) is the executive branch of county government. Each elected supervisor represents a district of approximately 50,000 residents.
A board of supervisors is a group of elected officials responsible for overseeing county government. They are tasked with ensuring that public services are provided effectively and efficiently while maintaining fiscal responsibility. General responsibilities include passing laws, approving budgets and overseeing county departments.
The Board oversees most county departments and programs and annually approves their budgets; supervises the official conduct of county officers and employees; controls all county property; and appropriates and spends money on programs that meet county residents' needs.
The BOS delegates day to day administration of the county administrative departments to the County Manager, who is appointed by the BOS and answers to the board. Courts and law enforcement are run by elected officials such as Superior Court Judges, Sheriff, and County Attorney. The Assessor, Treasurer and Recorder are all partisan elected officials and head their respective departments. However, the BOS controls and approves their budgets.
The county collects taxes, enforces county ordinances, operates courts, processes building permits and records real estate transactions, provides county health services, maintains county roads and highways among many of its responsibilities. The county also has intra government agreements with many cities in the county to share or provide services such as emergency rescue, firefighting, and disaster relief. During the COVID19 pandemic the county health department, working with state and federal agencies, was tasked with reporting on infections, hospitalizations, and deaths as well as providing vaccination resources.
The supervisors’ most important job is to set priorities through the budget process, deciding on how to allocate tax dollars as well as state and federal monies to each competing need.
