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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013.0103.TCRM.Minutesz:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 1 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL JANUARY 3, 2013 * CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Kavanagh called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. * INVOCATION – The Mayor asked everyone to observe a moment of silence. * ROLL CALL Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Mayor Kavanagh, Councilmember Yates, Vice Mayor Leger, Councilmember Brown, Councilmember Elkie, Councilmember Dickey and Councilmember Hansen. Town Manager Ken Buchanan, Acting Town Attorney Chris Schmaltz and Town Clerk Bevelyn J. Bender were also present. * MAYOR'S REPORT Mayor Kavanagh provided a brief overview of the events/meetings she has recently attended includ ing an appearance with her husband, Arizona State Representative John Kavanagh, on KTAR and said that he talked about the State and she talked about important issues for Fountain Hills. She noted that she also attended a presentation by the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and said that the Town's State Representative John Kavanagh was honored to be part of a trade/friendship delegation to China (the only person chosen from Arizona) along with eight other Representatives and Senators from other states and corporate executives. She said that she was privileged to be able to attend all of the meetings in China with Foreign Ministers, Mayors, business leaders and the Governor and she took the opportunity to tell all of them about their beautiful Town. She said that while the officials she met previously only knew about New York and California, they are now very aware of Fountain Hills and have an official Town pin to remember them by. * SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES/PRESENTATIONS Presentation by Chris Coyle, General Manager of Republic Services of Phoenix (Allied Waste), relating to the Town's recycling program. Mr. Chris Coyle addressed the Council and highlighted a brief video relative to the Town's recycling program (PowerPoint available on line and in the office of the Town Clerk). He said that approximately a year ago, he committed to the Council, upon their direction, to take a look at the recycling program and specifically the reward points and find a solution for the problems that exist. He noted that the company took this task seriously and looked across the entire country to determine what other rewards programs are in existence and how they might work for the Town. He advised that they found out that there are not many providers out there but they did find one called Wrypple and said that the Council will talk to Rob Gench from that company shortly. He advised that the program that they offer is an improvement overall on the program that the company has now plus it has the ability for the residents to use their recycling points to benefit non-profit organizations in Fountain Hills. Mr. Coyle aired the video which provided an overview of the Wrypple Program. Mr. Coyle informed the Council that the Wrypple Program contains all of the components of Allied Waste's current program and allows points to be used for community projects. He introduced Rob Gench who explained that the Wrypple Rewards Program sought him out as an expert in the recycling industry. He said that the Wrypple Program has a significant footprint in many other industries, including corporate incentive programs, and highlighted a brief PowerPoint presentation, contained a comparison sheet that showed data and benefits that would be received from Wrypple as compared to the current Recycle Bank Program. z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 2 of 13 Mr. Gench outlined how the program operates and the benefits that can be derived from utilizing such a program. He explained that Wrypple is a partnership of Direction Connections and Augeo Marketing that provides rewards for recycling and premium rewards for learning/sharing about recycling. He further stated that the model is community- centric, with a specific commitment to the goals of the hauler and the community and discussed the "Wrypple Effect" and network partners. Mr. Coyle advised that the new program would offer a larger, unlimited treasure chest of rewards and values; deeper discounts (some nearly double) from local and national businesses; an option to vote on local non -profit programs using recycling points; immediate access to hundreds of discounts on gift cards from major local and national companies and much more. He stated the opinion that the proposed product will address the needs of the Town and indicated his and Mr. Gench's willingness to respond to questions from the Council. Mayor Kavanagh thanked Mr. Coyle for coming to the meeting and said that she knows he has been working on this for a long time and stated that his efforts are very much appreciated. Councilmember Elkie noted that there are a lot of non-profit organizations in Town and if non-profits want to set up an account and start advertising that people should donate to a specific account is that something that can be done? Mr. Coyle replied that that could be set up and added that the program can be customized. He said that anything they dream up they can probably do. He stated that typically the choices will be on the website for six or so months and the users can choose to vote for those for the six months. He noted that it could be set up in a couple of different ways -- they could put a chunk of money out there and then list first, second and third (three different pieces) and the money could be divided, a certain amount to each organization or they could have a wi nner and that one group would get the entire donated amount that has been set aside. Mr. Gench advised that it can be customized and said that his conception of this for the Town was to not have too many during one period of time because it