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MINUTES
WICKENBURG COMMON COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, February 2, 2026 - 5:30 P.M.
155 N. TEGNER - COUNCIL CHAMBERS
WICKENBURG, ARIZONA 85390
A. CALL TO ORDER – Mayor Bratcher called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM
B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - Led by Pastor Duane Middleton
C. INVOCATION - Led by Pastor Duane Middleton, Mt. Hope Assembly of God Church
D. ROLL CALL
Present:
Mayor BG Bratcher
Vice Mayor Brian Jones
Councilmember Kristy Bedoian
Councilmember Shawn Clark
Councilmember Margaret Nyberg
Councilmember Rebecca Rovey
Councilmember Art Rubash
Staff Present:
Troy Smith, Town Manager
Trish Stuhan, Town Attorney
Steve Boyle, Community Development Director
Amy Brown, Town Clerk
Les Brown, Police Chief
Cason Chambers, Public Works Director
Robert Martinez, Finance Director
Tarah Mayerhofer, Human Resources Director
Ed Temerowski, Fire Chief
E. MAYOR & COUNCILMEMBERS REPORT ON CURRENT EVENTS
• Councilmember Rebecca Rovey congratulated the museum on the
groundbreaking ceremony and starting that project.
• Councilmember Margaret Nyberg also enjoyed the softball tournament especially
the game of the fire department versus the police department.
• Councilmember Shawn Clark also attended the museum groundbreaking
ceremony and expressed the excitement of getting this project started.
• Vice Mayor Brian Jones encouraged everyone to come to the meeting on
Wednesday regarding the zoning code to give your thoughts and input.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 2 of 18
• Mayor BG Bratcher congratulated the Sigler Western Museum on their
groundbreaking ceremony. She attended meetings including the MAG
Transportation Policy, MAG Regional Council, Valley Metro, West Valley Mayors,
Community Programming Committee, and Planning and Zoning Commission.
F. TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT
• Police Chief Les Brown facilitated the employee swearing in and oath of office for
new police officers Joshua Hemphill, Jesus Nava, and Ryan Watkins.
• Town Manager Troy Smith congratulated the police department on retaining their
accreditation. The Zoning Code will have an open house at the Community
Center on Wednesday, February 4th from 5:30-7:30 PM. The draft that is being
presented is from the previous citizen engagement efforts. No final decision has
been made on any of the code which is why the town needs public feedback on
what should be in it. In addition, there will be a webpage set up for written
feedback. The Town Academy starts on Tuesday with 23 registered students.
The America 250 traveling museum will be in Wickenburg on February 19th from
10-4 with a ceremony at noon in Stone Park. Gold Rush Days will be February
12th - 15th. The Spring Recreation calendar is on the town website. Michael
Curtis, who was the town attorney for energy for several years, recently passed
away. There have been some issues with the solid waste pickup since switching
to Waste Management (WM), however the town has met with representatives
and they are being addressed.
G. FINAL CALL for Request to Speak Cards to be turned into the Town Clerk.
H. CALL TO THE PUBLIC
• Vern Correa, Out-of-Town Resident, stated that he has asked for a new park to
be developed and he was told it will be another five years.
I. ITEMS OF BUSINESS
1. Action on the Consent Agenda -
MOVED BY Councilmember Kristy Bedoian to approve items a and b of the
consent agenda
SECONDED BY Councilmember Rebecca Rovey
VOTE: 7 – 0 (Yes – Mayor Bratcher, Vice Mayor Jones, Councilmembers
Bedoian, Clark, Nyberg, Rovey, and Rubash)
a. Consideration and Action to Approve the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of
January 20, 2026
By a 7-0 vote under the Consent Agenda, Council moved to approve the
minutes of January 20, 2026.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 3 of 18
b. Consideration and Action Approving the Town's Pension Funding Policy for
Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) for FY2026-2
Robert Martinez, Finance Director, reported in his Council routing form that
A.R.S. § 38-863.01 requires every governing body with a plan under PSPRS
to pass a Pension Funding Policy annually. The law mandates that pension
funding policies identify specific funding objectives, including maintaining
adequate assets to cover pension liabilities and setting target funding ratios
and timelines for reaching identified ratios. Additionally, the policy must be
posted on the governing body’s website. However, the bill does not specify
where a city/town needs to place the document on its website. It may be most
beneficial for some to place it in their Annual Certified Financial Report
(ACFR) and for others in a different section, but the statute is silent, leaving
that up to each city/town.
