TRAPPED
Grandma still knows best: 7A
payson.com
How did we get in this mess? 1B
PAYSON ROUNDUP TUESDAY | JUNE 2, 2015 | PAYSON, ARIZONA
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Pain, grief surge after manslaughter conviction by
Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
It took the jury in the Mike Voden trial a little more than four hours to come back with their verdict: guilty of manslaughter. The jury’s verdict acquitted Voden of the second-degree murder charge prosecutors sought in the shooting death of Randy Burnett, Voden’s neighbor. The final arguments and testimony wrapped up on Friday, May 29, said Jonathan Manley, bailiff for the case. He also said the sentencing hearing will be July 6 at 1:30 p.m. in Division 2 of the Globe Courthouse. No one knows what sentence the prosecution will ask for on that date. Manley reported Voden was taken directly into cus-
tody after the verdict, despite asking for house arrest while awaiting sentencing. Voden told Judge Gary Scales his wife had fallen ill and needed his help. Scales denied Voden’s request. The difference in verdicts could mean years off the sentence. Arizona Revised Statues 13-1103, states a first conviction for manslaughter carries a seven- to 21-year prison sentence. While a second-degree murder charge, in comparison, carries a 10- to 25-year sentence. The law defines manslaughter as “recklessly” causing the death of another person or killing someone after provocation in the heat or passion of a sudden quarrel. Second-degree murder, on the other hand, involves
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See Voden verdict, page 10A
Family members recalled Randy Burnett (left) as brilliant and gentle and grieved for his loss after Michael Voden’s (right) manslaughter conviction on Friday.
Manager quits but salary continues Payson will keep paying Galbraith’s $128,000 salary by
Pete Aleshire
roundup editor
The Payson Town Council has accepted a proposal from Town Manager Debra Galbraith to finish out her contract in a leave of absence. Deputy Town Manager LaRon Garrett will run the town while she serves out the six-month severance clause in her contract, said Town Councilor Su Connell.
The town granted Galbraith the leave of absence after an executive session last Thursday. “She has asked for a leave. That has been granted. That is basically all I can say. We’re going to have a discussion on it in an executive session next week,” Connell said on Monday. “She’s on call if we need help. This is not an adversarial situation. It’s a very amicable split for the town and for Debra.” Discontent has been building concerning the famously brusque and tight-lipped manager’s handling of town affairs for a year or more. Originally hired as the town’s finance manager, the council led by then-Mayor Bob Edwards promoted her to town manager, after ousting then-town-manager Fred Carpenter. Ironically enough, Carpenter was subsequently elected to the council. Despite the history between them, his relations with Galbraith have remained
C.C. Cragin spigot on
publicly amicable. The state attorney general’s office later reprimanded the town council for working out details of the administration shake-up during a private meeting at an Arizona League of Cities meeting, in violation of the state’s open meeting law. Just before leaving office, Edwards negotiated a contract that promised Galbraith a six-month severance package — even if the council fired her for cause. Galbraith makes nearly $130,000 annually and the council has been wrestling for months with the potential financial impact of paying her $64,000 to leave, since the town would have a hard time budgeting for a new town manager while continuing to pay her salary. Galbraith took over just as the recession took See Town manager, page 2A
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SRP fixes pumps to feed East Verde by
Pete Aleshire
roundup editor
The Salt River Project has finally started putting C.C. Cragin Reservoir water into the East Verde River. Normally, the Valley utility company starts pumping water into the East Verde as soon as the snow melts on top of the Rim, allowing access to the pipeline and pumping station on top. But this year a series of problems stalled the release of water. First, SRP worked to finish major maintenance work on the pumps and support facilities. Last fall, SRP nearly emptied the reservoir to get access to the outlets near the bottom of the dam. Fortunately, even in the still somewhat dry winter, the reservoir quickly filled to the brim. That’s good news for Payson, since it has rights to 3,000 acre-feet annu-
ally from the reservoir, which will more than double its long-term water supply. The reservoir is also important to SRP, which gets the balance of the more than 11,000 acre-feet available each year. SRP pumps the water out of the reservoir, then lets if flow down a pipeline that runs all the way to Washington Park at the base of the Rim. The water flows through turbines that generate all the power needed to run the system, including the pumps that pull it out of the reservoir. However, when SRP finally got ready to turn on the pipes this year, the system failed due to damage somewhere along an 11-mile power line connecting the generator to the pumping station, according to SRP spokesman Jeffrey Lane. Line crews then had to work their way along the whole 11-mile line, trying to
• See SRP finally, page 2A
Pete Aleshire/Roundup
This file photo shows where C.C. Cragin Reservoir water enters the East Verde, now that SRP has turned on the pumps. The river channel on the right shows the natural, spring-fed flow.
