HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004.1216.TCRM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SESSION OF THE
FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
DECEMBER 16,2004
Mayor Nichols called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
INVOCATION—The invocation was led by Mayor Wally Nichols.
ROLL CALL — Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council:
Vice Mayor Archambault, Mayor Nichols, Councilman Kehe, Councilman Kavanagh, Councilman
Schlum, Councilwoman Nicola, Councilman McMahan. Assistant Town Attorney Carolyn Oberholtzer,
Town Manager Tim Pickering, Public Works Director Tom Ward and Town Clerk Bev Bender were also
present.
Captain Kleinheinz of the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office introduced newly hired Lieutenant John
DiAmico to the members of the Council. Mayor Nichols welcomed Lieutenant DiAmico and said he and
the members of the Council were very pleased to welcome him as a new member of the team.
CALL TO THE PUBLIC
Art Tolis
Mr. Tolis addressed the Council and said he was there to present an update on an issue he talked about
two weeks ago regarding the Palisades property. He said that he appeared before the Planning and
Zoning Commission and stated that the members were friendly and accommodating. He noted that the
Commission directed staff to look into finding a way to "make it work," and stressed the importance of
keeping this issue on the front burner. He reported that he continued to make improvements to the
property and indicated his intention to keep the property aesthetically pleasing. He said he hoped they
could all work together to reach a positive conclusion regarding the issues at hand so that he could move
his small mortgage company into the office.
Mayor Nichols thanked Mr. Tolis for his comments.
CONSENT AGENDA
Mayor Nichols read the following consent agenda items:
AGENDA ITEM #1 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE MEETING MINUTES FROM
NOVEMBER 18TH AND DECEMBER 2,2004.
AGENDA ITEM #2 — CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 2004-64, ABANDONING
WHATEVER RIGHT, TITLE, OR INTEREST THE TOWN HAS IN CERTAIN PUBLIC
UTILITY AND DRAINAGE EASEMENTS LOCATED AT THE SOUTHERLY PROPERTY
LINE OF LOT 47, BLOCK 1, PLAT 604A (15221 E. RIDGEWAY DRIVE) AS RECORDED IN
BOOK 165 OF MAPS, PAGE 16, RECORDS OF MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA. EA04-21
(BREZNAK).
AGENDA ITEM #3 — CONSIDERATION OF ACCEPTING AN ART PIECE FROM THE
PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE OF THE CULTURAL COUNCIL UNDER THE PREVIOUSLY
APPROVED PUBLIC ART MASTER PLAN.
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AGENDA ITEM #4 — CONSIDERATION OF THE PRELIMINARY AND FINAL PLAT FOR
"DEERFIELD CONDOMINIUM II,"A TWO-UNIT CONDOMINIUM PROJECT LOCATED AT
16515 E. LOST ARROW DRIVE, AKA FINAL PLAT NO. 206, BLOCK 3, LOT 10. CASE
,, NUMBER S2004-27.
AGENDA ITEM #5 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING MCO'S REQUEST TO USE
SPECIAL STREET NAME AND TRAFFIC SIGNAGE AT THE ENTRANCES TO THE
EAGLES NEST SUBDIVISION.
Councilman McMahan 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:
Councilman Kehe Aye
Councilman Schlum Aye
Councilman Kavanagh Aye
Councilwoman Nicola Aye
Mayor Nichols Aye
Councilman McMahan Aye
Vice Mayor Archambault Aye
The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY(7 to 0).
AGENDA ITEM#6—CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE
INTERIM PLANNING AND ZONING ADMINISTRATOR.
