3.24.26 MEETING MINUTES APPROVED.PDF

Minutes of the Federal and State Advocacy Review 
Council Subcommittee meeting held on March 24, 2026 at 12:30 p.m.,  
Hybrid Meeting- Tempe City Hall, 31 E. 5th St. 3rd Floor Large Conference Room  
and virtually through Microsoft Teams. 
 
Members Present: 
 
 
 
 
 
Councilmember Nikki Amberg – Chair 
Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid 
Councilmember Randy Keating 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
City Staff Present: 
Jonathan Shuffield, Director, Government Relations  
Darrell Duty, Interim Fire Chief 
Anthony Butch, Assistant Fire Chief 
Keaton Hill, Council Assistant 
Melissa Westbrook, Council Assistant 
Parrish Spiz, Council Assistant, 
Ty Lee, Council Assistant 
Greg Ruiz, Interim Chief Deputy City Manager  
Keith Burke, Deputy City Manager 
Lisette Camacho, Deputy City Manager/CFO 
Eric Anderson, City Attorney 
Eric Iwersen, Director, Sustainability & Transportation  
Kris Baxter, Director, Communications & Marketing Office 
Dr. Jacqueline Webster, Deputy Director, Community Health & Human Services – Social 
Services 
Tara Ford, Director, Public Works 
Tim Burch, Director, Community Health & Human Services 
Ryan Levesque, Deputy Director, Community Development – Planning  
Rosa Inchausti, City Manager 
Benicia Benson, Administrative Analyst 
Craig Caggiano, Deputy Director, Public Works – Water  
Laura Calder, Director, Financial Services  
Kyle Carman, Assistant Fire Chief 
Minutes 
Federal and State Advocacy Review 
Council Subcommittee 
March 24, 2026

Alex Jovanovic, Deputy Director, Community Services – Parks  
Kenneth McCoy, Police Chief  
Dr. Velicia McMillan Humes, Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
Dane Sorensen, Assistant Police Chief 
Shawn Wagner, Deputy Director, Community Services – Recreation 
Tanya Chavez, Director, Mayor and Council Relations 
 
Stakeholders/Members of the Public: 
Don Jongewaard, AZDC Consulting 
Jana Lynn Granillo 
David Sokolowski 
 
 
 
 
 
Agenda Item 1 – Call To Order 
Meeting called to order at 12:30 p.m. 
 
Agenda Item 2 – Public Appearances 
Jana Lynn Granillo introduced herself in the meeting. David Sokolowski expressed concern that 
Tempe is not adequately supporting state and federal efforts to increase housing supply and 
cited examples of local policies that may restrict development, including limitations on “missing 
middle” housing. They challenged claims that the City is doing everything possible to address 
the housing crisis, noting that other cities, such as Tucson, have taken more expansive 
approaches. 
 
Mr. Sokolowski also highlighted concerns about Tempe’s housing production goals, stating that 
meeting future apartment demand may be difficult, and suggested that state or federal 
intervention may be necessary to ensure all cities are contributing fairly. They emphasized that 
neighboring cities, particularly Scottsdale, are not providing sufficient housing options and may 
be relying on Tempe to absorb regional demand. 
 
Overall, Mr. Sokolowski advocated for broader state and federal action to address the housing 
crisis and to ensure a more equitable distribution of housing development across municipalities. 
 
Agenda Item 3 – Approval of February 20, 2026 Meeting Minutes 
Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid motioned to approve the Feb. 20, 2026 meeting minutes and 
Councilmember Keating seconded. Minutes approved. 
 
Agenda Item 4 – Municipal Priorities Presentation: Revenue and Investments 
Lisette Camacho, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy City Manager, opened the discussion by 
outlining the City’s ongoing coordination with the Arizona League of Cities and Towns. She 
noted that she regularly joins Jonathan Shuffield, the Government Relations Director, on these 
calls to provide input on policy issues that could positively or negatively impact Tempe. 
 
Robert Baer, Municipal Budget Director, shifted the focus to the City Council’s strategic 
priorities, specifically performance Measures 5.04 Bond Rating and 5.05 Unassigned Fund 
Balance. He emphasized the importance of maintaining local control, noting that cities and their 
residents should have a strong voice in decisions that affect them. He underscored the need for 
Tempe to retain authority over key revenue tools, including transaction privilege taxes, utility 
rates, and development impact fees, as these are essential for managing growth and sustaining

service levels. He also expressed concern that increased state involvement in these areas could 
reduce the City’s flexibility and make long-term financial planning more difficult. 
 
Councilmember Amberg raised concerns about whether some of the policy positions were too 
specific, to which Robert responded that the language was intentionally broad to allow for 
flexibility. 
 
The conversation then turned to tax policy. Robert explained that Arizona’s flat 2.5% income tax 
affects the amount of state-shared revenue distributed to cities. He also noted that property tax 
structures can shift the burden from commercial to residential properties, ultimately impacting 
local taxpayers. 
 
Robert added that changes at the federal level often have downstream effects on municipal 
finances. He highlighted the importance of closely monitoring transaction privilege tax (TPT), 
particularly as it relates to online sales, given its significance as a revenue source for the City. 
He also emphasized the value of maintaining flexible economic development tools to support 
business growth and investment, which in turn strengthens Tempe’s overall tax base. 
 
Overall, the presentation reinforced a consistent theme: protecting Tempe’s financial position by 
maintaining strong reserves, preserving key revenue streams, and remaining cautious of 
policies that could introduce uncertainty or impose unfunded costs. 
 
Agenda Item 5 – Federal Priorities Presentation: Grants and Funding 
Don Jongewaard of AZDC Consulting, the City’s federal consultant, provided a brief overview of 
key focus areas, including appropriations, grants, workforce training and career readiness, and 
overall advocacy. He asked whether the Subcommittee wanted to further refine these priorities 
and offered to share six one-page summaries covering different topics. He also raised the 
question of how a more focused set of priorities would be tracked and communicated to 
residents, noting that funding opportunities can shift depending on the administration in the 
White House—sometimes leaning more toward operational support versus capital 
improvements. 
 
Councilmember Amberg suggested identifying more specific funding requests each year when 
the item is brought forward, and City Manager Inchausti responded that this could be discussed 
further at a future work study session. 
 
Jonathan Shuffield added that grants and workforce readiness could be combined into a single 
category, which the Subcommittee generally supported. The discussion aligned around the 
following priorities: supporting Community Project Funding for local projects through federal 
appropriations, actively pursuing federal grants to advance City priorities, and reviewing federal 
proposals related to workforce development and job training. 
 
Agenda Item 6 – Future Agenda Items 
None at this time. The next meeting will focus on Transportation and Sustainability and 
Information Technology. 
 
Agenda Item 7 – Meeting Adjourned 
This meeting adjourned at 12:57 p.m.

Prepared by:   Melissa Westbrook, Council Assistant, (480) 350-8635 
Reviewed by:  Tanya Chavez, Mayor and Council Relations Director, (480) 858-2215