The League of Arizona Cities and Towns provided a template for the Pension
Funding Policy, which the town has used. Pensions that are less than fully
funded place the cost of service provided in earlier periods (amortization of
UAAL) on the current taxpayers. Fully funded pension plans are the best way
to achieve taxpayer and member intergenerational equity.
The Council previously established this goal for the following reasons:
•
The PSPRS trust funds represent only the Town of Wickenburg’s liability.
•
A fully funded pension is the best way to achieve taxpayer and member
intergenerational equity.
Council plans to:
•
Make annual payments to fund the Unfunded Actuarial Accrued Liability.
This will be done each year following receipt of the Annual Actuarial
Report from PSPRS.
Based on these actions, the Council plans to maintain a 100% funded ratio
annually, thereby authorizing any required payment prior to the end of the
Fiscal Year. The funded ratio in total is funded at over 100% which will apply
the funded overage amount to future years' valuation calculations. Since the
funded ratio has reached 100% for the audited year, there is no additional
payment to submit on behalf of PSPRS by the Town of Wickenburg this year.
By a 7-0 vote under the Consent Agenda, Council moved to approve the
Town's FY 2026-27 Pension Funding Policy.
The Council heard item I4 before item I2.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 4 of 18
2. Public Hearing and Action to Consider an Application by Kellie Daniels for a
Conditional Use Permit to Establish a Horse Boarding Facility for the Residents
of the Property at the Intersection of Country Club Drive and Camino Drive,
Maricopa County Assessor Number 505-37-064A, Consisting of Approximately 7
Acres of Land
Steve Boyle, Community Development Director, stated that the 7-acre property is
currently zoned RM-1 multi-family residential and is vacant land next to US-60.
There is a flood zone risk through the property with both floodplain and floodway.
Their sole access will be from Country Club Drive. They are proposing a
boarding facility for horses for the site occupants only, so the general public
would not be boarding here. The multi-family project is not up for approval
tonight. It is only a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) which allows land uses for
districts with some deviations that include conditions that must be met to keep
the CUP. This project does align with the General Plan.
On January 21, there was a neighborhood review meeting with the following
areas discussed:
• Boarding animals for site residents only
• No RV stalls proposed
• No light trespass
• Onsite waste management
• Traffic Impact Analysis required by ADOT for residential component
• Horse trespass
• Odor/Flies
• Horse amount seems excessive at nearly 5 per unit
• General Concern about project
Their original proposal included 56 horse pens and no RV stalls with some pens
on the west side of the property. After the neighborhood meeting, the number of
pens was reduced to 28 pens with the ones on the west side eliminated so they
aren’t close to the neighbors. There are still no RV stalls proposed and the
boarding is for site residents only.
The conditions that have been proposed for this CUP include the following:
• That the property owner signs the waiver of rights and remedies and is on file
with the Town of Wickenburg prior to approval of the Conditional Use Permit
by Town Council.
• Manure waste removal on a weekly or semi-monthly, closed containment with
fencing screen
• Limited to 3 animals per occupied unit with a maximum horse pen count of 28
animals
• Business License required
• Any pens to be occupied simultaneously with residential units
• Used pens be mucked out daily
• Outdoor lighting, wall or ground mount with cutoffs
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 5 of 18
• Perimeter fencing where necessary
• No RV living on the property
• Boarding for occupants of the future property units only
• Hay/equipment storage to be enclosed on three sides
• Single access from Country Club Drive only
• Actual placement of proposed land uses to conform substantially to what is
presented in the site plan
• Landscaping along frontage street for screening purposes
The Planning and Zoning Commission heard this item at their January 27th
meeting and recommended approval of the CUP with the conditions outlined
above.