Ikikw Public Works Director Tom Ward addressed the Council regarding this agenda item and noted that Staff
had utilized the services of Willdan Associates/John Poole as Interim Planning and Zoning Administrator
until a replacement for Molly Bosley could be hired. He noted that seven resumes were received for the
position and two strong candidates participated in video conferencing interviews and visited the Town on
November 23rd and 24th. He reported that staff decided to offer Richard Turner the position and said he
accepted. He noted that Mr. Turner's only concern was that he was coming from Bloomfield, Colorado,
and needed some time to accomplish the move. He indicated that he could begin work on January 3,
2005. Mr. Pickering said that from a customer service standpoint he felt it crucial to maintain coverage
and requested that Mr. Poole's services be extended for an additional eight days, until the new Planning
and Zoning Administrator began his employment with the Town. He added that he asked Mr. Poole to
remain in the position during the first week of Mr. Turner's employment to help him acclimate.
Mr. Pickering noted that the current purchase order was in the amount of$19,500, (150 hours @ $130 per
hour, which included all expenses) and under the spending authority of the Town Manager. He said in
order to retain Mr. Poole for the additional eight days, $8,320 must be added to the $19,500 for a total of
$27,820 for professional services with Willdan Associates, which would carry them until January 7"'. He
clarified that Mr. Poole would not work between Christmas and New Years, a slow period for the Town.
He advised that staff was very satisfied with Mr. Poole's performance and recommended approval of the
request for additional funding.
Councilwoman Nicola MOVED and Vice Mayor Archambault SECONDED a motion to approve
additional funding in the amount of $8,320 in order to retain the services of Mr. Poole of Willdan
Associates for an additional eight-day period of time.
There were no citizens wishing to speak on this agenda item.
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The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY(7 to 0).
AGENDA ITEM #7 — CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTING FOUR CITIZENS TO SERVE
Lir TWO-YEAR TERMS ON THE COMMUNITY CENTER ADVISORY COMMISSION.
Mayor Nichols announced that there were four openings on the Community Center Advisory Commission
for the years 2005-06. He noted that a total of five applications were received and all five applicants were
interviewed. He said that four of the applicants were currently members of the Commission who were
interested in continuing to serve, Ms. Leona Johnston, Mr. Bob Yordy, Ms. Grace Jakubs and Mr. Jerry
Gorrell. He added that the fifth applicant was Mr. Walt Dunne. The Mayor thanked all of the applicants
for their interest in serving the Town of Fountain Hills and said it was his recommendation that the four
current members, who had done a wonderful job to date on the Commission, be reappointed for the
upcoming period.
Mayor Nichols MOVED and Councilman Schlum SECONDED a motion to reappoint Ms. Leona
Johnston, Mr. Bob Yordy, Ms. Grace Jakubs and Mr. Jerry Gorrell for the additional two-year period of
time.
There were no citizens wishing to speak on this agenda item.
The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY(7 to 0).
AGENDA ITEM #8 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE SECOND AMENDMENT TO
THE DESIGN-BUILD AGREEMENT WITH HOLDER CONSTRUCTION GROUP,
INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF THE GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE BY $366,515 FOR
FURNITURE,FIXTURES,AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE CIVIC CENTER II PROJECT.
Town Manager Tim Pickering provided a brief overview of this agenda item and emphasized that from
the very beginning, staffs approach was to provide a cost effective, maximum use approach in a smaller
operating package, resulting in cost savings related to less square feet of construction costs. He noted that
the design approach allowed for fewer offices and the inclusion of open space modular office cubicles.
He said that with smaller more compact offices in the design, existing office furniture systems were too
large and inefficient, making it necessary to purchase modular furniture that was compatible with the
design of the new building. He added that the existing furniture would be auctioned to return a maximum
dollar amount to the general fund, offsetting some of the cost for new design concept furniture. He noted
that the Council's packets included a picture example of the proposed furnishings.
