DRAFT Minutes - May 20, 2025
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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, MAY 20, 2025 Minutes 1. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Alexis Hermosillo; Vice Mayor Jacquelyn Parsons; Councilmember Monica Dorcey; Councilmember Ryan Eldridge; Councilmember Scottie Gentry; Councilmember Anita Norton (via phone); Councilmember Donna Winston 2. CALL TO ORDER - Meeting called to order at 6:00 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance Moment of Silence Introduction of new City employees Dawn Kurek, Human Resources Director, gave a brief background and introduced Michael Iorizzo, Program Specialist Senior. Sean Von Roenn, Parks and Recreation Director, gave a brief background and introduced Jahaziel Ramirez, Maintenance Technician, and James Roberts, Maintenance Technician/Park Range. Chief Michael Long, Fire Chief, gave a brief background and introduced Tyler Cleveland and Cody Garrison, Firefighter. 3. PRESENTATION 1. El Mirage Library Book Worm Art Project Councilmember Donna Winston gave a presentation on the El Mirage Library Book Worm Art Project. She stated the Book Worm Rock Art Project was created to engage the summer youth community to create a piece of rock art to be installed in the library's landscaping to help inspire readers. She stated the program is to encourage excitement for children reading over the summer and those participating will have the opportunity to decorate a rock with the name of the book they have read to create the Worm Rock Art Project. She stated the library will have materials available beginning June 7, 2025, and the child will have the choice of putting the rock at the library or the YMCA. 4. CALL TO THE PUBLIC Citizens desiring to speak on any issue within the jurisdiction of the public body may do so at this time. Comments shall be limited to three (3) minutes per person and shall be addressed to the City Council as a whole. At the conclusion of the Call to the Public, individual City Council Members may (1) respond to criticism made by those who have spoken, (2) direct staff to review or follow up on the matter, and/or (3) direct that the matter be put on a future agenda. Thomas George, resident, stated his house burned down on May 10, 2025. He thanked Councilmembers Eldridge and Parsons for coming out and visiting and appreciated their support at the time this was happening. He stated he appreciated the support from the community for reaching out and helping him. He also thanked Ricardo Rodriguez for reaching out and helping him and spreading the word of what was going on with him. Cheryl Lo Galbo, resident, encouraged councilmembers to reconsider the policy on on-street parking in residential neighborhoods. She stated that, in her experience, it created unsafe neighborhoods with children and sometimes pets who may dart out into the street from in between parked cars. She stated she looked forward to code enforcement sending postcards alerting everyone to park in their garages, carports, or driveways. 5. CONSENT AGENDA All items listed under the Consent Agenda will be voted on with one motion. If discussion is desired regarding any Consent Agenda Item, that item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and voted on separately. 1. Consideration and action to approve the minutes of the Regular Council meeting held Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (City Clerk) 2. Consideration and action to approve Resolution R25-05-08, authorizing the Adoption of the City of El Mirage Council Strategic Priorities. (Administration) At Councilmember Gentry's request, this item was pulled from Consent for consideration and action on the Regular Council Agenda as 6.1.a. Mayor Hermosillo moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Parsons. Motion carried. (5/2) NAYS - Councilmember Gentry and Councilmember Norton. 3. Consideration and action to extend the agreement with Maricopa County Human Services Department for fiscal year 2025/26 in an amount not to exceed $30,000. (Administration) 4. Consideration and action to approve authorization for the Finance Department to make budget adjustments for FY 2025-2026 to adjust the budgeted amounts of FY 2024-2025 carry-forward: projects involving grant funding, any capital projects, and any special projects. (Finance) 5. Consideration and action to authorize the Finance Department to make transfers as necessary for FY 2024-2025 to adjust fund and department balances to comply with state law. (Finance) 6. Consideration and action to authorize the City Manager to enter into a multi-year contract with ClearGov Inc. for budget software and approve the purchase in an amount not to exceed $41,534 for fiscal year 2026. (Administration) 2 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes May 20, 2025 7. Consideration and action to approve an updated Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) funding policy for Police and Fire for FY 2026. (Finance) 8. Consideration and action to approve Resolution R25-05-09 designating Robert Weddigen as the City of El Mirage Chief Fiscal Officer for FY 2025 as required by Arizona Revised Statutes §41-1279.07(E). (Finance) 9. Consideration and action to approve an amendment to the current Intergovernmental Agreement Between the City of Surprise And the City of El Mirage for Sharing Fire-Medical Record Software, with all other terms and conditions remaining unchanged. (Fire) 10. Consideration and action to accept the policies of various City programs, including the Warning Sign Request Program, Parking Restriction Sign Program and Residential Streetlight Program. (Development Services/Engineering) Vice Mayor Parsons moved, seconded by Councilmember Winston, to approve Consent Agenda Items 5.1 and Items 5.3 -10. Motion carried. (5/2) NAYS: Councilmember Gentry and Councilmember Norton 6. REGULAR AGENDA Consent