Future Meetings
The Yavapai College District Governing  Board has three meetings scheduled for May, with a fourth one to be scheduled soon to approve a board attorney and have the executive session on President Lisa Rhine’s, Ph.D., contract.
Special Meeting: Tuesday, May 19, at 1 p.m. in Prescott and online.
Regular Meeting: Tuesday,  May 26, at 1 p.m. in Prescott and online. This will include the Truth in Taxation workshop, the budget public hearing, budget adoption and the Regular Meeting.
Board Self-Assessment Workshop: Thursday, May 28, beginning at 9 a.m. in Prescott and online.

Verde Valley’s Toby Payne voted new Governing Board secretary

During the April 28 Yavapai College District Governing Board special meeting, current board secretary Steve Bracety [District 5] — who was unopposed — was elected 4-0 to be the new board chairman beginning at the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 19.

Board member Patrick Kuykendall [District 4] was absent for his third meeting in a row.

“I think it’s been a while since we had anyone on the Verde side in an officer position, so I nominate Toby Payne [for board secretary],” the newly elected Bracety said.

Payne, the District 3 representative of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Cornville and Sedona, was elected 3-1, with McCasland opposed, after nominating herself for the role.

“It’s a position that I would like to be involved further with the board, further with the college,” Payne said.

McCasland said she nominated herself because she wanted to keep the board in line and help ensure everything is legal and following the proper processes.

Board Attorneys

Despite the former attorneys’ email to board members stating they were terminated, McCasland said she didn’t dismiss them, but went on to say she didn’t need to consult the board to fire them.

“That’s an executive attorney-client privilege process,” she said.

Payne said the email the board received following the April 21 meeting on Tuesday revealed McCasland had terminated them before the meeting.

“It’s obvious that that wasknowledge you had prior to the last meeting and the board was not exposed or told that you had let them go,” Payne said. “I am majorly offended that you would not inform your board on what you had done.”

McCasland said the discussion on retaining temporary attorney for the meeting — Jon Paladini, a former attorney for the city of Prescott — was agendized only because the three members present had each asked for legal counsel on an agenda item in Tuesday’s executive session. That item, which President Lisa Rhine, Ph.D., requested be put on the agenda, was discussions on her contract and employment.

“I think it’s a little rushed,” Bracety said. “I think we need to do more research. I don’t know Mr. Paladini, I don’t know if he’s educated in education law, I don’t know if there’s a conflict of interest with him or his firm with anyone on this board or anyone in the college in general, I don’t know how he was hired, I don’t know the scope of his work.”

After the vote to approve Paladini just for Tuesday’s meeting failed 3-1, with McCasland being the sole “nay,” McCasland said there needed to be more discussion.

She said the option was provided for onetime counsel on Rhine’s contact, which she said, was time-sensitive, but provided no reasoning.

“That will be discussed in executive session,” Rhine said.

The attorney was planned to explain contract law, as it relates to the president’s employment and contract, which would be for another four years.

“The board should have been provided the actual contract so that we could study it and make an informed decision,” Kiel said.

“Outside of a board meeting, board members — none of us — have anyauthority,” McCasland said. “You did not have any authority to ask for that.”

Paladini spoke to the board and said he hasn’t seen Rhine’s contract, so giving legal advice on it would not be something he’s “in a great position today to give.”

“What I would suggest is I’m happy to come back up for a special counsel role at some point in the future to give you advice, give the board advice on the contract, but I would want to get a copy of that first,” he said. “It is a public record. I think you could share it with me just like you could share it with any member of the public.”

Following the vote and extended discussion, McCasland asked Rhine if she’d be OK with moving the executive session agenda item to the next meeting.

“I think we need to hold the executive session without counsel,” Rhine told McCasland, who agreed to continue with the session without counsel.

Following the executive session, the board voted unanimously to table the contract’s discussion to a future meeting.