Minutes of the Special Meeting - Budget Briefing of April 29, 2022
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CHANDLER CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING – BUDGET BRIEFING MINUTES
Friday, April 29, 2022
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF CHANDLER, ARIZONA, held on Friday, April 29, 2022, in the Chandler
City Council Chambers, 88 E. Chicago Street, Chandler, Arizona.
THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER BY MAYOR KEVIN HARTKE AT 8:15 A.M.
The following members of the Council were present:
Kevin Hartke
Mayor
Terry Roe
Vice Mayor
Christine Ellis
Councilmember
OD Harris
Councilmember
René Lopez
Councilmember
Matt Orlando
Councilmember
Mark Stewart
Councilmember
Also, in attendance:
Joshua H. Wright
City Manager
Tadd Wille
Assistant City Manager
Dawn Lang
Deputy City Manager / CFO
Andy Bass
Deputy City Manager
Department Directors
Budget Staff
Opening Remarks – Mayor Kevin Hartke
Mayor Hartke gave brief opening remarks.
Introduction – City Manager Joshua H. Wright
City Manager Joshua H. Wright gave the FY 2022-23 Budget message speaking to slides four through
fifteen.
He then directed Dawn Lang, Deputy City Manager / CFO to begin the day.
Overview of Budget – Dawn Lang
Deputy City Manager / CFO Dawn Lang began with the Overview of FY 2022-23 Annual Proposed
Budget covering slides 17 through 18.
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Mayor Hartke – Discussed how one-time dollars are available to be used and appreciates that we
budget revenues first, and don’t just match revenues to planned expenditures.
Councilmember Orlando – Do we have a chart of what is left on COVID and ARPA dollars? Ms. Lang –
We will provide you with a report on where we are at with spending those dollars.
Councilmember Orlando – Bonds are going up a little bit, are we estimating an increase on our
investments, or are we looking a straight 1.9%? Ms. Lang - We did incorporate an additional increase
in our investment income, and it is around 2%.
Budget and Policy Officer Matt Dunbar continued with slides 19 through 22.
Councilmember Orlando – Healthcare and self-insurance funds have gone up; will you be covering
that? Mr. Dunbar – Dawn will be speaking to that in her section.
Councilmember Lopez – I would like to recognize that debt service is going down and not too many
cities are seeing that. In this time and age of growing inflation more and more cities and the federal
government are going into debt, definitely they can learn from the activities that you are doing here.
It is dumbfounding that we are only one of many cities that are lowering their debt service. Kudos and
hats off to you. I think the name of state shared revenue needs to be adjusted because people tend
to think that it is what the state collects and bequeaths upon us out of good will. It is actually tax
revenue that they collect from our residents that is designated for us, so they are just a middleman.
Mayor Hartke – What year does the newly negotiated increase in state shared revenue go into effect?
Mr. Dunbar – I think you are talking about the increase to the income tax percentage proposal where
in an effort to avoid a reduction in city revenue with the new flat tax, they increased the percentage
of tax revenues allocated to cities and that goes into effect next fiscal year.
Ms. Lang resumes the next portion of the presentation General Fund 5-year ongoing forecast and
fund balance projections slides 14 through 26.
Councilmember Orlando – Regarding self-insurance cost increases for healthcare, when you say 9%
increase is that the city’s share? Ms. Lang – That 9% will impact both the city and the employee. The
city’s and the employee’s contribution will go up 9%. Councilmember Orlando – equally? Ms. Lang –
Yes.
Councilmember Orlando – What is the rate of inflation you are using, and is that across the board or
individually depending on the area? Ms. Lang - It is not a flat rate, and it is specific to the area.
Vice Mayor Roe – I have heard about scarcity of pool chemicals, so not only high prices but having a
hard time getting it, is that some of what we face? Ms. Lang – Absolutely that is one of the cost
adjustments that we have done in the general fund.
Mr. Dunbar continued with slides 27 through 30.
Councilmember Stewart – Did I see earlier that we are carrying forward nearly $80 million dollars
because we can’t get projects done? Mr. Dunbar – A lot of the carryforward is because projects take a
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long period of time to finalize. We know they are going to span 2 or 3 fiscal years of spending on those
projects so there is that carryforward year after year, but we have seen some projects that are slowed
because of the quantity of projects and some of the constraints we are seeing in our purchasing
environment. Councilmember Stewart – This chart here we are not expecting that in 22-23? Mr.
Dunbar – That assumes that everything planned right now is spent. Councilmember Stewart - That
probably won’t happen. Mr. Dunbar – It never has, and it surely won’t this year, this is a worst-case
scenario. Councilmember Stewart – This is not necessarily what is going to happen. Mr. Dunbar - The
only piece of this that we think is going to happen is the fund balance at the end of FY 21-22. Ms. Lang
– Just to add to that this is just a methodology we use in projecting our general fund balance. Because
that appropriation this is out there, your authorization to have departments spend those dollars, so
we want to make sure we are showing everything that got appropriated got spent so we can truly see
where that fund balance would lie after that took place. It’s not really a cashflow projections it is more
of an appropriation projection to make sure we are not falling below our required threshold.
Councilmember Stewart - Is that $133M unappropriated or is that an ongoing operational? Ms. Lang
– No that is the unappropriated fund balance. Councilmember Stewart – We have an unappropriated
$133M, contingency fund of $45M, stabilization reserve of $10M. So, does that mean we have $175
million dollars that doesn’t have a home? Ms. Lang – No the $133M excludes the contingency balance
of $45 million. It removes everything that has been appropriated. The $133M does include the $10
million dollar budget stabilization reserve because that is not an appropriate reserve it is simply a
place holder that allows us to get into unappropriated and continue to spend should our revenues
not actually be realized in the following year. Councilmember Stewart – That is appropriated, and we
may spend that one day, but we never really do. Ms. Lang – Yes exactly in any given year that 15%
contingency, this year it equates to $45.5 million, that total is out of this fund balance projection and
typically depending on what’s happening from year to year some of it may get used. The appropriated
amount is reflected in every one of these years because it is in our financial policy that we do that.
Councilmember Stewart – So what I heard is that we don’t have a home for a lot of it. Ms. Lang - $133
million is undesignated. Councilmember Stewart – We have a 10-year CIP plan, projections for staffing
and raises and everything going up. Ms. Lang – This is one-time money so we would never use that
for ongoing purposes. One of the other financial policies that Matt mentioned is the fact that we keep
a 4-month operating reserve and that equates to $101 million. We do need to keep that amount as a
reserve, and we must leave that unappropriated in our fund balance. We invest that and it earns
revenue, and it allows for that cushion which really bodes well for us on our bond ratings, allowing us
to remain at AAA. Councilmember Stewart – Is that by law or charter? Ms. Lang – That is a GFOA best
practice to do anywhere from 2 to 3 months of operating reserves and that is determined and set by
our Mayor and Council in our financial policies.
Councilmember Orlando – On page 3 of resources the bond sales chart $60 million from last year,
nothing from this year, correct? Ms. Lang – That is correct. Councilmember Orlando – on the next page
we are showing appropriation of bonds of $122 million, is that bonds already outstanding? Ms. Lang
- That is the appropriated fund balance in the combined capital bond fund of $122 million, and it is
proceeds that we have already sold that are tied to capital projects that are not completed yet.
