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Home My WebLink About2020.0505.TCRM.MinutesTOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL MAY 5, 2020 1. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE — Mayor Dickey Mayor Dickey called the meeting of May 5, 2020, to order at 5:36 p.m.and led the Council and staff in the Pledge of allegiance. 2. MOMENT OF SILENCE Mayor Dickey asked for a Moment of Silence. ROLL CALL — Mayor Dickey Present: Mayor Ginny Dickey; Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow; Councilmember Sherry Leckrone (telephonically); Councilmember Art Tolis (telephonically); Councilmember Dennis Brown (telephonically); Councilmember Alan Magazine (telephonically); Councilmember David Spelich (telephonically) 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 Town Manager Grady Miller reported that Governor Ducey had issued another proclamation slowly opening up businesses, and the Mayor issued a proclamation consistent with his directives. He said that based on that the Town opened up some of its amenities, including the main restroom at Fountain Park, and next Monday they would be opening up all restrooms. Vice Mayor Scharnow reported that he attended an online Valley Metro meeting where they reported that their staff continues to update the Town's transit study. The final form will be presented to the Council after the summer break. He said that they have some money they get every year to be spent toward transit issues, and they are trying to determine the best way to use those funds. Councilmember Tolis reported that he and others had participated in a car parade in support of some residents in assisted living. They had at least 25 cars participate, and it was a nice way to celebrate a resident turning 90+ years old. Councilmember Spelich reported that the Town had lost a great resident in the passing of Mary Wright. He asked that everyone keep Dr. Wright in their thoughts. Councilmember Leckrone said that she was sad to hear that news and her thoughts and prayers were with them. Mayor Dickey said that she had issued two additional emergency proclamations, which are available on the Town's website as well as the Governor's website. She said that she also attended a MAG Regional Council meeting and GPEC webinar. Mayor Dickey said that last year the Town became a member of Be Kind and had been asked to proclaim Make a Difference May. She then read the proclamation, noting that it is a national Town Council Regular Meeting of May 5, 2020 2 of 8 organization, but located in Arizona. Councilmember Magazine said that he saw the Governor's presentation on loosening up the stay at home order. He had concerns that he made that announcement prior to the latest statistics. He said that the Town's sales tax becomes a major issue, but they have to do what they can to help the food bank as people and businesses are suffering. 5. SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES/PRESENTATIONS A. PRESENTATION by Fire Chief David Ott with an Update on COVID-19 Efforts Mr. Miller said that in addition to serving as the Town's Fire Chief, it is also Chief Ott's responsibility to perform as the Emergency Manager Director. He has a major role to play in the Emergency Operations Plan and has been very active since the outbreak keeping the organization and himself apprised of major issues. Chief Ott then gave an update on the COVID-19 situation. He said that since the beginning of March he has been involved with meetings the Arizona Department of Emergency Management, and they have been meeting regularly since around March 17. He said that they set up the Emergency Operations Center virtually with the Town Directors and got a handle on what they wanted to do. They identified essential services in case they had to move into it. Then the Stay Home order came out and they worked with Mike Ciccarone who set up VPN so employees could work from home. Chief Ott thanked David Pock for his assistance as this is a high volume time during the budget, and he has done it with limited staff. Another big part has been Community Services. They have been able to take things like the Home Delivered Meals and expand that program. They were also able to chase down and pick up groceries and supplies for those that are more homebound. The Give -a -Lift program was a big part of that as well. He said that Rachael's department did a great job with all of that. He said that overall he thinks they have done a great job as a Town. He said that originally they were going to have daily meetings, but as things did not happen, it moved to once a week with the Maricopa County Department of Emergency Manager and unified command. Unifying the command was a big plus and made things simpler on the Town's end. He was also able to get PPEs (personal protection equipment) from the national stockpiles. They have not yet needed to dip into those as they already had a supply through Rural Metro. He said that looking at the numbers worldwide, the fatalities are staggering, but looking at it positively, they have had 1.2 million people worldwide that have recovered from it. He said that today's report showed a death rate of 33, the highest, but there was nothing reported for yesterday. The numbers coming in after a weekend are a little slower. There have been up to 400 deaths in the state, but that pales in comparison to New York, which is close to 20,000. He reminded them that while they did a Declaration of Emergency, they will also need a Declaration to End the Emergency at some point. Councilmember Magazine said that they have only had one business with an issue complying with the Stay at Home order. Vice Mayor Scharnow said that there have been 27 reported cases in Fountain Hills. He asked if that included cases at the assisted living facilities. Chief Ott said that one of the issues that Town Council Regular Meeting of May 5, 2020 3 of 8 came up when they started tracking was if there was not a good known residence for the patient, they would go back to the facility where they were tested was located. So, if someone came in from out of town, but was tested here, it would show as a case here. He said that he was not aware of any related to long-term care facilities in Fountain Hills. Chie Ott said that in all of the transports they have had, Honor Health will notify them, and to date there has only been one with a positive test. His personnel are healthy and the PPEs are working. No one has gotten sick. Councilmember Leckron asked if during the discussion about reopening of things, if there were any hotspots and