Kellie Daniels, applicant, thanked the staff and the neighbors for their comments
to make this a better project. She brought this now so that it can be talked
through prior to funding the project. Their plan is to build ten villas similar to the
Country Club Villas with a total expected cost of $3.5 million. Many people come
to town with horses, so that will be her hook for getting renters at this location is
that they can board their horses on the same property. The town needs more
rental options. They will come back with the design review to the Planning and
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 6 of 18
Zoning Commission for the housing units. They are planning a clubhouse and
playground. The thought is to get young professionals to stay in town.
Councilmember Rubash asked what if the renters don’t have horses. Ms. Daniels
stated that it is a risk, but many people come to town with horses. After some
feedback at the planning commission meeting, they are looking at fencing the
entire equine box to keep horses from getting free. They are also hiring
Wickenburg people to design and build the project.
Councilmember Nyberg stated that there could be no horses there in the summer
months. Ms. Daniels would prefer full-time renters, but that is a possibility.
Vice Mayor Jones asked about the construction schedule, if the pens would be
built before the housing. Ms. Daniels stated that they will be built simultaneously
with two villas built at a time. They want to keep this small and western to fit into
Wickenburg. This property is large enough to allow 90 units, but due to the wash
it would probably only be feasible for 45 units. The cost of the equine area will be
about $125,000 of the total cost to build. She would like to bring back the housing
within 60 days and break ground in nine months. They are planning 1,200 square
feet villas with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. They will have to do a study for
ADOT regarding the traffic impact.
Councilmember Rovey asked if the CUP that is based on conditions, has a
beginning and end date or is it transferable. Director Boyle stated that the CUP
doesn’t have an end date and is transferable as long as it is the same use and
they are meeting the conditions. Town Attorney Stuhan stated the CUP will run
with the land and can be revoked if they don’t follow the conditions. The idea is
that the conditions are established and agreed to that are there to lessen the
impact to the neighbors.
Public Hearing was opened at 6:49 PM by Mayor Bratcher.
Paul Woley, In-Town Resident, stated that this is a large number of horses that
will create a large amount of manure with the container near the flood zone. The
Flood Control District takes the flood zone seriously as can be seen by the
damns around the town to protect homes. Horses should be outside or on the
outskirts of town. Her house is close with an Airbnb that allows 12 horses. That is
too many horses in a single-family area.
Vance Miller, In-Town Resident, stated that he lives in Country Club Acres and
the town allowed high density on the other side of the fairway from his house.
This shouldn’t be allowed here because it is the entrance to Country Club Acres.
Ed Kientz, In-Town Resident, stated that he is the closest in the C-4 area to this
property as he is adjacent to Country Club Acres. Horses aren’t allowed in C-4.
This doesn’t match the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs). He
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 7 of 18
wondered how many horses would be allowed on this number of acres. The town
should adhere to what is in the code. At their arena, they have a cattle release
point, which means they will eventually bring in cattle.
Henry Willis, In-Town Resident, has lived in County Club Acres since 2012 and
there are a few corrals in the area. The town doesn’t look at the CC&Rs. His
concern is that the final project won’t look like what is being proposed. This is the
wrong place for this type of facility with too many horses. In addition, he just
learned about this project.
Pamela Rankin, In-Town Resident, stated that she is the neighbor to the project
and they need more time to review the proposal. They have horses on their
property. She thought this included a lot of pens and wondered where they would
ride their horses.
Jerry Rankin, In-Town Resident, stated that he is a neighbor to the seven acres
and they have two horses. He has been told that if this is approved, they will lose
25% of the value of their property. This doesn’t fit. There are 62 members of the
Country Club Acres homeowners association (HOA), but this property isn’t part of
the HOA but very close to that area. They had 21 horses on her other property
for a few days with some great kids. Her current property is dusty. Where will
they ride their horses, on Camino Drive? This project would be better on US-60
or 93.