Mr. Pickering informed the Council that staff anticipated that they would move into the new Town Hall
the summer of 2005, by July lst and staff had completed the selection process for installation of all office
furnishings and related file systems. He noted that staff involvement included an invitation to four
vendors to set up mock offices in Building "A" Town Hall. For two weeks, staff reviewed the systems
and was asked to fill out an evaluation sheet. He advised that the Herman Miller line was the clear
choice. He reported that an earlier value analysis for furnishings and equipment for 39 offices, 6
conference rooms, six files and archiving rooms, Council Chambers and Court, 4 counter/reception areas
and 3 waiting areas including all necessary chairs, conference tables, high density file systems, shelving,
electric/data and a myriad of support equipment necessary to produce a complete office system brought a
guaranteed maximum bid of $380,000. He stated that recognizing that the bids were standard market
pricing, staff asked for a re-bid comparing the costs to the State Contract and Mojave pricing and that
resulted in a$13,030 savings. He said that three firms responded to the re-bid as follows:
Workspaces/Herman Miller $366,515.00
Walsh Bros./Steelcase $370,184.58
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Facilitec/Haworth $380,558.00
Mr. Pickering noted that in order to complete the FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) package. a
single State contract-pricing bid from Filing Solutions for $35,035.00 was added to the furniture bids
described and noted that a breakdown sheet was included as an attachment. He stated that in order to
manage a very tight construction budget, staffs needed to look at the lowest bid carefully, while at the
same time ensure that the Town received a durable product. He added that after careful analysis, which
included a review with the Better Business Bureau and the Registrar of Contractors, staff recommended
that the low bidder,Workspaces/Herman Miller, be selected as the vendor at a cost of$366,515.00.
Mr. Pickering commented on efforts that were expended to reduce the cost as much as possible and noted
that the seniors would not be there and a lot of needs were reduced as a result of a complete analysis of all
current furniture and possible reuse where appropriate. He added that for coordination purposes, Holder
Construction would purchase the furniture from the vendor. He said they would pay a small amount of
money to Holder to perform that coordination and the second amendment to the design-build agreement
reflected that charge.
Councilwoman Nicola stated that in the past the Department of Public Safety as well as the Maricopa
County Sheriffs Office provided their own furniture and file cabinets. She asked whether they
anticipated any kind of reimbursement for the costs. Mr. Pickering said that at this time they did not
anticipate any reimbursement because the Town would own the furniture. He emphasized the importance
of aesthetic consistency throughout the building and added that eventually the law enforcement segment
of the building might construct their own facility and at that time they would already have the furniture to
utilize for other departments. He said they had not asked them to reimburse the Town for the furniture.
Councilwoman Nicola commented on the importance of ensuring that the chairs would fit the officers'
gun belts and Mr. Pickering agreed and reported that the selected chairs had arms that move out to
accommodate the gun belts while still providing comfort.
Vice Mayor Archambault asked what the life span of the furniture would be and Mr. Pickering responded
that it would depend on the wear. He expressed the opinion that the furniture would last a long time,
fifteen to twenty years and possibly beyond. He pointed out that the furniture the Town originally
selected had lasted fifteen years and some of it still remained in good condition.
Councilman Kavanagh asked whether they originally had a maximum bid of$380,000 and Mr. Pickering
explained that when they approved the guaranteed maximum price they had alternates in there. He added
that for example the Council would see later on in the spring an alternate for the Avenue of the Fountains
project. He said they knew they were going to do that project but did not know what it would cost. He
added that the same was true of the furniture. When they first looked at it they thought that the price the
contractor gave them was about $380,000. He stated that they did not want to approve it at that time
because they needed to do further research on it and attempt to lower the bids. He said they had a bid for
$380,000 but they did not feel they needed that much and decided to pare that figure down. He noted that
another alternative would be brought before the Council and pointed out that the parking canopies had not
been selected and were not included in the price. He added that if everything was going along well and
funding was available, that issue might come forward next year. He said they might also see additional
adds for items like court millwork but noted that those monies would come from a different fund. He
stated that they would see two or three additional amendments as time went on depending upon how the
project proceeded.
Councilman McMahan said it was his understanding that the modular systems worked very well with
computerization and had increased employee efficiency. He asked whether staff intended to hold a
moving sale and Mr. Pickering confirmed that existing furniture would be sold through.a bid process. He
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added that some of the items would be reused, such as refrigerators and microwaves. He agreed that
efficiency would be increased as a result of the improved design and set up.
