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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 11/19/2018 City of Glendale 5850 West Glendale Avenue Glendale, AZ 85301 Meeting Minutes Monday, November 19, 2018 6:00 P.M. Special Workshop Meeting Council Chambers City Council Mayor Jerry Weiers Vice Mayor Lauren Tolmachoff Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Joyce Clark Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Ray Malnar Councilmember Bart Turner CALL TO ORDER Mayor Weiers called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Jerry Weiers Vice Mayor Lauren Tolmachoff Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Joyce Clark Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Ray Malnar Councilmember Bart Turner Also Present: Julie K. Bower, City Clerk WORKSHOP SESSION Mayor Weiers said the purpose of the meeting was for the Council to hear from Glendale citizens with regard to Glen Lakes Golf Course as well as funding priorities for Glendale's park system. The City-owned Glen Lakes Golf Course was located at 5450 W. Northern Avenue. On November 7, 2018, the City was forced to shut down the golf course due to a building safety inspection report that showed the clubhouse, pro shop, restaurant and maintenance facility were unsafe to occupy. For the golf course to remain open long-term, the City would need to make a significant financial investment. The City's current budget for the parks division did not include funding for that investment. Mayor Weiers wanted to make clear that it was a listening session for Council to take citizen comments into consideration. It was not a Council discussion and there were no presentations being made by City staff. There would be no Council action taken. Mayor Weiers said the procedures for the meeting would be that a motion to adjourn would be called no later than 8:00 p.m. Everyone would be given an opportunity to speak and Council would have an opportunity to make closing statements. Speakers should keep comments brief and to-the-point so that everyone had time at the podium. Comments would be limited to three minutes. All speaker cards had been collected and no new cards would be accepted. Mayor Weiers said members of the public could also provide feedback by visiting the Parks and Recreation Department webpage at www.glendaleaz.com, call the hotline at 623-930-2740 or email comments to parksfunding@glendaleaz.com. 1. FUNDING PRIORITIES FOR GLENDALE'S PARK SYSTEM -GLEN LAKES GOLF COURSE Ms. Bower read the item by title. The following citizens spoke in support of Glen Lakes Golf Course: Daniel Miller, Cactus District Marie Scillieri, Barrel District Loretta Rollins, Barrel District Bob Gonzalo, Barrel District Tom Loegerino, Sun City Phil Erickson, Barrel District Fred Beyer, Barrel District Ron Short, Cactus District City Council Meeting Minutes-November 19,2018 Page 2 of 4 Anne Owens, Barrel District Leslie McConnell, Sahuaro District Jessica Koory, Ocotillo District Dawn White, Barrel District Owen White, Barrel District Sam McConnell, Sahuaro District Ray Greenan, Cholla District Diana Strahl, Barrel District Jim Brewer, Cactus District Cheryl Kappes, Ocotillo District Christy Miller, Barrel District Doyle Miller, Barrel District Ken Reedy, Barrel District Rick Harper, Sahuaro District Payan Raouf, Sun City Jean Merkel, Barrel District Tom Sebasty, Cactus District JoAnn Bissey, Barrel District Sam Warren, Cactus District The following citizen submitted a speaker card in opposition to Glen Lakes Golf Course: Tom Traw, Yucca District The following citizens submitted a speaker card in support of Glen Lakes Golf Course but did not wish to speak: Diane Arens-Miller, Barrel District Mary Ellen Terkelson, Cactus District Magon Kinzie, Barrel District Joseph Skek, Barrel District The following citizen submitted a speaker card in opposition to Glen Lakes Golf Course but did not wish to speak: Jackie Anderson, Yucca District Councilmember Clark said she would take all remarks into consideration. Councilmember Turner said if the golf course was maintained and marketed, it would be a different situation. He asked if the course was closed, where would people in the area play because 14,000 rounds was significant. Golf was trending up and housing starts were trending down. There was no guarantee that the property, if sold, would develop the way the City wanted. Councilmember Turner said the revenue from the rounds played was not subtracted from the $429,000 operating expenses. If it was factored in,the expenses would be significantly reduced. Council needed all of the information. The temporary closing was contributing to a loss of momentum and revenue. The City needed to get it opened as soon as possible. He said there were many options for funding improvements at the golf course. Councilmember Malnar said it was important to him to hear from constituents. Council was moving toward a more open and transparent process. He had not made a decision and wanted to evaluate the financial situation and explore possibilities. Councilmember Aldama encouraged everyone to stay involved and engaged. Residents deserved City Council Meeting Minutes-November 19,2018 Page 3 of 4 an investment in their assets. The golf course was not successful but it was set up to fail because of lack of investment. Councilmember Hugh said the whole Council loved Glendale and wanted to serve. It was a tough decision and he appreciated the citizen comments. Vice Mayor Tolmachoff would not debate the financials tonight but when elected, she had made the promise to make fiscally-responsible decisions. She clarified that the$429,000 in operating expenses was after revenue was deducted. It was a difficult decision and Council was listening and cared. Mayor Weiers said it was not true that a decision had been made. Council had to be responsible to all citizens and was looking for options for what could be done. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Weiers adjourned the meeting at 7:49 p.m. I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Glendale City Council of Glendale, Arizona, held on the 19th day of November, 2018. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this 26th day of November, 2018. QwiClerk City Council Meeting Minutes-November 19,2018 Page 4 of 4