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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004.0617.TCRM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL JUNE 17,2004 Lir Mayor Nichols convened the Regular Session at 6:30 p.m. Following the invocation by Pastor Todd Knock, First Baptist Church, roll call was taken. ROLL CALL—Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Vice Mayor Archambault, Mayor Nichols, Councilman Schlum, Councilman Kavanagh, Councilman Kehe and Councilman McMahan. Councilwoman Nicola was absent. Town Attorney Andrew McGuire, Town Manager Tim Pickering,Town Clerk Bev Bender, Public Works Director Tom Ward, Accounting Supervisor Julie Ghetti, Planning/Zoning Administrator Molly Bosley and Human Resources Administrator Joan McIntosh were also present. PRESENTATION of the Maricopa County Multi-jurisdictional All Hazard Mitigation Plan by Margaret Ayala. Town Manager Tim Pickering stated that Public Works Director Tom Ward had taken on the task of preparing the All Hazard Mitigation Plan and said that although this responsibility would not be carried out by Mr. Ward, due to the Town's minimal management staff, Mr. Ward had agreed to take on this daunting task. He thanked him for his hard work and willingness to go the extra mile. Mr. Ward stated that present this evening from Maricopa County was Margaret Ayala, an Emergency Services Planner with the County's Department of Emergency Management. He provided a brief overview of her extensive background and responsibilities, including serving as the Project Manager for Maricopa County's Multi-Jurisdictional All Hazard Mitigation Plan. Ms. Ayala addressed the members of the Council and highlighted a brief PowerPoint presentation on the plan (a copy of the presentation is on file in the Clerk's office). She discussed the four public hearings that were held to solicit input relative to the plan and commented on the plan's four proposed phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. She explained that her office would work with the Town on responses and obtaining State and/or Federal emergency funds, depending upon the extent of the disaster, should one occur. She discussed the other phases of the plan and the importance of establishing an implementation schedule that would be periodically reviewed and updated. She also emphasized the importance of proper "disaster resistant" planning and the effective use of funds. She added that they should be proactive rather then reactive in this area. Ms. Ayala commented on the Stafford Act, which states that each community must have a basic emergency response plan in place. She noted that the Town of Fountain Hills has an agreement with Maricopa County Emergency Management for them to write and maintain its emergency operations plan. She noted that this was amended to require that a mitigation plan also be in place and said that some of the requirements associated with the mitigation plan had never been done before (identifying specific hazards within the community, how they affected the residents and commercial buildings, and to what dollar amount the Town might be at risk if something was not done about those hazards). She discussed pre-disaster mitigation funds, which were offered for the first time last September, and would be offered again sometime this summer, around August. She explained that this was a very competitive grant for which all communities across the United States were eligible to apply but said that there must first be a mitigation plan in place. She reported that the deadline for the mitigation plan was November 1, 2004, and added that plans must be approved at the local level and at the State level and sent to FEMA 45 days before the deadline date. Ms. Ayala advised that Mr. Ward had requested that the Council review the plan by September 1st, which would provide sufficient time to meet FEMA's deadline as well. She added that effort was expended to get all of the cities and towns in Maricopa County to come together and apply for FEMA grants as one large E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 1 of 10 entity and work on a multi jurisdictional plan. She noted that at the end of the process each community, including Fountain Hills, would have its own unique plan, consisting of goals, objectives, and actions. She stated that they applied for two separate grants and hired a contractor to prepare the plan for the 27 participating jurisdictions. She noted that each of the jurisdictions was asked to also form a local mitigation team to verify the information that was obtained and develop a local mitigation planning team. She added that her department rather than the various jurisdictions paid for the required 25% match. Additional discussion ensued relative to the capability assessment, which looked at what was already in place (regulatory tools, ordinances, codes including the building code) and initiated efforts to ensure that the various departments were following those codes; goals, and objectives; the draft plan that was being presented to the