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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 6/9/2020 (3)City of Glendale 5850 West Glendale Avenue Glendale, AZ 85301 Glendale A R I Z O N A Meeting Minutes Tuesday, June 9, 2020 12:30 P.M. Workshop Meeting Civic Center City Council Mayor Jerry Weiers Vice Mayor Ray Malnar Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Joyce Clark Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff Councilmember Bart Turner CALL TO ORDER Mayor Weiers called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Jerry Weiers Vice Mayor Ray Malnar Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Joyce Clark Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff Councilmember Bart Turner Also Present: Kevin Phelps, City Manager Michael Bailey, City Attorney Julie K. Bower, City Clerk Vicki Rios, Assistant City Manager WORKSHOP SESSION 1. DRAFT PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN PRELIMINARY FINDINGS Presented by: Jim Burke, Director, Public Facilities, Recreation and Special Events GreenPlay LLC Staff Ms. Bower read the item by title. Mr. Burke said the presentation would provide an update of the preliminary findings. The next steps would be to compile a draft plan with Council direction and finally, approval of the master plan. Keri Konold, GreenPlay, LLC., provided information on the following: . Assess existing services and conditions *Determine community needs • Accurately reflect current and future conditions • Incorporate relevant plans Councilmember Clark asked how outreach was done in south Glendale. Ms. Konold said the mailed survey attempted to reach residents of the area. Councilmember Clark asked if the survey was evenly distributed throughout the city. Ms. Konold said RRC, Inc. (RRC) was used to determine which addresses received a mailed survey. Councilmember Clark asked from which zip codes were the responses received. Ms. Konold would work with RRC to obtain the information for staff to share with Council. Councilmember Aldama agreed with Councilmember Clark. The responses were not enough. It was important to know which demographic provided input. City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 2 of 13 Councilmember Tolmachoff asked how many surveys were mailed. Ms. Konold said 4,250 surveys were mailed. Councilmember Clark said population growth within the Yucca district was at 104%. She felt the growth rate was higher than the projected figures by GreenPlay, LLC. Councilmember Clark said Heroes Park was the only major amenity serving west Glendale and urged its completion. Mr. Phelps explained the presentation shared findings of the public survey. The next phase would be for Council to provide direction on next steps. The feedback collected during the meeting would create a draft plan for the next workshop. Mayor Weiers asked if it was possible for a person that received the mailed survey to also participate in the online survey. Ms. Konold said it was possible but I.P. addresses were monitored for duplicated answers. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked for the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) average per acre figure to be repeated. Ms. Konold said it was $6,750 per acre. Councilmember Clark asked if there was an NRPA average for urbanized areas. Ms. Konold said NRPA did not provide that type of distinction within its agency reports. It provided benchmarks for municipal agencies not for state or federal agencies. The benchmark was against neighboring cities. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked what was included in the reported full-time employee (FTE) positions per 10,000. Ms. Konold said it consisted of the full department. Councilmember Turner asked how the FTE per 10,000 residents was influenced with outsourced park services. Ms. Konold said it depended how the agency reported the information. Typically, it considered what was included in the budget and regular parks and recreation staff. Councilmember Turner asked if it was possible to obtain outsourced park service information from benchmarked cities. Ms. Konold said the peer cities would need to be contacted to obtain that information. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if there was part-time employee data per 10,000 residents. Ms. Konold did not have that information. Councilmember Tolmachoff commented many programs utilized part-time staff. She asked if the information could be collected. Ms. Konold said it was possible to collect that data. City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 3 of 13 Mr. Phelps said with the part-time staff information added, it would not show a large difference and the average would be about the same. The information would be forwarded to Council. Councilmember Aldama recalled an item of special interest on a disparity report and recalled it would be included in the Parks Master Plan review. He asked when the information would be available. Ms. Konold said it was not identified as a disparity report within the scope of work. The information would be included in the equity within the parks system. Mr. Burke would address the report as an individual item. Councilmember Aldama wanted a separate report so that it was easily identified for further discussion. Ms. Konold said the request would be included in the equity portion of the presentation. Councilmember Clark asked where in the survey was park signage identified by the