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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 8/8/2023City of Glendale 5850 West Glendale Avenue Glendale, AZ 85301 Caftk &7 Glendale A R I Z O N A Meeting Minutes Tuesday, August 8, 2023 12:30 P.M. Workshop Meeting Council Chambers City Council Mayor Jerry Weiers Vice Mayor Joyce Clark Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Ray Mainar 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 Joyce Clark Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Ray Malnar Councilmember Bart Turner Absent: Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff Also Present: Kevin Phelps, City Manager Michael Bailey, City Attorney Julie K. Bower, City Clerk Councilmember Tolmachoff arrived after the roll was called at 12:31 p.m. WORKSHOP SESSION 1. CEMETERY UPDATE AND RATE DISCUSSION Presented by: Michelle Woytenko, Director of Field Operations Charles Thomas, Deputy Director of Field Operations Ms. Bower read the item by title. Mr. Thomas provided an overview of the cemetery update, covering the following points: . Cemetery background .Operational Use . Benefits for Residents . Historical Cost . Rate Adjustments Councilmember Turner asked if any columbariums had been added to the cemetery. Mr. Thomas said that a single columbarium had been in place for several years. Councilmember Turner asked if the Perpetual Care Fund had been funded and did it adhere to the state's regulations for perpetual care funds. Ms. Rios said that the Perpetual Care Fund fell under the governance of the City Council, rather than being subject to state control. She indicated that the fund currently held approximately $6 million. Councilmember Turner asked whether the Perpetual Care Fund was maintained as a separate bank account. Ms. Rios said that because it was created by the Council, the Perpetual Care Fund was categorized within the assigned fund balance. City Council Meeting Minutes - August 8, 2023 Page 2 of 7 Councilmember Turner asked what procedures were in place to assist individuals in locating burial sites. He asked whether burial records were digitized, if there were maps available for guidance and were available online. Mr. Thomas said there were electronic records for more recent transactions and some paper records for older transactions. The records dating back to the 1900s might not be as comprehensive as more recent ones. He was unsure if cemetery records were on the internet. If so, the publication was not managed by the City. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked how many available plots there were. Mr. Thomas did not have the exact number available as there were too many variables for the use of the plots. The rough estimate was 570 available casket burial lots, 840 ground cremation lots, 13 niches in the columbarium. Each niche held 2 urns. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked what year new columbariums were budgeted. Ms. Woytenko said new columbariums were not in this year's capital improvement projects (CIP) but were included in future CIP. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if markers had to be purchased through the City. Mr. Thomas said it was not a requirement, but staff did recommend purchasing markers from the cemetery due to quality. There were different styles of markers, but all were granite. The fee for markers was 55% above City cost. Councilmember Aldama asked how the City compared to other municipal and private cemeteries with the potential increase in cost. Mr. Thomas said that the City was comparable to other municipal cemeteries. With the increase, the City would be in the top 2 but plot costs were among the lowest. Councilmember Aldama asked if the increase was to cover the deficit. Mr. Thomas said the goal was to recover expenses. The last increase was in 2009. Vice Mayor Clark asked how many people used the cemetery services on average per year. Mr. Thomas said pre-COVID, it was approximately 30-35 burials per year. Vice Mayor Clark clarified that the operating deficit was approximately $62,000 per year. The cost increase would bring in an additional $30,000-$35,000 per year. There would still be a shortfall. Ms. Woytenko said the cost increase was intended to close the gap. Vice Mayor Clark was concerned about the potential adverse effects of a sudden $1,000 rate increase on citizens. She recommended a more gradual approach to rate adjustments. Councilmember Aldama asked if other City departments operated with a deficit. Ms. Rios said most departments relied on taxpayer funds and did not recover costs independently. City Council Meeting Minutes - August 8, 2023 Page 3 of 7 Councilmember Aldama wanted to discuss the option of carrying a deficit for the cemetery because there was no specific policy mandating cost recovery. Mr. Phelps said at a past workshop, it was decided to treat the cemetery as an enterprise fund, investing in it to break even on costs. The choice was treating it as an enterprise and backfilling costs or using general funds to cover expenses. The City still offered high value and affordability compared to private cemeteries. Councilmember Malnar supported operating the cemetery under a cost recovery model. He asked for clarification on whether capital costs were included in assessments or funded from the General Fund. Mr. Thomas said capital projects were unrelated to the rate increase and would be funded by the General Fund. Mayor Weiers questioned the feasibility of redirecting funds reserved for upkeep towards building columbariums. Ms. Wyotenko said improvements to the cemetery were being funded from the General Fund. Columbariums were expected to be funded through the rate increase and future allocations. The possibility of utilizing the perpetual care fund for columbarium construction was being discussed with Budget and Finance. Councilmember Turner said getting columbarium space would be to the City's advantage. He requested data comparing the City cemetery to Resthaven across the street. Councilmember Tolmachoff supported operating the cemetery as an enterprise fund. She requested a cost comparison with Resthaven. She wanted to explore alternative funding sources such as GO bonds before resorting to the General Fund. She also suggested involving Glendale Works in cemetery maintenance. Mayor Weiers said Glendale Works had been involved upon request. 