Councilmember Orlando – That is what I wanted to clarify is that we don’t have to sell bonds this year
because we already have a bunch in process, grants and one-time dollars. Ms. Lang – You are correct.
Capital Improvement Projects (CIP)
Ms. Lang presented a general overview of the City Capital Improvement Program (CIP) process (slide
32), CIP history (slide 33).
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Councilmember Stewart – This chart shows the interest we have expressed to use the cash we have
to really push forward the capital improvement projects, improve water infrastructure and the roads,
and move projects up in the last 2 years that were scheduled in the out years. I want to thank you for
recognizing the request and being able to make it happen even though we have those labor pressures.
I know this is what the community expects so thank you.
Ms. Lang moved on to CIP highlights (slide 34), and Mr. Dunbar continued with summary of proposed
key projects in the 1st five years (slide 35), general voter bond authorization (slide 36), and a
breakdown of the Proposed FY 2022-23 CIP appropriation of $597.4M (slide 37).
Mr. Dunbar closed the overview portion of the presentation with outlining how the department
operating, and CIP presentations will proceed (slide 38).
Department Presentations then began.
Communications & Public Affairs (CAPA) – Matt Burdick
Communications & Public Affairs Director, Matt Burdick, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments,
FY 2022-23 Budget, and decision packages for the Communication & Public Affairs department.
Councilmember Harris – I am glad to hear you are improving the green screen in the production
studio. I am glad we are forward thinking in this area because marketing is critically important in
making sure that we have technology and equipment to do so.
Councilmember Orlando – I noticed in your print area over the last 3 years you have gone down from
5 to 3 yet your workload seems to be a little bit on a rising trend, are you concerned about that or are
we staying ahead of the game? Mr. Burdick – More what concerns me is the years of experience of the
staff, they are all in excess of 20 years so right now. I have had lengthy conversations with the
supervisor of that unit, and 4 positions is really what we need to effectively deliver the services. Right
now, we have the supervisor and 2 other FTEs and a full-time temporary staff. Print does continue to
be an important element whether it’s something we are mailing out or something that is supporting
events, they are busy, but they have been able to do that with the temporary staff. Councilmember
Orlando – I am sure you are communicating that. Mr. Burdick – Yes, we work a lot with the City
Manager to keep him apprised.
Councilmember Ellis – I know that we have discussed about having different sites where council and
mayor can post. You told me that you were in the process of building that site not just for Mayor but
also to include Council. Where are we with that? Mr. Burdick – That is in the works.
City Clerk – Dana Delong
City Clerk, Dana Delong, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23 Budget, and decision
package for the City Clerk Department.
No questions or comments.
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City Magistrate – Alicia M. Skupin
Presiding City Magistrate, Alicia M. Skupin, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23
Budget, and decision packages for the City Magistrate Department.
Vice Mayor Roe – As far as people being able to come in, login and get queued into the Courts, is that
something that can be done remotely? Judge Skupin – Ideally yes, we would have that function but
that would not be through the queuing system but through the website. It would be like a waiting
room where you can schedule your time however it is not part of this DP, but it is something we have
on our radar to enhance the customer service experience on our website.
Councilmember Ellis – You spoke about a 3-year plan, do you have anything in mind for a 5-year plan?
Judge Skupin – The 3-year plan is to get a grasp on what we need to do in the near future, and it
includes more partnerships with outside programs like the domestic violence shelter or the
community college. Our long-term goals are to really enhance our workforce, as we have all heard it
has been very challenging to recruit people as we are competing with the private sector.
Councilmember Ellis – Thank you for your presentation at the domestic violence regional board
regarding the new bill that has passed. It is going to cause more work, but it is a good thing
empowering victims to be able to take care of themselves. With your partnership with the police
department, we are aiming to have one of the top courts here in Arizona. Judge Skupin – That is our
goal to be the best place to work and best court in Arizona.
Law – Kelly Schwab
City Attorney, Kelly Schwab, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23 Budget, and
decision packages for the Law Department.
Councilmember Orlando – The 6.1 million dollars liability is that just what you have on hand, it does
not include insurance, right? Ms. Schwab – That does include insurance premiums, that is the
combined budget. Councilmember Orlando – That is going up and continues to due to the liability
case increases and nothing carriers can do, correct? Ms. Schwab – we anticipate pretty large increases,
and we are working with our broker right now. The good news is that some premiums have come in
lower than anticipated, the bad news is we are still waiting for our big one, excess liability. I will
reassure Mayor and Council that we are working with our brokers to look at alternatives.
Councilmember Orlando – How is the record retention person working out in your department? Ms.
Schwab – She is doing an amazing job. We are excited working very closely with the City Clerk on our
record management program they have set up a wonderful foundation for that program and now we
want to help take it to the next level with going out and doing training with the various departments.
Doing audits making sure we are complying, so we do not get caught in a bad situation and Victoria is
amazing. She is so smart and diligent and works very hard plus she helps on the IT side, helping
implement programs and records management portal.
Councilmember Harris – In terms of the city insurance premiums going up, are we actively going out
and looking at other quotes? Ms. Schwab – Our broker company is beating the bushes for us; they are
talking to a number of insurance carriers. The challenge is the excess coverage market that the liability
insurance above our self-insured retention, companies have gone out of business or no longer
provide that coverage because of the social justice cases, protests and the damage that occurs, and
the natural disasters such as fires. The City of Chandler is a very good insured customer as we manage
our risk very well, we work with each department and go through the claims with them every year so
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they know what claims have come in, we can spot trends and help them mitigate those risks. It is just
a crazy market due to factors beyond the City of Chandler’s control.
Management Services – Dawn Lang
Management Service Director, Dawn Lang, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23
Budget, and decision packages for the Management Services Department and Non-Departmental.
Councilmember Lopez – Are we still paying the annual $700K to the State for replacement of their tax
collection system? Ms. Dawn – We are paying it, but the State is now putting that into the Fire Cancer
Trust Fund. It is still an active payment from the General Fund but is being held at the State level for a
different purpose beginning in the current year we are in. Councilmember Lopez – So now the $700K
is going straight into the trust? Ms. Lang – Yes now it is.
Councilmember Harris – Does the business registration fee cover that? Ms. Lang – It does not cover
that, not even close; we collect under $300K for business registration and at the State level they collect
$2 for a tax license. It used to be that there was not change to a business getting a license, we split it
differently and put more toward the business registration and less towards the tax license. It helps us
cover the cost for our division to review, audit and request any corrections to payments.
Councilmember Harris – Do we have a breakdown of what the business registration covers or does
that go toward personnel? Ms. Lang – The business registration fees go into the General Fund, and it
is based on the cost of the division and what we collect. It doesn’t equal because we do not bring in
enough revenue until you add the proceeds from the active audits, it is then we can offset it. However,
the audit fees are not considered ongoing because they fluctuate. Councilmember Harris – So the fees
the businesses pay don’t even cover the services we provide. Ms. Lang – No, because we cannot collect
more than the services we provide for those businesses and in this case our business registration
offers a lot of different type of benefits. They have an online registry of all the businesses, and they
get communications, reports, education on how to manage their tax dollars and a lot more. As I
mentioned, we have a collections and audit team that manages all the information coming from the
State level which is kind of separate from our business registration which is more of a local benefit.
