HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008.0320.TCREM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE AND REGULAR SESSION OF THE
coor FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
March 20,2008
Mayor Nichols called the meeting to order at 5:31 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM#1—ROLL CALLAND VOTE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
ROLL CALL — Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Mayor
Nichols, Councilmember Kehe, Councilmember Leger*, Councilmember McMahan, Councilmember Schlum*,
Councilmember Archambault and Vice Mayor Dickey. Town Attorney Andrew McGuire, Interim Town
Manager Kate Zanon, Community Center Director Samantha Coffman and Town Clerk Bev Bender were also
present.
*Councilmembers Leger and Schlum arrived at 5:32 p.m.
VOTE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION: (i) PURSUANT TO A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(1), FOR
DISCUSSION OR EMPLOYMENT, ASSIGNMENT, APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION, DEMOTION,
DISMISSAL, SALARIES, DISCIPLINING OR RESIGNATION OF A PUBLIC OFFICER,
APPOINTEE OR EMPLOYEE MAY DEMAND THAT THE DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERTION
OCCUR AT A PUBLIC MEETING. THE PUBLIC BODY SHALL PROVIDE THE OFFICER,
APPOINTEE OR EMPLOYEE WITH WRITTEN NOTICE OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AS IS
APPROPRIATE BUT NOT LESS THAN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS FOR THE OFFICER,
APPOINTEE OR EMPLOYEE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE DISCUSSION SHOULD OCCUR
AT A PUBLIC MEETING. (SPECIFICALLY, FOR THE PURPOSE OF INTERVIEWING THREE
APPLICATIONS RECEIVED FOR ONE VACANCY FOR CONSIDERATION OF SERVING ON THE
SENIOR SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION): AND PURSUANT TO §38-431.03(A)(4), FOR
DISCUSSION OR CONSULTTION WITH THE ATTORNEYS OF THE PUBLIC BODY IN ORDER
TO CONSIDER ITS POSITION AND INSTRUCT ITS ATTORNEYS REGARDING THE PUBLIC
BODY'S POSITION REGARDING CONTRACTS THAT ARE THE SUBJECT OF NEGOTIATIONS,
IN PENDING OR CONTEMPLATED LITIGATION OR IN SETTLEMENT DISCUSSIONS
CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO AVOID OR RESOLVE LITIGATION (SPECIFICALLY, THE GOLF
RESORT LLC LITIGATION).
Councilmember McMahan MOVED to convene the Executive Session and Councilmember Archambault
SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY(7-0).
Councilmember Schlum MOVED to adjourn the Executive Session at 6:25 p.m. and Councilmember McMahan
SECONDED the motion,which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY(7-0).
RETURN TO REGULAR SESSION
* CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Nichols convened the Regular Session at 6:30 p.m.
• INVOCATION—Mr. Fred Widom with Temple Beth Hagivot
• ROLL CALL—Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council:
Lor Mayor Nichols, Councilmember Kehe, Councilmember Leger, Councilmember McMahan,
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Councilmember Schlum, Councilmember Archambault and Vice Mayor Dickey. Town Attorney
Andrew McGuire, Interim Town Manager Kate Zanon and Town Clerk Bev Bender were also present.
• MAYOR'S REPORT
(i) None.
• SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES/PRESENTATIONS
(i) None.
* CALL TO THE PUBLIC
There were no citizens wishing to speak.
CONSENT AGENDA
AGENDA ITEM #1 —CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE TOWN COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 6,2008.
AGENDA ITEM #2 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING RESOLUTION 2008-03, DECLARING
AND ADOPTING THE RESULTS OF THE PRIMARY ELECTION HELD ON MARCH 11,2008.
AGENDA ITEM #3 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING RESOLUTION 2008-12, ABANDONING
WHATEVER RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST THE TOWN HAS IN THE CERTAIN DRAINAGE
EASEMENT LOCATED AT THE NORTHEASTERLY PROPERTY LINE OF PLAT 505A,BLOCK 5,
LOT 12 (15819 N. BOULDER DR.) AS RECORDED IN BOOK 158 OF MAPS, PAGE 40, RECORDS
OF MARICOPA COUNTY,ARIZONA. EA08-01 (BOVINETTE).