can be somewhat confusing. He said that if they keep it down to a relatively small amount, three to five charitable organizations for the set period, then the amount can be somewhat substantial for those organizations. He added that the Wrypple Effect that they talk about will be those individual organizations going out into the community and asking, "Have you donated your points?" Councilmember Elkie commented that he looks forward to working out the details on this. He asked whether with the proposed change (since it is no longer Recycle Bank) there has been any discussion about amending the agreement that they currently have to include Wrypple and make adjustments in an effort to ensure that everything is understood. Town Attorney Chris Schmaltz stated that he is not aware of anything but will pose the question to Town Attorney Andrew McGuire. Mr. Coyle informed the Council that the points that people have earned with Recycle Bank are good for a one -year period of time. He said that that will give the community plenty of time to redeem their points. Mayor Kavanagh asked that if the Town itself wanted people to donate to a certain project, like a park amenity, could that occur (and allow the Town to be the recipient?). Mr. Coyle replied absolutely. The Mayor commented that if people have accumulated a lot of points, is there any way for them to transfer Recycle Bank points over to the Wrypple Program? Mr. Gench responded that there will not be any transfer of points from the other company to his company and reiterated the point made by Mr. Coyle -- those people will have up to a year to cash in their Recycle Bank points. z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 3 of 13 Mayor Kavanagh said that the new program sounds much better than what the Town has been working with in the past. Vice Mayor Leger thanked Mr. Coyle and Mr. Gench for the presentation and said in looking at the comparison and who earns points (all registered households) be believes that is an improvement. He stated that in the event that the Council moves in this direction he would like to know what the next steps would be and what will be put into place to promote the program and educate the citizens. Mr. Coyle advised that the next step would be to work out the legal process as far as switching from the previous supplier to Wrypple and that will determine the timing. He added that there will be several types of communications -- by invoice, individual mailers, participation in community events, working with staff, etc. He noted that a piece of the fee that Republic Services pays for this is automatically set aside for the grant program, advertising and participation so the funds are there to ensure that they can get the word out. He added that from there they can work with staff on the rest of the details. Mr. Gench stated that they believe some sort of a letter from a leading official (the Mayor or someone else they select) announcing the change and explaining why as well as the anticipated benefits would be very helpful. He added that perhaps that could be bundled with a cable broadcast of the video and other things mentioned by Mr. Coyle. Mayor Kavanagh advised that this meeting will be a good start because it is being televised on Channel 11 and there are two members of the press present so people will begin hearing about it right away. She noted that they will be holding some events in the Spring and Town staff will let Mr. Coyle and Mr. Gench when they will be occurring so perhaps they can have a presence at those events. Councilmember Yates asked whether there will be any transition costs and will the Town be placing the link on its website? Mr. Coyle replied that all costs will be borne by Republic Services and despite the fact that the Town will be providing input they will not have to pay any costs. Mr. Gench informed the Council that the technical team is ready to go and it will probably take 60 days to implement after obtaining Council input. Councilmember Dickey asked if this is the first hybrid of this type of thing -- a pilot program or a model. Mr. Gench responded that the primary company that is taking on this task and partnering with Republic Services has been historically involved with employee incentives. He advised that the Chief Executive Officer of the company has 35 years of experience in the waste industry so they believe they have a really strong team and a lot of connections. He added that they have deployments ready to go in Texas and one on the west coast. He agreed that this is fairly new, the rewards component, but the rewards are not new, they have been used by many large corporations. Councilmember Dickey commented that this could be something that gets people talking about Fountain Hills everywhere and Mr. Gench concurred. Mr. Coyle stated that Republic Services feels very comfortable and confident about the ability of the Wrypple team. He noted that there is a good, strong combination of expertise and he feels they can design a program specifically for Fountain Hills. Mayor Kavanagh thanked Mr. Coyle and Mr. Gench for their presentation. * CALL TO THE PUBLIC Town Clerk Bev Bender advised that one speaker wished to speak under this agenda item. z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 4 of 13 Boe James addressed the Council and stated that he was happy to hear the presentation on the recycling program. He noted that they have talked about this for a long time and back in 2010 the citizens were promised that something would be done to correct the problems and enhance the program. He added that back in March the citizens were told that there would be a program in effect by the end of November 2012. He said that he is glad that progress is being made and he hopes that they can implement a rewards program that will allow residents to donate to non -profits, particularly charities, in the near future. * CONSENT AGENDA AGENDA ITEM #1 – CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES FROM DECEMBER 11, 2012. AGENDA