Councilmember Harris – I would like to see a service breakdown of what that business registration fee
covers and how we use those fees. Ms. Lang – We have shared that before so we will make sure it is
updated and share it with everyone.
Development Services – Derek Horn
Development Services Director, Derek Horn, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23
Budget, and decision packages for the Development Services Department.
Councilmember Stewart – You are only asking for one FTE, and I understand with Intel and everything
else going on, is that enough to keep up with the workload? Mr. Horn – We analyzed it closely when
we submitted our decision packages, and we feel the one City Planner is a good addition. We have
two inspectors over at Intel that are doing a great job and it seems to be enough for now. If we find
that we are in a bind later this year I will communicate that to the City Manager, and we will do what
we can to make sure we are providing service to our customers.
Councilmember Orlando – Great job you and your staff are doing. Intel is not paying for those special
inspectors, we are? Mr. Horn – They pay permit and review fees which goes in the General Fund which
funds our inspection and review teams. Councilmember Orlando – You issued over 4,000 permits last
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year, can you get me a rough estimate of what categories those were in? Mr. Horn – We will definitely
get that information to you.
Public Works & Utilities – John Knudson
Public Works & Utilities Director, John Knudson, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-
23 Budget, decision packages and an overview of the CIP for the Public Works & Utilities Department
which includes Solid Waste, Water, Wastewater, Reclaimed Water, and the Ocotillo Brine Reduction
Facility.
Councilmember Stewart – How much of your department gets paid through some of the non-general
fund funds, do the FTE’s get paid from other funds? Mr. Knudson – Our department is actually two
separate groups, we have Public Works which is funded through the General Fund and HURF funding
and then we have Water, Wastewater, and Solid Waste funded through the enterprise funds. Ms. Lang
– The highway revenue user fund of $8.138M that’s split between General Fund and Highway User
revenue is what funds his entire Public Works Streets side of things, not the utility side. It is going
towards personnel and operations. Councilmember Stewart – Is the rate increase we are doing going
to help pay for the personnel that manages the water treatment plant? Ms. Lang – Yes, those rates
fund personnel, operations, capital, and debt service.
Councilmember Stewart – What is the reduction in electricity use we will see by going to all LED, are
we going to save money and what is the percentage? Mr. Knudson – I believe it is around $1M a year.
Last year when we came to Council it was proposed to do the project of going to LED over 8 years and
take the savings and reinvest it in the next year’s work. This year it has been decided that we would
like to get this program done in the first year and then take those operating savings and move them
to the General Fund for additional police officers or other needs.
Councilmember Lopez – On the advanced metering, with that being an annual ongoing cost, is that
for an annual license every year that they provide continued support? I would think that would be a
one-time for the software and then we would handle it internally. How would that be annual? Can you
explain that? Mr. Knudson – My understanding is that this is an ongoing cost as it is a yearly license
for that Neptune software. This is phase 1 and we have some other items we need to take care of
such as upgrade our billing software and other items to get this fully deployed.
Councilmember Lopez – The increased cost for the surface water utilities, does this include the most
recent CAP uptick or is that not figured in the costs yet? Mr. Knudson – The most recent uptick from
CAP was given to us in April so no, this does not cover that. We will have to work through that during
the year. CAP continues to ratchet up that amount that they are charging all municipalities and all
municipalities are very concerned about the late disclosure of those rates to us. Councilmember Lopez
– Information for the Public, CAP is one of the many ways we do get water into the city. That uptick
most recently provided in April was pretty hefty increase of about 60% across municipalities.
Mayor Hartke – When do you see the onboarding of that mobile app? Mr. Knudson – In phase 1 the
information we will be able to gather through our automated system will be delivered to our utility
billing group and we will be able to bill in a much faster and improved methodology as opposed to
our meter readers driving around the city. We will have all that information coming to us through the
new system. Phase 2 will be completed when our CIS software is upgraded and that is two years out,
is that correct, Dawn? Ms. Lang – We are working on the plan to kick it off now, so we are hoping
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Page 8
before the end of this calendar year that we can kick it off. Mr. Knudson – Then I would say a year or
two from actually being able to use the mobile app. Mayor Hartke – I know Mesa is just beginning to
start the advanced metering concept, so I feel really good that we have done best practice with that,
and I have two other city officials from other cities comment how they like driving in Chandler better
than their own cities. I also wanted to commend you and that extra million dollars goes a long way in
terms of the drivability and how smooth the roads are, so thank you.
Councilmember Stewart – What are you seeing as it relates to inflation for raw goods, especially water
chemicals, asphalt, and concrete supply chain issues? Is that factored into that, or will it be covered
by some of that contingency budget carryforward that you’ve got if it spikes? Can you tell me a little
bit more about what you are seeing in the real world? Mr. Knudson – We have contracts through our
purchasing group for all the major chemicals. We have not yet seen any of those chemical suppliers
come back to us and try to increase mid-contract. So fortunately, the contracts we have are staying
the same pricing, but we have seen other dramatic increases we captured through the BIC process
that was done this year. For the first time that I can remember we have had to come back with a
decision package for chemicals and power increases on the water side. My own experience where I
attended a meeting just yesterday relating to our large construction project that we have coming, and
the contractors are having a difficult time giving us a price on the project. Our projects last a long time
so we might get a price from a contractor today and they are committing for maybe up to 3 years
depending on how long it takes to complete, making it extraordinarily tough to commit. We are
working through that using contingencies and trying to be as flexible as possible knowing we have to
get the work done. Councilmember Stewart - We have quite a big portion of our contingency is in the
Public Works area is that correct? Is that what we are going to use in case you get these midcycle
bumps in costs? I don’t think it’s a matter of will you get them but when, so is that what you will use
the contingency for or is that something we need to budget out? Ms. Lang – You are talking about
unexpected increases in our capital projects. Our contingency fund can certainly help with that, but
the cost increases are just for operating so that is not going to be a help for John in this area. Our
process when projects come in for more than we anticipated is to first look within to see if there is a
lag in projects where we can take appropriation from and re-budget that project later knowing we are
not going to get to it before we go to contingencies. We will do everything we can first looking at what
is appropriated before we go to council to request contingencies. We are seeing that now on some of
the projects.
Councilmember Orlando – Every time I go out there, I am amazed at what you folks do in the
expansion of that area. Two things that I always think about when I go out there is water evaporation
and energy costs. Have we ever looked at solar tradeoffs and are we looking at that again because
utility rates aren’t going to go down, so what are your thoughts on that? Mr. Knudson – I have been
talking about that with Steve Turner for about 6 to 8 months related to a solar installation on land that
the Utility owns just south of our Airport Water Reclamation Facility (AWRF). Steve is going to look into
some type of program for that. We own about 40 acres and for AWRF utility budget we spend almost
$2M a year on electricity. There is a possibility we don’t know yet; we need to look at all the issues and
the pay back but there is an opportunity. Councilmember Orlando – I know you were talking years ago
to council about many solar panels on some of your well systems, is that part of this study? Mr.
