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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Business Council Committee - Meeting Date: 9/16/2021MINUTES BUSINESS COUNCIL COMMITTEE GLENDALE CIVIC CENTER CONFERENCE ROOM B3 5850 W. GLENDALE AVE. GLENDALE, ARIZONA 85301 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th, 2021 2:00 PM CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at approximately 2 PM. ROLL CALL Committee members present: Chairperson Joyce Clark, Councilmember Ray Malnar, Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff, Dale Adams, Ricardo Toris, John Crow, and Yvonne Knaack were present. Committee members absent: Bart Shea was absent. City staff present: Tabitha Perry (Interim Planning Administrator), Rick St. John (Deputy City Manager), Shannon Beck (Council Assistant), and Sherry Crapser (Management Assistant) were present. Presentation by Adam Pruett from Michael Baker International. CITIZEN COMMENTS No citizen comments were made. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES A motion to approve the August meeting minutes was made by Councilmember Malnar, and it was seconded by Ms. Knaack. All were in favor, and none opposed. ITEMS a. Consultant Response to Member Comments for Modules 1-4 Since the project began, there has been a running log kept about feedback, concepts, and ideas. Mr. Pruett presented a spreadsheet that holds the several hundred comments. Chairperson Clark asked if Mr. Pruett had any notable reactions to some of the comments that had similar themes. Mr. Pruett said that fortunately, many of the comments reaffirmed what the group has already considered. There was some conflicting direction, but for the most part, the comments and concerns have easy solutions. Councilmember Tolmachoff noted the term "massage parlor" is an outdated term, and many massage therapy businesses are included in other holistic/self-care businesses. Mr. Pruett suggested examining the other communities nearby to draft Glendale's codes. Determining legitimate businesses is challenging, but Chairperson Clark suggested having different codes and a dividing line between legitimate massage therapy businesses that only offer massages versus businesses that offer a variety of legitimate, legal services. Chairperson Clark then asked what provisions are there in regards to overlay districts. Mr. Pruett said the overlay districts are common. Chairperson Clark noted several overlay districts designed to protect low- income, disadvantaged neighborhoods, and they did so by limiting certain businesses. She thought this may be something in code that recognizes that as the need arises, there may be other types of overlay districts added to the code. Mr. Pruett noted that yes, the code can always be adjusted. Chairperson Clark then asked for further comments or questions. Mr. Toris asked what the timeframe is for having this design complete, and Mr. Pruett said their intention is to have all the comments addressed by the end of September, and hopefully, everything will be live in about four months. Mr. Toris then also asked if there would be two hearings for the council. Mr. Pruett said it would be coordinated through staff. Mr. Toris then expressed concerns about not having enough public involvement in this process, but in light of COVID-19, enhancing social media activity might be the best way to involve people more. After a slight digression, Chairperson Clark commended Mr. Toris' feedback on the modules. A polished draft of Module 5 will be able to be reviewed by the committee shortly. Chairperson Clark then brought up one of her comments on the module, and she opposes the Planning Director or Planning Administrator's amount of authority. Instead, Chairperson Clark suggested a third -party person being involved in reviewing an issue. Mr. Pruett noted details on this will be available in Module 5. With that, Chairperson Clark asked for everyone to move to the next item. b. Final Discussion to Formalize Committee Recommendations on Business -Friendly City Initiatives Chairperson Clark thanked everyone for their detailed comments, and everyone had the opportunity to say whatever they liked about how they would like Glendale to improve as a city. Chairperson Clark noted that overall, customer service and customer relations are still the greatest issues within the city, according to the committee. Chairperson Clark said she would be taking these concerns to council, and she asked for some volunteers to write the final report to present to council. Mr. Crow volunteered and Mr. Toris was voluntold, and both were happy to assume their roles. Chairperson Clark asked Ms. Beck to resend the necessary documents to Mr. Crow and Mr. Toris, and they are to have the final report done October 14th, one week before the next meeting. OTHER BUSINESS Chairperson Clark asked for other business to discuss, and Ms. Knaack brought up the online concierge service that Phoenix has for the city, and Ms. Knaack reached out to the city to learn about their concierge service. Ultimately, after a discussion with a city employee, they do not have a concierge service, but they used to have an Advocacy for Customer Service, but they don't any longer. So much of the institutional knowledge has disappeared because those who know their systems have retired. Ms. Knaack would simply like to see a city team designed to help people. The committee then discussed how there are many ways people can get help now (especially with modern technology like YouTube), but just because that is available doesn't mean human -to -human customer service quality should diminish. Chairperson Clark suggested that Mr. Crow and Mr. Toris detail what customer service means to the committee in their final report. Chairperson Clark presented the committee with concern about the equity, detail, and care necessary for every city customer; the city should treat K each community developer the same whether the business is large or small. Ms. Knaack suggested the customer service feedback surveys be anonymous. The committee continued to discuss concerns of Glendale's current customer service. Chairperson Clark said next meeting, she would like to discuss overlay districts and what they can do to enhance the city. STAFF REPORT No staff report was given. COMMITTEE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTI Chairperson Clark reminded everyone their last meeting will take place in-person on October 21 st. Chairperson Clark asked everyone to continue to participate (as citizens) with future modules. No other comments or suggestions were made. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting of the Business Council Committee will be held on October 21 st, 2021, at 5850 W Glendale Ave, Conference Room B3, Glendale, AZ 85301. ADJOURNMENT Chairperson Clark adjourned the meeting. The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:05 PM. Sherry Crapser, Recording Secretary 3