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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 3/4/2008 *PLEASE NOTE: Since the Glendale City Council does not take formal action at the Workshops, Workshop minutes are not approved by the City Council. MINUTES CITY OF GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MARCH 4, 2008 1:30 P.M. PRESENT: Mayor Elaine M. Scruggs, Vice Mayor Manuel D. Martinez, and Councilmembers Joyce V. Clark, Steven E. Frate, David M. Goulet, Yvonne J. Knaack, and H. Phillip Lieberman ALSO PRESENT: Ed Beasley, City Manager; Pam Kavanaugh, Assistant City Manager; Craig Tindall, City Attorney; and Pamela Hanna, City Clerk 1. REQUEST FROM SUPER BOWL HOST COMMITTEE TO SUBMIT A BID TO THE NFL FOR GLENDALE TO HOST 2012 OR 2013 SUPER BOWL CITY STAFF PRESENTING THIS ITEM: Mr. Ed Beasley, City Manager; Ms. Cathy Gorham, Director of City Manager Relations; and Mr. Art Lynch, Deputy City Manager OTHER PRESENTERS: Mr. Michael Kennedy and Mr. Bob Sullivan, both with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee This is a request for the City Council to consider a request from the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee to submit a bid to the National Football League (NFL) for hosting the 2012 or 2013 Super Bowl. The deadline for the Host committee to submit a bid to the National Football League (NFL) is April 1, 2008. In June of 2007, a professional consultant was retained by the City of Glendale to begin an economic and fiscal impact analysis of Super Bowl XLII. Part one of the analyses was designed to estimate the economic impact that would be generated during the two- week period surrounding the Super Bowl, based on results and assumptions provided by a number of existing studies. Part two of the analysis began in October of 2007 with development of a survey instrument and is focusing on the economic return to Glendale. Visitor surveys were conducted during the two-week period prior to Super Bowl. The complete analysis is currently being finalized by the consultant and has yet to be reviewed by staff. 1 Since award of the 2008 Super Bowl bid to Arizona, associated costs were separately budgeted and tracked based on Council direction. Based on financial data received to date, the city has expended approximately $3.3 million in direct costs for police, fire, emergency operations, transportation, marketing, permits, temporary construction inspections, and maintenance. Since award of the 2008 Super Bowl bid in October 2003, the Council has discussed the projected expenses and budget associated with the event at several workshops starting in 2004. Staff reviewed the minutes from those meetings and, pursuant to the direction provided, last year developed funding options for the approximate $3.4 million that Council approved for Fiscal Year 2007-08. Staff also committed to perform a comprehensive assessment of the revenues and expenditures after the event was held. A list of the workshop and meeting dates in which this subject was discussed was included in the packet submitted to the Council for this meeting. Staff is requesting that Council provide direction to begin negotiations with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee regarding the 2012 or 2013 bid package. If directed to move forward, the proposed Super Bowl resolutions and documentation will be brought forward for a formal vote at the March 25, 2008 City Council meeting. Mr. Ed Beasley summarized the success accomplished with this year's Super Bowl and its impact on the City of Glendale and the State of Arizona. He stated that it had been rated one of the best operational opportunities to take place, as well as the best exceptional service rendered. He explained the time constraints of submitting a bid for the 2012 Super Bowl. The deadline for an official bid submittal is April 1, 2008, therefore the Council must move swiftly in order for discussions and direction to be had prior to the deadline. He noted there would be many changes and economic opportunities for the city to offer in 2012. Mr. Beasley explained that staff is performing a comprehensive assessment of the revenues and expenditures for the event. Based on financial data received to date, the city has expended approximately $3.3 million. He introduced Mr. Michael Kennedy and Mr. Bob Sullivan, both with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. Vice Mayor Martinez inquired as to negotiations to be held between the city and the host committee in the next couple of weeks. He asked if Council would have an opportunity to have another meeting before providing final direction. Mr. Beasley explained that staff was reviewing the bid documents at the moment to understand all the requirements and resolutions. He stated that a decision wctuld havq,_to be made before the deadline of April 1 at the meetings on March the 18 and 25'. He added that all questions, revisions and Council's direction would have to be made during those meetings. 