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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020.0824.TCSM.MinutesTOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL AUGUST 24, 2020 CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE — Mayor Dickey Mayor Dickey called the Special Meeting of August 24, 2020, to order at 5:33 p.m. INVOCATION - Rev. Tony Pierce, First Baptist Church of Fountain Hills Pastor Pierce gave the invocation. ROLL CALL — Mayor Dickey Present: Mayor Ginny Dickey; Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow; Councilmember Sherry Leckrone (telephonically); Councilmember Art Tolis; Councilmember Dennis Brown (telephonically); Councilmember Alan Magazine; Councilmember David Spelich Staff Town Manager Grady E. Miller; Town Attorney Aaron D. Arnson; Town Clerk Present: Elizabeth A. Burke 4. REPORTS BY MAYOR, COUNCILMEMBERS AND TOWN MANAGER Vice Mayor Scharnow gave an update on the wildfire that occurred over the weekend, and thanked everyone involved in getting it extinguished. Mayor Dickey clarified that on December 3, 2019, the Town Council approved the listing of meetings that would be held during 2020, and the Special Meeting of August 24, 2020, was included on that list. She said that the Town Council usually takes a break during July and the first part of August, and the August 24, 2020, meeting was considered a Special Meeting because it had to be held on Monday, versus the regular Tuesday schedule, due to timing restrictions for canvassing the election results of the August 4, 2020, Primary Election. She said that she had requested that the red light camera item be moved to the beginning of the Regular Agenda which had been done, but she was going to move both items 8H and 81 to the beginning as well since they were all traffic safety related. Mayor Dickey congratulated Gerry Friedel, Peggy McMahon and Sharron Grzybowski on their successful election to the Town Council, noting that they would be seated at the first meeting in December. She reported that the Parks Trails and Master Plan Committee currently has an Vision Fountain Hills survey out and she encouraged residents to participate. She reported on ongoing Zoom meetings, including MAG, the Canadian -Arizona Group, and GPEC. She noted that the Town has a new Economic Development and Tourism Specialist who comes from GPEC. Mayor Dickey recognized Raymond Rees, recent Facilities Manager, who retired after almost 20 years with the Town. She thanked him for his many years of dedicated service. Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 2of13 She reported on the Together We Care, student -led march that took place, noted the recent Chamber Gala and COVID testing. She said that there have been improvements made with the County and Town staff in the way of community information, and the COVID numbers are moving in the right direction. She asked everyone to continue using masks and following the social distancing guidelines. Mayor Dickey said that it has been a rough time for many and resources are coming on line every day. Mayor Dickey also said that the Town heard the community input with regard to the wildfire and they have talked about letting people know they are aware of a situation. They have been clarifying the roles and process for communicating news better in the future. She said that they did have information on the website and if people want to contact the Council or staff they can call or e-mail. She said that some on Council are not on social media so it is not a reliable way to reach them; it is better to call or e-mail the Council. She said that she was sorry that people were worried and they are working to prevent that in the future. Councilmember Magazine underscored the importance of participating in the Vision Fountain Hills survey, adding that it is very important they get as much participation as possible. He asked that anyone that is a member of an organization, to help spread the word about the survey. A. PROCLAMATION August as Child Support Awareness Month Mayor Dickey read a proclamation proclaiming August as Child Support Awareness Month. 5. SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES/PRESENTATIONS A. FY20 Financial Update Mr. Miller stated that during the budget adoption process this year staff promised to begin providing periodic budget report presentations to the Council, and this was the first of such presentations. Finance Director David Pock then gave a PowerPoint presentation which addressed: FY20 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Councilmember Leckrone joined the meeting telephonically at 5:55 p.m. Councilmember Magazine asked about vacation rentals and if staff had any idea of how many they had in Town. Mr. Pock said that they have an agreement with AirBnB, and they are still trying to iron out the kinks in the statutes. At this time they do not get any breakdown. Councilmember Magazine said that he