(Editor’s note: News releases are published unedited, unless they contain factual errors.)
Arizona State Land Department Board of Appeals members elect Travis Bard as chair, Keri Silvyn as vice chair for 2018-2019 term
Travis Bard and Keri Silvyn have been elected as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Board of Appeals of the Arizona State Land Department. They will begin serving in these positions starting May 1 for a one-year term.
Bard, a Chino Valley real estate broker who has represented Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo and Yavapai counties on the board since 2016, served as board vice chair during the 2017-2018 term. Silvyn, a Tucson land use attorney, has represented Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima and Santa Cruz counties on the board since 2017.
The panel’s other three members are Norman “Ned” Chappell, a real estate appraiser for the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office; Sandra Kelley, a retired Scottsdale real estate consultant; and Richard Cole, a Phoenix attorney and real estate investor. Chappell has represented Gila, La Paz, Gila, Maricopa and Yuma counties on the board since 2013. Kelley has been an at-large member since 2012 and Cole has been an at-large member since 2016.
The Board of Appeals consists of five board members selected by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate for six-year terms. Board members elect officers annually from among themselves.
State law requires all land sales and commercial leases to be approved by the Board of Appeals, which also serves as an administrative review board. Applicants and lessees may appeal to the Board a final decision of the state land commissioner that relates to appraisals and classifications.
The Board of Appeals usually meets on the second Thursday of each month, unless special circumstances warrant additional sessions. Meetings are usually held in Phoenix. More information about the board is at https://land.az.gov/divisions/board-appeals.
Public education is by far the largest beneficiary of Trust land managed by the Arizona State Land Department, whose mission since 1915 is to manage the assets of a multi-generational perpetual trust in alignment with the interests of the Trust’s 13 beneficiaries and Arizona’s future
All uses of the land and resources held in the Trust must benefit the Trust, a fact that distinguishes it from the way public land, such as parks or national forests, may be used or managed. While public use of Trust land is not prohibited, it is regulated to ensure protection of the land and compensation to the beneficiaries for its use. Today the Arizona State Land Department pro-actively manages more than 9.2 million acres of Trust land, which is 13 percent of the land within the State of Arizona. — www.azland.gov —
