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D R A F T REGULAR MEETING OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL MIRAGE EL MIRAGE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 10000 N. EL MIRAGE ROAD 6:00 PM -TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2020 Minutes 1. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Alexis Hermosillo; Vice Mayor Roy Delgado (via phone); Councilmember Monica Dorcey; Councilmember Anita Norton; Councilmember Lynn Selby (via phone); Councilmember David Shapera; Councilmember Donna Winston 2. CALL TO ORDER - The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM. Pledge of Allegiance Moment of Silence 3. PRESENTATION 1. Seeking direction from Council on a proposed shared staffing Battalion Chief Emergency Response Vehicle pilot program. (Fire) Fire Chief Chris DeChant gave a presentation requesting direction from Council to move forward with a pilot program in an effort to improve emergency care and response capability. Chief DeChant identified the Automatic Aid Consortium standard for Battalion Chief Emergency Response Vehicles (BC) as constant staffing of one Battalion Chief and one Battalion Safety Officer (BSO) on each vehicle. Chief stated that due to budgetary constraints, the El Mirage Fire Department was unable to staff a BSO for vehicle BC121. The Arizona Fire and Medical Authority (AFMA) have both BC and BSO positions budgeted to allow constant staffing of its BC101 vehicle. Each AFMA BC is assigned major programs in addition to their emergency responder duties. A partnership between both agencies would provide increased operational capacity for the City of El Mirage (COEM) Fire Department and increased administrative capacity for AFMA. The pilot program would staff one BC emergency response vehicle (BC121) and one District Chief emergency response vehicle (DC101) with existing staff 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week. No additional expense will be incurred with the addition of the AFMA Captain who can be accommodated at Fire Station 121, and no additional expense with staffing for AFMA. The pilot program would commence February 1, 2020, for a six-month period, with the option for two one-year extensions if approved by both governing bodies. The program will be evaluated monthly with a summary provided at the end of the six-month pilot program. The proposed Intergovernmental Agreement for this program to move forward is required to be approved by both government bodies. Mayor Hermosillo summarized that the request was direction from Council for the Fire Department to move forward in presenting an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) to City Council for this pilot program. There was considerable discussion that followed relating to the pros and cons of whether this pilot program was all-encompassing relative to future needs of the COEM Fire Department or merely a short-term solution to a staffing challenge. Councilmembers Shapera, Dorcey, Selby, and Winston stated their belief that a professional independent study of the Fire Department was necessary to identify the overall long-term needs (3 - 7 years) of the department. Councilmember Norton pointed out that this staffing concern was presented at last year's budget meeting but not funded while this pilot program is at no cost in the short term. Vice Mayor Delgado was also in favor of moving forward with the pilot program and reviewing the monthly tracking. All agreed, after the discussion, that the six-month pilot program with possible two additional one-year terms at no cost to the City would be a good start while at the same time conducting the independent study to ascertain long term department needs. Chief DeChant noted that because of timing deadlines, he submitted personnel requests in the upcoming budget discussions, however, would not need them if this pilot program is approved. City Manager Dyches clarified Council's direction for two future agenda items to be presented at Council; 1) Intergovernmental Agreement for the pilot program, and 2) a proposed Request for Proposal (RFP) for an independent professional study to encompass the needs of the City's Fire Department. Mayor Hermosillo acknowledged Council's agreement to the requests. 4. CALL TO THE PUBLIC Resident Peggy Lund voiced her continued concern regarding speeding along Acoma between Dysart Road and Grand Avenue stating the test speed strips are failing in that drivers are entering the bike lanes to avoid them. Secondly, she stated that the fireworks in El Mirage have gotten out of hand; they are dangerous and causing a major disturbance. Councilmember Shapera identified the City's code banning the use of fireworks and the subsequent state law change that allows fireworks at specific times of the year and supersedes any City codes; he stated he would follow up with the Police Department to determine best practices. Resident Lupe Cisneros expressed his gratitude to the El Mirage and Surprise Fire Departments for their quick response to a vehicle head-on collision involving his wife and granddaughter on December 14, 2019. Their actions saved his loved ones lives and he wanted to publicly acknowledge their skill and professionalism. Photos of the firefighters and Mr. Cisneros were then taken. 5. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Consideration and action to approve minutes of the Work Session and Regular Council meeting held December 3, 2019. (City Clerk) 2. Consideration and action to accept a deed from Maricopa County Treasurer's Office for parcel 501-33-977, located within the Lower El Mirage Wash between Dysart Road and the BNSF Railroad Line, and pay an offer of $100 pursuant to A.R.S. §42-18303(E) to the Maricopa County Treasurer if the offer is accepted by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors at their January 15, 2020 Board meeting. (Administration) 3. Consideration and action to approve the destruction of Personnel Records that have reached the end of their retention period as authorized under ARS §41-151.19. (Human Resources) 4. Consideration and action to approve the destruction of municipal documents that have reached the end of their retention period as authorized under A.R.S. §41-151.19. (Police Department) 5. Consideration and action to approve a contract with Builders Guild Inc. for construction services required to complete the capital improvement project Senior Center Remodel Phase 2 in an amount not to exceed $35,000. (Public Works) 6. Consideration and action to request and accept funds, if awarded, for a FY2020 Public Awareness Grant from the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority in an approximate amount of $2,500 to support the El Mirage Police Department's purchase of VIN etching equipment and marketing materials and authorize Finance to make necessary budget transfers. (Grants/Police) 7. Consideration and action to authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement to expand services with Automated Data Processing (ADP) in an amount not to exceed $30,000. (Finance) 2 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes January 7, 2020 Vice Mayor Delgado moved to approve consent agenda items 1 through 7 as presented; seconded by Councilmember Shapera. Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously 6. REGULAR AGENDA 1. Consideration and action to authorize the City Manager to amend the Professional Services Contract with Michael Baker International to expedite the Zoning Code Update of the Rural Area (Dysart Ranchettes) in an amount not to exceed $12,000. (Community Development) Community Development Planner/GIS Jose Macias reported Council authorized the City Manager to execute a professional services contract with Michael Baker International (MBI), a zoning consultant, on September 5, 2019, to perform an assessment of the El Mirage Zoning Code. MBI is scheduled to complete this task by June 30, 2020. Due to the unique agricultural activities of the large acre lots in the Dysart Ranchettes Rural Area (RA) zoning district, enforcing zoning codes meant for standard size residential lots have become an issue. Expediting the assessment and zoning code update for this RA district would alleviate zoning code conflicts allowing continued agricultural use and preserving the unique character of the large rural lots. Councilmember Shapera asked what issues warranted the urgency to spend $12,000 more when this was supposed to be completed with the original agreement with MBI. Mr. Macias answered issues related to screening of RVs, storage of materials, and parking in City right-of-ways in non-paved areas were some of the recent concerns with enforcement. City Manager Dyches stated that, under her direction, Code Enforcement was to be proactive in enforcing City codes which has resulted in Ranchettes residents contacting Councilmembers, and in particular Councilmember Norton, because the codes often do not specifically apply to the larger lots in the Ranchettes. She further explained that the current contract with MBI is step one in the zoning code review process which will assess all areas of the Zoning Code and is meant to be completed by the end of this current fiscal year. Step two in the process involves holding public meetings and MBI proposing specific revisions of the zoning codes which would take place next fiscal year; phase two which will be addressed in the upcoming budget session. The request before Council at this meeting is to move forward now, because of the volume of issues, with the second phase of recommending code revisions specifically related to the Ranchettes rather than waiting for the overall phase two of recommendations from MBI. Councilmember Norton stated the Dysart Ranchettes is an entirely different development from residential developments in the City and the general plan recognized the need for City code changes to be able to enforce its codes effectively. Councilmembers Winston and Dorcey respectively asked about specific code issues and if other large lots would be affected by this change. Mr. Macias responded that specific issues included storage units, RV placement, and vehicle parking to name a few. He also advised that any code revisions with this request would not affect any other area of the City. Vice Mayor Delgado identified complaints he has received from his neighbors about the lack of livestock clean-up within the Ranchettes leading to bad odors, swine being raised, issues with RVs, speeding, and placement of storage containers, and he stated he believes expediting the Dysart Ranchettes zoning code revisions should move forward. Councilmember Shapera stated that although he doesn't like the piecemeal management of the zoning code assessment and revisions, he will support the plan to move forward. Mayor Hermosillo stated that because of the circumstances, she would favor addressing the Ranchettes now and continue with the process for the remainder of the City. Councilmember Norton moved to approve consideration and action to authorize the City Manager to amend the Professional Services Contract with Michael Baker International to expedite the Zoning Code update of the Rural Area (Dysart Ranchettes) in an amount not to exceed $12,000; seconded by Councilmember Shapera. 3 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes January 7, 2020 Vote: 7 - 0 Passed - Unanimously 7. CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS & SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS The City Council may not act upon any matter in the City Manager's summary but may have general comment or questions. City Manager Dyches stated pursuant to City Code §30.23(A) she is reporting that she approved a professional service agreement with consultant Registered Surveying, Inc., prior to the holidays in an amount not to exceed $9,765. The scope of this contract is to provide surveying services for CDBG's Alto and Palm streets water main replacement, recently approved by the Maricopa County Human Services Department. City staff will prepare the design in-house but the easement area needs to be surveyed first. This agreement has been approved prior to bringing it to City Council due to the urgency of this work and the schedule provided to the County. 8. MAYOR'S COMMENTS and COUNCIL SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS The Mayor and City Council may not discuss or act upon any matter in the summary unless the specific matter is properly noticed for legal action. Councilmember Dorcey expressed her gratitude to the Fire Department for putting together the Christmas toy drive. Councilmember Norton stated she had participated with the Fire Department's toy drive Christmas shopping at the local Walmart and recognized Sue Delgado for her assistance, and expressed her gratitude to all the sponsors. It was great to give back to the families and children of El Mirage. Councilmember Winston wished everyone a happy new year and expressed her gratitude to City staff for the holiday parade at the December Special Event; everyone had so much fun and it was enjoyed by all. Mayor Hermosillo expressed her gratitude to City Staff and all involved with the holiday parade stating it was an amazing evening and the feedback from the Community has been one of great appreciation. Vice Mayor Delgado congratulated everyone who worked on the holiday parade and recognized Jeffrey Anderson and Amber Wakeman for their efforts and hoped this would continue in the future. Councilmember Selby stated the holiday parade was a job well done. Councilmember Winston congratulated the Mayor for her Woman of the Year recognition through Emerge Arizona; stating it's a huge award and was well deserved. Mayor Hermosillo recognized City staff for the accomplishments that led to her recognition as Woman of the Year and wished everyone a happy new year. 9. ADJOURNMENT - The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 PM. ____________________________ Alexis A. Hermosillo, Mayor ATTEST: ______________________________ Sharon Antes, City Clerk 4 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes January 7, 2020 I hereby certify the aforementioned minutes are a true and accurate record of the Regular El Mirage City Council Meeting held on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, and a quorum was present. _____________________________ Sharon Antes, City Clerk 5 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes January 7, 2020