knows that they have regulations, and asked if they could count the number of business licenses. Mr. Pock said that they currently cannot require a business license for vacation rentals. STATE SHARED REVENUES INCOME TAX HURF Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 3 of 13 VLT Mr. Pock said that staff will provide this type of review every quarter. Councilmember Magazine said that he is concerned about worst case --if COVID-19 has a second wave or the flu hits. Even though they have made some "guestimates" he would like staff to look at those that could constitute worst case, should they occur. Mr. Miller said that they have been doing that, and they have been good stewards of the public's monies. He said that in early July the Town received $2.9 million in CARES funding, and they are providing $300,000 in small business assistance grants. The balance of those funds are being used to stabilize the budget, and if they need to they can use it to get through. If they end up with any excess, his recommendation would be that it go into either capital or streets. 6. CALL TO THE PUBLIC Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.01(H), public comment is permitted (not required) on matters NOT listed on the agenda. Any such comment (i) must be within the jurisdiction of the Council, and (ii) is subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. The Council will not discuss or take legal action on matters raised during Call to the Public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action. At the conclusion of the Call to the Public, individual councilmembers may (i) respond to criticism, (ii) ask staff to review a matter, or (iii) ask that the matter be placed on a future Council agenda. None 7. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS All items listed on the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine, noncontroversial matters and will be enacted by one motion of the Council. All motions and subsequent approvals of consent items will include all recommended staff stipulations unless otherwise stated. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a councilmember or member of the public so requests. If a councilmember or member of the public wishes to discuss an item on the Consent Agenda, he/she may request so prior to the motion to accept the Consent Agenda or with notification to the Town Manager or Mayor prior to the date of the meeting for which the item was scheduled. The items will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda. MOVED BY Councilmember Alan Magazine, SECONDED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow to approve Consent Agenda items 7-A through 7-C. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously A. CONSIDERATION OF approving the meeting minutes of the Special Meeting of June 16, 2020; the Regular Meeting of June 16, 2020; and the Special Meeting of June 19, 2020. B. CONSIDERATION OF adopting Resolution 2020-35, abandoning a portion of the 10' Public Utility and Drainage Easement at the rear of Plat 505A, Block 2, Lot 9. (EA 2020-06) C. CONSIDERATION OF Ratification of grant application submittal for Diamonds Back Youth Field Lighting at Four Peaks Park. 8. REGULAR AGENDA A. CONSIDERATION OF Resolution 2020-36 declaring and adopting the results of the Primary Election held August 4, 2020. Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 4of13 Town Clerk Elizabeth Burke briefly reviewed the results of the Primary Election held on August 4, 2020, in conjunction with the statewide Primary Election. She noted that they had a 52.23% voter turnout which is good for a primary. Vice Mayor Scharnow noted that he lives in the precinct that had the highest voter turnout of 54.343%. MOVED BY Councilmember Sherry Leckrone (telephonically), SECONDED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow to adopt Resolution 2020-36. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously B. CONSIDERATION OF Photo Enforcement at the Shea and Palisades intersection. Mr. Miller said that the item before Council is one of three traffic -related matters to be considered. Some remember the tragic situation a few years ago wherein four pedestrians near Fountain Park were visiting from out of state and were hit and killed by a reckless driver. Six months later there was a jogger hit and killed on Palisades due to glaring sun. Just recently they had a person wanted for a warrant out of state driving north on Palisades and crashed into a home. He said that people are upset about traffic issues in Town, so about 18 months ago a subcommittee of the Council came together to discuss traffic safety and identify ways to make improvements. He said that there have been a number of improvements completed with the LED stop signs, grants for sidewalks, and the installation of rumble strips. He said that in June a number of these were considered and Council directed staff to bring these back for formal