Press Alt + R to read the document text or Alt + P to download or print.
This document contains no pages.
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024.0416.TCRM.MinutesTOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
APRIL 16, 2024
A Regular Meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council was convened at 16705 E.
Avenue of the Fountains in open and public session at 5:30 p.m.
Members Present: Mayor Ginny Dickey: Vice Mayor Brenda J. Kalivianakis;
Councilmember Gerry Friedel; Councilmember Peggy McMahon;
Councilmember Sharron Grzybowski; Councilmember Hannah Toth;
Councilmember Allen Skillicorn
Staff Present: Town Manager Rachael Goodwin; Town Attorney Aaron D.
Arnson; Town Clerk Linda Mendenhall
Audience: Approximately fifty-five members of the public were present.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Post -Production File
Town of Fountain Hills
Town Council Meeting Minutes
April 16, 2024
Transcription Provided By:
eScribers, LLC
Transcription is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not
be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings.
Page 1 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
MAYOR DICKEY: Good evening everyone. Welcome. Please stand for the pledge and
remain standing, if you so choose, for the invocation.
ALL: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic
for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Pastor Rod Warembourg from Desert Creek Fellowship. Hi.
WAREMBOURG: Thank you for having me. Please join me if you'd like. Father, I come
before you tonight in Jesus' name and I ask, Lord, for your help. Father, I ask that you
would grant wisdom and insight to this council. I pray, Father, that you would lead them
and guide them, and you would help them to make good choices for our town. I pray,
Father, that you would help them to step into the things that will make this community
a better place for all of us. And so Lord, I ask that You would be Tight and guide for
them. In Jesus' name, amen.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Roll call, please.
MENDENHALL: Thank you, Mayor. Mayor Dickey?
MAYOR DICKEY: Here.
MENDENHALL: Vice Mayor Kalivianakis?
KALIVIANAKIS: Here.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Friedel?
FRIEDEL: Present.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember McMahon?
MCMAHON: Here.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Grzybowski?
GRZYBOWSKI: Present.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Toth:
TOTH: Present.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Skillicorn?
SKILLICORN: Here.
MENDENHALL: Anyone wishing to address the council regarding items listed on the
agenda or under call to the public should fill out a request to comment card located in
Page 2 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
the back of the council chambers and hand it to the town clerk prior to consideration of
that agenda item.
When your name is called, please approach the podium, speak into the microphone,
and state your name for the public record. Please limit your comments to three
minutes.
It is the policy the mayor and council to not comment on items brought forth under call
to the public. However, staff can be directed to report back to the council at a future
date or to schedule items raised for a future council agenda.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you, Linda. We'II start with our reports by our town manager
and council. Rachael?
GOODWIN: Thank you, Mayor. Welcome, everybody. I just have a couple of updates
tonight. They're kind of all over the place. First, I wanted to mention, I know our
council -- and it has heard from a number of residents about conditions and concerns
about the Park Place phase 2 property. I want to let you know that we've been in touch
with the owner of the property, staff's been working with them, and we're going to be
evaluating the situation. So, we'll have more forthcoming about next steps with those
concerns.
Also, as many have heard, our own Arizona Coyotes are on the verge of relocating after
this season. As a result, tomorrow will likely be their last home game. So the fountain
will be lit in 'Yote colors as a tribute to the players and the fans that have been part of
the Valley since 1996. I believe our vice mayor will be speaking a little bit more on that
during her update as well.
Lastly, I'd like to officially welcome our new park superintendent, Brandon Putman. I
don't think Brandon is here tonight, but I did want to welcome him. Brandon came to us
from Peoria, where he was the field operations and planning services superintendent for
their parks department. He has a master's degree from Grand Canyon, as well as a
bachelor's from Colorado State, with an emphasis in landscape horticulture and
turfgrass management. So, we're really excited to have him and bring him on board
with us.
Page 3 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
GOODWIN: Absolutely.
MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman?
TOTH: Thank you, Mayor. I had the pleasure, like many of us, to attend the Dark Sky
Discovery Center's groundbreaking on the same day as our solar eclipse. That was so
lovely. We had such an incredible turnout for that event. It's so clear how much
community excitement is around this project and can't wait to watch it grow over the
next couple of years.
GRZYBOWSKI: I feel like we just sat down two days ago. So I looked at my calendar and
I'm, like, we haven't done anything in two days. But it has been two weeks since our last
regular meeting and the only thing I have is the Dark Skies, and I know everybody wants
to talk about it. It was a great ribbon cutting, and it was so exciting to see so many
people here as excited about the project as we are. And my special Dark Skies dress
went over very well. I got "you were best dressed" emails from a number of people.
Thanks so much.
FRIEDEL: Thank you, Mayor. Did you get a candle for that? Just kidding. Like
everybody else, I attended the Dark Sky event and the eclipse, and it was a fantastic
turnout. I think more than they anticipated. So that was a great event for the town,
and it will be great to see it progress. We did have a budget workshop last week, so we
went through a lot of stuff that are going to affect the future of the town: capital
projects, finance, et cetera. And I attended the Regional Domestic Violence Council
meeting and a couple of notes from that. They see a very big increase from July through
December, during the summer, and the holidays of domestic violence. They're trying to
figure out what those numbers mean and why it's increased at that particular time of
the year.
And also, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. So, on Fridays, they're going to be
wearing teal. So that's for sexual assault month. That's all I have, Mayor. Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
MCMAHON: Good afternoon, everybody and thank you very much for coming. I also
Page 4 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
attended the groundbreaking ceremony and I have to say it was fantastic. It was so well
put together. The board is so proud of their accomplishments. I just can't wait to see
what they'll do and how fast it's going to be built. And it was awesome because it was
simultaneously with our solar eclipse. And they handed out solar eclipse glasses, so
everybody got to enjoy that. It was a great groundbreaking ceremony.
Also, we're planning -- the Dementia Friendly Town Committee is planning our new
summit. It's going to be April 27th here at the community center. It's free, and it's
going to be about taking care of the caretaker and providing them with information and
support to get through a difficult time.
In addition, yes, we did have a budget workshop the other day and I have to say I was
impressed because, as usual, David Pock and Paul do a great job and it looks like the
town has a bright future. So, thank you very much.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
KALIVIANAKIS: Thank you, Ms. Mayor. And thank you, everyone, for coming tonight.
It's so nice to see you again. For everybody on YouTube and livestreaming, wish you
could be here, but it's a nice room. It's a great audience. I want to congratulate all the
Stellar Students tonight for being here and for your outstanding work in the schools.
I did go to two ribbon cuttings: KDA Dance and the Gallagher Framing Company. Those
are both wonderful. It's always nice to see our business community engaged with the
Chamber in the town.
Also, I would like to, kind of -- and the big picture is, this town council, we deal with
public safety, we deal with fire, roads, safety, infrastructure, parks, recreation. But just
as important, or maybe more important, is the individual interactions that this council
has with the community. It's really meaningful. This gets us back to the Coyotes and
the lighting of the fountain. A number of constituents came up to me and they were
Coyote fans, and they had said, wouldn't it be nice if we could do something to
celebrate this wonderful team that we've been enjoying for so many years? And so
based on the input that I got from the people in this town, I went to the mayor, and I
went to our wonderful town manager, and they're like, yeah, what a great idea. And so,
Page 5 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
we put that together and that's again, that was just completely generated from the
people in this town who we represent.
Just again, just on the small level, the little level, we're having, the Fountain Hills Cares
again. Last month we had it for the celebrating civility, and it was the most well -
attended one that we've had. And this next one is going to be on personal
responsibility. And so, this is something that touches all of our lives. The police tend to
be as proactive as they can, but they're reactive. If something happens to you, you call
the police, they come and investigate. And so, we all have a duty to be proactive. And
so, the basic principles are: be safe from danger; protect yourself; protect your property
from theft, violence, cyberattacks; be alert; display confidence when you walk; keep
your hands free, especially from your phone; and ask for help if you need it. And always
out there, trust your instincts because they'll usually be good for you. And so I just want
to let people know about that.
The last thing is we had our streets and pedestrian safety committee this month, and
just so everybody knows, this is our town engineer, this is our town manager, the
mayor, myself, Peggy, and other principals. And we literally sat down for almost three
hours, and we went over every email, every correspondence, everything that anybody
had about public safety: about their driving too fast on Main Street, could we get rid of
this speed bump, we need a sign here. And so just so you guys know, we get one letter
in, every single one is looked at and addressed. If it's a speeding issue, we take that
wagon that goes out there and measures the speed. And just so you know, when you're
driving up there, it measures your speed before you even know it's there. So sometimes
they say, oh no. Anyway, so yeah, that's one thing we talked about in that meeting.
Anyway, so I just want to let you guys know that we are looking out for you individually
as well as the big picture.
And the last thing, on March or May llth, the Desert Valley Winds will be playing --
that's a band that I play in -- at the community center. So, I invite everybody to go
there. And this month we have a new song called Saxation (ph.). It features the
saxophone, which I play. So, I hope everyone can come out and join me on the -- it's at
Page 6 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
noon on the llth of next month, at the community center. So, thank you everybody.
MAYOR DICKEY: Councilman?
SKILLICORN: Thank you, Madam Mayor. Welcome Fountain Hills. So good to see all the
people here. And I'm just going to keep this so short, because I'm just excited to see the
Stellar Students and hear the presentation from the university. Thank you so much.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you all. So, I don't think anybody mentioned the music fest. So
yay Went to the music fest. The groundbreaking. The budget work study, which is on
video. So, you can see that conversation. Pedestrian traffic safety as Brenda and Peggy
were talking about. Canada, Arizona Business Council, kind of, narrowing down to
something called medical travel. And so, Amanda and Rachael met with them with me,
and we'll see where that leads. Had our mayor's education roundtable, and I'll talk a
little bit more about that when U of A is up here. The Community Foundation luncheon,
they had the whole butterfly weekend, pretty much. So that was a very nice event.
Fountain Hills Cares committee.
And then just two things that the timing was a little bit off, so National Therapy Animal
Day is April 30th. I couldn't get it on for today, so they'll probably have a proclamation
on the 7th, but I wanted to mention that. And then International Firefighters Day is May
4th, so we'll miss that one too. So, I wanted to mention those. Folks ask us to do
proclamations, so and we will do those on the 7th.
So now, we're going to go to the Stellar Students and the kids, I will read your name
from up here because I have two from each school. And then you come on up and
Angela will give you a certificate. And after everybody's all lined up, they'll come down
and the paper will take some pictures. And then I'm going to go straight into the
proclamation for the Fountain Hills Women's Club. And I think there's somebody here
to pick that up. Is Joanne Colella here? If not, I'll just read it.
But let's get started with our students. And we always start with our little Falcons
Preschool. And our first student is Braylee Gallagher. Is Braylee here? You can come up
with her. Yeah. Of course. So "Braylee always walks into school with a huge smile,
ready to learn and play with her friends. Braylee is eager to explore the classroom
Page 7 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
environment. She has shown so much growth throughout this school year and she
demonstrates all the characteristics of a great Falcon." So let's hear for Braylee.
Our next Little Falcon, so you won't have to be up there too long. Is Cash Fritz. Is Cash
here? Come on up, Cash. Go stand right up there. "Cash is a new student in my class,
and I couldn't be prouder of him. He loves coming to school every day and always
greets his teachers and peers with a big smile. Cash is considerate, mannerly, and very
helpful. He has made many good friends in a short time. Cash loves learning and his
enthusiasm is reflected in the quality of work he does in class. He's very artistic. It's
inspiring to see his creativity flourish in my classroom." Cash.