2. VALLEY BENCHMARK COMMUNITIES 2021-2022 UPDATE Presented by: Khala Stanfield, Director, Department of Organizational Performance Jenny Durda, Business Intelligence & Analytics Officer, Department of Organizational Performance Ms. Bower read the item by title. Ms. Stanfield and Ms. Durda provided an update on the 2021-2022 engagement report. The presentation included: . Purpose *Participants, Partners, and Board . Annual report . Metric updates . The year ahead City Council Meeting Minutes - August 8, 2023 Page 4 of 7 3. INFORMATIONAL UPDATE ON GLEN LAKES REMNANT PROPERTY (CITY OWNED PROPERTY) Presented by: Tabitha Perry, Planning Manager Ms. Bower read the item by title. Ms. Perry provided an informational presentation on the Glen Lakes remnant property. Councilmember Turner said that the community had expressed a clear preference against the utilization of the land for financial institutions and daycares, both of which were included in the list of potential land uses. He asked if there were any other items on the recommended list that the community had wished to exclude. Ms. Perry explained that during the initial outreach, a formal draft proposal had not yet been developed. Another meeting with residents would be conducted to present a formal proposal and gather feedback. Councilmember Turner asked if restaurants with drive-thrus included coffee shops. Ms. Perry said that was correct. Councilmember Turner asked when the parcel could go on the market. Ms. Perry said staff would have the necessary entitlements presented to Council by November. It was important to secure the entitlements prior to engaging a broker for the sale of the land. Mayor Weiers said tall walls had proven effective in mitigating noise disturbances from drive-thru speakers. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Mr. Phelps commended the Field Operations team and the Water Services staff for its rapid response in addressing a mechanical failure with the pool filtration motors. Their efforts ensured the prompt resolution of the issue, allowing the Foothills Aquatic Center to reopen as scheduled on Thursday. He said it was a great example of successful interdepartmental collaboration. Mr. Phelps informed the Council of an unsolicited offer received for a City -owned property. The matter would be discussed at the upcoming Executive Session. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT No report COUNCIL ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST Councilmember Aldama requested an update on the Glen Lakes Golf Course Project. Councilmember Tolmachoff requested a discussion regarding the regulation of sign content in the Uniform Development Code as well as signs in medians. Councilmember Turner supported Councilmember Aldama's request. City Council Meeting Minutes - August 8, 2023 Page 5 of 7 Vice Mayor Clark did not believe any municipality could regulate the content of signs as it was a freedom of speech issue. MOTION AND CALL TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION A motion was made by Councilmember Jamie Aldama, seconded by Councilmember Ian Hugh to hold an executive session. AYE: Mayor Jerry Weiers Vice Mayor Joyce Clark Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Ray Malnar Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff Councilmember Bart Turner Passed EXECUTIVE SESSION Council met in executive session at 1:50 p.m. for: . Discussion and or 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 property located at 6832 N 58th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85301 pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 38-431.03 (A)(3)(4)(7) . 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 property located near 57 th Avenue and Glenn Drive, Glendale, AZ 85301 pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 38-431.03 (A)(3)(4)(7) . Discussion and or consultation, to consider its position, and to provide instruction/direction regarding Personnel Matters in the Glendale Municipal Court, including the recruitment of a City Judge and discussion/consultation for legal advice with the City Attorney pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(1)(3) . Discussion/consultation with the City Attorney for legal advice and to receive an update, to consider its position, and to provide instruction/direction to the City Attorney regarding Glendale's position in connection with Referendum #REF2023-01 pursuant to A.R.S. §§38-431.03 (A)(3) . 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 pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 38-431.03 (A)(3)(4) . 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 in connection with property at Entertainment Blvd. and 95th Avenue that are the subject of negotiations pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 38-431.03 (A)(3)(4) . Discussion regarding appointments and other matters relating to various boards, commissions and other bodies pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(3)(4) City Council Meeting Minutes - August 8, 2023 Page 6 of 7 A motion was made by Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff, seconded by Councilmember Bart Turner to adjourn the executive session. AYE: Mayor Jerry Weiers Vice Mayor Joyce Clark Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Ian Hugh Councilmember Ray Malnar Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff Councilmember Bart Turner Passed Mayor Weiers adjourned the executive session at 4:39 p.m. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Weiers adjourned the meeting at 4:39 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 8th day of August, 2023. 1 further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this 15th day of August, 2023. Julie . Bower, MMC, City Clerk City Council Meeting Minutes - August 8, 2023 Page 7 of 7