2 Councilmember Goulet asked if Council should decide to bid on the event, are they locked into the process, even if they decided to withdraw at a later time. Mr. Sullivan stated that he was not familiar with a situation were a bid has been accepted and then the city later rescinded the bid. He noted that the NFL assumes that if accepted, the city would stick to the bid and look forward to the planning process over the next four years. Councilmember Lieberman commented that he assumes there would be a period of renegotiation with the NFL on the city's revenue position. He stated that the winning team received 17% of the gross revenue. He asked if it was known how that translated into dollars and cents. Mr. Kennedy stated he did not know that answer and was not sure if the 17% gross figure was accurate. He said in any case, that was not something that was part of the bid process. He added that the host committee was not privy to that information. Councilmember Lieberman stated he just wanted to find out how much money was involved in this process. He asked if it was known if the NFL had the rights to sell to television stations around the world for a fee to show the game. Mr. Kennedy stated he could not confirm or deny that process. He said those types of negotiations were not part of the host committee procedures. Councilmember Lieberman reiterated his stand that before the city goes into negotiations with the NFL, they should become knowledgeable about all the money involved. He noted that the host team also receives about 5% of a billion dollars. Mr. Kennedy reiterated that the host committee was not part of this process. He said he was not clear where the 17% or 5% figures originated from; however, he believes those numbers could be the allocation of tickets provided to various entities such as the host team or the other playing team, for which they initially pay. He stated he did not believe the allocation of game tickets translates to any percentages of revenue. Councilmember Lieberman reiterated that all he required was to find out specific numbers so they could make informed decisions while negotiating with the NFL. He added if the NFL requests more from the city, he was not in favor of it. He said should Council decide to be a host city, they would need to start allocating for it immediately. Mr. Kennedy stated that typically, the host committee does not become involved in NFL financial operations. He stated that it was very important to note this was a bid process and not a negotiation with the NFL. He said it was like bidding on a job, if the city does not want it, there will be other bidders that will bid in compliance with the specifications issued. He stated there was no doubt this was a very profitable enterprise and the process to earn the coveted right to host this event was a bid process, not a negotiation. Councilmember Lieberman thanked them both for all their work on the Super Bowl. He asked if he could receive a breakdown of the $17 million raised by the host committee. Mr. Kennedy listed some of the donations and areas where the money was used. He said it was just another commitment that every city makes to respond to the specifications. Councilmember Lieberman asked if any of that money went to help with Glendale's expenses with police and fire. Mr. Kennedy stated that money did not go directly to that purpose. Mr. Bob Sullivan summarized the direction provided to begin negotiations with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee regarding the 2012 or 2013 bid package. He said if directed to move forward, the proposed Super Bowl resolutions and documentation will be brought forward for a formal vote at the March 25, 2008 City Council meeting to accommodate the April 1st deadline. He discussed the success of the Super Bowl and the many goals accomplished. He said the only criticism heard was that things were a little spread out, which had been one of their goals. He related some highlights of the 3 event and stated that they had tried to make Glendale the beginning, middle and the end of this phenomenal event and had succeeded. He said the NFL experience had set a record for attendance, even with heavy rains prior to the event. He reported that they had over 8,000 volunteers for Super Bowl 42. He also discussed Glendale's huge role in the public safety planning of the joint operation command, which is now being looked at by the NFL and NASCAR for future events. He reported on the media and Channel 11 being at the forefront of all the national media experience. He said the word Glendale was in thousands and thousands of media reports around the country and the world. He thanked the Glendale staff who had been incredible to work with. He stated that he was told by the NFL staff that in terms of operations and preplanning, this had been the best Super Bowl ever. He thanked the staff and Council for all their support. He reported that exit polling on having another Super Bowl in Glendale had been very favorable and positive. Councilmember Clark commented that since the bid specifications were basically the same, has their initial draft response been the same as previously or have there been any changes from the successful bid specification answered for the 2008 Super Bowl. Mr. Sullivan stated they had not begun any formal responses to this bid. He said all he had done was look at the specification from this last Super Bowl and compared any differences or changes. Councilmember Clark asked Mr. Kennedy the same question. Mr. Kennedy explained he might have miss spoke when stating the specifications were almost the same as 2008; he meant to say they were very similar to the 2011's bid. Councilmember Clark asked if there had been any changes or request in regards to transportation and taxation from the NFL and has the host committee responded to either of those issues. Mr. Kennedy stated they had not responded for 2012; however they had responded a year ago for 2011 and had seen no significant changes on taxes and transportation between those two