Vice Mayor Archambault MOVED and Councilwoman Nicola SECONDED a motion to approve the 2nd
amendment to the design-build agreement as recommended by staff. The motion CARRIED
UNANIMOUSLY(7 to 0).
AGENDA ITEM #9 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE STRATEGIC PLANNING
PROCESS.
Mr. Pickering addressed the Council regarding this agenda item and noted that staff had been working
closely with the Town's Technical Advisory Committee on this matter. He stated the opinion that the
Town was extremely fortunate to have expertise and dedication in the community and reported that
approximately five to six different individuals, who had a wealth of expertise in the strategic planning
area, offered their services and put together the plan. He noted that these unpaid volunteers put a
tremendous amount of work into this project and commented on the extensive meetings that had taken
place in an effort to produce a high quality product. He said it was his pleasure to introduce Bob Yordy to
the members of the Council and noted that Mr. Yordy was the President of the Civic Association, which
had a great history of strategic planning in the Town. He stated that Mr. Yordy would provide an
overview of the strategic planning process.
Mr. Yordy addressed the Council and highlighted a power point presentation relative to the Strategic
Planning Process. He said that he participated as much as a layperson could and added that he was very
impressed with the members of the Committee, many who took time from their normal schedules to
participate in the process. He noted that they initially held two workshops for the general public, in
September and October, and as a result they received a lot of good input. He said that concerns were
expressed regarding the importance of proceeding with the process and added that the main concern was
"how?" He advised that they formulated a Technical Advisory Committee and began their work. He
reported that Councilmembers Nicola and Kehe also provided assistance and said that their Mission
Statement was to ensure the success of a planning process based on the following key concepts:
inclusiveness (include everyone who is a stakeholder); simplicity ("KISS" — "Keep it simple stupid);
financially responsible (approximately $60,000 was allocated in the budget for the project and they
believe it could be done at least the rest of this fiscal year for that amount of money); and realistic
implementation (well planned and carried out).
Mr. Yordy also discussed the challenges they identified, including achieving consensus of future
direction; general distrust of government; apathy; lack of public involvement; lack of Council
commitment on the part of past Councils; lack of leadership commitment; and lack of a clear message.
He discussed the program and began with Phase 1, November, already completed. Define the mission
and process the work plan for Town Council acceptance. December, public involvement plan, Council
approval and public involvement database. He added that in January they planned to establish a
communication theme and conduct an analysis of the existing situation's projections. He said they
needed a "kick off' event to make people aware of what they were doing and encourage their
participation. He stated in January they also wanted to analyze what the Town was made up of, its
economic plusses, and consider where they were at. In February they would review the existing financial
situation of the Town, the existing Capital Improvement Plans, and then come back to Council. He said
throughout the entire process the Council was involved. Public interviews would also take place in
February and they wanted to involve as many people from the community as possible and summarize
common themes and divergent viewpoints. In addition, they would prepare a strategic position report
containing accomplishments to date and the first newsletter would be published. In March they planned
to conduct a youth visionary institute to find out what they had in mind and would hold the first of two
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Town Halls. He added that in April they would develop a report and in May publish the second
newsletter. In June a planning meeting would be conducted with staff and emphasized the importance of
staff involvement in the process. He noted that in July a presentation would be made to Council on the
group's status and another newsletter would be published. He added that focus groups would also be
conducted and in August, despite the heat, a second Town Hall would be held. He further stated that in
September and October they would conduct a community survey and said by then they should have
enough information to tabulate it, put it all together and send it out to every household. In October, they
planned to tabulate some of the results and in November they would present a draft of the plan to the
Council at a work session attended by anyone who wanted to be there. He said that in December they
hoped to receive Town Council's approval of the proposed Strategic Plan and in January they would
celebrate the fact that they accomplished this feat.