Knudson – We have run a lot of those ideas through the process. We have talked about putting solar
panels at the Water Plant and different places, the difficulty that we find when we talk about placing
solar panels is how well their placement affects maintenance of the facility, future expansions, and
things of that nature. Councilmember Orlando – Our community back in the late 1990s and early
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2000s led the city in solar and it kind of died out a little. I know Steve is working on a plan but we really
need to look at some of these areas or large complexes so we will be able to offset some of these
costs. Mr. Knudson – We agree but I don’t think we are going to be doing any battery storage here.
Councilmember Orlando – I agree until that technology is a little more advanced. Mr. Knudson – What
we would like to do is invest in solar that could power the plant and use that power on a day-by-day
basis.
Vice Mayor Roe – Given what I just heard about solar if that were the path the city would want to take,
it seems to me it would be an opportunity for a partnership with the utility and maybe even private
or commercial enterprises. There is a lot of grocery stores and big parking lots where we don’t have
to use our land. I am sure you are thinking about all that but just want to put it out there.
Councilmember Lopez – Just to clarify we are not adding an FTE. Mr. Knudson – Correct.
Councilmember Orlando asked Mr. Knudson to speak to the Alma School Rd project and he did.
Councilmember Orlando – That just seems to be getting worse every day and people are cutting
through parking lots just to get make a right hand turn on Queen Creek, it is getting worse. Mr.
Knudson – I live along Alma School, and I agree.
Councilmember Harris – The 66-inch pipeline you talk about going into it, what is that exactly? Is that
like you are going on the 202 and cut through underneath? I would like to better understand what you
mean. Mr. Knudson – Discussed the history of the pipe and the constraints they have with only one
single point of failure. This project would add some redundancy to allow for reduced risk of system
failure.
Mayor Hartke – I am all for taking what we can from a current one-time resource to an ongoing
resource and living in Arizona anything we can do to assure long term water capacity, like you are
doing with this project, 20 to 30 years down the road is the best thing we can be doing. I appreciate
this project and you bringing these visionary ideas to us that if we go more and more into a drought
that we are more self-sustaining. Kudos to you and your department.
Vice Mayor Roe – You and I recently talked about emergency preparedness, and I know we are doing
great stuff on that too, and I want to assure everyone that we have 30, 60 or 90-day ability for us to
have water, communication, and electricity.
Councilmember Lopez – There is one important line item that was mentioned about the water
purchase. We have a very diverse water portfolio, and we continue to make investments to the dam,
can you elaborate on that. Mr. Knudson – We have actually two different initiatives related to water
acquisitions that we are currently involved in. One is an agreement for an assessment in partnership
with the Salt River Project (SRP)in the raising of the Bartlett Dam. What that means to us is if we
participate in the assessment and then in the raising of that dam then the city would be online to
receive extra conservation storage. The extra water that is stored behind that new dam we would
have a part of and that could assure us increased water volume into the future through that
participation.
Mayor Hartke – This ensures all the conversation we had yesterday about water rates and the needs
we have that we are continuing to be forward thinking. So, thank you.
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City Manager – Niki Tapia
DEI Program Manager, Niki Tapia, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23 Budget,
and decision packages for the City Manager’s Office.
No questions or comments.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) – Niki Tapia
DEI Program Manager, Niki Tapia, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23 Budget,
and decision packages for the City Manager’s Office.
Councilmember Harris – Can you please breakdown the 2 FTE personal with benefits for DEI? Ms.
Tapia – That is for my position the Program Manager and our full time Community Resources
Coordinator. Councilmember Harris - So we would be adding two more positions. Ms. Tapia – We have
a one-time request for the Special Events Coordinator, and we have another position that was a part
of the CARES team. Councilmember Harris – is that going to help you with furthering the program you
are already doing right now? Ms. Tapia – Yes, part of the challenge is we have is just showing our
existence and working with various community groups and telling them we are here to help so yes,
those positions helped. Councilmember Harris – I am glad you are addressing that because we hear
that way too much out in the field. I am glad to see that because the work you do is absolutely
incredible but also the presence that comes along with it does help create the bridge for people to
say here is DEI and this is what they are doing. You do so much, you are a part of so many things that
you cannot be at all different things. You are a small but mighty team, and I am glad we are adding
two more positions to help you with your presence and building the bridge. Thank you!
Councilmember Orlando – Can you elaborate on school partners, what does that mean? Ms. Tapia –
Shared what partnership they have with the schools and that continuing those will be effective as
helping student groups be familiar with the City and what we can provide. Councilmember Orlando –
What is this introduction to government program? Ms. Tapia – It is something we are working on with
CUSD as there is so much talent there, and some of the students may not know we have lifeguard and
summer positions. Also, some of the students in the Asian community at the High Schools are helping
us plan Asian community events so it’s nice to have that youth perspective.
Councilmember Ellis – The money that you are asking for the DEI events and initiative you are asking
for $100K and you said $30K will go toward events. Ms. Tapia – Yes, the city produced live show events,
the Asian fall festival is two days, and the multicultural festival is as well. And then we have new events
we are doing. Councilmember Ellis – To me that seems like a small amount considering the work you
are doing. Ms. Tapia – It is a struggle but out of the 50 events we participate in, 35 of those events
receive some form of funding. Councilmember Ellis – City Manager, I would like to look into this a little
bit deeper because we are still scrapping to empower people. I thought when we moved Diversity to
your office that we were going to increase the visibility of that department to do the work they were
truly hired to do. And if they don’t have the means to get that work done then how do we expect the
city to grow in that area? City Manager Joshua H. Wright – We would be happy to look into that number
and give you a breakdown of what that is intended for. The other thing that I think is important to
mention is that the other $70K is a number that we do not have a lot of definition around yet because
we have not concluded the DEI assessment. That gives us quite a bit of flexibility; in fact, some of the
recommendations that come out of that assessment are to do more of the things you are describing
so it gives us some cushion or a buffer if you will to do that. We will be happy to give you more of a
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Page 11
breakdown of what we are expecting. Mayor Hartke – I would be willing to, as long as there were no
strings attached, provide more funding out of council contingency. I want them to lead it and not us
to direct that. Councilmember Ellis – Thank you, Mayor. Absolutely, and that is why I am asking her
now so that she can get that in her mind because you just heard it is straining but their job is very
valuable.
Councilmember Lopez – The events that you provide are always phenomenal, but I have noticed with
the additional role of event planner that we are starting to bring in some more co-sponsors, other
organizations, and nonprofits to help out. So, I think those events are growing but as part of that you
are creating a ground swell, raising that visibility, and bringing those people in to see that the event
brings in 500 to 600 people to consider having a sponsorship whether it be a corporate or local
restaurant are we seeing those help grow those events. Ms. Tapia – This year Intel did come back to
us and sponsor the multicultural festival which they haven’t for a while, so we were happy about that.
