HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 4/4/2024City of Glendale
5850 West Glendale Avenue
Glendale, AZ 85301
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Glendale
A R I Z O N A
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, April 4, 2024
9:00 A.M.
Budget Workshop Meeting
Civic Center
City Council
Mayor Jerry Weiers
Vice Mayor Ian Hugh
Councilmember Joyce Clark
Councilmember Ray Malnar
Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff
Councilmember Bart Turner
Ocotillo District Vacant
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Weiers called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor Jerry Weiers
Vice Mayor Ian Hugh
Councilmember Joyce Clark
Councilmember Ray" Malnar
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. FY2024-25 BUDGET WORKSHOP
Presented by: Levi D. Gibson, Director, Budget and Finance
Amy Lindsay, Assistant Director, Budget and Finance
Jonathan Hill, Budget Administrator, Budget and Finance
Ms. Bower read the item by title.
Mr. Hill presented the following budget highlights:
. Sister City Budget Increase
. Internal Charge Increase — Code Compliance
. Civic Center Revenue
. Fiscal Year 23 Actuals
. Fiscal Year 24 year to date actuals
Ryan Lee, Director of Intergovernmental Programs, presented the budget and supplemental
requests for the Department of Intergovernmental Programs.
Sue Breding, Director of Communications, presented the budget and supplemental requests for
the Department of Communications.
Councilmember Clark asked how the department decided upon $6,000 for the podcast if no
research had been done.
Ms. Breding said some research had already been done.
Councilmember Clark asked if any podcasts would be produced in the upcoming year.
Ms. Breding said there were funds in the budget that could be used for podcasts.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked what Archive Social Media Archiving Services was.
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Ms. Breding said it was an archiving service for social media public records.
Jean Moreno, Director of Community Services, presented the budget and supplemental
requests for the Department of Community Services.
Councilmember Clark asked if there were two or three heat respite centers last year.
Ms. Moreno said there were three.
Councilmember Clark asked why the cost to run one heat respite center was so expensive.
Ms. Moreno said the centers were open six days per week for eight hours a day, with snacks
and water provided. Grants helped fund the centers.
Councilmember Clark asked if it would remain grant -funded and not be a City expense.
Ms. Moreno said that was correct.
Councilmember Clark asked what THRIVE was.
Ms. Moreno said THRIVE stood for Transcending Hope and Resiliency through Impactful and
Viable Empowerment. It was a program that worked with public housing clients, rehoused
individuals, and clients experiencing financial crises who needed assistance with finding better
jobs, help with financial literacy and credit counseling.
Councilmember Clark asked about the 250 recommendations regarding library services.
Ms. Moreno said the recommendations were received from the public regarding. changes to the
libraries.
Councilmember Clark asked if any of the recommendations had been implemented.
Ms. Moreno said 30% of the recommendations had been implemented.
Councilmember Clark asked what non -entitlement grants were.
Ms. Moreno said they were additional grants not included in Community Development Block
Grants or HUD grants.
Councilmember Clark said last year Council donated to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
She asked that a line item be added to Community Services for $10,000 for financial
commitment to the ongoing program.
There was Council consensus for the funding.
Councilmember Malnar asked for more detail about the residential landscape approved pilot
program and if it had been implemented successfully.
Ms. Moreno said the program focused on neglected neighborhoods. The program was
implemented successfully.
Mayor Weiers asked how long the heat relief program lasted per year.
Ms. Moreno said the program ran from May through September and it was entirely
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grant -funded.
Amy Lindsay, Assistant Director, Budget and Finance, presented the budget requests for the
Department of Budget and Finance and the non -departmental request.
Mr. Gibson presented the budget supplemental requests for the Department of Budget and
Finance.
Councilmember Clark asked about the technology expense line item that was blacked out.
Ms. Lindsay said the line item had been moved to Professional Services.
Councilmember Clark asked if the City was collecting enough revenue to offset the cost of
services provided.
Mr. Gibson said it was.
Councilmember Clark asked about the software program Atlas.
Mr. Gibson said the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) was charged with transaction
privilege tax collections and state law required cities to pay for the new software program.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if the fund had been put into the presumptive cancer fund.
Ms. Rios said there was legislation that had taken money for the presumptive cancer fund, but
it was a different charge.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked what the Arizona State Tourism Authority (AZSTA) Rebate
was.
Mr. Hill said the unrestricted portions of the City's sales tax collections were given back to
AZSTA for the mega events held in Glendale.
Jenny Durda, Director of Organizational Performance, presented the budget and supplemental
requests for the Department of Organizational Performance.
Michael Kingery, Internal Audit Program Manager, presented the budget and supplemental
requests for the Audit Department.
James Brown, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management, presented the budget and
supplemental requests for the Department of Human Resources.
Michelle Woytenko, Director of Field Operations, presented the budget and supplemental
requests for Field Operations.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if the cost for outsourcing the Materials Recovery Facility
(MERF) was included in professional services in the budget.
Ms. Woytenko said professional services was the amount budgeted for processing of recycling
materials.