Council, and their intention to bring the item back before the Council in the future for consideration and approval; the fact that following local approval, State and FEMA approval would be sought; and FEMA's willingness to grant provisional approval prior to the Council's approval with final approval occurring upon receipt of the required resolution. Ms. Ayala reported that the deadline date was November 1, 2004, and indicated her willingness to respond to questions from the Council. She added that Mr. Pickering had been very involved in the process and had done an excellent job. Mayor Nichols thanked Ms. Ayala for all of her efforts and said he looked forward to reviewing the final report and moving forward. CALL TO THE PUBLIC Town Clerk Bev Bender said that there were no citizens wishing to speak. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Nichols advised that Agenda Item #1 (Consideration of approving the Council meeting minutes of 6/01/04 and 6/03/04) would be removed from the Consent Agenda to allow minor corrections to occur. AGENDA ITEM #2 - CONSIDERATION OF A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT TO ARDAVIN INC.IN THE AMOUNT OF$777,900 FOR FOUNTAIN PARK PHASE II IMPROVEMENTS. AGENDA ITEM #3 - CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 2004-27, APPROVING AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT (IGA) FOR COOPERATIVE PURCHASING THROUGH THE STATE PROCUREMENT OFFICE. AGENDA ITEM #4 - CONSIDERATION OF A PRELIMINARY PLAT FOR LOS MONTANAS DEL SOL, A SEVEN-LOT SUBDIVISION TO BE LOCATED AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF LA MONTANA DRIVE AND SEGUNDO DRIVE,AN UNPLATTED PORTION OF SECTION 5, T3N,R6E,G & SRB&M,MARICOPA COUNTY,CASE NUMBER S2003-12. AGENDA ITEM #5 - CONSIDERATION OF THE CONCEPT SITE PLAN FOR AZCars- Trucks.Com (AN AUTO SALES FACILITY) LOCATED AT 11827 NORTH PANORAMA DRIVE, AKA PLAT 302A,BLOCK,Lot 12. CASE NUMBER CP2004-01. AGENDA ITEM #6 — CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 2004-33 APPROVING THE ABANDONMENT OF THE "FINAL PLAT OF ASHBROOK CORNER CONDOMINIUMS," A TWO-LOT REPLAT OF FINAL PLAT 104,BLOCK 4,LOT 1, CASE NUMBER S2004-12. Councilman Kavanagh MOVED to approve the Consent Agenda as read and Vice Mayor Archambault SECONDED the motion. A roll call vote was taken with the following results: E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 2 of 10 Councilman Nicola Absent Mayor Nichols Aye Councilman Kavanagh Aye Councilman Schlum Aye Councilman Kehe Aye Councilman McMahan Aye Vice Mayor Archambault Aye The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY(6 to 0)by those present. AGENDA ITEM #1 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF 6/1/04 AND 6/3/04. Councilman Kehe referred to the minutes of June 3, 2004, Page 10, paragraph 5, and the second sentence. He requested that the minutes be amended to state "department grants" rather than "district grants". He added that in the last sentence, where reference was made to different programs on Channel 11, he had suggested that the public officials be brought into discussions on a regular basis. He said the word`officials" was missing and should be added. Councilman Kehe MOVED to approve the meeting minutes as amended and Councilman Kavanagh SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6 to 0). AGENDA ITEM #7 — CONSIDERATION OF THE LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATION SUBMITTED BY CHEN'S GARDEN CHINESE RESTAURANT LOCATED AT 16720 E. AVENUE OF THE FOUNTAINS. THE APPLICATION IS FOR A CLASS 12 LICENSE. Mr. Pickering stated that this item would typically be placed on the Consent Agenda, but was removed in order to respond to a question from a member of the Council. Councilman Kehe commented on the proposed fees listed on the application and asked how the fees were generated, where the monies went,and when the fees were last reviewed. Accounting Supervisor Julie Ghetti responded that the fees were actually State fees and said that the Town currently processed liquor licenses at no charge. She added that all of the fees were currently under review and Staff was considering bringing forward to the Council a proposal within the next couple of months to recover some of the costs associated with processing the liquor licenses. She commented on the significant amount of staff time associated with this process during the allotted time frame (60 days). In response to a question from Councilman Kehe, Ms. Ghetti advised that a majority of the jurisdictions charged two fees, an application fee, and an annual fee. Mayor Nichols commented that at the present time, Fountain Hills was considered to be a very kind Town because of the fact that it did not charge any fees. He agreed that this was an area that should be looked into in an effort to at least recapture the Town's expenses. Vice Mayor Archambault MOVED that this item be approved and Councilman Schlum SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6 to 0). AGENDA ITEM #8 — PUBLIC HEARING TO RECEIVE COMMENT ON ORDINANCE 04-09, APPROVING A REZONING REQUEST FROM A MIX OF R1-6 AND OSR TO R1-6 FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OR PALISADES AND SUNRIDGE "HILLTOP." coy Mayor Nichols declared the public hearing open at 7:03 p.m. E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 3 of 10 Planning and Zoning Administrator Molly Bosley addressed the Council relative to this agenda item and provided a brief power point overview of this case. She noted that this was a request to rezone property located at the corner of Palisades and Sunridge Drive and explained that Staff was calling this a "clean-up rezoning." She reported that the property was annexed into the Town in 1996 from the City of Scottsdale. 