ITEM #2 – CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING A LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATION SUBMITTED BY FRANK CARMEN YACONIS, OWNER/AGENT OF PROTEC, LLC DBA CASAVINO CUSTOM WINERY, LOCATED AT 12005 N. SAGUARO BOULEVARD, SUITE 101, FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ. THIS IS FOR A SERIES 13 LICENSE (DOMESTIC FARM WINERY). AGENDA ITEM #3 - CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING RESOLUTION 2013-01, ABANDONING WHATEVER RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST THE TOWN HAS IN PORTIONS OF THE CERTAIN PUBLIC UTILITY AND DRAINAGE EASEMENTS LOCATED AT THE SOUTHERLY AND EASTERLY PROPERTY LINES OF PLAT 603-B, BLOCK 4, LOT 8 (15723 E. CHOLLA DRIVE) AS RECORDED IN BOOK 161 OF MAPS, PAGE 41, RECORDS OF MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA EA12-08 (BARRETT). Councilmember Yates MOVED to approve the Consent Agenda as listed (Items #1 - #3) and Councilmember Brown SECONDED the motion. There were no citizens wishing to speak on this agenda item. A roll call vote was taken with the following results: Councilmember Dickey Aye Vice Mayor Leger Aye Councilmember Hansen Aye Councilmember Yates Aye Councilmember Brown Aye Councilmember Elkie Aye Mayor Kavanagh Aye The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY (7-0). REGULAR AGENDA AGENDA ITEM #4 – CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTING THREE (3) CITIZENS TO EACH SERVE A TWO-YEAR TERM ON THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT FOR THE PERIOD BEGINNING FEBRUARY 1, 2013 UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2015. Mayor Kavanagh MOVED to appoint John Kovak III, Nick Sehman and Daniel Halloran to serve on the Board of Adjustment, each to serve a two-year term for the period beginning February 1, 2013, until January 31, 2015, and Councilmember Elkie SECONDED the motion. There were no citizens wishing to speak on this agenda item. The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY (7-0). Mayor Kavanagh thanked the newly appointed citizens for their willingness to serve the community. z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 5 of 13 AGENDA ITEM #5 – DISCUSSION RELATING TO A FOUNTAIN HILLS' ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN. Town Manager Ken Buchanan addressed the Council and stated that the Economic Development Plan (EDP) was considered one of the highest priorities by the Town Council at its August 23, 2012 Work Session. He said that staff was directed to develop an EDP for Council consideration that contained a focused approach on a number of things that have been discussed over the years. He noted that staff, with the cooperation of the Chamber of Co mmerce, Councilmembers and citizens who have experience in this area, put together the draft proposal. He added that it is also the result of a number of previous plans that were attempted in Town as well. Mr. Buchanan highlighted a PowerPoint presentation (available on line and in the office of the Town Clerk) and explained that the basics of economic development for a community has to be looked at as two concepts -- to build a "basic" and continue to build on a "non-basic" economy in the community. He explained the differences of a "basic" versus "non-basic economy" and discussed how the local economy works. He referred to a slide that depicted and explained the Downtown Initiative, the Tourism Initiative and the Business Attraction Initiative and talked about working with the various stakeholders. He noted that the Consensus Based Economic Development Implementation Plan has been repackaged and highlighted the following: * Economic Objectives: Grow our economy Maximize our talent Enhance our community * Focused Approach: Business attraction Business retention and expansion Entrepreneurial development Foundational Maintenance Locational Catalysts * Targeted Industry Sectors: Professional, technical and scientific services Healthcare, medical, biosciences and wellness Finance and insurance Tourism and recreation Mr. Buchanan informed the Council that the plan emphasizes objectives that grow the community's economy, maximizes the community's talent and enhances the community's quality of life. He noted that business growth is critical to creating community wealth and is an important component of any EDC. He stressed the importance of attracting and retaining quality, well paying jobs to diversity the economic base and foster a live/work atmosphere as well as attracting and developing business activities that create wealth and revenues in Town in order to achieve the community's vision of long-term economic sustainability. Mr. Buchanan further expanded upon the basic economy, an activity that will bring new dollars into the community and non-basic economy, an activity that will keep those revenues in the local economy (recirculation of the dollar). He discussed the eight priorities that came out of the 2010 Strategic Plan and noted that that was a multi-tiered approach (economic objectives, focused approach and targeted industry sectors). Mr. Buchanan commented on business attraction, specifically focusing on business recruitment efforts with specific targeted industry sectors and highlighted the "Game Plan" as follows: * Facilitate/recruit new base sector employment opportunities * Recruit local business owners who operate outside of Town back into the community z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 6 of 13 * Target recruitment efforts identified in the 2012 Retail Market Analysis * Develop/implement a communication strategy aimed at targeted industry * Implement a Comprehensive Annual Tourism & Recreational Development Program Mr. Buchanan advised that the Fountain Hills Business Retention & Expansion Program will address the following: * Identify companies with plans to expand * Identify companies at risk of leaving/downsizing * Identify company and community problems * Provide assistance * Build relationships In addition, he discussed