Councilmember Malnar asked where the cost was for the replacement of recycling bins.
Ms. Woytenko said that amount was part of the utilities and landfill line item.
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Councilmember Malnar asked if the City was purchasing the new color of recycling bins and
how many years it would take for the City to replace all the recycling bins.
Ms. Woytenko said that was correct. The City replaced about 10% of the bins each year. Staff
tried to replace the bins by neighborhood.
Councilmember Clark asked what mechanism was in place to decrease the fuel surcharge
when necessary.
Ms. Woytenko would talk to staff about structuring a rate decrease.
Councilmember Clark said Council should build enough leeway into the rates, so the rates
could be increased or decreased without Council approval.
Ms. Rios said it was difficult to build in that sort of flexibility because the City had notification
requirements that would not be met. Staff was monitoring the rate increases and decreases and
would bring that information to Council on a regular basis.
Councilmember Turner asked if the City paid the same rate as consumers for fuel.
Ms. Woytenko said the City's fuel contract was the western region's cost.
Councilmember Turner asked if the fuel rate was a fixed rate.
Ms. Woytenko said that was correct.
Councilmember Turner asked if Field Operations was responsible for alley maintenance.
Ms. Woytenko said it was split between Field Operations, the Transportation Department and
Solid Waste.
Councilmember Turner said alley maintenance had improved over the past year.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked about the fuel surcharges and bulk trash collection.
Ms. Woytenko said it.was all included in the surcharge.
Councilmember Tolmachoff said perhaps residents should make appointments for bulk trash
pick-up.
Ms. Woytenko said staff could look into that.
Shahid Abbas, Director of Transportation, presented the budget requests for the Department of
Transportation.
Purab Adabala, Deputy Director of Transportation, presented the supplemental requests for the
Department of Transportation.
Councilmember Clark asked where the line item for scallop streets was located.
Ms. Rios said that was a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) item.
Councilmember Clark asked why there was no money in the general government transport line
City Council Meeting Minutes - April 4, 2024 Page 5 of 8
item, but there were benefits.
Mr. Adabala said that item was for previous events at the stadium and arena.
Councilmember Clark asked what professional services were required for signs and markings.
Mr. Adabala said the installation of signs was contracted out.
Councilmember Clark asked what professional services were used for Dial -a -Ride.
Mr. Adabala said it referred to the Regional ADA service in the supplemental.
Councilmember Clark asked what traffic mitigation consisted of.
Mr. Abbas said traffic mitigation was the safety programs, speed cushions, and improvements
that were done at intersections.
Councilmember Clark asked if $645,000 was enough money to do what was required.
Mr. Abbas said it was.
Councilmember Clark asked what the function of the GO CIP operations was.
Mr. Adabala said it consisted of landscape maintenance and irrigation.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if paratransit and Dial -a -Ride were blended together.
Mr. Adabala said they were combined.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if all costs were under fixed route.
Mr. Adabala said that was correct.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if the numbers could be separated.
Mr. Abbas said the estimate from Valley Metro for paratransit was $1.7 million.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked what the total amount invested was in the right-of-way
landscape maintenance plan.
Mr. Abbas said the total for seven years was $7.5 million.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked how much money was allocated for 2024-2025.
Mr. Adabala said approximately $1 million was budgeted in the CIP.
Councilmember Tolmachoff asked why the transit program administration salaries increased.
Mr. Abbas said positions were reclassified.
Councilmember Clark asked if the landscape program would take 10 years.
Mr. Abbas said it was a seven-year program.
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Randy Huggins, Director of Development Services, presented the budget and supplemental
requests for the Department of Development Services.
Councilmember Clark asked why there was only $38,000 budgeted in property clean up
expense.
Mr. Huggins said it is an emergency fund.
Councilmember Malnar asked how the City was helping small businesses and small contractor
projects.
Mr. Huggins said City staff worked directly with small business owners.
Ron Serio, Director of Water Services, presented the budget and supplemental requests for the
Department of Water Services.
Councilmember Clark asked if the increase in raw water costs was due to cost increases or the
City using more water.
Mr. Serio said the increases were rate increases.
Councilmember Clark asked if the residents were increasing water usage on an annual basis.
Mr. Serio said there was a minor water usage increase.
Councilmember Clark asked why the public service representative position was eliminated.
Mr. Serio said it was reclassified, not eliminated.
Councilmember Clark asked why meter maintenance was not budgeted.
Mr. Serio said meter maintenance was not being eliminated.
Councilmember Clark asked why there was an increase to the professional services at the
Oasis Water Treatment Plant.
Mr. Serio said it was due to risk assessment plans.
Councilmember Clark asked why irrigation was zeroed out in the budget.
Ms. Rios said there was no change to the request.
Councilmember Clark asked if irrigation was done in house or contracted out.
Mr. Serio said it was contracted out.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Weiers adjourned the meeting at 12:10 p.m.
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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 4th day of April, 2024.
1 further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present.
Dated this 10th day of April, 2024.
Juli . Bower, MMC, City Clerk
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