AGENDA ITEM #4 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING RESOLUTION 2008-11, ABANDONING „vat)
WHATEVER RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST THE TOWN HAS IN THE CERTAIN PUBLIC
UTILITY AND DRAINAGE EASEMENT LOCATED AT THE NORTH AND EAST PROPERTY LINE
OF PLAT 603A, BLOCK 06, LOT 08 (17510 E. SYCAMORE DR.) AS RECORDED IN BOOK 196 OF
MAPS,PAGE 28,RECORDS OF MARICOPA COUNTY,ARIZONA. EA08-02(GULLICKSON).
AGENDA ITEM #5 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN
PRESERVE MASTER PLAN REVISION TO ALLOW EXPANDED TRAIL USAGE AND
DESIGNATE THE PROMENADE TRAIL AND NORTH TRAIL AS "MULTI-USE,NON-HORSE."
Councilmember Leger MOVED to approve the Consent Agenda as listed and Councilmember McMahan
SECONDED the motion.
A roll call vote was taken with the following results:
Vice Mayor Dickey Aye
Mayor Nichols Aye
Councilmember Kehe Aye
Councilmember Leger Aye
Councilmember Schlum Aye
Councilmember McMahan Aye
Councilmember Archambault Aye
The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY(7-0).
ACTION AGENDA
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AGENDA ITEM #6 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING A PURCHASE AGREEMENT WITH
APPLIED CREATIVE, INC. FOR TOWN WEBSITE RE-DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE
Lip, SOFTWARE IN THE AMOUNT OF$28,368.00.
Public Information Officer Katie Decker addressed the Council and highlighted a brief PowerPoint presentation
relative to this agenda item. She noted that the agreement was for a website in its entirety; it was not a website
redesign proposal. She stated that the Town's current website was stagnant and did not inspire residents or
visitors to visit the website again or take a trip to Fountain Hills. It had been designed almost eight years ago by
an IT intern who had done a great job at the time but the Town was now at an entirely different place then than it
was today. Based on the growth they had experienced and other factors, it was time to evaluate available
resources. Currently, the site received approximately 1,500 "hits" a day, which was good and the site was
capable of sustaining that at this time but they were experiencing growth on the website and the current website
was only going to be capable of handling growth for a very limited amount of time before a serious problem
occurred. She noted that the website could be a huge supporter for staff and the public in the sense that they did
not have to wait for staff to get back to them—there were instant responses that could be put on the site that the
current site did not provide for.
Ms. Decker stated that the upgraded website would allow enhanced communication with the Town's citizens (a
goal of the Strategic Plan) and it would also allow the winter visitors who obviously were a big part of the
community but were gone for extended periods of time the ability to stay in touch and see what issues were
before them even when they were out of Town during the summer months. She added that they were talking
about a new platform that would basically remove the antiquated nature of the old site, which did not allow for
updates without extensive staff time. They would also obtain new software and that was one of the main
reasons for proceeding in the manner. The software would be installed on staff computers, allowing staff to
make minor changes to the new website as opposed to going "out of house" for this work to be done at
additional on-going costs. She added that new content would also be added and staff would also like to create a
calendar that would highlight all of the Town's events.
Ms. Decker informed the Council that the Town went out to bid, obtained three bids, and that Applied Creative,
Inc. of Scottsdale was the low bidder. She introduced Brian Tritch, the owner and Chief Executive Officer of
Applied Creative, Inc. who briefly described what he envisioned for the site and the positive impacts of this
proposal.
Mr. Tritch thanked the Council for the opportunity to address them and said that when his company looked at
the Town's website they went through it page by page and tried to determine what needed to be done. They
found out that the web has grown as an "organic process,"and discussed navigation and other problems with the
current system. They had also looked at websites utilized by other municipalities and found out that that they
functioned in an easier, more efficient manner than the Town's current system. He noted that they planned to
utilize an open source software called"Expressions Engine"and explained that"Open Source" meant that it was
free to the public. He discussed plans to build the website (approximately 110 pages not including all of the
attachments), create and help staff with the editorial content that would go on the website, and then work on the
website architecture to meet various needs. He added that they would also go into the navigation of the site and
put together the design part of the site. He also discussed "framing" where they would design the skeleton of
the website and content (the programming stage). He explained that his company would use a vendor that they
had utilized in the past quite extensively for the "back end programming" noting that they had put together very
large sites (for Wal-Mart,Microsoft, etc.)
