09 23 25 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, SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 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/w/84069679194) with a computer or cell phone. A. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Rodriguez called the Tolleson City Council Meeting to order at 6:00 PM. B. INVOCATION/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Invocation was delivered by City Attorney Pierce, and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Council Member Mendoza. C. ROLL CALL City Council: Mayor Juan Rodriguez, Vice Mayor Jimmy Davis, Council Members Christine Chavira, Clorinda Erives, Adolfo Gámez, Linda Laborin and 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, Deputy City Clerk Citlaly Salas, Field Operations/Parks & Recreation Director Randy Babchuk, Fire Chief Michael Young, 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 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 9055 W. Van Buren St., Tolleson, AZ 85353 • (623) 936-7111 • TTY users, dial 711 for Relay • www.tolleson.az.gov 2 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 October 5-11, 2025 as Fire Prevention Week in the City of Tolleson, recognizing the 2025 theme “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home” and encouraging all residents to learn and practice safe battery use to help protect their homes and community. – Michael Young, Fire Chief Mayor Rodriguez proclaimed October 5-11, 2025 as Fire Prevention Week in the City of Tolleson. 2. Proclamation declaring September 15 – October 15, 2025 as Hispanic Heritage Month in the City of Tolleson, recognizing the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic Americans and honoring the City’s vibrant Hispanic community, whose heritage and achievements have shaped and continue to shape the spirit, progress, and future of our City. – Wendy Jackson, Deputy City Manager Mayor Rodriguez proclaimed September 15 – October 15, 2025 as Hispanic Heritage Month in the City of Tolleson. G. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR – PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ACTION ITEMS H. CONSENT AGENDA – ACTION ITEMS 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. 3 1. Approve Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of September 9, 2025. (City Clerk Department) 2. Approve Claims and Bills Report for the period of September 3, 2025 to September 16, 2025. (Finance Department) 3. Approve Fourth Amendment to the Agreement between the City of Tolleson and Tyler Technologies, Inc. for software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions supporting financial, utility billing, permitting, licensing, and related systems, and authorize the Mayor to execute and deliver said Amendment. The City desires to amend the existing Agreement to extend the term from May 1, 2025 through June 30, 2029, establish renewal pricing in the annual amount of $150,000 for July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, and cap annual increases during the renewal term at five percent (5%). (Finance Department) 4. Adopt Resolution No. 2621 of the Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson, Arizona, approving the Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Tolleson and Maricopa County, administered by its Human Services Department, for the Hand-in- Hand Program to reduce homelessness, with the City contributing $5,000 for Fiscal Year 2026, and authorizing the Mayor to execute and deliver said Agreement. (Human Services Department) 5. Approve Second Amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Tolleson and the City of El Mirage for Police and Fire Dispatch Services and Administration, and authorize the City Manager to execute and deliver said Amendment. This item was previously approved on June 24, 2025, but the credit was not included; under this Amendment, the annual fee of $1,337,031 includes a credit of $169,216, for a total of $1,167,815 for FY 2025-2026. (Police Department) 6. Approve the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement between the City of Tolleson and TF Contracting Services LLC for general utility projects related to the City’s water and wastewater infrastructure, 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 the services. This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until February 25, 2026. (Utilities Department) 7. Approve the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement between the City of Tolleson and Empire Southwest, LLC (an authorized dealer of Caterpillar, Inc.) for heavy equipment parts, accessories, supplies 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 $175,000 for the equipment and services. This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until October 2, 2026. (Utilities Department) 4 Consent Agenda items 4. and 7. were pulled for discussion and considered separately. Council Member Gámez moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1., 2., 3., 5. and 6.; 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 Vice Mayor Davis moved to approve Consent Agenda item 4.; the motion was seconded by Council Member Chavira. 