2026-11-02 - City Council Meeting

00:01Welcome to the Mesa City Council meeting

00:04for Monday, November uh

00:07for Monday, November 2nd, 2026. I know

00:10today's Monday. I don't know why we

00:12don't It didn't say Monday, but anyway,

00:13November 2nd. All council members are

00:15present. Before we get started, I'd like

00:18to recognize our Mayor's Youth Committee

00:20who is here with us today, and thank you

00:22for joining with us.

00:24We'll begin this meeting by an

00:25invocation by Dr. Darrell Elliott, if

00:28he's here. Dr. Elliott, if you're here,

00:30thank you.

00:31And then after Dr. Elliott, I will have

00:34a pledge of allegiance led by our

00:35Mayor's Youth Committee. So, with that,

00:38uh Dr. Elliott, the time's yours. Thank

00:39you.

00:41Please stand.

00:47>> Please join me in prayer

00:50in your tradition as I pray in mine.

00:54Gracious and loving God,

00:59we gather this evening with gratitude

01:01for the city of Mesa,

01:04for the people who call this community

01:06home,

01:08and for those entrusted with the

01:10responsibility of servant leadership.

01:15In a nation where differences too often

01:18become

01:21division,

01:23where fear sometimes speak louder than

01:26compassion,

01:28and where challenges

01:31seems

01:33too greater to overcome.

01:37Oh God, remind us.

01:40Remind us that our shared humanity is

01:44stronger than the things that separate

01:46us.

01:49Bless our mayor,

01:52our city council,

01:54and all who serve this community.

01:58Grant them wisdom listen before

02:01speaking.

02:03Courage to make difficult decisions.

02:07And humility to

02:10remember that they are called to serve

02:14the public.

02:17As they consider the needs of this

02:19growing city, oh God,

02:22remind them that

02:24behind every budget there is a family.

02:27Behind every policy there is a person.

02:30Behind every decision is a community

02:34whose future is being shaped.

02:38Help us, oh God.

02:41Help us build a Mesa where every

02:44children can flourish, every seniors

02:48can live with dignity, every neighbor

02:51can find opportunity.

02:56Oh God, as our nation approaches another

02:59election,

03:02remind us that democracy calls for

03:05participation,

03:08respect,

03:10and commitment to the common good,

03:12even when we disagree.

03:16Bless this council, oh God.

03:19Bless this community.

03:21And bless all who labor for peace.

03:24I pray this in your son Jesus' name.

03:28Amen.

03:28>> Amen.

03:30Thank you, Reverend Elliott.

03:32If the Mayor's Youth Committee would

03:33come up,

03:35come up here to the microphones, those

03:37and

03:39lead us on the Pledge of Allegiance.

03:40Thank you.

03:43>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

03:46United States of America, and to the

03:48republic for which it stands, one nation

03:52under God, indivisible, with liberty and

03:55justice for all.

04:01>> Thank you ladies.

04:05Alzheimer's affects millions of

04:07individuals and families touching every

04:09part of our community. Alzheimer's

04:12Awareness Month gives us an opportunity

04:14to recognize those living with the

04:16disease,

04:17honor their caregivers, and raise

04:19awareness about the importance of early

04:21detection, research, and support.

04:24We're proud to recognize this month and

04:25reaffirm our commitment to building a

04:27compassionate and supportive community.

04:29With that, I would like to turn it over

04:31to Council Member Heredia to say a few

04:33words.

04:34>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh I'm proud and to

04:36sponsor this proclamation because I want

04:39Mesa residents living with Alzheimer's

04:41and the families caring for them to know

04:44that their community sees them and

04:45supports them.

04:47Uh an Alzheimer's diagnosis brings

04:49changes and uncertainty that touch an

04:52entire family. Spouses, children,

04:54friends often take responsibilities they

04:57never expected, balancing caregiving

05:00with work, raising children, and their

05:02own health.

05:03Alzheimer's Awareness Month is an

05:05opportunity to gain strength from those

05:07experiences, encourage people to seek

05:09support, and recognize the caregivers

05:12who give so much of themselves. And

05:15tonight, I want I'm pleased to introduce

05:17a a long-time

05:18Carriage

05:20uh Carriage Lane resident uh uh

05:23Kathy Norris Wilhelm

05:25uh

05:26an Alzheimer's advocate and ambassador

05:28who knows these challenges personally.

05:31Uh Kathy cared for her wife, Jean, who

05:34was diagnosed with uh younger-onset uh

05:37Alzheimer's at just 55 years old. Uh

05:40since Jean's passing, Kathy has

05:41continued to share her story and

05:44advocate for others. So, really

05:45appreciate Kathy being here. Uh glad to

05:48support and uh welcome Kathy to say uh a

05:51few words here.

05:56>> [clears throat]

05:58>> Thank you so much. Can you hear me?

06:01Good evening. My name is Kathy Norris

06:03Wilhelm, and I became involved with the

06:05Alzheimer's community after my late

06:06wife, Jean, was diagnosed in 2016 at the

06:09age of 55.

