The State Parks Board approved the major components of the agreement at their March 17 meeting but due to the understaffing of the agency, Parks Board Public Information Officer Ellen Bilbrey said the agreement has not been finalized by city officials.

A 90-day transition period will allow the Parks Board to inventory the park's equipment and exhibits.

According to a skeleton outline of the agreement, which has been approved by the Parks Board and can be found on its website, the city will take on maintenance and all operations of the park, including repairs and utilities, through June 2012.

The agreement also includes a lease for the Courthouse building, the parking lot on Third Street, and Schieffelin Monument. It includes an option to renew the lease for an additional two years.

The city will retain the admission fees generated by the park.

Revenues generated by special events will go into a fund for capital improvements to the park.

Tombstone officials refused to return repeated calls seeking comment regarding the lease and the agreement.

Requests to the city by The Epitaph for a copy of the agreement were ignored.

In February's city council meeting, Patrick Greene, the president of the Tombstone Chamber of Commerce, explained that the Chamber would sign an agreement with the City Council to take over operations of the park. Further details of the agreement between the City ­and the Chamber were also unavailable.

Bilbrey said the finalization process will take time especially since the agency's staff is low.

"We want to be very careful and do it just perfect," she said.

"There's a tremendous amount of work. We barely have enough staff to put any of this together."

The Parks Board approved similar agreements for Camp Verde, Yuma and the Arizona Historical Society.

Because of the number of agreements, Bilbrey said it will be a slow process for the Parks Board to finalizes the agreements and lease.

In fiscal year 2009, the Courthouse cost $211,000 in expenditures, and was estimated to cost $145,000 for fiscal year 2010. City officials have not made it clear where this money will come from, except to suggest that the Chamber will enlist volunteers to help relieve some costs.