Moving on up. McDowell Mountain Elementary School. Keeva Wendt -Swan. Is Keeva
here? Come on up, Keeva. "Keeva is a pleasure to have in class. And a very bright
person to be around. She's an exceptional student and will not shy away from any
challenge in PE, no matter how tough it may be. Keeva possesses a superb attitude with
tremendous character, and she'll greet me every day with a fist bump. She brings a lot
of energy to each activity and brings out the best of her peers in terms of effort,
attitude, and curiosity to learn. Keeva is always one of the first ones to help me clean
up the gym after each activity and she does a great job following directions while going
above and beyond her class." Keeva. But you know that teachers write these for them.
So, our next one is Jamie Michel. Is Jamie here? Jamie, come on up. "Jamie always
comes into class with a positive yet competitive attitude and is always willing to help.
He does a terrific job following the rules of each activity, and truly sets an example
amongst his peers on how to follow directions, work as a team, and give a 100 percent
effort. Jamie approaches each activity with enthusiasm and eagerness to learn each
sport or activity at hand. He's one of the best first -team students I've had the privilege
to be around, as he frequently puts others above himself. His respectful attitude to
myself, his peers and his classroom teacher, Ms. Silver, are greatly noticed, and I'm very
much looking forward to seeing Jamie continue to learn and progress." Wow. Jamie.
The Fountain Hills Middle School, Scarlett Grieco. Is Scarlett here? Come on up,
Scarlett. "Scarlett is known by her teachers to be of sound character, compassionate,
Page 8 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
conscientious, creative, disciplined, honest, persistent, resilient, sincere, and has a great
sense of ambition. She has had tremendous growth in adaptability, communication,
organization, self -management, teamwork, and problem -solving. Those cultivated skills
will certainly allow Scarlett to excel. In addition, she is a model scholar athlete who
shows strong leadership among her peers." Scarlett.
Also, from the middle school. I think I saw a dad out there. Jonah Maroon. Jonah,
come on up. "Jonah is a quiet yet motivated scholar -athlete who's a quiet leader. He's
kind, thoughtful young man, he works hard in class and gets along with everyone. He's
not afraid to ask questions and is willing to help whenever he sees a need. On the
basketball court or the cross country field, he puts forth his best effort and also supports
his team members to do their best as well." Jonah.
All right. High school. Seilah Smith. I see she's called CC (ph.). Is she here? Well, we'll
read about CC. "She is an outstanding student and athlete and a leader. She works hard
both on and off the court, maintaining her grades, practicing stellar citizenship, and
exemplifying the Falcon way. Her grit and dedication to athletics is unmatched. She
leads by example and pushes herself and her teammates to be their best. As a coach, I
couldn't ask for more in terms of character, grit, determination, and drive to be
successful." CC Smith.
Our last is from also the high school. Jack Dwyer. Is Jack here? Oh, I guess they will
probably have practices in all kinds of things going on at the high school. "Jack
embodies kindness and camaraderie on campus. Known for being the nicest student
around, Jack extends his friendship and support to anyone in need, fostering a sense of
belonging and community. Jack exemplifies the values of empathy and grace in every
interaction he has, whether it be with an adult or a student. He fearlessly embraces
new challenges, such as joining the football and the wrestling team. His genuine
compassion and altruism shine through, affirming his status as just being a good human.
The world will be a better place if it had more Jack Dwyer's." Well, that is something.
Jack Dwyer.
All right. So, we're going to get a picture for the paper. Close. Proud of yourselves, this
Page 9 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
is awesome. Mom can stay. Just get a picture and then you can go. Okay? There you
go. Thank you, guys. Thank you so much.
Anybody here from the Women's Club? No? Okay. Well, we'll make sure they get this,
but I'll read it.
"Whereas, officially established in January 1974, the Fountain Hills Women's Club is
celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking five decades that the nonprofit volunteer
organization has sustained its mission of women supporting women in Fountain Hills;
and
"Whereas, the history of the Women's Club is closely entwined with the history of the
town itself, which was founded just four years earlier, and the club's guiding creed was
written in its early days by member Karen Myers and states its members' commitments
to the town's common good to serve wherever they need be and to support worthwhile
causes that exist in the community, working together in harmony and friendship;
"Whereas, the Women's Club and its members have been instrumental in building and
lending generous support as a benefactor to the Community Center, the Library
Association, the Senior Center, River of Time Museum, Botanical Garden, Extended
Hands Food Bank, Fountain Hills Chorus, High School Band, Fountain Hills Theatre, and
many other organizations and causes;
"The Women's Club mission is to raise funds through an annual lunch to support
scholarships for women 23 and older who live or work in Fountain Hills to assist them in
returning or continuing their education. Plus, two scholarships are given to graduating
seniors from Fountain Hills High.
"And to date, the Women's Club has presented more than $325,000 in scholarship
funds.
"The Fountain Hills Women's Club welcomes women of all ages in Fountain Hills and the
surrounding communities to join them for their monthly luncheons, social activities,
presentations, volunteer efforts, and fundraising.
"And on March 9th"-- Peggy and I were there -- "The Women's Club presented their
50th Anniversary Gold in Them Hills gala luncheon and fashion show to celebrate five
Page 10 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
golden decades as one of the first social and service organizations in Fountain Hills.
"Therefore, the Mayor of Fountain Hills, Ginny Dickey, recognizes March 9th, 2024, as
the 50th anniversary of the Fountain Hills Women's Club and call upon all citizens to join
in yearlong celebrations, recognizing the remarkable service, achievement, and
commitment of the Women's Club to the betterment of our community. And I'm sure
Joanne Colella and all the members will be happy for you to look them up more about
them and join the club. Thank you.
Thanks again, everyone. We have a couple of presentations tonight, and our first one is
going to be presentation from the University of Arizona. And we welcome you and
invite you to come on up. If you kids are heading out, that's okay, despite what Sharron
might say, you may leave.
But Amanda, maybe you'd like to introduce?
JACOBS: Yes. Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of council, if anyone is tuning in,
want to remind our community and council that in September, this council unanimously
approved a community economic development strategy. Thank you to the [aaws] in the
background. But one of the focus areas in the economic development strategy is
strategic partnerships. And then a couple of items are one, to partner with a university
to perhaps locate a satellite campus. And then two, to work with our universities to
help with our talent pipeline.
Back in January, I was attending a conference and saw some old friends from U of A that
I worked with with the town of Oro Valley, and they said, Amanda, you need to meet
Jane. And so, I'm like, okay. So, for the last few months have been working with Jane,
and Jane is here -- I'm not going to steal her thunder -- Tara and Mike. But before I turn
it over this university is the real deal. So, in Oro Valley, the U of A was able to acquire a
building and build a veterinarian school. We worked with them in our Innovation Park,
which is our bioscience corridor, to build an incubator. It was done, of course, through
public -public, private -private partnerships, not just the town and the U of A, but a lot of
people just believing in the town. And then also we would hear from constituents,
again, this is a different community, to say is there a way to bring seminars and classes
Page 11 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
into the council chambers and test it? And so, for a couple of months, we'll say the
summer and the fall, we did a humanities class. So, some people were asking, was I
going to have a surprise announcement? No. It's all about building those strategic
partnerships, starting to plant some seeds. And so don't get too excited. But get
excited that we're starting these conversations. And Jane, with that, I'll turn it over to
you.
SURGENT: Oh, okay.
MAYOR DICKEY: Hi.
SURGENT: Hi. Good evening, Mayor Dickey, and members of the Fountain Hills Town
Council on behalf of the University of Arizona. Thank you for inviting us to speak with
you about the university and its growing presence in Maricopa County. I'm Jane Surgent
and -- there we go. And I am the assistant director of local and rural outreach in the
government and community relations office in the at the University of Arizona. The U of
A is Arizona's original land grant university. As a land grant institution, we are here to
make science practical and bring the university to people throughout Arizona. We strive
to build sustainable relationships with all Arizonans through education, partnerships,
and community service.
As my role, I explore ways to work with Arizona's 15 counties and five tribal
communities with which the university has a physical presence. I work and engage with
elected officials and foster connections with farmers, ranchers, nonprofits, and
community leaders in urban and rural areas across the state.
As a fifth -generation Arizonan who was born and raised in a rural community, I have a
passion and commitment to make a real difference in the lives of people living
throughout the State. One of the ways this happens is through the university's
cooperative extension. Cooperative Extension is part of a nationwide educational
network of scientists and educators, all from land grant institutions. It provides a link
between the university and citizens of this state, creating programs that address
community needs for all ages. These program areas include tribal extension. With more
than 30 percent of Arizona's land being tribal, our initiatives help Native American
Page 12 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
communities with education and outreach and development, sustainability and
resiliency. Our second area is agriculture and natural resources. We assist farmers,
ranchers, agency personnel, and others involved in natural resource management to
increase profits and steward our natural resource responsibility. Our third area is 4-H
Youth Development. As the state's largest youth service organization, Arizona 4-H is
inspiring the next generations of leaders, entrepreneurs, and problem -solvers.
And our fourth area is family, consumer, and health sciences. These community -specific
programs and educational classes help build strong families, strong minds, and strong
bodies. Master Gardeners School and community gardens, which I understand you have
one here, 4-H, Urban Horticulture in Arizona Project Wet, which is water education for
teachers and students, are just a few of the many programs that we offer.
As residents of Maricopa County, I encourage you to look into the U of A's cooperative
extension and see if there is something that aligns with your interests or needs, as it can
be a valuable resource for all ages.
So thank you so much for your time. And with that, I'd like to introduce my colleague
Tara Burke. And after that, Mike Mobley. Thank you very much.
BURKE: Hello, everyone. It's a pleasure to be here with you today. I'm not a fifth -
generation Arizonan, but I have been here for about five decades now, so I'm very
happy to be in front of you today. I work for student engagement and career
development. So, my department, we are tasked with helping our students to really
learn who they are as individuals and match their talents and their desires, their values
with their future careers. U of A has, as I think the materials you have in front of you,
over 50,000 students, about 40,000 of whom are undergraduates and over 10,000 are
graduate students. We have 22 colleges and schools. Our newest school is the School
of Information, which will become the College of Information as of July 1st. And that
school was spun off of another school so they could focus on new technologies like AI
and game design.
So, my department, we service all of the colleges and schools. However, many of the
schools also will have their own career person embedded in their department. So for
Page 13 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
example, there's someone in engineering who actually is a trained engineer but works in
career development. And then we partner to bring in industry partners and connect
them with students for internships and for jobs. So, if you had the pleasure of attending
college yourself, your experience is probably very different from what we provide to
students today. We start on day one helping students to connect their academics to
their careers. So really, from the very beginning, we're talking to them about career.
There's a career map that they can follow. For every semester we recommend different
activities that they can do. But our big push right now is to connect students with
internships. We know that students who do internships, especially paid internships, not
only will they get a job faster upon graduation, but their salaries are about 20 percent
higher than a student who does not do an internship. So that's a message that we're
trying to get out to students and to parents and to community members.
So, if any members of the community here would like to interact with our students, I
think some students would be interested, perhaps, in municipal government. And if you
could use an intern, please do let me know.
I did want to make just a couple of comments too, about this current generation, Gen Z.
Most of our students today, at least our traditional students, are members of Gen Z,
born between 1997 and 2012. Right now there are about 25 percent of the working
population, believe it or not. And that will become 30 percent in just a few years. So we
all need to embrace this generation and kind of learn how how they think and how they
learn.
A couple of things to know. They're very socially responsible, very purpose -driven, cost-
conscious, culturally open, and they're really tech expectant. So, they expect
technology to work and to work well. And I can say sometimes they're a little dismayed
with perhaps some of the older systems we have at the university, but we are rapidly
changing to accommodate their needs.
In terms of communicating with Gen Z in the workplace, interestingly, they expect a job
offer just one week after the first interview. And if you've ever worked in career
development, you know that that probably doesn't work that way. Or if you're
Page 14 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
someone who hires folks, you know that probably doesn't happen. So, we work to
manage those expectations. But if you can cut down the time to hire, that's super
helpful. Let's see. And they also do really like face-to-face. I think there's a bit of a
misconception that this generation wants everything to be online, and they don't at all.