years. Councilmember Clark asked if they were planning to offer anything additional to sweeten the pot with regards to their response to the bids specification. Mr. Kennedy stated there wouldn't be a discussion until they were sure all the stake holders were interested in moving forward in meeting the specifications as they existed. Mayor Scruggs stated that she would like to discuss the transportation issue because it kept coming up as an issue and she would like them to offer some clarification, specifically on Ridgeway. Mr. Sullivan responded that Ridgeway was one of many NFL subcontractors. She asked if the City of Glendale had any responsibility to that entity. Mr. Sullivan said they did not. Mayor Scruggs noted that there was a section on transportation in their bid packet that didn't apply to the city. Mr. Sullivan stated she was correct, although in certain areas it did apply because the Glendale transportation team worked diligently with the subcontractors to make it a successful process. 4 Mayor Scruggs asked further information on the cost factor, both direct and indirect, broken out separately. Mr. Kennedy said it was important to note that the NFL also incurs a huge body of expenses. He stated that the NFL's purpose was to maintain uniformity as it goes from venue to venue. Mayor Scruggs stated for the record that in the bid package, there were other entities that also had to agree to the provisions, other than just the city. She noted that one of them was the stadium, with requirements that they have to meet which had nothing to do with the City of Glendale or the City of Phoenix. Mayor Scruggs commented that she would like the host committee to expand on the many issues surrounding the bid and the many entities that had to agree before anything can move forward. Mr. Kennedy took a moment to thank the Council for their support of the 2008 Super Bowl event. He said this has been a great journey and was pleased to note he was thrilled by the challenges they had been able to overcome to make this event so successful. He acknowledged Mr. Sullivan and staff for all their magnificent undertakings in making things happen. He also acknowledged the Council and staff for their professionalism and expert dedication to the goal at hand. He added that the NFL, who typically was not free with compliments and did not like to get into who was better, had been complimentary on many of Glendale's approaches to operations. He stated that the success of Super Bowl 2008 had been a phenomenal success by any standards. Vice Mayor Martinez thanked the host committee for all their work on this tremendous endeavor. He said the only criticism that he'd heard was possibly not having enough taxis, which was a small issue. He commented that one of the questions being asked was what the city had gained, other than having a successful event. He said the city had spent $3.3 million for the event, and asked if the improvements around the city were part of the $3.3 million or were they part of another fund. Mr. Beasley deferred those questions to Ms. Cathy Gorham, but added that the $3.3 million was predominately set aside for public safety services, per Council's direction. Ms. Cathy Gorham stated that the $1.2 million that had been set aside as part of the national event account beginning four years ago, was actually spent last fiscal year for improvements done prior to the Fiesta Bowl and the BCS games. She said the estimated $3.3 million is the best figure to date. She stated that most of the expenses were incurred within the ten day period of the Super Bowl. They related to operations such as public safety, transportation, building safety department, inspections and some of the maintenance. She added the Council had budgeted $3.4 million and they were right on target with the amount of money budgeted. Vice Mayor Martinez commented on the $1.2 million which was used for infrastructure that was scheduled to be done anyway and believes that money was well spent. Ms. Gorham agreed with Vice Mayor Martinez, and stated that there were substantial things the Council has had the vision to approve that will benefit the Glendale community forever. Vice Mayor Martinez asked if there were any figures on the number of new businesses involved directly with the Super Bowl. Ms. Gorham stated that they were still tracking that through their finance department, however, commented that they were also tracking the amount of venders 5 in and around the venue. She said they will be presenting that information to Council as soon as it was collected and processed. Mayor Scruggs asked how payroll for this event was computed. Ms. Gorham said pay was based on hourly salary in operational ranks and only on employees who worked on projects directly related to the Super Bowl qualified. She stated that no exempt management employee hours were tracked. Mayor Scruggs asked if all components of employee's salaries were reflected in that tally, with not only salary but other expenses the city uses to cover employees. Ms. Gorham explained that it was computed as a flat hourly rate for an employee and that was how it was lodged into the payroll system. Vice Mayor Martinez commented that as a benefit of the Super Bowl, the Glendale Boys and Girls Club received $1 million. Mr. Kennedy stated he was also pleased with that fact. Councilmember Lieberman commented that it had been agreed in 2003 to put aside money for the Super Bowl and that amount had been closer to $8 million. He said the money was used to work