06:11Jean was a high school math teacher for

06:13nearly 20 years, and after struggling

06:15with symptoms of memory loss, repeated

06:17stories, and misplacing things, we were

06:20persistent in getting a definitive

06:22answer to what could be causing this.

06:24After nearly 2 years of testing and

06:26thousands of dollars later,

06:28a PET scan finally revealed her

06:30diagnosis.

06:32She accepted this diagnosis with bravery

06:34and courage and wanted to share her

06:36story openly and publicly to help change

06:39the stigma and misconceptions of

06:41Alzheimer's.

06:42We reached out to the Alzheimer's

06:43Association to learn as much as possible

06:46about the disease and what our future

06:48may bring.

06:49We were We were determined to face this

06:51next chapter of our lives with grace and

06:53dignity.

06:55We took every opportunity to help raise

06:57awareness and advocate for better care,

06:59participate in media interviews,

07:01conferences, and meeting with our state

07:03and federal legislators. Not once did

07:05Jean decline an opportunity she to share

07:08her story.

07:09It was the honor of my life to care for

07:11her until her last breath in March of

07:132021.

07:15Since our journey began 10 years ago, I

07:17have never been more hopeful and

07:19inspired by the advances in research and

07:21drug treatments that are now available.

07:24When we were given our diagnosis,

07:26we were essentially told to go home and

07:28prepare to die.

07:30We're now living in an era of treatments

07:32with two FDA-approved drugs, a biomarker

07:35blood test that can provide provide a

07:37diagnosis that is non-invasive,

07:39inexpensive, and a scientific proof

07:41through the pointer study that we can

07:43improve brain health and cognitive

07:45function with healthy lifestyle

07:47modifications.

07:49If you know someone who is a caregiver,

07:52reach out.

07:54Call. Send a text.

07:57They're under incredible stress and are

07:59at a greater risk of dying before their

08:01loved one.

08:02Caregiving is the hardest job in the

08:03world, and no one can or should do it

08:07alone.

08:09Thank you, Mayor Freeman, Council Member

08:11Heredia, and the entire City Council for

08:14recognizing this

08:15and proclaiming November Alzheimer's

08:17Awareness and Caregiver Month. Thank

08:19you.

08:19>> Thank you, Kathy. With that, Kathy, if

08:22you'll stay there, we're going to come

08:23down with Council for a photo with

08:25proclamation. Council, if you'll join

08:27me.

08:30>> [clears throat]

09:48[clears throat]

09:53>> Again, thank you, Kathy and Council

09:54Member Heredia for that. Item one is the

09:57consent agenda. Mr. Christopher, if you

09:59would please read the consent agenda.

10:03>> Good evening, Mayor and Council Members.

10:04These are the items on the consent

10:05agenda. All items listed with an

10:07asterisk will be considered as a group

10:08by the City Council and will be enacted

10:10with one motion. There'll be no separate

10:12discussion unless a council member or a

10:13citizen requests, in which event the

10:15item will be removed from the consent

10:16agenda and considered as a separate

10:18item. Item two, approval of minutes of

10:20previous meetings as written. Item three

10:22A, action liquor license application for

10:24Valley Liquors, 1160 East University

10:27Drive. Item three B, action liquor

10:29license application for Jin Barbecue,

10:31111 South Dobson Road. Item three C,

10:33action liquor license application for

10:35Walmart, 6306 South Mountain Road. Item

10:38three D, action liquor license

10:40application for Walmart, 11143

10:43East Destination Auto Drive. Item four

10:45A, approving a resolution to enter into

10:47a development agreement with The Grove

10:48at Lehigh Community Association, located

10:51North McDowell Road, east of the 202 Red

10:53Mountain Freeway. Item four B, approving

10:55a resolution to enter into an

10:56intergovernmental agreement with the

10:58Town of Queen Creek and Maricopa County

11:00to establish the transfer of

11:01jurisdiction over right-of-way

11:03associated with improvements to the

11:04Sossaman Road and Germain Road

11:06intersection and the Union Pacific

11:08Railroad at Great Crossing. Item four C,

11:10approving a resolution to enter into an

11:12intergovernmental agreement with the

11:13Flood Control District of Maricopa

11:14County for construction, construction

11:16management, operation, and maintenance

11:18of the Pecos Road Basins and Storm Drain

11:20Improvements Project. This project is

11:22funded by the local street sales tax.

11:24Item five A, introduction of ordinance

11:25zoning case 25-943

11:28for property located at the northwest

11:29corner of Thomas Road and 54th Street.

11:32This is for a rezone, site plan review,

11:33and special use permit to allow for

11:35industrial development. Item six A,

11:37approving ordinance zoning case 25-895

11:40for property located south of the

11:41southwest corner of Crismon Road and

11:43Hampton Avenue. Rezone, site plan

11:45review, and special use permit to allow

11:47for convenience market with a service

11:49station. Item seven A and seven B have

11:51been removed from the consent agenda.

11:52Mayor and council members, these are the

11:54items on the consent agenda.

11:56>> Thank you, Mr. Christopher.