how that would be dealt with. Chief Ott said that outside of the Navajo Nation it has been relatively limited. He has not seen anything, and there have been no discussions at Unified Command, as to phased approach openings. He said that communities cannot be looser than the Governor's orders, but they can been more restrictive. Mr. Miller said that they are following a phased approach based on the Governor's order. He said that a lot of the activities that would generate social gatherings have been banned, like concerns, sports, movie theaters. They will come on line at some point. He said that he gave the Governor credit for following the medical advice; decisions are being made based on medical advice and metrices on whether they can open up or not. Councilmember Spelich asked the Chief if it was his opinion that the Town should take the lead on getting everyone tested. Chief Ott said that Global Medical, the parent company for Rural Metro, is making arrangements for all of their personnel to get antibody testing. He said that one of the last memos that came out yesterday indicated that there needs to be more quality control on the antibody testing. Currently, there are false positives and negatives. They said that it may not be as advantageous right now. The nasal swab is the preferred method of testing. Councilmember Magazine said that his doctor talked him out of getting the antibody testing. Chief Ott said that at this point, whether it is positive or negative, they still are not sure how that will affect their immunity in the future. Mayor Dickey said that there was an article today from the President of the University of Arizona. They have come out saying they were going to use another test that has been more vetted. There are hundreds out there that are not reliable. Mayor Dickey thanked Chief Ott and Rachael Goodwin. She thanked Community Services for honing in on those unable to go to the store and she thanked the Home Delivered Meals and Give a Lift volunteers. Mayor Dickey told Chief Ott to let the Council know if there is anything his needs. Chief oft said that they have found a new niche--drive-by birthdays --they have three sliated for next week. 6. 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. Town Council Regular Meeting of May 5, 2020 4 of 8 MOVED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow, SECONDED BY Councilmember Sherry Leckrone (telephonically) to approve Consent Agenda Items 6-A through 6-C. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously A. CONSIDERATION OF approving the meeting minutes of the Budget Workshop of April 14, 2020; and the Regular Meeting of April 21, 2020. B. CONSIDERATION OF Resolution 2020-25, abandonment of the 10' Public Utility and Drainage Easement at the rear and east side of Plat 604A, Block 1, Lot 27 (15014 Palomino Blvd.), as recorded in Book 165, Page 16, records of Maricopa County, Arizona. (EA 2020-02) C. CONSIDERATION OF adopting Resolution 2020-29 to approve Amendment No. 1 to the Cooperation Agreement between the Town of Fountain Hills and Maricopa County for participation in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. 7. REGULAR AGENDA A. CONSIDERATION OF adopting Resolution 2020-22 of the Mayor and Council of the Town of Fountain Hills, Arizona, setting forth the Tentative Budget and establishing the maximum budget amount for the Town of Fountain Hills for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020, and ending June 30, 2021. Mr. Miller said that one of the Council's most important actions is adoption of the budget. It sets in place the Council's priorities for the next year. It is a policy statement. He said that, as mentioned at the Budget Workshop two weeks ago, in light of COVID-19, staff will be watching revenue impacts very closely. They are planning to go forward on a quarterly basis and if necessary make budget adjustments. The four capital improvement projects the Council agreed to move forward on are 1) Panorama stormwater; 2) the roundabout; 3) Fountain lighting; and 4) Golden Eagle flooding issues. Finance Director David Pock then gave a PowerPoint presentation of the Tentative Budget, Exhibit A, which addressed: FY20 REVENUE UPDATE OVERALL BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS GENERAL FUND REVENUES EXPENDITURE CONSIDERATIONS GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES FY21 SUPPLEMENTAL REQUESTS PRIORITY CAPITAL PROJECTS QUESTIONS Councilmember Magazine asked if the retirement of the bonds has any benefit to the Town. Mr. Miller said that the refinancing bonds used for the Community Center and the Mountain Preserve will be paid the end of May or June, freeing up about $350,000. Mr. Pock said that there is one remaining payment of the general obligation bonds for Saguaro, which is collected through the secondary property tax; it will be paid off by July 1. Mr. Miller said that the budget before the Council includes that additional funding. Mayor Dickey explained that rather than it being shown as a sum of money, it is an expense they do not have. Town Council Regular Meeting of May 5, 2020 5 of 8 Vice Mayor Scharnow said that in light of that it should be highlighted that the Town will have no bonded indebtedness. Mr. Miller added that this is all looked at when they have rating agencies look at the Town. They look at the Town's indebtedness and their budget and finances. It looks very good for them to not have any bonded indebtedness. Mr. Pock said that they will be back on June 2 to adopt the Final Budget and two weeks later for the tax levies of the two districts. Vice Mayor Scharnow asked the status of the Fountain Hills Shoulder Paving project. Mr. Miller said that staff will be sharing more information on that project at the May 19, 2020, Council meeting. MOVED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow, SECONDED BY Councilmember Sherry Leckrone (telephonically) to adopt Resolution 2020-22. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously B. CONSIDERATION OF Resolution 2020-16 adopting the amended and restated Financial Policies of the Town of Fountain Hills Mr. Pock said that he had mentioned these during the Budget Workshop and Council Retreat. He said that the current Financial Policy was adopted in 2003 with its most recent revision in April 2017. He said that they have been doing the same thing in two different locations. The current policy requires 20% of the general fund average of the previous five years to be kept for capital purchases, but that policy was established before the Town began funding the equipment and vehicle replacement funds. So they have been keeping those funds in two different locations. Those reserves for replacements along with the 20% in the Rainy Day fund would total around $3.2 million and give them 45-60% of the funds recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association. MOVED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow, SECONDED BY Councilmember Sherry Leckrone (telephonically) to adopt Resolution 2020-16. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously C. CONSIDERATION OF approval for the Civic Center Improvements with Gcon Inc. through the Job Order Master Agreement, Contract No. 2019-006B. Councilmember Leckrone said that she would be refraining from discussion of this item (conflict of interest) as she is close friends with the contractor. Public Works Director Justin Weldy reviewed the item stating that the location was the event circle between the Library and the Community Center. It came to light that they were having challenges in late 2010 and staff responsible for maintaining the area decided to do some grinding to remove trip hazards. As it became hard to do so, there was a proposal in 2012 to put it in as a capital improvement project. Since then, staff was asked to come back with a project to minimize the hazards. He said that leading up to this they hired a local engineer who did the final design to create some competition and reduce the cost. They reached out to four of their Job Order Contracting holders. Three of them responded and the fourth did not without cause. The bids came back at Town Council Regular Meeting of May 5, 2020 6 of 8 $151,000, $127,000 and $97,000. He said that staff is recommending that they move forward with GCon and they have indicated that they can do the work and have the pavers in by the end of the fiscal year. He said that there is no convenient time to do construction; however, with the temperatures high and less participation at the Center, it will be better than in the middle of the winter. Mr. Miller asked Mr. Weldy to explain the Owner's Allowance. Mr. Weldy said that oftentimes with a project like this they have some possible unknowns such as tree roots, irrigation or electrical. They do their best to identify all of them; however, things change and this is a safety net which will only be used and authorized by himself or the Town Manager. If they did not have this built it in, it could cause delays to the project and leave an unsightly issue. Councilmember Magazine said that he had asked that this be removed from the agenda. He walked around the area and did not see a problem. They are delaying other projects until the end of the first quarter of the next fiscal year. He does not see the urgency in spending $97,000 right now. He is against funding this at this time. Councilmember Brown said that he totally agreed with what he was saying, but he had a different view. They have received proposals and a contract below the average market price today. To remove and replace with pavers they are coming in at a remarkably great price. If they had one trip and fall, they are going to spend a lot more money. He has walked it a lot of times and it truly does need to be replaced. They have got a good deal and would be making a mistake to not move forward. Vice Mayor Scharnow said that this is not something that has just come up. It has been talked about for years. Personally, he knows a woman that fell and got a black eye. The whole plaza is used more than it has been in the past and will be used more in the future. He thinks it is critical that they fix those things out there, and aesthetically it will be much better. He said that it is more of a need versus a want. Mayor Dickey noted that it is in this year's capital budget. It was budgeted for $150,000, and this is quite a bit less. The capital projects they were talking about holding off on were for next year and this project will not affect those. She said that it will also keep people working during the slow time. Councilmember Tolis said that he agreed with Councilmember Magazine. He also walked the area and did not see an immediate need. Due to the Dark Sky Initiative building their facility, they may have a whole different design when that happens. He would like to give them the opportunity to raise the funds and determine what they are going to do at that time. Councilmember Brown said that the sidewalk should have been taken out; they continue to go in and throw money on grinding the concrete, which is expensive. If they delay further they will throw in the possibility of an accident. Councilmember Magazine said that he did not want to be misunderstood. He was not opposed to the project; he just wanted to wait five months. Councilmember Brown said that it would then be October or November when the snowbirds are in town. It will be ten times more active down there and he does not agree with that. Vice Mayor Scharnow said that it was his understanding that the building for Dark Skies would be at the site of the garden; he did not see it impacting this circle at all. Mr. Miller said that there are some areas by the garden and the pathways that he was anticipating would be impacted by the new discovery center. He has never heard any discussion about anything happening in Town Council Regular Meeting of May 5, 2020 7 of 8 the circle MOVED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow, SECONDED BY Councilmember Dennis Brown (telephonically) to approve Civic Center Improvements with Gcon Inc. through the Job Order Master Agreement, Contract No. 2019-006B in the amount of $104,069. Vote: 4 - 2 Passed NAY: Councilmember Art Tolis (telephonically) Councilmember Alan Magazine (telephonically) 8. 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 ADJOURNMENT Mayor Dickey wished everyone a happy Mother's Day, and said that she appreciates their families and friends. MOVED BY Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow, SECONDED BY Councilmember Dennis Brown (telephonically) to adjourn. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously The Regular Meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council held May 5, 2020, adjourned at 7:04 p.m. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS r (� Gina y Dickey, Ma or ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: .VlCurke,• Town Council Regular Meeting of May 5, 2020 8 of 8 CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 5th day of May, 2020. 1 further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 19th day of May, 2020. 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