In fact, they really hunger for that human connection. So, they are also looking for
flexibility, though. So that means hybrid workplaces and spaces would be really
important to this generation. All right. I could go on, but I will not. I will let my
colleague Mike Mobley speak to you now.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
MOBLEY: Hi everyone. Thank you very much for inviting University of Arizona to be
here and trusting me to be a representative of the University of Arizona. You're taking a
big risk there, and I appreciate it. And next time, if I am invited back, I apologize, I will
make the font bigger on the slide deck so everybody can see who we are. But my name
is Mike Mobley. I'm the region manager for the Near You Network here in Maricopa
County. You might be asking yourself what is the Near You Network? As has been
mentioned by my colleagues prior to me, University of Arizona is everywhere, right?
We're all over the state. We're all over the globe for that matter. But the Near You
Network is our distance campus. And so publicly we call it Near You Network. Internally
it's distance campus. And we have five different locations. So Yuma, which is primarily
focused on agriculture and some engineering, in particular engineering within
agriculture and several other programs.
And then Douglas and Nogales, Arizona, we also have campus locations there. But me,
being in Maricopa County, I'm primarily focused on our two campus locations in
Chandler and in Gilbert. Those two campus locations are completely different in terms
of their offerings. The Gilbert campus only has nursing. We have undergrad and
graduate. And then in the Chandler location, we have a BS and law program. Sorry to
point out the attorney in the room, but then we also have interdisciplinary studies. We
have psychology and education programs as well. But part of that, part of what Near
You Network can bring to any city within which we operate is the ability to network with
Page 15 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
the mayors and other businesses within that community to determine what their
education needs are. And that's where I spent a lot of my time, is working with the
mayor of Chandler, the mayor of the town of Gilbert, and those chamber of commerce
to really understand their assessment of the educational needs in their community and
how the University of Arizona can close those gaps. Say it's cybersecurity education,
guess what's going to happen? We're going to have a cybersecurity program at our
Chandler or Gilbert location, because that's what the community is telling us that we
need. So, when it comes to partnerships -- I lost Amanda. I don't know where she is --
that's my -- there she is -- that is my job. To interface with the community and
understand what your needs are as a town and and do everything we can to ensure that
we're meeting those needs for the community. So, thank you very much. Again, it was
an honor to be here. Have a good rest of the night. Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. And anybody have any questions or comments for our
guests? Well. Okay. Go ahead.
MCMAHON: Thank you very much for the presentation. And thank you, Amanda. I do
hope that a partnership can be worked out with them. I think that would be awesome.
So, thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Yes. I appreciate you coming very much. Just wanted to ask if, I mean,
you don't have to answer, but if you are familiar with the Arizona mayor's education
roundtable and mayor of Chandler and mayor of Mesa, a whole bunch of mayors are on
that. But one of the things we've talked about graduation rates and absenteeism and
different things. The one that we just had was about the importance of post -secondary
education. So, the Education Forward Arizona, that's what it's called. It's called the
Everything to Gain campaign. I don't know if you're familiar with it at all. But it's
basically about education and training beyond high school. Some of the things that
Helios Education Foundation does some research, they've shown that Arizonans who
pursue education after high school experience higher lifetime earnings -- that would be
expected -- but better health and more economic opportunities, and there's a whole
great report out there and a whole great survey. And it not only just helps the
Page 16 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
individual's income, but it helps the communities at large.
One of these statistics says that increasing higher education enrollment by just 20
percent per cohort would lead to more than $5 billion in economic gains for Arizona
each year. And Arizona does have some gains to be made, I would say. So
educationforwardarizona.org. West.ed, you know them, and Helios are all working in
concert with you and trying to keep up that that conversation about how important it is.
And also we have EVIT here, East Valley Institute of Technology, which also helps with
those internships and to get people on their way if they don't go on to traditional
colleges.
So, I think there are so many different parts of this, but we're all in the same boat on it.
And we're just so happy that you're here and that you're working with Amanda. And if
there's anything that we can do and our staff and any of us here, we would love to hear
and move forward on that. Thank you so much.
We have another presentation. Speaking of Amanda and speaking of economic growth
and vitality, we're going to get our quarterly report.
JACOBS: And we did have to squeeze in the U of A, so they have another commitment.
That's why they're leaving. And again, hopefully, right, they'll be near us at some point.
But Jane and I are brainstorming. We've got ideas.
All right. Madam Mayor, members of council, here tonight to present our third quarter
report. So that's typically from January to March. And your economic development
team is extremely excited about this report. 2024 is off to a great start. And we hope
you have the same enthusiasm as we do.
So, starting with business attraction. Here are our new openings. We've also added
employee numbers. After our last quarterly report, a constituent reached out and said,
Amanda, could you make this public? And absolutely, that's an easy ask. We have the
information. We're starting to track that. And so, I'll look to you. Do you want me to go
over each one or we got like 20-plus slides and then the coming soon. So. You're
welcome. All right.
Business attraction for Park Place Phase 1, which is currently up. You've heard me, I
Page 17 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
think, in a council meeting and then perhaps in an email say that there were three
commercial spaces available. There will be another one becoming available. So if you
see that difference, there will be four commercial spaces remaining. In talking with the
property owner and the broker, there's lots of enthusiasm. And what they tell me is
like, he can't even tell me who will be first. Is it a grocery store? Potentially. Is it a
restaurant? But those are some of the potential tenants that are interested. And some
folks think with these private developments that I'm in charge or you guys are in charge,
we are not. It's private. We are public, so don't have a say. But of course, always
encourage with our partners that they be mindful that we do not have a property tax.
We have a sales tax. So, anything that can generate and bump that number up is
appreciated. Manager Goodwin made a note earlier in the program regarding Park
Place, so I will not say anything further. All right.
Continuing. So, since last year, the Former Vu restaurant was up for sale and we have
been meeting with the new property owner that is looking for, either to have someone
else purchase it or looking at a reliable person to take over a lease. We've had lots of
conversations and I'll say there was an idea to potentially redevelop this area, but staff
is pushing hard to keep this as a restaurant, again, because of sales tax. And then that's
just one picture. It's flipping gorgeous, if I do say so myself. And so, we've been
partnering with the owner to produce marketing material, drones, video footage. And
so your economic development team has been pitching out to national restaurants and
working in conjunction with the property owner. And so, they're also working on things.
Unfortunately, they don't share that unless there is a letter of intent. But working very
closely on this project.
There will be a mixed -use project going along Park View and Saguaro. Not the greatest
picture, but again within our downtown. So mixed -use, the first floor is restaurant and
office space, and the second floor, they identified the description as condos. It'll be two
apartments and then these are the same owners. We can divulge this because it's been
a public record, but they're the same owners as Pisa Pizza. Say that five times. So, they
have submitted their building permit into our development services department, and
Page 18 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
that's currently under review. So, things are happening.
"All right. For business attraction lead generations, we had started sharing this. This is,
again, your economic development team being proactive, reaching out to developers,
retail, restaurant, and then we were able to respond to an actual tech firm that came
through the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. So that's GPEC. So, they'll get leads
directly as our regional economic development organization. And then sometimes it will
funnel through the Arizona Commerce Authority. And again, this is as good as it gets. I
can't tell you any more until it becomes real.
And then just wanted to to share and put things in perspective. So again, the Greater
Phoenix Economic Council, when they get a lead, it is sent to the Valley partners, all of
us. But there's requirements that need to be met in order to respond. So, there's been
25 projects, the average square footage -- this is where it's been killing us -- is that
square footage requirement. And so having it already shovel ready, if you will, a built
environment or the land to build new. And the average salary is roughly 69,000. And a
lot of what we're seeing, the industry is manufacturing. And so wanted to share that.
And then you'll see a little bullet that says bioscience business development. So, to
remind everybody, you guys helped me change our targeted industries. And back in
September, we had lots of conversations for a good nine months. And one thing that
the community and you, as council, said is, Amanda, you have experience in bioscience,
can we add bioscience? So, I said absolutely. That was September. And I want to say
we were being very forward thinking, because in December, at the tail end, the Greater
Phoenix Economic Council has hired a specific employee that will be assisting in
bioscience. So that's awesome that we're thinking ahead.
Now we'll move on to business retention and expansion. We continue to partner with
the Chamber of Commerce and rotate through councilmembers. Right now, the
councilmember I'm working with is Councilmember Friedel, and then next will be
Councilmember Grzybowski. And so, haven't seen too many new trends, but just want
to point out we had heard from some of the businesses about communications and so
we said, tell us more about communication, right? We wish communication was better.
Page 19 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
And what they shared with us is let us know. We don't care if the town's operating the
chamber, but there's all these magnificent events happening, we're having -- and still to
this day, two years later -- having issues with talent and then staffing up. And so, when
you are having these visitors come to town, we want to make sure we're staffing up.
And then Councilmember Skillicorn and I met with one of our restaurants in the winter.
And so, she shared with us that as soon as she gets that hand delivered, that she is
entering it into her system and so preparing. And then that -- I can say it was Euro Pizza.
And so, relocations, remodels: the Elliot Group, which is located off of Saguaro, they
will be expanding. Which is exciting. Again, when someone who is existing is willing to
invest, they are planning to build three new buildings. And then -- so within their
current footprint.
And then Oka Sushi. We did all see, perhaps, that a sign came down for Snowee. And
then, so there was all this concern. And Amanda, there's another vacancy. That is not
true. Oka Sushi is now just expanding their restaurant footprint. So, they still are
leasing that space.
And then KDA Dancy, Vice Mayor Kalivianakis brought up KDA. But just want to share
that they were in the biz hub. And so, months ago with Councilmember Toth, we were
having specific meetings with some of those tenants to make sure that they didn't leave
Fountain Hills and that they could be placed. And so happy -- this is a 17-year
business -- is staying here in Fountain Hills.
And then as the membership, just for full transparency, at some point I had presented
to council, we had a press release that the town was going to invest $2,000 to
participate in the Arizona Small Business Association and pass it down to some of our
businesses. That recently came up to renew. But just so you know, staff is not quick to
renew. And so, we wanted to reach out to the tenants that were participating to see if
they were finding value. And the feedback we received is no. But part of it was they
just did not have the time to participate. Some people didn't respond. Or again, it was
just a flat out no. So, at this time we did notify ASBA that we won't continue that. And
I'm always open to reevaluating. But if people are not seeing value, I can't justify, even
Page 20 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
though it's a couple thousand dollars expense.
And then just a teaser, our Shop Local Summer Campaign in partnership with the
chamber will begin in May. And then we're also working with Debbie Clason, with
Clason Communications to do a social media campaign. So, we're also participating in
paying local with Debbie Clason. And then we'll be doing some ads and sticky notes as a
new thing on the paper with the Fountain Hills Times Independent.
There are a few slides on downtown Fountain Hills. Everybody's excited. Want to let
the council know and our community that the town is starting to have conversations
with Plat 208. We all recognize there's lots of opportunities, but there's also some
challenges. And so, knowing when a new business is coming up, are we in conflict in any
way with some of the policies they have in place. And some of their policies are from
the 1970's. And so wanting to partner and collaborate -- because the last I checked
were in 2024, and we have evolved. And so we're working on that. And then I had the
opportunity the end of February to attend the International Downtown Association
Conference in San Diego, very timely, since we're working on downtown. And then a lot
of the topics they were talking about as far as placemaking, arts, the different trends,
and so folks that I met with -- so again, you're not falling out of your chair come the end
of the year. They are investing 20 to $40 million in their downtown. We won't be
coming before you and requesting 40 million, but just to sort of set the tone.
Now, granted, I asked questions, how are you doing this? And some are like, we have
support from our councilmembers. I'm like, that is fabulous. But then to dig deeper,
there's also different taxing districts. And then some of these folks use their ARPA
funding to invest in economic development in downtown. So, when you start to see
that 40 million, it's okay, this makes sense.