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 Vice Mayor Davis moved to approve Consent Agenda item 7.; 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 I. REGULAR AGENDA – ACTION ITEMS 1. Approve/Deny the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement between the City of Tolleson and Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for on-call civil engineering with final engineering design services at Well Site No. 9, including well equipment, storage tank, booster pump station, onsite treatment and ancillary equipment for the City’s development of a centralized water treatment plant, and authorize the City Manager to execute and deliver said Agreement. The City shall pay the Contractor an annual aggregate amount not to exceed $900,000 for the equipment and services. This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until February 7, 2026. (Development Services and Utilities Departments) 5 Council Member Gámez moved to approve the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement; 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. Approve/Deny Second Amendment to the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement between the City of Tolleson and ASR Construction Group LLC for Job Order Contracting (JOC) Water & Wastewater Treatment and Remote Facilities Projects, and authorize the City Manager to execute and deliver said Agreement. The City desires to amend the existing Agreement to increase the annual aggregate amount from $1,500,000 to $3,000,000 for additional services. (Utilities Department) Council Member Laborin moved to approve the Second Amendment to the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement; 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 J. WORK STUDY AND PRESENTATIONS – FOR DISCUSSION K. MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER’S REPORT OF CURRENT EVENTS – FOR DISCUSSION 1. Community Events Update – Randy Babchuk, Field Operations/Parks & Recreation Director L. ADJOURNMENT Council Member Gámez moved to adjourn the Regular City Council Meeting at 6:33 PM; 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 6 Council Member Mendoza – Aye 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. 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 CITY OF PHOENIX $362,440.44 185707 09/11/2025 AZ MUNICIPAL RISK RETENTION POOL P & C $150,664.47 101236 09/12/2025 ACHEN-GARDNER CONSTRUCTION LLC $130,320.47 101234 09/12/2025 REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANS AUTHORITY $65,353.00 101264 09/12/2025 AZ PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL RETIREMENT SYSTEM $37,042.27 101239 09/12/2025 ASR CONSTRUCTION GROUP LLC $30,238.80 185702 09/11/2025 AZ MUNICIPAL RISK RETENTION POOL P & C $29,137.51 101236 09/12/2025 AZ MUNICIPAL RISK RETENTION POOL P & C $28,940.83 101236 09/12/2025 AZ PUBLIC SAFETY RETIREMENT, POLICE $24,847.90 101240 09/12/2025 INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION OF ARIZONA $23,075.26 185794 09/15/2025 MARICOPA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE $22,952.09 185740 09/11/2025 GHD INC $22,431.00 101223 09/09/2025 CAPITAL PUMP & EQUIPMENT LLC $21,763.40 101195 09/05/2025 FELIX CONSTRUCTION COMPANY $17,180.61 185727 09/11/2025 KIMLEY-HORN AND ASSOCIATES, INC. $16,140.06 101201 09/05/2025 ACHEN-GARDNER CONSTRUCTION LLC $15,325.00 101234 09/12/2025 TOLLESON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIST.#17 $13,178.00 185771 09/15/2025 TOLLESON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIST.#17 $13,178.00 185771 09/15/2025 LION FIRST RESPONDER PPE INC $12,187.20 101267 09/16/2025 RH BORDEN AND COMPANY LLC $11,796.00 101230 09/09/2025 WEST VALLEY ARTS COUNCIL $10,000.00 185768 09/11/2025 City of Tolleson Checks Recorded Check Dates: September 3, 2025 to September 16, 2025 PAYMENTS OVER $10,000 CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 1 of 18 Post-Production File City of Tolleson City Council Meeting Minutes September 23, 2025 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 SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 2 of 18 RODRIGUEZ: All right. Recording in progress. My favorite saying. All right. Good evening, everyone. I am Mayor Juan Rodriguez. Today is September 23rd, and I would like to call this City Council meeting to order. The first order of business is our invocation and our pledge of allegiance, so I'll ask our city attorney to do our invocation. And then Council Member Mendoza will please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. PIERCE: Our dear, beloved Heavenly Father, we're grateful to be gathered together this evening. We're grateful for the opportunity to self-govern in this free country of ours. We're grateful for this time of year, and we're grateful for this great council and for those that serve this community. We're mindful, Father, that there have been a couple of families who have lost loved ones from our community here, the Leyva family as well as the Lara family. The Leyva family being the father of our dear former council member, Lupe Bandin. And we pray for peace and comfort to their families and for all of those whose lives they touched. We also pray at this time that we will continue to be examples of peacemaking in our community and in the world as we know, Father, there needs to be more peacemakers here. And we pray for a blessing on this council to be able to make wise decisions and be thoughtful as they support this wonderful community. We pray for those that also protect us and keep us safe, and we pray for these things at this time. Father, we do so in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS: I 