Charlee Brotherton, In-Town Resident, stated that she lives across from their
current rental property. That sleeps 16 people and they charge $15 per horse per
night. In January they had 26 horses and ten horse trailers with the dumpster
piled high with manure. She is okay with the casitas but didn’t want more horse
facilities. She would like to see this wait until the zone changes are approved.
Public Hearing Closed at 7:11 PM
Councilmember Nyberg asked if this is on the town water. Director Boyle stated
that this went through the technical review and it will be attached to the town
water and sewer.
Vice Mayor Jones asked for the number of housing and horses allowed in the
code. Director Boyle stated the number of housing units fits in the zoning with
more allowed. The horse boarding needs the CUP which means a deviation from
the code. This is similar to a variance, but variances are due to a hardship with
the land. A CUP gives conditions that must be met and is a tool to look for
violations. The current code allows 1 horse per 1,200 square feet of corral space.
They have agreed to ground mounted lighting whereas 14-foot-high lighting
standards are allowed.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 8 of 18
Vice Mayor Jones about trailer parking and living in horse trailers. Director Boyle
stated that the pink area shows the parking. There will be no living in RV’s on the
property and we can add no living in horse trailers either. The density of horses is
3 per unit with a maximum of 28 horses. If there are no units built then there can’t
be any board of horses as they have to correspond with them living on the
property in one of the villas.
Vice Mayor Jones asked if the CUP allowed more control over the property.
Director Boyle stated that the conditions make it easier to enforce or revoke the
permit if the conditions aren’t met. The Council has the authority to revoke the
CUP. Usually, it will start with Code Enforcement giving a warning and time to
correct. Town Attorney Stuhan stated that the CUP allows conditions to limit the
effect on the neighbors. The town can monitor and if there is a complaint, there is
a process for revocation that would eventually come to the Town Council. The
Council would probably revoke the CUP if there were repetitive issues that were
not addressed. There will have to be due process for revoking the CUP including
a public hearing in front of the Council. If the use ceases for a period of ninety
consecutive days, the CUP can also be revoked.
Councilmember Rovey stated that the neighbors said there were already 26
horses on the property and now they want to add 28 additional horses. Director
Boyle stated that they have another parcel that has the other horses. They are
not on the same parcel of land.
Mayor Bratcher asked if the Town Attorney can explain the CC&R’s and what the
town can do with them. Town Attorney Stuhan stated that CC&R’s are private
deed restrictions for an area. Those have to be enforced by private property
owners. The town will enforce the town’s codes. Director Boyle added that this
tract is outside the lot development area for the CC&R’s for County Club Acres
and C-4.
Councilmember Rubash thought this was a great spot and a great idea for the
property. They reduced the number from 58 to 28 horse pens. The town needs
villas and this is just vacant land. He thinks this will make it look good.
Councilmember Bedoian asked if there is no CUP, then can they have horses.
Director Boyle stated that the issue is that the code is ambiguous. They can have
horses but not a boarding facility as that is a commercial operation.
Councilmember Bedoian would like to tighten up the wording.
Mayor Bratcher thought that a 14x14 pen was small and especially with no
turnout. Director Boyle stated that the turnout was removed due to neighbor
concerns.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 9 of 18
MOVED BY Councilmember Rebecca Rovey to continue this item to the March
16, 2026 meeting
SECONDED BY Councilmember Kristy Bedoian
Town Manager Smith stated if the Council wanted it worded better, he could work
with the town attorney to wordsmith it to make it more enforceable. If there are
substantial changes being requested, he would like to hear them tonight so he
can prepare the new CUP based on the Council’s desires and make sure the
applicant is in agreement. Town Attorney Stuhan said that it can be worded
better to improve enforcement.
Mayor Bratcher would like to see a turnout in the plans.
Council took a break at 7:40 PM.
Council returned to the meeting at 7:48 PM.
Director Boyle stated that he wanted to clarify a few things. The current code
allows horses in the area as 1 per 1,200 square feet of corral space. They could
put a lot more horses on this property than the 28 that they are proposing. The
boarding is a commercial use, which is the main reason for the CUP, plus to
allow 28 horses in less corral space. Town Attorney Stuhan stated that if the
Council continues this item, that doesn’t mean that you are required to approve it.