the "Game Plan" which consists of implementing a business visitation program for base sector industries targeting businesses which align with the North American Industry Classification System. Mr. Buchanan further discussed what is needed in order to establish and maintain long term success for start-up businesses (a solid foundation) and stressed the importance of business planning. He also discussed the negative impacts of inadequate funding and choosing the wrong business structure. He stated that the "Ga me Plan" in this instance is to create and support structure and assistance for entrepreneurial growth by utilizing the Business Incubator to grow new businesses and assist others that may be struggling, annually evaluate the Business Incubator's effectiveness to ensure it is achieving its mission and providing adequate return on investment and partnering with existing groups and organizations to assist with business start ups, mentoring and other resource identification and deployment. Mr. Buchanan also touched on Foundational Maintenance and the importance of ensuring that the tools, systems and structure effectively support economic growth (community foundations are those resources such as infrastructure, regulations and policies, education and training and capital that are the building blocks for a strong economy. Successful community and economic development programs are dependent upon this solid framework for growth and sustainability). He discussed the "Game Plan" and emphasized the need to identify/promote viable incentives for businesses locating in Town that relieve fiscal burdens and/or make the businesses more competitive; ensure a business friendly environment within Fountain Hills; maintain the Town's physical infrastructure to support economi c development and ensure that Town services meet community needs and achieve a more sustainable revenue balance. Mr. Buchanan further discussed Locational Catalysts and the need to revitalize and maximize the economic opportunities of community assets (development areas of the Avenue of the Fountains, Fountain Park, Shea Corridor and Saguaro Boulevard are in need of further focused development and/or redevelopment efforts) and focused efforts implementing specific Area Plan recommendations (Downtown Business District, South End District, Residential District, West Side District, Civic District, Service District, Lakeside District and Park District. He commented on the "Game Plan," and the importance of developing and prioritizing an implementation strategy for the Downtown Specific Plan and fostering the revitalization and enhancement of existing areas by establishing a vision/guidelines for future efforts for commercial corridors in the Shea Boulevard and Saguaro Boulevard areas. Mr. Buchanan commented on Strategic Implementation and stated that a collaborative effort is required for an economic development strategy's success. He noted that the EDP is based on expanding the local economy and said that the principles for success are: * Coordinated approach * Community collaboration * Smart growth * Long-term efforts z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 7 of 13 * Existing business support * Corporate responsibility * Human investment Mr. Buchanan stressed the importance of starting with an Economic Development Summit and hearing presentations from experts in the fields of downtown development, tourism, business attraction and communication strategies. He noted the various partners, which include: * The Town of Fountain Hills * The Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce/Visitors Bureau * Greater Fountain Hills Business Alliance * Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation * Greater Phoenix Economic Council * Arizona Commerce Authority * Utility Providers * Educational Providers * Support Providers (commercial realty, etc.) Mr. Buchan discussed Performance Metrics and explained that they are applied to measure the EDP's activities and its overall performance. He pointed out that since there is always an element of uncertainty about the future, regular reviews to ensure that a plan is still effective and achieving desired outcomes are critical. He said that Performance Metrics should support the intended strategic outcome and typically meet six criteria: * Time * Cost * Resources * Scope * Quality * Actions Mr. Buchan informed the Council that Performance Metrics should be established with each strategic initiative to provide an annual assessment of progress. Mr. Buchan advised that the Council has had the proposed plan to review over the last month and said he would be happy to open it up for further discussion and to respond to any questions that the Council may have. He stated that the Council may direct staff to place this item on a future agenda to adopt it as a focused approach or take whatever action they deem appropriate. Mayor Kavanagh thanked Mr. Buchanan for putting the draft proposal together and said that she knows that he has been working on this for a long time. Ms. Bender advised that one speaker wished to comment on this agenda item. Alan Magazine addressed the Council and stated that he, Shawn White, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Peter Bordow from the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission (SPAC) have been talking over a period of time about what happens next. He noted that he is speaking as an individual and said that what has been presented this evening is a very good comprehensive plan that, in his opinion, will take many, many years to begin to implement. He advised that they have before them 12 targeted industry sectors and about 10 evaluations, analyses, surveys, etc. He stated that that is a mammoth task and if they take a lot of time to do numerous surveys and analyses, they are not going to be able to get anything implemented. He said that time is of the essence and given the fact that the Town does not have z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 8 of 