441) She said that the current zoning at that time (R1-6) was continued. She added that in 1998 the property was platted to show the configuration of the three lots in Tract A to the north and said that Staff realized that there seemed to be some confusion as to the actual zoning of the property. She noted that Staff received a request from SunCor Development, the applicant in this case,to look into this matter and clarify the rezoning. Ms. Bosley advised that Staff was unable to find any definitive record that showed the location or discussed the OSR (open space recreational) property as shown on the current zoning map. She added that the plat, as shown on the current zoning map, was actually incorrect. She referred to a chart depicting the actual location of the plat and said that Staff was attempting to correct the map, which was an official document and required Council approval. She noted that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of Staffs request and explained that since a portion of the "clean-up" was caused by Staff, as far as the incorrect plat location, the Council was also being asked to waive the fees or a portion of the fees associated with this request. She reported that the property had always been referred to a"Hilltop at Sunridge Canyon" and three houses would be built there. She emphasized that this would not be changed and Staff was simply seeking clarification of the zoning. Town Clerk Bev Bender advised that there were no citizens wishing to speak at this time. Mayor Nichols declared the public hearing closed at 7:07 p.m. AGENDA ITEM #9 — CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE 04-09, APPROVING A REZONING REQUEST FROM A MIX OF R1-6 AND OSR TO R1-6 FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF PALISADES AND SUNRIDGE"HILLTOP." Councilman Kavanagh MOVED that Ordinance No. 04-09, including the proposed fee waiver, be approved and Vice Mayor Archambault SECONDED the motion. Councilman Kehe asked whether consideration was given to changing the project to condominiums and Ms. Bosley responded that earlier this year an application was received for a General Plan amendment and rezoning to allow 42 condominium units but noted that the application was withdrawn by the applicant. Councilman Kehe stated that he was a little confused as to what the Council's task was and asked whether they had the authority to do something about the zoning. Ms. Bosley advised that the current objective was to clean-up a rezoning that was shown on the map, designed for three single-family homes, to show that the entire area of the plat is zoned for R1-6 residential. Councilman Kehe noted that he did not see any driveway indicated although a black top driveway did service the sales office. He asked whether it met the requirement of being 115 feet from a major artery (Palisades). Mr. Ward clarified that the driveway for the three lots did meet the requirements and was originally put in when it was designed. The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6 to 0). AGENDA ITEM #10 — PUBLIC HEARING TO RECEIVE COMMENT ON ORDINANCE 04-05, WHICH IS A ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT TO INCORPORATE THE RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY POLICY INTO THE ZONING ORDINANCE AND REPEAL RESOLUTION 1992-27. Mayor Nichols declared the public hearing open at 7:10 p.m. Ms. Bosley reported an overview of the proposed text amendment and explained that Staff was asking for approval of Ordinance 04-05, a Zoning Ordinance Text amendment to incorporate the Residential Driveway E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 4 of 10 Policy (RDP) into the Zoning Ordinance and to repeal Resolution 1992-27, the Town's current RDP, which was approved by the Town Council on September 17, 1992. She noted that there were additional provisions covering single family, mobile homes, and multi-family residences of four or less dwelling units in the zoning ordinance (Section 7.03(A). She emphasized the importance of making development in Fountain Hills as easy as possible and to do this, Staff believed they should have all the regulations that address implementing a driveway for single family, mobile homes and multi-family residences of four or less dwelling units in one place. Ms. Bosley added that in the Town's current driveway policy, Resolution 1992-27, Staff was also requesting a revision to the surfacing requirements of