Agenda Item 5.2 was pulled and discussed as Regular Agenda 6.1.a. 6.1.a. Consideration and action to approve Resolution R25-05-08, authorizing the Adoption of the City of El Mirage Council Strategic Priorities (Administration) Councilmember Gentry stated this item should be discussed under the Regular Agenda because items that come on the agenda that affect the residents as a whole should be on the regular agenda and not pass through on a consent agenda. She stated there should be presentations and items spoken about, so the residents know what decisions the council is making for the residents and to have more transparency. Macy Walker, Budget Manager, gave a presentation on the Strategic Plan. She outlined the previous dates the Strategic Plan has gone before council beginning in January 2025 to gain feedback from the council. She stated the Strategic Plan is defined as the act of articulating where or what an organization wants to be in the future and includes line design of a vision and identifying goals and objectives. Councilmember Dorcey stated this has been reviewed and discussed in work sessions in front of the council. Councilmember Gentry stated she would like to have the downtown revitalization and parks and recreation addressed. Mayor Hermosillo stated the plan does not cover specific details but serves as a guideline for things in the future based on the results of the Master Plan. She stated the Strategic Plan is set to provide a road map for the city towards more select priorities, and there would be multiple discussions in public. She stated that all items decided will be brought back to the council and worked through in work sessions, with many conversations in public, and voted on by the council. 3 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes May 20, 2025 Councilmember Gentry stated that a Councilmember may pull an item because of how it may affect the residents and, for transparency, there should always be a presentation. She stated items should not be on the consent agenda so that they can be discussed, so the residents understand what is happening. She stated there are things in the Strategic Plan that residents need to know about how things are moving forward. Mayor Hermosillo stated that there have been ongoing conversations and work sessions about the Downtown Revitalization Plan and this was not a new topic. She stated that if anyone had questions that staff were available to answer questions for clarity and information. Mayor Hermosillo moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Parsons. Motion carried. (5/2) NAYS - Councilmember Gentry and Councilmember Norton. 1. Consideration and action to change the City office hours of operation to Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except for the hours of operation for field operations, which will be as stated in the City Manager's Memorandum dated February 25, 2025. Councilmember Gentry stated since the memorandum sent by the City Manager on February 25, 2025, at least two council members contacted the City Manager to state the hours of operation should be Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. along with a recommendation to extend the hours of customer service from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. She stated that those hours serve the residents and businesses of El Mirage and those are the hours of most government facilities. Councilmember Dorcey stated that is the opinion of one councilmember and not the voted on opinion of the entire council. She stated the City Manager was asked to figure out how to move away from the extended hours and provide the best service to the city's residents. She stated that her objection to 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. is that those hours gives absolutely no service to people in the community who work the same hours. She stated that mailers have been going to the public stating the new hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and it was not a good idea to confuse the public. Mayor Hermosillo stated that she agrees with Councilmember Dorcey and would not be supporting this item. She thanked the City Manager for doing a tremendous job, including members of staff, for coming up with a solution the council asked for which made it possible to go back to Monday through Friday. Councilmember Norton stated that during a work session in January, a majority of the council at the time, herself and the three new councilmembers, expressed a desire for the city to go to a Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule, which was actually the schedule that the city had prior to the September 2019 change. She stated most cities in the valley, as well as county and state offices, have those hours of operation. Councilmember Eldridge stated change is hard, but they all agreed for Monday through Friday and right now the total amount for the mailers that have been sent out is around five thousand dollars. He stated he was concerned about having to spend another five and a half thousand dollars to redo the mailers. He stated there had been activity between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. from May 1st and May 15th. He stated there are about two calls per day and two walk-ins per day between that timeframe. He stated that we have already been promoting this time change and should wait to see how it affects the community. Councilmember Winston stated that, with all due respect, why are they discussing this at the 9th and 11th hour. She stated this should have been brought up if there was a concern last 4 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes May 20, 2025 month or a month and a half ago. She stated that she is still not happy that the office is not open four days a week, but this is what has been voted on, so we should move forward from here. She stated there was more business done when the office was open