action at tonight's meeting. Public Works Director Justin Weldy said that trying to secure information from the two vendors was challenging to say the least. He said that this was brought before the committee and then brought to Council. The intersection at Palisades and Shea, where southbound Palisades turns right onto westbound Shea prohibits right turns on red due to the high speed on Shea. He said they have had four accidents on the corner over the past two-year period, but he does not know whether they were related to right turns on red. He said that there were two options when looking at photo radar. For just a photo radar for right turns, one offers a turnkey operation where they build it, install it, and do all the necessary work. Prior to a final action to send a citation it requires a post certified law enforcement officer (MCSO) to take a look at the photo to verify, in fact, that they actually ran the red light. He said that it is difficult to arrive at a final cost; it is somewhere around $3,500 to $4,500 a month. All fees collected are then forwarded through the court system for processing. He said that the court administrator was present if they should have any questions. He said that the other vendor asks that the Town provide all of the infrastructure up front. They do not offer the services, but gave the Town options. They have IGA's with neighboring agencies, such as Scottsdale, Mesa and Tempe. They do not know the cost to install; they do not know the final cost. He said that they have not entered into an agreement. He said that there are a considerable amount of options they would not be aware of until they issued a Request for Proposals (RFP). They could do a direct select, or they could do nothing at all. It is all based on direction from the Council this evening. Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 5of13 The following individuals addressed the Council: Greg Johnson; Shawn Dow; Dina Galassini Comments included: •There are many reasons to oppose it. •The residents are not going to like it. •It usually fails. •This is an industry designed to make money. •For the last 12 years he has flown around the country opposing these lights. •He has learned that the ticket is issued to the car, not the driver. 50% will be issued to the wrong person. •In LA, they showed the accident data --they increase accidents by 400%. The same in Tempe and Tucson. •They are putting the residents' lives and properties at risk. •Lawsuits are filed from violating constitutional rights. •He has put 18 politicians in prison over this program. Fountain Hills residents have helped take these people down. •This company has merged and changed its name. It is a global enterprise and can live monitor, track and survey. •300,000 trucker jobs will be lost and they will have driverless autos. •They can manipulate the timing sequences. Ms. Burke indicated that the following individuals had submitted written support for the cameras: Jerry Butler, Peggy Yeargain, Ted Blank, and Kathleen Butler. Mr. Weldy said that there would be no manipulation of the timing, outside of the traffic engineer that sealed the plans. The Town would not allow that. Councilmember Magazine said that there have been a number of charges made about the companies providing this service. He asked staff if they had done their due diligence. Mr. Weldy said that he attempted to get as much information as possible, but it is challenging. All of the information provided was attached to the staff summary. He said that if they did an RFP they could garner additional information. Councilmember Magazine said that he does not read Facebook, but many do. He did receive an avalanche of a -mails and some suggested permanently putting an officer on that corner. He asked for Captain Kratzer's thoughts on that suggestion. Captain Kratzer said that it is not possible. It would take up a large amount of resources and it would not be fair to the residents to dedicate that much to one area. Councilmember Spelich said that he was 100% for the camera until he started doing his research. Having a 24 year career in law enforcement, he thought he knew what they were. Many think it is just a photograph of a license plate and drivers, but it runs 24/7. There will be a record of the person driving the car as well as license plate information. He said that when 9/11 happened, numerous federal agencies did not communicate with each other and they put together a conglomerate, a fusion center, in all major areas. They used red light cameras and speed cameras to track wanted people. He said that he finds that troubling and it started turning him away from this idea. He said that the companies have the sole right to all of the information and can share that information with whomever they please. Captain Kratzer said that another concern with placing an officer at this location is that there is no discreet location to place an officer. Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 6of13 Mayor Dickey said that what is being talked about is not what was in the packet. It was at the discretion of the client. She was of the impression that it would be a picture, and the Town could make the decision. She does not think that anyone would be in favor of 24-hour surveillance. Mr. Miller said that it was his understanding that the Town would have more control. Councilmember Tolis asked how many accidents they have had in the last two years at Fountain Hills Blvd. and Shea. Mr. Weldy said that he did not have that information present, but it is the Town's highest crash data intersection. Mr. Miller said that they were saying there have been four accidents in the last two years related to the right -turn lane; there have been over twenty. Councilmember Tolis said that is what is happening. These companies are using surveillance cameras, used to track people, and there are other revenue sources for those cameras being in place. He did not think it was necessary. Councilmember Brown said that he had the most interesting phone calls from residents. He asked how much they really know about these cameras. He said that they have heard from three people in the last fifteen minutes. His recommendation is to get the citizens in Fountain Hills that know more about the cameras (and he is on the committee) to hold an open house and look into alternative systems, other than cameras. Vice Mayor Scharnow said that his basic question is whether they have an issue; the accident data is low. It is frustrating to see others turn when they should not, but he tends to agree with the majority --they need to look at other solutions. He suggested that perhaps they need additional signage on Palisades, or possibly an acceleration lane, although that would probably be cost prohibitive. Mr. Weldy said that the sight -line distance is only part of the challenge. They have two right-hand turns and if there is a larger vehicle blocking the sight, they may not merge into westbound traffic. Vice Mayor Scharnow suggested that they consider having the area included in the safety corridor. Councilmember Magazine said that he came into the meeting tonight 100% in favor, and he thanks the committee for the work they have done on the issue. They did not have a lot of the information needed tonight and a number of charges have been made. They could 1) turn it down; 2) look for alternatives; 3) carefully read or listen to comments made; and 4) develop an RFP that would address some of the questions. Councilmember Tolis said that he believes that he has heard enough. There are other needs in Town, such as vacancies, and he would like to reject the idea and not put in more time and effort. Councilmember Leckrone said that she agreed with everything that has been said. Also, she said, if MCSO had to take on the task of reviewing videos, she wondered if that would increase the cost of their contract. MOVED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow, SECONDED BY Councilmember Sherry Leckrone (telephonically) to direct staff to work with the Council Committee on Traffic and Pedestrian Safety in reviewing and recommending other alternatives to photo enforcement at this location. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 7 of 13 Discussion/consideration was then had on Items 8-H and 8-I. (See those sections for respective minutes). C. CONSIDERATION OF Approving the 2020 Resolutions proposed by the Arizona League of Cities and Towns. Mr. Miller said that annually the Arizona League of Cities and Towns seeks proposed resolutions from municipalities through the League's policy committee process. The proposed resolutions are discussed at the policy committee level before going to the League's Resolution Committee. After review and discussion by the Resolutions Committee at the annual League Conference, the proposed resolutions go before the League's membership at the annual business meeting for its consideration and approval. Adopted resolutions have traditionally formed the basis for the League's legislative agenda to be pursued during the next session of the Arizona State Legislature. This item had been placed on the Council's agenda for input and possible approval of the proposed resolutions. Vice Mayor Scharnow read Rick Melendez's letter of support. MOVED BY Councilmember Alan Magazine, SECONDED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow to approve the resolutions as presented. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously D. PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION of adopting Ordinance 20-13 amending the Town of Fountain Hills Zoning Ordinance, Section 1.12 by changing the definition of dwelling unit, Section 5.06 G regarding large accessory structures, and Section 10.02 A. 13. regarding guest houses. Mayor Dickey opened the Public Hearing. Development Services Director John Wesley said that this item came out of the annual Council Retreat, to allow kitchens in guest houses. He then gave a PowerPoint presentation which addressed: BACKGROUND PROPOSED AMENDMENTS - DWELLING UNIT Current Dwelling Unit Proposed Dwelling Unit PROPOSED AMENDMENTS - GUEST HOUSE Section 10.02 A 13 Proposed - eliminate requirements from this section, but include "provided that it shall not be used for any commercial or nonresidential uses, AND IS NOT OWNED SEPARATELY FROM THE PRINCIPAL BUILDING." PROPOSED AMENDMENTS - LARGE ACCESSORY BUILDINGS Section 5.06 G - Large Accessory Buildings OPTIONS Councilmember Magazine asked how close a detached structure can be to another property. Mr. Wesley said that it has to meet the same requirements of that respective zone. Councilmember Magazine asked if it could be used for an Air B&B. Mr. Wesley replied that it Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 8of13 would; and the Town could not prohibit it. Councilmember Brown said that it does not matter if it is a guest house or a house; they have to meet the setbacks specified. Air B&B has made it mandatory that they cannot party in a house; that is a big change. He said that Mr. Wesley has spent hours of time on this and it is amazing. He thanked him for all of his efforts. MOVED BY Councilmember Dennis Brown (telephonically), SECONDED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow to adopt Ordinance 20-13, with the added language "and is not owned separately from the principal building." Vice Mayor Scharnow asked, if all of the other requirements are met, could an existing guest house be retrofitted. Mr. Wesley replied that it could. D.L. Mary asked, if they are going to allow Air B&B, why would they restrict a homeowner from renting a unit out longer term as a supplemental means of income. Mr. Wesley said that as they looked across the country, this is one way they have done it. If the Council would like to go that way, they could look into it. Councilmember Tolis said that people that have a guest house, it is probably commonplace to meet the parking requirements. MOVED BY Councilmember Art Tolis, to amend the motion to allow for a homeowner to rent the property for Air B&B or have a qualified rental for a longer term use. Motion failed for lack of a second. Vice Mayor Scharnow said, to Councilmember Tolis' point, the idea of a longer term lease needs further research from staff, and it could be taken up at a future meeting. Councilmember Brown said that he agreed. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously E. CONSIDERATION OF approving Cooperative Purchase Agreement 2021-005 with A&H Painting for painting the buildings in the Town Hall complex. Mr. Miller said that this item had come before Council in the past and Councilmember Spelich had questioned the specs and paint. Due to a number of concerns raised and the cost, he withdrew the item and said staff would bring it back at a later date. He said that Councilmember Brown was instrumental, using his contacts, and staff was able to receive new bids, saving the Town approximately $114,000. MOVED BY Councilmember Dennis Brown (telephonically), SECONDED BY Councilmember David Spelich to approve the contract with A&H Painting Inc. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously Vice Mayor Scharnow said that it seems like a huge discrepancy for the four bids. Mr. Weldy said that he was part of the small committee that reviewed these, and the individual with the highest dollar amount had to bring his crews in from California, which is what drove up their costs. Ed Stizza, Fountain Hills, said that the last time his bid was $460,000; he did not submit a bid Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 9of13 this time. He walked every inch of the property and there is no way they can do all of the work for that amount of money. Mayor Dickey asked Mr. Stizza if he could stay after and speak with Mr. Miller. F. CONSIDERATION OF approving Professional Services Agreement 2021-001 with Visus Engineering Construction Inc. to complete the Fountain Hills Blvd. Shoulder Paving Project. Mr. Weldy said that about a year ago the Town had used federal grant money through MAG, and ADOT was the project manager. They started working on the west side of Fountain Hills Blvd. and the firm found there were issues with utilities not located in the right place. ADOT was only able to do one half of the project. He said that staff has been waiting for a close out from ADOT, and gave a thorough presentation to Council on May 19. At that time Council chose to do a sealed bid. He said that Visus was under contract with ADOT last year and the amount they submitted was $612,000, including a $50,000 owner's allowance. Mayor Dickey noted that the Town may be getting $200,000 to $300,000 back from ADOT toward this. MOVED BY Councilmember Alan Magazine, SECONDED BY Councilmember Art Tolis to approve Professional Services Agreement 2021-001 with Visus Engineering Construction Inc. in the amount of $612,000.00 (includes $50,000.00 for owners' allowance). Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously G. CONSIDERATION OF awarding a professional services agreement with Blucor Contracting for the replacement of the Panorama Drainage Pipe and approving the associated budget transfer for FY 20-21 in the amount of $309,000. Mr. Weldy briefly reviewed the history of this item, noting that Wood Patel had previously been selected to do the design and bids were then received, with Blucor Contracting being the recommended firm. He said that there will be some challenges with monsoon season quickly approaching and a short construction contract (45 days). He said that they plan to be in and out, with some disruptions around the outer ring of Fountain Park. They will keep at least one side of Panorama open. He said that not only staff but Councilmembers are under criticism about the roundabout and traffic restrictions. They will have traffic challenges with this project as well. Vice Mayor Scharnow said that there was an owner's allowance of $205,000, 10% of the project, and asked if that was typical. Mr. Weldy said that it was typical for this size of a project. MOVED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow, SECONDED BY Councilmember Sherry Leckrone (telephonically) to approve Professional Services Agreement 2021-004 with Blucor Contracting, Inc. in the amount of $2,005,410, an owner's allowance of $205,000, and the associated budget transfer for FY 20-21 in the amount of $309,000. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 10 of 13 H. CONSIDERATION OF adopting Ordinance No. 20-15 amending the Town Code, Chapter 12, Traffic, Section 12-2-2, Traffic Control Devices; Speed Limits, to lower the speed on Palisades Boulevard between Shea Boulevard and Golden Eagle Boulevard, from 45 MPH to 40 MPH. Mr. Weldy said that this item was also a recommendation from the Pedestrian Safety committee members, to decrease the speed limit between Shea and Golden Eagle from 45 MPH to 40 MPH. The following individuals addressed the Council: Greg Johnson; -Allen Fossenkemper Comments made included: -In looking at various speeds at a given location, they should use the 85th percentile which takes into every consideration as to why a person drives a car at certain speeds. -Staff should do their homework and take the time. -Residents of Fountain Hills are exhausted as all Americans with six months of lockdown. -This speed limit has been in place for so long he does not see it changing the actions of the drivers, unless they put a huge sign in the middle the street. -He just does not see the justification for changing it. A break was taken from 7:24 p.m. to 7:32 p.m. At this time, Ms. Burke read statements from the following individuals from the following individuals opposed to changing the speed limit: Robert Vonderhaar, Richard Rutkowski, MD; Schmit; Ron Smith; Robert Lewandowski; Dustin Elliott; D.L. Mary. She also noted that Karl Buschman had left a note in support of changing the speed limit. Mr. Miller noted that staff has been using the 85th percentile. Mr. Weldy said that they do reference that, and during a seven-day study they collected the following information: 1 TIME PERIOD LOCATION # VEH. 85% 02/24/01 - 03/01/20 Palisades, 580 feet south of Sunflower (N/B) 22,011 54 MPH 102/24/20 - 03/01/20 Palisades, 580 feet south of Sunflower (S/B) 1 51,558 50 MPH :105/13/20 - 05/19/20 Palisades, south of Sunridge (N/B & S/13)::Ir57,485 47 MPH 05/13/20 - 05/19/20 Palisades, north of Shea (N/B & S/13)C68,290 , 51 MPH Councilmember Magazine said that he tries to pay attention when driving in that area, driving at 45 mph, and people go around him. He is not sure he understands the logic in reducing it. It does not make sense to him. Mayor Dickey said that there are residents having a hard time getting out of Sunflower onto Palisades; they wanted a four-way stop sign. She said that it was not a number pulled out of a hat --it was a compromise in trying to make things safer. Councilmember Magazine said that he did not know what difference it makes if they do not have any enforcement. As far as he is concerned, they should make the entire road a safety corridor. Mr. Weldy said that the design speed was set at 40 mph when the engineer designed it. He said that historically they will set either above or below the design speed, based on the conditions. In this case, it warrants a 45 mph. The 85th percentile is what drives good design Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 11 of 13 and engineering design. Vice Mayor Scharnow asked if it was good design to have different speed limits on a road like that. Mr. Weldy said that there are numerous considerations given such as design speed, side traffic, pedestrian traffic, retail traffic, realignments, vegetation. Vice Mayor Scharnow said that he knows they had several meetings discussing