13 an economic development team or a team of consultants and the Town Manager is only one person, the question is what do they do with it? Mr. Magazine said that they are proposing that because of the lack of resources to implement this plan that they crea te a Steering Committee, composed of between eight and ten people representing the Council, the SPAC, the Chamber and others with specific expertise in the substantive areas to be addressed, such as healthcare, wellness, software, etc. He commented that he doesn't think the Council wants to look at 12 areas to approach, a "shotgun approach," and said that they should do a "rifle approach" and pick one area and throw everything at it. He noted that they have a Town of 23,000 people and no staff to work on this and the process has to be very focused in order for it to be successful. He advised that the Steering Committee would take a look at any plan the Council adopts and identify the priorities, indicate what needs to be done first, and determine what the low-lying fruit that could really have some consequences for the Town are. He added that they would then create subcommittees for substantive areas, particular areas that need to be addressed. He said that they are not talking about people who sit and p ontificate -- he is talking about "boots on the ground" and people who are going to reach out and really do things. Mr. Magazine further stated that they have talked about reaching out to the regions and they probably need a subcommittee to do just that (show up at the right meetings and talk to the right people and let them know that Fountain Hills exists). He noted that his hobby horse has been healthcare and wellness and there should be a subcommittee formed composed of people who are experts in the various aspects of healthcare and wellness. He advised that the Steering Committee would report to the SPAC and to the Council and given the immensity of this they don't think that the Council is going to want to have "hands on" involvement as far as everyth ing that will be happening under the Steering Committee and that is why they are recommending that the Committee report to the SPAC. He indicated his willingness to respond to questions from the Council. Mayor Kavanagh thanked Mr. Magazine for his comments. Councilmember Yates also thanked Mr. Magazine for putting this together and stated that this is something that they collectively wanted to get done on one section. He noted that they are a consumption based economy and make tax revenue based on sales. He said that he was wondering if on No. 1, Tourism & Recreation, they could add to retail as a sector. He stated that he knows it is in there and throughout there and part of the model , but if they go with some kind of Steering Committee it sounds as if they are going to go after businesses and subsequently that will help their daytime population but until people start buying stuff they are not completely benefitting from the other consumers. Mr. Buchanan stated that he believes that the plan alludes to that as a non-basic for retail and said that they need to continue because it does relate to the leakage. He added that with the combination of the leakage issue and the non - basic, it is an effort for retail to continue and to expand (get that leakage back), with existing retail as well as new and add to those businesses that they don't have and continue on that side of it. He added that he thinks it is there although not black and white but if you put those two issues together it addresses that. He f urther stated that it also is not an eliminating factor if something comes along and the Town will never pass up opportunities. He said that on a retail basis the same concept exists -- if there is something out there that comes along they have to go out and grab it. Councilmember Yates stated that he agrees with everything that Mr. Buchanan said but added that unless it is on that list there's a problem. He added that they are more than a leakage, they are a hemorrhage and almost half of their retail dollars are out. He also agreed that it is throughout the entire report and it is pretty obvious but for them not to have it as a targeted business sector, no matter where they go with the implementation he thinks they are giving the wrong information (let's go after these businesses where our bread and butter is here). He said that this is not a criticism and he hopes it is not being taken that way but he would just like to add that in some way and believes it would emphasize on multiple levels what is needed here. z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 9 of 13 Councilmember Dickey said they need to look at what has happened in the past as far as what has closed and stated that they have been talking about that for the last ten years. She commented that more than the problem of what stores and what retail they have is the fact that they don't have people shopping at them so the bread and butter part is right because they are reliant on sales tax. She added that i t has always been the lack of actual human beings to do it, whether it's the weather, did they all leave, or whatever it is. She stated that she is pretty serious about the leakage part and asked what they are missing as far as that goes where they would be carving that. She said that she is a little bit cautious about making the retail a big focus because she sees a lot of that coming and going. She added that for example the idea that Councilmember Yates brought forward about a broker and she didn't think about it at the time but are they just going to go out and say, "Here's a stor efront or here's an office" but basically she thought it would be something like that because the last thing she thinks they want to do whether they have the Sign Ordinance and they have everything in place, but they don't have people looking at the signs and they don't have enough people here so how do they get that population. She stated that she wouldn't want to divert necessarily