March 4, 2021 Special Meeting - Retreat Minutes
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CHANDLER CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING - RETREAT
Thursday, March 4, 2021
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING - RETREAT OF THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHANDLER, ARIZONA, held on Thursday, March 4, 2021, in the
Chandler Public Safety Training Center, 3550 S. Dobson Rd, Chandler, Arizona.
THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER BY MAYOR KEVIN HARTKE AT 2:07 P.M.
The following members of the Council were present:
Kevin Hartke
Mayor
Mark Stewart
Vice-Mayor
René Lopez
Councilmember
OD Harris
Councilmember
Terry Roe
Councilmember
Christine Ellis
Councilmember
Matt Orlando
Councilmember
City staff present: Joshua Wright, Acting City Manager; Kelly Schwab, City Attorney; Dana DeLong, City
Clerk; Debra Stapleton, Assistant City Manager; Matthew Burdick, Communications and Public Affairs
Director
1.
Welcome and Introductions – Mayor Kevin Hartke
MAYOR HARTKE thanked Council for attending and said the Strategic Framework has been beneficial
for Council and for staff the past few years in order to clarify the goals of Council. Mayor Hartke
introduced Patrick Ibarra, with The Mejorando Group and said Mr. Ibarra would be the facilitator for
the Retreat.
PATRICK IBARRA provided an outline of the retreat. Mr. Ibarra said he has worked with many cities to
assist navigating the future and build a strong community. Mr. Ibarra said strategic planning is a
roadmap for the future and be a way to be proactive about major initiatives. Some of the top topics in
all cities of all sizes that are discussed have been homelessness and affordable housing. Mr. Ibarra said
time is the most important thing the City has and the plan helps give staff direction on what to
accomplish with their time.
2.
Discussion regarding the accomplishments and outcomes realized from Good Government
and the role of the City.
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MR. IBARRA presented the following document to lead discussion regarding these topics.
Attributes of Exceptional Councils
•
Leading public organizations and governing with colleagues on a council is a challenging art of
community service. The Institute recognizes that many aspects of leadership and governance are
not intuitive. This piece is intended to provide councilmembers and city managers insight into the
attributes of exceptional councils as well as provide practical tips to help them become
exceptional.
•
1. Exceptional councils develop a sense of team – a partnership with the city manager to govern
and manage the city
o The mayor, councilmembers and city manager see themselves and work as a team as they
undertake a series of tasks to further their common purpose. The individual team members
work in a coordinated and collaborative manner with a high degree of respect, trust and
openness. The team values diversity in style and perspective. The team thinks and acts
strategically as it examines issues/situations and decides on a course of action serving their
city’s mission and goals.
o Key Characteristics
▪
Successfully transition from candidate to a member of the council.
▪
Become a champion of the city. Make decisions based on the needs and interests of
the community at-large / the greater good.
▪
Develop, communicate and support policy goals and council decisions.
▪
Demonstrate a willingness to work collaboratively (as a team) and have a citywide
perspective.
o Best Practice Tips
▪
Build capacity to create a more effective team. The governance team (mayor,
councilmembers and city manager) should get to know each other; how each
person approaches issues, decision making style and so on. This can be
accomplished at annual meetings or workshops through-out the year. In the event
that councilmembers disagree, clear ground rules (norms of behavior and practice)
can help quell acrimony before it becomes a problem. It’s important to reme mber
that trust is built around understanding and respect, not necessarily agreement.
•
2. Exceptional councils have clear roles and responsibilities that are understood and adhered.
o Exceptional councils understand their role is to serve as policy maker - to represent the
values, beliefs and priorities of their community while serving in the community’s best
interest. They carry out a variety of responsibilities including: developing and adopting a
vision for the city; focusing and aligning plans, policies, agreements and budgets in
furtherance of this vision; and holding themselves and the city manager accountable for
results.
o Exceptional councils understand that the city manager is responsible for the day-to-day
operations of the city. The city manager is responsible for undertaking and accomplishing
the policy objectives of the council. Exceptional councils recognize the subject matter
expertise of staff and utilize their knowledge and experience to guide and inform decision
making.
o Key Characteristics
▪
Understand the role of local government and their responsibilities.
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▪
Know their role- to set vision and policy, avoid micromanagement.