the driveway regulations in response to difficulties associated with enforcing un-permitted driveways and the misinterpretation of"stabilized granite". She explained that Staff was proposing that the driveways be constructed of a hard-paved driving surface and that they be handicapped accessible. She noted that Staff was requesting that: * Resolution 1992-27 be repealed in its entirety; * Ordinance 2004-05 be approved which would incorporate and codify the residential driveway policies into Section 7.03, Design and Location of Parking spaces; * Revisions to the residential driveway policy include the following: • Expansion of the driveway policy to apply to mobile homes and multiple-family residences of four or less dwelling units. The existing policy applies to single family and duplex units only. • All single family, mobile home and multi-family residential driveways,regardless of slope, shall be surfaced with asphalted concrete, concrete pavers, bricks or cement concrete. The existing provisions within Section 7.03(A)(2) of the Zoning Ordinance exempt single-family residential driveways having a slope of less than five percent. In addition, Resolution 1992-27 allows 6" of stabilized granite to be used on primary driveways and 4" of aggregate base, stabilized granite, gravel or decomposed granite for slopes less than 10% on secondary driveways. • Expansion of the provisions within Resolution 1992-27 to limit back-out driveways on the (ki,,, following additional facilities: Avenue of the Fountains, Eagle Ridge Drive, Sunridge Drive, Panorama Drive and Technology Drive. • Removal of Section 4(C) of Resolution 1992-27 (Driveways shall not be located within the 25' x 25' safety triangle on corner lots)as it is redundant with other provisions of the policy. • Minor word changes to provide additional clarification on the provisions are being recommended but the intent of the remaining provisions of Resolution 1992-27 are unchanged. Ms. Bosley reported that the Planning and Zoning Commission heard the proposed text amendment on May 27, 2004. She stated that there were no public comments received and the Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of Ordinance No. 2004-05. There were no citizens wishing to speak on this item and Mayor Nichols declared the public hearing closed at 7:17 p.m. AGENDA ITEM #11 — CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE 04-05, WHICH IS A ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENT TO INCORPORATE THE RESIDENTIAL DRIVWAY POLICY INTO THE ZONINGORDINANCE AND REPEAL RESOLUTION 1992-27. Councilman McMahan MOVED that Ordinance No. 04-05 be adopted, as recommended by Staff and Vice Mayor Archambault SECONDED the motion. In response to a question from the Vice Mayor, Ms. Bosley clarified that new language regarding surfacing was on the bottom of page one of the Ordinance. , Councilman McMahan asked whether the homes that currently had gravel driveways would be "grandfathered-in" and Ms. Bosley responded that the term non-conforming use was associated with those homes and those driveways would be a "permitted non-conforming use" and would not be required to put in E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 5 of 10 a hard paved surface. She added that if there were substantial changes to the driveway, location, etc., then the owner would be required to meet the ordinance as it states and put in a hard paved surface. In response to a question from Vice Mayor Archambault, Town Attorney Andrew McGuire advised that if the driveway were altered as part of a remodel, the owner would be required to put in a hard paved surface. He added that if the driveway were altered in any way,the hard surface would need to be put down. The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present(6 to 0). AGENDA ITEM#12- CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 2004-32,REPEALING RESOLUTION 2002-20 AND AMENDING THE PAY RANGES FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS. Mr. Pickering stated that at the last Council meeting, Staff included the pay resolution in the budget and explained that it had been taken out to allow Human Services Administrator Joan McIntosh to address some of the questions that had been raised. He clarified that the listed pay structures did have an impact on the budget and if they were substantially changed, it would affect the budget that was already approved. Ms. McIntosh advised that the 2004-05 budget included a revised pay plan. At the last meeting, the Council approved the budget with the exception of the pay plan. She noted that the Council requested additional information and she had provided that information in a memo contained in their packets. She said that the additional information included a list of the resources that Human Resources used to determine the salary ranges and two to three examples of positions and data used to arrive at the salary ranges for those positions. She stated that it was her understanding that one of the Council's concerns was how the pay plan might affect current employees who were going to