In a pivotal move today, Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to settle a lawsuit brought against the county by Daniel LaChance. The board met this morning to hold an executive session and emerged with a decision that may recalibrate the county's approach to tax collection and electoral transparency.

During a special meeting, closed to the public initially, the board conducted legal deliberations, as reported by official county communications. Having received legal advice and giving direction to their attorneys, the board moved to settle the contentious case of Daniel LaChance v. Cochise County, signaling a cessation of the county's jail district sales tax collection and a promise to hold a new election come November.

With court approval of a motion to dismiss, the proposed settlement includes a directive to suspend the collection of the jail district sales tax, organize a new election later this year, and reimburse around $130,000 in attorney fees for the plaintiff and co-defendants. The board's choice illuminates their desire to rectify the concerns brought forward by LaChance and the community's adherents to fair and lawful electoral processes.

"We are committed to making sure things are done properly, specifically with regard to elections and the way that elections are conducted in this county," Board Chair Frank Antenori, told the public, emphasizing the integrity they aim to restore to the system which fund the jail through a sales tax had been a shadow cast over it. District 2 Supervisor Kathleen Gomez bolstered this sentiment, highlighting that, while they seek to establish a new jail, it's vital that the vote which might fund such a project is "transparent, lawful, and trusted by all residents."

This concordant move by the board, settling the lawsuit and pleding a transparent re-do of the election process, follows after months of legal strife that put the county's administrative practices under the microscope. It remains to be seen how this resolution will ripple through the county's political and social fabric, yet the board's resolution appears steadfast in aiming to mend the relationship between Cochise County's governance and its constituency.