▪
Councilmembers should strive to be informed about the issues facing the city and
be prepared to ask questions of staff and each other.
o Best Practice Tips
▪
Create a shared understanding of the city manager’s role and the council’s
expectations to optimize the working relationships. This shared understanding is
informed by local charter and ordinance provisions that provide the overall
framework for the relationship. The council should make time to have conversations
during retreats and or study sessions to define and/or reveal and refine their role
and responsibilities. Since role clarity between the city council and city
management is critical to mutual success, having clear protocols helps avoid
misunderstandings.
•
3. Exceptional councils honor the relationship with staff and each other
o Exceptional councils understand that a good working relationship with staff is vital for the
city to be run successfully. Exceptional councils treat each other and staff with dignity and
respect. They act with civility and a high level of professional decorum. Councilmembers
build trust by not playing the “gotcha game” and strive to have a no secrets, no surprises
approach as an operating norm. Finally, they respect the diversity of styles and
perspectives among their colleagues and staff and are open to new ideas.
o Key Characteristics
▪
Councilmembers have the ability to respectfully disagree (to disagree without being
disagreeable). They are able to leave it at the dais; debates are about policy, not
personality.
▪
Exceptional councilmembers reflect positive decorum/model of leadership by
providing respectful tone with colleagues.
▪
Establish a set of behaviors ahead of time, potentially documented in a code of
conduct, to help promote civility and respect.
o Best Practice Tips
▪
Set council priorities and strategic goals at an annual meeting; these goals and
priorities are a tool to guide the city manager and staff on where to focus their
efforts. This annual meeting provides time for the council to reflect on community
priorities as well as offer an opportunity to discuss their decorum and their
relationship among each other and the relationship between the city manager/staff
and the council.
•
4. Exceptional councils routinely conduct effective meetings
o Open and public meetings are central to democratic decision-making. Exceptional councils
master the art of effective meetings. They develop and adhere to meeting protocols and
processes. They spend time planning and organizing the agenda with the aim of having a
more focused meeting. They allocate the council’s time and energy appropriately (focused
on the council’s role and responsibilities) and meeting short- and long-term priorities. They
honor the public’s participation and engagement and they generally start on time and are
held during reasonable hours.
o Exceptional councils use public meetings not only for their intended purpose, information
sharing and decision-making, but they also use the meeting to demonstrate respect and
civility for each other, staff and the public. Exceptional councilmembers prepare in advance
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of the meeting, remain focused on the city goals and objectives and mindful of their role
and responsibilities.
o Key Characteristics
▪
Councilmembers are respectful of each other, the public and everyone’s time.
▪
Councilmembers use engaging body language as a way to demonstrate respect.
▪
Issues are not personalized, thoughtful dialogue is the objective.
▪
Agenda packets are read, councilmembers come prepared and have an open mind
▪
Respect is demonstrated for varied opinions.
▪
Everyone strives to be civil and act with decorum.
o Best Practice Tips
▪
Develop and adopt (with regular reviews and updates), guidelines for conducting
meetings and making decisions. These governance protocols typically address
meeting procedures (agenda preparation, how to put issues on the agenda, debate
and voting procedures (parliamentary rules) and standards of decorum (civility)). As
part of a regular self-assessment, councils should evaluate their meetings and their
effectiveness and adjust behavior and practices for better results.
•
5. Exceptional councils hold themselves and the city accountable
o Exceptional councils operate openly, ethically and work to engage the community in a
myriad of decisions impacting the prosperity and well-being of their community. Toward
that end, exceptional councils consistently provide short- and long-term strategic direction
and goals, as well as provide budget, program and policy oversight.
o Exceptional councils hold themselves accountable for the conduct, behavior and
effectiveness of the council. They establish clear priorities and goals and hold the city
manager accountable for results. And finally, they embrace accountability as a process and
tool to calibrate ongoing efforts to address and meet policy and program objectives.
o Key Characteristics
▪
Councilmembers operate ethically and with integrity.
▪
Councils conduct team building / goal setting exercise to track progress towards
mutually agreed upon goals
▪
Councils taking responsibility for the results (good and bad).
▪
Councils celebrate success.
▪
Councilmembers hold themselves responsible for adhering to operating protocols
and codes of conduct.
o Best Practice Tips
▪
Annually evaluate council and city manager performance toward achieving the city’s
priorities and goals (consider having this be part of an annual goal setting meeting).
Council should consider assessing its own behavior and effectiveness as part of its
annual self-assessment.