on improvements around the city. The $3.4 million was to be used for public safety for the Super Bowl, not for improvements around the city. The $8 million was to be used for infrastructure improvements. Mr. Beasley stated that it had actually been $7 million and it had been spent on mega events such as the Fiesta Bowl and the BCS Games. Mayor Scruggs state the money had been for a series of events starting in 2006. Councilmember Frate asked Ms. Gorham if the $3.3 million for public safety included purchases of equipment for the events. Ms. Gorham stated there had been some purchases by the fire department; however, on the police side the cost had been primarily operational. She also discussed the transportation issues between Ridgeway and the city. Councilmember Frate said he was eluding to the fact that fire and police had purchased materials and items which could be used by the city for many other events, not only the Super Bowl. He added that many of the items were good investments for the city. Ms. Gorham agreed and noted some of the equipment was loaned to the city to test. Councilmember Clark asked Ms. Gorham when they can expect the complete financial report on the Super Bowl and how it affected Glendale. Ms. Gorham stated she was not sure because of all the information that still needed to be obtained and evaluated. Councilmember Clark commented to Mr. Beasley that essentially they were being asked to make a decision without knowing how Glendale had done financially. Mr. Beasley stated they did have the basic expenditures of $3.3 million. He said all they were waiting for was the revenue side of the equation. Councilmember Clark asked if they had any preliminary figure at this time. Mr. Beasley said he did not; however, he believed they should have it within the next thirty days. He added that he also did not want to over project and state that the revenue figures would offset the expenditure figure because Council went in knowing it probably would not. Councilmember Clark 6 asked Mr. Beasley if it was safe to say that the expenses did not offset the revenues. Mr. Beasley stated that as far as direct revenue, that was probably the case, however, that did not include other avenues not easily tracked, such as business that had relocated to Glendale and their impact on the city in the future. Councilmember Clark commented that Mr. Sullivan stated Glendale had become the hub of the wheel. She said she agrees with that statement because without Glendale's participation, the wheel does not move. She stated that the City of Glendale had very little participation on the executive committee. She believes Glendale should play a larger part in this event as per Mr. Kennedy's belief that this should be a team effort and the city should participate in the decision making on the host committee. She said it was very important that the host committee offer those kinds of opportunities to the city. Mr. Sullivan commented that he could not emphasis enough how many hours the host committee had spent with staff and Council relative to critical decisions regarding this event. He said he does not recall of any important issue which had not been discussed with the city. Councilmember Clark noted that she had no doubt the city was privy to decisions in regards to implementation at a higher level. However, she would like the city to participate at an executive level in decisions on how the host committee operates and where it allocated its resources. Mayor Scruggs asked Mr. Kennedy to explain the role of the Super Bowl committee and how decisions were made. She also asked him to expand on the executive committee, which at the moment had no representation from the city. Mr. Kennedy explained how the executive host committees were formed and that typically most of the work was done at the level of the host committee with the executive committee's only function being personnel issues and fund raising. Councilmember Clark commented on Mr. Sullivan's observation that everyone had received a part of the revenue pie, however, only a few had received a piece of the expense pie incurred by the host cities, specifically expenses in public safety. She listed several cities that had hosted Super Bowl events and had minimal cost compared to their revenue. She said Glendale did not have the opportunity to recoup the $3.3 million in public safety expenses. She also asked him to clarify the tax issue. Mr. Sullivan stated with the exception of Tempe, every city that had a major event, was in the bid process along with Glendale and waived any reimbursement for law enforcement. He said as far as the tax issue, he had not begun to process any of the tax waivers. Mr. Kennedy interjected by saying he believed all bids require there be no sales tax of any kind on game day tickets. Mayor Scruggs asked if the concessions had a sales tax. Mr. Kennedy stated he was not sure. He said he wanted to make the point that he remembered the host committee had committed for 2011 that they would work to promote the "Texas model" of equitable allocations of revenue and cost for mega events. He said they had worked to advocate that aspect as well as requesting legislation on that issue. 