Minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 9, 2024
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Meeting Minutes
City Council Regular Meeting
September 9, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Chandler City Council Chambers
88 E. Chicago St., Chandler, AZ
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Kevin Hartke at 6:00 p.m.
Roll Call
Council Attendance
Appointee Attendance
Mayor Kevin Hartke
Joshua Wright, City Manager
Vice Mayor OD Harris
Kelly Schwab, City Attorney
Councilmember Angel Encinas
Dana DeLong, City Clerk
Councilmember Christine Ellis
Councilmember Mark Stewart
Councilmember Matt Orlando
Councilmember Jane Poston
Invocation
The invocation was given by Pastor Kelley Hand, Desert Palms Church.
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilmember Encinas.
Scheduled Public Appearances
MAYOR HARTKE invited Vice Mayor Harris to join him for the recognitions.
1. Service Recognitions
Terri Retting – 10 Years, Cultural Development
Laurel Klimack – 25 Years, Information Technology
Stacy Sacco – 25 Years, Communication & Public Affairs
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2. Proclamation – Library Card Signup Month
MAYOR HARTKE read the proclamation and invited Deborah Moreno, Library Branch Manager;
Caryn Nall, Library Branch Manager; Jo-el Miller, Library Branch Manager; Susan Van Horne,
Library Branch Manager; and Rachelle Kuzyk, Library Senior Manager; to accept.
MS. KUZYK is excited to represent the library for Library Card Sign-up Month. This year, the library
offers three limited edition library cards. New cardholders have the first choice of one of the three
new card designs while existing cardholders can choose from one of these cards starting October
1st.
3. Proclamation – Domestic Violence Awareness Month
MAYOR HARTKE read the proclamation and invited Domestic Violence Commissioners to be
recognized: Sharon Tipton, The Enlightenment Institute; Michael Morris, Chandler resident;
Samantha Hinchey, Director of Victim Services AZ Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence;
Katie Cain, Victim Services Senior Program Manager; Salina Imam, Executive Director for Sahara
Program, and Dawn Curtis, Director of Survivor Programs My Sister’s Place Domestic Violence
Shelter to accept.
4. Recognition – Neighborhood of the Year Finalist
MAYOR HARTKE recognized Priscilla Quintana, Neighborhood Preservation Program Manager;
and Galveston representatives Francisa Hernandez, Wendy Robinson, Ruth Maya, Rowan Kahle,
Luca Kahle, Katie Kahle, Chandler Care Center; Tony Alcala, Principal of Galveston Elementary;
LaTisha Gilmore, Management Assistant; Jason Hafen, Management Analyst Senior; Paul and
Melinda Gunther, Live and Love; and Leah Powell, Neighborhood Resources Director to be
recognized.
MS. QUINTANA said the Galveston neighborhood was selected as a finalist in the Neighborhood
of the Year category at the 2024 Neighborhoods USA Conference. This neighborhood has
significantly transformed with collaborative efforts improving safety, cleanliness, and community
empowerment. Services provided by local nonprofits and family resources have played a pivotal
role in supporting the neighborhood's growth and improvement. Congratulations to the residents
and everyone involved in making Galveston a place where people love to live.
MR. ALCALA, the principal of Galveston Elementary School, announced the opening of a new state-
of-the-art campus on October 8th. The school is also proud to have received a finalist award
showcasing its care for the neighborhood and the city's support.
5. Recognition – Si Se Puede Foundation’s Women’s Underwater Robotics Team Wins
International Competition
MAYOR HARTKE recognized the Si Se Puede Foundation’s Women’s Underwater Robotics, Desert
Wave Collegiate Robotics Team for winning the international competition.