•
6. Exceptional councils have members who practice continuous personal learning and
development
o Governance is not intuitive. In addition, the policy and economic environment impacting
cities are ever changing. Exceptional councils continually provide the opportunity to build
their knowledge and skills, to enhance their understanding of key issues, increase their
awareness of best practices and sharpen their leadership and governance skills.
o KEY CHARACTERISTICS
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▪
Stay informed on key issues
▪
Gain key insights and knowledge on all aspects of governing, from budgets to plans
and everything in between.
▪
Learning to listen is sometimes more important than learning to give a speech.
o BEST PRACTICE TIPS
▪
Seek out national, state and local professional growth and educational
opportunities. These opportunities can focus on the nuts and bolts of governing to
helping you gain valuable information and/or insights on key policy issues facing
your city. In addition, city run orientations for newly elected officials provide a good
way to acclimate new members to the council’s norms and protocols as well as the
budget and key policy issues.
COUNCIL had a discussion regarding good government, the benefits of good government, and what
that meant to them.
3.
Discussion regarding the roles of Mayor, Council, City Manager, City staff and community.
MR. IRBARRA asked the Council for ideas regarding these roles and what each position should bring.
COUNCIL had discussion regarding the role of the Mayor, Council, City Manager, City staff, and the
community.
THE MEETING RECESSED AT 3:13 P.M.
THE MEETING RECONVENED AT 3:26 P.M. ALL PRESENT.
4.
Discussion and identification of Strategies for Creating a More Credible, Effective Governing
Body.
MR. IBARRA continued discussion regarding strategies for effective government and shared best
practices.
5.
Update by Acting City Manager on 2020 Accomplishments
JOSHUA WRIGHT, Acting City Manager, presented the following Power Point presentation.
•
2020 Annual Report
•
Our Vision
o We are a world-class city that provides an exceptional quality of life
•
Our Brand
o A safe community that connects people, chooses innovation and inspires excellence.
•
Our Goals
o City Council Strategic Policy Goals
o Being the most connected City
o Being a leader in trust and transparency
o Maintaining fiscal sustainability
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o Attracting a range of private sector businesses
o Fostering a contemporary culture that embraces unity
o Being safe and beautiful
•
Strategic Framework Focus Areas
o Infill and Redevelopment
o Innovation and Technology
o Mobility
o Neighborhoods
o Quality of Life
•
Infill and Redevelopment
o Office, Industrial and Medical Center Development
o Allred Park Place expansion will add 300,000 square feet of office with room for 1,800 jobs.
o Banner Ocotillo Medical Center expects to handle 21,000 emergency visits annually.
o Modernization of buildings known as the Alexander and Johnathan creates 220,000 square
feet of creative office space in downtown.
o $437 million in capital investments over the next three years
o 2,550 jobs over the next three years
o 891,394 square feet of office, industrial and flex space
o 750,000 square feet of space under construction
•
Infill and Redevelopment
o Expanded Development
o 4,228 Building Permits
o Exceeding $1.1 Billion in Value
o 72% Increase Over the Prior Year
•
Innovation and Technology
o Adapting Services and Public Meetings
o Mobile Workforce
▪
Chandler's enhanced technology infrastructure enabled a mobile workforce to
deliver services online and by appointment.
o eAgenda
▪
A technology project modernized the City Council agenda and process to place
items on the agenda.
o Virtual Public Meetings
▪
Virtual Public Meetings enabled residents to provide input that shaped master
planning projects.
o 100 City Council Meetings Conducted in 2020
o 591 Public Comments Submitted Online
o 121 Board and Commission Meetings Offered via Webex
•
Innovation and Technology
o Communications and Utility Services
o Improved Communications Services
▪
Cox accelerated Gigablast installations to support remote work and virtual learning.
o Chandler's Fiber-optic Network
▪
Made improvements to the City's fiber-optic network and identify future
investments citywide.
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o Partnership with Verizon
▪
6 miles of conduit for fiber-optic use
▪
City Smart Parking project in downtown
▪
133 Small Wireless Facilities built
o Relief Funds for Mobile Hotspots
▪
City Council allocated $250,000 in coronavirus relief funds to CUSD to purchase
1,000 mobile hotspots.
o Voters approved the 25-year franchise agreement with Southwest Gas negotiated by the
City
•
Mobility
o Traffic Signal Systems
o Received $6.67 million in Transportation Grants
o 160 Capital Improvement Projects Contracts Valued at $60,822,575
o 54 bus stops
o 3 bus routes
o 1 partnership going the extra mile
o First-Mile, Last-Mile
▪
Partnership with Lyft expanded transit service in south Chandler, avoiding costs of
adding new bus routes.
o Street Improvements
▪
Completion of three street widening projects improved the arterial street network
in southeast Chandler.
o Traffic Signal Systems
▪
New video detection cameras installed at 40 intersections, emerging technologies
project on Chandler Blvd used artificial intelligence to adjust traffic signal timing in
real-time based on demand.