11:57Uh Council, I'll entertain a motion to

12:00approve the consent agenda.

12:03Please to cast your vote. Thank you, Ms.

12:04Duff. Thank you, Vice Mayor.

12:10Okay, that motion passes unanimously.

12:12Thank you. Next, we'll go to item 7A and

12:147B.

12:16As requested, we'll have a presentation

12:18about our

12:19historic preservation that we're doing

12:22in our city municipality.

12:24And with that

12:28we have

12:30Rachel

12:33cued up.

12:35So we thought it'd be important for

12:36those listening to our presentation

12:38about our historic

12:40things that guidelines that have been

12:42modified.

12:45>> [laughter]

12:46>> All [clears throat] right.

12:47>> There you are.

12:48>> I I know I'm hidden. I'm so short. I'm

12:50hiding behind that. Um

12:52good evening, mayor and council members.

12:54Uh Rachel Phillips, assistant planning

12:56director, and I'm pleased to be here

12:58tonight with Matthew Kriegel, who is our

13:00um historic preservation officer, to

13:02present two different policy

13:04recommendations tonight that both the

13:06historic preservation office and

13:08different um planning staff have been

13:09working on for the last couple of years.

13:12So the first one of those that we'll be

13:14discussing are um the historic

13:16preservation text amendments.

13:19And there are are there really are kind

13:21of four main highlights or or goals of

13:24these text amendments.

13:26One is the reorganization of the various

13:29historic preservation policies. I'll be

13:32uh discussing this in a little bit more

13:33detail in the next slide, but but

13:35currently um the historic preservation

13:37regulations and policies are really

13:39spread throughout the zoning ordinance.

13:41So the first goal was to really organize

13:44that and simplify it to to better um

13:46administer and for it to be easier for

13:48residents and property owners to to find

13:52and understand. Um the next is to

13:54clarify. Um so Matthew will be

13:56discussing um as part of the text

13:58amendments, there's the introduction of

14:00several uh definitions for terms that

14:02are commonly used throughout the

14:04ordinance today and and in um our

14:06application of historic preservation. So

14:09really clarifying terminology and

14:11requirements and making it easier to

14:13understand processes was the second

14:15goal.

14:16Next is consistency. So, we wanted to

14:19make sure that across all the historic

14:21preservation

14:22policies that there is some consistency

14:25in those processes and procedures. And

14:27then finally looking to really have

14:30compliance with applicable state and

14:33federal laws.

14:36So, as far as the reorganization of the

14:39historic preservation regulations, you

14:41can see on the screen there are there's

14:44various aspects to talk about historic

14:46landmarks and overlays,

14:48historic signs,

14:50and they're really currently scattered

14:52in different chapters in the zoning

14:54ordinance. So, what the first action of

14:56these amendments does is to consolidate

14:59those and to bring those all into one

15:01chapter under chapter 74, which is

15:03titled historic preservation procedures.

15:06So, as I mentioned earlier, so that is

15:08much easier for the public to find what

15:11the requirements are.

15:15And then the next goal to consolidate

15:18and to clarify. So, there were currently

15:22different

15:23sections that talked about historic

15:25preservation overlays. And those can be

15:27for historic landmarks, which are either

15:30singular properties or buildings, but

15:32also our historic districts. So,

15:35bringing those all all those procedures

15:37under under one section, clarifying what

15:41those processes are for the public

15:43notice and for the public hearing

15:45process itself.

15:47And then the other part of this is

15:48improving the supplemental inventory

15:51list for these are resources that are

15:54eligible to be designated, but are not

15:56yet designated by those property owners.

16:00And then finally revising eligibility

16:02criteria to really make sure that we're

16:05aligning with

16:06national historic preservation

16:08standards. So, that includes

16:11requirements or criteria such as age,

16:13significance, and integrity of historic

16:15properties.

16:17And I'm going to pass it over to Matthew

16:19now.

16:22>> Good afternoon, Mayor and members of the

16:24council.

16:25A big portion of this

16:27realignment of the historic preservation

16:30ordinance was to streamline the

16:31certificate of appropriate process.

16:33Essentially, so that it could work

16:35better with other city processes.

16:37And that is

16:39to identify the work that requires a

16:40certificate of appropriateness and

16:43also ordinary maintenance and repair

16:44activities that may be exempt from that

16:46review. To clarify application

16:48requirements and review timelines.

16:51To coordinate the CFA review with

16:54building permit issuance. And to debate

16:56and to base the review on the Secretary

16:58of Interior standards for the treatment

17:01of historic properties.

17:05It also is to strengthen the duty to

17:08maintain provisions within the existing

17:11ordinance.

17:12And then to clarify the demolition

17:15review process that we have. And that

17:17would be to extend the demolition

17:19process from a what a 6-month moratorium

17:22on projects to a 1-year moratorium on

17:26projects within a proposed or existing

17:29historic preservation overlay.

17:35It's also to create a dedicated historic

17:38uh dedicated historically to create a

17:40dedicated historically designated sign

17:42section. Which establishes the

17:44procedures for designation, restoration,

17:47maintenance, modification

17:49of those signs. It updates eligibility

17:52requirements.

