06 09 26 City Council Meeting Minutes
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1 TOLLESON CITY COUNCIL MEETING ACTION MINUTES TOLLESON CIVIC CENTER 9055 WEST VAN BUREN STREET, TOLLESON, AZ 85353 ZOOM WEBINAR ID: 840 6967 9194 TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2026 6:00 PM Doors open to Council Chambers at 5:45 PM for public seating. The public may be asked to temporarily relocate if an executive session occurs. The public will be invited back into Council Chambers when the Council returns from executive session. Members of the public may also participate in the meeting via Zoom Webinar (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84069679194) with a computer or cell phone. A. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Rodriguez called the Tolleson City Council Meeting to order at 6:02 PM. B. INVOCATION/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Invocation was delivered by City Attorney Pierce, and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Vice Mayor Davis. C. ROLL CALL City Council: Mayor Juan Rodriguez, Vice Mayor Jimmy Davis, Council Member Christine Chavira (participated remotely), Council Member Clorinda Erives, Council Member Adolfo Gámez, Council Member Linda Laborin, and Council Member Cruzita Mendoza. Department Directors: City Manager Reyes Medrano Jr., Deputy City Manager/Chief Government Affairs Officer Pilar Sinawi, Deputy City Manager/Employee Resources Director Wendy Jackson, Chief Financial Officer Kevin Artz, Chief of Social Impact George Good, City Clerk Crystal Zamora, Development Services Director Jason Earp, Field Operations/Parks & Recreation Director Randy Babchuk, Library Director Mandy Carrico, Public Safety Director/Police Chief Rudy Mendoza, and Utilities Director Jamie McCracken. City Representative: City Attorney Justin Pierce D. FINAL CALL TO SUBMIT SPEAKER REQUESTS 2 All citizens and interested parties wishing to speak before the Council regarding non- agenda items or during a public hearing shall fully complete a Speaker Request Form and submit the form(s) to the City Clerk prior to the meeting being convened. Citizens must complete one form for each item they want to address. Speaker Request Forms are located at the entrance of the Council Chambers. For Zoom participants, click the chat button, and enter your name and the item you would like to address. Submissions should be made no later than the Mayor announcing the “Final Call to Submit Speaker Requests”. All speakers will be limited to 3 minutes unless otherwise noted by the Mayor. Speakers are not required to disclose their identities or personal information. You may also submit an online speaker request form at https://www.tolleson.az.gov/speakerrequest at least one hour prior to the meeting. E. CALL TO THE PUBLIC (NON-AGENDA ITEMS) This is the time for the public to comment on non-agenda items. Members of the Council may not discuss items that are not specifically identified on the agenda. Therefore, pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.01.H, action taken as a result of public comment will be limited to (1) responding to criticism; (2) directing staff to review the matter; or (3) asking that a matter be put on a future agenda. F. SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES AND PROCLAMATIONS – FOR DISCUSSION 1. Proclamation declaring June 19, 2026, as Juneteenth Freedom Day in the City of Tolleson, recognizing the historical significance of Juneteenth, honoring the enduring contributions and achievements of African Americans, and encouraging reflection on the principles of freedom, equality, and justice for all. – Wendy Jackson, Deputy City Manager/Employee Resources Director Mayor Rodriguez proclaimed June 19, 2026, as Juneteenth Freedom Day in the City of Tolleson. 2. Proclamation declaring June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in the City of Tolleson, recognizing the contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals, celebrating diversity and inclusion, and reaffirming the City's commitment to dignity, respect, and equal opportunity for all. – Wendy Jackson, Deputy City Manager/Employee Resources Director Mayor Rodriguez proclaimed June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in the City of Tolleson. G. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR – PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ACTION ITEMS 1. Public Hearing – Soliciting comments from interested parties in reference to adopting the Property Tax Levy for Fiscal Year 2027. (Discussion only) Resolution No. 2647, regarding the Property Tax Levy, will go before Council for 3 consideration at the meeting scheduled on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (Finance Department) The public hearing opened at 6:14 PM and closed at 6:18 PM. 2. Public Hearing – Soliciting comments from interested parties in reference to Resolution No. 2645, adopting the City of Tolleson Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2027. (Finance Department) The public hearing opened at 6:19 PM and closed at 6:24 PM. H. CONVENE INTO SPECIAL MEETING 1. Motion to go into special meeting. Council Member Gámez moved to convene into a special meeting; the motion was seconded by Council Member Erives. The motion carried 7 to 0. Mayor Rodriguez – Aye Vice Mayor Davis – Aye Council Member Chavira – Aye Council Member Erives – Aye Council Member Gámez – Aye Council Member Laborin – Aye Council Member Mendoza – Aye 2. Adopt/Deny Resolution No. 2645 of the Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson, Arizona, adopting the Final Budget and establishing the Expenditure Limitation for the City of Tolleson for Fiscal Year 2027. The total amount of budgeted expenditures is $247,153,697. (Finance Department) Roll Call Vote Council Member Gámez moved to adopt Resolution No. 2645; the motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Davis. The motion carried 7 to 0. Mayor Rodriguez – Aye Vice Mayor Davis – Aye Council Member Chavira – Aye Council Member Erives – Aye Council Member Gámez – Aye Council Member Laborin – Aye Council Member Mendoza – Aye I. RECONVENE INTO REGULAR MEETING J. CONSENT AGENDA – ACTION ITEMS 4 Items on the Consent Agenda are of a routine nature and are intended to be acted upon in one motion. Council Members may pull items from Consent if they would like them considered separately. 1. Approve Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of May 26, 2026. (City Clerk Department) 2. Approve Claims and Bills Report for the period of May 20, 2026 to June 2, 2026. (Finance Department) 3. Approve the First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement between the City of Tolleson and 4Line Studio, LLC, for professional services related to the design and development of the Tolleson Event Center, and authorize the City Manager to execute and deliver said Amendment. The City desires to amend the existing Agreement to extend the term through June 30, 2027, incorporate a fee proposal for architectural and related engineering services, and establish a maximum aggregate compensation amount not to exceed $175,000. (Development Services Department) 4. Adopt Resolution No. 2650 of the Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson, Arizona, approving an Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Tolleson and the City of Phoenix for firefighter health services provided through the Phoenix Fire Department Health Center for a five-year term, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the Agreement. (Fire Department) 5. Adopt Resolution No. 2648 of the Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson, Arizona, approving a Cooperation Agreement between the City of Tolleson and Maricopa County for participation in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Programs for Federal Fiscal Years 2027, 2028, and 2029, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the Agreement. (Human Services Department) 6. Adopt Resolution No. 2649 of the Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson, Arizona, approving the Fifth Amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement for Fiscal Year 2027, Contract No. C-22-22-120-X-05, between the City of Tolleson and Maricopa County, administered by its Human Services Department, providing $66,000 in funding for Community Action Program (CAP) services for the period July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, including crisis case management and services assisting low- income households in crisis situations and toward economic self-sufficiency, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the Amendment. (Human Services Department) 7. Approve the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement between the City of Tolleson and Dell Marketing Limited Partnership for computer equipment, peripherals, and related services, and authorize the City Manager to execute and deliver said Agreement. The City shall pay the Contractor an annual aggregate amount not to exceed $200,000 for products and services. This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until June 30, 2027. (Information Technology Department) 5 8. Approve Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement (PSA) between the City of Tolleson and GHD Inc., for professional services related to utilizing excess capacity at the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, and authorize the City Manager to execute and deliver said Amendment. The City desires to amend the existing Agreement to increase the annual aggregate amount from $200,000 to $300,000 per fiscal year and extend the term through June 30, 2029 for additional services. (Utilities Department) Council Member Gámez moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1. through 8.; the motion was seconded by Council Member Mendoza. The motion carried 7 to 0. Mayor Rodriguez – Aye Vice Mayor Davis – Aye Council Member Chavira – Aye Council Member Erives – Aye Council Member Gámez – Aye Council Member Laborin – Aye Council Member Mendoza – Aye K. REGULAR AGENDA – ACTION ITEMS 1. Discuss and consider the reappointment of Adan Luz Morado as a Board Member to the Tolleson Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) Boards (Police and Fire) to serve a term from July 1, 2026 through July 1, 2028. (City Council) Council Member Chavira moved to reappoint Adan Luz Morado as a Board Member to the Tolleson Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) Boards (Police and Fire) to serve a term from July 1, 2026 through July 1, 2028; the motion was seconded by Council Member Erives. The motion carried 7 to 0. Mayor Rodriguez – Aye Vice Mayor Davis – Aye Council Member Chavira – Aye Council Member Erives – Aye Council Member Gámez – Aye Council Member Laborin – Aye Council Member Mendoza – Aye 2. Adopt/Deny Resolution No. 2646 of the Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson, Arizona, adopting a Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) Pension Funding Policy to clearly communicate the Council’s pension funding objectives, its commitment to its employees and the sound financial management of the City, and to comply with A.R.S. § 38-863.01. (Finance Department) Council Member Gámez moved to adopt Resolution No. 2646; the motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Davis. The motion carried 7 to 0. Mayor Rodriguez – Aye 6 Vice Mayor Davis – Aye Council Member Chavira – Aye Council Member Erives – Aye Council Member Gámez – Aye Council Member Laborin – Aye Council Member Mendoza – Aye 3. Approve/Deny the Executive Continuity Program, a strategic workforce initiative to preserve institutional knowledge, maintain operational stability, and ensure uninterrupted service delivery during executive retirements and leadership vacancies. (Finance Department) Vice Mayor Davis moved to approve the Executive Continuity Program; the motion was seconded by Council Member Laborin. The motion carried 7 to 0. Mayor Rodriguez – Aye Vice Mayor Davis – Aye Council Member Chavira – Aye Council Member Erives – Aye Council Member Gámez – Aye Council Member Laborin – Aye Council Member Mendoza – Aye 4. Approve/Deny a Professional Services Agreement between the City of Tolleson and Educational Services, LLC, for employee staffing services, and authorize the City Manager to execute and deliver said Agreement and any renewals. The City shall pay the Contractor an annual aggregate amount not to exceed $250,000. This Agreement shall be effective July 1, 2026, and shall remain in full force and effect until June 30, 2027, with the option to renew annually upon mutual agreement of the parties. (Finance Department) Council Member Davis moved to approve the Professional Services Agreement; the motion was seconded by Council Member Gámez. The motion carried 7 to 0. Mayor Rodriguez – Aye Vice Mayor Davis – Aye Council Member Chavira – Aye Council Member Erives – Aye Council Member Gámez – Aye Council Member Laborin – Aye Council Member Mendoza – Aye L. WORK STUDY AND PRESENTATIONS – FOR DISCUSSION 1. Transit Services Update – Gabriel Elias, Development Services Superintendent 7 2. Development Services Department Update – Jason Earp, Development Services Director M. MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER’S REPORT OF CURRENT EVENTS – FOR DISCUSSION N. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:53 PM. Pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.01 and A.R.S. § 38-431.02, notice is hereby given to the members of the Tolleson City Council and to the general public that the Council of the City of Tolleson will hold a meeting open to the public. Council Members of the City of Tolleson will attend by telephone/video conference call. Note: The City Council of the City of Tolleson, by a duly passed motion, may vote in public session to adjourn to executive session on any agenda item in conformation with A.R.S. § 38.431.03 for legal advice from the City Attorney. Arizona law prohibits any City resource, including staff time, equipment, and anything of value to influence an election. This prohibition applies to Call to the Public at the Council Meeting. You may discuss a City issue but do not “advocate” for a specific candidate or ballot measure. Additionally, soliciting petition signatures or campaign contributions or distributing campaign materials is prohibited on City property. The City appreciates your efforts to help the City comply with state law and avoid using taxpayer monies to influence an election. Zoom’s live transcription feature can provide automatic captioning by clicking on the Closed Caption (CC) button during the meeting. THE CITY OF TOLLESON ENDEAVORS TO MAKE ALL PUBLIC MEETINGS ACCESSIBLE TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. With at least two business days advance notice, accommodations can be provided at this meeting for individuals with vision, hearing and/or speech disabilities, including a transcriber, large print, an interpreter, an assistive listening device, etc. Please call the City Clerk at (623) 936-7111, or TTY users may dial 711 for Arizona Relay Service (AZRS), to request an accommodation to participate in this public meeting. The City will try its best to accommodate any last minute requests. LA CIUDAD DE TOLLESON SE ESFUERZA PARA HACER TODAS LAS REUNIONES PÚBLICAS ACCESIBLE PARA INDIVIDUOS CON DISCAPACIDADES. Con al menos dos días laborables de previo aviso, se pueden proporcionar adaptaciones en esta reunión para personas con discapacidades visuales, auditivas o del habla, incluido un transcriptor, letra grande, un intérprete, un dispositivo de asistencia auditiva, etc. Llame a la Secretaría Municipal al (623) 936-7111, o los usuarios de TTY pueden marcar 711 para el Servicio de Retransmisión de Arizona (AZRS), para solicitar un alojamiento para participar en esta reunión pública. La Ciudad hará todo lo posible para satisfacer cualquier solicitud de último minuto. VENDOR NAME AMOUNT CHECK NUMBER CHECK DATE ROSSCO ELECTRIC LLC $245,000.00 102580 5/26/2026 KIMLEY-HORN AND ASSOCIATES INC $69,445.00 102550 5/20/2026 ALEX AREVALO $38,947.00 187691 5/21/2026 CS&S COMPUTER SYSTEMS $21,970.23 187758 6/1/2026 MICHAEL BREWER $21,776.46 187695 5/21/2026 STERLING COMPUTERS CORPORATION $21,641.90 102607 6/2/2026 WASTE CONNECTIONS OF ARIZONA $20,172.93 187751 5/28/2026 AQUATIC INFORMATICS