Mr. Yordy commented that the goals were significant issues to be addressed within a relatively short
period of time and said if they spread it out they might lose interest. He emphasized the importance of
maintaining momentum and noted that $60,000 had been budgeted by the Council for this fiscal year. He
stated the opinion that the proposed plan would remain within that budget figure. He added that the
actual costs could be more closely determined after a project facilitator was in place. He reiterated that all
of the work to date had been accomplished by volunteers and said they obviously could not keep that up
in view of the tremendous amount of important work that needed to be done.
Mr. Yordy discussed plans to organize a speaker's bureau and take their "dog and pony show" on the
road. He said they would meet with the community and civic groups and organizations and try to achieve
as much participation as possible. He added that newspaper articles would be published and public
service announcements would be made as well as Town Council updates in an effort to get the word out
as best they could. He stated the opinion that the proposed process was sound. He said it was simple,
credible, non-political, involved citizens at every juncture and would accomplish the Council's goal. He
added that if they did nothing and made major decisions without benefit of citizen input, they would be
disregarding their tradition of involving volunteers and would lack financial resources at build out. He
stated that they lived in a Town of volunteers and most of the things that the citizens dreamed about had
come to pass because of the citizens and their energy. He noted the number of Town Halls that had been
held over the years as well as community wide surveys that were conducted and added that incorporation
was accomplished, a post office was built as well as a library and community center, improved streets,
parks, summer activities for youths and adults, etc. were accomplished as a result of citizens and
leadership working together.
Mayor Nichols thanked Mr. Yordy for his presentation.
Vice Mayor Archambault commented on the fact that they were planning to hire a communications
company in January and asked when a facilitator should be brought on board. He also noted that the plan
was an aggressive one and commended the authors on their hard work.
Mr. Pickering said that a facilitator should be hired as soon as possible and added that it would take some
time to get individuals on board and stressed the importance of obtaining assistance in the communication
area.
Councilman Kavanagh thanked Mr. Yordy and the other volunteer members for their efforts and said he
was impressed with their hard work. He asked whether the $60,000 was allocated to conduct a strategic
plan and Mr. Pickering said there was discussion about using some of the money for education but
$60,000 was budgeted for the strategic plan. Councilman Kavanagh said he got the impression from the
previous presentation that the $60,000 was just to start the strategic plan but added that he recalled that
amount was to complete the entire plan. Mr. Pickering responded that that was not his impression and
added that a lot more money was originally budgeted for the project and the new Council was hesitant to
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move too quickly. He said the price was reduced and discussion took place regarding starting with the
education component.
Councilman Kavanagh stated that they agreed they did not have the money to spend on a big fancy plan
and they were going to trim it down and use volunteers. He said he was concerned now that he was
hearing they are going to hire a communications company to design the logo for the plan and the $60,000,
which he thought was the total price they agreed on if they were using volunteers, was now just the
beginning of the bill. He requested that the actual minutes of the meeting where this issue was discussed
be brought to the next meeting to clarify the matter or that they be reviewed before the group began to
erroneously begins to think that$60,000 was the first step and there was more money to follow.
Mr. Pickering said they knew, for example, from talking with other companies that just the survey alone
was going to cost$25,000 and that did not occur until October. He stated that a totally different company
that specializes in surveys would probably perform the work. He explained that they could not use monies
that were budgeted in this fiscal year for the next fiscal year.
Councilman Kavanagh suggested that Mr. Pickering bring this issue back at the next meeting and look at
the minutes to see what was decided regarding cost.
Councilman Kavanagh commented that it had become an "open ended plan" all of a sudden and Mr.
Pickering clarified that the budget had $60,000 to be expended this fiscal year. He added that if the
Council did not want to expend any more funds during the next fiscal year that was their choice.
Councilman Kavanagh said it would be insane to expend $60,000, get halfway through it and then drop
the process. He stated that they should decide right now whether they wanted to proceed with it at all.
He suggested that at the next meeting they agendize what the real budget was, the cost to the taxpayers.
Mr. Pickering noted that it would take longer than the next meeting to determine the cost because the
facilitator's cost had to be determined. He added that the contract for that service would be before the
Council in February.