be at the top of the range for their position and pointed out that overall the proposed pay plan reflects an average market increase to the minimum of each salary range of 6.22%, the highest percentage of 18 Valley cities and towns that were surveyed. Ms. McIntosh noted that the three major reasons for a decrease in some of the maximum salary ranges was (1) to have a consistent percentage for minimum salary to maximum salary for each position; (2) to correct some of the ranges that were too high according to current market ranges; and (3) to reflect job changes that might encompass much less job responsibilities. She said that, for example, the Town Clerk's position previously included the responsibilities associated with the Director of Administration's position and noted that that particular job was eliminated when the reduction in the work force occurred approximately one year ago. She stated that the proposed maximum decrease in the salary range reflected the elimination of those responsibilities. Councilman Kehe MOVED to approve Resolution 2004-32 and Councilman Schlum SECONDED the motion. In response to a question from Vice Mayor Archambault, Mr. Pickering stated that the pay plan did affect the budget and therefore if the Council wanted to revise the entire pay plan, there would be an affect. The Vice Mayor asked how the Town could remain competitive in its hiring while lowering the maximum salary ranges for certain positions. He recommended that the Council not decrease any of the maximum pay ranges from the previous year and said that this would show Council support and boost employee morale. He noted that 26 positions received a decrease in their maximum range and 24 positions received an increase in their minimum range. He added that the increases were substantial in the minimum range and said he did not see any harm in allowing the 26 positions to remain unchanged. He stated the opinion that a decrease would send the wrong message to Staff. Ms. McIntosh responded that she understood what the Vice Mayor was saying and the current maximum ranges could remain in place but noted that the amounts would not accurately reflect the market research that was performed. She pointed out that the Town Manager had the discretion to grant merit increases as warranted and added that only two positions that were at the maximum range right now and would be affected. She said that this was not a unique situation and stated that in the past, Fountain Hills as well as E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 6 of 10 other employers had the ability to grant bonuses to employees who were "topped out" in their salary range in order to reward them. Lo In response to a question from Mayor Nichols, Ms. McIntosh said that it was Staff's intention to review salaries on an annual basis rather than every two years. He added that based on his extensive experience in the human resources area, the 42% spread in the range was relatively conservative and said they would normally see ranges of about 50%. He recommended that as they went forward next year that the range be expanded. Councilman Kavanagh said that he met with Ms. McIntosh because he had concerns regarding inequities. He stated the opinion that an employee whose salary had a maximum range should feel confident in terms of their future planning that he or she would be able to attain that range. Councilman Kavanagh MOVED to amend the policy so that for individuals incumbent in the position,the maximum range would not decrease if a subsequent analysis lowered it. He added that if a new employee was hired, he or she would fall under the new category, but if someone was already in the position. he or she should be able to pursue the maximum agreed to when they accepted the job. He clarified that if the employee was promoted, he or she would fall into the current market range for the new position. Councilman Kavanagh offered this recommendation as an amendment. Mayor Nichols advised that the amendment DIED for lack of a second. Vice Mayor Archambault commented that he would have seconded the amendment but there could not be two separate pay scales for the same job in place. Mr. McGuire said that it was not that they couldn't have two separate pay scales, but he believed they would not want to. He added that if the goal was not to hurt incumbent positions, then they should leave the maximum amounts in place and allow"catch up"to occur. Vice Mayor Archambault MOVED to amend that they freeze the maximum amount of the ranges to allow "catch-up"to occur in the future. Mayor Nichols advised that the motion DIED for lack of a second. Mayor Nichols commented that if they expanded the width of the range next year from 42% to 50%, they would be taking into consideration what the Vice Mayor and Councilman Kavanagh wanted to achieve because everyone's maximum would be increased. Councilman Kavanagh stated that he did not second the Vice Mayor's motion because if there was a policy of not lowering the maximum rates, then there was no longer a policy of adjusting to market rates. He