residents. Ms. Konold said the inventory level assessment was identified by the consultant. Updating the park signage was a "best practice" and not part of the survey. Councilmember Clark said park amenities were more important than signage. Councilmember Turner said uniform signage was important to identify quality aspects and added value for neighbors. Councilmember Turner asked for a description of "program alignment." Ms. Konold said it was making sure programs were properly utilized at each facility. Councilmember Aldama was disappointed with the survey response. He felt a different approach should be taken and urged the Council to consider a census -type outreach to gather the information for the analysis. Councilmember Tolmachoff said the response rate for the mailed surveys was not unusual and felt door-to-door outreach would not work. She said stations within parks might provide more data from park users and would be cost-efficient. Councilmember Tolmachoff said the report stated the turnover rate was high. She asked what data was used to make that determination. Ms. Konold had asked staff where turnover happened most frequently, and Parks Maintenance was the response. She made the determination by reviewing the past three years of budget information. Additional information could be added to the analysis. Mr. Phelps said two years of data was requested and was compiled. A breakdown of each employee's exit interview would be included in the report. Mayor Weiers asked for full-time and part-time employees to be identified in the report. Mr. Phelps said the part-time employee information could be added but exit interviews were not conducted. He said six full-time employees had left the Parks Division over the last two years. City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 4 of 13 Mayor Weiers suggested a survey be included in water bills. Councilmember Aldama suggested surveying schools located within the City. Vice Mayor Malnar said the survey should be a statistically accurate and asked what was needed to increase its accuracy. Ms. Konold said the mailed survey was a statistically valid survey with a 6.49% response rate. Mayor Weiers clarified the response rate was 6.49% of those who were surveyed. Ms. Konold said 4,250 survey were mailed with 276 respondents. The response rate was 6.49% with a margin of error of 5.9%. The information was statistically valid. Councilmember Clark clarified the margin of error shown in the figures was plus or minus 5.9%. Ms. Konold said that was correct. Councilmember Aldama asked if the consultant felt the number of respondents was adequate to make long term decisions. Ms. Konold explained the survey was one element of input and allowed for recommendations in the next phase. Recommendations would be provided which allowed Council to make decisions based on its priorities. The responses received were adequate to make recommendations for the Master Plan. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if the 6.49% rate was on the low end of respondents in a random survey. Ms. Konold said based on her experience, the response rate meant the residents were not quite interested. Without communication, residents did not know what could affect them with site-specific information. Councilmember Tolmachoff said there needed to be better engagement with the public. Mr. Phelps explained the draft plan was not solely based on the survey response. The consultant spent time with each Councilmember and staff to determine the needs throughout the City. More public outreach could be done and ideas would be brought back for input and direction. Councilmember Turner said receiving more survey responses might increase the figures with the information that was received in the first round of responses. The data received from the survey was adequate to formalize a plan. Councilmember Turner asked how the weighting of survey responses was done. Ms. Konold said RRC had weighted the responses. She explained the criteria used to create categories and how the demographics were weighted to create statistically -valid data. 2. COUNCIL COMMITTEES Presented by: Brent Stoddard, Deputy City Manager City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 5 of 13 Ms. Bower read the item by title. Mr. Stoddard said the Council Guidelines required Council to make appointments to Council committees and sub -committees during the first workshop in June. The Temporary Business Council Committee, Temporary City Code Review Committee and the Audit Committee needed no action. Mr. Stoddard said appointments were necessary for the Government Services Committee, which included three members of Council. There was a limit of two consecutive one-year terms. Councilmember Clark had served two consecutive terms which created a vacancy. Councilmembers Aldama and Tolmachoff could be reappointed for a second one-year term with Council consensus. Councilmember Hugh was willing to serve on the Government Services Committee. Mayor Weiers asked if a vote was required. Mr. Stoddard said the appointments required only a consensus. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if it was a requirement to serve two consecutive terms. She was finishing her first term and if there was another Councilmember who wished to serve on the Committee, she would not seek reappointment. Mr. Stoddard said a second term was not required. Councilmember Aldama wished to serve a second term. Councilmember Turner was willing to replace Councilmember Tolmachoff. Mayor Weiers confirmed consensus to reappoint Councilmember Aldama and appoint Councilmember Hugh and Councilmember Turner to the Government Services Committee. 