There is definitely an interest in moving more toward sponsorship, but it hasn’t been something we
have been able to do just yet. Councilmember Lopez – Hopefully next year we see you with an update
and with the visibility of your team can hopefully see that some more. Ms. Tapia – Yes, and moving up
to the City Manager’s Office, Economic Development is right there, and we work with them because
businesses are interested in helping.
Councilmember Stewart – I love all that you are doing the unity and community events that you bring
forward just speaks to the brand of Chandler. I think from where we were to where we are today, just
shows our story and desire to bring the community together. The events that are being put on, which
I have been a part of, I think the community appreciates. We also don’t want to drown out the other
groups that are having events. We could drive this whole thing, but that takes away the volunteerism.
We can continue to be there to support them, and you are doing that, so I just want to say thanks. Ms.
Tapia – We are a small but mighty team, and everyone is committed, passionate and always wanting
to bring new people in.
Councilmember Harris very passionately expressed that he feels this area is underfunded and $30K
is not enough money to be effective. He also expressed his support in providing additional funds
through a council budget amendment so DEI can do something meaningful.
Mayor Hartke – I have been the For Our City director for decades and we went out and raised
hundreds of thousands of dollars and we will continue to work with the city, the current group, and
others. I will support council contingency going there as long as we are allowing them to manage that
program, and council, we are going to have some choices coming up. If we look at where this group
has come from, where this was part of Neighborhood Resources, I am really proud of Niki and the
team. I think we are on track, and I will continue to support them.
Councilmember Orlando – I think we all support Niki’s team and diversity, equity, and inclusion but
we have to let her develop a business plan, come back to us, staff and City Manager with their needs
and then we can help fill those over a period of years. That is your challenge, Niki, reflect, get the
assessment information, and come back to us with your business plan and maybe we can do a
midyear adjustment. I think that is fair. Ms. Tapia – Ok.
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Page 12
Human Resources – Rae Lynn Nielsen
Human Resources Director, Rae Lynn Nielsen presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-
23 Budget, and decision packages for Human Resources.
Councilmember Orlando – How are we doing on filling the vacancy rate? Ms. Nielsen – We are working
very hard at it, but we definitely have the highest vacancy rate that I have seen since being here. We
have 120 vacancies right now, but I looked this morning, and we are in the process of 105 recruitments
and there are four people that do that. There continue to be challenges in recruiting. Councilmember
Orlando – I think we all sincerely want to do what we can to help. We talked about it last night and
Councilmember Stewart made a good point about recruiting and retention and we can’t let that scale
go too far again or we will be in trouble again.
Vice Mayor Roe – You have a tough job especially in these times. The call centers down Price Corridor
here in Chandler, I have had HR people in those businesses say people will quit for $0.25 more per
hour. So, we are giving people pay raises and that is appropriate, but we better chase some other big
ideas, wherever we go for those whether its job sharing or parttime because it’s a different world.
Economic Development – Micah Miranda
Economic Development Director, Micah Miranda, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY
2022-23 Budget, decision packages and an overview of the CIP for Economic Development and
Tourism.
Councilmember Harris – Asked for more detail on what types of businesses are assisted through the
innovations program offered today, it seems focused on technology businesses, but what about other
types of businesses. Mr. Miranda – The innovations contract is still strictly within the technology vein
that is the council direction we have been given. Staff has opened up to being more inclusive more
agnostic in terms of the industries we serve, however when we do have those types of companies
come in for services on the small business side our team will work with them on what they need or
we will outsource them to existing partners at the Chamber, etc. Councilmember Harris – Yes, because
of the contract focus that means the marketing and the efforts to get more entrepreneurs in the tech
fields is going to be more focused on that. Just in that vein how many businesses have you seen take
advantage of this and more so speaking to women in tech because that seems to be an area that
there needs to be more diversity, can you speak to that? Mr. Miranda – I would say the general make
up of innovations clients is 50/50 male, female. Chandler is probably leaps and bounds ahead of most
communities in terms of women in technology. The past year the city ranked as the 14th best
community in America for women in technology, so it is something we take a lot of pride in reaching
out to that community. Councilmember Harris – Yes, if you could provide me a little more of what the
$250K breaks down to how many people are we really serving and the demographics. I would like to
be more educated to know how well it is working. Mr. Miranda – Will do. Mayor Hartke – We used to
have an innovation center and most of that money is a contract with a specific company. Our goal has,
and continues to be, can we raise up a company can then make Chandler its headquarters. Can you
put together a list of programs that are available for small businesses? Mr. Miranda – No problem, we
have recently put together a chart showing all the service providers, incubators, accelerators,
coworking space and small business training.
Councilmember Orlando – Estimated number of office industrial jobs you created is 11,000 jobs over
the last 3 years. Mr. Miranda – that is the projected number as reported by businesses we have work
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Page 13
with, but they haven’t been realized yet, those are the projections of those numbers. Councilmember
Orlando – It says actual for 2019-20 and 2020-21. Mr. Miranda - those are the actuals as reported by
those businesses. Councilmember Orlando – My question is are those net new jobs? Mr. Miranda –
Correct. Councilmember Orlando – Do you have that information for retail and services? Mr. Miranda
– We do but right now staff has not been putting a lot of effort into the retail attraction because of our
surplus of available space. We have been focusing more of our effort on base level jobs.
Councilmember Orlando – I noticed you discontinued two goals, what is the thought behind that? Mr.
Miranda – the first one was on retail attraction that is not where our efforts are going right now, we
are actually trying to wind down the amount of square footage we have. So, it wasn’t a metric that
provided useful information. The second one tied into the retail, and we are not looking to add retail
square footage to the city. Our per capita report shows we have more retail square footage than we
need. Councilmember Orlando – Do you have any new goals for next year? Mr. Miranda – Adding new
goals or things we are going to take a look at is redevelopment of existing big box space and I have
some ideas that I plan to pass by the City Manager’s office.
Buildings and Facilities – Mike Hollingsworth
Facilities & Fleet Manager, Mike Hollingsworth presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-
23 Budget, decision packages and an overview of the CIP for Buildings and Facilities.
Councilmember Orlando – Your measure of number of preventative work orders is going up is that
where you have your normal work orders and then you get an emergency call and have to drop all
other requests? Mr. Hollingsworth – What that number really illustrates is how much of what we do is
preventative maintenance versus reactive maintenance. Councilmember Orlando – So you want that
number to go up. Mr. Hollingsworth – Yes, it increases as we will be doing more preventative
maintenance than we do currently with resource constrains. Councilmember Orlando – So those
additional staff will that help you drive some of that solution. Mr. Hollingsworth – Yes.
Fleet Services – Mike Hollingsworth
Facilities & Fleet Manager Mike Hollingsworth presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-
23 Budget for Fleet Services.
Vice Mayor Stewart – A couple years ago we talked about finding a software that would tell us where
we need to be as it relates to vehicles. Do you know what the progress of that is? Mr. Hollingsworth –
We go live July 1st. Councilmember Stewart – When will that first report come in? Mr. Hollingsworth –
After the first 30, 60 or 90 days that we start collecting that data then we can start pulling those reports
together that is our intent. Councilmember Stewart – Are we finding any cost savings in some of the
cars that we are buying? Mr. Hollingsworth – I would say no, the market right now is a sellers’ market.