Mr. Tritch said that testing would be done after the work has been completed and once the site has been
completed, there would be a training sessions for whoever would be authorized to make changes to the site prior
to the site going live. Then, at a 30 and 60-day interval, Applied Creative would go back to the site with
different technology to make sure that the site was functioning the way it was designed to and if any efficiencies
Low were needed, they would be made. He said that this would be a fairly extensive project and would result in a
large user-friendly website.
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Councilmember Archambault MOVED to approve the Purchase Agreement with Applied Creative, Inc. and
Councilmember McMahan SECONDED the motion.
In response to a question from Councilmember McMahan relative to anticipated years of service the Town j
would receive if the website was set up, Mr. Tritch stated that the Town's last website had been in use for nine
years. He said he could not answer that question because technology changed all the time and what they would
be doing was using a state of the art system to launch and maintain the website. He explained that they would
be building a content management system into the website, which would extensively simplify the process of
changing information. He added that the system should serve the Town for many years.
Discussion ensued relative to the fact that Applied Creative would be doing all of the design work; Applied
Creative's municipal experience; the fact that web security was only as good as those who work with the
website; the fact that the Town would do its own hosting; and the fact that Applied Creative would assist the
Town throughout the process.
Ms. Bender advised that there were no citizens wishing to speak on this item.
Vice Mayor Dickey acknowledged that the proposal was entirely appropriate and agreed that there was
definitely a need for this to occur. She stated that her concern only had to do with the issue of timing. She
added that a Budget Work Study Session was scheduled for April 29th and she would prefer to wait on this item
until the Council "gets more of a grip" on their economic status through those budget discussions. She pointed
out that the Town had budgetary obligations on "grant funding"for park projects.
Councilmember Archambault asked whether any cost analyses had been done on this issue (staff time/potential
savings) and Ms. Decker responded that staff has not taken a look at how much it costs in those terms but said
that there were some things that staff had wanted to put on the site but the logistics and the time demands those
changes would place on the IT Department rendered them not feasible. She confirmed that funding for this
project was in the budget.
Councilmember Schlum commented on a number of Economic Development meetings he had attended and
stated that a website was critical to economic development and ensuring that the Town would have a method of
communicating the available opportunities in Fountain Hills.
Ms. Decker stated that the website would allow businesses to tie into the site and view current events. She
added that at the current time they did not have a dedicated economic development component on the website
and the new system would help the Town to highlight that important area. She outlined additional informational
pieces and sites that would benefit the Town. She added that discussions were still taking place relative to tying
the Town's website into the Chamber of Commerce's website.
Mr. Tritch advised that Ms. Decker was beginning to collect information now and the project's completion date
would be by June 30t.
Councilmember Leger noted that the project had come in a little under budget and requested information relative
to the citizen notification process. Ms. Decker stated that staff would have the ability to set up alerts so that
citizens could receive the information they wanted as soon as it became available, such as the Manager's Memo.
She added that citizens could also receive the document in a text message if so desired.
Councilmember Leger stressed the importance of enhancing communication. He noted that this was an
investment that would enhance government efficiency; it was an important need. He stated that he would
support the proposal.
Councilmember Kehe concurred with Councilmember Leger's remarks relative to the importance of improving
communication and keeping up with technology. He commended staff for their efforts in this area.
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Vice Mayor Dickey reiterated that she did not disagree that the need existed and that the system would
positively impact the Town and its citizens/staff. However, she restated her preference to wait until after the
Council's April budget meeting to make this decision.
Mayor Nichols called for a vote on the motion and a roll call vote was taken with the following results:
Councilmember Kehe Aye
Mayor Nichols Aye
Councilmember McMahan Aye
Vice Mayor Dickey Nay
Councilmember Schlum Aye
Councilmember Archambault Aye
Councilmember Leger Aye
The motion CARRIED by majority vote(6-1).
AGENDA ITEM #7 — CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING A CONTRACT WITH CREATIVE
ENVIRONMENTS IN THE AMOUNT OF $24,703.52 FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A BASE
LANDSCAPE WATER FEATURE DESIGNED TO SUPPORT TWO BRONZE ART PIECES AT THE
NORTH WEST CORNER OF TOWN HALL.
