Attachment A - March 24, 2021 Workforce and Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting Minutes

Phoenix City Council 
Workforce and Economic Development Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
Wednesday, Mar. 24, 2021 
City Council Chambers 
200 W. Jefferson St. 
Phoenix, Ariz. 
Subcommittee Members Present                    Subcommittee Members Absent 
Councilwoman Laura Pastor, Chair 
       Councilman Michael Nowakowski 
Councilwoman Debra Stark 
Councilman Jim Waring 
 
CALL TO ORDER 
Chairwoman Pastor called the Workforce and Economic Development Subcommittee to 
order at 10:02 a.m. with Councilwoman Stark and Councilman Waring present.  
CALL TO THE PUBLIC 
None. 
MINUTES OF MEETINGS 
1. Minutes of the Workforce and Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting 
Councilwoman Stark made a motion to approve the minutes of the Feb. 24, 2021 
Workforce and Economic Development Subcommittee. Councilman Waring seconded 
the motion which passed unanimously, 3-0. 
CONSENT ACTION (ITEMS 2-3) 
Items 2-3 were for consent action. No presentations were planned but staff was 
available to answer questions.  
2. Three-Year Membership with Arizona Israel Technology Alliance 
Councilwoman Stark made a motion to approve consent Item 2. Councilman Waring 
seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 3-0. 
3. Gateway Community College Phoenix Forge Makerspace Parking Agreement 
Chairwoman Pastor declared a conflict of interest on Item 3.  
 
Councilwoman Stark made a motion to approve consent Item 3. Councilman Waring 
seconded the motion which passed 2-0, with one abstaining.

INFORMATION ONLY (ITEM 4) 
4. Key Phoenix Economic Indicators Quarterly Report 
Information only. No Councilmember requested additional information. 
 
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEM 5) 
5. Downtown Shared Electric Scooter Pilot Program Extension 
Street Transportation Director Kini Knudson introduced Assistant Street Transportation 
Director Briiana Velez to present on the item. Mr. Knudson mentioned that the extension 
had been approved by the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation subcommittee 
on Mar. 3 and the City Council on Mar. 17.  
 
Mr. Knudson began by providing an overview of the initial electric scooter (e-scooter) 
pilot program that launched in September 2019, as well as the six-month extension that 
had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He discussed the parameters of the 
program, which included program boundary limits, no-ride zones, designated parking 
locations, and the prohibition of sidewalk riding in Downtown Phoenix.  
 
Ms. Velez shared an update on the pilot program extension, Phase 2, which had been 
approved by City Council and resumed on Oct. 1, 2020. She stated that permits were 
issued to two vendors for the six-month extension, Razor and Spin. She explained that 
the piloted fleet had been limited to 300 scooters for Razor and 900 scooters for Spin, 
but the companies averaged 150 and 170 scooters, respectively.  
 
Ms. Velez discussed ridership for Phase 2 of the pilot, which included more than 22,300 
total trips, 1,175 trips per week, 170 trips per day and an average trip length of 15 
minutes. She explained the vendor impound requirements had been rescinded in 
January 2020 and 122 total scooters had been relocated during Phase 2 by the City’s 
scooter retrieval contractor, Sweep.  
 
Ms. Velez stated the proposed fees were intended to be cost-neutral for the City and 
provided an overview of the revenue collected through application and permit fees, trip 
surcharge fees, violation charges, infrastructure costs, and administration costs. She 
noted the total program revenue of $78,288 did not recover the costs of the program, 
which totaled $142,203. 
 
Ms. Velez provided an overview of the outreach and customer requests, which had 
been received through a dedicated email account, phone number and webpage. She 
explained that 30 emails and phone calls had been received, with the most frequent 
comments referencing improper scooter parking, abandoned scooters, and sidewalk 
riding.  
 
Ms. Velez shared observations and challenges from the pilot program, including proven 
demand for shared micro-mobility, quick adaptation to parking requirements, challenges

with GPS tolerance and limits, staff time and cost, and unexpected pauses with the e-
scooter companies.  
 
Ms. Velez presented conclusions from the pilot program, which found that 
administration of the program was effective, with encouraging ridership numbers and 
favorable public feedback overall.  
 
Ms. Velez discussed potential program refinements for the extension, including a 12-
month permit extension for vendors, an ordinance amendment, and potential fee 
increases scheduled for a vote by the City Council on Apr. 21.  
 
Ms. Velez shared next steps for the e-scooter pilot program, including continued 
administration of the program, publishing the survey and summary report, extending the 
pilot program and evaluating comprehensive micro-mobility. She also mentioned that 
the 12-month extension of the pilot would not include changes to program 
administration or boundaries.  
 
Mr. Knudson added that additional discussion with the scooter retrieval company and 
refinements to ensure the cost neutrality of the program pushed the presentation of the 
proposed fee changes from the Apr. 7 Formal Meeting to the Apr. 21 meeting.   
 
Councilwoman Stark asked about the most common violations and whether users 
should travel with the flow of traffic or against it. She recalled seeing an individual riding 
against traffic as she was arriving in Downtown Phoenix, and asked how traffic 
violations were monitored.  
 
Ms. Velez stated the most common rider violations were improper scooter parking, 
abandoned scooters, and sidewalk riding. She explained that riders were required to 
ride in the same direction as traffic and abide by traffic laws. She added that Police had 
the ability to cite individuals for disobeying traffic laws, but that Street Transportation 
staff would also be working with vendors to take advantage of additional opportunities to 
educate users.  
 
Councilwoman Stark stated she had planned to make that recommendation and 
expressed her appreciation for staff’s efforts. 
 
Chairwoman Pastor asked if there were plans to reincorporate bikeshare into the 
Downtown Phoenix micromobility plan. She emphasized the health and wellness 
benefits of offering bikeshare as a mode of transportation and leisure.  
 
Ms. Velez stated Downtown Phoenix residents and visitors expressed interest in bikes 
and new electric bikes. She explained staff had begun actively researching options to 
reintroduce regional bikeshare or a similar program in collaboration with surrounding 
cities and vendors.

CALL TO THE PUBLIC  
None. 
 
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
Councilwoman Stark requested a discussion on vacant commercial property and 
opportunities for repurposing. She noted an increase in empty commercial storefronts in 
her district as more people recently turned to online shopping.  
 
Chairwoman Pastor agreed with Councilwoman Stark and requested an update on the 
Downtown Phoenix Residential and Commercial Absorption study, including a 
discussion on Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) and the related court 
ruling. 
 
Chairwoman Pastor asked about returning to the Phoenix City Hall Assembly Rooms for 
future subcommittee meetings.  
 
Assistant to the City Council Matthew Heil stated he would follow up with the 
Chairwoman regarding the in-person meeting format.  
 
ADJOURNMENT 
Chairwoman Pastor adjourned the meeting at 10:25 a.m. 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Adeoffer-Marie Rabusa 
Management Intern