City Manager Wright – Mr. Hollingsworth is right about the market is crazy right now for buying
vehicles and that is not creating any savings per say. We go through an exhaustive exercise making
sure we are right sizing the vehicle for the task so anytime there is a replacement vehicle that’s
requested or it comes due for mileage reasons or maintenance costs. We have had several
conversations this year where maybe somebody request a full-size vehicle, but you don’t really need
that, we are going to downsize that to a smaller vehicle that is much more fuel efficient. We look at
hybrid or electric and we go through an exhaustive list of dimensions to make sure the right vehicle
is matched with the right task, and we are not over buying, so in that sense I think there is quite a bit
of cost savings that has been realized over last few years from doing that exercise. Councilmember
Stewart – I look forward to seeing the report after July 1st.
Chandler City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes
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Page 14
Airport – Ryan Reeves
Airport Manager, Ryan Reeves presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23 Budget,
decision packages and an overview of the CIP for Airport.
Councilmember Lopez – Thank you for the work you are doing at the airport we are getting good
feedback regarding the outreach and professionalism you are elevating. We are going to be bringing
about $11.5M in capital improvements to the airport in the next few years, is that right? Council has
talked about this before that we see the airport as a gem, we need to polish up some more and use it
as a hub of business, employment, and quality of life improvement for the city. I think this is finally
showing through on the budget. My second question is since 100% of the airport is being paid out of
the airport enterprise fund, I know when I first started, we were subsidizing the airport quite heavily,
have we flipped that now? City Manager Josh Wright – You are correct we are still in a position where
the airport enterprise fund has to be subsidized by the general fund. I would say we will be in that
situation for a while as you alluded to that there is a backlog of work to be done to get that airport
where the council has envisioned it through the airport master plan and airpark area plan. We are
going to have to be investing in that facility. We are beginning to see a turnaround now with the first
time we have done an RFP for a lease out there in about 8-9 years, to get some new business which
will eventually turn that tide to where the airport is able to stand more on its own. We have to build
that infrastructure first to be able to create that economic effect.
Councilmember Orlando - I want to echo Councilmember Lopez’s words the folks that are using the
airport are really excited particularly about the maintenance piece. What is the cost per aircraft
operation noncapital cost? Mr. Reeves – that is the operating budget essentially divided by the number
of operations we have. What we spend to operate and maintain the airport outside of capital and
compared directly with the number of operations per year. Councilmember Orlando – is that number
supposed to go up or down to be good? Mr. Reeves – That is conditional as we go forward, as the City
Manager noted, once we get more lease and development opportunities at the airport, we may see
our operating costs increase or decrease depending on the type of aircraft and utilizations we have.
It is a number that we will continue to monitor compared to other airports. For our type of utilization
this is what we are seeing in the market at other similar size airports. Councilmember Orlando – what
is the measurement here you want to be under $5 in operations or do you want to be over 10. Mr.
Reeves – I would like to see it back in the $4.50 range. Councilmember Orlando – Ok so you would like
to see it go down because you have enough revenue to cover the cost. Mr. Reeves – Yes but if it goes
down too far then we are not investing enough to maintain the airport. Councilmember Orlando –
You have a general fund subsidy of $5.4M built into the budget, what is that a contingency reserve?
Mr. Reeves – that is going to include all of the projects identified in the airport master plan. Ms. Lang
– It is paying for all of the capital any match on the grants that entire amount which equates to about
$4.4M in year 2022-23 the rest of it covers operations. Right now, the revenue coming into the airport
that we are projecting in 2022-23 is going to cover 57% of operations. Councilmember Orlando – So
that is the delta between those two numbers, we would like to see that get better but I understand.
Councilmember Harris – As the last airport commissioner, thank you for doing a great job. I know you
have spent a lot of time on this budget, and I am proud of Mayor and Council because together we
have empowered you to do something meaningful and make decisions in terms of the study to extend
the airport which will be critical to how we do that. When I walked the airport grounds there were
some areas on the grounds where there was contamination from dumping prior to us developing out
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Page 15
the airport and I wanted to know if we are doing any environmental studies or where are we at with
that. City Manager Wright – there are two sites on the airfield within the airport boundary that have
environmental use restrictions because of past activity when the airport was a crop-dusting facility.
One of those is capped on the north side with concrete and is useable as is and doesn’t pose any long-
term issue for us. The other, council approved a contract for an environmental study just a few months
ago that is on the south side in the future development area that we want to take advantage of so
that is being analyzed right now to determine what the proper mitigation of that site would be. We
will be coming back to you in the future to talk about that as we get a plan together for how that will
work.
Councilmember Stewart – It’s really nice to see the passion a lot of our department heads have for the
airport, but I have a lot of heartburn about the subsidizing that has been going on for decades. Do
you communicate with our business development managers or anybody about that area around the
airport? I know you are working within the fence but how about outside the fence? Mr. Reeves – The
2 years and 9 months that I have been here we have worked very closely with our Economic
Development Department. Last October, the National Business Aviation Association held a conference
that I was able to attend along with Ryan Kaup from Economic Development and represent Chandler
as a united front. Economic Development was an integral part of the airport master plan and they
invited us to be a part of the airpark area master plan. Director Miranda has come to the airport as
he mentioned and given presentations and about 3 to 5 days in the work week I am communicating
with Economic Development. Councilmember Stewart – Great answer which leads me to marketing
as it relates to business. Is there anything in your budget to market the airport outside of our little
region here for tiedowns? Mr. Reeves – You did see it in the strategic business plan study that is going
to be the lion’s share of the work we have to do in order to determine where we need to market. With
the technological advancements that are happening on a daily basis, the market is moving faster than
most people can anticipate hence the need for strategic business plan. Once we have those market
segments Identified then we can begin targeting them and we have already to a degree began that
with our involvement with the National Business Aviation Association conferences. Councilmember
Stewart – Great and that leads me into the private public partnerships as it relates to hangers, we
haven’t added a hangar in a while. We are doing an RFP for more hangars for which part of the airport
and for how many? Mr. Reeves – it is going to depend on when the strategic plan is done what types
of aircraft need to be hangered. Right now, we have a very good idea of what the market is not
represented at the airport that is specifically corporate aircraft, turbines, and turbo props. If you build
those types of hangars, I can off the top of my head think of at least five current tenants that would
upgrade should they have the ability to hangar such aircraft. That will then create movement
throughout the hangar environment, but we want to be able to maximize our efficiency.
Mayor Hartke – The conversation on economic development, Council if you recall last year, we
approved the first hotel area just north of there where people can fly in and stay, and there have been
some new food concepts. P & Z just approved they will be bringing to us a Mario Andretti project so
there will be another entertainment venue that could be exciting for us and for people to potentially
fly in. It has been a hand and glove relationship between the airport and surrounding businesses.
Transportation Policy – Ryan Peters
Strategic Initiatives Director Ryan Peters presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23
Budget, decision packages and an overview of the CIP for Transportation Policy.
Chandler City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes
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Page 16
Mayor Hartke expressed his appreciation regarding staff work and input when attending MAG and
Valley Metro meetings.