Facilities Supervisor Don Thumith addressed the Council relative to this agenda item. Mr. Thumith referred to a
designer's conceptual drawing of the finished product and said that the horse itself did not have saddle and tack
on it but the actual piece would. He stated that it was somewhat of a "stream or brook" feature that the art
pieces would be associated with. It featured a running brook with two bronze art pieces consisting of a cowboy
and his horse. He provided an overview of the feature and explained that it would feature a pond less waterfall
and when the timer turned it off the water would disappear underground into a holding tank. The design was a
conservation and risk sensitive approach to the project and if approved, completion would occur by April 15th of
this year.
Mr. Thumith advised that staff recommended approval of the contract and indicated his willingness to respond
to questions from the Council.
Councilmember Kehe MOVED to approve the contract with Creative Environments and Councilmember
Archambault SECONDED the motion.
Councilmember Schlum asked whether the contract included relocation costs or represented simply the
construction of the feature. Mr. Thumith replied that the other associated costs were very minor. Town staff
would provide some minor electrical support(setting up the landscape lighting for the contractor to be able to tie
his equipment in and there was already empty conduit in place so Town staff would pull the electrical line). He
said that the$24,000 covered the complete installation.
Councilmember McMahan questioned whether the funding for this water feature came from the original funding
from the Town Hall. Ms. Zanon responded that this feature was included as part of the original Town Hall
project and the funding had to be budgeted this year.
Councilmember Kehe commented that this went back to the spring of 2006 when he, the Town Manager,
Councilmembers Archambault and McMahan and some members of the Public Arts Committee met and came
up the idea that an art feature should be reflective of the Town of Fountain Hills. Their recommendation was
that since this land was originally P-Bar Ranch, it would be appropriate for the art feature to reflect that heritage,
the ranch life. Councilmember Kehe provided further background information relative to this agenda item and
stated the opinion that it would represent an excellent addition to the Town and would be enjoyed by residents
and visitors.
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In response to a question from Councilmember McMahan relative to postponing installation of the feature until
the next budget year, Ms. Zanon stated that Town policies require that monies be budgeted in the fiscal year in
which they will be spent. She added that monies that were not spent this year would be moved into the Capital
Projects Fund so installation would then have to be budgeted for next year and, considering next year's budget
with decreased revenues,it would mean that another project would not happen.
Councilmember Schlum commented on the fact that the Council had previously discussed delaying the purchase
of the art but that they had already been committed to the purchase;therefore, they needed to get it installed.
Ms. Bender advised that there were no citizens wishing to speak on this item.
The Mayor called for a vote.
The motion CARRIED by majority vote(7-0).
AGENDA ITEM#8—UPDATE ON THE TOWN MANAGER RECRUITMENT PROCESS.
Human Resources Administrator Joan McIntosh addressed the Council relative to this agenda item. She stated
that the Town had received 72 applications for the position of Town Manager and each member of the
Recruitment Committee separately reviewed each of the applications. They then convened and came to a
consensus as to which candidates they felt had the best qualifications, at least on paper, and narrowed the
selection down to nine candidates. The members of the Committee interviewed the nine candidates beginning
on March 1st and concluded the interviews on March 14t. After the initial interviews were completed, the
Committee convened again and narrowed down the selection to five candidates that they would like to bring to
Fountain Hills. The intent was for the five candidates and their partners to arrive in Town on Thursday, March
27th and that evening they were to go to dinner with the Councilmembers and their partners. Councilmember-
Elect Hansen was to also participate in the dinner and formal interview process on March 28th. Interviews were
to begin the following morning at 8:00 a.m. separately with the Council and Council-Elect Hansen(they were to
have a one-hour interview) and then move to a one-hour interview with the Direct Reports.
Ms. McIntosh added that on Saturday, March 29th, the candidates would attend a public forum that was to be
held at the Community Center. Beginning at 9:00 a.m. a"meet and greet" was to be held for the first hour with
light refreshments served and then starting at 10:00 a.m. the public forum was to begin. Anyone in attendance
would be able to submit a written question to the candidates through a moderator and participants would be
provided an evaluation form to complete and turn in at the end. Following the forum, the Selection Committee
was scheduled to meet and review all of the evaluation forms that were turned in as well as the evaluation forms
received from the Direct Reports. The Committee was to then summarize that information and present it to the
Council. She noted that the Council was scheduled to meet in an Executive Session the following week to
discuss the candidates and potential offers. She indicated her willingness to respond to questions from the
Council.
