

With a $5 million contract for broadband improvements in the Verde Villages of the Verde Valley, Yavapai County could complete its allocations for the American Rescue Plan Act-funded Broadband Initiative this week.

The City of Prescott is among the municipalities in line to receive a settlement — expected to be in the low millions of dollars — for damages from “forever chemicals” in the city’s water system, after action by the City Council this week.

Drivers heading south on Willow Creek Road in the morning and those heading north in the afternoon/evening should be experiencing a few more green lights on their rush-hour commutes.

With a $136 million budget and 170 full-time employees, Prescott’s Public Works Department is the city’s largest, handling everything from snow removal to traffic concerns to street maintenance to water and sewer operations.

Even though Prescott’s traffic conditions have been shown to be on par with other communities of a similar size, the city’s Transportation and Traffic Division regularly deals with a higher-than-normal number of speeding and congestion complaints.

With their supporters and family members in attendance, five members of the Prescott City Council took oaths of office this week for new terms that range from two years to four.

An apartment complex near Willow Creek and Willow Lake roads, a Deep Well Ranch subdivision, and a Prescott Gateway Mall-area hotel all got approval in separate actions by the Prescott City Council this week.

About 40 years after Watson Lake first made an appearance on a list highlighting the reservoir’s polluted waters, an action was approved this week that aims to improve the water quality in the City of Prescott-owned lake.

Just one day before Prescott Mayor Phil Goode is set to be sworn into office for his second two-year term as mayor, four residents with deep Prescott roots filed paperwork at City Hall to begin the process for an election seeking to recall Goode.

Two new Prescott City Council members and three incumbents will be sworn into office for new terms Tuesday, following a packed day of meetings for the current council.