clarified that he was not proposing two pay scales and was simply suggesting that a notation be made on the personnel folder of an employee's maximum and if an adjustment was made, they check to see whether that person had been guaranteed a certain maximum amount and therefore the revised pay scale would not apply to that person. He added that precedent had been set as far as treating employees and their salaries differently (bonuses,pay raises,etc.). Mayor Nichols said if someone was hired today at a maximum range of$20,000 and next year everyone's maximum salary is increased by 3%, that increase would result in the employee losing any type of maximum protection since the salary maximum has gone up. He added that the following year the salary maximum could decrease 1%. Councilman Kavanagh said that what he was suggesting (in accordance with the Mayor's scenario) was that the employee retain the salary without the decrease but only for that person. New people hired would fall under the new market rate. E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 7 of 10 Mayor Nichols noted that most employees are hired at the minimum or in the lower third of the salary range and it would take them four to five years to move along and the salary and its maximum would be changing as well. He said their opportunities increased every year. Mr. Pickering commented that with the two positions that were looked at, when they were hired the original maximum was $10.54 and it is now $16.00. He said that in almost every case the employee would not be hurt. Councilman Kavanagh stated that he would like the maximum to"trail"the person. Mr. Pickering advised that the employee might get a higher rate, but in a different way, perhaps in the form of a one-time bonus. Then the next year that employee's salary might go up because the market had increased. He emphasized the importance of rewarding the strong, good workers and added that the pay plan was basically modeled on the market. He said they had a responsibility to pay employees a fair amount of salary and to reward exceptional employees. Councilman Kavanagh commented that he was glad the Town Manager could do that and stated that he thought it would be good for the Council to officially endorse that message for the sake of employee morale. Mayor Nichols expressed the opinion that everyone's heart was in the right place and added that, administratively speaking, individual maximums could be a nightmare. Vice Mayor Archambault said he would not support the motion because he did not believe that it promoted competitiveness and hurt morale. The motion CARRIED BY MAJORITY VOTE of those present (5 to 1), with Vice Mayor Archambault voting Nay. AGENDA ITEM #13 — TOWN MANAGER REPORT ON THE FIRE DISTRICT FORMATION STATUS AND THE DEVELOPMENT FEE RFP. Mr. Pickering announced that yesterday they received from Maricopa County a certified statement outlining the results of the petition drive and reported the petitions "fell somewhat short" in all three categories. He added that the proponents expended great effort and although they were close in some areas, the end result was that they did not achieve their goal. He expressed the opinion that the only recourse at this point would be a legal action but said it seemed highly unlikely that this would occur. He added the opinion that the situation had been "put to bed" and said that the Town of Fountain Hills had the responsibility to continue to provide fire service. He emphasized the importance of reviewing the Town's development fees and reported that they were low compared to all of the other municipalities in the area. He discussed the time and money required for a development fee survey and said that Staff would be moving forward with this issue and a Request for Proposals was currently being put out. It would close the end of July. He reported that the matter would come before the Council in late August or early September. He noted that a fire capital fee would be included as part of that process. Councilman Kavanagh asked whether there were any potential monies to be saved by contracting with the firm that conducted the study the last time. Mr. Pickering responded that Staff always wanted to go out to bid but added that they were requesting that the firm that conducted the last study submit a proposal. Councilman Kehe stated the opinion that the investment would be worthwhile and said the last figures he reviewed showed that impact fees were in the neighborhood of $3450. A study of 11 neighboring communities showed that the average they were charging was $8,000 with some as high as $12,000 per unit. He said that this was an opportunity to significantly increase the Town's revenue. 