3. "GROW N06 EQUIPMENT AT GAME 13AG14 Ri4jQL4 Presented by: Michelle Woytenko, Director Field Operations Item removed from agenda. 4. GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND ELECTION Presented by: Vicki Rios, Assistant City Manager Lisette Camacho, Director, Budget and Finance Lisa Baker, Vice -Chair, Bond Committee John Geurs, Bond Committee William DeHaan, Greenberg Traurig Ms. Bower read the item by title. Ms. Rios said the following members of the Bond Committee were present: Vice Chair Lisa Baker and John Geurs. Ms. Camacho said the City's bond attorney, William DeHann of Greenberg Trauig, was also present. Ms. Camacho an overview of the Bond Election presentation: City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 6 of 13 • Bond Committee Process • General Obligation (G.O.) Bonds • Voter Authorization • Constitutional Limit • Debt Payment Capacity • G.O. Bond Funded Capital Projects • Recommendations from the Bond Committee • Draft Ballot Language • Council Consensus • Next Steps Mayor Weiers asked what the colors on the Debt Service Capacity graph represented. Ms. Rios said the colors were principal and interest. Each year the amount of principal and interest varied until paid off. Councilmember Turner asked what the $20 million per year in payments related to with the total debt amount. Ms. Rios said there were several different factors because of the way the bonds were structured. The $20 million payment in debt service was for the $100 million in outstanding bonds. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if the adjusted tipping fees at the landfill were considered in the capital shortfall. Ms. Rios explained the figures were Council's authority to issue bonds for the landfill. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if other funding could come out of revenue and not all from G.O. bonds. Ms. Rios said the Landfill Enterprise Fund had a model which showed bond funding for some or all of the $17 million cost. The tipping fees would be analyzed and adjusted to include repayment of the debt service. Councilmember Tolmachoff wanted to be sure residents did not assume all the capital costs and the tipping fees were adjusted to other users. Ms. Rios said it was incorporated into the analysis of the fees. Councilmember Clark asked why there was no additional information in Proposition 1 to clarify the question related to the expansion of the north cell of the landfill. Mr. Geurs said most residents would not know the specific details. Councilmember Clark asked Council to consider revising Proposition 1 to include an explanation. Ms. Camacho asked for Council consensus to move forward with the purposed $9.9 million bond and ballot language for the landfill. Councilmember Clark requested to add a bullet explaining it related to the expansion of the north cell. Mayor Weiers said there was consensus to add an explanation. City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 7 of 13 Ms. Rios asked for specific language for the ballot question. Councilmember Clark suggested a bullet point explaining the activity related to the expansion of the north cell of the landfill. Councilmember Turner suggested that the formatting of each proposal be uniform. Ms. Camacho asked for Council consensus to move forward with the proposed $9.9 million bond authorization and revised ballot language for the landfill. Mayor Weiers said there was consensus for the landfill question. Councilmember Clark asked if the wording used in Proposition 2 included "removing" or "renovating". Ms. Camacho confirmed it was renovating. Councilmember Clark asked if the proposition implied new parks or park facilities could be created. Ms. Camacho said new parks could not be created with the ballot proposition. Councilmember Tolmachoff said to alleviate confusion and the anticipation of additional parks, the language should be changed to "improving" instead of "adding". She asked if $47 million of the $87 million authorization would go to Heroes Park. Ms. Rios said the Bond Committee specifically wanted to request enough authority but did not guarantee the park would be completed but gave the authority for projects. Councilmember Tolmachoff said the build -out of Heroes Park utilized more than half of the available capacity. It was not wise to build out another park with the authorization funds but rather use future Development Impact Fees (DIF) if another park was needed. Vice Mayor Malnar agreed the authorization was for existing parks. Mayor Weiers also agreed. Ms. Rios said there were other potential funding sources for new parks. Councilmember Turner asked if the existing authorization was restricted from being used on new parks. Ms. Rios said the existing bonds included language for new parks. Councilmember Turner asked if only existing recreation facilities could be renovated. Mr. DeHaan said the language needed to specifically state activities and it was limited to the language as written to existing facilities. Councilmember Turner asked if the bond authorization could be used for an aquatics center at Heroes Park. Mr. DeHaan said it could because it was an improvement to an existing park. City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 8 of 13 Mayor