Some of the trends. There were some folks that I met with that are dealing with the
same thing as we are, updating their their strategy. It started and maybe never quite
took off. Folks, again, from -- it's basically international, so around the world, but of
course talking to folks in the U.S., they are seeing too that people are not going back
into the office. And so, seeing some of those projects convert to mixed use or just
Page 21 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
straight -up multifamily. And then talked a lot about placemaking. And there's been
some folks in the community that are like, Amanda, I think I get the placemaking, maybe
not, but those two pictures, they're not from my travels. But this is also those pictures
are depicting placemaking, creating that sense of place. So again, the seating, having it
being inviting, seeing the lighting, those are some ideas.
And then on my second day, for half the day, I was able to connect with some
developers that are building a life science district, which is this picture. And so saw this
architectural rendering. We got sort of a sneak peek, and then we walked down and
some of this is coming to life and is still being built, but it was safe for me to enter. And
I will have to admit, I saw this and yes, that is the ocean, but I thought we've got
Fountain Park. Why not Fountain Hills? And so you'll see, the first three levels are
actually spec space. And I'll tell you too, in my 20-plus years, it's very rare for a
developer -- and to find a developer that is willing to build something to this magnitude
as spec space. That there's there's no solid tenant. And so, this is for life science
bioscience. And then I thought, too, it was very clever, is that top which is cut off --
which I did make it up there -- is that is completely opened and is an event space
because sometimes with bioscience companies, there's people from all over the world
and they're having different trainings. So sometimes they're going into hotels or in this
case, they're ready. So, because they don't have a tenant, they're working with Major
League Baseball to start doing stuff on that top floor. But again, very exciting, helps us
to sort of imagine the possibilities. But also nice to talk to some of these developers.
It was interesting when I first met one of them, she had her arms crossed and she's like,
let me guess, here's what I've heard on my second day. So, there's the first day and half
the day. I bet you have lots of crime and homelessness. And so, I looked at her, her
arms are crossed, and I said, absolutely not. And then so she opened up and was like,
like, tell me more about your community and how is this -- how is this happening? And
she's like, let me guess too, like it's your demographics and you have an elected body
that is being proactive? And so I just shared this is sometimes we can focus on negative
things that maybe are perception, maybe not reality. But again, you guys have heard
Page 22 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
me privately, sometimes publicly, that words matter. And when we say harsh things it
can be a turn off. So again, just with her body language really closed off and opened. So
I just share that.
Now let's bring it back home. So, our Fountain Hills strategy we have concluded with
our focus group meetings. I do want to give a heads up to council that they weren't
wildly attended and want to share with you, so you're not shocked, we actually had our
ASU intern that's interning for the Development Services department, go above and
beyond and knock on doors and hand deliver fliers to get people into these focus
groups. And some of the feedback was, why am I going to waste my time? You guys
tried this, you put this strategy on the shelf. And so I was present during one focus
group. And what I said -- and this is where I need your guys' help, and the community
back here are watching -- is, I asked this particular business owner who has been here --
I've only been here 2 years -- over 20 years. But I asked, have you met this council?
Because this council has been unanimously supportive of even doing the strategy. Yes.
We'll have to get down to budget and start implementing. But I encourage you to
participate in the meetings and show up. If you don't show up, I don't know. I am not
gifted at being a psychic.
And so again, the past is the past. And what I've shared, I appreciate past information
so we don't step in it and make mistakes. But I will leave folks in the past and then ask
folks to join me on a journey. Let's look at the present and the future, and let's do
something to improve the downtown.
I'm inviting everybody on May 15th to an open house. It will be at the community
center ballroom run from 6 to 8 p.m. I also invite all of our councilmembers to please
attend as well participate, your residents, but also to just kind of be that fly on the wall
and engage and see what we're hearing. I'll say with the focus groups, there have been
no surprises. We're hearing infrastructure, lighting, signage, and then also looking at
updating our policies. And so some of you have shared more privately, I think, that
perhaps you would be interested in the future of investing in some type of facade
improvement where there's a cost share. So, we're hearing some of that. And again
Page 23 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
later this year we will show you where there will be costs associated and then where,
with policy, it may just be staff time or where there's a potential opportunity that that
could cost something.
Then folks have shared with economic development that we have had no downtown
Fountain Hills web page that has our events, arts and culture, where to park, business
resources. And so, we had reached out to our web host to see what would it cost to
design this? It was only $640, but I did go to our IT team. And then John Perez, who's in
the back, our economic development specialist, and said, hey, I know it's only 640, but
could you do this? And they're like, absolutely. So, a big shout out to Mike and IT that
helped with the design. And then John did the heavy lifting with all of the content and
putting this together. So, I invite you, you can go to the town website economic
development and right on the top downtown.
Arts and culture. River of Time Museum is now helping the town and economic
development, specifically with the art walks, and starting with the pilot program that
will end later this month but will reconvene in October. And some of you may think
what art walk? So, when I started, I was told we used to have art walks and then
because of COVID, we stopped them. And then so I asked, well, because that was
something that was outside, why did we stop it? And it was because the docents did
not feel safe, so fair enough, but when I started, this was not my biggest priority.
Although you all know I support arts and culture. And so, in brainstorming the last few
months with Sherry, the executive director at the River of Time, she said, well, we can
take it on. And I said, sold. Whatever you want to do with it, you go, girl. So, we're
starting that again. Here's an announcement. It will end later this month. But again,
tune in in October.
We're also partnering again with the Southern Arizona Arts and Culture Alliance on a
photography contest. We had a lot of old photography, but again, want to engage with
our residents and community about what makes Fountain Hill so great. Also expanding
to our partners when they're visiting Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation as well as salt River
Pima to take photos. As of a couple of weeks ago, there have already been over 80
Page 24 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
submissions. So, stay tuned. I'll collaborate with the mayor of where we want to kind of
highlight. We are going to identify a 1st, 2nd, 3rd winner. And then we're also
partnering with the school district on engaging with our youth. I'll also then say too, an
opportunity where we have been forward thinking. But last month when I had my
monthly meeting with GPEC, they are now looking at arts and culture and how do we
compete nationally and globally. There's times I will meet and folks in the community
get it, and then sometimes I get a big eye roll. But I'll say again when one of your target
industries is bioscience, the arts and culture are very important to help with attraction.
And we can talk about that more offline if you want more specifics.
And then just looking ahead in October, it's National Arts and Humanities Month. And
so, we are planning to elevate our arts in that month. And so, it's taking many boxes:
marketing, business retention, et cetera. So, we will be partnering with all of our art
organizations to see what will be happening that month and highlighting and then,
hopefully, build into the fine arts festival that's hosted by the chamber, and then install
another mural. So, stay tuned.
CEDS. That's again our community economic development strategy that was included in
your packets, it's also available online. Not going to go into detail because then we
could spend hours here. But we have 31 strategies. There's 20 in progress and 11 not
started because this is a three-year plan. And again, it is available on the website.
Apartment occupancy rate. So, our average rate is 95 percent. And then John was sort
of teasing me because he knows what I always say. And so, what do I always say?
We've got a supply/demand issue. And then look at the top two are now at 100
percent.
Apartment pipeline. This was added back in January at the request of some
councilmembers and constituents. And so, if you continue to see value, we will share
this again. This is -- I saw a few head nods, so we'll continue to do that. So important
information. This is the pipeline that is built in to and looking at the building permit
process in development services. And so, the first one is waiting for a resubmittal of
their building plans: the Kingstree and Saguaro. This council -- or maybe it was a
Page 25 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
previous council -- did approve an SUP. It has now expired. So, the applicant has been
contacted that they will be required to start the process. There's a couple there waiting
to issue. Some no applications submitted. You'll see Rand and Saguaro is under
construction. Ivory and El Pueblo has been issued. And then we've got an approved site
plan for the last. And so again this is our pipeline. But it's also really important to
know -- it is interesting, this week actually I got a call of didn't the town just recently
approve apartments and when's there going to be a groundbreaking? And so although
at the council level you may approve things, the next step is going through our
development process. So, submitting plans, having the applicant -- so again you may be
saying yes to the applicant. But the applicant now needs to build up the team, so the
contractors, the architects, the engineers. So, this does not happen overnight. And so
hopefully this paints that picture.
Vacancy rate - existing buildings. So again, the first one is just that comparison. And
then always just being forthright and honest, that if you were to go into CoStar, those
are the numbers that's produced. The reason why is, not all of our buildings that are
available are actually using CoStar or actively marketing. This continues, and so I was
able to get a hold of a couple of brokers and some reasons to, they say that they're not
making this investment is they feel -- and it hurts my soul -- is they're like, the town's
never going to change. And so for economic development, I'm hoping we're going to
change and again pointing them to the economic strategy.
That last one is then your economic development team doing legwork to provide more
real numbers. Looking at some of the the vacancies that, again, are not being actively
marketed.
Grant funding. We of course have our AOT Prop 302 funding. We announced that could
expire in fiscal year '26. But we're doing print advertising, partnering with the chamber,
working on our website, and social media. And then we received from the Salt River
Pima Maricopa Indian Community 50,000 for the music fest. And since that happened
in April, we'll tell you more in the fall when we give the fourth quarter update.
As far as marketing, the mayor announced at her State of the Town, we're going to start
Page 26 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
doing a "Naturally" campaign. So, thinking "Naturally Adventurous", "Naturally
Beautiful". We have been partnering and going to different cities and towns in the state
and targeting them and also targeting young professionals and to just see what that
outcome is. Once we have those numbers, we'll present that. And then last month, and
what we're hoping to continue to do, is a monthly economic development newsletter.
Because exciting things are happening, and I hope we can start elevating the exciting
things, not the less fun things.
Here are partnerships. I won't go through all of them. We've been talking about it
throughout. This is our Irish Fest, Greening of the Fountain. A big kudos to the
community services department and our recreation team. The attendants for the Irish
Fest was 10,000, for the Greening of the Fountain was 5,000. And through our
partnership with the Evolve. And so, we've been paying that currently through grant
funding, again, through a couple of residents and business owners that said, hey, you
really want to work with Evolve? That whole weekend we had lots of coverage, and
then you will see our very own team taking a little selfie because they were on camera
doing just some live interviews and taping.
And then also what we started new this year and hope to continue is staff said, hey,
what if we did state 48 Greening of the Fountain limited edition shirts? And I said, why
not? Because you can invest in it. And then we sell and then we recoup the funding.
And so, we started that again this year and we'll continue to do that if it's a success.
We'll evaluate it each year.
Tourism occupancy remains the same. Social media increased by 55 percent. Our
Fountain Hill live feed again for the quarter almost 250,000. And then our Experience
Fountain Hills website 39,000 unique views. And that's an 86 percent increase from the
previous quarter. Some of that again is a lot of the events. And so we'll see and track.
So, it's events -- the fountain, of course, are the most popular.
And then tourism continued. So, this -- again we changed last quarter. There was some
confusion. And so, looking at our Fountain Hills website and the data and the
viewership we receive, what is happening in Arizona is these are the top five cities that
Page 27 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
are coming to the experience Fountain Hills website. And then when you look at top
five national, those are the national city-states looking at us. And then, so what we are
starting to plan to do -- and again as our economic development strategy -- is for
business attraction tourism. A lot of that is in alignment. When you look at Chicago,
Vegas, the San Diego, the California's where people are wanting to migrate to Arizona
for various reasons, so to tap into that.
Madam Mayor, before we open up to questions, I do have to share some bittersweet
news. So last week, John Perez, our economic development specialist, did submit his
resignation. And so why it is bittersweet is since the interview he has been very open
that he has future aspirations, and I will never stand in anyone's way. When I started in
local government, I was a secretary, and then just had the opportunity. So whatever I
can do, if staff says they have future aspirations, I will not get in their way and do
everything I can to help. And so, he will be relocating to Utah and he has accepted an
economic development director position. So, while we are sad to see him go -- his last
day again is April 25th -- extremely excited for him. But some of you sometimes tease
and are like whoa, whoa whoa, there's too much laughter going on. There may be a
little less laughter until we fill the position. So, John, thank you, and congratulations.