this. He said that there has been some work done on the medians and the side areas, cutting back vegetation. He is having second thoughts with lowering the speed. This last year Saguaro was like a raceway and with increased enforcement they had a lot of tickets given out. It is a lot different now. They could direct them to focus on Palisades. Mr. Weldy said that there is enforcement on Palisades. Councilmember Tolis said that he thought they have done an excellent job, and will continue to make improvements, such as with the rumble strips and lit stop signs. He feels like today was a work session and he was shocked by the amount of time they have put into the issues. They have an identity crisis. If they look at reducing speeds and start looking at Fountain Hills as a retirement community, it will take even longer to get to downtown. He drives on Palisades and he sees no changes necessary. Mr. Weldy thanked Councilmember Tolis for his positive comments, noting that he was just one of a very small team based on direction given from Council and the Manager. Councilmember Spelich said that he agreed with Councilmember Tolis and Vice Mayor Scharnow; the speed limit should stay the same. Enforcement should be the key. He said that he was one of those that complained about the speed on Saguaro and with the strict enforcement he saw that drop dramatically. Also, Capital Kratzer said that there is a special outside traffic unit that perhaps they could have enforce that area. Mayor Dickey said that she does not think it is a bad reputation that it is a safe place. When the committee talked about these things, they considered things other than just accidents. When there is so much pedestrian traffic, speeding is a big issue. A lot of people wanted them to do this. Two months ago the Council unanimously moved to direct staff to bring these back for action. She does not think that the Town's reputation would suffer if they had lower speed limits, and focusing on safety does not take away from economic development. Vice Mayor Scharnow said that none of the recommendations were brought up as revenue generators. The committee acted in good faith. No action was taken on this item. CONSIDERATION OF approving a Safety Corridor Program and doubling of fines for speeding and other traffic offenses within the Safety Corridors. Mr. Weldy said that this item is also a recommendation of the subcommittee, to provide for safety corridors in Town, as identified by engineering and data analysis. The intent is to educate and inform drivers. He said that in his haste to get the item in the agenda, he did not crop the sign that was included. These signs would not include "zero tolerance" as that creates a challenge for law enforcement and takes away their abilities for judgment. After lengthy discussion, it was suggested that the safety corridors be as shown in the packet, with the following changes: Saguaro's would run from Desert Vista to Grande; Palisades Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 12of13 would extend from Saguaro to El Lago. Councilmember Spelich said that law enforcement should have the discretion. He is in favor of a safety corridor, but he would like the wording to indicate that the fines MAY be doubled. He believed that the discretion should fall with the judge, as the judge has the ability to request a driver abstract. Councilmember Tolis said that the discussion feels like a Work Session; he did not think they had a consensus. Councilmember Spelich asked if they could agree that they should have designated areas that are these zones, and then come to a better understanding with the committee to delineate exactly what streets. MOVED BY Councilmember Alan Magazine, SECONDED BY Mayor Ginny Dickey to approve adoption of safety zones as amended to be: Saguaro, from Desert Vista to Grande; Palisades from Saguaro to El Lago; and Fountain Hills Blvd. from El Lago to Palisades. Vote: 5 - 2 Passed NAY: Councilmember Art Tolis Councilmember David Spelich 9. COUNCIL DISCUSSION/DIRECTION to the TOWN MANAGER Item(s) listed below are related only to the propriety of (i) placing such item(s) on a future agenda for action, or (ii) directing staff to conduct further research and report back to the Council. None 10. ADJOURNMENT The Special Meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council held August 24, 2020, adjourned at 8:57 p.m. MOVED BY Councilmember Art Tolis, SECONDED BY Councilmember Alan Magazine to adjourn. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Gi Dickey, Mayor ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: Elizabeth . Burke, Town Jerk Town Council Special Meeting of August 24, 2020 13 of 13 CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Special Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 24th day of August, 2020. 1 further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 15th day of September, 2020. Eli abeth' . Burke, Town Jerk