Weiers asked if the park boundaries were the acreage of the park even if they were not utilized. Mr. DeHaan said that was correct. Councilmember Clark suggested adding the specific language "future facilities in existing parks." Mayor Weiers added "existing park boundaries" to the suggestion for further clarification. Councilmember Turner asked if acreage could be added to an existing park. Mr. Phelps said the entire sentence stated, "adding to and renovating existing parks and recreation facilities." It limited adding a new park but not adding to an existing park. Mr. DeHaan clarified the language to be: "renovating existing parks and facilities within existing boundaries." Mayor Weiers said that was correct. It would alleviate confusion. Mr. Bailey asked for clarification on the language. Councilmember Clark explained the intent was to direct the authorization to the improvement of existing parks and not the development of new parks. She said the addition of "park boundaries" was to further clarify and remove the possibility of adding additional land to an existing park. Councilmember Tolmachoff said the words "adding to" in the language would cause confusion and suggested it be changed to "improving and renovating existing parks." Mayor Weiers did not want voters to be confused. Mr. Bailey said the intent was to clarify that funds would not be used to acquire new park land or create new parks. Mayor Weiers said that was correct. Councilmember Aldama said there was a difference between renovation and remodeling. He asked if that should also be considered. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked what the difference was between renovating and remodeling. Councilmember Aldama explained renovation updated an area but did not change its function. Remodeling could change a function from a community center to a kitchen. Mayor Weiers suggested the term "updates." Vice Mayor Malnar said it was important for the voters to clearly understand what was being voted on and said "constructing, improving or remodeling" reflected all the possibilities that could be done with the funds. Councilmember Turner agreed with Vice Mayor Malnar's wording and felt the boundary specification was not necessary. He was concerned about whether facilities could be added to existing parks. Mr. DeHaan interpreted the wording to mean new facilities could be built in existing parks. City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 9 of 13 Mr. Bailey said there was adequate direction to clarify the language. Staff would work with Mr. DeHaan on the revision. Ms. Camacho asked for consensus on the $87.2 million in additional voter authorization. There was Council consensus for the additional voter authorization. Ms. Camacho asked for consensus on the ballot language. Mayor Weiers confirmed consensus on the revised ballot language. Ms. Camacho asked for consensus of the flood control draft ballot language and the $9.3 million in voter authorization. There was Council consensus for the flood control question. Councilmember Clark asked why, if parking had been removed, it was in the title of the question. Ms. Rios confirmed the authorization was for streets only and did not include parking. The ballot language did not reference parking. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if the $10 million referenced for G.O. bonds was reallocated from Parks to Streets. Ms. Rios said it was the amount of G.O. bonds already in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for street reconstruction. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if it was planned to return the funds back to streets since the park bond provided project funds. Ms. Rios said the $10 million was in the CIP for streets. There was $15 million but it was not a Council priority. She explained how the authority was available and how shifting funds could be done to complete a project. Councilmember Tolmachoff considered the streets CIP a high priority and was in favor of moving forward. Councilmember Clark asked if voters approved the authorizations, would the funds be budgeted in the next budget cycle. Ms. Rios said that was correct. There would be discussions before decisions were made. Councilmember Turner supported the Bond Committee's recommendation. Ms. Camacho asked for consensus on the $81.5 million for additional voter authorization for streets. Mayor Weiers said there was Council consensus. Vice Mayor Malnar asked for clarification of a flat levy. Ms. Rios said disclosures would be made on the ballot about the debt service payments. The model used spread out the issuance of the bonds over time to keep the property tax at the same City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 10 of 13 level. Vice Mayor Malnar asked how information was communicated to the public prior to the election. Ms. Rios said there would be public outreach and information explaining how it could be done without raising the property tax would be part of the Bond Committee's outreach. Ms. Camacho asked for consensus on the draft ballot language for streets. There was Council consensus. Councilmember Clark asked if the expansion of the Heroes Park library was within the parks and recreation bond capacity. She wanted to be sure the expansion did not need to be within the library bond capacity. Mr. DeHaan said if the facility was presented as a library, it needed to be funded from the library bond authorization. Ms. Rios explained the