17:54Uh the application and review

17:55procedures.

17:56And establishes a process for future

17:58revocation of the designation if the

18:00requirements are not met.

18:04It also establishes an archaeological

18:06review compliance procedure.

18:09Which requires all development to comply

18:11with all applicable local, state, and

18:13federal laws governing cultural

18:15resources.

18:16Before excavation, city-owned property

18:19or city-controlled property will require

18:21consultation with our city

18:23archaeologist, the State Historic

18:25Preservation Office,

18:26the

18:27uh

18:28the two TIPOs and the other qualified

18:30professionals.

18:32The city archaeologist may also conduct

18:35other archaeological assessments if

18:37necessary.

18:40As uh Rachel mentioned, we also added

18:43some previously undefined terms. Those

18:45include certificate of appropriateness,

18:47historic district, historic landmark,

18:50historic preservation overlay, historic

18:52resource, historically designated sign,

18:55and state of disrepair.

18:59Throughout this process, we've had

19:00extensive community outreach.

19:03This began in 2023, and we've discussed

19:07this with the Historic Preservation

19:08Board at least three times that year.

19:11We held an open public house that year,

19:13and we presented to the Planning and

19:15Zoning Board.

19:17In 2026, we had three additional

19:19Historic Preservation Board meetings. We

19:21had an additional public open house, and

19:24we took it to the Planning and Zoning

19:27Board study session and Planning and

19:29Zoning uh hearing. We also worked with

19:32the Arizona State Historic Preservation

19:34Office,

19:35the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian

19:37Community

19:38community uh Tribal Historic

19:40Preservation Office, the Gila River

19:42Indian Community Tribal Historic

19:44Preservation Office, and the Mesa

19:46Preservation Foundation. So, we had

19:47multiple rounds of board review, public

19:49outreach, and stakeholder consultation.

19:54In the end, the board made

19:55recommendations, both the Historic

19:56Preservation Board on September 1st and

20:00the Planning and Zoning Board on

20:01September 9th unanimously recommended

20:04these text amendments for adoption.

20:08We're here for any questions and

20:10discussion.

20:12>> Any questions, Council?

20:15I have one, Matt. What is the uh age of

20:18a home or property that constitutes a

20:21historic timeline?

20:24>> Technically, there's no age Technically,

20:26but it's considered 50 years or older.

20:30>> 50 years.

20:31So, we have a lot of properties in Mesa

20:33over 50 and well over 100.

20:36Okay.

20:38Is this

20:40easy to navigate, Rachel?

20:43Is this process easy to navigate for

20:45somebody coming in?

20:47>> It is, Mayor. Um the the process, if you

20:50wanted to designate your property or

20:52designate a group of properties as a

20:54historic district, is the same as a

20:56rezoning. So, as you're pretty familiar

20:59with that, that's a pretty pretty easy

21:01process to go through that in the public

21:03notification. But, I think that these

21:05text amendments really go a far away to

21:08help the public understand what those

21:10are and to really ensure that it's clear

21:13when they're all in the same place in

21:15the zoning ordinance.

21:18>> Okay. Well, I would think some of our

21:20council districts have a lot of

21:21neighborhoods that would be eligible for

21:23the 50-year minimum timestamp. And

21:26so

21:28Okay.

21:29That's all I have. Thank you, Rachel.

21:31Matt.

21:32>> Well, we have one more for you, Mayor

21:34and Council, and that is for the

21:36historic preservation guidelines.

21:40I don't think I have that

21:42>> [clears throat]

21:43>> figured out. So, we currently do have a

21:46set of historic preservation guidelines

21:49here in the city, but um they're they're

21:51quite old. So, we're very pleased to

21:53bring forward an amendment to these.

21:57They're [clears throat] um 25 years old.

21:59As you can imagine, a lot has changed in

22:01historic preservation. At that time,

22:04there were only two designated historic

22:06districts, and now we have eight within

22:08the city.

22:09Um there's also a lot that has changed

22:11as far as our processes and procedures.

22:14Um in addition to that, um there's

22:17really the opportunity here to to

22:19modernize these design guidelines and to

22:21to clarify and make them easier to use.

22:24The exor- the existing document is over

22:27200 pages long. It's a a scanned PDF, so

22:31it's not very, you know, user-friendly

22:34if someone wants to go on there and try

22:35to find some some advice on how to

22:39rehabilitate or

22:41you know, maintain their property. Um

22:44and finally, we wanted to update this to

22:46really make sure that it supports our

22:48our CLG program. That's our Mesa

22:50Certified Local Government Program

22:52through the State SHPO

22:55office.

22:56So,

22:57as a an overview of these design

23:00guidelines, it consists of seven

23:02chapters and and Matthew is going to go

23:04over those in in better detail, but

23:06those talk about the historic

23:08preservation program itself and project

23:10reviews. And then it provides guidelines

23:13for rehabilitations, additions, new

23:15construction, signage. And then there's

23:18also portions that talk about Mesa's

23:21historic context themselves.