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. RODRIGUEZ: I thank you both. We're going to move on to roll call. City Clerk, please let the record reflect that all council members are present today. This is the final call to submit speaker requests. So now is the final call to submit speaker request to the City Council. All speakers will be limited to three minutes for comments only. Actions taken as a result of public comments will be limited to one, response to criticism; two, direct staff to review the matter; or three, asking that a matter be put on a future agenda. I don't see any speaker requests for agenda items. Okay. CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 3 of 18 So we're going to move on to call to the public. This is for non-agenda action items. It is now called to the public for non-agenda items. We do have one submission. I believe our guest for the evening is Giovanni Cardiel (phonetic). Did I say that right? Okay, Giovanni if you can -- you got -- and City Clerk, I believe they've got three minutes, and then you're going to give them 30 seconds notice? SALAS: I give them 30 seconds. Yeah. RODRIGUEZ: Good evening. CARDIEL: Yeah. My name Giovanni Cardiel. (Indiscernible) right down the road. I do come here today to City Council because I do want to speak. I am (indiscernible) and as someone who lives here, is not a very well (indiscernible). I did the math. I've done this before. I've had one or two hours to reach a local convenience store, and something my parents brought up to me is that Old Tolleson, as the city grows, the old services are located around Old Tolleson are just not expansive enough to cover all of the city. And as someone who lives, of course, out there, I've experienced this firsthand. It's not like there's a lot to do in the city. As some of my friends have told me, the people I've talked to have told me, the city needs a lot more expansion and YMCA's after school activities, girls and boys clubs, things like that. Just building outside of into New Tolleson, so people like me, my family, and people who live around there can experience the city because I love the city. Thank you. RODRIGUEZ: Just going to add that 83rd Avenue and Hurley, I believe technically is part of Phoenix, but that doesn't mean that we don't love you guys. That just means you're an extension of where we're at. So whether it's Phoenix, Avondale, or Tolleson and even Glendale on the north side, we all kind of grow into each other. So yeah, we'll take it into consideration. Walkable cities and more activities. Absolutely. Whatever we can do. We'll definitely look into it. But thank you for your time. DAVIS: Can I say something? The councilwoman who represents that area is Anna Hernandez, so I would reach out to her office. RODRIGUEZ: Thanks again for coming up. Appreciate it. CARDIEL: Thank you. CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 4 of 18 RODRIGUEZ: Okay, we're going to go to scheduled public appearances and proclamations. Item number one, we have a proclamation declaring October 5th through the 11th, 2025, as Fire Prevention Week in the City of Tolleson, recognizing the 2025 theme; charge into Fire Safety lithium ion batteries in your home, and encouraging all residents to learn and practice safe battery use to help protect their homes and community. I'm going to turn it over to our Fire Chief Young, and I believe we do have a proclamation ready to go. YOUNG: Thank you, Mayor Rodriguez, Vice Mayor Davis, and members of council. Mayor Rodriguez mentioned Fire Prevention Week this year is observed October 5th through the 11th, and this year's theme is charging the fire safety, lithium ion batteries in your home. As you know that we are starting to use lithium ion batteries every single day in phones, laptops, e-bikes, power tools, and even toys. They're powerful. They're convenient, but if damaged or misused, they can easily cause a fire and even explode. That's why the Tolleson Fire Department is joining the National Fire Protection Association and urging residents to follow three simple steps and they're: buy safely, charge carefully, and recycle responsibly. So we want people and residents to buy only devices with safety certifications on them. Charge using the proper cords on hard surfaces. Do not charge on, like, a bed or a couch. And we want to make sure that people recycle their batteries at proper drop off locations. And some of those would be Lowe's, Best Buy and Home Depot. They have a program called Call to Recycle. It's a very easy program, and it's probably the most simplest for residents to use. So we want our community to be informed and protected, and that's what Fire Week Fire Prevention Week is all about. And I also want to take this time to thank all of you guys for keeping our community safe, the support that you provide, not only us as the firefighters and the fire department, public safety, which allows us to keep our community safe as well. Thank you. RODRIGUEZ: Thank you, Chief Young. I think it's -- and all council members probably agree -- that I think you should go the opposite way. If there's anybody that should be CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 5 of 18 thanked for their services is yourself and all the firemen and women that keep our city safe along with the police department. So thank you. So with that, and thanks for sharing that with us. Now, therefore, I, Mayor Juan Rodriguez, do hereby