from those four areas. Councilmember Yates commented that with regard to the brokerage idea Councilmember Dickey is absolute ly right but the idea would be not to hyper focus on the retail -- there are industries, tourism and all the things that were up there on the screen. He said that he just ran a report for this meeting and they are almost at 43 cents per every $1.00 going over the hill. He added that even if they take the vehicle industry out of it th ey are at 37 cents per $1.00. He said that for them to be in a capitalistic society where their economy is based on consumption and not to have it listed would be missing out on something. He noted that it is pretty black and white and based on the Town's existing population -- this is just the services that they have right now. Councilmember Dickey asked if it is going to require someone who lives in Scottsdale to come here for something and will it be sustained just by their community (and their community would be bigger if they had more businesses and people living and working here). Councilmember Yates advised that they are all saying the same thing but to Councilmember Di ckey's question, his report is based on the Town's population and not the regional market report which involves movie theatres and big box stores. He noted that when they did the Target here that was a regional draw and they had people from Payson justify the numbers. He said he is talking about the Town's population based on their spending habits and there is a pretty big gap. Mr. Buchanan referred the Council to Page 17 of the report and stated that it does allude to those areas specific to the Downtown Specific Plan and also talks about the revitalization and enhancement of the other areas (Shea Boulevard and Saguaro) and that is retail. He pointed out that it is actually both especially on the Saguaro corridor. Councilmember Yates said that all he is asking for is to have the word retail added to the list. Mayor Kavanagh commented on the Steering Committee noting that Mr. Magazine had talked about and stakeholders. She stated that she thinks they are all talking about the same thing and just using dif ferent language and they can continue discussing how they can put together something like that. She advised that she certainly would be in favor of the SPAC taking on a bigger role in this and she has always been in favor of the community stepping up and doing a lot of work for the Council. She said that she thinks this is something that they could look at. In response to a question from Councilmember Dickey relative to Page 12 under Higher Education, Mr. Buchanan advised that it is an identified "Game Plan" approach that could be refined further and strategy could be developed if the Council wanted to go after higher education. Councilmember Dickey noted that higher education is an identified economic developer driver so if it can fit in there that would be great and she is glad to see it in the report as far as the action steps. She added that she would like to see that get a little action particularly if they go with a Steering Committee or a subcommittee. She noted that there is a lot of interest in this area and a lot going on around them and she would like to be a part of that. z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 10 of 13 Discussion ensued relative to Mr. Buchanan's statement that Lake Havasu has a university concept with Arizona State University; the fact that it is not in Payson yet because it involves working with the Gila Community College District; and the fact that there are a variety of approaches and models that the Council can look at as far as the higher education area; Vice Mayor Leger's comment that as Councilmember Yates has very aggressively advocated to have retail placed on Page 11 in the little box, he has been reading a lot about the Grand Canyon University proposal and a quote that caught his attention was "Economic Development and Education go hand in hand;" the Vice Mayor's statement that he would strongly advocate that the Council add education under the targeted business sectors because he thinks it sends a clear message that the Town is open for business and as they will discuss later on in the meeting, the Grand Canyon University issue is worth looking into whether the Town can qualify or not; Vice Mayor Leger's support for Mr. Magazine's suggestions and his support for moving that process forward, particularly having the Steering Committee residing with the SPAC; and Councilmember Dickey's question as to whether the Council would look into adding economic development staff and Mr. Buchanan's response that they need to focus first on the approach and then look at the staffing and budget and how to get there (not recommending that they put the cart before the horse -- they first have to find out what they want to do and what it will take to get it done and then they can have further discussion). Councilmember Hansen asked if there was some place in the report where it somewhat more specifically addresses the fact that they had a school close and the population is tending to go down a little bit and what they can do about tracking that critical mass that goes hand in hand with attracting businesses as well. Mr. Buchanan advised that it alludes to it but does not give a "Game Plan" -- it is more of a Community Development effort rather than an Economic Development effort. He said ways of bringing people here or keeping people here 12 months out of the year (and getting younger people here) have to be identified and there needs to be a "Game Plan" associated with that. He added that the report identifies it but it doesn't talk about how to address it (or list subjects that they are going to be looking at). Councilmember Hansen stated that this is one of the Town's really big challenges and pointed out that Dunkin Donuts had to close. She said that people would go in and say that the place always seemed to be busy but they obviously were not getting the traffic that they