23:23Um In addition to this, there's five

23:26different appendices that are there as

23:28resources. So, those are things that

23:31discuss and define what are

23:33character-defining features, for

23:35example. Um and then they give context

23:38behind our existing historic districts

23:41and landmarks.

23:42Um so, this is really supposed to be a

23:45resource for for property owners and

23:47residents to understand what they can do

23:49with their properties.

23:51And I'm going to pass it along to

23:53Matthew to explain each one of these

23:55chapters.

23:58>> Thank you, Rachel. So, we really tried

23:59to make this more user-friendly than the

24:02older document. The older document has a

24:04lot of information and like Rachel said,

24:06it's about 200 pages long. I think this

24:08one's about 100 pages, so we cut it we

24:11cut it in half. So, chapter one is the

24:13introduction and establishes the purpose

24:15and role of the design guidelines. It

24:17explains when the design guidelines

24:18would be used or necessary and provides

24:21like who would be able to use this or

24:23who should use it or who would benefit

24:25from using these design guidelines. It

24:27also explains that the city that these

24:29guidelines supplement the city

24:30regulations and should be used alongside

24:33the text amendments, the code, and

24:36building code.

24:38Chapter 2 talks about certificates of

24:40appropriateness. It brings the COA

24:43process together in one location.

24:45It describes the application and review

24:47procedures in more detail than the

24:49ordinance does.

24:51It explains the relationship between the

24:53Mesa Historic Property Register, the

24:55Historic Preservation Overlay, the

24:56National Register, and Certificate of

24:58Appropriateness review. And it also

25:01reaffirms the Secretary of the Interior

25:03standards for rehabilitation as the

25:04foundation for preservation decisions

25:07made in Mesa.

25:10Chapter 3 is a pri- is primary guidance

25:13for working on historic on existing

25:15historic buildings. So, it emphasizes

25:17the repair rather than replacement of

25:19historic materials when feasible.

25:21It addresses windows, doors, roofs,

25:23porches, paint, landscaping, other

25:25character-defining features, and

25:27provides practical recommendations

25:29without prescribing a single design

25:32solution. So, it leaves it open-ended so

25:34people can make their own decisions on

25:36how best their property fits into

25:37certain situations.

25:39Chapter 4 is guidance for additions to

25:42historic buildings. It emphasizes

25:43compatibility while preserving the

25:45original structure. It addresses

25:46placement, size, scale, massing,

25:49materials, and design. And it encourages

25:51contemporary design that remains

25:52subordinate to the historic building and

25:54that provides character-defining

25:56features.

25:58Chapter 5 is guidance for new

26:01construction within historic district.

26:03This emphasizes compatibility rather

26:05than replication. It considers scale,

26:07massing, setbacks, materials, and

26:09overall design. It also addresses

26:11assess- accessory buildings and

26:13accessory dwelling units, fences, walls,

26:15mechanical equipment, and

26:17solar

26:18solar

26:20panel systems.

26:22Chapter 6 is guidance for preserving and

26:24rehabilitating historic signage. It

26:27provides recommendations for appropriate

26:28new signage on historic buildings and

26:31and provides consistent framework for

26:33evaluating historic and new signage

26:35within the district.

26:39Chapter 7 it talks about Mesa's historic

26:42and architectural context. So this

26:44provides a more updated context for

26:46understanding Mesa's historic buildings,

26:48neighborhoods, and architectural

26:49character.

26:50As Rachel mentioned, the old the the

26:53existing design guidelines are 25 years

26:55old and so a lot has changed since then.

26:57So our architectural character and

26:59architectural history has expanded from

27:02to include this other 25 years of

27:04history that was never even mentioned in

27:06the original design guidelines.

27:08This recognizes Mesa's history from

27:10long-standing Autumn and P Posh

27:12connections through agricultural

27:14development and post World War

27:15subdivision growth.

27:17And it organizes Mesa's development to

27:20major and to major historical periods.

27:23Including visual architectural reference

27:25explaining building type styles and

27:27common residential architecture.

27:30There are five appendices.

27:32One is the or A is the historic

27:34preservation program overview. Second

27:36one is certificate of appropriate review

27:39standards.

27:40The C is character defining features.

27:43Then we have historic district and

27:44historic landmark information which has

27:46maps and details on each individual

27:49historic district and also all of our

27:51landmarks.

27:53And then we have a section on cultural

27:55heritage and the heritage neighborhoods

27:57of which includes the Le High Heritage

27:59Neighborhood and the Washington Escobedo

28:01Heritage Neighborhood.

28:05Oh, well, just like the the the text

28:08amendments, we had a lot of outreach and

28:09engagement on these as well.

28:12Starting in 2023, we had three historic

28:14preservation board meeting discussions.

28:16We had a public open house meeting and

28:18then we brought it to planning and

28:19zoning study session.

28:22We picked back up in 2026 where we also

28:24had three additional historic

28:26preservation board meetings, public open

28:28house, and we took it to the planning

28:31and zoning board as well a couple times.