It just gives staff and Council more time to modify the conditions.
Ms. Daniels stated that March 16th would be better than March 2nd for this to
come back. The density of this property will allow 45 units even with the
floodway. They want to keep this project small, so only 10 units. The density of
the property would also allow for more than 28 horses. The CUP is a tool for
policing the property and she is policing herself by reducing the numbers. She
built two homes a few years ago as her personal residence that is not included in
this property. Her son is in college and came home in January with some of his
friends, so there were a lot of horses and people for a few days. This is outside
the Country Club Acres area and the villas will be similar to the Country Club
Villas. This is the same zoning as that area, they are just adding horse pens.
Councilmember Rovey would like to see the pens increase to 1,200 square feet
for 20 horses and add a turnout. Ms. Daniels stated that the engineer designed
this to not have anything in the 500-year flood area. They are 300 feet away from
Wickenburg Way. A 14x14 pen is larger than the ones at Rancho Rio, and many
of these people will probably only have their horses here at night as they will be
going to ropings during the days. The villas will be 1,200 square feet with ten
units to include 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, laundry and covered parking. They will
not allow people to live in their RV or horse trailer on the property.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 10 of 18
MOTION WAS RECINDED BY Councilmember Rebecca Rovey
SECOND WAS RECINDED BY Councilmember Kristy Bedoian
Councilmember Rovey thought that the manure pick-up should be weekly not
semi-monthly.
Town Manager Smith suggested the following changes or considerations:
• If there are no horses there in the summer, it would be a waste to pick up
weekly
• Figuring out which units are occupied and how many horses are per unit is
not feasible, so he suggests setting a maximum number of horses allowed
without having to determine who owns them
• Item 3 and 10 are very similar saying that the boarders have to also be
renting a unit, so they can be combined
• Clarify that there is no living in RV’s or Horse Trailers
• Add perimeter fencing for the horse area
• The landscape screening will not be allowed due to the floodway, so that
needs to be taken out
MOVED BY Vice Mayor Brian Jones to approve the request to include the
changes recommended by the Town Manager in final form approved by the
Town Attorney
SECONDED BY Councilmember Margaret Nyberg
VOTE: 4 – 3 (Yes – Vice Mayor Jones, Councilmembers Clark, Nyberg, and
Rubash) (No – Mayor Bratcher and Councilmembers Bedoian and Rovey)
3. Presentation and Discussion Regarding the FY26 Second Quarter Financial
Update
Robert Martinez, Finance Director, reported that he has the financial information
for the second quarter, so through December 2025 to give Council a good idea of
where the town is at halfway through the year. He is going to look at recuring
income, including sales tax, state shared revenue and permits & fees, non-
recurring or one time income including the sale of property, and annual income
such as the fire IGA.
IGA’s and other revenues will be covered in detail towards the end of the
presentation. For Council information, the sale of property, which is nonrecurring
revenue, is put into other revenues. The fire IGA is received one time in the year
which is why that line is looking low right now.
In looking at the comparisons of the years, the town seems to be staying close to
the revenue trends from FY 2022. Below is the revenue summary:
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 11 of 18
The Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) which is the sales tax report shows the
amount from July – December. A taxpayer under the real estate, rentals and
leases category filed amended returns with the AZDOR dating back to 2021. The
credit awarded over that period of time was taken against our monthly revenue
collection for this category resulting in a negative amount in November 2025. The
credit was nearly $40,000.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 12 of 18
Below is the TPT history that shows us close to the FY22 amounts.
In reviewing the revenues, we look better than we did after quarter one, but still
down as we are at $9.260M and we should be at $9.105M. The totals does factor
out the non-recurring revenue for the sale of property that was for $589,113. It
also assumes the revenue of $850,000 from the Fire IGA that is received
annually is only including 6 months’ worth at this time or $425,000.