needed. She stressed the importance of not just bringing visitors to Town and bringing residents. Mayor Kavanagh advised that there was discussion about allowing Mr. Buchanan to add some items to the plan. Mr. Buchanan asked if the Council wanted to add some retail language and the Mayor said it sounds to her like they want to add some retail and highlight education. She added that they also want to focus on population and the leakage of the population as part of the overall action plan. She further stated that the Council is in favor of some sort of stakeholder or Steering Committee and they like the idea that the SPAC will be taking the lead on that. Mr. Buchanan stated that staff will bring that back before the Council. AGENDA ITEM #6 - DISCUSSION WITH POSSIBLE DIRECTION TO STAFF RELATING TO ISSUING A POTENTIAL LETTER OF INTENT FROM THE TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS TO GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY TO REQUEST CONSIDERATION AS A POSSIBLE EDUCATIONAL FACILITY SITE. THIS ITEM WAS ADDED AT THE REQUEST OF VICE MAYOR LEGER AND COUNCILMEMBERS BROWN AND DICKEY. Councilmember Dickey said that with the discussion the Council just had about economic development, the pursuit of education has been a thing for years. She noted that Grand Canyon University's intention to grow certainly caught the attention of the Council and the Chamber as well as some other people in Town. She stated that there is a January 7th deadline for municipalities interested in this proposal so this was placed on an agenda so they could weigh in on it in case it became an action item. She advised that prior to the meeting they received the Request for Proposals and they are talking about a larger campus sort of an idea and they felt that on their own they would not be able to respond to z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 11 of 13 that but she doesn't think the deadline thing is an issue any more but it certainly looks like there are some opportunities for some partnerships. She added that she was pretty encouraged that they were looking at it regionally and the cities said that they were not going to fight each other. She commented on the things that the Town has to offer and asked how they incorporate that and try to maintain interest in something like this even if 75 acres is not something that they have right away. Councilmember Dickey stated that not even to say that they are not looking for someone to give them 75 acres because Mayor Smith of Mesa made a point of saying that Mesa has been able to attract universities/colleges there without providing all kinds of incentives. She added that they believe in their community and although they know they have their challenges they also know that Fountain Hills is very unique and a very beautiful, safe community and that is why so many people have been here for years and decided to spend their lives here. She said that she is glad that they had the opportunity to bring this up and in further looking into it she doesn't know that they can actually respond but she would sure like to be a part of following the process and see who does go for it and whether it is someone that the Town could partner with (they do have the school and the School Board that is willing to talk and a lot of partners and so many things that they probably could offer). There were no citizens wishing to speak on this agenda item. Councilmember Yates stated that the RFP kind of opens the door and lets them know that there are schools looking. He noted that the article in the newspaper mentioned branch campus or satellite campus so there really is an opportunity for them to put something together. He added that it might not be to bid on this package but if they are asking he thinks they should put something together on a smaller basis. He said that just because someone is not looking to buy a new car doesn't mean that if someone gave them the right deal they might not buy it so there is an opportunity and they should take the lead and put something together and get out in front of them. He added that if it doesn't work with this university there are plenty of others that are looking. Vice Mayor Leger said that in looking at the RFP and the scope, the scope is kind of beyond a project they want to move on but he would agree that they should reach out to Grand Canyon University and let them know that Fountain Hills is interested. He added that they don't know how this is going to evolve and during the conversation, particularly if things become regional, there may be an opportunity, a smaller opportunity that they can jump on board with. He stated that by being in the game, not necessarily doing a formal RFP, they can put their name out there and he thinks that is a positive thing. He said that in the past Councilmember Dickey has used the terminology niche market and there are a niche set of classes that make sense for the Town. He added that he agrees with Councilmembers Yates and Dickey that they should reach out and let it be known that Fountain Hills is interested. He reiterated that perhaps they won't be engaging in this RFP but they can tell them that the Town is interested in following this and would like them to keep the Town in the loop and if any smaller scale opportunities arise, the Town would like to talk to them about them. Councilmember Brown concurred with the previous speakers and stated that they should at least test the water and let them and other universities know that the Town is interested and if they are looking around the Town has some good retail space that could be converted into a small campus for a small organization. He noted that they have tons of places in Town that could accommodate that and he too feels that that would be a good gesture so they should put something together and ship it off to them. Councilmember Dickey advised that she looked at a website today that someone in the School District told her about -- it is like a center for college readiness for