28:34Just like the text amendments, we

28:37took this to major stakeholders

28:39including the Arizona State Historic

28:40Preservation Office, the Salt River

28:42Pima-Maricopa Indian Community,

28:45uh Tribal Historic Preservation Office,

28:47the Gila River Indian Community Tribal

28:49Historic Preservation Office, and the

28:51Mesa Preservation Foundation.

28:55On September 1st, the Historic

28:58Preservation Board uh recommended

29:01adoption of the

29:03the design guidelines, and on September

29:069th, the Planning and Zoning Board

29:08followed with a recommendation for

29:09adoption as well.

29:12So, if there are any questions and

29:13discussion.

29:14>> Ms. Duff, and then as well then Mr.

29:16Adams.

29:19>> Oh, thank you. Just a quick question.

29:22I noticed in both timelines uh about a

29:242-year gap, 2023 to 2026, were we

29:29studying something or looking for

29:31resources, or what was the purpose of

29:33that 2-year gap?

29:35>> Mayor, Council Member Adams. So, the

29:37reason with the gap is because we had

29:39quite a few few turnover with staff, so

29:41we went through two different historic

29:43preservation officers before Matthew

29:45came on board, and we also hired a city

29:47archaeologist. So, in each one of those

29:50transitions, there was some onboarding

29:52time and then re-review and engagement

29:55of various um organizations.

29:58>> So, okay, thank you for that

29:59explanation. So, when we probably had to

30:01bring the two boards up to speed cuz

30:04there'd been board turnover, I assume.

30:06So, okay, thank you for that.

30:09Ms. Duff.

30:11>> I didn't have any questions. I just

30:13wanted to thank you for

30:15your tremendous amount of work to put

30:17this together and get it through.

30:20Um

30:22like you mentioned, that 200 pages of of

30:24text in a PDF was

30:28no one really read it, okay?

30:30>> [laughter]

30:30>> People would just ask questions, but now

30:32online, I can view the guideline under

30:35resources on the historic preservation

30:37page.

30:38And it has a lot of graphics and it has

30:40each distinction, whether it's roofing

30:42or doors or windows, in separate and

30:45really takes it like hands-on. Now, you

30:48can easily digest it and not have to

30:51read a ton of text. So, you can have

30:53that immediate interpretation of what I

30:56can or need to do to preserve my home,

30:59as well as other information if you'd

31:02like to

31:03um register your home and it's 50 years

31:06or more. We have a a lot of mid-century

31:10homes that are beautiful and I hope they

31:12do get restored as districts in our

31:15city.

31:16Um

31:17our historic

31:19um

31:20districts bring a lot of character and

31:23history

31:24um to our city that we're proud of and

31:26tells our story.

31:28Um it's the richness of our community

31:31that binds us.

31:33Um otherwise, we we just become another

31:36city that looks like any other city and

31:39um so, I appreciate all the efforts of

31:41the homeowners and and business owners

31:43that do preserve our buildings to tell

31:46the the story of our city.

31:48Um

31:50I think that's about it, but I just

31:52wanted to bring attention to it. It is

31:54much easier now and we have Matthew in

31:57charge here, so you can reach out. We

31:59have a person in charge um to be able to

32:01answer those questions. It's taken some

32:04time to really get the office sorted

32:06out. Um we didn't have an office for a

32:08while and our planning director had to

32:11weed through that. Um so, now it's

32:14it's we have Matthew's a very talented

32:16and and has the um

32:19education and knowledge about historic

32:21preservation. I look forward that all we

32:23can do in our city to

32:26preserve our

32:27historic buildings. Thank you.

32:30>> Thank you, Ms. Duff. Ms. Taylor.

32:33>> Thank you so much for the presentation.

32:35I appreciate it. I'm

32:37learning about our historic

32:38preservation, our historic land

32:40landmarks. And I was curious to know

32:42just for the general public, if you have

32:44a home that's let's say 1975, so it's

32:47just a little over 50 years,

32:49if I'm the home homeowner,

32:51am I automatically categorized into

32:54being in the historic preservation

32:56requirements, or do I come to the city

32:59of Mesa and say, I would like to

33:01designate my home to be a historically

33:03preserved home, and therefore I kind of

33:05submit myself to the rules of this these

33:08text amendments? Is that Is that

33:10correct?

33:11>> Correct.

33:11So, in the city of Mesa, we we are an

33:13opt-in program. So, if your house is 75

33:17years old,

33:19the city doesn't go after particular

33:20houses or neighborhoods. The

33:21neighborhoods and homeowners come to us

33:23and ask if what we can do to help them

33:25preserve their property. So, it's not

33:27something that we would go actively to

33:30the neighborhoods. It's something that

33:31the neighborhoods and homeowners would

33:33come to us.

33:34>> Can one person in a neighborhood do that

33:37if they really just love We We've done

33:40kind of historic remodels to bring homes

33:42back to their original footprint in the

33:44Evergreen Historic District. And so,

33:46they were really excited to kind of

33:48revive that 1960s feel of their homes.