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6. Duane Lidman – Comments on Parks Master Plan Orangetree Neighborhood
DUANE LIDMAN, 2301 W. Palomino Dr. Chandler, thanked Mayor Hartke and Councilmembers for
the opportunity to speak. Mr. Lidman stated the following: As you know, the Orangetree
neighborhood has never had access to a neighborhood park and has been historically
underserved by the parks department. And 10 years ago this month, we had a record-breaking
rainfall event that breached our stormwater retention basin and flooded our streets. At that time,
it became apparent that the Orangetree basin might be under-designed. In 2020, when Kinley
Horn & Pros Consulting was hired to update the parks' master plan, they received a very large
number of comments about the lack of park access within the Orangetree Neighborhood. As a
result of this robust public input, the park's masterplan indirectly includes our neighborhood in
North Chandler as a Recommended Priority Action through 2028. A redevelopment plan was
recently approved for the tract of land that includes the Orangetree Retention Basin. As a result
of the efforts from our city manager and several department directors, this redevelopment will
deliver a small park and a retention basin that will meet the current design standard at zero cost
to our city. I am thankful for the city’s staff effort and the homebuilder who is willing to take on
this challenging redevelopment. Due to high site development costs, the home builder had to add
additional lots to pay for the small park with a Tot Lot. As a result of these added lots, the northern
portion of the retention basin needs to be deeper than 3.5 feet, which requires a perimeter fence
for safety. This 2.8-acre area will not be available for public use. I was told by city staff that there
civil engineering solutions that can reduce the depth of the retention basin so the fence could be
removed, and this could be considered after the redevelopment as a part of future park
improvements. Within the Parks Masterplan, neighborhood parks are rated as a high-priority item
by Chandler residents. Our new park will be 1.7 acres, and the masterplan recommends 6.7 acres
for a neighborhood park for our number of residents. The parks board has shown an interest in
additional improvements to the 2.8 2.8-acre basin area, and the Orangetree residents would like
our city to complete the final phase of this redevelopment. We are before you tonight to let you
know that the residents of the Orangetree and Heatherbrook neighborhoods would like our city
to consider alternative stormwater management solutions for the Orangetree retention basin so
the fence can be removed after the redevelopment has been completed. Then, this area will
become available for public use and additional park improvements. Mayor Hartke and
Councilmembers we are asking for your support to further correct this Neighborhood Park that
has existed for more than 43 years as a priority action by 2028. Thank you for your consideration
of our request.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO thanked Mr. Lidman for his dedicated work over the past six or
seven years, leading the effort, conducting thorough research, and consistently attending Council
meetings and work sessions. The Council appreciates his efforts. Councilmember Orlando
emphasized the need to first transfer the property deed to the city as planned and then take a
closer look at possible options to revitalize that area.
Consent Agenda and Discussion
Discussion was held on item 2.
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City Clerk
1.
Approval of Minutes
Move City Council approve the Council meeting minutes of the Special Meeting of August
12, 2024, the Regular Meeting of August 12, 2024, the Study Session of August 12, 2024, the
Work Session of August 15, 2024, and the Regular Meeting of August 15, 2024.
Mayor and Council
2.
Introduction and Tentative Adoption of Ordinance No. 5109, Forming a Resident
Bond Exploratory Committee
Move Council tentatively adopt Ordinance No. 5109, forming a Resident Bond
Exploratory Committee, including a Steering Committee and Subcommittees, to review and
identify programs requiring financing and to make recommendations to the Council
regarding the use of bond financing.
MATT DUNBAR, Budget & Policy Director, presented the following presentation.
• Resident Bond Exploratory Committee Ordinance No. 5109
• Bond Election History
• Bond Category
• 2000 Election
• 2004 Election
• 2007 Election
• 2021 Election
o GO Bonds cannot be issued without residents authorizing them first
o The City of Chandler has had great success with residents voting to approve bond
authorization to support the capital plan. Since 2000, the City has held 4 bond elections,
all with significant education/outreach.
o The table shows the bond authorization amounts approved in each category since 2000.
• Process Review
• FY 2024-25 Budget Workshop #3
• Council Retreat
• Work Session
• Bonds are a vital part of our capital plan, with about 70% of capital project spending utilizing
bonds.
• Inflation has utilized existing bond authorization faster than anticipated
• Bond election timing
• Council direction to start outreach and education process with boards and commissions
• Feedback from City Boards and Commissions
o Shared information on potential bond election with 11 boards and commissions in
August/September. 4 additional commissions are scheduled for this month.
o General consensus that they were appreciative of the information and the timing of
bonds made sense.
o Notable comments include:
▪ “Looks like it is the right time”
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▪ “The City always does a great job of explaining why we are asking voters for
authorization…keep it up”
▪ “It’s never a great time to ask voters for more authorization, but looks like it’s the
right time”
• Resident Bond Exploratory Committee
• City of Chandler Resident Bond Exploratory Committee
o Steering Committee
o Parks and Recreation Subcommittee
o Public Safety Subcommittee
o Facility/Sustainability/Technology Subcommittee
o Public Works Subcommittee
• Purpose of Committee
o To provide recommendations to the City Council for bond authorization required to
support important public capital infrastructure needs based on highest priorities.