Madam Mayor, council, with that any questions?
FRIEDEL: I have a couple of questions and not to put you on the spot. I'm wondering if
at a future briefing of us, you could give us some numbers. And we don't have to
answer these tonight, but I have some questions for you. Can we get an idea of the
brick -and -mortar businesses that are in the town from 2023 to 2024? Get a comparison
as to where we stand with that. And I know our biggest employer is the school district.
Can we get a number of total employees in the town from 2023 to 2024? Get an idea
where we're headed with those numbers? And I'll reach out to you after this and give
you these questions again.
And what's our total capacity? I mean, how many jobs are open in the town? I we can
get that information? And what what are the areas of need? Are they in the restaurant
business? Are they in physical therapy industry? So, we have an idea what we're up
Page 28 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
against, what we're looking for.
And then one final question is, I know we have the FTS, Fine Timepiece Solutions, the
watch guys in the biz hub, and I know we've reached out to them a number of times. Is
there any kind of a follow-up or any information you can give us on where they're going,
what's happening with them?
JACOBS: Madam Mayor, Councilmember Friedel, we'll take all of your notes and then
see when we can bring that back, and if we can bring it sooner. But then also daylight it
to the public. As far as FTS, we've had several site visits and then staff has met with the
president and CEO. They have shared with us they would love to stay in Fountain Hills,
but they have not been shy -- I'm not divulging too much -- to where they may relocate
to Mesa. We're trying to do what we can to stop that. But part of the rationale is too,
that their employees are traveling and driving to Fountain Hills. And so again when I've
shared with you multiple times that employers do right by their employees, if you want
to keep them, especially if they're wonderful, is how to retain them is sometimes they
want to be close to where they live instead of driving 30 to 45 minutes. And so,
Councilmember, we're still working on that. And when we have more news, we'll be
happy to share. But hopefully we can be creative, which we're trying to be
development services and myself to keep them here. And then if I need help, I'll be
asking you all.
MAYOR DICKEY: Vice Mayor?
KALIVIANAKIS: Thank you, Ms. Mayor. Thank you for your thoughtful presentation once
again. It really is bittersweet news about John Perez leaving. I'm kind of unhappy about
that. But I'm happy he's going on to, I guess -- does he play hockey? Is that why he's
going?
JACOBS: He's helping with the deal already. I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
KALIVIANAKIS: But anyway. But thank you for your service, John. You will be missed.
Kind of in line with what Gerry was saying. There's an abacus which wasn't invented in
Greece. Unfortunately, there's businesses opening and there's businesses closing. In
your future reports, could you also report on businesses closing, too? So we can kind of
Page 29 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
get an idea if we're just treading water or if we're gaining business?
JACOBS: So, Madam Mayor, Madam Vice Mayor, I'll say we'll try. Sometimes people go,
like, in the middle of the night. And then what is helpful is we try to get a hold of them
to understand the why. Is there something that we could have done better to improve
the business climate? And so we will certainly try just to manage expectations. And I
know I think I've worked with 20-plus councilmembers, and that's always been an ask.
And sometimes, quite honestly, it's challenging. But we'll try to figure that out. And
also see too with our business license. So, I'm working in collaboration with finance.
Sometimes what happens too, is our businesses may stay here but relocate. But the
business license shows a previous address. And so, we're trying to educate them too
that, again, I'm not psychic. I don't take a psychic pill. We don't know what we don't
know, so to please call. And it's very simple. Our staff can manually do that. There's
nothing they need to do except for call.
KALIVIANAKIS: Okay. Thank you. And then, me and you recently talked about a vision
plan and the downtown strategy, which I think is really important to this town. It's
unfortunate that your workshops aren't being populated by our local residents. That's
where you're going to get the input, and that's where we're going to know what you
guys want to do. It's disappointing because there's some issues in this town that get
such traction and have so many people hot and bothered over them. But then when it
comes to just developing the future, you know, it's an empty room. And that's really
unfortunate.
When I first moved here 24 years ago to Arizona, I moved to Gilbert and their
downtown area was pretty sparse at that time. And now you look here 24 years later,
and it's a really nice place. When it comes to our vision plan and our vision strategy, do
you think it would be beneficial to look at this like the lake liner, like when you just
throw out 20 to $40 million to develop a downtown, I think all of us here are in shock.
We don't want to write a bad check. But maybe we should be allocating funds every
year and then develop the vision plan. So then when we do have something that does
launch, we'll have already allocated the funds. Because without a primary property tax
Page 30 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
and relying on TPT, our funds are short. But we do want to build big things. And we do
want to have an active, vivid downtown as part of our vision plan, as part of our general
plan. And so, I think maybe if we look more in the longer term that might be beneficial
instead of, coming for an ask for like $10 million, which I don't think it's going to happen.
The other thing is, part of your presentation, they seem like business development and
then part seemed more like tourism. Do you need help in your department? Because
like when you were talking about developing where the Vu restaurant used to be, I
know that'd be such a perfect place for a steakhouse or some kind of a restaurant that
we could draw people from Scottsdale and all over our town, something that would be a
regional draw. But then when we talk about contests and sort of -- so I don't know,
maybe you're just wearing too many hats. So that might be something we need to think
about. Yeah, I think I'm good. Thank you.
JACOBS: You're welcome.
FRIEDEL: I have one more comment. You mentioned affordable housing. Last week I
did a little bit of research and presently right now, as of last week, anyway, we had 31
listings under 400,000 in our town, and then we had another 15 that were under
300,000. So, we do have some affordable housing and we -- like your like your one -slide
show -- we have 332 apartments in the Q2. So, we do have some affordability and we
don't have a primary property tax. So that's kind of another selling point and helps
people qualify for a mortgage easier too.
Thank you very much. And thank you, John, for all your work and everything you've
done for Fountain Hills. When you talk about a sense of place, and that's always been
something that's not easy to define, almost like you feel it when it's there. And recently,
especially now with all the events we just had and the restaurants that are down at the
Avenue and elsewhere, you can -- all of a sudden you're like, oh, I have a sense of place
or you have the green fountain and everybody walking around and who's happy and
talking to each other, and there's little kids and there's people like me. But I think that's
what you're achieving, and that's what we're hoping to do, and it's kind of a
combination. You can't, like, build a building and say, okay, we're going to have a sense
Page 31 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
of place. You need what's happening now. And you can't make it happen like that. It
has to sort of be, I guess, organic, if that's the word.
One of the things with the Dark Sky as well and with Bo, I want to give him a lot of credit
because we've had -- we're on TV. We're almost mentioned on TV somehow, every
single day, whether it's Channel 3 showing us every morning. The Dark Sky yesterday,
just random, they come up and say Arizona was the first, the best place to see the dark
skies in the State of Arizona. You know, you would have thought Flagstaff -- and
Flagstaff was on the list, but. So, these things are happening. And I appreciate
everything that you're doing. The music on the Avenue, the music fest these things are
all different. And like, talking about Gilbert. It's the way I feel about here, because, I
mean, seriously, 40 years we are a lot different than we were then.
And one of the the other things I just want to mention real quick was, years and years
ago, I don't think development department and public works department and economic
development did not really work together. It felt like a separate entity. And now I see
so much interaction. I mean, you're doing an economic development presentation, but
you have housing in there. You've got your survey, but we also have a parking survey
going on. So, we have public works. We're talking about the median. So the idea of
knowing that we all know what each other are doing, and I think everybody has a great
vision for what we'd like to see. And it's unfortunate some of the stuff you tell us, it's
hard to hear somebody say, oh, you're never going to change because it's like, holy cow,
we've changed a lot. And but there are some people who don't want us to change. So
those are the kind of things that we always have to keep talking about. But the work
and all of the efforts and the out -of -the -- I hate saying it's out -of -the -box, but the out -
of -the -box thinking that you're doing is really helpful for us. And we want to, as always,
help as we can.
Councilwoman?
MCMAHON: So, thank you very much for your presentation, I appreciate it. I think it's
great that you're combining so many things in it and being so successful. I agree with
the mayor that we have changed. We have changed for the positive and we are moving
Page 32 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
into a vibrant future. Also, how is the online survey going? Strategic online survey?
Can you talk just a little bit about that really quickly and let us know any updates,
please?
JACOBS: Yes. So, Madam Mayor, Councilmember McMahon, we will have a series of
four different surveys. Our first one, we had almost 400 folks respond. And so, we're
diving through and analyzing that data. And again, we have help with Bo, our
development services team. Like, again, economic development is a team sport. You
may see me standing, but all of this is, again, all of our departments working together.
And Madam Mayor, I am happy that you're recognizing that we're all collaborating
together. As I tell Manager Goodwin and then my fellow colleagues, I don't work in a
silo. Like I'm allergic to that. We need to be collaborating and talking so we look good.
And so, the second survey that went out this week is on land use. And so, we'll wait to
share those results as we get them. But that's again where you guys can help and toot
your own horn to say, hey, we're supportive of the downtown. We're supportive of this
strategy. Fill out the the survey. Instead of spending two minutes potentially adding a
negative or complaining comment, use that time to respond to the survey, which takes
maybe two to five minutes, because we truly do want to hear from the community. And
as long as I'm standing here as your economic development director and I have your
support, nothing will be shelved. We will be working on this.
And again, to the vice mayor, we will be showing -- I'm not going to ask for a blank check
of $10 million. We're going to show our priorities, how much it costs, and you guys will
help us come this fall. Put your stamp on it and give us some of that approval. And then
we'll continue to be flexible as we navigate the council retreats and the budget process.
So again, you guys will help and have a say in that.
MAYOR DICKEY: Vice Mayor?
KALIVIANAKIS: Okay.
JACOBS: But if you want to give me a blank check --
KALIVIANAKIS: Just don't --
JACOBS: I won't resist.
Page 33 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
KALIVIANAKIS: Just don't cash it.
JACOBS: Okay, I'll hold on to it.
KALIVIANAKIS: Two more things I'd just like to flesh out a little bit. And this is maybe
me, I just didn't listen closely enough. But when you came to the slide for the office and
commercial space, it seems like we have a lot of vacancy. You seemed a little
disappointed, and I thought you said something to the effect of we need to change.
Could you explain what -- how we need to change?
JACOBS: So, Madam Mayor, Madam Vice Mayor, there wasn't change on that particular
slide. And with that number, it's actually pretty good. And again, you will always have a
vacancy, any community. And again, when we look at other cities and towns in Arizona,
it's not that bad. We're not doing that bad. That is the message.
What I referenced was some of our property owners and brokers are making a decision
to not actively market their building, so whether it's office, a retail, a restaurant. And so
in talking to some of those folks to say, well, why won't you actively market? It's just
like if you have a home and decide to put an A -frame sign, you're depending on
whoever is coming to that subdivision to see. If you're not listing it on MLS, how are you
not going to know? And so, there are some folks that feel, well, Amanda, why should I
actively market? Because the town won't change. We will just continue to have
businesses move around. And I've shared with you that is not economic development.
That is not generating new wealth. Moving around does nothing. If they move around,
relocate, and expand their footprint and the employees, yeah, that's that's economic
development. But there are some feelings that we're not going to change. We will
continue to stay, I don't know, from 2022 or what it is today. But those are some of the
feelings. And I feel I need to share that with you as our council leaders.
KALIVIANAKIS: I really appreciate that.
JACOBS: You're welcome.
KALIVIANAKIS: And then the other thing, as long as we're talking about occupancy and
apartments. On that slide, when you showed that most of the apartments were either
100 percent, 100 percent, 98 percent, 96 percent, 94 percent occupied that's pretty
Page 34 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
much 100 percent occupied because it's people moving in, people moving out. So
you're never going to get 100's down the board. It's always going to be 96 because
they're scheduled to move in a month, and then they're going to move in in two
months. And so, it seems like right now for us to have apartment occupancy, we're
maxed out. Would that be a correct assumption?