Councilman Kavanagh commented that he was under the impression they were going to use volunteer
facilitators and Mr. Pickering said that they were continually using volunteers and, in fact, people had
volunteered $30,000 worth of their time to get this going. He pointed out that the cost they were looking
at before was over $100,000 for Maximus, an Assistant Town Manager, and a full time Public
Information Officer, for a total cost in excess of$250,000. He said they were not going to use all of those.
Councilman Kavanagh responded that that did not mean they had a "green light" to put the same monies
into this new project open ended. Mr. Pickering agreed that it was not a "green light"because they could
only spend $60,000 and said if there was any additional monies, which he believed there would be, the
Council would decide the use.
Councilman Kavanagh commented that he was assured the survey was part of the process and Mr.
Pickering confirmed that it was part of the process.
Councilwoman Nicola raised a point of order and said because Fountain Hills was an incorporated Town
and not a charter city. The members of the Council had to make the important decisions (what capital
projects would be done and how they would be funded). She added that they did not have the opportunity
to ask the voters as charter cities did and this was the only opportunity they had to go to the residents and
business owners and ask them what they wanted for their community. She commented on the fact that
they conducted a work-study on this matter as well as a good portion of their retreat and several public
meetings and had a wonderful group of people who had come a long way to help the Town develop a
Strategic Plan. She added that during the budget process, a majority of the Council was uncomfortable
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with the dollar amount for that current budget year but they knew that the project was going to encompass
a minimum of two fiscal years to complete and that was just the beginning. She said then they would
have to put the plan in place and there would be other monetary decisions. She commented that she for
one understood that the $60,000 was just the beginning of an investment and felt comfortable moving
forward. She added that she was comfortable with where they were going, what the process was going to
achieve, and what the money was going to be spent on.
Councilwoman Nicola commented that the Town Manager is going to come before the Council in May or
June and report how much it is going to cost to achieve the goals that the Council set. She said she was
ready when the time was right to vote to approve moving forward on the plan and allow the Town
Manager to select a facilitator to assist him with formulating the plan and hiring a communications
company to help get the word out. She expressed the opinion that this was the only way they can have all
of the people who lived in the Town participate in how they are going to move forward over the next five
years and beyond.
Vice Mayor Archambault noted that this was a citizen driven effort and reiterated his previous comments
that the citizens would determine how much effort was put into the project and how many dollars were
spent. He agreed with Councilwoman Nicola that this was an ongoing effort that must be facilitated into
a reality. He too stated that he was under the impression that the $60,000 was just to start the strategic
planning process.
Councilman Kavanagh reiterated his request to staff to review the minutes and clarify this matter. He
asked that this item be placed on the next agenda and that staff report whether the minutes stated that they
were going to spend $60,000 for a strategic plan or if in fact it was clearly stated that that was only the
' beginning of the process and there would be more expenditures to follow. He added that if the words
"start" and "beginning" were not there, then he would expect this to be on the agenda of the next meeting
so the Council could commit to either the$60,000 that he thought was the limit, or if they were writing an
ilow open ended check. He commented that the Council as a whole should make that decision in full view of
the public.
Mr. Pickering said that staff would be happy to provide that information and stated the opinion that they
had the discussion about it being the beginning of the process. He added that he specifically remembered
Councilman Kehe talking about starting with education and putting some money into the budget. He
stated that they discussed $50,000 versus $60,000. He said he wanted the Council to be assured that they
were not writing an open ended check because any contract for a facilitator would come before them early
on so if they did not want to proceed with that, they would have the option. He also noted that they
would go through the budget process as well and that was another opportunity for the Council to say they
did not want to proceed. He stated that staff was obtaining bids and would bring all of the numbers back
to the Council. He said that hopefully the amount would be less than anticipated but he could not
guarantee that at this time.