•
Mobility
o Chandler Airport
o Airport Master Plan Update
▪
Stakeholders worked to recommended a vision and facility plan for the airport.
o Airport Upgrades
▪
Pavement rehab at heliport and Runway 4R-22L
▪
Upgrade airport gates and access control system
▪
Airport maintenance requests can now be made through City's website and mobile
app
•
Neighborhoods
o Preserving Chandler Neighborhoods
o 38,416 Square Feet of Graffitti Removed
o 16,042 Code Inspections Conducted
o 29 Neighborhood Grants Awarded
o 324 Registered Neighborhoods
o First-time residents completed the Census online, by phone and mail
o Innovative community outreach by Complete Count Committee.
o Updates to City code and ordinances to maintain and preserve Chandler neighborhoods
o New software and mobile technology for code inspections
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o Developed framework for investments in aging neighborhoods
o Amazon donation to address neighborhood preservation needs of seniors
•
Neighborhoods
o Opened Housing Choice Voucher program and added 4,000 applications to waitlist
o Updated Section 8 voucher program and implemented online public housing portal
o Incentive program attracted new landlords for the Housing Choice Voucher program
o Distributed 3,000 books supporting Public Housing Authority Book Rich Environment
•
Quality of Life
o Arts, Culture and Events
o Community Services
o Public Safety
•
Quality of Life: Arts, Culture and Events
o Chandler Center for the Arts Season Concluded with:
▪
$1.7 million in ticket sales
▪
61,709 paid admissions
▪
$329,000 from grants and sponsorships
•
Quality of Life: Arts, Culture and Events
o Chandler Museum, Galleries and Public Art
o Formation of Chandler Museum Foundation
o Opened Museum Store
o Virtual Arts and Culture
o 3,000 in-person attendance
o Vision Kids classes attended by 800 students
o Hosted 11 gallery exhibits
o Hosted 9 receptions
•
Quality of Life: Community Services
o Chandler Public Library
o Hold limit increased to 25
o Acquired digital materials
o Access to global magazine/newspaper database
o 781,303 physical items
▪
43% decrease over the same period in 2019 Library closed for 2 months in 2020
with no physical item checkout
o 349,035 cloud Library
▪
32% increase over the same period in 2019
o 28,851 digital magazines
▪
Flipster and PressReader
o 24,087 streaming movies
▪
92% increase over the same period in 2019
o 3,260 eCards issued
▪
39% increase over the same period in 2019
o 4 Library Services & Technology Act Grants totaling more than $42,000
o 2 Arizona State Library Grants $8,500 for 250 books and audio titles
•
Quality of Life: Community Services
o Parks, Recreation and Aquatics
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o Rec At Home
o Aquatics Water Safety
o Park Improvements
o 15 Tennis Center Courts resurfaced
o 9,000 children and adults taught to swim
o 2,853 park maintenance work orders completed
•
Quality of Life: Public Safety
o Chandler Police Department
o 303,875 non-emergency calls
o 189,172 emergency 911 calls
o 35,439 alarms
o 4,694 non-emergency texts
o 82 texts to 911
o Expanded Body-worn Cameras
o Public Safety Training Center
o Roll-out of Mobile Devices
o How Calls Were Cleared
▪
191,987 General Offense
▪
97,761 Verbal Warnings
▪
35,949 Civil Citations
▪
29,688 False Alarms
▪
21,139 Motorist Assist
▪
13,041 Written Warning
•
Quality of Life: Public Safety
o Fire and Emergency Medical Services
o $170,000 in Fire Grants
o Three New Aerial Ladder Trucks
o American Heart Association Lifeline Award
o First Regional Fire Training Academy and Paramedic Training Site
o COVID-19
▪
36,000 vaccines
▪
19,300 surgical masks
▪
177,520 gloves
▪
9,800 gowns
MAYOR HARTKE said these goals have provided staff with flexibility over the last two years and asked
Council if these five areas were ones Council wanted to continue to move forward with.