The summary of expenditures by department is below:
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 13 of 18
These budgeted amounts include Capital Improvement Projects (CIP), so if that
hasn’t been completed yet, it will be lower. Such as the Fire Department that is
purchasing a fire truck this year, which is included in that total at a cost of over
$1.5M. Reserves and contingencies are budgeted in General Services in the
amount of around $10.9M. This would really make the operating budget in
General Services at $730,449 with the percentage used at 38.6% which would
change the total to 39.85%.
Another thing to consider in the State Shared Revenue is the adjustments made
due to the addition of San Tan Valley to the distribution of funds. They started
receiving these funds as of September 1, 2025 with it reducing the town’s
amount by $1,682.14 per month for a total impact of $10,092.83 for the
remainder of the year. In addition, the Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF) will
be impacted with another city receiving a share of those funds, but we don’t have
those totals yet. HURF funds are used for roads. The Vehicle License Tax (VLT)
will only affect cities in Pinal County. The Urban Revenue Sharing (URS) will
begin to be distributed to San Tan Valley on July 1, 2026.
Director Martinez also updated the Council regarding the town water assistance
fund. This was originally funded at $20,000 which was then amended to $30,000.
This is set to expire on June 30, 2026, and provides utility assistance to those in
need for water and wastewater bills due to the increases in the rates. The
balance in the account is $7,426.80 for the remaining 6 months. The town has
tightened the gap between actual revenues compared to budgeted amounts.
Staff will continue to monitor and keep the Council up to date.
4. Presentation and Action to Approve Resolution 2388 to Amend the Athletic Field
and Facility Rental Fee Schedule Following Notice of Intent
Tarah Mayerhofer, Human Resources Director, stated that this is the final step in
a process Council already initiated. The policy change was approved in
December to change the handling of the policy to be administrative including
scheduling, priorities and enforcement. Tonight’s action is limited and specific to
the fee schedule only.
On December 1, 2025, the Council approved the notice of intent to change the
fees. Those fees were posted for the required 60 days and now may be
approved or reduced. They can’t be increased. The reason for the changes to the
fees is because the fields require turf care, irrigation, electricity, lighting, and staff
time. The fees help offset costs while keeping access affordable. This is about
responsible stewardship of public assets.
Arizona law requires an analysis of the gift clause when there is a waiver of any
fees. Waivers are not discretionary as they must meet this test. This analysis
applies consistently to all users. First the town considers if it is another
government entity, if so an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) can be signed
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 14 of 18
since they create a public-to-public exchange of value to reduce taxpayer
duplication. If not, the question is, does it benefit the general public and do
taxpayers receive a proportionate value. If the town would otherwise run the
program, a waiver can be justified such as with an open-enrollment youth
recreation league such as AYSO soccer, the town would have to offer a similar
program and they are able to run it with volunteers as a non-profit. For tuition-
based, club based or selective programs, the answer is no as they are not open
to the general public.
Since the December meeting, the town has been seeking community feedback.
Terry Eberhardt, Community Programming Committee representative, stated that
at the January 7, 2026 meeting they received a presentation from staff regarding
the fees and the policy. The committee unanimously supported the fees
proposed and some even suggested higher fees or charging hourly. Staff also
met with the Wickenburg Christian Academy (WCA) football coach, head of
school, and board member to explain the gift clause requirements, priority
structure and fee schedule rationale. The WCA coach reviewed the fees and
expressed support and indicated fundraising plans for the discounted nonprofit
rate. WCA leadership expressed understanding of the framework, as he wasn’t
aware they were not paying. The Community Programming Advisory Committee
was unanimously supportive, with several members noted they already pay
higher fees elsewhere. They also questioned why the town isn’t charging higher
fees for non-residents.
The proposed fee schedule includes flat, per-field, per-day fees with reduced
nonprofit rates. The fees are consistent with existing facility rentals but they are
below a full cost recovery, which the Council has expressed interest in having.