[CLERKS NOTE: Councilmember Toth left the dais at 6:53 p.m. and returned at 6:55
p.m.]
JACOBS: So, Madam Mayor, Madam Vice Mayor, that is correct. And then I've been
saying that and shared my own personal story that it was an issue trying to find a place.
But the stars aligned and was able to become a Fountain Hills resident. But there was
two options, and one just was not feasible. Or what you'll get is when I'm saying I need
to move in a couple of weeks, I'm moving my life to Fountain Hills, where someone may
say, well, in April or in June. And it's like, no, I'm going to have to pass that up. Like I
need something now. That is a little bit of a problem is if someone wants to move now
or in the next four weeks, there's slim pickings. Or they're looking elsewhere if they're
wanting an apartment.
KALIVIANAKIS: And the apartment dweller, they just have to pay, like, a first month's
lease and the damage deposit, and then they can move into Fountain Hills as compared
to single-family homes, which, even if it's $400,000 house, you're still going to need a
$20,000 -- and how much of a down payment? I don't do that for a living, but a big
down payment and a big mortgage payment, and to qualify for the home. So it seems
like that apartments would really encourage more people to be here and would
accommodate more businesses, more customers, it just seems to me. And like when
you said that Snowee moved out, but Oka moved in, to me that's just a wash. It's
there's no gain there. But it looks good to say that Oak is going to expand, but we just --
we took a loss, we took a gain. That's what the abacus thing was all about. And so --
JACOBS: Vice Mayor --
KALIVIANAKIS: Yeah.
JACOBS: -- I'll say it didn't become a vacancy where now we're going to have to attract
Page 35 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
someone new. So, if they're adding to their menu, they are providing a service. So, I
don't want to completely discount that. But I understand your point.
KALIVIANAKIS: Yeah. And I just had a friend that was looking for an apartment in
Fountain Hills so I'm intimately aware with the process. Matter of fact, I think I came up
to you and said, where can my friend go? And he was lucky enough to have an opening
in the Park Place, which he moved, but it was like, hey, you just got lucky one opened
up. So again, if you're on the ground out there, apartments are kind of hard to find right
now, especially for our young white-collar professionals that can work and can live here.
JACOBS: Great.
KALIVIANAKIS: Thank you.
JACOBS: Welcome.
MAYOR DICKEY: Gerry.
FRIEDEL: Councilwoman, I have to correct you, though. If they close the ice cream shop
because it's not doing well and they're expanding their restaurant footprint, which is
doing extremely well, they're busy every night there, that's not a loss. That's a big gain
for the town, because every meal they serve, we pick up sales tax revenue from. So, if
you've got an ice cream shop that's sitting there doing nothing, we're not getting
anything anyway. But we will reap the reward of that expanded footprint in that new
expansion at Oka.
KALIVIANAKIS: Again, it's understandable that it would be a wash and there would be
a --
FRIEDEL: It's not a wash.
KALIVIANAKIS: -- that you would get one person leaving, one person coming, and you'd
still get sales tax revenue from that. But you know, Flap Jacks just closed, the Snowee
just closed. Several other people have closed. And I know a few that haven't even been
announced, that are closing soon. So this is something that if we're not keeping track
of, we're not doing our job.
FRIEDEL: I think that's why I asked for those numbers. So, we will keep track of it.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. And also, just please people close for a lot of different reasons.
Page 36 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
So, people are moving out of town and such. So, we just have to -- I mean, information
is good no matter what we get. So, and then that's how we know where we want to go.
JACOBS: Yes.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Our next item is our call to the
public. Do we have speaker cards?
MENDENHALL: Yes, Mayor, we do. We have four. First is Eric Wyckoff. And on deck is
Bobbie Kennamer.
WYCKOFF: First thing I say about developmental services real quickly is, why don't we
just start calling this town what it is? It's the prettiest place in the Valley. Let's just say
that because it is. Okay. We pay for -- I'm Eric Wyckoff, longstanding Fountain Hills
resident for decades now. I've been a law enforcement officer for over 30 years. 22, in
a supervisory capacity, I have all sent you an email with recommendations. Hopefully,
you receive that. Look, we pay for public safety. We're getting public secretaries here
in Fountain Hills. Okay? I wanted to speak about the MCSO contract. Am strongly
recommending pulling funds from MCSO in form of a better solution, crime prevention
through environmental design. Much like we have here with barriers, you guys are
raised barriers. It prevents a person from coming up to the Fountain Hills council and
harming you. We can do the same thing with the town. Okay? Take funds away and
let's build some impressive infrastructure upon entrance into this town. We're talking --
you can have full guard gates, whatever you need, with arches that are impressive, that
keep any never -do -well coming into town going, wow, this is a nice place. I'm nervous
here, okay? I don't want to do bad things in this town, okay? However, if you decide to
play the status quo regarding public safety budgets, and I understand that, that's a
conservative viewpoint. But I will tell you that accepted has been around for decades
and proven to work. It is. I'm not talking about defunding police for other things. I'm
talking about supplementing public safety in an appropriate way and redirecting it from
just the status quo into something that will improve all our property values and also add
security to this town. Okay?
MCSO is a very top heavy and inefficient organization. Here in Fountain Hills is a classic
Page 37 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
bureaucracy, it's designed to enhance salaries of bureaucrats and not particularly offer
the best service to the public. We are paying for public safety and receiving public
secretaries. Per the MCSO website, we have one captain, two lieutenants, eight
sergeants for a total of 11 supervisory staff overseeing just 15 deputies and 2 assistants.
Where have you worked? Where 11 managers oversee just 17 workers, folks? Each one
of those managers making significantly more than the worker bees out there doing the
law enforcement. Okay? I submit to you such a business would be bankrupt in short
order. Okay? For instance, equivalent captain positions in other police organizations
have hundreds of thousands of citizens dealing with violent crime and major quality of
life issues incessantly, that we don't have here in Fountain Hills. Hundreds of officers
are beneath those positions. Yet our captain position here has very low crime levels,
25,000 citizens, and most tellingly, there's just 29 people to supervise. That's it. Thank
you.
KENNAMER: I'm a southern girl, so it's hard for me to talk fast, but I'm going to try to
talk really fast. Good evening. Mayor, Vice Mayor, councilmembers, town manager,
and attorney. Good evening to all of you. I'm here because, like Brenda, I really care
about our future. I've lived in Fountain Hills for five years. Absolutely love it, strong
advocate for it. But I am concerned about our future. It's more about our reputation
than anything. The thing, the topic I wanted to discuss is squatters. I'm very concerned
that my investment's not being protected when I go out of town. And we currently have
a law, as you guys all know, SB 1129, which has been presented to the Senate, it passed
18 to 8, which is awesome. Yay Now it's in the House. Got a couple issues with it.
We're going to have to work through that.
So my concern comes with what are we doing while that's working through there? I was
told by an attorney that I could just put in a trespassing sign, private residence, take a
picture of it, make sure it's date stamped, send it to our local law enforcement, and that
will make it more of a trespassing issue, as opposed to a civil suit where I have to go
through that process. However, when I called our sheriff's department, they don't have
a program like that in place. And I don't think we have a lobbyist any longer in Fountain
Page 38 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Hills, but you guys, your voices need to be heard. Please continue to speak up for us.
Please enforce our needs, that we need this law passed. Whatever you need to do. I
know that a lot of citizens, residents that I've talked to are more than willing to do
whatever we need to do to help that thing pass. If we need to start calling our senators,
getting lists. I mean, just somebody tell me what we need to do because we'll do
whatever we need to do. I don't know how long it's going to take that law to go
through, but I feel like we're just kind of not being protected right now until that
happens.
I don't know if it's as simple as you, Mayor, calling the sheriff and talking to him about
this. If we have any programs, I don't know if it has to be an ordinance. If it does, that
doesn't make sense because the law's probably going to get passed soon. But we do
need your help. I mean, we definitely need it. And when I say reputation, I'm not as --
I'm worried about the squatters for sure. But I'm also worried about the reputation that
we're going to get because I think we're in like the top 20 most lenient laws for
squatters. So I'm glad that law is going to be passed, hopefully. But we don't want that
reputation out there. If that reputation gets out there, like the developers that you
were just talking about how disappointed you are because we have changed everything,
yet that reputation of us still being the same or being negative is still out there. What if
that happens with squatters? What if people quit moving here or move out because
we're not being protected? We got a real problem if that happens. So that's why I'm
coming before you because we need you. We need you to be our advocate. So I don't
know who I can talk to, but boy, I'm ready. Sign me up because we need to get this
passed. So I appreciate your time.
The other thing is, I applaud the new section 10-215 where you guys are going -- I'm out
of time?
MAYOR DICKEY: I do have a question. What was the bill number?
KENNAMER: 10-215 where people have high weeds. We're going to find them. I love
that. My only thing is, please take a drive down Palisades, because if we're making
residents take care of everything. The Palisades medians are horrible. They need to be
Page 39 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
maintained. They're not making the rotation on a regular basis. There's weeds and
overgrowth and blah, blah, blah, all that stuff --
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
KENNAMER: So help.
MAYOR DICKEY: Did you want a question?
FRIEDEL: No.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
KENNAMER: Thank you everyone.
MENDENHALL: And then the last two speakers. First is Lori Troller, and then on deck is
Crystal Cavanaugh.
TROLLER: Good evening, Mayor, Council. I need to correct a few things, and I have
three topics tonight, so. This is my cell phone. This is cellular service. This is
broadband. If you stand in a field filled with broadband service, this still isn't going to
work. The ordinance we're talking about is a service for this. So anybody waving their
phone, it's an incorrect statement. Sorry.
Second, councilmembers having difficulty finding articles stating that wired services are
not safe, I share your experience. For the councilmember that cannot find articles that
cite cancer patients and thousands of studies done over the last 20-plus years, you've
not read the email sent to you over two years ago. It is incorrect to infer that there are
no such articles, and the correct statement is, is that you've not read these articles. So
that puts into question the ability to present a well-rounded, informed opinion worth
discussing on the matter. Please inform yourselves.
Third, and finally, to clarify the premise for the update of the ordinance is one of
protecting property values, preserving our natural beauty esthetic, how many times was
that said tonight, and upholding public safety -- also mentioned multiple times tonight --
and trying to keep the prettiest place in town. Thanks.
CAVANAUGH: Good evening, council. April 2nd Councilmember Kalivianakis spoke for
six minutes to push back on ethics complaints filed against her for using personal email
to receive documents from Sandor to keep them out of the public domain. She
Page 40 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
dismissed this as an astroturf campaign that was calling for people to file complaints
early and often to make her look bad. Or could it be that they filed them because they
saw questionable behavior and an overwhelming lack of transparency? Conflicting
statements were made that night. She said, I did not reach out to Sandor, yet she also
said she did this for her constituents, most of whom are Reclaim Our Town. And she
didn't care that Sandor wanted to keep it out of the public domain. She just wanted the
documents. She said constituents from Reclaim Our Town allege Sandor may have lied
or claimed the agreement did not exist. As the chair of that PAC, we did not allege this,
nor did we ask her to obtain anything for us. It was her own statements at the January
17th meeting that triggered a February FOIA search for this parking agreement that she
referenced. She said she respected the chain of leadership to obtain these documents,
that she did not reach out, but that she had the chain reach out to Sandor. She wrongly
implied the town attorney and town manager obtained the documents or were involved
in giving permission to receive them through personal email. Documents that were
never reported or turned over to the town, or to any of the other councilmembers. The
statements seemed to be manipulated to confuse the truth.