Mayor Nichols thanked Ms. McIntosh and the members of the Committee for the great work they had don in-
house.
AGENDA ITEM #9 — PROGRESS REPORT ON THE ESTABLISHED ITEMS OF COUNCIL
BUSINESS:
A) DEVELOPMENT FEES ADJUSTMENT
Interim Town Manager Kate Zanon reported that staff was on schedule for the public hearing to be held on April
15th. The items are posted on the Town's website.
B) DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT/C-2 ZONING TO TCCD
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Ms. Zanon advised that the Town Team had met with the Downtown Development Team on March 13th and the
applicant was moving forward to try and close on the property in April. The next scheduled meeting together is
Li, on April 10t.
C) ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Ms. Zanon noted that there was no change to report on this item. Staff was still moving forward to bring back
some policy to Council in May.
D) GENERAL ACCESS TO THE MOUNTAIN PRESERVE
Ms. Zanon reported that Town and MCO legal staff had spoken and that the Town still had concerns about the
potential loss of coverage under the Recreational Users Statute if the Town were to provide supervision at the
trailhead site. MCO's legal representative was currently out of the country for several weeks so no current
discussion had taken place. When the legal representative returned those discussions were to continue.
E) PREPARING A SOUND TOWN FINANCIAL FUTURE
Ms. Zanon advised that the SPAC Communications Sub-Committee had been working diligently with staff and
the script for both the brochure and the video had been approved. Production was to be finished next week and
they were still planning to launch the communications during the week of March 31st. A video was to be aired
on Channel 11 with the information available on the Town website. The video was to also be available in hard
copy (CD) and the brochure was to mimic the video.
The May 20th Election ballot was to include the names of two Council candidates and the property tax question.
The publicity pamphlet was to be mailed to be mailed in early April and would discuss the various items on the
ballot.
The Planning and Zoning Commission on March 13th initiated the process to change the lot coverage allowance
in R1-43 lots (from 15% to 20%) and they were scheduled to hold a public hearing on April 10th and then
forward their recommendation on to Council. The Council's public hearing was scheduled to take place on May
1st.
F) STATE TRUST LAND/ELLMAN DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
Ms. Zanon reported that staff continued to meet with the team and a meeting was held today with another
scheduled for next week. They were still on their timeline to accomplish the General Plan Amendment process.
The public hearings for this project were to begin in May.
G) TOWN HALL WATER FEATURE AT AVENUE OF THE FOUNTAINS AND LA
MONTANA DRIVE
Ms. Zanon stated that item was discussed this evening and the contract had been approved. Construction would
continue and once the pieces came back installation would be scheduled. The project is on track.
H) TRAFFIC CONTROL AT AVENUE OF THE FOUNTAINS AND SAGUARO
Ms. Zanon said that the new U-turn had been constructed and sign installation had been tentatively scheduled
for the end of this week or the beginning of next week. The U-turn should be operational by early April. They
would then have a few weeks to observe the use of the U-turn and traffic movements with the stop signs and the
U-turn and staff would bring that presentation to Council on April 17th to discuss whether there were any other
Loy traffic calming measures that should be explored.
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Councilmember McMahan thanked Ms. Zanon for the update and asked whether any further research had been
conducted on the HAWK system. Ms. Zanon replied that staff went to Tucson in February and had spoken to
them since and obtained additional information as well. The information was to be presented to the Council as
well as other available options.
In response to a question from Councilmember Leger, Ms. Zanon stated that staff had not planned a ribbon
cutting ceremony but would be happy to plan such an event.
AGENDA ITEM#10—SUMMARY OF COUNCIL REQUESTS BY INTERIM TOWN MANAGER.
None.
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 BACK TO THE COUNCIL:
A. NONE.
AGENDA ITEM#12—ADJOURNMENT
Councilmember McMahan MOVED that the Council a o,rn and Councilmember Leger SECONDED the
motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY(7-0). Th; -eting adjourned at 7:17 p.m.
TOWN OK.; IN HILLS #1p
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May. 'chol
ATTEST AND
PREPARED BY:
1i j ��
Bevelyn J r:-.Eder,Town Clerk
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Executive and
Regular Session held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 20th day of March 2008. I further certify
that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present.
DATED this 3rd day of April 2008.
Bevelyn J e er,Town Clerk
J
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