Below are the fees with the field rental fees together and the fees for lights being
separate:
The Council expressed that the non-resident rate should be at the cost recovery
rate with non-profits being a 50% reduction from that fee. There was a request to
delay the implementation of the new fees until July 1, 2026.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 15 of 18
Councilmember Clark asked to explain the difference between the Wickenburg
Unified School District (WUSD) versus the Wickenburg Christian Academy
(WCA). HR Director Mayerhofer stated that an IGA can only be accomplished
with another government entity, which is only WUSD. Town Attorney Stuhan
stated that the gift clause is part of state law and states that the town can’t
donate taxpayer facilities or waive fees to any private entity. The public school
district is okay as there is a shared facilities agreement.
Vern Correa, Out-of-Town Resident, stated that they were trying to offer an
option for football after the youth football and this town should have two high
schools.
Councilmember Bedoian stated that private schools usually don’t want
government interference and they will be receiving a 50% discount that is what
other non-profit entities receive, so it is fair.
MOVED BY Councilmember Kristy Bedoian to approve Resolution 2388,
approving the amended fee schedule as presented
SECONDED BY Vice Mayor Brian Jones
VOTE: 6 – 1 (Yes – Mayor Bratcher, Vice Mayor Jones, Councilmembers
Bedoian, Nyberg, Rovey, and Rubash) (No – Councilmember Clark)
Councilmember Nyberg stated that the State of Arizona sets the rules for the gift
clause, so if someone has issues, they need to go to the state to get the law
changed.
5. Consideration and Action to Approve Resolution No. 2387 Adopting the 2026
Legislative Program
Troy Smith, Town Manager, the Town of Wickenburg remains dedicated to
supporting policies that empower local governance, protect municipal revenues,
and ensure Arizona’s communities are well-resourced to serve residents. One
way to accomplish the town's goals is an annual Legislative Program, which
represents its needs and interests for the upcoming state legislative session,
which begins in January. Because the town does not have its own full-time
lobbyist, the program acts as a guide when statewide lobbying organizations
such as the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, other municipalities, or
individual legislators request the town’s policy position on proposed legislation.
The Town Council approved Resolution No. 2369 adopting the 2025 Legislative
Program that builds on previously adopted programs and incorporates elements
of the League’s annual Municipal Policy Statement - which the town participated
in developing through the League’s Resolutions Committee - and other issues of
local concern.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 16 of 18
The proposed 2026 Legislative Program includes updated elements of the
League’s annual Municipal Policy Statement – which reflect the collective voice
of Arizona’s cities and towns. The priority areas include:
• Housing and Community Livability – Short-Term Rentals, neglected and
historic properties and annexation streamlining
• Economic Development and Budget Flexibility – tax increment financing and
mid-year budget adjustments
• Good Governance and Process Integrity – Candidate committee termination,
election conformity, and PSPRS
MOVED BY Vice Mayor Brian Jones to approve Resolution 2387 adopting the
2026 Legislative Program
SECONDED BY Councilmember Rebecca Rovey
VOTE: 7 – 0 (Yes – Mayor Bratcher, Vice Mayor Jones, Councilmembers
Bedoian, Clark, Nyberg, Rovey, and Rubash)
Town Manager Smith then provided a legislative update about several bills that
will affect cities and towns. There is a food tax bill this year that would eliminate
tax on any food that can be purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). This would eliminate all
food in the grocery store except alcohol and cigarettes. The estimate is that it will
cost cities and towns $227M and based on last year’s numbers Wickenburg
specifically will lose about $760,000. There was a bill that was negotiated last
year to limit the tax on food but this year they are back trying to eliminate it again.
House Bill 2290 will change the remote purchase tax to have the tax based on
business location and that would be who would receive the tax. So, depending
on what Amazon distribution location a product is shipped from will determine the
tax and Wickenburg would not receive any of that tax. This means if you are
ordering something and it comes from a high tax location; you will get charged
that higher tax rate without any representation on the tax rate. If it comes from
outside Arizona, there will not be any tax. This would be against the Wayfair
court decision.
There is also the issue of income tax conformity and the governor’s budget for
income tax. The Big Beautiful Bill removed some taxes and provided relief.