7 Councilmember Clark stated she had a big problem with the issue of reserving the $3.3 million for Super Bowl expenses. She said the money could have been used for parks, libraries or any number of other items for the city. She stated that the Super Bowl provided revenue, good public relations and a great deal of benefits for the entire state. However, Glendale should be compensated for their additional costs. Mr. Kennedy stated that he understood her point of view; however, any assessment of intangible benefits to Glendale could not be quantified. He also noted that the phrase Visa uses for some things being priceless applies to the experience of hosting a Super Bowl. He said he believes Glendale's opportunities will be different in 2012, helping them become successful. He said he believes there will be more balance and recognition in 2012 for the City of Glendale. Councilmember Clark thanked Mr. Kennedy for his observation, comments and commitment to this venture. She noted she had outlined the issues that will be important in determining her decision. Councilmember Knaack commented that she had heard the hotel industry had not yet committed to the bid. She asked if the number of rooms at certain rates the NFL expects were not available, what would be the outcome. Mr. Sullivan stated that the initial discussions with the Valley Hotel Resort Association had been very positive. He explained that the host committee has to guarantee 19,000 rooms, with a four night minimum, at a fixed rate. He said his goal, if this bid was to move forward, was to include the west valley hotels that were not here in 2003. He noted that the program worked very well in working with the hotel industry and believes they would not have any problems in that aspect. Mayor Scruggs stated there had been very good business done in Glendale. She asked the Council to offer comments or direction for staff to start work on a bid package or not. Councilmember Goulet commented that initially, when this opportunity came to Glendale, he was whole-heartily for it and still remains in full support of this prospect. He stated he believes the game stimulates future development which was not always quantified on paper; however, there were obvious benefits to hosting the Super Bowl. He said it was a point of pride to be able to say you were a host city. He said this event was good for the community and had put Glendale on a worldwide stage. He added that it would be disastrous to pass on this great opportunity. He added that the staff was dedicated to this venture had done a tremendous job and proven to the world Glendale was able to put on a world class act. He thanked the host committee and stated that he was in full support. Vice Mayor Martinez commented that he had come in with mixed feelings on this matter, however, after hearing some of the discussions and how the city had benefited from this event, he felt better about supporting this endeavor. He mentioned articles he had read on the amount of interest that had been generated for Glendale, including attracting many CEO's that may have never come to this area. He said he had lived in Glendale all his life and had never dreamed that the city would be where it is today and what was in store for its future. He discussed the amazing experience he had while attending the NFL Experience. He reiterated his support. 8 Councilmember Knaack congratulated the host committee on raising $17 million. She said it was quite an accomplishment. She agreed that they needed to take the intangibles into consideration when deciding their bid. She praised the marketing department for their work in getting the word out about Glendale. She added that she had a great time at the event and will support moving forward. Councilmember Frate commented that he was glad to hear of plans to help reimburse and help the city recoup some of the expense. He also discussed the intangibles, such as the hotel industry getting an economic boost because of the Super Bowl. He discussed the non-monetary value of having the Super Bowl here in the city. He talked about the beautiful weather in Glendale and the value that had been recognized by the NFL. He stated that he was looking for longtime investments for the future of Glendale and was in full support to move forward. He added that he was still very interested in looking over the final figures once they were available. Councilmember Clark commented that she was not going to close the door on this venture, however, was concerned that they did not have any details, specifications or answers to some questions. She reiterated her concerns about Glendale having greater participation with the host committee. She said she believed Glendale should have a greater stake in participating in this venture. She discussed the relinquishment of the sales tax. She stated that they needed some sort of recovery system if they would be hosting future Super Bowls. She discussed how the staffed had worked diligently and meticulously on the Super Bowl for four years, which was why everything had worked out so smoothly, therefore if the bid was accepted, they would have to start planning immediately, with no down time. She reiterated that she was not going to close the door on this; however she was not ready to be a cheerleader either without assessing these issues. Councilmember Lieberman agreed with Councilmember Clark in not totally shutting the door, however would like to know if the 2008 Super Bowl made any profit and the final cost of the event. He also discussed the relinquishment of the sales tax. He said he was also in agreement with Councilmember Clark regarding the city becoming more involved in the host committee meetings. He added that he was on the borderline and would be looking for more information in the next two weeks. He thanked both Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Sullivan for their presentation. Mayor Scruggs commented that on February 27th, she had received a letter from Mike Kennedy and a portion of the bid package was delivered to her and Mr. Beasley. She said she had been out of the office and had not known there was a package until today. She said the bid was put together to respond to the NFL's requirements and to see if the city would consider hosting the Super Bowl in 2012. She stated she had been reading the portion on Taxing Authority Agency Assurance and would like some clarification. She said everything she has read dealt with no tax on admission tickets; however, she has not seen anything exempting the sales tax for concessions in the stadium. She said the sales tax earned at the stadium goes to pay for the infrastructure debt, not to the city and general find. She noted that the city had two specific taxes that were voter approved; one for public safety and the other for transportation. Those taxes do not go toward the debt of the stadium and cannot be pledged. She said that with anything occurring at the stadium, the city does not receive any sales tax, but it goes directly toward the debt. She discussed the economic goals for the city as per the marketing department and found that the Super Bowl had helped them meet those goals such as becoming a premier city, as well as increasing tourism as it relates to revenue. She stated that as a group they had approved a budget of $4.2 million for the Marketing Department to help them reach those goals. She explained that the media 9 value to Glendale had been $16 million to the $4.2 million, which states clearly the investment and a point of pride for the future of Glendale. She related how many times she had been approached by citizens and was told how proud they were to have hosted the Super Bowl. She said she believes the city's revenue could come from hosting such events with hundreds of people coming into the area and visiting places like Westgate. Mayor Scruggs stated that the Council did have some control over the budget and expenditures regarding this event. She explained she had calculated an average in consumer sales and found that $100 million in sales would have to be generated to recoup the $3.3 million, and confirmed that it was very much achievable because of how the city was growing. She also reminded everyone that when activities happen throughout the state, the state collects those taxes and some revenues revert back to the City of Glendale even if the event happens in other cities. She said even if something is happening in another city, and vice-versa, it still helps each city. She said there were a lot of things the city does to promote the interest of the city. It was done to be put in a better position to better serve the citizens of Glendale. She added that it was what economic development was all about. Mayor Scruggs said the message she had promoted was if the City of Glendale could do business with the NFL, they could do business with any new development. She said that in dealing with the NFL, it establishes the city as extremely capable and competent. She stated she was hopeful that staff would not have to spend as much time the second time around because of all that had been learned. She acknowledged the role of city staff in making sure Glendale's interests were always addressed and dealt with, She said if their goal was to promote, publicize and market Glendale, the Super Bowl did the job. She related a story about the David Letterman show and how well Westgate was featured. She reiterated that she believes a second time will be better than the first time. She noted that she still would like to look at the dedicated tax situation, however, at the moment there really was no difference in how the sales tax would be handled because the sales tax does not come back to the city. She added that she was in support of staff working on the bid package. Mr. Beasley informed the Council of an addendum received late Friday. He said he would be working with the attorneys to look for any tax implications. He added they would also be creating a budget should the bid move forward. Mayor Scruggs stated that most of the bid package dealt with the stadium and not the city. She also discussed the level of security the NFL requires whenever they move around to attend or prepare events. Any city involved has to pay for that level of security. Mayor Scruggs commented to Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Sullivan that the majority of the Council would like to see this item brought back in two weeks to a workshop. 2. 2008 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA AND LUKE AIR FORCE BASE UPDATE CITY STAFF PRESENTING THIS ITEM: Ms. Jessica Blazina, Intergovernmental Programs Director; Mr. Greg Montes, Intergovernmental Programs Deputy Director; Mr. Ryan Peters, Intergovernmental Programs Coordinator; and Mr. Steven Methvin, Assistant to the Mayor 10 This is a request for the City Council to provide guidance on the 2008 federal legislative agenda which will form the foundation of the 2008 federal legislative agenda. The purpose of the federal legislative agenda is to affect federal legislation and regulations as they relate to the interests of the city and its residents. The purpose of this item is to provide an update on the federal legislative agenda of the West Valley Partners as it relates to the mission of Luke Air Force Base. The 2008 federal legislative agenda provides the