at 7:00 a.m. with alot of construction workers and their constituents. Vice Mayor Parsons stated that she agreed with Councilmember Winston. She stated the City Manager sent an email out to all councilmembers asking if they objected to the hours and if there were any other suggestions or ideas and nobody responded. She stated she did not want to waste money and send out mailers again. She stated that she asked some residents and some agreed with 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and some agreed to 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Councilmember Gentry stated that she does not remember having this conversation online and does remember talking about this at a work session in January. She stated that she sent out multiple emails to the City Manager regarding these hours. Councilmember Eldridge stated that he would like to point out that this is a win for the residents that the offices will be open five days a week. Councilmember Norton moved, seconded by Councilmember Gentry. Motion failed. (2/5) NAYS: Mayor Hermosillo, Vice Mayor Parsons, Councilmember Dorcey, Councilmember Eldridge, and Councilmember Winston. 2. Consideration and action to hold a public hearing to permit any taxpayer to be heard in favor or against any proposed expenditure or tax levy. (Administration) Mayor Hermosillo opened the public hearing. Macy Walker, Budget Manager, gave a presentation on tax levy and the final budget. She outlined the previous steps that has been taken by council on the budget adoption. She statd the tax rate on primary property and secondary property taxes would be reduced. Ms. Walker stated the overall budget expenditure for the next fiscal year would be lower than the budget for the current fiscal year. She stated the next steps would include adopting the final budget and adopting the property tax levy at the June 3, 2025 city council meeting. No public comments were received, and the public hearing was closed. 3. Consideration and action to convene in a Special Meeting to determine and adopt proposed expenditure estimates pursuant to A.R.S. 42-17105. Adoption of Budget. (Administration) Vice Mayor Parsons moved, seconded by Councilmember Winston. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0) 5 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes May 20, 2025 7. SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL MIRAGE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 10000 N. EL MIRAGE ROAD TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2025 At 6:56 p.m., Mayor Hermosillo convened the Special Meeting of the El Mirage Common Council. 1. Consideration and action to approve Resolution R25-05-10 to finally determine and adopt the FY 2025-2026 proposed spending limitation and budget of $114,162,000 for the City of El Mirage. (Administration) Councilmember Dorcey stated that it is not a very common thing to see a decrease in taxes. She stated that kudos should go to the City Manager and staff and she is really happy with this budget. Ms. Dyches stated that there has been a decrease in the tax rate every single year for the last seven years. Mayor Hermosillo stated she agreed with Councilmember Dorcey and thanked the City Manager and entire staff for making this progress happen. Councilmember Gentry asked why there was a decrease in the tax rate. Ms. Walker stated the tax rate is decreasing and there was additional new growth in construction, but the levy is being split among more. Councilmember Gentry stated that they just voted to raise the water rates, and she was not going to vote to raise anything else for the residents. Mayor Hermosillo asked if there was a decrease because there is growth in the south. Ms. Walker stated yes, the levy increased due to the growth, but the growth is paying for the growth. She stated that everything else stayed the same as far as the secondary levy. Councilmember Winston moved, seconded by Councilmember Dorcey. Motion carried (5/2). NAYS: Councilmember Gentry and Councilmember Norton 2. Consideration and action to close the Special Meeting and reconvene in a Regular Session. (Administration) Vice Mayor Parsons moved, seconded by Councilmember Winston. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0) 8. 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. 6 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes May 20, 2025 9. 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. Vice Mayor Parsons stated that she attended four ribbon cuttings recently; Mod Laundry, The Mint, YMCA classroom remodel and Walmart Fuel Center. Councilmember Dorcey stated she was really impressed with the Mod Laundry technology. Councilmember Eldridge stated the cars for Hartlie raised 36 thousand dollars in a matter of four hours. He thanked the community for coming together. He stated the Mod Laundry was really impressive. He also stated that he went to the fire at Tom George's residence. He stated he is putting out a call for action for the community to attend a fundraiser being held at Fire House Subs to raise money to support Mr. George. Councilmember Gentry stated she attended the Mod Laundry event. She stated the Harltie event was amazing and she also attended the Walmart ribbon cutting. Councilmember Norton stated she used the services from Mod Laundry and they were excellent. She stated that the Walmart ribbon cutting was very nice. Councilmember Winston stated that Mod Laundry also has a children's corner for kids at the laundromat. She stated the Hartlie car show was a wonderful event. 10. ADJOURNMENT - 7:07 p.m. _____________________________ Alexis A. Hermosillo, Mayor ATTEST: ______________________________ Jill A. Boltz, City Clerk I hereby certify the aforementioned minutes are a true and accurate record of the Regular El Mirage City Council Meeting held on Tuesday, __________ and a quorum was present. 7 Regular Meeting - Council Minutes May 20, 2025