proclaim October 5th through the 11th, 2025, as Fire Prevention Week in the City of Tolleson. Be it proclaimed and (indiscernible) by fire service personnel to come on up and strike a pose. Give that fireman smile. There you go, chief, and we'll stand behind you guys. You guys got to stand in the front. You guys are too tall. If you stand up here, you guys block us out. And then there we go. RODRIGUEZ: No rabbit ears. MENDOZA: He needs to turn that around. Yeah. All right? No. ERIVES: They smell so good. RODRIGUEZ: Awesome. Thanks. ERIVES: Batteries. Get it? Cheese! RODRIGUEZ: No, thank you. You guys be safe out there. Yeah. Take care. ERIVES: Thank you guys. Yeah. Did you see the picture? Yeah, because I was behind Mike and he wasn't going to see me. I had to move. Thank you so much. Thank you. Buy that guy a shirt. RODRIGUEZ: Can you remind the guy with the Avondale hat that Tolleson 41 to 0. Okay. Item number two. Proclamation declaring September 15th through October 15th of 2025 as Hispanic Heritage Month in the City of Tolleson, recognizing the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic Americans in honoring the city, the city's vibrant Hispanic community whose heritage and achievements have shaped and continue to shape the spirit, progress, and future of our city. With that, I'd like to call Deputy City Manager Sinawi, who will share some words with us. Nice shirt, by the way. SINAWI: Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Members of council. It's a privilege to stand before you today as we recognize Hispanic Heritage Month here in the City of Tolleson from September 15th through October 15th. This proclamation is more than words on paper. It's a celebration of histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic Americans who have shaped our community and continue to strengthen its future. For me, this is CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 6 of 18 personal. My family is from Jalisco, Mexico, and I am a proud to be a first generation American. Like many families in Tolleson, my parents, my siblings and I worked in the fields as farm workers. Those experiences taught us resilience, perseverance, and the value of hard work. Tolleson itself has deep agricultural roots. At one time, our city was known as the vegetable center of the world. It was the labor and sacrifice of farm working families that built the foundation of this city. They not only helped feed our state, our nation, but the whole entire world, and also created a strong, close knit community where neighbors support one another and where traditions and culture are preserved. But the Tolleson families contributed far beyond the fields. They also stood up for justice and equality. In 1951, Mexican American families in Tolleson came together in the landmark case of Gonzalez versus Sheely to fight against segregated schools. Families such as Porfirio Gonzalez, father of Gloria and Mary Ellen, and Faustino Curiel, father of Faustino Jr. and Dora had the courage to stand up and say our children deserved the same education as any other child. Alongside hundreds of other parents, they organized, they spoke out and they won. Their efforts ended segregation in Tolleson schools, opening the doors of equal opportunity for future generations. This is the legacy that we honor during Hispanic Heritage Month, a legacy of hard work in the fields of courage, in the courts, and of the community in every sense of the word. The stories of our parents and grandparents remind us that our diversity is our strength, and that our voices, when joined together, can create lasting change. On behalf of the City of Tolleson, I'm proud to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and to recognize the vibrant community that has helped make Tolleson what it is today. Thank you. RODRIGUEZ: Very well said. Very representative of who we are as a community. That was beautiful. I don't know why she said she's got to sit. She's got to hold this and take a picture. But on that street, you got to show it off. But before you do, now there -- by the way, Jalisco is a great state. It's right next to the best state in Mexico, which is CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 7 of 18 Zacatecas. SINAWI: Where my family is from. RODRIGUEZ: Right down the street. I, Mayor Juan Rodriguez, do hereby proclaim September 15th through October 15th, 2025 as Hispanic Heritage Month in the City of Tolleson. And again very well done, be it proclaimed. SINAWI: All about, right? Yeah, it's about our community. It's about everybody. You guys, come on. DAVIS: I almost grabbed mine, too. RODRIGUEZ: I know, so close. How's the tall guy going to stand in front of me? CHAVIRA: Come on, Cheryl, we're one family. Come on, guys. ERIVES: Where's Giovanni? The young man who came to speak? [CROSS TALK] ERIVES: Oh no, she's rolling. RODRIGUEZ: You got a lowrider, nice. ERIVES: How do you spell cheese? That was your joke. How do you spell? Cheese. And you said K-R-A-F-T? GAMEZ: Okay. So that was fun. That was. I'll never forget that. Never. How do you spell cheese? K-R-A-F-T. ERIVES: What? GAMEZ: That was cool. Okay. RODRIGUEZ: Back to the agenda. Action G. Business from the floor. Public hearings and action items. We don't have any, so we're going to move to H, consent agenda action items. Mr. Davis, what's going on? DAVIS: I would like to pull item four from the consent agenda for further discussion and more information. RODRIGUEZ: So what we'll do is we will make a -- I'll entertain a motion to adopt all of them, with the exception of four at this time. GAMEZ: I'd also like to pull number seven. I have a question on that. RODRIGUEZ: Okay. So number four and number seven have been pulled. Do I have a CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 8 of 18 motion to approve all of the consent agenda items other than item four and seven? LABORIN: I'll second. RODRIGUEZ: We have a second by Councilwoman Linda Laborin. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS: Aye. RODRIGUEZ: All right, motion passes now we'll circle back and we will take action on each motion. Number four and number seven separately. Staff, who wants to speak on item number four? Chief Good or Mr. Good? GOOD: Good evening, Mayor, Members of council. At the request of Vice Mayor, we'd like to kind of update you on what was going on with the Hand in Hand program. Originally, they had agreed to provide service at a certain level, and later they realized they were not able to provide that that entire service. We were originally going to provide them with $25,000 in the IGA. Based on the diminished level of service that we would be receiving, we have reduced that amount to $5,000. We will have another $20,000 that would have gone to them available for other services for homeless needs, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. DAVIS: Can you just break down what that service is going to look like that they are going to be providing? GOOD: Yes. But mayor, Vice Mayor, they will now be at located at Tolleson Police Department on Wednesday and Friday from 12:00 to 3:00. So they will be in the police station, but they will also be driving the area Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and available at any time within 24 hours for referrals under the new terms of the agreement. DAVIS: So if an officer or a firefighter -- RODRIGUEZ: Public safety officer. DAVIS: Public safety officer, that's the words I'm looking for. If they make contact with the homeless person, we can contact this agency and they'll come and try to give a referral and get them services? GOOD: Yes, that's correct. And I wanted to mention something that we had talked CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 9 of 18 about in some of our council briefings, and that was that the data showed that they had made 18 referrals, but that number is kind of misleading because that is each referral is when they're providing services to people, and they're finding shelter for them at Community Bridges or some other facility providing other types of financial assistance to them. The majority of the people with whom we come in -- or they come into contact, RPD or even through Hand in Hand, do not wish to receive those services. So the number 18 doesn't sound like a lot. Chief Mendoza is able to speak to more possibly of a better number than that, so it's definitely higher than 18, but that's the only people that wanted to receive the services. There's conditions that go with services. When they go into a facility, they can't smoke, they can't drink, they can't use any substances, they have curfews. There's a lot of things that are -- they can't do whatever they want to do when they're out on the street, and so a lot of them choose not to go into those facilities for those reasons and for many others. RODRIGUEZ: Council, any other questions? We have a question, Councilwoman Erives? ERIVES: Chief, when you say 18 referrals, are you saying within a six month period of time? Are you saying just within the month? GOOD: That was that was over a year period. ERIVES: One year, 18? GOOD: Yes, ma'am. ERIVES: Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Point of clarification. RODRIGUEZ: Council, other questions or comments? DAVIS: I will say like when, you know, these organizations are building, they have to build rapport with these individuals because, you know, a lot of times they're resistant at first, and sometimes it takes a really long time to get somebody to accept a referral for services. GOOD: And as you mentioned, our public safety officials do come into contact with them every day, but there's just a limited number of people that actually want to take advantage of the services that are available to them. CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 10 of 18 BABCHUK: Yeah. Real quick. My light is flashing on and off, so I'm trying to catch it when it's green. So the theory behind having them at the -- what's that? RODRIGUEZ: Probably the lithium battery. BABCHUK: Yeah. Yeah. I'm going to call the fire department. The reason why we wanted them at the police department is we wanted that face-to-face interaction. To your point, Vice Mayor, not only having the rapport with people who they come into contact with, but having a rapport with the police officers also, and the police officers having rapport with them. When they start building that relationship, they're going to start communicating. I see this going as like a, you know, a two way communication like, hey, we located these people, we talked to them, and then hand the baton off to them. Or maybe they want us to go with them because, you know, the subject might have like, violence potential or whatever. So they they'll be able to ask for officers, you know, by name, like, hey, can you come down here and assist? So that