policy framework by which Intergovernmental Programs staff engages on federal legislative issues. Throughout the 2008 legislative session, policy direction will be sought on proposed statutory changes which fall under the adopted Council policy statements relating to the financial stability of the city, public safety issues, promoting economic development, managing growth and preserving neighborhoods. Membership in the West Valley Partners furthers the Council strategic goal of promoting strong ties and an active partnership with Luke Air Force Base. The Intergovernmental Programs staff recommends prioritizing the federal legislative agenda to a few key issues to allow the city to have a stronger, more consistent message on the items of greatest priority. The proposed key priority issues for consideration are described in the reports which were included in the packet submitted to the Council for this meeting The Intergovernmental Programs Department has conducted a city-wide assessment of potential federal funding opportunities to be included in the 2008 Federal Legislative Agenda. Based on this assessment, staff recommends pursuing federal funding opportunities, including grant opportunities, line-item appropriations, earmarks and regulation revisions in the areas of: transportation, public safety, homeland security, historic preservation, libraries, youth workforce development and economic development initiative projects. The Intergovernmental Programs Department will return at a spring 2008 workshop to present a progress report on the 2008 federal legislative agenda inclusive of funding requests and policy areas for engagement. The West Valley Partners is a coalition of fourteen West Valley communities, with the sole objective of protecting the mission of Luke Air Force Base. In partnership with the federal lobbyist Hyjek & Fix, Inc., the West Valley Partners developed a 2008 federal agenda based on protecting and enhancing the critical mission capabilities of Luke AFB. 11 Development of a 2008 federal legislative agenda provides the venue for the city to identify and engage on federal issues of concern to the community, which will enhance the ability of the city to deliver superior services and to address quality of life issues for the residents of Glendale. Luke Air Force Base has strong support from state and local communities affected by the presence of the base and the Barry M. Goldwater Range. With over 8,000 employees and a financial impact of nearly $2 billion annually, Luke Air Force Base is key to the state of Arizona's economic viability. Staff is requesting that Council provide policy guidance on the proposed 2008 federal legislative agenda. Councilmember Frate had a question on the Neighborhood Revitalization Family Social Services. He asked if staff was also advocating for social service block grants. Ms. Blazina stated that he was correct. Councilmember Frate asked if the clean water act had anything to do with funding for national and state parks. He noted that it has been cut back. He asked if they were still advocating for complete funding. Ms. Blazina responded, yes. Luke Air Base Update Mr. Methvin provided a summary on Luke Air Force Base activities. He said, in 2006, Glendale was selected among 14 partner communities in the west valley as the administrator of a newly awarded federal lobbying contract which was awarded to three firms working together as one. He commented on the three firms and their specialties. He said the West Valley Partners had learned that Luke's number one funding priority was funding for their runway replacement. In early 2007, they began working with the congressional delegation to fund the $19 million runway replacement project. He noted that the West Valley Partners will focus on phase two of the runway project and continue to work with the congressional delegation to secure funding for the runway project this year. He said other Luke projects were construction projects at the range totaling $10.9 million. He said the key to a successful project was in working closely with the base. He added that they had a phenomenal relationship with Luke Air Force. He said at the moment, their focus was on the construction projects because they were Luke's number one priority. Mr. Methvin reported on the Joint Strike Fighter. He said the plane was used by the Air Force, Navy and Marines. He noted that the feedback received for the West Valley Partners and Luke Air Force Base was very favorable. Councilmember Frate commented on a job well done by the West Valley Partners. He said the climate conditions were very favorable in Glendale for the missions preformed by the base. He said they had to learn to work together with Luke Air Force Base not only from the economic aspect, but also for the nation's security. Mr. Methvin 12 discussed a DVD that will speak to the point of why Luke Air Force Base was important to national defense, as well the state's economy. Councilmember Clark thanked Mr. Methvin for his presentation. She said she had learned a lot. She stated that the strategy to modernize Luke was brilliant because in that modernization was the key to being selected for great endeavors. Councilmember Lieberman asked what other bases were being considered for a second training base for the F35 Fighter. Mr. Methvin stated there were many bases being considered and did not know the outcome as of yet. He noted that Eglin was the primary training base. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 4:15 p.m. 13