The FOIA public records search turned up nothing about a parking agreement. A follow-
up email was sent to the town clerk about the developer correspondence with Brenda,
only then was this January 16th personal email with documents disclosed. The FOIA
information was received from the town on March 18th. Coincidentally, this happened
one day before the Skillicorn sanctions on March 19th. Those sanctions seem a bit
unfair now, don't they? Since there was indeed outside communication and a
document exchange that occurred but were not revealed to the public, the town, or the
council. January 17th might have been an important time to clearly reveal that she had
received documents through personal email when Skillicorn asked the question. The
appearance of deception could have been easily avoided, especially since she'd already
stated to John Wesley that night, I have a copy of the parking agreement that was
signed by Target, and I can substantially identify that as an authentic document. There
was no mention of how this was obtained, no verification if it even existed, the town
Page 41 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
was not aware of it, and no one on this council had viewed a single page of it before the
vote.
We know that personal email can be used, however, in this case it was used for the
specific purpose of keeping documents out of the public domain only one day before
the Target rezone vote took place. That's why the complaints were filed.
KALIVIANAKIS: Yeah. Just like Lori Troller accused us of not reading the information
that she sent us. I don't think Crystal's been reading the Fountain Hills Times because
this has been addressed. It's been answered. We have currently an ethics investigation
over me, and I will just wait for the results because I'm very confident that I did nothing
wrong. The developer sent me an email and said, I want to keep these out of the public
domain, which I had no obligation to respect. Even though ROT didn't request those
documents, many of the people that belong to ROT and the ROT friends. They --
actually they did, Crystal. Because I have their names. And so -- anyway, all I'm saying
is, is that I did my homework, which anybody on this council could have done to get the
parking agreement that everybody said didn't exist, and it did. The agreement was sent
to me because I requested it and I didn't request it myself, actually. Amanda Jacobs did.
And so everything was done correctly, properly. The attorney will take a look at it. If
they say I violated the ethics code, I will make a public apology. If not, well, I don't
expect that apology to be coming. So thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Our next item is our consent agenda. Can I get a motion,
please?
GRZYBOWSKI: Move to approve.
TOTH: Second.
MAYOR DICKEY: Roll call, please?
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Toth?
TOTH: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Friedel?
FRIEDEL: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Skillicorn?
Page 42 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
SKILLICORN: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Grzybowski?
GRZYBOWSKI: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember McMahon?
MCMAHON: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Vice Mayor Kalivianakis?
KALIVIANAKIS: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Mayor Dickey?
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Thank you. Our first item is approval of recommendations of
appointment of members to the town's boards, commissions, and committees. The
recommendations that have been forwarded to me, that I will bring up to you for vote,
are for the strategic planning advisory commission to appoint Paul Smith for the May
1st, 2024 to 4/30/2027. And then the following reappointments of Rick Watts and Peter
Gray to P&Z, which are both full terms to 4/30/2027. And community services, also
reappointments, Carey Reddick and Stephen Barnes for full terms, also for the
4/30/2027. We thank the subcommittees appointing and we thank the applicants and
congratulate those who were named.
Can I please get a motion?
MCMAHON: Move to approve the council subcommittees' recommendations for the
appointment of members to the town's, boards, commissions, and committees as
presented.
KALIVIANAKIS: I second.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Roll call, please?
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Friedel?
FRIEDEL: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Skillicorn?
SKILLICORN: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Grzybowski?
GRZYBOWSKI: Aye.
Page 43 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
MENDENHALL: Councilmember McMahon?
MCMAHON: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Toth?
TOTH: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Vice Mayor Kalivianakis?
KALIVIANAKIS: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Mayor Dickey?
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Thank you. Our next item is a consideration of approving a
Fountain Hills diversity, equity, and inclusion policy. I'll let Aaron start, and then I will
take it from there.
ARNSON: Sure. Mayor, council, I'll keep my introduction brief. Tonight, as the mayor
stated, for the council's consideration and for possible action, is approval of a diversity,
equity, and inclusion policy that was introduced at the request of Councilman Skillicorn
and with the support of Councilwoman Toth and Councilman Friedel.
This is a council -driven policy item. We've provided some staff information for the
council's direction and to advise you in considering whether to approve or not this
policy. And we are available to answer questions as we're able to answer them.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you very much. So as always, we will start with our comments.
We've got comments cards here. Linda, you can kind of summarize those for us and
then we'll take public comments.
MENDENHALL: Yes. In your packet you received comments. You have 48 against and 2
for. And then we do have public comment. And you want to go ahead and move
forward with the comments? Okay. We have four speaking on this item as well. First is
Pam Cap and on deck is Faryl Palles.
CAP: Good evening council. My name is Pam Cap, eight -year resident. I'd like to ask the
town clerk, Linda Mendenhall, if it's possible to amend tonight's agenda to reflect the
true meaning of Councilmember Skillicorn's policy. This is not a DEI policy; this is an
anti-DEO policy. Anti -diversity, anti -equity, anti -inclusion policy. The agenda should
reflect Skillicorn's true intent. This plagiarized policy is a far right, ultra conservative
Page 44 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
talking point. It has no business here in Fountain Hills. Our community already is in
compliance with state and federal laws. So to see this pop up on the agenda was
surprising. It was very clear Skillicorn was trying to pull a fast one. Why is he bringing
this up when there is no need for such a policy, especially since our road problem still
hasn't been addressed like he promised, he can't even be bothered to attend meetings
that discuss our budget and road improvement plans. He spends more time at the
Capitol on national issues than actually issues that impact Fountain Hills. Fountain Hills
is the epitome of the American dream. For my family, it was paradise. That's until
Councilmember Skillicorn was elected and unleashed upon Fountain Hills. For us, it's no
longer sitting back and enjoying our home, our community. Now it's about keeping an
eye on what tricks and what chaos Skillicorn will try to start. This policy is a perfect
example. This discrimination policy not only violates our Constitution, but it goes
against the vision of Fountain Hills, which states you will champion the diversity and
experiences our residents bring to our community and rely on this depth of experience
to innovatively address our challenges. Councilmember Skillicorn implies DEI is about
providing special dispensation for marginalized groups, giving them special privileges
white straight men don't get. That is a lie. DEI is about leveling the playing field,
providing the same opportunities for everyone, and that is what this policy is against.
Councilmember Skillicorn has made his hatred for towards the LGBTQ community
perfectly clear. But now under this policy, all minority groups will be impacted.
Proclamations like tonight for the Women's Club will no longer be allowed. So no more
Black History Month, no more Irish Heritage Month. It will be unlawful to celebrate our
ethnic and racial heritage. It will also be unlawful for our elected officials to say racism
is bad. I ask Councilmember Skillicorn, what is wrong with saying racism is bad? When
is it ever good? This policy goes against every good thing about Fountain Hills. Please
reject it.
MENDENHALL: Faryl Palles, are you here?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: No, she's not here tonight.
MENDENHALL: Okay. So we'll move on. Clayton Corey. And then on deck is Austin
Page 45 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
VanDerHeyden.
COREY: Good evening, council. My name is Clayton, resident of Fountain Hills. I've
spent years promoting diversity inclusion through the diversity council with my
employer. And I want to express my concerns regarding the proposed policy that
undermines our town's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. I believe the
policy risks setting us back, widening disparities, and limiting our community's potential.
By reducing the tools that we have today to address systemic inequalities, we risk
compromising our future and the cohesion that makes Fountain Hills strong. Now an
effective DEI policy should actively include all community members, people of color,
LGBTQ+, those with disabilities, neurodiverse people, women, veterans, religious
minorities, all age groups, and socio and economic backgrounds. Now, as we heard a
minute ago, and I agree, inclusion enhances creativity, decision -making, and overall
community well-being. When staff can bring their authentic selves to work, that's when
the magic happens. And I truly believe that this is not just the right thing to do morally,
it's strategically an advantage. A good DEI policy can attract businesses and residents,
reinforcing our economic stability. So I urge you to see the broader benefits of a robust,
a true DEI policy. Let's not shut the doors on our own people. Instead, let's be a
community that thrives and embraces everyone. Thank you.
VANDERHEYDEN: Austin VanDerHeyden, Goldwater Institute. Mayor and council,
unelected bureaucrats use diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements to control
power behind the scenes and enforce a dangerous and divisive ideology on city councils,
employees, and residents. This can come in the form of diversity departments that
monitor employee speech, political litmus tests that govern whether a candidate will be
hired or an employee promoted, or procurement processes that award contracts on the
basis of politics and race, all funded by taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, Arizona cities
are not immune from such discriminatory practices. For example, maybe you've heard
of the town of Gilbert. They created the Office of Digital Government, a
communications department that controlled all government communications online,
mandated diversity trainings for employees, and even tracked what government
Page 46 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
employees say on social media, pushing politics on citizens and silencing individuals who
do not conform to the department's political agenda. Again, all of this occurred
unbeknownst to taxpayers. If this current council does not intend to implement DEI
policies or create a department like in Gilbert, that's great, then this ordinance will have
absolutely no negative impact on how the town operates. This is about making sure
that future councils, or future employees of the town, cannot bring these policies into
Fountain Hills. Ten years ago, this would have been unimaginable in Gilbert, what's
happening now. But the new hires there are mandated to take an unconscious bias
training, and their town employees openly discuss how, quote, DEI needs to be shoved
down other employees throats. This ordinance would prevent this type of activity and
behavior from ever coming into Fountain Hills. It also makes it clear that discrimination
based on skin color is not something that this town believes in. Unfortunately, there's
many cities across Arizona that openly embrace these racist and dangerous ideologies
and policies, and Fountain Hills has an opportunity to set the tone and reject
discrimination based on race or political ideology. Passing this ordinance today makes
sure that Fountain Hills is free from discrimination, not just now but for the foreseeable
future as well. The reality is, is that these DEI policies are being pushed at every level of
government, and it's only a matter of time before it makes its way to Fountain Hills.
This ordinance would make sure that it never has the chance to see the light of day.
Fountain Hills is a town known for respecting everyone, for being inclusive to all, and I
think it's important that you, as a council, set the standard for the people you represent.
Thank you.
MENDENHALL: Mayor, that's it for public comment.
MAYOR DICKEY: Councilmember Toth?
TOTH: Thank you. I have to say, I'm very puzzled by some of the feedback we've heard.
This doesn't outlaw saying racism is bad or doesn't say we have to only hire a certain
type of person. This is talking about a merit -based employment policy and actually
specifically says not to discriminate based off of race, ethnicity, gender, et cetera. I
won't dive too far into it, but I just think that maybe we had a severe misunderstanding
Page 47 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
for what this is about. I will add, however, it looks as though the state legislature is
currently working on something that would affect this policy should we pass it. Because
of that, I would rather not have to bring it back and change it. So I'd be open to possibly
tabling this for now and bringing it back once we know the fate of the state legislature
bill. I trust our state legislature to do their job. But that's because I believe in
meritocracy. I believe we live in a wonderful town that doesn't discriminate against
people, and I don't think that's anyone's intention. Or something that's happened
before as a Goldwater Institute, and I want to thank you for coming tonight, pointed out
this is simply to protect for the sake of the future. We currently don't have anything in
the books. It's best to have something in the books. And this is, again, ensuring a level
playing field and that the best candidate for the job gets the job. Whether you're
whatever you may be, I don't want to list examples. But my point being this, I think
there was a very big misunderstanding here.
MAYOR DICKEY: Vice Mayor?
KALIVIANAKIS: Thank you, Ms. Mayor. Yeah, I would like to. I don't believe a motion to
table this at this point would be appropriate because there's no urgency to the issue. So
what I'd like to do instead is do just a motion to continue. Because what Hannah said is
true. This is being addressed in the State House, and I think we should wait for guidance
in the State House before we address this as a council. And so I'd hope to get a second
to my motion to continue.
TOTH: I'll second that.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you, Hannah.
MAYOR DICKEY: A motion to continue to an indefinite time is not -- can be debated, but
just the motion to continue, not the item. So if anybody has anything they'd like to say
about the motion to continue. That's all you can do right now. So Councilman Skillicorn
was on there first. He's on the bottom. Yeah.