VICE MAYOR STEWART asked if Public Safety should be its own since it gets hidden in Quality of Life.
MR. WRIGHT said this was discussed previously and it was felt public safety was a core competency of
Quality of Life and there were not many initiatives at the time to have its own.
MAYOR HARTKE said it was placed there because of its initiatives not necessarily its value.
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MR. WRIGHT said yes.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ suggested public safety be highlighted in the forefront of the Quality of Life
category.
VICE MAYOR STEWART said there was an internal and external brand of the plan.
MAYOR HARTKE said he was supportive of the idea.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said he was supportive of keeping it with Quality of Life or making it its
own category.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS said public safety has taken the brunt of the work done with COVID-19 and
no one has really understood how much they have been doing to keep the community safe.
Councilmember Ellis said the quality of life that people have had during COVID-19 has been because
public safety was able to deliver services in a timely manner even when detrimental to their own
health.
MAYOR HARTKE asked both ideas be an option for the March 5 discussion.
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS said diversity and inclusion has been a discussion topic and suggested that
be highlighted as well. Councilmember Harris said Chandler embraces everyone and that is what also
brings companies to the City.
MAYOR HARTKE said that idea should be placed on the March 5 discussion.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said he would like more clarification on how the City is meeting these
objectives in order for the Council and for the citizens to easily see the information. Councilmember
Orlando said the new dashboard shows some information, but does not provide the detail needed for
what the information means.
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS suggested that a link be put on the website so citizens can quickly access
the information to see the great things the City is doing.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ said the dashboard is too high level to really see what was done.
VICE MAYOR STEWART asked if it was a best practice to receive strategic vision input from staff to get
more information about what staff is hearing from the community.
MR. WRIGHT said staff would break down the focus areas into staff initiatives to realize the vision.
MR. IBARRA said the challenge would be balancing the initiatives and considering the resources and
staff time it would take to achieve those goals. Mr. Ibarra said prioritizing the initiatives is important.
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VICE MAYOR STEWART said they are trying to achieve the vision they believe the community wants
and asked if it was a best practice to incorporate ideas of the staff on what initiatives would be
impactful.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS said staff has ideas that Council can help move forward as well.
MAYOR HARTKE thought that was the role of the City Manager to help drive the goals and then staff
moves forward with initiatives to reach those goals.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ said staff has leeway to work with the citizens to make sure the projects are
going to be a good use of resources and achieve what the citizens are asking for.
MAYOR HARTKE said the items that are brought to Council show that staff works with the citizens and
they have great ideas.
COUNCILMEMBER ROE said talking about specific projects is great.
6.
Discussion: Strategies to Reaffirm the Vision Forward
MR. IBARRA read Chandler’s vision and discussed visions and how a vision is helpful to the
organization. Mr. Ibarra said they could use the vision to generate ideas surrounding economic
development of the City.
A. Strategic Framework
These are the Focus Areas.
B. Economic Development
•
Strategies
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ talked about diversifying the City’s economic development.
VICE MAYOR STEWART said it was important to look at how the City is advertised.
MAYOR HARTKE talked about the vitality of the community.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO discussed healthcare and the major medical campuses in Chandler.
•
Higher Education
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS asked how much input the Council has in higher education.
MAYOR HARTKE said Council does not have much influence with the grade schools, but the City does
have relationships with the community colleges and the universities.
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COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO talked about the past partnerships with the schools and suggested they
look to see if there is opportunity for a partner regarding some of the City owned buildings.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS said the City needs a partnership to work with the schools to ensure that
people have the education needed to work in the industries that are coming to Chandler.
Councilmember Ellis said there is a segment of the population that cannot move out of poverty and
they need to find a way to work with the City to find a way to provide them the opportunity to go to
school. Councilmember Ellis said staff could look further into bringing a partnership that would be
beneficial to the City.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ said they need to look to the industry to guide the partnership and discuss
ways to educate high schools to get them ready for the workforce in industries that are in demand as
technology changes.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said ASU goes into communities and talks with the industries to put
together curriculums so that students can receive education to go into the industries in their
community.
VICE MAYOR STEWART said he was open to the idea of having partnerships to help drive the
economy they have in Chandler.
MAYOR HARTKE said staff could explore the idea and further the educational opportunities to help
raise the community.
COUNCIL agreed it would be a topic that should be explored.
MAYOR HARTKE asked Councilmember Orlando to look into the educational partnership
opportunities with staff and update Council.