• Bond Exploratory Committee Timeline
• September 12, 2024 Committee selected
• September 16, 2024 Kick-off Begins
• Sep.-Nov. 2024 Committee meetings take place
• Dec. 2024 Final Review by Steering Committee with Finance staff
• Jan. 2025 Recommendation approved by Committee
• Jan. – Feb. 2025 Draft report prepared
• Feb. – Mar. 2025 Committee chair reports to Mayor and Council on recommendations and
presents executive report
• May 8, 2025 Call for Bond Election by May 8, 2025, for November 4, 2025 election
• Next Steps:
• Appoint community members who will serve on steering committee and subcommittees at
this Thursday’s Council meeting
• Hold a kickoff for participants on Monday, September 16, 2024
• Begin subcommittee meetings
• Questions?
MAYOR HARTKE thanked Mr. Dunbar for his work with the Boards and Commissions and Council.
He highlighted the successful events for the softball fields and pickleball courts as part of previous
bond authorization. Mayor Hartke appreciated the Council's support and expressed the goal of
maintaining a flat secondary tax, recognizing the Council's authority in approving future initiatives.
COUNCILMEMBER ORLANDO said it is important to consider capacity when discussing bonds and
urged everyone to carefully assess the capacity needed over the next five to ten years. He also
highlighted the financial principle that if the bonds are sold, they will be paid for, and if not, they
will not be. He stressed the need to prioritize funding the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to
prevent revisiting the issue. Councilmember Orlando asked about the preliminary plan for the
bond amount.
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MR. DUNBAR said the organization has new projects that they would like to add to the 10-year
Capital Plan. The Mayor and Council recently adopted the plan in June. These new projects were
not previously included in the plan, so they want the Bond Steering Committee to discuss them.
The goal is to ensure that the bond authorization covers the current capital plan and that any new
projects that have come forward over the last year or so are also considered for potential bond
authorization.
COUNCILMEMBER STEWART asked about the reasons behind pursuing bond authorization.
MR. DUNBAR said inflation is one of the main reasons for the project cost increase. The costs of
the projects increased significantly in 2019 and 2020. During the time when they were gathering
information, inflation rates were normal. However, inflation rates have skyrocketed, particularly
on construction items. This impact on construction items has affected capital projects, resulting
in the projects not achieving the anticipated progress. The expectation was for around seven to
eight years of coverage in CIP, but there will only be about four and a half years of coverage,
depending on the project category.
COUNCILMEMBER STEWART said federally induced inflation continues to affect various aspects of
people's lives – it impacts the planned parks for children in the next 5 to 10 years. This indicates
the necessity of maintaining the current higher tax rate; otherwise, it would jeopardize these
plans.
MR. DUNBAR said that due to inflation, the city may not be able to carry out as many projects as
originally planned. Therefore, the options are to either extend the timeline for these projects or
reduce their quality. The preference is for the Steering Committee to have these discussions and
make recommendations before seeking approval from the voters.
COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS thanked the team for their patience and ideas regarding the bond
exploratory committees. Councilmember Ellis recalled initial discussions when there was
disagreement but commended the team for their perseverance in providing the necessary
information to develop a unified plan. Councilmember Ellis also highlighted the importance of
innovation and transparency to taxpayers, expressing gratitude to Dawn Lang for her patience in
explaining the process. Councilmember Ellis thanked the staff, including all involved, including
Josh Wright, for their dedication to the project.
Consent Agenda Motion and Vote
Councilmember Ellis moved to approve the Consent Agenda of the September 9, 2024, Regular
City Council Meeting; Seconded by Councilmember Orlando.
Motion carried unanimously (7-0).
Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
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ATTEST: _______________________
______________________________
City Clerk Mayor
Approval Date of Minutes: October 14, 2024
Certification
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of Regular
Meeting of the City Council of Chandler, Arizona, held on the 9th day of September 2024. I further
certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present.
DATED this _______ day of October, 2024.
__________________________
City Clerk