BISBEE — Residents in and above the Cochise County Courthouse on Quality Hill will be glad to hear the county plans to install a new chiller that is quieter and more efficient.

The new chiller will cost $314,653. Most of the cost is already figured into the budget, but an additional $10,471 will have to come out of the general contingency fund.

The equipment was priced out nearly a year ago, and the product has seen a 3 percent increase so the sum has to come out the contingency fund.

Supervisor Paul Newman, who represent Bisbee in his district, and Deputy County Administrator Jim Vlahovich toured several facilities around the state to determine which chiller would be the best for the Quality Hill basin and its echoing problem from the surrounding rock hills and the concrete buildings.

Though such chillers can run from $80,000 to more than $300,000, the scroll-type compressor that was chosen is smaller, produces less noise and being far more efficient can save the county nearly $3,500 per year in energy costs.

Searle felt more research was needed to be done and was not happy with spending $300,000.

Neither was Call, but he determined to follow the advice of the experts.

“I’ve got serious concerns about spending this much money on it. But I want to give the employees and the public a level of comfort. I’m reluctant to approve it,” he said.

County Administrator Mike Ortega added, “The reality is we need to be good neighbors. So, we need to take every step we can to reduce the noise level. My gut tells me we’ve gone down this road far enough.”

Call said Ortega’s point was well taken.

In the end, Call and Newman voted for it. Searle voted against it.

In other business, one of the vacant buildings at the Douglas-Bisbee International Airport will house an animal crematorium after the supervisors unanimously approved a 10-year lease between the county and veterinarian Dr. Michael Ames at a rate of 95 cents per square foot for a portion of the old cannery building.

Ames handles euthanized animals from shelters and has needed a larger facility than the one he now runs in Douglas. The facility is in need of substantial work, which will be paid for by Ames.

The business also will create four new jobs in the county.

In other business

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday:

• Approved the expenditure of $100,875 for a new public document recording and management system for the County Recorder’s office. The software provides the office with electronic means to record documents and allows an online service. County Recorder Christine Rhodes said the system will help pay for itself through subscriber fees from title companies and eventually real estate companies.

• Approved the appointment of the following people to the newly-formed Cochise County Solid Waste Recycling Committee: District 1 — Richard Kreitzer, Allen Rossow and Charles Narburgh; District 2 — Mike Rohrbach, Joan Werner and Hedley Bond; and District 3 — Bonnie White, Kathy Suagee and Homer Hansen.

• Approved the appointment of Gerald Till as justice of the peace pro tempore and Juvenile Court hearing officer/Superior Court judge pro tempore for a six-month term that begins Jan. 22.

• Approved the appointment of election board workers for the presidential preference election.

• Approved the grant award of $28,500 from the Oversight Council of Driving or Operating (a vehicle) Under the Influence Abatement to fund overtime for officers/deputies within the Southeast Arizona D.U.I. Task Force six months beginning Jan. 1.