projects within the CIP used existing priority. The library bond could be used for the library's expansion when planning the next round of CIP. Councilmember Tolmachoff said the expansion of the library was to add community meeting space. It could be included in the voter authorization for parks. She asked if the $46.4 million included a community center at Heroes Park library. Ms. Rios said that was her understanding. Councilmember Tolmachoff supported the plan. Councilmember Turner asked if there was carryover available beyond the 5 -year CIP. Ms. Camacho said there was approximately $3.3 million of unplanned voter authorization. Ms. Camacho asked if the consensus was to not request voter authorization for the government facilities CIP. Mayor Weiers confirmed there was consensus. Ms. Camacho asked if the consensus was to not request voter authorization for public safety capital projects. The existing voter authorization would fund all projects except the City Court building. Mayor Weiers confirmed there was consensus. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Mr. Phelps said a second round of Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding was received. He said the total funding from both rounds totaled $3.7 million. Mr. Phelps said Budget and Finance submitted documents for the $29 million in pass-through funds from the Federal Government. Rick St. John, Deputy City Manager, provided an overview of the 3 phases of the City's reconstitution City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 11 of 13 plan CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT No report COUNCIL ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST None MOTION AND CALL TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION A motion was made by Councilmember Jamie Aldama, seconded by Vice Mayor Ray Malnar to hold an executive session. AYE: Mayor Jerry Weiers Vice Mayor Ray Malnar Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Joyce Clark Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff Councilmember Bart Turner Passed EXECUTIVE SESSION Council met in executive session at 3:47 p.m. for: • Discussion and or consultation, to consider its position, and to provide instruction/direction regarding the evaluation process and performance reviews of the City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(1),(4); and • Discussion and or consultation, to consider its position, and to provide instruction/direction regarding the appointment process of the Presiding Judge and discussion/consultation for legal advice with the City Attorney pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(1)(3); and • Discussion/consultation with the City Attorney and City Manager to receive an update, to consider its position, and to provide instruction/direction to the City Attorney and City Manager regarding Glendale's position in connection with contracts, agreements and/or development agreements of the area in, near and surrounding 95th Avenue and Cardinals Way that are the subject of negotiations pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 38-431.03 (A)(3)(4); and • Discussion/consultation with the City Attorney and City Manager to receive an update, to consider its position, and to provide instruction/direction to the City Attorney and City Manager regarding Glendale's position in connection with contracts, agreements and/or development agreements pertaining to the Allen Ranches Development that are the subject of negotiations pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 38-431.03 (A)(3)(4); and • Discussion/consultation with the City Attorney and City Manager to receive an update, to consider its position, and to provide instruction/direction to the City Attorney and City Manager regarding Glendale's position in connection with a contract relating to property in the area of Camelback Road and Ballpark Boulevard pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 38-431.03 (A)(3)(4)(7); and • Discussion/consultation with the City Attorney and City Manager to receive an update, to consider its position, and to provide instruction/direction to the City Attorney and City Manager regarding Glendale's position regarding festival contracts with Cerreta Candy Company that are the subject City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 12 of 13 of negotiations, in pending or contemplated litigation, or in settlement discussions conducted in order to avoid or resolve litigation pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 38-431.03 (A)(3)(4); and . Discussion of appointments and matters relating to various boards, commissions and other bodies pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(3)(4). A motion was made by Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff, seconded by Councilmember Bart Turner to adjourn the executive session. AYE: Mayor Jerry Weiers Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Joyce Clark Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff Councilmember Bart Turner Other: Vice Mayor Ray Malnar (ABSENT) Passed Mayor Weiers adjourned the executive session at 5:18 p.m. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Weiers adjourned the meeting at 5:18 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 9th day of June, 2020. 1 further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this 30th day of June, 2020. pljeKBower, MMC, City Clerk City Council Meeting Minutes - June 9, 2020 Page 13 of 13