33:50So, if one person wanted to have just

33:52their house designated, can they, or

33:54does it have to be the whole

33:55neighborhood?

33:56>> So, um Mayor Council member Taylor,

34:00so, we have two different programs, one

34:02which we've which we've condensed into

34:04one system. So, it used to be a historic

34:06district overlay and historic landmark

34:08overlay, and now it's historic

34:09preservation overlay, but it still

34:11encompasses the two portions, which is

34:13historic district, which is the

34:14collection of buildings,

34:16and historic landmark. So, if the

34:17building is in particular of a

34:20particular importance and historical

34:22significance, then we can work with the

34:23homeowner to make that a historic

34:25landmark.

34:26>> Okay.

34:26>> And if it's part And if they want if the

34:28homeowner wants to get its their

34:29neighbors involved, we can work with

34:31them to try to maybe make a historic

34:33district.

34:33>> Okay.

34:34>> And both of those are still opt-in uh

34:37uh

34:37paths paths forward.

34:38>> That's very helpful. Thank you. I kind

34:40of figured somebody might ask me, am I

34:42just automatically put into this or can

34:44I just do it at will? So, that's a

34:46helpful answer. I'm from the East Coast,

34:48we have a lot of historic areas and I

34:50drove to say it's so charming to go into

34:53like downtown Orlando where all the

34:54craftsman style homes are and they're

34:56just very unique to that area. So, I

34:58know that some areas are they're shining

35:01examples of how this can really make a a

35:03unique space to live in

35:05and be. So, thanks for explaining it.

35:06That helps me give that back out to the

35:08public.

35:09>> I'd like to just to chime in a little

35:11bit. If you have a historic home, but

35:13not necessarily in a district, a

35:15district is a collection of homes in

35:17which

35:18at least 50%, 51%, something like that,

35:21have the original character of the home.

35:23It hasn't been altered or changed. At

35:26least 50% of the homes have retained

35:28[clears throat] their original character

35:29within a neighborhood that you could get

35:33that many homes. But, if you have a home

35:35that is in you know, you've preserved or

35:38it has preserved its historic character

35:41and you want designation and but the

35:43neighborhood does not have enough homes

35:45or chooses not to participate, you can

35:48register with the State Historic

35:50Preservation Office and get historic

35:52designation. There are some property tax

35:55advantages for that and it also gives it

35:59is now in the registry and hopefully

36:02future homeowners would also protect it

36:04since it is in the registry.

36:06>> That's really Thank you. That's very

36:07helpful. I also just wanted to thank um

36:11our City of Mesa staff who have walked

36:12me through some of this because I've

36:14asked a lot of questions regarding

36:15Buckhorn Baths specifically and it was

36:17extremely insightful. So, thank you for

36:19spending time in multiple meetings with

36:21me so you can walk through it together.

36:23And thank you, Matt, for all the work

36:24you've done and thank you, Rachel. We

36:25didn't get to see you from here, so we

36:27just I wanted to say thank you for

36:29giving the presentation.

36:32>> Council, any other comments? If not,

36:34I'll entertain a motion to approve item

36:367A and 7B. Is there a motion to that

36:39effect?

36:41Thank you, Mr. Thank you, Vice Mayor.

36:43Please cast your vote.

36:49Okay, motion passes unanimously. Thank

36:51you, everyone, and thank you for the

36:52conversation.

36:54With that, we'll move over to item eight

36:55as items from citizen present.

36:58Ms. Mosley, do I have two wish to speak?

37:01>> Yes, Mayor. Uh Jerica Trimble and Chris

37:04Hamlin.

37:05>> Okay, first uh Jerica Trimble, come on

37:08forward. You have 3 minutes, and after

37:10Jerica, Chris Hamlin is on deck.

37:18>> [snorts]

37:19>> Hi, Council. Here to speak to you again

37:21about Flock. So, um just have some

37:24updates for you, just some new things in

37:25the news that I've seen that are just

37:27concerning, and I really just hope that

37:29this that the Council will consider

37:31doing its own separate investigation.

37:33Just I I understand that the police here

37:36say they have safeguards and things like

37:37that, but I just have major concerns

37:39about like Flock as a company. Like,

37:41they've only existed for like 8 years,

37:43and there's just a lot of problems with

37:44them in general. So, I just wanted to go

37:47over some of the new things that I've

37:48seen recently. So,

37:49um a judge in Oklahoma did rule that the

37:51Flock system it's a dragnet style mass

37:53surveillance network, and it violates

37:55the Fourth Amendment. So, a judge did

37:57did recently rule on that in a case, and

37:59that person's case was completely thrown

38:00out because their Fourth Amendment

38:02rights were violated because the police

38:04used Flock without a warrant. So, so a

38:06judge did did rule on that. Departments

38:09of transportations across the country

38:11are also auditing the poles that they're

38:13attached to because they're not

38:14following the permits that they file

38:16with the cities. So, they're finding

38:18that these poles are just installed

38:19right into the ground, and there's not a

38:21breakaway plate in cement so that if a

38:22car ran into it, it wouldn't kill the

38:24people in the car. So, that people are

38:26going out there doing these audits and

38:27realizing that these poles are not

38:29properly installed, um and that they're

38:31actually quite a hazard a safety hazard

38:33considering they're also like right on

38:35the roadway. A lot of times they need to

38:36be like a certain distance away from the

38:38road, and then they're like too close.