THE MEETING RECESSED AT 4:54 P.M.
THE MEETING RECONVENED AT 5:02 P.M. ALL PRESENT.
•
Airpark
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS said the Airpark and Council should invest the appropriate amount of
funds to make it what it needs to be.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS asked what the vision was for the investment.
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS said to build another terminal, ask staff to find the dollars such as grants,
and explore ways to increase the economic development and expand on it.
MAYOR HARTKE said the Bond Committee looked at the issue and recommended expanding Cooper
and open along Queen Creek so there is growth near the freeway and open anything outside the
fence.
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COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS said the growth would be done in phases, but the Airport needs to have a
better understanding and direction on what they are doing.
MAYOR HARTKE said in the next few months there would be an Airport Development Plan and was in
support of developing the airport to embrace the economic development opportunities.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said he looked at the area as a business park with an air strip.
Councilmember Orlando said opening up the area to develop the corridor is important to the business
park.
MAYOR HARTKE said the air strip allowed the business park to develop.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ agreed and thought the airport was a positive impact. Councilmember
Lopez suggested waiting for the Airport Area Plan and Airport Master Plan. The airports are seeing a
shift and the pilot pools are shrinking and the demographic in the next 10 years will not be the same.
Councilmember Lopez said he liked the idea of it being a business park with an airport and this is part
of economic diversity.
MR. WRIGHT said there is an opportunity to do something important with the airport in the next few
months. The Airport Master Plan is planned to go to Council in April. The plan has an emphasis on
economic development and support for the Master Plan would be important.
COUNCILMEMBER ROE said Council has allowed encroachment along the way to make it less likely to
be the airport it should be. Councilmember Roe said the airport should appeal to the businesses
around it for the executives to come to the area. Councilmember Roe said not having the extended
runway length is a missed opportunity.
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS agreed and Council needed to make some difficult decisions and market
the decision and make the best decision for the City.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said the business community has never backed the airport initiative.
Councilmember Orlando said now there is a business community down there to support it.
COUNCILMEMBER ROE said there was some potential of having the bond issue fail, but the runway
length is important.
MAYOR HARTKE said Council was in agreement of expanding the Airpark Area.
MR. IBARRA talked about leadership capital, political capital, and social capital and how the Council
can leverage the different types of capital. Mr. Ibarra talked about how Council should engage with
issues.
COUNCIL had discussion regarding engaging in issues. Council discussed the importance of the
boards and commissions and the role of local government.
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C. Neighborhood Redevelopment
•
Housing Inventory
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said there was a Council Subcommittee and there was discussion of
more housing diversity. The City is bringing many businesses, but there is a void of workforce housing
available for the workers. Councilmember Orlando said there are also concerns of transportation as
well to support the workforce.
VICE MAYOR STEWART asked if the issue is the responsibility of the municipality and if the issue is
larger than just the City.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said the City has to have the amenities needed to support the
businesses that are coming here.
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS said they received millions of dollars in federal funds and the City is
involved in affordable housing.
VICE MAYOR STEWART said there are developers who are creating high density projects that may not
stay as affordable housing, but it is not the job of Council to dictate the free market.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ said there is a gap of people that make too much to qualify for housing
assistance, but not enough to live in Chandler.
MAYOR HARTKE said it is not uncommon for people to live outside of a City and then commute to
work and then eventually move closer.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS said there is a group in Chandler that needs help to stay in Chandler.
Councilmember Ellis said they can have a relationship with the builders to fill the need of the City and
that would set a precedent for other builders. This is not something the City would have to pay dollars
for because developers are willing to do projects that are going to be successful.
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS said they may not be able to dictate the housing types, but they can
ensure the transportation is sufficient so people who live outside of Chandler can get to work in
Chandler.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ said Chandler is affordable compared to the neighboring cities.
COUNCILMEMBER ROE said it is an important issue and Council should continue to listen to best
practices. Councilmember Roe said it is hard to get a picture of what the housing situation looks like
and everyone’s situation is different.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said it is important to the companies that come to Chandler for housing
to be available for their employees.
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COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ said some of the companies pay their employees more to accommodate the
cost of living in the area so workforce housing is relative to the time.
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS said there are also a lot of houses that are being rented in the City.
VICE MAYOR STEWART said as the City and technology innovates there may be more door to door
service with automated vehicles instead of buses.
MAYOR HARTKE said Council is open to exploring different ideas, but are not open to subsidizing.