Councilman McMahan asked what the role of the Civic Association and other community volunteers
would be in the implementation of the plan. Mr. Yordy responded that the Civic Association previously
held Town Halls and emphasized that the group was non political and ready to help in any way they
could, whether it was conducting additional Town Halls, performing survey work, conducting focus
groups, etc. He noted that some of the work was going to cost money and added that someone had to
head the process up, a key person, to move the whole process forward. He added that it was important to
inform the citizens that their input was going to be solicited and they would be involved in the final
decision making process.
Councilman Kavanagh commented that the Town of Fountain Hills had historically had a lot of
volunteers willing to expend their time and effort and said that was why it is difficult to understand why
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they could not achieve the goals with $60,000 in funding. He recommended that they eliminate the hiring
of a communications firm to design a strategic plan logo. He added that as guardians of the residents'
dollars, they should trim the frills.
Mr. Pickering noted that individuals who had conducted strategic planning put the work program
together. In their professional opinions, they believed these were the things that should be done in order
to be successful. He added that consistent communication was something they believed was imperative
and they strongly recommended that a consistent theme throughout the entire project be implemented.
In response to a request from Councilman Kavanagh, Mr. Pickering listed the names of the members of
the Technical Advisory Committee who were involved in this process and provided expert assistance.
Councilwoman Nicola MOVED that the Strategic Planning process as presented by staff be approved and
Councilman Kehe SECONDED the motion.
Councilman Kavanagh MOVED to amend the motion to move this item to the next meeting when staff
would provide a report outlining potential expenditures. Councilman McMahan SECONDED the
amendment.
Councilman Kehe asked to move the question.
Mayor Nichols asked whether anyone would like to discuss the amendment.
Councilwoman Nicola asked whether Councilman Kavanagh could amend her motion to continue the
matter. Assistant Town Attorney Carolyn Oberholtzer said that Councilman Kavanagh could move to
continue the item.
Councilman Kavanagh noted that the Town Manager stated he would go back and review the minutes and
determine what was approved and advise the Council whether the $60,000 was to conduct the entire
process or just the beginning of costs associated with achieving the goal.
Mr. Pickering commented that a timing issue existed and estimated that he could not give the Council an
exact dollar figure until February. He said that the Council's direction at the workshop was "get us a plan
and let's get going on this." He added that there was nothing that said they had to start it right now,
however, if they wanted to accomplish the goal by December 2005, the added two months would push it
over to February 2006.
Councilman Kavanagh asked whether there would be any dire results if the plan was accomplished two
months later than originally estimated and Mr. Pickering responded that there was a lot of work they were
trying to cram into a year and again emphasized the importance of keeping the momentum going.
Councilman Kehe agreed that a time factor was involved and said they did not know what the citizen
driven results were going to be and when they ultimately reached the final step, the approval of the
strategic plan, there might be direction given that had a time factor attached to it. He added that they had
been involved in this since August and said he was personally prepared to make a decision this evening
on whether to move ahead or not. He noted that when the issue was raised during the budget process, he
had the clear understanding that the $60,000 represented just a start, not a road that was going to be
completed by June 30t. He stated that he was prepared to move ahead and added that he strongly
believed that they should seize the moment.
The Vice Mayor said there was a big difference if the plan was completed in December because if it was
Lir finalized in January, they would have a plan for the retreat and would be able to give.the public what it
E:\BBender\Documents\Current Minutes 2004\Regular Session 12-16-04.doc Page 9 of 12
was they were looking for and start addressing those issues and budgeting them for the 2005-06 budget
year. He added that if they did not finish the plan until February or March of next year, they would miss
the boat.
Mayor Nichols indicated that he was ready to make a decision this evening and said he did not support a
continuance. He said the $60,000 figure was just "pulled out of the air" and represented simply an
estimate of what they thought they were going to spend. He added that now that the Technical Advisory
Committee had worked on this for three months and was asking for approval of the Strategic Planning
Process and he believed they had enough information to do so this evening.
