HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997.0415.TCJWSM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE JOINT WORK/STUDY SESSION OF THE
FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
FOUNTAIN HILLS SCHOOL BOARD
APRIL 15, 1997
A public meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council was convened and called to order by Mayor Miles at 6:30
P.M., Tuesday, April 15, 1997, in the Fountain Hills Town Hall Council Chambers, located at 16836 E. Palisades
Blvd., Building B, Fountain Hills, Arizona.
ROLL CALL - Town Council members present were Mayor Jerry Miles, Vice Mayor Bill O'Brien and
Councilmembers Don Lawrence, Marianne Wiggishoff, Sid Apps, and Penfield Mower. Councilman Al Poma was
absent. Also present were Town Manager Paul Nordin,Town Attorney Bill Farrell,Town Clerk Cassie Hansen, and
Director of Parks & Recreation Robin Goodman.
School Board members present were Kim Schumann,Nan Lesnick,Jim Dickey,Dana Saar and Ginny Chin. School
Superintendent Walt Dunne was also present.
AGENDA ITEM#2-DISCUSSION OF JOINT FUTURE PLANNING/SHARING ISSUES INCLUDING,BUT
NOT LIMITED TO, PLANNING AND ZONING WITH REGARDS TO FUTURE DEVELOPMENT,
EMPLOYEE SHARING, CAPITAL PURCHASES/EQUIPMENT SHARING.
Kim Schumann stated the joint cooperation between the Town and the School Board had been working well and
improved communications were being addressed. Jim Dickey spoke regarding future shared transportation needs as
well as fleet maintenance and repair concerns. Town Manager Nordin stated that part of the Town's current 35-
vehicle fleet could be considered for joint usage and the consideration of future purchases could include vehicles for
shared usage purposes. Mr.Dickey also mentioned the continued need for computer personnel support and expressed
his appreciation to Peter Putterman for his assistance. Nan Lesnick stated the future need for smaller vehicles for
transportation purposes of small groups of students could be the same vehicle used for leisure activities in the Parks
& Recreation Department. Mr. Nordin said the joint purchase of a van could be considered. Mayor Miles asked
about the progress being made for school bus benches. School Superintendent Dunne answered that locations had
been discussed and anticipated a report would be issued concerning the location plans and routes by the end of May.
Kim Schumann projected a new facility would be constructed in 2-4 years and that the development of a new site
could include a Town park or playfields. He said the legal documents were forthcoming regarding the Four Peaks
Neighborhood Park. Dana Saar stated the after-hours scheduling of activities and facilities,web pages and computer
maintenance were all items that could be jointly pursued. Mayor Miles said he would favor an economic analysis
of new developments in order to project bussing needs and extra costs for the increased number of students. Mr.
Saar stated studies had been performed and asked if the results of those studies would affect the approval of a
subdivision. Mayor Miles answered that the results would be considered especially if it would affect the enrollment
limits of the schools. Councilman Lawrence asked if different zoning classifications indicated a higher ratio of
students. Mr. Saar stated that the greatest growth was in middle-school students and that the biggest growth was
in the in-fill areas where students lived closer to schools, not new subdivisions. There was some discussion
regarding the impact of a new charter school and the Goldfield Ranch development. Councilman Lawrence asked
if a site had been picked for a new school. Mr. Schumann said a decision had not been made concerning the site
for a new school but the largest site for both a school and a recreation area was the Aspen site.
(1111000 Minutes of the Joint Work/Study Session of 04/15/97
Town Council-School Board
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AGENDA ITEM #3 - DISCUSSION OF AFTER SCHOOL FACILITY UTILIZATION FOR ADULT
EDUCATION, AFTER SCHOOL AND EVENING PROGRAMS.
AGENDA ITEM#4 - DISCUSSION OF FACILITY USAGE INCLUDING SCHEDULING PROCEDURES,
CONTINUED SHARED USE, AND POSSIBLE FUTURE PROJECTS.
Mr. Saar said scheduling conflicts had been better resolved to make sure that both entities honor their agreements.
He stated the demands for classroom space for adult education and recreation would increase with the population
and evening programs would also be in bigger demand. Ms. Lesnick asked whether there were more programs
planned for adult education and after-school hours in the next fiscal year. Director of Parks & Recreation Robin
Goodman answered that there were 28 additional programs in the next year's budget and that some of them would
take place at the Community Center. Ms. Lesnick asked if there were programs specifically designed for seniors.
Ms. Goodman said there had not been discussion about seniors using school resources after hours,nor had there been
programs that could occur at the schools. She said the Community Center and Kiwanis activity center had been
primarily used. Mr. Dunne said the evening computer classes from Scottsdale Community College had been very
successful and had resulted in rental revenues for the school between $10,000-$12,000 each semester. Jim Dickey
asked if industrial arts programs had been considered by the Parks & Recreation Department. Director Goodman
said inter-generational special interest programs were excellent such as arts and crafts classes. She said the use of
school facilities for an industrial arts program was a definite possibility. She said approximately 15% of the total
programs were made available to seniors such as a walking club, Spanish club, bridge club and other programs
offered by the Civic Association. Ginny Chin pointed out the maintenance of the school's facilities was also a topic
to be considered with the shared-use programs. Director Goodman said the hiring of teachers for programs would
be useful.