INC $17,712.64 102570 5/26/2026 HONEST PLUMBING AZ LLC $16,377.08 187705 5/21/2026 VERCOM SYSTEMS INC $14,994.45 187716 5/21/2026 BREINHOLT CONTRACTING CO., INC. $12,508.79 187754 6/1/2026 CITY OF TOLLESON-MEDICAL $10,401.72 102601 6/2/2026 JAMES, COOKE & HOBSON INC $10,149.49 187730 5/28/2026 City of Tolleson Checks Recorded Check Dates: May 20, 2026 to June 2, 2026 PAYMENTS OVER $10,000 CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 1 of 53 Post-Production File City of Tolleson City Council Meeting Minutes June 9, 2026 Transcription Provided By: eScribers, LLC * * * * * Transcription is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. * * * * * CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 2 of 53 MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: All right. Good evening, everyone. I am Mayor Juan Rodriguez. Today is June 9th, and I would like to call the City Council meeting to order. We're going to begin with our invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. So I'm going to ask our city attorney, Mr. Pierce, to please provide the invocation. And then Vice Mayor Davis, if you could please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Stand if you can. PIERCE: Our beloved Heavenly Father, we are grateful to be able to gather again and exercise our rights to self-governance. We're grateful for this Council that has been elected to oversee the City, and we pray that thy spirit would be upon them to guide them and direct them in ways that will allow them to make decisions that will be prudent and wiseful [sic], and will be in the best interests of those who call Tolleson home. Father, we pray for those that risk their lives each day to protect us and pray that that would help them to be protected and return to their families, as well. We pray at this time, once again, that all present will be uplifted and edified by the meeting and the discussion. And pray that by thy hand would be upon us at this time, and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. MENDOZA: Amen. DAVIS: Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: All right. All right. Thank you both. We're going to want to roll call. Madam City Clerk, please let the record reflect that all Council members are present. One of them is present by way of Zoom, and that is Council member Christine Chavira. Thank you. Moving on to final call to submit speaker requests, now is the final call to submit speaker requests to the city clerk. All speakers will be limited to three minutes for comments only. Actions taken as a result of public comments will be limited to, one, responding to criticism; two, directing staff to review the matter; or three, asking that the matter be put on a future agenda. Madam City Clerk, do we have any speaker request forms at this time? CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 3 of 53 ZAMORA: We do not, Mayor. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. It is now the call to the public. City clerk, do we have any submissions for the call to the public? ZAMORA: We do not. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Perfect. Moving on to schedule public appearances and proclamations. We have a number of items. We're going to start with number 1. That is a proclamation declaring June 19th, 2026 as Juneteenth Freedom Day in the City of Tolleson, recognizing the historical significance of Juneteenth, honoring the enduring contributions and achievements of African Americans, and encouraging reflection on the principles of freedom, equality, and justice for all. I'm going to turn the floor over to our deputy city manager, Wendy Jackson, who's going to share some words. JACKSON: Yes. Good evening, Mr. Mayor and members of Council. Juneteenth is more than a date in history. It's a reminder that freedom delayed is freedom denied, and that the pursuit of liberty, justice, and opportunity requires each generation's commitment. I'm honored to support this proclamation and recognize the significance of this day and the values it represents. This day honors the resilience, strength, and endurant spirit of those who endured and overcame unimaginable hardships. It is a time to reflect on the sacrifices that paved the way for progress, celebrate achievements born from preservations -- excuse me, and reaffirm our commitment to freedom, equality, and opportunity for all. We should recognize the importance of preserving and sharing our nation's history. Understanding the experiences, challenges, and contributions of those who came before us helps foster greater awareness, respect, and unity within our community. By continuing to learn from our past, we can help build a stronger and more inclusive future for generations to come. In recognition of Juneteenth, the City of Tolleson will host a special musical tribute featuring Painted Soul on Wednesday, June 18th. That's June 18th, from noon to 2 p.m., right here in the Council chambers. Employees and members of the public are invited to attend and enjoy this performance as we honor the CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 4 of 53 legacy, culture, and contributions that Juneteenth represents. Through music and shared reflection, we have an opportunity to come together, celebrate our diversity, and recognize the enduring significance of freedom and community. Thank you for joining and recognizing Juneteenth as its lasting message. May we continue striving towards a future where every person is treated with dignity, respect, and equal opportunity. Thank you for this proclamation. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Thank you. Well said. Yeah. Now, just to be clear, the event's on the 18th because June 19th is an official city holiday? JACKSON: Yes, June 19th is a holiday. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Also Friday. JACKSON: Um-hum. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Awesome. All right. Well now therefore I, Mayor Rodriguez, do hereby proclaim June 19th, 2026 as Juneteenth Freedom Day in the City of Tolleson. Be proclaimed. All right, we're going to move on to item number 2, which is proclamation declaring June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in the City of Tolleson, recognizing the contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals, celebrating diversity and inclusion, and reaffirming -- that's a mouthful. Reaffirming inclusion and the City commitment to dignity, respect, and equal opportunity for all. I will turn it over to Wendy Jackson, and I believe Vice Mayor has some words to say also. But first we're going to go to Wendy. JACKSON: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of Council. Vice Mayor, would you like to lead this one, or -- okay. Great. This LGBTQIA+ pride proclamation reflects the City's commitment to fostering a community where all residents, employees, and visitors are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. Pride Month provides an opportunity to recognize the contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals and to reaffirm the importance of belonging, inclusion, and community for everyone. At its core, Pride Month is about celebrating the diverse people who make our Tolleson a vibrant and welcoming place to live, work, and visit. The proclamation serves as a CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 5 of 53 reminder that strong communities are built when people feel seen, valued, and connected. To commemorate Pride Month, the city will host a community art activity centered around a large interactive banner titled Tolleson Pride: One City, Many Voices. Throughout the month of June, residents, employees, and visitors will be invited to add colorful stickers to the banner, helping fill the outlined letters with symbols representing values such as belonging, kindness, respect, community, inclusion, and pride. Each sticker will represent an individual contribution to the larger picture, illustrating how every person plays a role in shaping the Tolleson community. As the month progresses, the banner will transform into a vibrant mosaic, created collectively by those who participate. The project is intended to encourage reflection, conversation, and community engagement while celebrating the values that bring people together. The City of Tolleson welcomes everyone to participate and help create a visual reminder that our community is strengthened by the many voices, experiences, and perspectives that make us unique. This evening, we would like to invite you, Mayor, and members of City Council, to help launch this project by placing the first stickers on our banner. Your participation will symbolize the City's commitment to fostering a welcoming community where everyone has the opportunity to belong, contribute, and thrive. Thank you again for this proclamation. We appreciate it. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: No. Thank you. These proclamations, I think, are very critical to the essence of who we are as a community. And the core of it is inclusion. Everybody, regardless of who they are, should be included in the Tolleson experience. That's who we are as a community. We're family. If you're here, you're family. We embrace you as you are, whoever you are. So that's something that I take a lot of pride in, not only as mayor, but as a member of this community, that we're very inclusionary. So with that, I know Vice Mayor, you had some things you wanted to add? DAVIS: Yeah. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: You have the floor. DAVIS: Thank you. My sister's calling me. What are you doing? I'm in a Council CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 6 of 53 meeting. All right. While these observances come from different histories, they share a common truth. Progress happens when ordinary people have the courage to stand up, speak out, and insist that our communities live up to their highest ideals. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom is freedom denied. Pride reminds us that dignity, visibility, and belonging matter. Both challenge us to continue building communities where every person is treated with respect and given the opportunity to thrive. As we look towards Tolleson's future, I hope we continue to be a city that values diversity, celebrates our differences, and understands that our greatest strength has always been our people. I thank you for those of you who are all here today and who are celebrating these proclamations with us, and those who continue to work hard every day for our community to help carry it forward into the future. And then I guess at this time, we'll invite the Council to put some stickers. So there's a heart, there's a smiley face, there's a flower, there's a rainbow, and there's a lightning bolt. There's a little guide here if you want to see what it says. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Where's it going to be at? GAMEZ: Right behind you. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: No, no, I mean out in out in the hall where the community is going to be asked to -- JACKSON: Mr. Mayor, members of Council, the banner, once it's completed, it will be hung up above -- do you know where the wreath typically goes? It'll be there. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. JACKSON: Um-hum. On display. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: But if a member of the community wants to put a sticker up, where would it be at? JACKSON: Be out in the lobby. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: The lobby. JACKSON: Um-hum. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. There'll be instructions on how to peel this off the back? CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 7 of 53 DAVIS: Okay. We'll do it again. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yeah. Oh, no. It's okay. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Just keep it back. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Okay. GAMEZ: I'm going to rip it off. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, we need nails. DAVIS: Came right off for me. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Did you get it? MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Perfect. Thank you. DAVIS: Which one do you want? I will get. GAMEZ: All right. Anywhere? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yes. LABORIN: Okay. Ready? Are we only doing it on the O? All right. Here we go. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Can you smile? Cheese? Okay. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: And for those of you here, I will let you know that a proclamation was signed. So Wendy, the proclamation will be shown, also, at the event. So Crystal, if you want it back, or -- UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We'll pick it up. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. It's done. I signed it. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Okay. Excellent. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Everybody have a chance? All right. Well, now, therefore, I, Mayor Juan F. Rodriguez, do hereby proclaim June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in the City of Tolleson. Be it proclaimed. Okay. Business from the floor. Public hearings and action items. We have a number of items. We're going to start with the first one, public hearing, soliciting comments from interest parties in reference to adopting the property tax levy for fiscal year 2027. This is for discussion only. Resolution number 2647, regarding the property tax levy, will go before Council for consideration at the meeting scheduled on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 8 of 53 Finance Department will take the lead on this, so I'm going to turn it over to our CFO Artz. You have the floor, sir. ARTZ: Thank you. As Mayor mentioned, this is just a public hearing tonight on -- we have two public hearings. The first one is on our property tax levy. Just as a reminder, we are not increasing the rates from last year. So it's staying at $2.67.6 as our rate. Just a little bit of history there. Going back to '21, you can see our rate was at $3.52. Now it's down to $2.67. So that's about a 25 percent decrease in our property tax rate since 2001. So as the mayor mentioned, there's no voting on this tonight. We'll come back on June 23rd and ask Council to adopt the resolution for this. But tonight's just a public hearing. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Awesome. Council, do you have any questions or comments? I only got one comment, but nobody? Okay. Well, I'm just going to say that, you know, right now, it's election time. There's a lot of folks going around knocking on people's doors and talking about all kinds of stuff, right? But I think what's top in mind here, locally and also nationally, is taxes. And the unfortunate reality that a lot of folks find themselves in hardships throughout the entire country because of all kinds of reasons. But it brings me a lot of peace to know that right now, during these hard times, we are not -- as a city, as an organization -- considering raising taxes specific to properties, which helps our community out. And reflectively. When you look back at 2021, where we were compared to where we're at today, we've actually reduced it, as you mentioned, by 25 percent. So when people in our community say, why are we paying so many taxes? I don't understand why our bill is so high. Let's be clear. It's not because of the City. And I would encourage you to remember that, if other authorities within our community are out and going out for $250 million bonds or $125 million bonds, you might want to consider voting accordingly, because that's where it's coming from. So let's not fool ourselves. That's exactly what it is. And so I just thought I should say that because there's a lot of confusion. I want to make sure it's crystal clear it's not from the City of CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 9 of 53 Tolleson. And then those that are deciding that they want to run for bonds and overrides and stuff, they can justify that to the community during these difficult times on their own dime. I'm not going to waste any time on that. Anybody else on Council? ERIVES: I agree. DAVIS: 100 percent. I think it's amazing, that 25 percent decrease since 2001, that's phenomenal. That's great for our community. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Anybody else? The only other thing I'm going to add is that we don't get here by accident. It's a lot of hard work that goes into it. And our CFO Artz, I mean, you've done an amazing job. I know you have a great team. I see them every time when I come by to my office, and they're always working. I've never been a numbers person. I'll be honest with you. I'm a picture person, but you know, you have to have people that understand the numbers and are able to manipulate what they have to do to get things right up to the bottom line. And you and your staff are surgical in that, and we thank you. And this is a perfect example of what happens when you got great people that are managing your money. And truthfully, this is the most important thing we do as Council. We adopt a lot of things, but the annual operating budget is without a doubt, in my opinion, the biggest policy decision that we make annually. And to have somebody that is as good as what they do as you are is an immense tool. I mean, we couldn't do it by ourselves. So we really rely on you, and you step it up and you do an amazing job with your team. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you very much for your contributions. Okay. So I will now open this public hearing and turn this over to CFO. We did that. I'm going to turn to this Council for questions. I did that. Speakers from the public will have three minutes for comments. Anybody want to comment? We have three members. Nobody? No? Okay. Register. Were there any members of the public who wanted to know? Okay. This public hearing is now closed. Cool. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 10 of 53 So now we're going to move on to number 2, which is public hearing, soliciting comments from interested parties in reference to resolution number 2645, adopting the City of Tolleson annual budget for fiscal year 2027. Financial Department, I will now open this public hearing and turn this over to CFO Artz. You have the floor, sir. ARTZ: Thank you, Mayor and Council. Yes. This is for resolution 2645, adopting the annual budget, the final budget for the City. It is for $247,153,697. There have been no changes since Council adopted the tentative budget back in May, so nothing has changed since then. We've had several work sessions where we've gone through revenues and expenditures over the past three or four months. So this is really just the final step of adopting the final budget of everything that you've seen for the past three or four months. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. DAVIS: What was the number, again? I just want to hear it again. ARTZ: $247,153,697. DAVIS: Thank you. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Any other questions, Vice Mayor? DAVIS: No, I just wanted to hear the number again. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Yes. Council Member Gamez? GAMEZ: Yes. Amazing. I never thought that we'd ever get past 100 million in the budget. We're under 247 million. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: We're knocking on three. GAMEZ: And it's amazing. It really is. And yeah, Mr. Artz has a lot to do with it. But more than that, we have people that are working behind the scenes, recruiting businesses, keeping businesses in town. And again, the leadership from Mr. Medrano and his team helps us get where we're at today. And just Mr. Artz is the driver of where the funds go. Again, it's a team effort. This little community, for being six square miles and having a budget that big, should tell you something, tell you something, and the CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 11 of 53 mayor hit it. We are family, we take care of ourselves, and we don't mess around. And we're small, but we're tough. Simple as that. I congratulate everybody for their job. Thank you. All you guys. Very good. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Anybody else? ERIVES: I would just like to say thank you, also, just because you explain it so well, right? I know you had mentioned, Mayor, that your numbers, right? They can get 247 million, right? That's a lot of numbers, so it can get overwhelming. But you explained it so well. You went through, and if anybody had questions, you were there to answer it. If the community had questions, you were available for that, as well. So I just wanted to say thank you, because for something that's complex, this 247 million, like, even the number is difficult to say. You've made it understandable. Very comprehensive. Thank you. Appreciate that. And your team, as well. Thank you, thank you. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: And just to be clear, I just do want to add that we are going to go for the electorate. Are we going to ask them to approve permission to the home rule, or -- yeah. Home-based adjustment. So when this election cycle comes up, on our election -- on our ballot, we're going to have home-based adjustment. We need to approve it because this is money that we have created here locally, in our backyards, as Council Member mentioned, through the efforts of all of our staff. And so we want to have authority from our citizens to be able to spend it on behalf of their services. PIERCE: Remember, Mayor, we can't advocate for it from the dais. So we can present information. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Just reminding everybody we have a major election coming up. You vote however you want, but if you don't want us to spend that much money on you guys, vote against it. But if you want us to be able to spend the money that we raised, go for it. That's all I'm going to say. Your choice. Another thing, too, is I'm going to add this, and I don't want to throw anybody under the bus, but I've heard many times, oh, you're the other city that's nothing but Latinos on the far end of Phoenix. There's two communities are defined that way, okay? We're adopting a budget of $247 million. The other one is getting ready to file for bankruptcy. So we must be doing something right. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 12 of 53 GAMEZ: Who is the other city? MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I'm not going to say it. DAVIS: I'm wondering now, too. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: But whatever. I'm not going to say it. Yeah, but we're both next to the biggest city, fifth largest in the nation, primarily Latino community. And we both have land, and we both have our own ability to govern. I think we're doing pretty good. That's an understatement. Okay. So not hearing any more comments or questions? No? Yes, sir. Vice Mayor? DAVIS: I just want to say, it's really amazing. And I think it's a testament of the Councils that we've had over the many, many years we've been a city. We're almost approaching 100 years, right, in a few years. And just the management that we have and the staff, you know, it's just been an amazing job of diversifying tax revenues. You know, so it makes us stand pretty strong, even in times like now, where people are making cuts all over the place. We're still just kind of marching forward, and I think that just goes to show that we really do care and take into account that this is our family, right? And we're taking care of our family, and I think leadership in the City of Tolleson approaches it that way, as opposed to in other places where they're worried about other things like self-preservation or whatever it might be. So kudos to, you know, all of the history that we're standing on, basically. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Yep. Thank you. I think it's a reflection of the love that we have, staff members and Council alike. And here we are building a brand-new aquatic facility. So let the love continue. Let the success of Tolleson continue. Anybody else before I move on? Okay. Well, in that case, speakers from the public will have three minutes for comments only. Comments? No? Nobody? No. Okay. Were there any members of the public that would like to speak on this item? I don't believe there were. Okay. This public hearing is also closed, and we're going to convene into a special meeting. Motion to go into special meeting. Do we have a motion to go into special meetings? CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 13 of 53 ERIVES: Second. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I have a first from Council Member Gamez, and I believe the second was from Council Member Erives. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. ALL: Aye. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Council Member Chavira? CHAVIRA: Aye. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Perfect. All those opposed, say nay. Not hearing any, the motion carries. We are now in a special meeting. And we're in the special meeting to consider item number 2, which is to adopt or deny resolution number 2645 of the Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson, Arizona adopting the final budget and establishing the expenditure limitation for the City of Tolleson for fiscal year 2027. The total amount of the budgeted expenditure is $247,153,687. And this is going to require a roll call vote. So I will now entertain a motion. We got a motion from Council Member Gamez. DAVIS: Second. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Vice Mayor Davis seconded. Our city clerk will now conduct a roll call vote to determine who is all in favor. ZAMORA: Thank you, Mayor Rodriguez. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. ZAMORA: Vice Mayor Davis? DAVIS: Aye. ZAMORA: Council Member Chariva? CHARIVA: Aye. ZAMORA: Council Member Erives? ERIVES: Aye. ZAMORA: Council Member Gamez? GAMEZ: Oh, yes. [LAUGHTER] ZAMORA: Council Member Laborin? CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 14 of 53 LABORIN: Aye. ZAMORA: Council Member Mendoza? MENDOZA: Aye. ZAMORA: Thank you. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. Motion is unanimous, so the motion has carried. Thank you all for participation. We are now going to reconvene into regular meeting. We are now back into our regular meeting and we're going to want to consent to agenda action items. I see items 1 through 8. We have a lot of consent agenda action items. If Council has had an opportunity to review them, I will entertain a motion. Okay. We have a motion from Council Member Gamez. We have a second from Council Member Mendoza. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. ALL: Aye. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. I heard Christine, so I believe that motion passed seven- zero. City Clerk? All right. Now, we're going to move on to regular agenda action items. Item number 1 is to discuss and consider the reappointment of Adan Luz Morado as a board member to the Tolleson Public Safety Personnel Retirement System Board and the police and fire -- to both police and fire. There's two different boards -- to serve a term from July 1st of 2026 to July 1st of 2028. City Council, does anyone have any questions or comments on this item? I guess I would have a question for staff. Did we have an opportunity to reach out to Adan and ask him if he's interested? JACKSON: Yes. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Oh. I'm sorry. Christine has her hand up. Let's go to Christine. I'm sorry. Council Member, go ahead. You got the floor, Council Member Chavira. CHAVIRA: Thank you very much, Mayor. I just wanted to say that I have been the chairperson of both the fire and police boards, and I have worked with Adan Morado for the last year on these boards, and he is an important member of our community and certainly an important member of our board. And I recommend that we keep him as a CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 15 of 53 member of this board. Thank you so much. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Well, thank you, Council Member Chavira. Deputy City Manager Jackson, I'm sorry. You were saying? JACKSON: Good evening, Mr. Mayor and members of Council. Yes. He has served several years on the board, and he did express he's interested in continuing, if allowed. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Perfect. I think Adan's a beyond ideal candidate. He's done a great job in the past, as Council Member Chavira has testified on as a board president. I've served as a president in the past. It is an important board. Every police officer, every member of the fire department that enters our organization has to go through this board. And I believe they also have to go to the board when they're exiting and getting ready to retire, so it's a very important board. I think Adan would be an ideal candidate. But I'm also open to other comments from Council. GAMEZ: I agree. I'm sorry. Go ahead. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Go ahead, go ahead. Just finish your thought. GAMEZ: No, I -- MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: And then I'll go back to -- GAMEZ: Me or her? MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: You. GAMEZ: Okay. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Then I'll go back to her. ERIVES: Sorry. GAMEZ: Sorry. No, I agree. I think Adan's a good candidate. I think that he's all Tolleson, and you know, whatever is good for Tolleson, that's all that matters. And he did the right thing. I think that he'd be ideal if he continues on the board. I think that he brings a lot to the community and a lot to that deposition. Thank you. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Awesome. Thank you. Council Member Erives? ERIVES: I served, as well, as the past chair for this board, and I have to agree that Adan Morado is a fantastic candidate for this. And if he has shown interest and he wants to, I CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 16 of 53 think I would like to second the motion for his appointment to the seat. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. Did we have a first? Council Member Chavira, did you make a motion to approve? CHAVIRA: I did not make a motion, Mayor. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Right. CHAVIRA: But I am certainly happy to do that. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I think as a president, it would be -- it would be appropriate for you to make the motion. CHAVIRA: Thank you so much. I make a motion to approve Adan Morado's appointment to the police and fire safety boards. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Thank you, Council Member. And I believe we have a second from Council Member Erives. Okay. Before we take action, though, I know Jimmy was. DAVIS: I was just going to make a motion to reappoint him to move this along. [LAUGHTER] MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: All right. I think we kind of agree that Adan would be an ideal candidate. But to make it official, all those in favor of adopting him to be appointed back to this board, please signify by saying aye. ALL: Aye. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Opposed, say nay. Not hearing any, I believe everybody said aye, so motion passes unanimously, City Clerk. Thank you. We're going to move on to item number 2, which is to adopt or deny resolution number 2646, for the Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson, Arizona, adopting a Public Safety Personnel Retirement System pension funding policy to clearly communicate the Council's pension funding objectives, its commitment to its employees and the sound financial management of the City, and to comply with ARS Special Series 38-863.01. And I believe we're going to call back our chief financial officer, Mr. Artz. You have the floor, sir. ARTZ: Mayor, Council, yes. Staff is here tonight to present resolution 2646, which is the CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 17 of 53 City's annual pension policy. So Arizona Revised Statutes does require that the governing body annually adopt this pension policy, so that's why we keep coming back every year. It is a requirement. The funding policy has to include several items. It, one, has to include how to maintain the stability of our contributions by pay period, how we make those contributions, how and when the funding requirements will be met, and to define the funded ratio target. The governing body shall also formally accept the employees' share of the assets and liabilities of each of our trust programs. So to summarize, our police department, we have $22.6 million of assets, $22.5 million of liabilities. So we're actually overfunded for our police trust fund by $100,000, and our funded ratio is 100.5 percent. On the fire side, we have $27 million of assets. $27.3 million of liability. So about a $300,000 unfunded liability at this point, and we're 98.9 percent funded. So when we add our two trust funds together, we've got a liability of about $192,000, and we're 99.6 percent funded. Wow. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Wow. I can -- I'll add my comments at the end if you've got more slides. ARTZ: Okay. So just looking back over the past six years, just so you can see the progress that's been made, back in 2019, our liability and the police fund was almost $3 million. We were 80.2 percent funded. So since 2019, we've been able to completely fund the police pension fund, and we are at 100.5 percent funded. For fire, back in 2019, we were 85 percent funded, about a $2.5 million liability. So again, made significant progress over the past several years to the point where we're 98.9 percent funded on the fire side. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Um-hum. ARTZ: Takeaways are required annual payments are being made from operating funds. So we have the operating funds to make our annual required payments. The target date to be 100 percent funded is by 2036. We'll definitely exceed that, and should be over 100 percent on both of our funds by next year, even though I consider, really, we're funded fully funded now at 99.6 percent. But we have a little ways to go. The City's paid an additional $1 million this month towards our liability. So when we see next CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 18 of 53 year's numbers, that will include the additional million-dollar payment that we've made this month. Again, funded ratios have improved from the 80 percent to 100.5 percent and 98 percent, and this resolution and the funding policies satisfies all of the requirements of the statute. So with that, staff recommends that Council adopt resolution 2646, approving the PSPRS pension policy. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Thank you. ARTZ: My staff's available if you have any questions. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Thank you, Chief Financial Officer Artz. I just want to make a couple of statements here. First of all, I think it's incredibly important to signal or to identify how critical this is and how unique it is. There's cities throughout the entire state that have unfunded liabilities, and they're nowhere close to paying off that liability. Now, to me, it's very important. I know many, many moons ago -- maybe you can remember what year we decided to do this -- But as a Council, and at the time it was, some of us were here, some of us were not, I remember we made a commitment. We said our firefighters and police officers come to work every single day, and they literally, at times, have to put their life on the line. And it's not fair that they join this organization and that retirement system under the premise that they someday would have a pension and they would be able to, as they say, you know, ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. And when we found out that our liability was not where it needed to be to be able to make that a reality, we took that very serious. And at that time, we said, we got to fix this, and we asked staff to come up with a way for us to fix it, and they did. And they said we should be able to fix this by 2036. And hopefully, all the other cities in the state get their act together. Well, I'm proud to report that all the other cities in the State have not gotten their act together. I would say the vast majority have not. We have. We've taken that responsibility to heart. We've taken it very serious, and here we are in 2026, ten years before our goal needed to be achieved by, and we are already at 100 percent for one of CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 19 of 53 them, and what did you say, 99.6 percent on the other? ARTZ: 98.9 on the other. Combined, 99.6. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: If it's okay by Council, I'm going to round up. So I think we're at about 100 percent on both. So I think we've done an amazing job. We have fulfilled our promise to our police and firefighters, and I am very proud of that as a mayor and a member of this Council. And I'm also very proud of the fact that our staff took that goal very seriously and said, we're going to make this happen because it's the right thing to do. And here we are today, being able to say that we are 100 percent at where we need to be, and we have a plan to continue to be like that going in the future. So very proud of that. For all the staff, Mr. Artz, thank you for all you've done to help us get here. And I know your predecessor, our former chief financial officer, was involved in this decision too. So it's been a work of a team to get to where we're at today. But it's all been worth it because we've done right by our contract with our officers, both police and fire. And it brings me a lot of pride to know that as a service, day in and day out, we've done our job to make sure that we serve them back. So Council, is there any questions or comments at this time? GAMEZ: Yeah. Can we adopt resolution number 2646? MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: We have a motion. DAVIS: I second that. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: We have a motion to approve. We have a second to approve. All those in favor of approving the resolution, please signify by saying aye. ALL: Aye. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Not hearing any, this motion passes unanimously. All right. Excellent job. Thank you very much. Okay. And so item number 3 is to approve or deny the Executive Continuity Program, a strategic workforce initiative to preserve institutional knowledge, maintain operational stability, and ensure an uninterrupted services delivery during executive retirements and leadership vacancies. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 20 of 53 This is going to be also Chief Financial Officer Artz. ARTZ: So staff is here requesting approval of an executive continuity program. As the mayor mentioned, it helps the City to preserve institutional knowledge, maintain operational stability, and ensure uninterrupted service delivery during executive and leadership retirements that may occur in the future. So the objectives of the program is to preserve institutional knowledge, operational expertise, maintain operational stability, support continuity of strategic objectives, provide leadership continuity, reduce operational disruptions, and promote fiscal stewardships with cost-effective strategies. So how this works is, currently, when we have an employee that is getting close to their either retirement age or retirement points, they have a decision to make. They can continue to work and contribute to the retirement system, or they can retire and go to work for another employer that has a different retirement system, like Phoenix or Tucson. They can go to work in the private sector. And then this program would give them a third option. It would give them an option to work for a third-party vendor for 12 months and then continue to work for the City of Tolleson, and then after that 12- month period, could come back to work full-time for the City. So this allows us to bring an employee back that is wanting to retire, but wanting to also continue working. So it's a program that would give the City manager some flexibility to move quickly when these retirements come up and also provides some significant cost savings to the City. So during that 12-month period where they're not an employee of the City, but they're working for a third-party vendor, the City does not have to pay any health insurance costs, dental costs. We don't pay any of the retirement costs. It also saves us on the recruiting cost, so that we don't have to go to an outside firm and hire somebody to help us fill that position, because we can just transition that person to working for the vendor and continue working for the City. So with that, staff recommends that Council approve the Executive Continuity Program. If you do approve it, the next item is actually the contract with the vendor ESI. That's the vendor that we would actually be using to bring employees back to work under this CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 21 of 53 program. So staff is available if you have any questions, as far as the program or the objectives of the program go. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I have a question. If we are going to contract somebody to come back, does that have to come in front of Council, or are we saying we're just going to allow City management to decide how that functions and we have no say? Because I know in the past, it's come to Council. ARTZ: So Mayor, Council, this is providing the authority to the City manager to do that. So it's providing the flexibility to the City manager to bring an employee back under this contract. So it would not have to come back to Council every time. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I like the fact that it comes to Council, to be completely honest with you. You know, that way, we -- because part of it is development. I mean, the biggest benefit to me when it comes to this is I understand the financial level, but also, is to develop the next generation of leadership. You know, when folks want to retire and they want to come back, I get that. But we're a small organization, too, so we may not have somebody in the pipeline to be able to take on that responsibility quite yet. So this gives us an open window to be able to develop the next generation, whatever that is, or to go out and recruit and be -- in other words, we don't have a loss of leadership during critical times in our organization. That's the benefit to me. But I don't want this to become what we do all the time, and nobody ever leaves. So I think it would be good for it to come back to Council in general as an acknowledgment, but for us to be able to weigh in if it's something we want to do specific to that position or not. I like the idea in general, but I don't want it to become institutionalized where, I mean, if I can double dip, I'll just work here until I'm 80 or 90 or until I die, you know? So that's just my two cents. But other comments? Questions? ARTZ: Mayor, if I could just touch on that. So the contract that we're asking in the next agenda item is for $200,000 per year. So if it went over that 250,000, we would have to come back to Council. So this would be basically giving City manager the authority to do one, maybe two per year. If nobody retires, then we obviously wouldn't spend the CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 22 of 53 money with that vendor, but if it exceeded $250,000, then it would have to come back to Council the way it's written currently. DAVIS: About how many positions are even eligible for this program? It's not, like, open to all of them, like, to all positions, right? It's just, like, executive level positions. ARTZ: Executive leadership management positions. DAVIS: About how many of the -- about how many of those employees are nearing retirement age? MEDRANO: I was going to address that to answer that question, Mr. Mayor. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Go ahead. MEDRANO: Doesn't happen often. We've done it twice since I've been here, so we don't anticipate it happening every year, even. It'd be years apart. Yeah. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I saw two hands up here. You go ahead. GAMEZ: I have the utmost confidence and respect for Mr. Medrano and his team to make the right decision. I don't think that it should come to us. That's, in my opinion, not our jobs. Employment, theirs. Not ours. But that's my opinion. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Erives? ERIVES: I asked you a couple of questions regarding this, Mr. Artz, but I forgot to ask, would the person be -- okay. So they requested a retirement, and now they're a third- party employee. What happens with evaluations? Are they, like, a one-year employee for that time? And then based on evaluations, they could be, I don't know, just let go? Or they don't have to be evaluated because they're a different company? Can you just explain that for me? ARTZ: We would definitely still evaluate the individual in that position, and the City manager has the flexibility of -- if the City manager wants to go a different direction, there's no requirement to bring the employee back on as a full-time employee with the City after the contract is up. So there's nothing in the program or the policy that says we have to bring them back. But that's the flexibility that the City manager would have. But there would be some evaluation of their work product during that one year, and then if management wanted to bring them back, then they would be able to bring them CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 23 of 53 back in that position as a city employee. ERIVES: And helpful. And I just want to ask out in public the questions that I had originally said, because I know we had talked about it a little bit, but I had asked -- I know it says that this is for executive employees or leadership team. But we had also said it's always at the discretion of the City manager, so it kind of gives him leeway towards maybe there's a person who's retiring who's very specific, hard to replace, hard to fill position. And the example we said was, like, wastewater, right? Someone who's just very, very specific and skilled in that. And that would give them an -- the way I understood this, this would give the management opportunity to keep that person in that double dipping system until a new person is trained, given that guidance, and then so kind of like it gives us the best of both worlds, where management is able to do some of this as-needed kind of information that they need. We keep that educational knowledge within our city, which we don't want to lose that. Plus, it gives the opportunity for the employee to say, I want to retire and hold my grandbaby, right? ARTZ: So Mayor, Council Member Rodriguez, it's actually written that way to retain executive leadership, department directors, and other critical senior management positions as approved by the City manager. So the City manager, again, has the flexibility to determine if there's a position in the wastewater treatment plant that the City manager views as a critical management position, that they would be eligible -- that position would be eligible, also. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. Christine, you have the floor. CHAVIRA: Thank you, Mayor. Yes, I have a question. So let's say someone retires and they go and work for that third-party vendor for a year, and after that year, the City decides to hire them. Does that mean we're hiring them back as a regular city employee, and now they have the opportunity to earn yet another retirement from the City of Tolleson? ARTZ: Mayor, Council Member Chavira, yes, they would come back as a regular city employee, but they are not eligible to contribute to the retirement system. So they CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 24 of 53 would not be generating a second retirement, but they would come back as a regular city employee at that point. CHAVIRA: Thank you very much. That answers my question. ARTZ: Mayor? MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Yes? Oh, wait. DAVIS: So just quickly, it's based on -- it's not necessarily based on age, I guess. I asked about retirement age, but it's based on years of service? It's how many years of service? ARTZ: 80 points. DAVIS: 80 points. MEDRANO: You, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council, you get a point for your age and a point for years of service. Those add up to 80 service added together. DAVIS: Got it. Okay. MEDRANO: So it adds. And then there's another advantage of continuity that I fell upon while we were discussing this program. And I use Mr. Artz as an example. When Ms. Jouvet (phonetic) announced her retirement, we always knew Mr. Artz was floating out there. If this program was in place, we could have been more aggressive in recruiting him, bringing him in sooner, working alongside Vicki (phonetic) to transition into her retirement. So that also is going to contribute if we ever find ourselves in that position again. Those of you that remember Mr. Baumgardt, two CFOs ago, Steven, we lost him suddenly. He passed away. He fought cancer for ten years, admirably. We all watched it. It was very hard. And the fact that he would laugh about it still blows my mind. He was a great human being, but we lost him. I got a phone call. I was at lunch, got a phone call. He was gone. And there were some things that would have been nice to be able to get someone in quicker that was highly qualified. This type of agreement would allow us to do that. It would give us a pool of applicants to pull from. And really, they are, like, a probation for a year. And then we determine where we keep them, or if there's someone internally that could take their place. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: How long is the contract for? I know you said one year for the -- CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 25 of 53 MEDRANO: One year with a private company, and then back with us if we decide to bring them back. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: And if we do, it would be annually? MEDRANO: No, it would be done. They'd be regular City of Tolleson employees, but they will not get a second retirement. That means that we don't have to contribute to the retirement system anymore. But again, just to reiterate, this does not happen often at all. But we are all getting older, and eventually, we're going to have to make those decisions. I just want to be prepared for that because we have the best management team we've ever had, and I don't want to lose it. I don't want to -- and I think and there was another -- Mayor, you made a great point about cultivating the next generation leadership. This allows us more time to do that, where people now know, and specifically in public safety, understand that Tolleson has very high requirement academic requirements to reach the next level, to reach leadership positions. So there are several -- and I pick on fire because a lot of them are back in school preparing for that transition. Even though Mike's very young, he's not here. But so it gives them time to get caught up so that by the time those of us that are old enough -- I mean, a lot of -- like, I'm almost 60 years old and my time will come sooner than later when I can't work anymore. I don't know, I don't know, but I'll use myself as an example so I don't offend anybody. And it's our job to cultivate that next generation leadership, like you said, Mayor. This program allows us more time to do that and be more deliberate about it. Like, Rudy has several candidates at his place that he's preparing now. It's going to be a tough call if I'm still here and Rudy retires. It's going to be tough. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, no. And that's part of my concern. The other part, too, is if a candidate, a current employee, sees that the opportunity that they were preparing for is not going to be there because a person who retired is now back, and it's like, you know, I don't want them to say, I'm just going to go in and be for another city because my opportunities here are going to be limited. This person is never going to leave. They're double dipping. They're making great money. You know, they got a pension plus what they're making now. They're not going to leave. So I don't want to lose great CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 26 of 53 talent to the other cities. We've been very critical and successful in picking up talent from other cities. You know, I don't want to be a city that talent leaves because opportunities are locked up by people that never want to leave. MEDRANO: I wouldn't say that we're never going to leave. I think the -- MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Well, eventually, they're going to die off. MEDRANO: The age threshold is there. I don't think we're going to lose anybody because of that. I'm thinking of every department right now, and there isn't anyone that's going to walk away because they think that that opportunity is not going to come soon enough. If they leave, that's fine. We're a smaller city. This is one way to compete. We lose police and firefighters right out of the academy to bigger cities because they have more opportunities to grow, pay more money, and they have a diversity of experiences they can offer. This is a way for us to combat that as well. It's very difficult to -- we don't even try to compete with other cities. Culture, yes. That says a lot about our organization, and a lot of people stay because of it. But this allows us to maintain a leadership team that's able to recruit and prepare people for the next -- I mean, there's enough of a gap between our current leadership that's sitting around the room and the next generation of leadership that needs to prepare. Because I am a firm believer in succession planning. I'm a product of it. I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't. This is very much a component of that. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Jimmy? DAVIS: I was just going to say, I mean, without outing anyone for being retired, but I think the two examples that I've seen of this since I've been on Council are Reyes and Chief Good, and I think it's worked out pretty well. So you know, I'm glad that we got to keep you both in our organization. So I think that this is a benefit. I think it's a good program, and so I think we should move forward with it. That's where I'm at. MEDRANO: Thank you. Vice Mayor and Mr. Mayor, members of Council, vice mayor or Council. I don't see, like, a revolving door that every year, we're doing this. We're not. It's just not possible. It's not possible. Hence the limitation we put on it with the 250,000. That's money already budgeted. It's not like we're going to spend it all every CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 27 of 53 year. It's not going to happen that often. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: And it's not per employee. It's 250,000 period. MEDRANO: Right. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: So if somebody else was to join -- MEDRANO: To alleviate your concern, that caps it, too. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Yeah. So if we have somebody that's leaving this year, and you know, they're asking for 200 or 250, well the next person, we can only offer 50. It would only be 250 per year. MEDRANO: I can guarantee Council that no one's going to get over $200,000 a stay. That's not going to happen. They won't even ask for it. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. All right. Well, with that, I will entertain a motion. DAVIS: Motion to approve. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: So we have a motion to approve. LABORIN: Second. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: We have a second. So we have a motion by Vice Mayor Davis, a second by Council Member Laborin. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. ALL: Aye. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: All those opposed, please signify -- ALL: Aye. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: All those opposed, please signify by saying nay. Not hearing any. All right. A motion has been approved unanimously. Let's move on to item number 4, which is to approve or deny professional service agreement between the City of Tolleson and the Education Services, LLC for employee staffing services and authorize the City manager to execute and deliver said agreement and any renewal. The City shall pay the contractor an annual aggregate amount not to exceed 250,000. This agreement shall be effective July 1st, 2026, and shall remain in full force and effort June 30th of 2027, with the option to renew annually upon mutual agreement of the parties. Again, Chief Financial Officer Artz. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 28 of 53 ARTZ: Thank you, Mayor and Council. Again, this is just a follow-up to the previous item. So this is the tool that we would use to bring an employee back to work. It is a professional service agreement with Educational Services. ESI is what they're also known as. And as you mentioned, it's for $250,000 a year. If it exceeds that, we would have to come back to Council for that. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Just to have one request, it says by option to renew annually upon mutual agreement. So if there is an agreement by the organization and by us, I'm assuming it's not the employee in the organization in us? MEDRANO: Correct. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Right. MEDRANO: It's us in this organization. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Can we put that on the consent agenda action item? I mean, the consent agenda. MEDRANO: It I would think this language captures that. So this organization, they specialize in educational institutions. That's how we found them originally when I was going to retire. So I mean, I'll defer to Justin with the option to renew annually upon mutual agreement. That gives us all the authority we need. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: And if it's -- MEDRANO: It's a contract with the company, not the employee. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Right. So if it's agreed upon, if we put it on consent -- and just to let us know that we're going to continue it. And we would approve it as a consent agenda action item. PIERCE: Okay. Yeah. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Yeah. And that way, it's part of the public record. Everybody knows we're doing this again for another year and we can continue as need be. All right. Questions? Yes? DAVIS: Can we just motion to approve this? MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: We can, if you want to make a motion. DAVIS: Yeah. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 29 of 53 MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Okay. We have a motion to approve. GAMEZ: Second. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: We have a second. I'm going to go with Council Member -- sorry. I thought it was -- anyway. All right. Any questions before we take action? No questions. Okay. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. ALL: Aye. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: All those opposed? Not hearing any. All right. Motion has passed unanimously. We're going to move on to L, which is work study and presentations for discussion. We have two presentations today. The first one is Transit Services update. Thank you, Mr. Artz. ERIVES: Thank you. ARTZ: Thank you. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Development Services Superintendent Elias, you have the floor. How you doing, sir? ELIAS: Good. Good evening, Mayor, members of Council. Those of you who may not know me, my name is Gabriel Elias. I'm the transit superintendent for the City of Tolleson, and it's my pleasure this evening to provide you guys with an update of transit services as a whole and what's available to the community as far as transportation that is provided by ourselves and other entities. So with that, I'll go ahead and start the presentation. So I apologize. That's a little small. I'll read it through. So there's three modes of transportation within the City. There's fixed route service, which is the bus service; route 3, which is the Van Buren segment, 75th Avenue, all the way to 107th Avenue. There's a 17 which runs along the south side of McDowell, and that's 83rd Avenue to 99th Avenue, the south side. So we'll touch base on that. A little bit of data overview. Funding sources. There's also ADA transit services. There's paratransit and RideChoice. These are options for our ADA-needing demographic of the community. So that's there for them. We'll go over some data and funding sources, as well. And then we have Tolleson Micro Transit. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 30 of 53 We'll go over a data overview, funding sources, budget projections for FY '26, and then some potential changes that we may need to look at in the future. So fixed route service and estimation. So the route 3, 99th Avenue to 83rd Avenue. That's the one that runs along Van Buren. If you can see on that map right there on the right side, that pink line represents the route three that is along Van Buren. There's a very far segment over there on the right. It's dotted. That is our route. However, the City of Phoenix pays for that. So we'll go over these right here real quick. So route 3, 99th Avenue to 83rd Avenue. Cost to operate in FY '26 was just under 600,000. Estimated cost to operate for FY '27 is, you know, 643,000. For FY '26 and FY '27, this segment of fixed bus route service was funded by the region, so the City paid no money out of pocket. It was funded by the region. Moving on to prop 479, we will have to fund the segments that we continue to want to operate within our jurisdiction. So there's a funding source and opportunities for us to kind of look for ways to find more funding for those routes. So the route 3, which is our main fixed service here within the City, that averages about 4,600 boardings per month. So you're looking at the section from 75th Avenue all the way to 107th Avenue along Van Buren. We separated it. So there's route 3, the segment 83rd Avenue, 75th Avenue. That's an estimated cost to operate FY '26, 77,000. Estimated cost to operate FY '27, around 70,000. This segment, the one over here that's dotted, if you guys can see on the far right along Van Buren, that's funded, and it has been funded historically by the City of Phoenix. So Phoenix has indicated that they may no longer want to fund that after FY '27. For FY '27, we're good. They were able to work out a situation where they will continue to fund it for this transition year between proposition 400 and proposition 479. So we'll be okay for FY '27. However, FY '28, we may have to fund that segment of service. So this segment runs along the south side of Van Buren from 75th Avenue to 83rd Avenue, and those monthly boardings are around 1,640. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Quick question. So before those areas, did somebody else pay for that? Like, when it goes into Avondale, does Avondale pay for that? Okay. So if we CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 31 of 53 chose not to pay it, for example, Phoenix pays a portion, and then Avondale pays a portion, will that route just completely disappear, or are they going to have to incur the cost? ELIAS: Thank you, Mayor, members of Council. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: They're going to drive around Tolleson. ELIAS: So if we elect to not fund a segment of service, then that service, it may continue to run through our jurisdiction, but not make stops, but the jurisdiction that continues the service, they will have to fund it. I don't know what Avondale's IGA looks like, what segments of theirs that they have funded through the region, but for the most part, the majority of route 3 for us is funded by the region historically, prop 400. So yes, they would have to. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Follow-up question is, you say average monthly boarding is 4,624. Is there any data that lets us know how much of those boards are for Tolleson residents versus people that are just driving through Tolleson to get to a different destination from a different city? ELIAS: Thank you, Mayor, members of Council. So right now, it's just boardings within our jurisdiction. So they can't define whether those are actual Tolleson residents or people trickling into our community and then taking the bus from there. So it's boardings that are within our actual jurisdiction. DAVIS: I actually wonder if that's maybe something that they can start to track with their new system that they're using to pay for their tolls. The app, right? Because you enter your information. I don't know if you do. I think you do. Maybe. ELIAS: Yeah. Thank you. Mayor, Vice Mayor Davis. They do have a new fare system that is supposed to improve tracking of ridership and things of that nature. And I think you may have heard these on the board as well. Several surveys that are coming out that will help us, you know, kind of determine where, you know, some of these boardings or where the demographic of riders are truly from when they take them within the jurisdictions. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm not opposed to funding it if it CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 32 of 53 provides benefit. But I've been here all my life. And again, it may just be my ignorance. I don't know anybody who takes the bus in Tolleson. And maybe I'm just missing it. But do you guys -- have you guys heard of somebody who takes the bus in Tolleson and picks it up in one of these routes? DAVIS: I hate to say this out loud, but I'm on Valley Metro's board, and I've been on a bus once in my entire life. I've been on the light rail lots of times, but I've only been on the bus once. One of the things -- MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: That's the only point that I'm trying to make. DAVIS: One of the things that I will say is that this is the most frustrating board that I sit on, and I sit on, like, 25 of them. I have some real big concerns over the way that they are divvying up funding, moving into the new -- what's it called? New prop 479. Yeah. It doesn't seem very equitable. So I really want -- and I will be saying this to Valley Metro and probably MAG. I really want somebody to really explain how this is working, because it just doesn't seem right to me. The other side of that is that with transportation in general, and transit and the bus service and light rail, we have to stop thinking as individual cities, and we have to start thinking as a region, or we're not going to get anywhere. And I think that's the biggest problem. Right now, it's very obvious, like, all of the infrastructure for transportation is all in the East Valley. It's just that's where it's at. Or Central Phoenix, you know, it's not in -- historically, it's not where the people of color are. Let's just say that. And so we need to fix that. The people who really need the transportation services don't have access to them. So that's a big issue. So you know, maybe it's not necessarily just our residents riding through here, but we need to be thinking regional about these types of things. But on the other side of that, the funding needs to be equitable as well. So that that's all. ELIAS: Mayor, Vice Mayor, that's a good point. You know, the whole point is regional continuity. So with these two routes, 17 and the 3, they play a huge role in regional connectivity from the East Valley all the way to the West Valley. So just like you mentioned, Vice Mayor, from the East Valley to the Central Valley all the way to the CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 33 of 53 West Valley gets more sporadic as far as fixed route service, and these are the things of those natures. But the different type of transit options and programs that we put together, you know, amongst the West Valley cities, there's opportunities for more growth, at least from those smaller programs. So we'll go through a couple more things here. If you guys have any more questions, please feel free to stop me and let me know. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Hold on. Do you have a question? CARRICO: Mayor, members of Council. I'm following this through City Council meetings and some from the meetings I've been hearing, but I'm not intimately involved in this. But when we talk about the boardings per month, do we also need to consider the people who are coming here to work and use Tolleson? Because that definitely affects Tolleson's economic landscape. And so when considering those routes, you do not want to cut those off. Just an observation. DAVIS: I will totally agree with that. However, where a lot of our industry is, we don't even have bus service over there. So we've had to supplement that with our Micro Transit system. So that's also unfortunate that they're not even providing bus service to areas -- I sound like a Valley Metro hater right now, but they're not providing bus service to the areas that need it, you know? And that's a prime example. Buckeye, how many warehouses are on Buckeye? How many thousands of people go to work on that street every single day and cannot get to work using the Valley Metro system? That is, they take millions and millions of dollars, as you can see. You know, this all adds up really quickly. What's the $328,000 for one fixed service, right? Like it adds up super, super quickly, and it's just inadequate service across the region, so -- MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I will add, I think as Council members, we're kind of -- we have different personalities. In one sense, we have to look out for Valley Metro because it is a regional benefit. But by the same token, we have to look out for what's the fiscal correct thing to do for our city, because that's a lot of zeros behind that 337 and 328, and then the slide before that had $460-some thousand. It adds up really quick. So we have to make decisions that both benefit the residents always, but also, what is the prudent thing to do on behalf of the organization? CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 34 of 53 DAVIS: What is -- MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I'm not beating up on nobody. DAVIS: No, no, I know. I believe me, I know. But our allocation -- what is the number that we're going to be receiving? ELIAS: I'll go through here. Mayor, Vice Mayor, I'll go through here. But just to remind Mayor and the Council, historically, for these routes 17 and route 3, They've been funded by either RPTA or Phoenix. So we're looking at fiscal year '28 with funding sources available for that fiscal year that will help us on the more critical routes, which would -- speaking internally and with our transit team, that the route 3 is very critical, you know, with the data that we show, and then also the continuity of the connectivity of that route from the East Valley to the West Valley. So route 17, again, estimated cost to operate FY '26, just under 340,000. Estimated to cost estimated cost to operate FY '27, just under 330,000. Phoenix will continue to fund that segment of 17 through FY '27 as we transition from proposition 400 to proposition 479. FY '28 for fixed route services, the fixed route service, we're still on now, we will play by those rules and policies, which are 479. So Phoenix may no longer fund after FY '27. They have indicated that they didn't want to. We anticipate opting out of funding beginning of FY '28 and beginning conversations with our regional partners, RPTA, Valley Metro, City of Phoenix. Like, how can we keep this going, but not burden us with, you know, 350,000 or more moving forward? So an average monthly boardings for this segment, 1892. So this is the McDowell route that you see on the upper portion of the picture there, from 99th Avenue to 83rd Avenue on the south side. So this data is only south side. We can't tell who's boarding, but we know the data is coming from the south side route, which runs east. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Yes, Council Member? ERIVES: I have a question on these routes. Mr. Elias, when we're talking about these routes -- and I'm going to say the same thing. Since I don't ride the public bus, I don't know. Are routes 24 hours a day. ELIAS: Mayor, Council Member Erives, there are certain time restrictions. They don't CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 35 of 53 run 24 hours a day. The route 3, I believe, runs all the way up to about 1 o'clock in the morning, 30-minute intervals. So there is not -- at least these two routes, they don't run 24 hours a day. ERIVES: And is that Monday through Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays as well? Are they running? ELIAS: Yes, Council Member Erives. There is weekday service, limited Saturday, and limited Sunday. ERIVES: I am an employee of one of the warehouses. Now I even have to figure out which route will get me there. And then the time frames. Okay. ELIAS: Mayor, Council Member, yes, that's correct. ERIVES: And that goes for all routes are about that same time, Monday through Friday? ELIAS: Yeah. That's correct. So what they try to achieve is 30-minute intervals. 30- minute intervals. I'm sorry. The more productive routes that service more boarders than that, they are about 15 or so. ERIVES: Sorry. One more time. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Would it be okay if we can research, like, they're available this day to this date, from this end of this time, on the weekends, they're available from this time to this time, and then just send it out to Council so that we're fully aware of what their operating hours are? ELIAS: Yeah. Mayor, Members of Council, certainly. We can we can do that. ERIVES: And you had said -- sorry, Vice Mayor. You had said that you have to pay. So City of Tolleson is going to pay, and then the person riding has to pay, as well, to get on this bus? ELIAS: Mayor, Council Member Erives, so what we pay for are operating and service for those fixed routes. So the fare that the rider pays, all that's calculated into the allocations that we receive moving forward, or in the past, how it was calculated for the portion of RPTA or Valley Metro for those segments that they paid for. So here's a little information on TLC prop 479 transit funding. So we will get what's called a base allocation. So each jurisdiction will get a portion of base allocation of CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 36 of 53 funding that will run concurrently with the lifespan of prop 479, which is 20 years. Tolleson will receive approximately $680,000 FY '28. The allocation will not be coupled to a specific route. So in the past, when these segments were funded through prop 400, they were funded with what were called handshake agreements. So if Phoenix was paying for route 3, or RPTA was paying for route 3, that money or that funding went to those specific routes. We can choose what that allocation will go to, based on the better performing route, or which one is more critical to our community. And we do anticipate applying the entire allocation towards route 3, just because the operating costs will continue to increase on a yearly basis. There's also a formula funding component. It's operational assistance funding based on performance-based formula. So any routes that we're paying for within our jurisdiction, there's an equation of boardings and revenue miles. Revenue miles means when the bus is operating and there's passengers that actually pay to get on. You'll see a bus running that says not in service. Those are not revenue miles. So revenue miles are calculated to come up with the formula fund. And that can be applied to any fixed route operation cost. So the amount for FY '28 would be based on 3 and 17, performance for FY '24 and FY '25, and that will be recalculated on a biennial basis. So the next one will be FY '26 and '27 for the corresponding years. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Vice Mayor? DAVIS: So what is the total cost for 28 to operate both lines? ELIAS: 1.2 million for both of them. Both, which if we were to -- I'm sorry, Mayor, Vice Mayor. If we were to fund, this fiscal year would be over $1 million, 700-something thousand for the route 3, and then 300 to 400,000 for route 17. DAVIS: So $1.2 million to fund both of those routes, where our base allocation is $679,000 a year, and then we're going to get -- MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Is that a year, or is that a one-time deal? ELIAS: The allocation, it's per year, and then it increases with inflation. DAVIS: And then the formula funding is based on -- and so we'll get an additional allotment based on the formula funding. So it's two allotments; is that correct? CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 37 of 53 ELIAS: Mayor, Vice Mayor, that is correct. But it would only be data collected for whichever routes that we are funding. So if we move forward and not fund the route 17, we lose the formula funding for that route. However, it performs at only a third of what the route 3 does, so we'll lose a portion of it, but it wouldn't be as much of an impact as if we were to lose a route 3. DAVIS: How are the base allocations determined? ELIAS: So the base allocations are determined by regional pot. How many routes are within the jurisdiction, boardings, and revenue miles. So they take that, put it all together in a calculation, and then tell a jurisdiction, this is how much you're getting based on the service that's provided in your jurisdiction. DAVIS: So I think Mesa got the most amount of money out of those base allocations. How much money is Mesa getting? ELIAS: Mayor, Vice Mayor, I think 32 million, I believe. DAVIS: $32 million that Mesa is getting. So Mesa has the most bus routes and service going through there? ELIAS: Vice Mayor, I don't believe they do. DAVIS: I don't believe they do either. So something's not right. Something's awry in this funding situation, as I stated before. So I just wanted to point that out. I will definitely be bringing that up at the Valley Metro -- the next Valley Metro Board meeting, which I believe is this week. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: So just to be clear, 3 is McDowell, and 17 is Lower Buckeye? ELIAS: Three is Van Buren. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Van Buren. Okay. ELIAS: 17 is McDowell. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Got it. Okay. Just trying to wrap my head around it. Okay. 3 is Van Buren. DAVIS: Is there any -- I guess I want to go to Bucky's. Is there any fixed route service on Buckeye at all? ELIAS: Mayor, Vice Mayor, there is -- members of Council, there is service on Buckeye CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 38 of 53 Road. DAVIS: Okay. ELIAS: It runs from Phoenix all the way to about 100 -- I don't want to misspeak on how lengthy it is, but I know for a fact it goes to about 75th Avenue. DAVIS: That's funded by Phoenix? ELIAS: Here we move on to ADA Transit Services. So this is an option that our riders or our demographic with disabilities or our senior demographic have an opportunity to get their transportation. So we're required to provide ADA services within three quarters of a mile of a fixed route. So we have the 3 and the 17. So we have to provide that service. In prop 400, it was locally funded. So we would get an IGA sometime in April or May of each fiscal year, we would draft up the IGA with RPTA, and then we would pay throughout the fiscal year for those services, based off an estimation that we believe, based on trends and data, for how many rides we would provide for paratransit and/or RideChoice. ADA paratransit '26 projections. So we were able to project 1,248 trips. 941 trips have been provided through -- this is the latest data I was able to pull from the system up through February 26th, so we will probably hit our projected mark of 1,248. Paratransit costs are about $84 a trip, which can get very, very expensive for our jurisdiction. So ADA paratransit is a service that provides those that require transportation with door- to-door, wheelchair bed, those type of services. And they also have RideChoice, which is an on-demand service. It's similar to our Micro Transit program. It's a lot cheaper. So for FY '26, we projected just over 1,200 trips. 