high school students and it may even extend to eighth graders. She said that it is just another opportunity to offer something or to bring up something that nobody has heard of because she had never heard of that but it does meet a need. Mayor Kavanagh thanked Councilmember Dickey for all of the work that she has done on this and other things over the years relative to bringing an educational facility to Fountain Hills. She agreed that this is a great idea and would like to see something put together so that they can start sending it out. She z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 12 of 13 noted that because of the fact that Grand Canyon University is looking to acquire 75 acres that is not a project that the Town can accommodate but this opens their eyes to recognize that there are small universities out there that are looking for a place. She pointed out that Four Peaks School is empty and perha ps part of this package would be to get together with the School District and discuss the pieces of property that they have and they could be a big part of this as well. She added that they have facilities and they do have some land so again she would lik e to see something put together and sent out not only to Grand Canyon University but to any other universities or small private schools and stressed the importance of getting the word out about Fountain Hills and all that it has to offer. In response to a request for direction from Mr. Buchanan relative to Grand Canyon University, Councilmember Dickey advised that the Notice of Intent is actually an e-mail to place the Town on a list but it does not bind them to anything. Councilmember Yates commented that Councilmember Dickey is well versed in this and he has some marketing experience and demographic material and he suggested that he and Councilmember Dickey put something together. He added that he thinks they could put something together that is better than just an e-mail -- a list of properties, a list of ideas, a list of assets, etc., along with some demographics to show how close the Town is to the hospital and highlight the other benefits of coming to Fountain Hills. He said that a while ago before the crash he spoke with ASU and their Nursing College loved the idea of coming to Fountain Hills because of the close proximity to Mayor Clinic and Scottsdale Healthcare. He stated that there are lots of niches that they can discuss and so he would like to work on that with Councilmember Dickey. Councilmember Elkie suggested that whatever packet is put together be broad enough to apply to a number of different RFPs and communities that this could apply to. He said that he wouldn't want to task Mr. Buchana n anymore than he has already been tasked but he does think that they as a Council should be really focused on what they are doing and not be scattered. He added that he would rather do two things really well than ten things not so well. He stated that focusing as they have on the development of the Downtown area and the discussions that they are going to have in the future, doing the things they do have control over, is what they should be focusing on as opposed to the nice things that would be great to have because otherwise they just chase their tails. He further stated that from a Town government standpoint, what has happened to businesses in Town is the result of the market. He added that they have also discussed the medical field and he knows that certain doctors are not going to come to Town to practice because there is not a market for that so when the market is there the businesses will come. He emphasized the importance of focusing on the things that they can impact, especially with a limited staff and with an economic development director should they decide to go in that direction again. Mr. Buchanan reminded the Council that their Notice of Intent is due on Monday and Councilmember Dickey reiterated that the Notice only has to consist of an e -mail. She added that if they do not e-mail them then they will not receive any communications regarding the RFP and any associated changes. She added that it will not bind the Town in any way and she will confirm that fact. Mayor Kavanagh said that she doesn't see any problem with sending an e-mail and Mr. Buchanan stated that he thinks that the Council might want to direct Councilmember Dickey to submit a letter (e-mail) of Intent to Grand Canyon University from the Council. Councilmember Dickey advised that she will see what is involved and follow up to make sure there are no negatives in doing so. Councilmember Yates MOVED to direct Councilmember Dickey to send out whatever she determines is appropriate and necessary to Grand Canyon University by the close of business tomorrow and Vice Mayor Leger SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY (7-0). z:\council packets\2013\r130117\130103m.docx Page 13 of 13 AGENDA ITEM #7 – COUNCIL DISCUSSION/DIRECTION TO THE TOWN MANAGER KEN BUCHANAN. Items listed below are related only to the propriety of (i) placing such items on a future agenda for action or (ii) directing staff to conduct further research and report back to the council: A. None. AGENDA ITEM #8 – SUMMARY OF COUNCIL REQUESTS AND REPORT ON RECENT ACTIVITIES BY THE TOWN MANAGER KEN BUCHANAN. None. AGENDA ITEM #9 – ADJOURNMENT. Councilmember Elkie MOVED that the Council adjourn the meeting and Councilmember Yates SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY (7-0). The meeting adjourned at 7:52 p.m. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS By_____________________________ Mayor Linda M. Kavanagh ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: ________________________________ Bevelyn J. Bender, Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular Session held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 3rd day of January 2013. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. Dated this 17th day of January 2013. _____________________________ Bevelyn J. Bender, Town Clerk