4.4 Hugh Henry, 15731 E. Sycamore E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 8 of 10 Mr. Henry addressed the Council and said that he wanted to thank the Council for their efforts regarding the fire district. He expressed appreciation to all of the volunteers and supporters for their efforts in this regard. He particularly recognized a number of people who assisted in the effort and commented on the inaccuracies they had to deal with as far as the petition process itself and associated calculations. He added that as a result, CSOC was considering moving forward with an appeal and would expedite that process as soon as possible. Robert Tripp, 16410 E. Tombstone Avenue Mr. Tripp, also speaking on behalf of CSOC, commented on challenges the group faced in the petition drive and concurred with the comments of the previous speaker. He expressed the opinion that the voter lists were in desperate need of updating and this negatively impacted their drive. He expressed appreciation to everyone for his or her hard work regarding this important issue. Councilman McMahan commented that he supported the fire district from the beginning and noted that it worked just fine for 25 years. He expressed the opinion that its dissolution was one of the saddest episodes in the history of government. He commended everyone involved for his or her extensive efforts. Vice Mayor Archambault said that a song by Garth Brooks came to mind when he thought of the effort put forward regarding this issue by CSOC, "Standing Outside the Fire", which talked about people taking challenges and risks and said they deserved to be respected and commended. Mayor Nichols also expressed his gratitude to the group for their hard work and said they had the best interest of the citizens of Fountain Hills at heart. AGENDA ITEM #14- COUNCIL ASSESSMENT AND REVIEW OF THE MEETING TO IDENTIFY PROCEDURAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES AND DISCUSS POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS. There was no discussion on this item. AGENDA ITEM #15 — COUNCIL DISCUSSION/DIRECTION TO THE TOWN MANAGER. ITEMS LISTED BELOW ARE RELATED ONLY TO THE PROPRIETY OF (i) PLACING SUCH ITEMS ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR ACTION OR (ii) OR DIRECTING STAFF TO CONDUCT FURTHER RESEARCH AND REPORT BACK TO THE COUNCIL: A. Requested by Councilman Ed Kehe — Request staff to conduct research to determine the most cost effective method of contracting for grant writing services. Councilman Kehe stated that a citizen provided him with a bulletin entitled "Grants for Cities &Towns"and commented on additional information he secured from the Internet regarding community improvement grants. He noted that the Town did not have a grant writer at the current time and stated the opinion that they were passing up money, hundreds of thousands of dollars. He requested that the Council give strong consideration to entering into this competitive arena and proceed with securing the services of a grant writer. Mayor Nichols commented that if three or more of the members of the Council supported the proposal, the Town Manager could be directed to proceed with spending resources to follow up. He asked whether there was any interest in pursuing Councilman Kehe's suggestion and said that he for one supported the recommendation. It was the consensus of the Council that the Town Manager be directed to conduct research to determine the most cost effective method of contracting for grant writing services, as recommended by Councilman Kehe. Councilman Kavanagh said that one of the methods that should be explored was the possibility of paying someone purely on a commission basis. Mr. Pickering responded that Staff intended to pursue that avenue and added that it might be the only way they could proceed since no funds had been budgeted for this purpose. He added that initial research had shown that typically the grant writers wanted some of their costs E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 9 of 10 covered, but Staff would take a couple of months to look in to this matter and report their findings to the Council. Mayor Nichols suggested that they contact the Arizona League of Cities &Towns as well as the ASU School of Government for their input. Vice Mayor Archambault asked whether this issue (hiring a grant writer) could be addressed when the Council discussed the seven items identified at the Council's retreat. Mr. Pickering said that it was the option of the Council to add that as a new goal if they so desired. AGENDA ITEM#16—SUMMARY OF COUNCIL REOUESTS BY TOWN MANAGER Mr. Pickering will pursue research to determine the most cost effective method to contract for grant services as discussed above(Agenda Item#15). AGENDA ITEM#17—ADJOURNMENT VICE MAYOR ARCHAMBAULT MOVED that the Council adjourn and COUNCILMAN MCMAHAN SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSRY BY THOSE PRESENT (6 TO 0). The meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. TQ • ',VA 0 AIN HILLS 111161,z, By Wally ols, . •r ATTEST AND PEPARED BY: Bevelyn J. Bet der, wn Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular Session held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 17th day of June 2004. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED thislst day of July, 2004. /6-W-e-6/:(/'7-21(-44 Bevelyn J. Ben f,Tc z'n Clerk E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 6-17-04.doc Page 10 of 10