650 trips have been provided through FY '26 to February 2026, and those average about $30 a trip. So a lot of that, the gap in between pricing, it can hurt our budget if the rider does not know which ride is more appropriate for them to take. So hopefully, moving forward with the new proposition 479, which requires the trips to be ADA compliant, then the rider can take the correct ride based on when they call in with the broker. DAVIS: Matching service or something that's going to be implemented, too; is that correct? CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 39 of 53 ELIAS: Mayor, Vice Mayor, so there's a one call service now, where in the past, if rider wanted to take a ride that needed paratransit or transit, they had to call different services for those services. So now, they have consolidated it into one on-call center, and that one on-call center now will help the rider make the better decision on which, you know, ride they should be taking. So in FY '26, our projected costs were 109,850. That's the IGA that we've been paying out through this past fiscal year. So FY '27 through the lifespan of prop 479, this will be PTF-funded. So public transportation funds will pay for that service. The jurisdiction will be responsible for cost of non-ADA eligible trips. So ADA eligible means that they're using it how the program is defined within 479 policy, and it's within the three-quarter mile of the fixed route service. So FY '27 estimated paratransit trips, we estimated at 1,500, and FY '27 estimated RideChoice trips, you know, just under 1,100. 227 of those are non-ADA, based on trends and then the forecasting model. So we did have some jurisdictional equity left over from proposition 400, so we were able to apply that amount from the closeout money from 400 for those non-ADA trips. So we should be covered on those for the next fiscal year. DAVIS: Are there any of our residents who don't live within whatever the limit is from a fixed route service that just -- because I don't want anybody to not be eligible to take a ride if they need it. ELIAS: Mayor, Vice Mayor, everybody that takes a trip within Tolleson jurisdictions is a true resident, and we do go through -- or our team goes through a -- we go through the data monthly to make sure that the riders are -- those trips are generated from a jurisdiction and going to where they need to go for whatever services they need and then back to the jurisdiction. And if there's a rider that's not within our jurisdiction or south of our jurisdiction, then we make sure that the appropriate parties know, and then we get reimbursed for whatever costs, if any, may have been incurred for that rider. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: You have a comment, Jason? CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 40 of 53 EARP: Yeah. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Thank you. ELIAS: I misunderstood the question. Sorry. DAVIS: That's okay. I liked what you what you told me, too, so we're good. ELIAS: All right, so now we get to toss out a little bit of fun stuff here. So Tolleson Micro Transit is our on-demand service. 24/7, 365. It's provided by Uber and Lyft. So we'll go over some numbers here. So for all of FY 2025, we provided, you know, just under 30,800 rides at a total cost of $282,736. Average cost per trip is around $9.18 at that time. It was not around. It was $9.18. Average rides per month, 2,566. And the highest ridership was in May of 2025, at that time, at 3,075 rides. So going a whole year ahead. So this is FY '26 through May 31st of this year. So we provided 50,763 rides at a cost of $501,000 and some change. Average cost per trip, again, within that $9 range. Our average rides per month, 4,614. Highest ridership, again, was May. Last month, 5,645 riders. Ridership is up greater than 64 percent from FY '25. We project to exceed 555,000 this fiscal year '26, and the funding source for our Micro Transit program is local. So here's some graphs of where our riders are getting picked up or how they're using the program. This heat map shows -- the more red or purple to yellow areas are the nucleus of where these people are using the program. So it's more towards, you know, the center of Tolleson, our core area. So this tells us that the riders are generating the rides, obviously, within the jurisdiction, which is good. So these are trips that are less than 3.5 miles out of our jurisdiction. Again, the majority of the rides are generated at the core of our city, and these rides are being taken to the locations that we have that are within our program. You have the Costco Plaza on McDowell Road, Food City on Thomas, and then Target on Lower Buckeye Road. So this tells us that they're going to and from the locations that we designed for people to get to. Again, this is really good information. It tells us that they're using the program for what it's designed for, and we don't see any abuse of the program as far as the information that we're looking at. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 41 of 53 So here's ridership with trips greater than 3.5 miles. Again, the rides are initiating and generating from the core area of Tolleson. We've marked down some of these locations that people are going to. Walmart. 75th Avenue. Target again. Price Plaza on Buckeye Road. AZ DOT MDV services on Van Buren in Goodyear Avondale. Maricopa Beauty College, Estrella Community College, Desert Sky Mall Transit Center, or Desert Sky Mall. And then there's the Social Security Office in downtown Phoenix. So again, these are trips that have to generate within our jurisdiction and they have to end back in our jurisdiction. So if they go out there, they have to come back to be eligible for the subsidy and the fare that they pay. So our ride counts by distance. Again, the graph shows the miles down there that people are taking and how many riders are going that far. So the majority of our riders are staying within that one-to-four-mile range, again, which is pretty much the area that we designed for people to use the program. So that's also some good information, too. So potential changes for Micro Transit, or cost containment strategies if need be. So you know, we can partner with local businesses. You know, we have a lot of these very large companies within our community. We can partner with them to see if they would like to help contribute, and we can develop transportation programs for their working population. Explore our options to generate revenue within the fare amount. If there's an option that we can get money from the fare, just, like, a farebox recovery with a fixed route, then we can look at options like that or regular bus service. And the last ones are, if necessary, increase rider fare outside of the boundary from $2 to $4. That's just an example. Not saying that that's what it would be. Reduced service hours or limit rides. The big thing about our program is that there's none like it around, and what we provide for the resident as far as what's available to them, when it's available to them, is unmatched. So it's a really, really good service for what we're paying for. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I just want to add. There's a couple things that I really like about this information. One of them is that I was always fearful of abuse. You know, we have this really good program, and people are taking advantage of it for the unintended CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 42 of 53 consequences. But the data that we've gathered here pretty much proves that people are getting picked up in Tolleson, and they're going to close locations that we've designated as necessary, and then they're returning back to their homes in Tolleson. So I don't think abuse is an issue. And honestly, I think the program shows itself to be extremely effective. So I understand the increase in cost because the increasing use of the program. And honestly, I think it's a very well-deserved investment. I think the people are getting the benefit out of it. And they're our neighbors. They're our Tolleson residents. And so I understand prices are going to go up because ridership is going up, but that's kind of price of doing business, in a sense. That's just my two cents. But I'm glad that we have some things in place that kind of, you know, identify when abuse is happening and what we can do to kind of prevent that from happening in the future getting worse, because they all have a dollar sign attached to it. Vice Mayor? DAVIS: I was going to say a lot of similar things. It's obviously working. It's a great program. It's getting people where they need to be, getting them to work. You know, I talked about the lack of bus service, especially, like nighttime shifts. The bus doesn't even run. You can get off or have to go to work at 3 in the morning. How are you going to get there? You going to walk in the middle of the night? You know, it's pretty sketchy that way. You know, and we're still not spending as much as we would have been spending on the ZOOM circulator bus that went nowhere. No one rode. And so I mean, what was the average? I think it was $600,000 or something like that a year for that ZOOM circulator bus. Do you happen to remember what the average ridership a month was on the ZOOM circulator bus? ELIAS: Mayor, Vice Mayor, I believe average rides were between 3,000 and 3,500, with this highest being 4,995 somewhere around there. So our program now, which was designed to fill in the gaps and replace that supplemental service, is exceeding the performance that ZOOM did previously, so -- MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: ZOOMed away. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 43 of 53 ELIAS: Yeah, it's a very good program. There's a lot of interest in it, not only locally, regionally, but nationally. So it's a very good service for our community. And we get a lot, a lot of compliments. We get some complaints, but the majority of those complaints come from south of Buckeye Road. Unfortunately, we can't fund them. But the program is performing as we -- is performing tenfold over what we expected, but it's doing what we designed it to do. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Functioning as designed. Any other comments? Yes. Council Member Chavira, you have the floor. CHAVIRA: Thank you, Mayor. I love this program. I think it's a wonderful program. I think it's worth funding. I think it's far more convenient and user-friendly than the microbus. I mean, as a kid, we rode the bus. Were either walking, or we rode the bus. And if you've ever had to ride the bus, it's not that fun. It takes so much time to get from point A to point B, and the beauty of this program is that it picks me up at my front door and drops me off where I need to go. And it's fast, it's convenient, it's affordable. And the best part is it's outperforming the alternative system. So I think this was a great move. Whosever idea it was, kudos to you. It's working great. And thank you. Thank you for the information. ELIAS: Thank you. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: I will add we're going to have to do some research. I know you suggested a number of strategies, partnering with the local businesses and a couple of other options. But I think we need to double down on that, because the cost in fiscal year 2028 is coming whether we like it or not. And we're going to have to have a response to that. Whether we want to participate or we don't want to participate. What are the pros and the cons of participation? Obviously, funding. We have to pay money for it. Well, what are the cons? Well, we're going to have to spend money out of it. By the same token, how many people are going to disenfranchised? Is the money spent worth the Tolleson residents that are going to be displaced, potentially employees coming to Tolleson to work? I think we need to do a little bit more studying on that and trying to figure out, okay, CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 44 of 53 well, what is going to be the fiscal response when they come knocking for that money? And so I think that's where we need to really focus. The transit program, I think it's great. If there needs to be an increase to what we fund on that, as far as I'm concerned, it's money well spent. It's well-invested, and so I think it's a good thing. But I think my bigger question is Valley Metro. And how are we going to negotiate that relationship? And I think it's critical. The other thing, too, is we need to look at services for kids. I know Lyft and Uber recently started doing background checks for some of their drivers, and they're authorized to be able to drive kids who are minors. And that's one of the big drawbacks about Uber and Lyft. Not all drivers can drive kids, and not all parents trust them, because there's no documentation proving that they actually had their background searched or checked. But if we can explore a little bit on that too, because that would allow ridership to increase to minors. So you had your hand up, Vice Mayor? DAVIS: Yeah. I was just going to point out that Valley Metro is not in charge of the actual funding anymore. That is now under MAG. So that's also a big piece of contention. So there's a lot of mess going on, I think, with those formula funds and all the -- and the whatever it is. All the ways that they're funding it. It's just not right, and I think there's going to be a lot of pushback from all of the cities. So I think it's going to get pretty ugly, to be honest, so -- MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Council Member? ERIVES: I have a couple of questions. Do you by chance -- with your maps, right? Noticing where people are traveling and not traveling? Are there any places that you're saying, oh, there's a great need to expand that map of where people are going to include? Did you notice any patterns of oh, we forgot to add, I don't know, this area, and we're seeing a great need there? ELIAS: Council Member Erives, so what we've seen in the data and the maps and things of those nature are that they're going to the places that we, you know, design the program for. Our program's also designed to get writers to other forms of public CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 45 of 53 transportation. So if they need to go 15 miles out of our jurisdiction to go somewhere else, they can go to an Avondale Park and Ride and pick up something there. They can go to a Desert Sky Transit Center, pick up something there. So connectivity was something that was involved in the planning of our program. So that capability is there, and it's something that we do -- we're very proud about with the program. ERIVES: A different question. What about driverless vehicles? Are we looked into anything like that to offer? I know when you had mentioned about children, right. They had said, well, a driverless vehicle doesn't need to have a background check if that's possible. I was just wondering, have we looked into it? ELIAS: Mayor, Council Member Erives, so we have not, but we will go back out for RFP in the winter of '27. So when we initially went out for RFP back in 2021, 2022, there were only two bidders, and that was Uber or Lyft. So when we put this next one out, there's going to be a plethora of vendors out there that are going to want to bid on our program, one, because of how we've developed it, and two, the attention that it's drawn. So we're excited for that, and we will look into that moving forward. But one thing that I do want to circle back on that you had mentioned earlier, Mayor, is you know, having the ability to locally govern what we do as a city. One thing that we do want to promote 100 percent is local funding for this program. As long as it continues to be locally funded and we control the service, the service that's provided, then we're able to make changes or do things to the program that, if it were to be -- everybody likes federal funding, everybody likes other funding sources. But that creates, you know, barriers into trying to operate how you want to operate. So with that being said, that's -- MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Vice Mayor? DAVIS: I just wanted to thank you, Gabe, publicly, for all your hard work in transit, for putting the Micro Transit system together in the first place. I mean, that's amazing work, you know, and just keeping me informed and helping me, you know, just really stay informed and on top of things with Valley Metro, because it is a lot of a lot. That board packet is always, like, a monstrosity, and there's always all kinds of just random CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 46 of 53 things in there. And so you know, I can always count on Gabe to answer my questions. And he's actually been taking me to meetings and going with me to those now. So we can, you know, make sure that I am able to vote in the best interest of our city all the time, because I don't feel that I'm always given the correct information from other organizations. So thank you, Gabe, for that. I appreciate it. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: And we have to say the obvious. I mean, a lot of us attend these national conferences, and you go to presentations, and you realize there's some really good national models of how to do things correctly for the benefit of your residents. And I got to say, this is probably by far one of those -- one of those programs that we have here locally that we created and we've developed into what it's turned into, and I've gotten interest from people from across other parts of the country that pull me to the side to say, tell me about your transit program. And I said, well, let me give you -- let me give you our staffer's number. But yeah, no, it really is, in my opinion, a model program. And you've done it. You and your team have done an amazing job of developing it to something that we can be very proud of, and we know 100 percent, based on the data, that we are serving the targeted population, which is the residents of Tolleson, primarily. ELIAS: Thank you, Vice Mayor. Thank you for the compliment. It's a team effort. We developed it as a team, so I couldn't take the credit. But it's a good program. I'm happy that I'm the face of the program, but it was a team effort. Thank you, guys. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Any other comments or questions? No? Good job. Good job. Okay. Now, before Jason starts to talk, I'm going to move to item number 2, which is Development Services Department update. And that's going to be Development Services Director Earp. You have the floor, sir. EARP: Thank you, Mayor. But before I start, Gabe is very humble. It is a taxing job to try to keep everything straight. But we've had four in-state cities come to us for presentations on our program. We've had three out-of-state cities get the same presentation, all done by Gabe. Two local cities, I won't name them, but have dropped CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 47 of 53 the award-winning WeRIDE and started a similar program as ours. And then also, Vice Mayor and myself were there at the Arizona Transit Association conference in Flagstaff, where Gabe and two other cities did a presentation on the Micro Transit. One was that of New Jersey, I believe, and the other one was Prescott Valley. And it was an hour long for all three. And then there was question and answers. There was one question in 45 minutes for Prescott Valley, and the rest were for Gabe. So it just kind of shows you what kind of program we have and the recognition we're getting. DAVIS: And I have gone on record to say that our Micro Transit system program is far superior to the award-winning WeRIDE. It's ridiculous. EARP: I got to take my shot. Sorry. Okay. So this this week is development services. We're just going to kind of highlight a couple of items from Council fiscal year '26 highlights, city services for residents and businesses, community placemaking, and sustainable revenues. So Streets Project, which is complete. It helps the businesses and the residences get their crack seal, slurry sealed, restriped all the local residential north and south streets from 99th Avenue to 91st Avenue, to Jackson Street, to Roosevelt Street complete. And this is kind of small, but it's all the yellow that you see there. And I'm sure you guys all live there or have family there that have seen it. So we're very proud of that project. So just some pictures of the crack seal on top, slurry seal in the middle, and some of our employees getting it prepped for the work. The measurable outcomes and strategic impact. 100 percent of the completion of the targeted residential street maintenance, extended pavement life cycle, reduced future capital replacement costs, and of course, enhanced neighborhood appearance and safety. Community placemaking initiative. Everyone in the community, I believe, is excited about the aquatic center. It transformed public spaces into vibrant, inclusive environments, reflects community identity and values. It's under construction, and I'm proud to say, ahead of schedule. The outcomes and strategic impact. New premier public amenities, serving residents and families, increased program rental and event CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 48 of 53 revenue opportunities. You know, we've talked about it several times, having some big meets here. They'll come, hopefully stay at our hotels, eat at our restaurants. That all helps out our economy. Strengthened community identity and regional competitiveness and project ahead of schedule, reducing risk exposure. And the reason I put that, it's kind of like a time buffer. So we're ahead of schedule, but it's nice. You never know. It's supposed to be El Nino year. There might come a lot of rain and stuff, but now that we're ahead, hopefully, we got some time buffer in there where we'll still get done in plenty of time. And next, this picture. This is one of the latest pictures from the sides. You got the building, you got the lazy river where the slides and stuff go, and of course, the competition pool on the other side. Yeah. One of the other goals is increase sales tax revenue and expand resident services. So we've had several ribbon cuttings most of you have been at since 2025. Those are just a few: Ahuevo Cafe, LivAway Suites, Vanguard, Bosa Donuts, Cafecito Coffee House, Rally's. Frank Norata Market is probably our most recent one that we had. They're all complete and operational. Just some pictures from the ribbon cutting from LivAway, Rally's, Ahuevo, and then, of course, the Frank Norata African Market. The economic development, sustainable revenues, expanded sales tax base, increased local spending, retention, job creation, and service diversification for residents. Those are just a few. There's a lot more coming. You know, we're working on more local eateries, hopefully more hotels and other stuff. So we'll keep you apprised of those that are coming soon. But what we want to focus on 2027 is revitalized. We heard loud and clear from the mayor and Council during their advancement is revitalize Paseo de Luces, the 91st Avenue entrance. We want to strengthen Tolleson's identity and civic pride. Maybe some new welcome signage enhancements, landscape improvements which are over ten years old. Gateway beautification, added safety features. So this just shows a picture of 91st Avenue on the top picture, and then Paseo de Luces on the bottom of Van Buren. CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 49 of 53 So we hope this sense of place, investment, long-term value, city gateway improvements, enhancing first impressions of anyone visiting the city, strengthened civic pride, and community branding. We're going through our general plan now. We had our kickoff with our PNZ today with that. So the community is going to have a lot of input over the next 12 months, and we'll use that as part of this. We've already talked to them, and we're telling them we're going to do this next fiscal year. So hopefully, they start generating a lot of interest and at least opinions and of what people want to see. And then of course, supports property value stabilization, and business attraction. It's not a secret we're looking for a grocery store in our downtown, so I think it just behooves us to beautify as much as possible, make it welcoming for not only the business, but people that come from outside of Tolleson to shop at that grocery store. So with that, I just have -- anyone have any questions? GAMEZ: Any questions or comments from Council? My comments are pretty straightforward. I think we've done an amazing job of bringing a diversity of businesses to town, and people have choices to go shopping here. And I think you made an exceptional point that kind of marries both presentations. The map show that a lot of folks are leaving Tolleson to go somewhere else. Some of those places were Target. Some of those places were Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart on 75th. All those things have one thing in common, and that's that our residents are going and spending sales tax revenues in their communities, and that money stays in their community, doesn't come back to Tolleson. And the fact that we are opening up all these new establishments where people of Tolleson to have choices. Right now, it's a lot of eateries, but there's also other things coming down the pike as you mentioned. Those sales tax revenues that are collected here in town are going to be rolled right back into our budget, into our community. So there's a huge benefit for Tolleson residents to take advantage of the new businesses here in town, because they're going to see not only the great experience, but they're also going to see that money rolled back into their own community, which is going to help with our roadways and other infrastructure improvement projects, aquatic CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 50 of 53 facilities, whatever it is we need to use that money for. So I think it's a great thing. But that doesn't happen by accident. I mean, I know we talked about the management and the keeping track of the dollars, but the reality is we have to go out and we got to seek those opportunities. And you and your team in economic development have done a really good job of going out there, meeting with these companies, asking them to expand to our backyard, and in making their presence here a reality. And with that, again, sales tax revenue being rolled back into our community. So I think it's a great thing. I think you guys have done an amazing job, and you and your team are to be commended. Great job. Absolutely. Any other questions or comments? Yes. Vice mayor? DAVIS: I'll just say I got to do the ribbon cutting for that Frank Norata African Market. It was really cool because, you know, the way that I kind of thought about it was we have the Carnicerias that we can go to kind of get our cultural foods, right? But we do have a great deal of Africans who live in our community or around, and now they have a place that they can go and kind of get some of their cultural stuff, as well. So it was cool. A lot of them were in their cultural clothing and celebrating, and it was a really neat event. Lots of fish at that place. If you like fish, that's somewhere to go. GAMEZ: But it goes back to the earlier point of inclusion. DAVIS: Yeah. GAMEZ: You know? DAVIS: Exactly. GAMEZ: It's good to have a diversity of different options here in town, whether they're local stuff that that we like as Hispanics, or whether it's something from another part of the world, it's a beautiful thing. So the more the merrier, as far as I'm concerned. Other comments. Yes, Erives? ERIVES: I just wanted to echo that with regards to that African market allowing -- we walked in, and they were sharing how to prepare some of the meals with it. So I'm like, you know, what is this? And the young lady that was there explaining, she was just so CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 51 of 53 excited that we, as the City, was there for the event. They were just excited. The music that they were singing, and it was just very, very welcoming. Because you had mentioned that, Vice Mayor, that the food connects us in your speech. You said something about food connects us, and so here, they were sharing their culture. In my school at Tolleson High with students, I know that there is a large population of African students, and so having them have a place, have a market, the clothing, the material you could purchase. It was just beautiful. And as I put this T-shirt on today, I was thinking about that particular market and just how it feels so good to have something within our community where I can learn. They were welcoming to me, you know, try this, try this. We had little cookies and such, so it was just beautiful. Beautiful that when you mentioned acceptance and inclusion, Mayor, I think that's one of the words you said. I was like, yes, it feels great that they're here. So thank you for economic development to allow multiple businesses to shine. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: The last thing I'll say, because I'm going to run this meeting as late as I can, is that we also have to be cognizant that we have lost two restaurants in Tolleson in a short period of time. They don't need to be mentioned, but obviously, we have to recruit people to take on facilities that are existing, and for whatever reason, are choosing to do something else. So there's one on Van Buren that comes to mind. But you know, that has to be part of what we do. And I know it's in your periphery because you go out and meet with all the businesses. But just when opportunities come up. You know, and I would ask Council to share, you know, what your preferences are with Jason, because he can put together recruitment opportunities for particular types of businesses. So anyway, I just want to make that point. Anything else? MEDRANO: I just think it's important, Mr. Mayor, members of Council, to inform those of us that -- or those of you that worked with Richard Rawnsley for all those years, he was one of our best public servants. I've known that man since I was in the seventh grade. Great job, Jason. He actually worked with Jason in public works when Jason was over there. He passed away. We just found out today. So he was a great man. If you knew him, you were lucky. Never stopped smiling. Love this place. He, along with CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 52 of 53 Bernie Jorgensen (phonetic), they were inseparable. But my prayers go out to him and his family. We were lucky to know him. Thank you, Mayor. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Thank you for bringing that to our attention. Vice Mayor? DAVIS: Just one more thing I wanted to bring up. Sorry I've been talking a lot today, guys. That's, I guess, what I'm here for. But we had an interfaith TAASA meeting last night. That's our Tolleson Alliance Against Substance Abuse, and it was so well attended. We had more than 20 individuals here representing some of the faith communities from here in Tolleson. And we just had, you know, a very open discussion about what they're already doing in the community because, you know, they're on the front lines dealing with these substance abuse issues all the time. So we were just kind of sharing resources, what programs they already have going on. You know, what services they're lacking, what they need help with, just really collecting data. Because we don't want to recreate the wheel with TAASA, right? We just want to see what's out there, kind of and be that bridge, and kind of connect the dots, and help these families that are in need and that are suffering from substance abuse issues find the resources that they need. So it was really beautiful. It was just a really moving meeting yesterday. So I just wanted to thank Jackie (phonetic) in particular for putting it together. She did a fantastic job with outreach, and the public affairs team in general, just for you know, always making sure that these things are successful and pushed forward. So thank you and your team for an amazing job yesterday. It was just so powerful and so moving, and I know that we are moving in the right direction with TAASA, and I'm really proud to be a part of this initiative. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: Awesome. Council, anything else for the good of the order, Council? City Manager? You good? Okay. Well, with that, I am just going to adjourn this meeting and wish everybody a CITY OF TOLLESON JUNE 9, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 53 of 53 wonderful night. APPROVED: ____________________________________ JUAN F. RODRIGUEZ, MAYOR ATTEST: ____________________________________ CRYSTAL ZAMORA, CITY CLERK CERTIFICATION I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THE FOREGOING MINUTES ARE A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TOLLESON, ARIZONA, HELD ON JUNE 9, 2026. I FURTHER CERTIFY THAT THE MEETING WAS DULY CALLED AND HELD, AND THAT A QUORUM WAS PRESENT. ____________________________________ CRYSTAL ZAMORA, CITY CLERK