Councilmember Orlando – I have noticed a bunch of the electric scooters around the neighborhoods.
Are they trying to locate the best area of usage or what is the strategy of that? Mr. Peters – They did
start out in the downtown area and there are rules on where they are parked; it has to be near the
pylons. Since that initial launch, companies are trying out different parts of the city. Our ordinance
does authorize them to access the rest of the city, but the parking rules are different, and they have
to park in a way that does not obstruct sidewalks and is neat and orderly.
Mayor Hartke – Chandler is quite involved in Prop 400 extension, we and every other city in the valley
are strongly pushing. It has gone through the Senate, it’s in the House, and we are hoping this will be
on the ballot. It will further the extension of our regional transportation. We have worked very hard
that we will not be a donor city in this, and we lobbied to that extent and kudos to that as well as we
are in the forefront of the widening of I10 from Chandler to Casa Grande. The work that Ryan is
lobbying is able to put us in front of audiences and making sure this is a reality. The I10’s biggest choke
hold and where the most accidents are is just to the south of us. Thank you again for yours and Alexis’s
work on that side as well.
Community Services – John Sefton
Community Services Director, John Sefton, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23
Budget, decision packages and an overview of the CIP for Community Services.
Councilmember Orlando – I am particularly interested in the tree project and as you know we had
about 6 or 7 trees at Folley field that died. It’s great to hear that we can save some of those beautiful
trees in the future with this new park plan. As far as the library, kudos to everyone that has been
around to help that grow from the trailer it was years ago.
Councilmember Stewart – With the 4 FTE’s what do you envision happening over the next few years
regarding maintenance with our park fields, specifically Snedigar and Nozomi because they are really
used, and I know you have been struggling with staffing. Mr. Sefton – This is a shifting of resources
and bringing a hyper focus on the athletic fields and taking care of the daily wear and tear of those
amenities. With that additional 160 hours a week we are going to be able to be responsive and
proactive with our maintenance with scheduling and organizing. Councilmember Stewart – It feels
urgent, do you have to wait till July 1st to hire or do you have people to roll into those positions? Mr.
Sefton – We do have some part-time capacity and we are looking right now at our savings throughout
our department for ways we can address that sooner rather than later. We do have a number of part-
time positions where those same employees will stay on and they are already trained, it is just giving
us additional hours, but I do not know if they plan to stay, but that is our intent. Councilmember
Stewart – I would love to schedule a time on your calendar that we can go and check out those fields
together.
Councilmember Orlando – A lot of the clubs and parents have reached out to offer assistance with
maintenance of the fields, of course not doing anything that is a liability like operating heavy
machinery, but to volunteer to help with leveling the dirt or painting. In place of a practice either a
weekend or a day during the week to go out and help maintain those fields. It could relieve some of
our work and offers volunteerism for the community. Mr. Sefton – I appreciate you bringing that up
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Page 17
and much like we do with our neighborhood reinvestment and volunteer days it is the same kind of
model. It doesn’t come without the need of resources to organize it but could be a great opportunity
for us.
Councilmember Harris expressed the need for more resources in the maintenance of the fields and
is glad that Mr. Sefton is forward thinking and adding more people to the team to accommodate those
needs.
Councilmember Stewart – I love Councilmember Lopez’s idea of a “For Our Parks Day” like the “For
Our City” day. I don’t know if it’s feasible or if we have tried it before but if there is a way our community
could take ownership. It’s a great idea and I would like to explore it some more.
Mayor Hartke expressed his interest in artificial turf with the caveat of seeing how it holds up through
a thorough study before he is willing to approve more than one. He is proud of the work being done
in the parks and making them accessible to everybody. He thinks a great job is being done with what
we have and adding additional money is only going to make what we have better.
Councilmember Stewart also expressed his appreciation for the work to be done on the fields.
Councilmember Orlando extended a personal thank you to Mickey for handling the Lantana Ranch
issue with traffic and being the first line of providing great customer service.
Vice Mayor Roe – I hope you will consider different applications of the synthetic turf based on use and
how long it will last. When it comes to the school and their facilities, I hope we can identify several
facilities that have more possibilities where we can make it more exciting for Chandler. Mr. Ohland –
I know Joe and his staff are meeting with the school district and are having those discussions. With
regard to the synthetic turf, we want to make sure we do it right and it is a success and then we will
evaluate it and see if it something we want to do more of. Vice Mayor Roe – Are we going to have to
have sprinklers to cool it. Mr. Ohland – There are different ways you can do it, but you will have to
have some type of water.
Information Technology – Sandip Dholakia
Chief Information Officer, Sandip Dholakia, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23
Budget, decision packages and an overview of the CIP for the Information Technology Department.
Vice Mayor Roe expressed the need for a robust back up for internet for emergencies such as natural
disasters.
Cultural Development – Kim Moyers
Cultural Development Director, Kim Moyers, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23
Budget, decision packages and an overview of the CIP for Cultural Development.
Councilmember Stewart – Can you going to a little more detail about the one-time dollars for the
position? Ms. Moyer – Our downtown has a staff of one who does everything related to requests,
issues, and recruitment in the downtown area. As downtown continues to grow and get busier there
is a lot of work to be done and it is becoming too much for one person. This additional person is going
to help relieve them of some of those responsibilities that are maintenance related. It will help us with
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Page 18
some of the contracts they will work closely with some of the maintenance stuff the alleys, trees, and
planting. Consequently, special events is a team of two and when we have our major special events
there is time when we need additional people. We were able to take this additional person that when
they are not working for the downtown, they can help supplement special events. Councilmember
Stewart – Will this eventually become an FTE? Ms. Moyer – We hope so. Once we have shown what
value a person like this can bring.
Neighborhood Resources – Leah Powell
Neighborhood Resources Director, Leah Powell, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-
23 Budget, and decision packages for Neighborhood Resources.
Vice Mayor Roe – How many hotels do we work with for the Open Door program? Ms. Powell –
Currently we are working with 3 but we are actually going to be bringing that down to 2. Vice Mayor
Roe – The hotels that you are using or want to use, are any of them exceeding 50% of tenancy or what
is the percentage? Ms. Powell – Not at all, we usually have about 30 rooms in the hotel program, so
we are looking at 10 to 15 rooms per hotel. Vice Mayor Roe – Are you saying for example out of a hotel
that has 100 rooms we use 10? Ms. Powell – Some are larger and some maybe smaller but yes, usually
it’s not a high percentage of their occupancy by any means. Vice Mayor Roe – You support keeping the
numbers down, so you only have so many folks at each hotel. Ms. Powell – Yes, it is better for this
program to keep the numbers down.
Councilmember Orlando – How long do they stay in hotels? Ms. Powell – It depends on each person,
typically less than 60 to 90 days, but we are having more of a challenge of finding affordable housing,
so those day counts are becoming longer. Councilmember Orlando – So the long-term goal is to find
them permanent housing. Ms. Powell – Absolutely, the positive exit is to a long-term solution.
