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1.
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Call to Order
Mayor Daggett called the meeting of the Flagstaff City Council held February 3, 2023, to order at 8:30 a.m.
NOTICE OF OPTION TO RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION
Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.02, notice is hereby given to the members of the City Council and to the general public that, at this work session, the City Council may vote to go into executive session, which will not be open to the public, for legal advice and discussion with the City’s attorneys for legal advice on any item listed on the following agenda, pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(3).
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2.
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ROLL CALL
| NOTE: One or more Councilmembers may be in attendance telephonically or by other technological means. |
PRESENT:
MAYOR DAGGETT
VICE MAYOR ASLAN (arrived at 8:37 a.m.)
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS
COUNCILMEMBER HOUSE
COUNCILMEMBER MATTHEWS
COUNCILMEMBER MCCARTHY
COUNCILMEMBER SWEET |
ABSENT:
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Others present: City Manager Greg Clifton; City Attorney Sterling Solomon. |
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3.
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Pledge of Allegiance, Mission Statement, and Land Acknowledgement
The Council and audience recited the pledge of allegiance, Councilmember Harris read the Mission Statement of the City of Flagstaff, and Councilmember Matthews read the Land Acknowledgement.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the City of Flagstaff is to protect and enhance the quality of life for all.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Flagstaff City Council humbly acknowledges the ancestral homelands of this area’s Indigenous nations and original stewards. These lands, still inhabited by Native descendants, border mountains sacred to Indigenous peoples. We honor them, their legacies, their traditions, and their continued contributions. We celebrate their past, present, and future generations who will forever know this place as home.
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4.
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City Council Budget Retreat
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Mr. Clifton offered opening remarks and turned things over to the facilitator Katie Wittekind who reviewed the objectives for the day.
Public Works Director Scott Overton provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:
OPERATING CAPITAL REPLACEMENTS/MAINTENANCE
FACILITIES MAINTENANCE
FLEET SERVICES
Councilmember Matthews asked how energy used to charge electric vehicles is forecasted and if there is consideration for those additional costs in the future.
Climate Program Manager Jenny Niemann stated that it is an accounting that is tied into the overall energy costs of a building. They have not been able to track those costs separately because they are plugged in directly to a building. Mr. Overton added that going forward it will be important to figure out how to assess those costs to a vehicle versus a facility.
Council briefly discussed how and where electric vehicles are charged for city-owned vehicles, the availability of equipment, and efforts to obtain electric vehicles for the fleet.
IT Director CJ Perry continued the presentation.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BROADBAND
Council and staff discussed the dynamics of Smart City technology and the benefits of developing and implementing that technology.
FIBER COMING TO FLAGSTAFF
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Ms. Niemann continued the presentation.
CARBON NEUTRALITY
CARBON NEUTRALITY PLAN (CNP)
CARBON NEUTRALITY PLAN (CNP) COMMUNITY INVESTMENT NEEDED
COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE INVESTING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES THROUGH CLIMATE ACTION
STRATEGY
ALL FUNDING SOURCES MUST BE CONSIDERED
MOVING THE NEEDLE
CARBON NEUTRALITY
TRANSPORTATION
BUILDING ENERGY
NEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENCE AND EQUITY
REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Vice Mayor Aslan asked if the Carbon Neutrality Plan had any impact on grant applications and consideration. Grants, Contracts, and Emergency Management Director Stacey Brechler-Knaggs stated that the plan has been considered as an element of grant applications.
Councilmember Matthews expressed concern about the lack of adequate electric infrastructure to support the current and future needs. She asked how the public can be assured that their needs will be met with a transition to all electric. Ms. Niemann stated that it would be a good idea to hear from APS directly on their efforts to expand and support the electrical grid.
Councilmember House offered appreciation for the focus on community and neighborhood engagement. She would like to ensure that the messaging of “we’re in this together” does not come across as “you’ve got this” which conveys that they are on their own. Building resiliency and neighborhood equity is a great approach.
A break was held from 10:15 a.m. through 10:30 a.m.
Following the break, Ms. Wittekind led the Council through a relationship and team building exercise. Takeaways from that exercise include the following:
- Authenticity is the currency of the future.
- Encouraged and feeling hopeful about the future.
- Gratitude and optimism.
- It is okay to be human and make mistakes.
- Be open minded.
