Attachment A - April 16, 2025 TIP Minutes

Attachment A 
 
Phoenix City Council 
Transportation, Infrastructure, and Planning (TIP) Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 
City Council Chambers 
200 W. Jefferson St. 
Phoenix, Arizona 
Subcommittee Members Present                               Subcommittee Members Absent         
Councilwoman Debra Stark (Chair) 
Councilman Carlos Galindo-Elvira  
Councilwoman Laura Pastor 
Councilwoman Kesha Hodge Washington  
 
 
CALL TO ORDER 
 
Chairwoman Debra Stark called the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Planning 
Subcommittee to order at 10:11 a.m. with Councilman Carlos Galindo-Elvira, 
Councilwoman Hodge-Washington, and Councilwoman Laura Pastor present.  
 
CALL TO THE PUBLIC 
None. 
MINUTES OF MEETINGS 
1. Minutes of the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Planning Subcommittee 
Meeting 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington made a motion to approve the minutes of the 
February 19, 2025, Transportation, Infrastructure, and Planning meeting. Councilwoman 
Pastor seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0. 
CONSENT ACTION (ITEM 2-5) 
 
Items 2-5 were for consent action. No presentations were planned, but staff were 
available to answer questions.  
 
2. Fiscal Year 2025-26 Assessment for Water Industry Research and  
Partnerships - Citywide 
Consent only. No Councilmember requested additional information.  
 
3. Fiscal Year 2025-26 Assessments for the Arizona Municipal Water

Users Association – Citywide 
Consent only. No Councilmember requested additional information. 
 
4. Historic Preservation Demonstration Project Grant - 412 West Roosevelt Street 
- District 7 
Consent only. No Councilmember requested additional information. 
 
5. July 2025 Proposed Bus Service Changes - Districts 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 
Consent only.  
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked about Route 0A Bus Route and the proposed 
modifications of changing the route time from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. 
 
Public Transit Director Jesus Sapien confirmed the route time change, and stated the 
Public Transit Department will be establishing a South-Central Light Rail station with a 
12-minute frequency from Camelback to South Phoenix concurrently.   
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington discussed the public opposition to the Route 0A time 
change and asked Mr. Sapien to address community concerns. 
 
Mr. Sapien acknowledged the public feedback, and stated many of the concerns would 
be addressed with the implementation of the South-Central Light Rail Station. He 
expressed the light rail service, across the system, is at a 15-minute frequency, but with 
the implementation of the South-Central station it will change to a 12-minute frequency. 
He stated there is an expectation bus riders will change to a light rail service with the 
new frequency.  
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington expressed her concern with reducing the frequency 
of an established route during the upcoming summer months. She inquired about how 
the City is helping bus riders transition to the new light rail station.  
 
Mr. Sapien confirmed staff will be monitoring the ridership and passenger load, as well 
as the feedback from the community to see if the route needs to be modified in the 
future. He stated Public Transit staff recently conducted research to determine current 
ridership compared to ridership at a 30-minute frequency; and the research concluded 
the new frequency and opening of South Central will have the capacity to service the 
citizens in South Phoenix.  
 
Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua asked Mr. Sapien to discuss how the Public 
Transit Department is communicating this change to residents.  
 
Mr. Sapien stated that the Department and Valley Metro had implemented multiple 
campaigns to raise awareness about route changes, including sending application 
notices, posting updates on the Valley Metro website, setting up A-frame signs, and 
deploying staff to bus and light rail stops.

Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked if the light rail stops and the bus stops are the 
same or in proximity of each other.   
Mr. Sapien described the locations of the light rail stops in relation to the bus route. He 
stated all the bus stops have new shade structures.   
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington expressed her concern about the timing of the 
change happening during the summer and requested a phased approach to 
implementation or delaying the change until after the summer.  
 
Councilwoman Pastor expressed her concern regarding the community opposition and 
stated her support for phasing in the change during the wintertime.  
 
Mr. Paniagua stated the Department will not implement the change at this time and the 
Public Transit Department will look at a phasing-in schedule for the future.  
 
Councilman Galindo-Elvira acknowledged the importance of phasing-in the project 
during a cooler time of year, so residents would not have to adjust to a new route during 
the hot summer months. 
 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington thanked the Public Transit Department and 
encouraged the Department to focus on community buy-in. 
 
Councilwoman Pastor asked the Public Transit Department to focus on a data-driven 
approach to addressing community concerns.  
 
Mr. Paniagua and Mr. Sapien stated the Department will collect rider data prior to the 
launch of the light rail extension. 
INFORMATION ONLY (ITEM 6) 
 
6.  Street Transportation Department Capital Improvement Program for  
Fiscal Years 2024-25 Through 2029-30 - Citywide 
 
Information only. No Councilmember requested additional information. 
 