Councilmember Orlando - so this is someone who has income. Ms. Powell – not necessarily. When
they go into the program, we find that many experiencing homelessness do have some income, but a
lot do not and do not have some of the other benefits that they may be eligible to get. As you know it
could take a long time to get those benefits. One of the important roles that our navigators have is
getting people immediately connected to those benefits by helping them apply. In the meantime,
there are other resources in the community that can help. For example, if a person is eligible for
ACCHS but does not have it yet they can be connected with other medical recourses like Mission of
Mercy. Councilmember Orlando – Remind me again on the timeframe for housing, I know we are
acquiring the last piece of property. When will the bulldozing happen and then when will the units go
in? Ms. Powell – We are hoping to break ground a year from now and be completed in 2 years. That is
the goal but as you know the construction industry is going to dictate a lot of that.
Police – Chief Sean Duggan
Police Chief, Sean Duggan, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23 Budget, decision
packages and an overview of the CIP for the Police Department.
Councilmember Ellis expressed her overwhelming gratitude to the Chief and the City Manager for
bringing mental health awareness to the forefront and including a unit in this year’s budget.
Vice Mayor Roe – Are we using this software already? Is it integrated at any level in the city? Chief
Duggan – No we do not use that presently. Vice Mayor Roe – Who is using it currently that we can go
to and see if they like? Chief Duggan – This is a request that comes from our dispatch call takers in our
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Page 19
emergency communications section and Michelle Potts, Communications Manager, as part of the
regional 911 county system and this is something used throughout the country that has been
identified as something that would make life easier and elevate customer service. Vice Mayor Roe –
Ok, so it is used throughout the country just not in Chandler and a lot of agencies would say this is
something that is very effective and our people like it. Chief Duggan – Correct.
Vice Mayor Roe – In dispatch do we keep a sworn sergeant that can help address calls and decided
the best course of action? For instance, we don’t need to dispatch an officer based on the type of call.
Chief Duggan – The dispatch center is 100% civilianized, we don’t have any sworn oversight there.
Having said that in the last few months we have trained up a number of officers to help man the
phones in dispatch because of staffing shortages. Vice Mayor Roe – You can understand where I am
going, sometimes a dispatcher doesn’t feel comfortable saying no to sending out an officer. But if you
had a sworn member or sergeant, they would be more comfortable with the decision of not sending
out an officer. Chief Duggan – We have experienced that most recently with having our sworn officers
working extra in dispatch and a lot of the filtering can be done by an officer; frankly, some people
demand to speak to one. This is for the behavioral or mental health calls where we can have that
training counselor there to do the same type of thing in triage and divert calls. Vice Mayor Roe – I
understand that I am thinking one could complement the other, just a thought.
Councilmember Ellis – Are these funds you have full discretion on how it’s used, or does it have to be
approved through the City Manager’s Office? Chief Duggan – Depending on what is for and over a
threshold Council would have to approve it. It is through constant communication with the City
Manager’s Office and then we report on that quarterly to Council and Attorney General’s Office.
Mayor Hartke – The South Mountain Repeater is that ours? Chief Duggan – That is ours.
Councilmember Orlando – You have done an outstanding job. I know police agencies throughout this
valley and probably nationwide have done a lot of conversion of civilian to sworn officers back on the
street due to necessity. Have we ever thought about SRO’s, you have 11 of them do they have to be
sworn? Is there a way with his new bill that there is a 6-month turnaround that you could use parttime
officers that are coming off retirement and want to do something different? Have we thought about
that or is that even feasible? Chief Duggan – That is feasible, but it depends on the relationship with
the school district and what they desire. We are partnered with each of our school districts, and we
are able to leverage grant funding to employ those officers in conjunction with the schools.
Councilmember Orlando – They are still sworn officers and if that is the case maybe there can be some
savings for the schools because they don’t need them 100% where they are paying for 100% of their
time. Chief Duggan – The grants are there to fund that but if it ran out that would be a very important
discussion. Councilmember Orlando – City Manager maybe give some more thoughts between the
two and see if there are some ideas there. Again, they might save money. Can you email us the
numbers on your priority one calls? Chief Duggan – Yes.
Mayor Hartke – The SRO program is state funded so that would have to be a discussion with the state
and not the schools if we were to alter who fills those positions because it is for sworn officers. Chief
Duggan – That is correct.
Fire – Assistant Chief Keith Hargis
Chandler City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes
Friday, April 29, 2022
Page 20
Assistant Fire Chief, Keith Hargis, presented the FY 2021-22 Accomplishments, FY 2022-23 Budget,
decision packages and an overview of the CIP for Fire.
Councilmember Orlando – You said that 2 rover fire fighters were implemented last year, how is that
working? Assistant Chief Hargis – it is working well, our rovers are highly utilized for us. We have
regional minimum staffing requirements of 4 members which is part of our automatic aid agreement
that we are trading between cities like for like resources. We do an analysis of how often our rovers
are used versus overtime to fill those vacancies which are our only two options. Our firefighter rovers
are used over 83% of the available hours where just 70% utilization is the break over where adding a
rover is cheaper than paying overtime. Our rover utilization increased last year even though we added
a rover and that goes to demonstrate the need due to injuries, retirements, and other vacancies.
Councilmember Orlando – The one rover we hired is ongoing, but do we have a transition plan to
make the others ongoing as well? It seems like it’s working and is needed. Assistant Chief Hargis – One
thing I forgot to mention is that we applied for a federal grant, so it is a one-time dollar amount
because we anticipate using the grant to fund the position. If we are successful at acquiring the grant
it would fund the rover for 3 fiscal years at which point the City has agreed to bring these on for an
ongoing position.
Vice Mayor Roe – You spoke about DEI training, is that a grant position? Assistant Chief Hargis – No,
what we are going through right now is looking at curriculum that they are going to roll out nationwide
to help broaden the understanding of DEI for Fire Chiefs. In shaping the curriculum and getting it
ready to deliver out they are looking for training departments to try this out. Vice Mayor Roe – I think
training like this belongs in HR. We have a lot of departments that could benefit from this, and it would
be nice if the City adopted one type of training. Acknowledging that this is what the City endorses and
what will be used for all employees. Assistant Chief Hargis – Fair point, the objective is really to
broaden our understanding for recruitment and retention. We are wanting to participate in anything
that can help us be more educated in all types of areas.
Councilmember Harris expressed his appreciation that Fire is seeking grant funding which should be
a model for the rest of the city. He also requested future information and data on the rovers and how
their activity is tracked. Assistant Chief Hargis agreed to provide the information to Council.
Final Comments and Next Steps – Dawn Lang
Ms. Lang explained the budget amendment process.
Wrap up – Joshua H. Wright, City Manager
City Manager, Joshua H. Wright, gave closing remarks. He thanked everyone for attending and for
their participation.
The Mayor thanked everyone.
Councilmember Orlando – Requested a list of the decision packages that were not funded to help with
the budget amendment decisions.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:02 p.m.
Chandler City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes
Friday, April 29, 2022
Page 21
ATTEST: __________________________
______________________________
City Clerk Mayor
Approval Date of Minutes: July 11, 2022
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the
Special Meeting - All Day Budget Briefing of the City Council of Chandler, Arizona, held on the
29th day of April 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a
quorum was present.
DATED this _______ day of July, 2022.
___________________________
City Clerk