- There are different perspectives and different backgrounds but they are able to work together and be human with each other.
- We are a team and we all have the best interest of the community in mind.
- Building trust and building relationships that are based on trust and respect.
A break was held from 11:25 a.m. through 11:49 a.m.
Fire Chief Mark Gaillard continued the presentation.
RESOURCE NEEDS
CARE UNIT FUNDING
Mr. Clifton spoke about the possibility of reallocating the $2.4 million set aside for a standalone facility toward providing service within the community. He suggested reallocating the funds to the Fire Station #2 in Sunnyside. The building is not in a good state of repair and it is not very salvageable from a sustainability perspective. The property is ideal to provide a community service as it is next to a park and easily accessed by the neighborhood. There is a thought to bring in some kind of STEM education into the facility. There is a movement to repurpose city buildings to meet city and community needs. This concept is on its way and there will be more discussion to come. The reallocation of the $2.4 million could likely accomplish the restoration. It is something for Council to consider and there will be more discussion as the plan evolves.
Public Works Director Scott Overton provided a brief overview of the history of the building and showed a rendering of a concept plan for the restoration of the facility.
Councilmember House offered a suggestion to partner with an un-utilized retail space for the purpose of a dedicated CARE space. She is excited by the proposal but she does not want to step away from the potential expansion of the CARE Unit program.
Mayor Daggett noted that she was not a big supporter of a stand alone CARE facility because there are non-profit partners to help with that. She expressed support of putting a STEM facility in Sunnyside.
Vice Mayor Aslan stated that he supports the STEM facility so long as there are continued discussions with non-profits and partners about ways to expand the CARE service and function.
Councilmember Matthews offered that she thinks it would be a great investment for that neighborhood. However, she does not want to take away from the needs of the CARE Unit.
Councilmember McCarthy stated that he would like to have a discussion about the overall use of the repurposed facility and if it would be open for other uses.
Councilmember Sweet stated that she is supportive of the community facility and that it is a way to bring in something beneficial for the neighborhood. She also looks forward to further conversation about how to expand the CARE Unit.
Mr. Clifton assured Council that the CARE program is on a good journey and they are not at the end of the road in building the program up further.
Zoning Code Manager Tiffany Antol, City Engineer Paul Mood, and Chief Gaillard continued the presentation.
NAH DEVELOPMENT
Council discussed the concerns of the Fire Department such as overall equipment needs, station locations, service area expansion, and building height. The current Station on Lake Mary Road is good in terms of location but insufficient due to the inability to house a ladder truck; it is an issue of needing a place to store that specific equipment. There has been discussion about a new Station 7 along John Wesley Powell. There was further discussion regarding the use of the existing fire station, staffing, possible sites for a new station, and possible grant funding.
Management Services Director Rick Tadder continued the presentation.
SERVICE PARTNER CONTRACTS
SERVICE PARTNERS BUDGET
Mr. Clifton indicated that he would advocate for the long term arrangement with High Country Humane. There is a lot of staff time involved with negotiating terms on a year by year basis. Police Chief Dan Musselman added that a longer contract benefits High Country Humane as well because they have secure and dedicated funding to help with grants and capital projects.
A majority of Council agreed to move forward with the longer term agreement. They also requested regular updates from other service partners throughout the year.
COUNCIL FORUM / BUDGET EXPECTATIONS
The following items were identified as takeaways and need for follow-up:
- Noresco Phase II
- Building security
- Asset management tool
- Investing in employees
- Snow operation discussion
- High Country Human contract extension
- Flagstaff Shelter Services update and ongoing needs
- Ongoing dialogue regarding Northern Arizona Healthcare
- Pilot bike lane program discussion
- Community involvement
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5.
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Public Participation |
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Adam Shimoni addressed Council speaking in support of additional funding for the CARE Unit. He also spoke about wanting to see the pilot bike program expanded to include a protected intersection at Butler and Beaver or Butler and San Francisco.
Michele James with Friends of Flagstaff’s Future addressed Council speaking in support of additional funding for the implementation of the Carbon Neutrality Plan and additional funding for the Sustainability Division. She also spoke in support of the recommendations provided to Council in a recent letter from the Transportation Commission. |
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6.
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Adjournment
The Budget Retreat of the Flagstaff City Council held February 2, 2023, adjourned at 1:53 p.m. |