Attachment A - Draft 11.2.22 CCI Minutes

Phoenix City Council 
Community and Cultural Investment (CCI) Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022 
City Council Chambers 
200 W. Jefferson St. 
Phoenix, Ariz. 
Subcommittee Members Present     
 Subcommittee Members Absent 
Councilwoman Betty Guardado, Chair 
Councilwoman Debra Stark 
Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari 
Councilmember Carlos Garcia 
CALL TO ORDER 
Chairwoman Guardado called the Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee to 
order at 10:03 a.m. with Councilwoman Debra Stark, Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari, 
and Councilmember Carlos Garcia present.  
CALL TO THE PUBLIC 
Dominic Petsch spoke in support of public health and equity. 
MINUTES OF MEETINGS 
1. Minutes of the Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee Meeting
Councilwoman Stark made a motion to approve the minutes of the Oct. 5, 2022
Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee meeting. Councilwoman Ansari
seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0.
CONSENT ACTION (ITEMS 2-5) 
Items 2-5 were for consent action. No presentations were planned, but staff were 
available to answer questions. 
2. HOME-ARP Allocation Plan 2020-24 Consolidated Plan’s 2021-22 Annual Action
Plan Substantial Amendment
3. Phoenix Public Library’s Annual Application for Arizona State Library’s State
Grants-In-Aid Funds
4. First Things First Grant Funding
5. Head Start Birth to Five Background Screening Policy
Councilwoman Ansari made a motion to approve Items 2-5. Councilwoman Stark 
seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0. 
Attachment A

INFORMATION ONLY (ITEMS 6-8)  
Items 6-8 were for information only. No Councilmember requested additional 
information.  
 
6. Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report – September 2022  
 
7. Phoenix Great Start Program 
 
8. Update on Colorado River Shortage Town Hall Meetings  
 
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEMS 9-11)  
9. Abandoned Shopping Cart Retrieval Program Update 
Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) Director Spencer Self provided an update on 
the NSD Abandoned Shopping Cart Retrieval Program which responds to community 
complaints regarding carts abandoned on sidewalks, along rights-of-way and in alleys.  
 
Councilwoman Ansari asked why there were significant increases in abandoned 
shopping carts over the last two years. 
 
Mr. Self replied the increase in abandoned shopping carts could be attributed to more 
carts getting reported through the myPHX311 program.  
 
Councilwoman Ansari referenced shopping cart wheels that lock when they leave the 
premises and asked if this technology was considered for larger corporations.  
 
Mr. Self responded the wheel locking technology was one of the most effective tools, 
but it was costly to implement. He noted the best time to implement this technology was 
for new stores and the City was working with growing retailers to increase awareness.  
 
Councilwoman Ansari commented on increasing penalty fees and asked how the City 
was holding companies accountable for lost carts.  
 
Mr. Self explained the history of the program, noting the fee had doubled since 2017 
and an increased fee was something staff could investigate.  
 
Councilwoman Ansari asked if increasing the penalty fee would make a difference. 
 
Mr. Self responded increasing the penalty might help and suggested connecting with 
retailers to speak about the issue. He acknowledged many partners would reference 
larger societal issues.  
 
Councilwoman Ansari agreed there were larger societal challenges but expressed 
support for increasing the penalty cost to keep companies accountable for reducing 
blight in the community.

Councilwoman Stark expressed support for increasing the penalty charge.   
 
Councilwoman Guardado expressed support for increasing the penalty charge and 
advocated for more accountability in contracts so shopping carts get retrieved within 24 
hours.  
 
10. Homelessness Plan Update  
Deputy City Manager Gina Montes, Housing Director Titus Mathew and Deputy Human 
Services Director Rachel Milne gave a presentation on the Office of Homeless Solutions 
programs and projects to address homelessness including staffing, shelter projects, 
outreach and resources, and mental health services.  
 
Councilwoman Stark spoke about other organizations conducting outreach in the 
community and asked what relationships the City had with them.  
 
Ms. Milne responded the City worked with different organizations through the regional 
Continuum of Care which has a committee dedicated to outreach.  
 
Councilwoman Stark expressed support for communicating with the public on the City’s 
partnerships with various organizations. 
 