was the theory behind having them. The three hours or before it was eight hours. The intent wasn't for them to just stay ever to just stay at the Department. It was just so that they can establish that kind of face-to-face contact and then go back out on the road. RODRIGUEZ: I think it's a great program. I wish it was eight hours, even if it was a regional service that would service other cities. The home hub would be the City of Tolleson. However, it's not. So they changed what they needed to do. So we changed what we needed to do as far as compensation. I think it's still a very good program, and it holds its own merit to be held here in the city, and it's another resource that we can offer folks who are struggling in life to get themselves back in a better position. So with that, go ahead. DAVIS: I think it's a great starting point. You know, we have to start somewhere, so it's a good place to start. So I'll make a motion to approve. RODRIGUEZ: Okay. We have a motion to adopt Resolution Number 2621. Do we? ERIVES: Second. RODRIGUEZ: Okay. We have a second City Clerk. Take your choice. Who is it? CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 11 of 18 Councilwoman Chavira one. Okay. Sorry. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS: Aye. RODRIGUEZ: All those opposed? All right. Thank you very much. Item number four has been approved. GOOD: Mayor, one last thing to mention is that they will provide monthly reporting to us, so we will be monitoring it very closely. And in the event that the numbers go up or go down or there are other needs, then we will renegotiate the IGA for following year. RODRIGUEZ: Thank you very much, Chief Good. So we're going to move on to item number seven, which was to approve the cooperative purchase agreement between the City of Tolleson and Empire Southwest, LLC. You're going to address this? MCCRACKEN: Yes. Thank you, Mayor and Vice Mayor, members of council. And I was coming up here anyways for a couple other items, so I figured I'd just walk up here already if that's all right. So this request is to purchase a new backhoe for our water distribution crew. The current one, I'm told, is closer to 30 years old. It's aging, some of the controls are getting a little bit loose and become kind of a safety issue, and so we're hoping to get a new replacement for that unit. GAMEZ: That's to answer my question. In terms of what we talked about at the update, that we're going to replace it, and I didn't know if it was in working condition or not. And my idea again, came up to me, said, well, Rocky Point Sister Cities, could they use a backhoe? Maybe it doesn't meet the standards that we have in the State. Their standards may be no standards, as long as it works. We've given them before, stuff like that. We've given them jaws of life. They work. They use them. And not enough to do it or not. But I'm saying, is it a possibility that maybe they could use something like this? That's the question. That's why I raised it. MCCRACKEN: I think it's a consideration, Council Member that we can evaluate and we can work with our fleet department and possibly evaluate the piece of equipment because back when I was working with field operations and oversaw fleets, sometimes we don't get very much at all at auction for the equipment. So sometimes there might CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 12 of 18 be a much more beneficial use if there's a possibility to donate, but we would have to do a full evaluation, I think, to probably make sure that everything's safe before we send it down, and so that's a little bit of useful life. GAMEZ: I think if they could use it, that'd be great. I don't know if everybody agrees, but I think we -- RODRIGUEZ: I think it's a good idea. ERIVES: That's right. RODRIGUEZ: So it's worth looking into at the minimum. You know, I know there's probably legal considerations and our relationship and fleet stuff, but at a minimum, if it's got more usable life, maybe not here in Tolleson, but somewhere else that can benefit from it; why not? Randy, you had a question? BABCHUK: Thank you, Mayor, Members of the Council. We'll definitely take a look at it and just make sure that the tires and everything are good. We'll have to do an assessment, and we just don't want to give something to them that's A; not going to work, or B; not going to fit what they need. GAMEZ: It's 30 years old. BABCHUK: So making sure that they there's parts out there for it, so we'll definitely have to take a look at that, and then we can get a report back to you guys. RODRIGUEZ: And with that, we still have item number seven laying out there. So I will entertain a motion to approve or deny. We have a motion by Vice Mayor Davis. We have a second by Council Member Gomez. All those in favor of approving item number seven, please signify by saying aye. ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS: Aye. RODRIGUEZ: All those opposed? All right. Motion passes. We're moving on to -- thank you, sir. We're going to move on to regular -- Well, I don't think you're going anywhere. GAMEZ: Maybe he has other stuff? RODRIGUEZ: Got a couple regular agenda action items. Item number one is to approve or deny the cooperative purchase agreement between the City of Tolleson and Kimley- Horn and Associates, Incorporated, for on-call civil engineering with final engineering CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 13 of 18 design services at well site number nine, including well equipment, storage tank, booster pump stations, on site treatment, and ancillary equipment for the city's development of a centralized water treatment plant, and authorize the City Manager to execute and deliver agreement. The City shall pay the contractor an annual aggregate amount not to exceed 900,000 for the equipment and services. This agreement shall remain in full force and effect until February 7th, 2026. So a little bit less than a year. Utility Director McCracken, you have the floor. MCCRACKEN: Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of council. So this request for funding approval is for our well, number nine. It's a well that's been previously drilled, and we just need to equip it, provide a little bit of storage on site, some piping, the motor, the pump itself, and so that we could actually put this into production and add it to our supply. So the request for this would actually be to design, complete design, on the well, and then we would tie it into -- the goal would be to tie it into our future water treatment plant so that it could have a central treatment site. This project is also tied to our 595 program that was approved by Congressman Stanton, as well as the Corps of Engineers. So we're looking to -- RODRIGUEZ: Federal funding tied to it. Awesome. I think it's great for all the things that you mentioned, but also because eventually we want to be self-sufficient when it comes to our water, and this is a great step in that direction. So council, any questions or comments? No? All right. Well, with that, I will entertain the motion. GAMEZ: So moved. RODRIGUEZ: We have a motion from Councilman Gomez. ERIVES: Second. RODRIGUEZ: We have a second from Councilwoman Erives. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS: Aye. RODRIGUEZ: All those opposed? So moved. Thank you sir. We're going to go on to item number two, which I'm assuming that's yours too. Man, you're just spending all of our money today. All right. Approve or deny second amendment to the cooperative CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 14 of 18 purchase agreement between the City of Tolleson and ASR Construction Group, LLC, for job order contractors (JOC), water and wastewater treatment and remote facility projects. And authorizes the City Manager to execute and deliver said agreement. The city desires to -- the city desires to amend the existing agreement to increase -- you would think they would make these letters a little bigger, huh? Agreement to increase -- once I turned 50, that should have been the same annual aggregate amount from 1.5 million to 3 million for additional services. Utility Director McCracken, you have the floor again. MCCRACKEN: Thank you again. Mayor. Vice Mayor, members of council. So this request is to increase our procurement limit with ASR Construction. ASR Construction has been on JOC contract with us, the wastewater plant. They've done great work for us the last couple of years, and we have an upcoming project at our lift station 20. Our lift station 20 is -- it's been in need of a rehab for a little while, and it's been -- we've been kind of limping it along and we -- so what we did was we had an engineer do a full design on a rehab, make sure we're doing everything correctly, and the design is now complete, and we'd like to move forward into the construction phase of that rehab rehabilitation at that site. And so we believe that with ASR on contract, they'd be a great vendor to continue doing their good work for us and complete this project at a decent price for us as well. RODRIGUEZ: Questions? Well, it sounds like they're, first, familiar with our project. They're familiar with everything that we have out there. So you're right, it would make a really good fit. So with that, I will entertain a motion. Okay. I got a motion from Councilwoman Laborin. A second from Council Member Davis. All those in favor to approve, please signify by saying aye. ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS: Aye. RODRIGUEZ: Those opposed? Not hearing any. Motion passes unanimously. Congratulations. MCCRACKEN: All right. Thank you all again. RODRIGUEZ: Item J, we have work study presentation. Not seen any. I have item K, CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 15 of 18 Mayor and City Manager report of current events. Before we go to you, Randy, just we have our Tolleson Talks coming up September 25th. For those of you that are not familiar, Tolleson Talks is where we as a council meet with the community, different places in our community to talk about city services and activities coming up down the road and of course, solicit feedback, and so we've gotten pretty good feedback. A lot of the council members have been present, listened directly to the community, and we've had some pretty good ideas that have manifested itself into better services for the city. Also, while I'm on that -- so it's going to be September 25th from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., and I believe this one's going to be at El Papas. So really good food, really good atmosphere. Come on out and enjoy, and then Little Caesars, if you guys didn't know my (indiscernible) is opening up a restaurant here, it sells really good pizzas at a really good price. That's right. ERIVES: Pizza. RODRIGUEZ: Pizza's pizzas. Yeah. So this Saturday, I believe. Saturday? Noon is going to be the ceremony, and they're going to meet from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., but at noon, they're going to have a grand opening ceremony. It's open to the public, and I believe some folks can get free pizzas for a whole year. ERIVES: First 100. RODRIGUEZ: If you don't have a hatred for carbs, this might be a good opportunity for you. I'll be there because I think it's cool. But of course, the entire community is welcome to come on out. Staff, come and enjoy a slice, if not many slices throughout the year. Okay. Randy, you're up. BABCHUK: Thank you. Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the council, I'd like to update you on some events that we've had and some events that are coming up. This past Friday, we had our first to kick off the year, First Friday. It was a great event. We had a lot of attendance, community members that attended. Thank you, Council Members who showed up. I mean, it's always great to see you and community loves to ask you guys questions. It was a good time had by all. There was one particular dance group, Ballet Folklorico Performance Cochito Dance Project, that really stole the show. They CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 16 of 18 were just very professional and just hearing the comments in the crowd that they loved the interaction with the crowd and how professional they were. It was amazing. So that really kind of hit home with us, because we do want these events to be community home based, and it just seems like they've been waiting for our third Fridays to, to start. So it was a really good one to kick off the year. And then our next one will be October 17th, and that'll be part of our trunk or treat at the place again, starting at 6:00 p.m. We have Elijah Ezekiel de Los Conjunto AddictZ for live entertainment, and we have, I think, three different car clubs already signed up for it to be part of that. That shows. RODRIGUEZ: Candy? BABCHUK: Yep, yep. Everyone. Everyone knows to bring candy. October 10th, we'll have our annual Tolleson Golf Classic. That's our signature fundraiser for our home programs. So we'll be having that October 10th at Falcon Dunes, and we still have some time to register some teams. If you guys know any, let them know to contact Parks and Rec, and we can get them registered. RODRIGUEZ: And then I think you're really doing a good job of explaining First Friday, but I got to be honest with you, I think out of all the ones that we've had over the last year, this is our second year going into it, I believe. BABCHUK: Yeah. RODRIGUEZ: It was the best attended. I mean, you could feel the energy in the crowd. They really enjoyed being there, and you're right, the entertainment was top class. The music was really good. I wish you could have got more dancers out there, but you know, maybe we need some people to go out there and, you know, get them to go out there and dance. The food vendors were awesome. I don't know how many pupusas I had, but I had some the next morning because I took some home. So you guys are doing an amazing job, and it's not -- it's not just Randy. I think Randy will be the first to tell you. Our Public Works Department is going around and cleaning up the ground, setting up the booths. The sound system folks are out there putting up the speakers, the tents. It is an all hands on deck approach. And when you do things like that, with that much effort, the community appreciates it, and they come out and they show their love, and CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 17 of 18 they sure enough, did last Friday. So really, really good job to everybody. BABCHUK: Absolutely, mayor. I mean, we have a great team and it just doesn't stop with Parks and Rec and you know, field ops, but everyone has a hand in it. Police was there. Senior Center was there. We had a lot of people coming out and just supporting us. So thank you guys for that. We appreciate that. We'll wrap up the month of October on October 25th with our Pride Day Community Cleanup. So we've identified five homes for the yard's alleyways again, and then we're working on a few more homes with Ken. So we're on our way, and we've gotten a few volunteers, a lot from the school. So we'll be -- if you guys know of anyone that wants to volunteer, send them our way and we'll get them registered as well, and that's it. RODRIGUEZ: Vice Mayor and City Manager, and I know some of us still have to go vote. I think the location closes tonight at 7:00, so I'm going to get us out of here. So if you have your ballot at home or if you got to walk over, you can still do so. I will entertain a motion to adjourn this meeting. GAMEZ: So moved. MAYOR RODRIGUEZ: We have a motion from Council Member Gomez. Second, we have a second from Council Member Mendoza, I believe. MENDOZA: Yes. RODRIGUEZ: Okay. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS: Aye. RODRIGUEZ: I approve. You guys all have a wonderful evening. APPROVED: _______________________________________ JUAN F. RODRIGUEZ, MAYOR ATTEST: ________________________________________ CITLALY SALAS, DEPUTY CITY CLERK CITY OF TOLLESON SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 18 of 18 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 SEPTEMBER 23, 2025. I FURTHER CERTIFY THAT THE MEETING WAS DULY CALLED AND HELD, AND THAT A QUORUM WAS PRESENT. ________________________________________ CITLALY SALAS, DEPUTY CITY CLERK