Usually, states will mirror any federal tax rules, however this will result in less
income tax collected in the state. The state must figure out how they are going to
deal with the loss of revenue or how to change the rules, so they don’t mirror the
federal rules, such as no tax on tips.
House Bill 2400 is regarding a motor fuel tax holiday for May to September. This
is to provide economic relief during the summer months, May – September, when
there is a specialty fuel blend that costs more. This will reduce the cost by $0.18
per gallon. The gas tax hasn’t been increased since 1994 and that funding goes
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 17 of 18
to HURF for roads. It is expected to result in $70M less for the state and $21M
less for cities and towns.
The addition of San Tan Valley as the 92nd city/town in the state resulted in
another entity receiving shares of the revenues that are distributed to the towns.
Currently their funding is based on their 2020 census, but that will be
recalculated to the actual population, which might result in more revenues to
them.
The Department of Revenue brought in new software for collecting taxes and
tracking them. They weren’t charging the cities and towns for the software but will
restart a fee to pay for the software which is not currently in the budget.
6. Presentation and Action regarding the Cowboy Hat Light Pole Topper Program
Steve Boyle, Community Development Director, reported that in 2014
Councilmember Scott Stewart spearheaded the original hat program to put metal
cowboy hats on the downtown lights in order to make them Western Sky
compliant. The cost was originally $600 each but there were only 10 hats that
were sponsored and placed. The program then went dormant after the initial ten
but at the request of the Town Manager, this program is being reviewed for
reimplementation. There are 152 light poles in the downtown with only 10 having
hats, so there are 142 open poles.
There was discussion of giving options in the hat style and color. The hats can be
in black gloss, gray gloss, and desert sand flat. For the styles, there is the
Western Cowboy, the Doc Holiday, and the Big Hoss. In addition, each light pole
will have a 6x6 inch sponsor plaque with their logo and a statement. It can be a
business name and logo to add visibility to their business.
The thought was to have two sponsorship levels. The “Gold Nugget” would be a
$10,000 cost and include poles on Wickenburg Way and Tegner Street. The
“Silver Spur” would be $5,000 for poles on other locations. This cost would allow
for a one-time replacement hat, if necessary. The longevity of the hats is
estimated to be 50 years since these will be powder coated. Any left-over funding
will be for town improvements.
Councilmember Rovey requested that there be a map set up showing the
sponsors for each pole.
Consensus of Council was for the Western Cowboy hat only.
Consensus of Council was for black only.
Town Manager Smith stated that the program is designed as a 100 year program
with one replacement in 50 years.
Town Council Minutes of February 2, 2026
Page 18 of 18
Vice Mayor Jones thought that you would get more participation if people were
allowed to pay over 3 years.
MOVED BY Vice Mayor Brian Jones to approve the Cowboy Hat Light Pole
Topper Program as presented and authorize staff to proceed with implementation
and sponsorship coordination
SECONDED BY Councilmember Art Rubash
VOTE: 7 – 0 (Yes – Mayor Bratcher, Vice Mayor Jones, Councilmembers
Bedoian, Clark, Nyberg, Rovey, and Rubash)
J. EXECUTIVE SESSION - (Council May Vote to Go Into Executive Session Pursuant
to A.R.S §38-431.03(A)(3) to Receive Legal Advice from the Town Attorney on Any
of the Above Agenda Items.)
K. SCHEDULING OF FUTURE COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS
L. ADJOURNMENT
MOVED BY Councilmember Rebecca Rovey to adjourn at approximately 9:13 PM
SECONDED BY Councilmember Kristy Bedoian
VOTE: 7 – 0 (Yes – Mayor Bratcher, Vice Mayor Jones, Councilmembers Bedoian,
Clark, Nyberg, Rovey, and Rubash)
BG Bratcher, Mayor
ATTEST:
Amy Brown, Town Clerk
CERTIFICATION
I, Amy Brown, the duly appointed and qualified Town Clerk of the Town of Wickenburg,
do hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes
of the regular meeting of the Town Council of Wickenburg, Arizona held on February 2,
2026. I further certify the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was
present.
Amy Brown, MMC
Town Clerk