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEM 7) 
 
7. Trails and Heat Safety Program - Districts 6 and 8 
Parks and Recreation Director Cynthia Aguilar, Deputy Director Jarod Rogers, and 
Deputy Fire Chief Chistopher Healey presented on this item.  
Mr. Rogers discussed the Trails Heat Safety Program which restricts Hau ‘pal Loop, 
Holbert Trail, and the Mormon Trail during heat advisory days between 8 a.m. and 5 
p.m. He discussed the importance of prioritizing safety due to the high volume of hikers 
and the dangers of heat-related illnesses. He confirmed these three trails will still be 
open from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Mr. Rogers emphasized all other

trails will be open to the public and these trails have been the focus due to the risk of 
hikers and first responders. He discussed the measures taken to communicate this 
change to the public. 
Chief Healey discussed how the Technical Rescue Team conducts mountain rescues 
for hikers in need and highlighted the dangers such rescues posed to both the hikers 
and the firefighters responding. 
Mr. Rogers presented the Hiking Safety Campaign which aims to inform hikers about 
the risks of hiking in the heat and how to stay safe on the trails.  
Ms. Aguilar explained the time change for the three trails discussed was approved by 
the Parks and Recreation Board at their March meeting. 
Councilwoman Stark invited public comment on this item.    
Tim Sierakowski expressed concern regarding time restrictions for the hiking trails.   
Michael Duffy stated his support regarding the time restrictions and expressed his 
personal experience with the dangers of mountain rescues during the hot months as a 
current fire fighter.  
Councilwoman Hodge Washington thanked the Parks & Recreation Department, the 
Fire Department, the Parks and Recreation Board, and the community members who 
collaborated on the trail time change. She expressed her concerns regarding the 
dangers of the heat and the importance of prioritizing the safety of hikers and fire 
fighters. Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked the Attorney to explain the Parks and 
Recreation Board authorities established in the City Charter.   
Law Department liaison Deryck Lavelle stated the City Charter and Code authorizes the 
Parks and Recreation Board to make decisions regarding when parks open and close. 
He said the Charter can be changed by City of Phoenix voters.   
Councilwoman Hodge Washington thanked staff for the changes, noting their role in 
improving safety for residents and firefighters. 
Councilwoman Pastor thanked the citizens who brought the issue of heat safety on City 
hiking trails to the forefront. She expressed her dedication toward safety for residents 
and public safety officials. She asked the Parks & Recreation Department to explain 
why they are changing the trail times.  
Ms. Aguilar stated the Parks and Recreation Board made the decision to change the 
times due to the Fire Department data showing mountain rescues still occurring during 
the 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. window.  
Mr. Healy stated the additional hour window allowed hikers to have enough time to hike 
and get off the mountain before temperatures became too extreme.

Councilwoman Pastor asked if hikers will be fined if they are still on the mountain after 8 
a.m.   
Ms. Aguilar stated the hikers will not be fined but will be provided with education 
regarding heat safety.  
Councilwoman Pastor requested more education regarding trail heat safety to go out to 
the public. She encouraged the Parks & Recreation Department to work with the Hotel 
Association and the Hospitality Association to share information regarding the changes 
and general education regarding the trails.  
Councilman Galindo-Elvira expressed his support for the Parks and Recreation Board’s 
decision to vote for the time change. He stated his dedication towards safety for citizens 
and fire fighters.  
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked how many miles of trails are at South 
Mountain. 
Ms. Aguilar confirmed there are 128 miles of trails. 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked if the proposed closures are 6.7 miles.  
Ms. Aguilar confirmed.  
Councilwoman Hodge Washington expressed less than five percent of the trails are 
closed during heat warning days.  
Ms. Aguilar confirmed. 
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked for confirmation if residents can hike before or 
after the new time restriction.  
Ms. Aguilar confirmed.   
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked if there has been a noticeable decrease in 
trail rescues following the previous time change for Camelback Mountain and Piestewa 
Peak. 
Ms. Aguilar confirmed.  
Councilwoman Hodge Washington asked about the public responses regarding the time 
changes.  
Ms. Aguilar stated the Parks and Recreation Board held two Work Study sessions to 
inquire additional feedback before determining a closure time. She included there were 
around 32 speakers, and there were several letters of support.

Councilwoman Hodge Washington stated she believed this is evidence to indicate the 
Parks and Recreation Board and Department did take public feedback and acted 
appropriately.  
Councilman Galindo-Elvira expressed how this action will help emergency services 
response times and resolidified his support of the Parks and Recreation Board decision.  
 
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION (ITEM 8) 
 
8. Modify the Junior Golf Card Program and Amend Ordinance S-35137 Approving 
Fee Model for City Golf Course Green Fees - Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 
Parks and Recreation Director Cynthia Aguilar introduced Assistant Director Brandie 
Barrett and Golf Director Greg Leicht to provide an update regarding golf fees and 
community programming.  
Chairwoman Stark acknowledged the number of kids who spend time on the golf course 
and benefit from this program.  
Councilwoman Pastor asked how much golf balls cost.  
Mr. Leicht stated a small bucket of 35 balls is five dollars.  
Councilwoman Pastor asked for clarification regarding how the golf fee ordinance 
amendment allows flexibility.  
Mr. Leicht stated the amendment allows flexibility regarding the price to golf based on 
the season.  
Councilwoman Pastor asked about the process of changing the fees. 
Mr. Leicht confirmed this is decided by the staff and himself based on the market.  
Councilwoman Pastor inquired about the Parks and Recreation Board involvement in 
determining the fees associated with the golf course.  
Ms. Aguilar stated with this new fee module, the golf fee benchmark will go up by five 
percent each year or by the cost of living.  
Councilman Galindo-Elvira expressed his support for the recommendations.  
Councilman Galindo-Elvira made a motion to approve. Councilwoman Hodge 
Washington seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0.

CALL TO THE PUBLIC  
 
Tim Sierakowski asked the Council to go to Echo Canyon. He reflected on his 
experience of helping residents down Camelback Mountain and expressed his concern 
with Rangers not providing education to hikers.  
 
Jerry Van Gasse discussed Proposition A from 2018. He asked for more public 
awareness regarding the utilization of Parks and Recreation funds.  
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
None. 
 
ADJOURNMENT 
Chairwoman Stark adjourned the meeting at 11:26 a.m. 
 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Destinee Sior  
Management Fellow