SKILLICORN: Thank you, Madam Mayor. If we're not going to debate the item. I do
want to point out something that is a little inaccurate. The state legislature is not going
to be moving on anything like this this year. Effectively, we're in a deadlock with the
Page48of55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
current governor vetoing anything of substance. So I'm going to vote no to a motion to
continue. I think it's inappropriate. I think we should get a roll call where we want to be
on this bill or rather, this this ordinance here. I think it's important. I think some of the
things that we've heard --
KALIVIANAKIS: Point of order.
SKILLICORN: -- Comments are inaccurate.
MAYOR DICKEY: He's addressing whether we continue it or not.
KALIVIANAKIS: Okay.
MAYOR DICKEY: And I'll --
SKILLICORN: And I'll conclude my comments on that. Just you know, I think --
MAYOR DICKEY: Just on --
SKILLICORN: -- depends on how the motion goes to continue. If it fails, I'll make a
motion to pass.
MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman?
MCMAHON: Aaron, motion to table, what's the effect of that?
ARNSON: Well, Mayor and Councilwoman, I think we have a motion to continue, which
is slightly different under the rules. But the effect of the motion to continue is to simply
that; consider the item at some point in the future. And it sounds like pending
legislative action on this matter.
MCMAHON: And what's a motion to table?
ARNSON: Technically, a motion to table is temporarily setting something aside for
something of greater urgency to come before the public body for consideration. So I
know we use them interchangeably, but our rules do distinguish between.
MCMAHON: Okay. Thank you.
ARNSON: Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: There's a motion to continue to an indefinite date or nonspecific date.
And there is a second. And if there's no further discussion on that item, then can we
have a roll call, please?
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Skillicorn?
Page 49 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
SKILLICORN: No.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Grzybowski?
GRZYBOWSKI: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember McMahon?
MCMAHON: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Toth?
MCMAHON: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Friedel?
FRIEDEL: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Vice Mayor Kalivianakis?
KALIVIANAKIS: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Mayor Dickey?
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Thank you. Our next item is relating to lighting. Rachael or
David?
GOODWIN: Yes. I think we're going to have our town engineer, David Janover, give us
our presentation tonight.
JANOVER: Yes. Good evening, Mayor, and council. Good to be here. So our
procurement section of our town code allows for the town to enter into agreements
with vendors who have been awarded contracts with other governmental agencies for
materials and services, as long as that contract contains cooperative use language. So
the Region 14 Education Service Center, in cooperation with the National Cooperative
Purchasing Alliance, competitively solicited bids for electrical equipment, bulbs, and
other related services and materials, and awarded that contract to Voss Electric. Now,
Voss Electric has agreed to extend this competitive pricing to the Town of Fountain Hills.
So by approving the cooperative purchasing agreement this evening with Voss Electric,
this will allow the town to purchase materials that are needed for capital project F4043
the community center interior lighting upgrade. Now, the community center's existing
interior lighting is original to the building. It's showing its age with cracked and
discolored lenses, out-of-date fixtures which need repair frequently, and in fact, any
Page 50 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
future failure of the control system that's in there would be difficult -- very difficult to
repair because the equipment is essentially obsolete. So with that, this capital project is
going to upgrade the lighting control system control panels in the building. And that
work is going to be completed by some specialty contractors.
However, we'll also be upgrading the old fluorescent lighting in the ballrooms to LED
and in fact, upgrading really throughout the entire facility, everything to LED fixtures
and bulbs, and that includes the lobby egress lighting and exit lighting. So staff is going
to be able to control the brightness of the ballroom and the lobby lights, as they will
now be dimmable. So that's gonna be kind of cool. The LED bulb upgrade is going to be
installed by our in-house staff, our facility staff. So that's going to save us money on the
installation. LED lights, of course, as everyone knows, they're very energy efficient,
roughly 50 percent less costly to operate than our current fluorescent bulbs. And they
last about eight times longer, so there's less maintenance that is going to be involved
and required for the LED bulbs.
So with that, staff is excited to kick this project off. We're presently respectfully
requesting council to approve the cooperative purchasing agreement before you tonight
with Voss Electric. And that will allow, again, staff to purchase the necessary materials
at a competitive pricing. If there are any questions, I'll be more than happy to do my
best to address them. And I also have our facility manager, Steve Bartlett, here to
answer any technical questions about the project. Thanks.
MAYOR DICKEY: Do we have any speaker cards on this?
MENDENHALL: Mayor, we don't have anyone who wishes to speak on it, but we do
have someone who submitted a written comment and that they're for this item and it's
in your packet.
MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman?
MCMAHON: I was just going to make a motion to approve.
TOTH: Second.
MAYOR DICKEY: There you go. Is there any further discussion? Councilman?
SKILLICORN: Thank you, Madam Mayor. I would kind of -- Engineer, I'm kind of curious
Page 51 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
of what is the pertinent need to replace these? I mean, I go into community center, I
think the lights look just fine. Is it going to enhance the -- are we're going to have more
people come there? Are we going to be able to rent it out to more clients? I mean,
what -- I mean, what is the the rush to spend over $100,000 on this?
JANOVER: Mayor, Councilman Skillicorn, great question. And I could probably have our
Town Manager Goodwin, who is very, very much in tune with the needs and of the
community center address that. But at this time, the ballasts and the fixtures are so old
that they require frequent maintenance. And if something does happen with our
lighting control system, it's essentially obsolete. So we're just kind of right now playing
Russian roulette until something happens. And we'd rather be more proactive and take
care of that. And in fact, it's not really being proactive. It really is a need. This is a
need, not a want. We have so many groups that are using the facility and so many
citizens that are there, and they they really do deserve to have a really good lighting
system.
SKILLICORN: Madam Mayor, may I follow up? So my question really is, is, again, what is
the, you know, the actual need? Is the likelihood that these light, all the lights are going
to fail in a few? I mean, just because it's obsolete doesn't mean it may not work for a
year or two years or three years or five years. You know, what is the likelihood that
we'll have some catastrophic thing where it's more than just replacing a light bulb?
JANOVER: Mayor, Councilmember, it's hard to say how much longer we have with that
system. Again, it's obsolete. We cannot find the control panels that we currently have,
they're no longer available at this time. So --
MAYOR DICKEY: Manager Goodwin, would you like to step in a little bit?
GOODWIN: That'd be great. You did, you explained it very well, so thank you. Dave. I
think what is being overlooked is the idea that it's the control panel. So it's not just a
light bulb or two or a panel. If that goes down, everything goes down. So it's not so
much will we get more business? It's we will have to cancel business. We will have to
have to take extraordinary measures to get someone in there to get it replaced and
handled. So best practice tells us do it now and when we have already exceeded the
Page 52 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Iifespan. Just like we wouldn't wait for the air conditioner to go out in July to go, oh
yeah, that thing's on its last legs, I guess, we'll see what happens. We want to be
proactive so that our services and our programs and whatnot are maintained. So it's
just, it's beyond its life expectancy at this point. Does that help answer your question?
SKILLICORN: Madam Mayor, well, I mean, so really it comes down to a control panel. I
mean, the panels themselves don't go bad. I mean, is there a specific component we're
worried about that is near the end of its lifespan; it's about to fail. As my thoughts on
control panels, I mean, like, we've got contractors, we've got other things in there. I
mean, yeah, they have a lifespan. That's definitely true. But I just -- I was kind of
questioning, that's a pretty big price tag for a system that's working, its operational.
Unless we're having to constantly find replacement parts or something like that. And
frankly, I find it hard to believe that most of these parts are that hard to find. I mean,
you can open up a Westco catalogue and probably find them.
MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman?
GRZYBOWSKI: Did you want to follow-up on that?
MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah. Councilwoman?
GRZYBOWSKI: One of the things that I foresee is a savings for electricity. Once you
switch these things, the savings can be significant. So I just wanted to point that out
because it hasn't been brought up yet. Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: We have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? Roll
call, please?
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Grzybowski?
GRZYBOWSKI: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember McMahon?
MCMAHON: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Toth?
TOTH: Aye.
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Friedel?
FRIEDEL: Aye.
Page 53 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
MENDENHALL: Councilmember Skillicorn?
SKILLICORN: No.
MENDENHALL: Vice Mayor Kalivianakis?
KALIVIANAKIS: Let there be light. Yes.
MENDENHALL: Mayor Dickey?
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Thank you. Our next item is our legislative agenda bulletin. They
are only meeting once a week now, Wednesdays. So last week, on Wednesday, they
were supposed to Cal the 2720, which is the ADU bill that everybody is a little worried
about. But they didn't do it. So I'm assuming it's tomorrow, but I'm not sure. It's
always good though when you see something get postponed from cal. We did send a
letter to senators before last Wednesday -- to all the senators on the floor, because
that's what it was. And that's the one where you can put a lot of extra AD -- like I say,
ADU, now I'm forgetting what they are, but they're like little buildings on your property.
But there aren't any limits that we would probably agree with, as far as lots and how
many.
And so there is another one, a good one, that passed, believe it or not. Like I'm trying to
find it, but it was -- it was one -- it was kind of similar where we're trying to work with
those folks. And it actually came to a compromise and it was signed. I don't know why I
can't find it right now.
FRIEDEL: Would that be 2297.
MAYOR DICKEY: 2297, yep, I wrote the word good next to it. And then the finance
committee met. They were expecting a -- this is all relative -- a $2.2 billion shortfall, but
now it's projected to be 1.8 billion. So it's 400 million less for now anyway. But you
know how that goes. I wanted to ask -- well, we would need to check into the bill that
the speaker asked about, because I don't know what that one is, and we can see if that's
passed or I don't think it did from what she said. So we'll check that out. And then the
last thing would be if, for me anyway, if you have anything that you want the League to
look at -- a proposal, like we did last year if there's something. Like, we did short-term
rentals and such last year and the year before and the year before, if there's anything
Page 54 of 55
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
APRIL 16, 2024 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
like that, I think those meetings are starting pretty quick. And we've got several
members on policy committees that can help advocate for our stuff. So if you have
anything send it ASAP. Have to probably send it to Rachael. But yeah, that'd be great.
Are there any other bills or anything else that you wanted to discuss? So they're good?
Okay. So our other item again, is to -- any other discussion, direction to town manager
from speakers or such. So I think that bill would be one of them. Is there anything else
that anybody mentioned? I don't think so. To follow up on.
And then any future agenda items? Vice Mayor?
KALIVIANAKIS: Yeah. And actually, this does dovetail with one of the speakers tonight.
But if we could get some kind of an enhanced squatting rule? Some would have to look
into with law enforcement, with our attorneys, but I see this happening all over the
country that people are squatting in homes, and they can't get them out, and they
destroy the homes. And if there's anything that we can do. I don't know if an ordinance
would be enough to keep squatters from this. I don't know how big the issue is, but if
our staff could research that, and if there's a possibility that we can toughen up
squatting rules in this town, I think that would be very sound.
GOODWIN: Sure. I pulled up quickly the bill that was mentioned and just through quick
read, it looks like if this were to pass, that would be exactly what you're talking about.
But we can certainly do additional measures to make sure that we have the strongest
language in place that we can do too. So we'll certainly do that.
KALIVIANAKIS: Thank you.
GOODWIN: Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Great. Any other items or questions about anything? Thank
you. We are adjourned.
Page 55 of 55
Having no further business, Mayor Ginny Dickey adjourned the Regular Meeting
of the Fountain Hills Town Council held on April 16, 2024, at 7:41 p.m.
ATTEST AND PREPARED BY:
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
Li •a G. Mendenhall. Town Clerk
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the
minutes of the Regular Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the
Town Hall Council Chambers on the 16th day of April 2024. I further certify that
the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present.
DATED this 4th Day of June 2024.
Linda G. Mendenhall, Town Clerk