MR. WRIGHT said for Council to consider the standards for housing that they want there are many
diverse housing options. Mr. Wright said staff spends a lot of time vetting projects before it comes to
Council, so having that guidance would be helpful.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said they need to look at this in a holistic approach and encourage
redevelopment where it makes sense.
VICE MAYOR STEWART said they can look at the four corners that need to change from retail that is
closed or an area that cannot support commercial spaces that could be changed to multifamily.
MR. IBARRA said it is important to have parameters to help drive the process.
D. Discussion of Other Topics
•
Mental Health services
MR. IBARRA said many cities have started discussing this issue or revisiting it to mitigate the crisis.
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS said there was a rapid response team.
MAYOR HARTKE said yes, with COVID-19.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ asked what the need demographics are in Chandler.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS said 2% of the population at large has a need to address mental health not
just for the homeless, and COVID-19 has made the situation worse. Councilmember Ellis asked if it was
the role of Council to address the issue and find a solution. It is important that people get the help
they need instead of ignoring it and the situation getting worse. Councilmember Ellis said in a
conversation with the Chief they talked about creating a task force to look at the issue and what the
community needs. Councilmember Ellis said having someone on call to respond to calls where there is
a mental health crisis would be helpful. Councilmember Ellis said they could expand as well to have
some staff that are trained to respond to calls and conduct assessments and have a wraparound
service to get the help they need.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ said if public safety gets calls to respond they should be able to engage
immediately instead of waiting for another person to arrive.
Chandler City Council Retreat Meeting Minutes
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Page 16
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS said right now there are limited services, but adding more resources would
help keep people outside of the system and get the help they need to make long term improvement.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ asked what the ask was for these programs.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS said to increase and expend what is allotted for these programs and bring
additional resources. Councilmember Ellis said she would like to see the community partners work
together to create a comprehensive program.
MAYOR HARTKE said this would require more staff and resources potentially.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS said it would be important to see results and quantify how the programs do.
Councilmember Ellis said they could start with a pilot program and see how it works.
COUNCILMEMBER ROE said the County provides some services and the police department uses those
in serious cases. Councilmember Roe said this needs some study and discussion because of what is
happening now.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO asked if this was something to diffuse the situation and then support
getting help.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS said the police are not trained fully on mental health to determine what is
happening and provide the help needed.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said if the police respond to a call and realize the person has some
mental health problems what would be next.
COUNILMEMBER ELLIS said they would step back and bring in a mental health professional to
respond. Councilmember Ellis said from that point the individual could enter a program and get the
services they need.
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS said he agreed with Councilmember Ellis. Councilmember Harris said they
should not criminalize those with mental health and need to find a balance. Councilmember Harris
said this would create more jobs and they would need to determine what type of professionals would
be on staff and how that would be paid for. Councilmember Harris said the issue is worth looking into
further and to study the community need.
MAYOR HARTKE said there is discussion with creating a mental health court.
KELLY SCHWAB, City Attorney, said that already there is a mental health court for those severely
mentally ill, but this would be a more middle of the road court.
COUNCILMEMBER LOPEZ said if someone is breaking the law the person should be arrested and then
could be sent to mental health court. Councilmember Lopez said there is an issue, but there are many
Chandler City Council Retreat Meeting Minutes
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Page 17
non-profit programs that could be engaged to respond to these situations. If they City were to take
on the issue that would present more cost for tax payers and there needs to be more information
about how many calls there are. Councilmember Lopez said they also need to look at the legal liability
of providing these services.
MR. IBARRA said there is the distinction between mental health issues and behavioral health issues.
Mr. Ibarra said there is an increase in teen suicide and more discussion around mental health. Mr.
Ibarra said the police officers arrive on the scene and someone is in crisis and they need a way to
direct the situation to professionals.
MAYOR HARTKE said he was interested in having staff spend some time on this. Mayor Hartke said
there would be further discussion on the priorities and find Council consensus.
MR. IBARRA recapped the discussion and the agenda for the next meeting.
ADJOURNMENT: The Retreat was adjourned at approximately 6:53 p.m.
ATTEST: __________________________
______________________________
City Clerk Mayor
Approval Date of Minutes: April 8, 2021
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Special
Meeting - Retreat of the City Council of Chandler, Arizona, held on the 4th day of March, 2021. I
further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present.
DATED this _______ day of April, 2021.
__________________________
City Clerk