Homeless, displaced youngsters need a helping hand Donations key to children’s success by
Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
Alarmed by the rising number of teens without enough support to finish their schooling, a collaboration of church leaders and caring Rim Country community members joined together in 2009 to create Payson Assisting Displaced Students. The group had simple goals: provide homes for students who wish to remain in school, find stable families to provide homes, and assist families that need help so their students can finish school. They have succeeded, but need help to continue their successes. This year, a number of students who received help from PADS, walked across the stage at the Payson High School graduation successfully completing their high school career. THE WEATHER
volume 25, no. 44
Outlook: Sunny with highs in the mid 80s, lows around 50. Chance for thunderstorms Friday and Saturday. Details, 8A
One student, Christian (not his real name), has received help since he was in sixth grade. Christian and his family have needed help with doctor’s appointments, finding clothes and shoes, and advocating for not only Christian but also his brothers and sisters behind him.
“I help the student and their families with whatever they need,” said Allic Bales the community advocate for PADS, “Right now there is a need for college.” Mostly, Bales works behind the scenes with the parents to make sure the students have the support they need to go to school and focus on their studies. “She’s the first person we call,” said Christian.
Once, Christian’s family suffered a crisis when his stepfather had to go away to search for work. Things got tight and very stressful. The family had no idea if they would have a home by the time the stepfather returned. Bales and PADS stepped in to make sure everything was covered so Christian and his younger siblings could go to school in proper clothes and shoes with enough supplies and food for a full belly.
And most important, Bales made sure the children had a home to come to when they got home from school. “A lot of the things I deal with, the families have not been in their situation, so they are afraid (and) they don’t know what to do and they are ashamed that people would know (their troubles),” she said.
• See Donors, page 5A
Pipeline, university site top council agenda by
Pete Aleshire
roundup editor
Payson continues to make progress on its two top priorities, building the C.C. Cragin pipeline to double the town’s water supply and building a university campus to bolster the yearround economy. Both issues will end up on the Thursday council agenda. The town council will consider an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service to buy a seven-acre parcel on Houston Mesa Road for a water treatment plant. The town is acquiring the parcel next
to Mesa del Caballo under the terms of the federal Townsite Act, a considerably easier process than the direct sale approach the Rim County Educational Alliance is using for a 253-acre parcel for a university fronting Highway 87 at Rim Club Parkway. The council has to approve a collection agreement with the Forest Service for the seven-acre water treatment plant site. The town earlier paid for an environmental assessment of the pipeline project, which considered five to seven possible sites for the water treatment plant. The Forest Service had originally proposed a site on the other
side of Mesa del, but owners of some neighboring properties protested. No one has objected to the new site, which will have less effect on homeowners. The collection agreement requires the town to pay the Forest Service $46,000 to cover the Forest Service staff costs involved in supervising the sale. The town made similar payments to the Forest Service to simply supervise the work of the consultant it paid to actually prepare the environmental assessment. Mesa del residents will benefit from the location of the water treatment plant, since it means they can easily get
treated water. Nonetheless, they face a doubling of their bills for the various connections and for a payment that will cover their pro rated share of the pipeline — both the already built portion on top of the Rim and the portion along the East Verde Payson has yet to build. The water treatment plant will force the C.C. Cragin water through a series of transparent pipes, which will filter out the silt and bacteria. The town will then run the water through storage tanks where they will add minerals, to keep the nearly mineral-free Cragin
• See Payson council, page 9A