Ms. Milne and Mr. Mathew continued the presentation with a discussion on workforce 
development, affordable housing and the focus areas for 2023.  
 
Councilwoman Stark asked what discussions the state legislature was having regarding 
affordable housing.   
 
Deputy City Manager Alan Stephenson replied with an overview of housing affordability 
at the legislative level, noting a focus on increasing housing overall, not just affordable 
housing. 
 
Councilwoman Stark requested a bullet point be added under the 2023 focus slide to 
ensure awareness about anything that might come out of the legislature.  
 
Mr. Stephenson agreed with Councilwoman Stark.  
 
Councilwoman Ansari asked about Office of Homeless Solutions new positions and 
requested an update on the Homeless Liaison position. 
 
Ms. Milne replied offers were extended to all three Homeless Liaison positions, which 
each focus on designated areas of the City.   
 
Councilwoman Ansari asked if the Homeless Liaisons would attend community 
meetings and work with community members like Neighborhood Specialists do.

Ms. Milne responded Councilwoman Ansari was correct.  
 
Councilwoman Ansari asked how staff planned to better communicate with the public 
what the City was doing to address homelessness.  
 
Ms. Milne replied staff would be working with a dedicated Public Information Officer to 
execute a communication plan over the next year.  
 
Ms. Montes discussed utilizing social media, the City Manager’s Performance 
Dashboard and website to enhance outreach efforts. 
 
Councilwoman Ansari expressed support for leveraging social media, commented on 
metrics and asked for clarification on United States Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD) funding.  
 
Mr. Mathew confirmed the HUD funding was new and a procurement process would 
need to take place for allocation.  
 
Councilwoman Guardado asked for more information on Office of Homeless Solutions 
staffing.  
 
Ms. Milne gave an overview of filled positions, pending offers and discussed vacant 
positions such as two Community Program Coordinators and one Project Management 
Assistant. 
 
Councilwoman Guardado discussed strategies for more quickly filling open positions.  
 
Councilmember Garcia asked what funding sources looked like moving forward, 
expressed support for using stories as a measure of work and asked for clarification on 
housing vouchers.   
 
Mr. Mathew responded with an overview of the streamlined voucher process and noted 
participants had six months to search for a rental unit with extensions available if 
needed.  
 
Councilmember Garcia emphasized the need to consider unsheltered individuals in 
decisions moving forward.  
 
Councilwoman Guardado asked for more information in the future regarding what areas 
the Homeless Liaisons would be responsible for.   
 
11. The Haven Update  
Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) Director Spencer Self, Central Arizona 
Shelter Services (CASS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lisa Glow and NSD Grants 
Administrator Jessica Gonzalez gave an update on the CARES Act Community

Development Block Grant-funded The Haven shelter facility project which was a 
previous hotel intended to serve clients experiencing homelessness over the age of 55.  
 
Councilwoman Stark expressed congratulations to staff for the project.  
 
Councilwoman Guardado asked about continued price escalations.  
 
Mr. Self responded recent bids came in over budget which has encouraged staff to be 
strategic about the minimum required design requirements needed to get the number of 
beds initially planned. 
 
Councilwoman Guardado asked if CASS would be able to stay on the project timeline.   
 
Ms. Glow replied CASS could meet the timeline with the reduced scope.    
 
Councilwoman Guardado expressed concerns about funding and asked where funding 
would come from external to the City.  
 
Ms. Glow responded one-third of the operating dollars would be private, one-third would 
come from government and one-third from Medicaid and hospital support. She also 
noted some funding would come from other cities who want to support the shelter.  
 
Councilwoman Guardado expressed concern about costs to operate the facility. 
  
Ms. Glow replied CASS had an operation plan and team trained in working with seniors. 
She also asked if the City would consider providing more support if needed. 
 
Councilwoman Guardado encouraged CASS to work on a plan that includes other 
funding sources. 
 
CALL TO THE PUBLIC  
None. 
 
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
None. 
 
ADJOURNMENT 
Chairwoman Guardado adjourned the meeting at 11:21 a.m. 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Danielle Vermeer  
Management Intern