Councilman Kavanagh noted that the original proposal was over $100,000 and the Council reduced it to
$60,000. He agreed that it was going to be an on going process but said they stated after the plan was
completed it would have to be revisited every year for amendments. He spoke in favor of delaying this
matter as previously discussed but added that the volunteers could continue their efforts without
expending money.
Councilman Schlum commended the Technical Advisory Committee and all of the volunteers involved in
the process. He said they would save the Town significant money and provide a chance for everyone to
be heard. He stated that the dollars to be spent this year were not clearly specified and the $60,000 would
not be spent this year and he believed the total cost would exceed that amount. He noted that the report
reflected a figure of$3,300 in Town staff time spent and that would continue. He expressed faith in staff
and the volunteers and emphasized the importance of ensuring that this did not become a political
process. He said he was excited about moving forward and would like staff to spell out a little more
clearly where they would be through the rest of the year.
Mayor Nichols called the question and asked everyone in favor of the continuance to indicate by saying
aye.
A roll call vote was taken with the following results:
Councilwoman Nicola Nay
Councilman McMahan Nay
Councilman Kavanagh Aye
Vice Mayor Archambault Nay
Councilman Kehe Nay
Councilman Schlum Nay
Mayor Nichols Nay
The motion FAILED for lack of a majority vote (1 to 6).
Mayor Nichols said they would now vote on the main motion.
Councilman McMahan expressed concerns regarding the hiring of a communications company to develop
a logo but agreed that a facilitator should be hired immediately. He added that some of the other issues
could be addressed as they proceeded through the process.
Town Clerk Bev Bender advised that Bruce Florence submitted a card indicating his support for
proceeding but said he did not wish to speak at this time.
The motion CARRIED by majority vote, 6 to 1, with Councilman Kavanagh voting nay.
L
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Mayor Nichols thanked all of the volunteers and the members of the Technical Advisory Committee for
their hard work. He emphasized that the process was critical to the future of Fountain Hills over the next
Low five to ten years and citizen involvement was also crucial. He urged them to continue their great work
and said the Council believed in the process and would continue to be fiscally responsible as they moved
forward.
AGENDA ITEM #10 - COUNCIL ASSESSMENT AND REVIEW OF THE MEETING TO
IDENTIFY PROCEDURAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES AND DISCUSS POSSIBLE
IMPROVEMENTS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS.
Councilman Schlum stated that it would be a good idea to have the minutes available from applicable
meetings in the future.
AGENDA ITEM #11 — 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 BAVK TO THE COUNCIL: NONE.
There was no discussion relative to this agenda item.
AGENDA ITEM#12—SUMMARY OF COUNCIL REQUESTS BY TOWN MANAGER
Mr. Pickering stated that meeting minutes would be distributed to the Council (minutes from the budget
session in June regarding the Strategic Planning Process).
Councilwoman Nicola also requested that they be provided copies of the work-study minutes where the
issue was discussed.
Mayor Nichols said he believed the Council direction was when issues arose in the future that refer to
matters that were previously discussed, the minutes of those meetings should be made available to the
Council for their review.
Mr. Pickering responded that he would be happy to do so if the Council let him know ahead of time,
which minutes they would like to review. Mayor Nichols said they would try to do so.
Vice Mayor Archambault noted that the Council meeting minutes were available to the public on the
Town's website.
Mayor Nichols and the members of the Council wished everyone a happy holiday season, a happy
Hanukah and a Happy New Year.
Mayor Nichols said that decorations would not be an issue for next year's holiday season.
AGENDA ITEM#13—ADJOURNMENT
Councilwoman Nicola MOVED that the Council adjourn and Councilman Schlum SECONDED the
motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting adjourned at 7:46 p.m.
(04110,
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TOWN OFF U IN HILLS
Cliw y
allyN. s,M
ATTEST AND
PEPARED BY:
Bevelyn J. Bend To Jerk
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 16th day of December 2004. I further certify
that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present.
DATED this 6th day of January 2005.
l
Bevelyn J. B der ownGi lerk
y � ,
tibre
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