38:40So, there's just issues with those

38:42poles.

38:43Um and then lawsuits are are piling up,

38:45and they're not suing Flock, right?

38:47These lawsuits are filed against the

38:49city and the police department. So, like

38:51in Tennessee, a woman is suing for 10

38:53million. Um a man in Washington state

38:56won a case for 300,000.

38:58Um a woman in Florida was held for 13

39:00days in jail wrongfully, and she's

39:02suing. A man was held at gunpoint in New

39:04York uh city or in New York state, he's

39:06suing the police department. Uh and

39:08another one in San Diego, a man was

39:09jailed for a month, and he's suing the

39:11police department for 1.5 million. So,

39:13like these are also very expensive,

39:15these lawsuits, and it's not going to

39:17Flock, it's the cities who are who are

39:19taking the brunt, and so that's quite

39:21expensive for the city to you know, so

39:23then I just wonder, is that technology

39:25worth that cost then if there's this

39:28risk that the city could potentially be

39:29sued? So, like that's a concern.

39:31Um and so, I'm just really hoping that

39:34uh I know um Mesa PD allegedly does

39:37audits every 30 days. I would love some

39:39transparency on that. If there could be

39:41maybe a website or something where this

39:43audit data could be reviewed, or if even

39:45if y'all could review it, um because

39:47they're saying that they're not misused,

39:48but who's defining what misuse is? And

39:51so, I would just more transparency on

39:53those types of things. I think that's a

39:54fair ask considering like I understand

39:56app surveillance and things like that on

39:58our phones. Like I understand

39:59surveillance is everywhere, but I cannot

40:01opt out of Flock driving around my city

40:03where I live. I can choose what apps I

40:05have on my phone. I can't opt out of

40:07Flock. So, like I would just hope that

40:09you all would listen to what people are

40:11concerned about. Do your own private

40:13investigation. I have so many more

40:14stories about Flock. Um I am going to

40:17start requesting um audiences with y'all

40:19so I can go over these things in more in

40:20depth that I've discovered. So, just

40:22thank you very much for your time.

40:24>> Thank you, Jerica.

40:25Mr. Hamlet.

40:34>> Good evening, Mr. Mayor, council

40:35members. Um

40:38most of you know me that do know me know

40:39that that I I fight the spiritual battle

40:42on the on the ground zero level at the

40:44school boards and fight against the

40:46indoctrination and the grooming of our

40:47children in our public schools. But the

40:49last two times, the last two meetings

40:51I've come to you were the first two

40:52meetings I've only two meetings I've

40:54been to at this city council.

40:56And and I have to tell you that's God.

40:59That's all God and that's the reason I'm

41:00why I'm here is cuz he wants me to speak

41:02out against a drag queen Christmas

41:04coming to the Mesa Arts Center.

41:07All right, this is not art. This is an

41:09abomination. I know the pressure's

41:11getting intense. I see you guys out

41:12there all the time. I see others coming

41:14in talking to you and I understand that

41:16but you guys need to understand that

41:18it's only going to get worse from here

41:19cuz time is short. This is coming

41:20December 15th. We want to stop now. Your

41:23consistent constituents do not want this

41:25in our city in our city limits and I

41:28hope it's crystal clear to you all by

41:29now. We don't want excuses. We don't

41:31want kicking cans down the street. We

41:33want action. You have the power to do

41:35it. Millions and millions of dollars are

41:37going to the Mesa Arts Center of our of

41:40our that are taxpayer funded money and

41:43you guys are asking for two bonds for

41:45public safety and for transportation for

41:48millions and millions more and tomorrow

41:50we'll know the outcome of those two. How

41:52are we supposed to trust that you are

41:54going to spend that wisely when our when

41:57our tax dollars are currently going to

41:59abominations like a drag queen Christmas

42:01at at a at property that that the that

42:04you guys own at the city of Mesa owns.

42:06We need you guys to stop this and we

42:07need to put policies in place. I don't

42:09know if you've received the petition yet

42:10but it's going around. We need you to

42:12put policies in place that will stop

42:14abominations and debauchery like this

42:16from coming into our city limits moving

42:18forward. Thank you all for listening.

42:20God bless you all and have a good night.

42:22>> Thank you, Mr. Hamlet.

42:24>> [clears throat]

42:24>> With that, Ms. Mosley, is there any

42:26others to speak?

42:27>> I have no other requests, Mayor.

42:29>> Okay, with that uh

42:31Council will entertain a motion to

42:32adjourn.

42:33>> So moved.

42:33>> Thank you, Ms. Taylor. Thank you, Vice

42:35Mayor. All in favor say I. I. Motion

42:37adjourned. Have a good evening and

42:38remember to vote.

42:48>> [music]

42:49>> Woo!

42:59>> [music]

```*