AGENDA ITEM #5 - DISCUSSION OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMUNICATION INCLUDING
POINTS OF CONTACT WITHIN EACH ORGANIZATION AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION.
AGENDA ITEM #9 - DISCUSSION OF A JOINT GOVERNMENTAL NEWSLETTER.
Councilwoman Wiggishoff suggested the school and the sanitary district could become part of the Town's newsletter.
Mr. Schumann expressed an interest in the suggestion and said it was a positive way to reach the people in the
Town. Nan Lesnick reported about her "shared vision" project which put together a resource directory of residents'
talents to be used in the community. Ginny Chin encouraged everyone present to communicate better to alleviate
problems in the future by calling the Town Manager or School Superintendent if they needed answers to their
questions. Mayor Miles pointed out that Town and School District were funded from one pocket and urged everyone
to continue with the positive efforts mentioned at this meeting.
AGENDA ITEM#6-DISCUSSION OF TOWN/SCHOOL SHARED PROGRAMS INCLUDING A REVIEW
OF PREVIOUSLY FUNDED PROGRAMS, AND FUTURE FUNDING POSSIBILITIES.
This matter was discussed throughout the meeting.
AGENDA ITEM #7 - DISCUSSION OF LEGISLATIVE JOINT LOBBYING ON ISSUES SUCH AS
ELIMINATION OF SALES TAX ON SCHOOL/TOWN PURCHASES OF EQUIPMENT, INFLATION
FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS, ETC.
Minutes of the Joint Work/Study Session of 04/15/97
Town Council-School Board
Page 2 of 4
AGENDA ITEM#8-DISCUSSION OF SCHOOL FUNDING SOURCES INCLUDING GRANTS,FEES AND
DONATIONS.
AGENDA ITEM #10 - UPDATE ON TAXING ASSESSMENT.
Mr. Dunne said if monetary gifts were received from outside sources, that money would go against the budget limit
which was set by the state legislature. Ginny Chin reviewed various House bills and their successes and failures.
She pointed out that the State budget had provided $2400 per pupil for several years and that the new money now
available to the school district would be about $40 per pupil increase. She explained that assessed values do not
increase the school's budget. Nan Lesnick praised Senator Gnant's efforts to support education issues. Jim Dickey
pointed out that the School Board was at their limit and at the mercy of the State. Mayor Miles related about this
week's announcement that Fountain Hills was chosen as one of the top ten places to raise a family in the nation.
He thought Fountain Hills might have been chosen because of the support of the community and the town
government towards the needs of the schools. Ginny Chin praised the efforts of the community to rally for the needs
of the schools and to provide for the override at the last election.
AGENDA ITEM #11 - ADJOURNMENT OF JOINT SESSION.
Mayor Miles adjourned the Joint Session at 7:45 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM #12 - SPECIAL SESSION CALLED TO ORDER; AND ROLL CALL.
Mayor Miles called the Special Session to order at 8:00 p.m. All Council members were present except Councilman
Al Poma.
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AGENDA ITEM #13 - PURSUANT TO A.R.S. 38-431.03.A.7. AND A.R.S. 38-431.03.A.3.; VOTE TO GO
INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR DISCUSSION OR CONSULTATION WITH DESIGNATED
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PUBLIC BODY IN ORDER TO CONSIDER ITS POSITION AND
INSTRUCT ITS REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE PURCHASE OR LEASE
OF REAL PROPERTY; AND FOR DISCUSSIONS OR CONSULTATION FOR LEGAL ADVICE WITH
THE ATTORNEY OR ATTORNEYS OF THE PUBLIC BODY REGARDING NEGOTIATIONS WITH
MCO PROPERTIES FOR THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT.
Councilman Lawrence MOVED to go into Executive Session. Councilman Mower SECONDED the motion which
CARRIED unanimously. Mayor Miles recessed the Special Session at 8:01 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM #14 - RETURN TO SPECIAL SESSION AND ADJOURNMENT.
Mayor Miles reconvened the Special Session of the Town Council at 8:20 p.m. and adjourned the meeting.
Minutes of the Joint Work/Study Session of 04/15/97
Town Council-School Board
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TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
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By:
Jerr Miles, ayor
A 1"1'EST:
Cassie B. Hansen, Town Clerk
PREPARED BY:
Linda D. Lemm n, Administrative Assistant
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Work/Study Session
Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 15th day of April, 1997. I further certify that the
meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present.
DATED this 1st day of May, 1997.
Cassie B. Hansen, Town Clerk
Minutes of the Joint Work/Study Session of 04/15/97
Town Council-School Board
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