2026-10-07 - City Council Formal Meeting

00:00that is manufactured produces 5 to six

00:02pounds of hazardous materials [music] as

00:04waste. So when you're out here on the

00:06roadway, don't pick up things that have

00:08tubing that is red, ice chest that are

00:10red, or red chemical bottles. Bad guys

00:13throw them out here because they don't

00:15want to get caught with them. Also,

00:17[music] leave those corroded propane

00:18bottles alone. Use car batteries,

00:20needles, syringes, or anything that you

00:23don't know what it is. [music]

00:26The best rule of thumb is if you are

00:28uncertain, don't touch it and inform

00:30local law enforcement. Remember, be

00:33alert.

00:34>> Also, do not enter pipes or culverts.

00:36The danger is too high, so let the pros

00:38deal with that. You should pick up small

00:40items made of paper, cardboard, plastic,

00:43styrofoam, wood, or rubber. Glass items

00:46and small empty containers are okay if

00:49they do not have sharp edges.

00:53Tie your bags securely shut and place

00:55the filled bags at least 6 ft from the

00:58pavement edge.

01:00Do not overfill or over stuff the bags.

01:03ADOT workers must lift these bags into

01:05their trucks. Place large or heavier

01:07items like tire debris or any items that

01:09would tear a bag near the filled bags.

01:12Remember, don't move anything that could

01:14cause you or your team members physical

01:16harm.

01:17ADOT will remove your filled trash bags

01:20from the roadside after the cleanup is

01:22complete. Avoid overexertion and drink

01:24plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. Adopt

01:27a Highway program encourages recycling,

01:30so collect the recyclables and take them

01:32with you. Make sure your group has

01:34enough water and that on-site first aid

01:36is available.

01:38Leave snakes alone. People are bitten

01:41because they try to kill a snake or get

01:42a closer look at it. Keep hands and feet

01:44out of areas you cannot see. Don't pick

01:47up rocks or firewood. Be cautious and

01:49alert at all times. If you or a group

01:53member is bitten, wash the bite with

01:55soap and water. Immobilize the bitten

01:57area and [music] keep it lower than the

01:58heart and get medical help.

02:02Remember, you signed a permit to do

02:04this. That permit has terms and

02:05conditions. It is very important that

02:07you read and abide by them. Inform your

02:10ADOT adopt a highway contact at least 5

02:12days prior to the cleanup effort.

02:16We need to make sure your dates don't

02:18conflict with other highway uses. So,

02:20it's very important to know who your

02:22adopt a highway contact is and that they

02:24have your contact information. We need

02:26to know as quickly as possible if a new

02:28coordinator is appointed or if you

02:30change any of your contact information.

02:32Make sure everyone in your group fills

02:34out a volunteer registration form before

02:36each cleanup. The Arizona Department of

02:39Transportation wants this to be a

02:41rewarding and safe experience for all of

02:43you. Volunteers like you make this

02:45program [music] successful by giving

02:47your time and energy to make a positive

02:49impact on the environment. Your efforts

02:51are appreciated very much so not only by

02:54ADOT but also by the citizens of Arizona

02:56and the visitors who will enjoy a

02:58cleaner state because of your hard work.

03:00[music] So spread the word. Arizona,

03:03keep it grand.

03:15>> [music]

03:28>> Hi, my name is Brian Ty. [music] I'm a

03:30water service technician for the City of

03:32Phoenix Water Department.

03:39My role as a technician is to provide

03:42excellent customer service to our

03:43residents in the city of Phoenix. As a

03:46water service [music] technician, we

03:48deal with leaks, turn on [music]

03:51turnoffs of homes with customers moving

03:54in and out of their residence, replacing

03:56[music] meters, and replacing stops.

04:07For [music] me, the most rewarding part,

04:09um, I grew up in city of Phoenix. I went

04:11to grade school, high school. So, for

04:13me, being able [music] to come back and

04:14provide the service to the community

04:16that I grew up in is very important to

04:18me.

04:23I believe the water service [music]

04:24technician position is important to our

04:27division because we are the first

04:29[music] people the customers see

04:48Heat. Heat.

05:10Heat. Heat.

05:15[music]

05:39>> [music]

05:42>> Heat.

05:45Heat.

05:53Heat

06:09up here.

06:18Heat

06:30up here.

06:38[music]

06:52Welcome everyone. We are starting the

06:56city's celebration of Diana Terasi.

07:01>> I like everybody.

07:04>> In the city of Phoenix, we celebrate

07:06people in many ways and one is with

07:09street signs. For nearly a decade, fans

07:12coming here have been welcomed with the

07:15street sign bearing Diana Terrasi's

07:17name. When the sign first went up, Diana

07:20had just surpassed the great Tina

07:22Thompson to become the WNBA's all-time

07:25leading score.

07:30>> Fortunately for Phoenix and for her

07:31fans, she kept going. And it is time to

07:35update the sign to recognize her

07:38incredible record scores in the city of

07:41Phoenix and the amount of baskets that

07:44she made. She's been a really important

07:47part of our city. We are so lucky that

07:49the Mercury drafted her number one pick

07:52and that she spent 20 seasons with us

07:55and the Phoenix Mercury, becoming the

07:57most decorated Olympian in women's

07:59basketball and remaining the WNBA's

08:02all-time leading scorer.

08:07Straight.

08:08>> And she's not content with just

08:10greatness on the court. She's also been

08:11an important contributor to our

08:14community, stepping up for parents and

08:16families, fighting for equality, and

08:18more. We are so grateful to have her

08:20commitment to the city of Phoenix, and

08:22the city of Phoenix is so pleased that

08:24we can honor her with this street sign

08:28with us.

08:28>> We're looking forward to unveiling the

08:30sign, which will show her current to

08:32total unscoring, more than 10,000

08:35points. That number will forever mark

08:38her place in WNBA history and remind the

08:40city of the countless moments she gave

08:41us to celebrate. Diana, your legacy is

08:44something we are proud of in the city of

08:46Phoenix. Thank you.

08:50>> And now we'll welcome Josh Bartlestein,

08:52the CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury.

08:54Thank you.

08:59>> Good morning.

09:00>> Morning.

09:00>> It's a great day to celebrate the

09:03greatest of all time. You know, people

09:05throw around that word a lot. Goat the

09:07greatest. There's only one greatest. She

09:10happens to be standing right behind me.

09:13You can throw around the stats. A

09:15three-time champ, six gold medals, an

09:18MVP, go on and on and on. But DT was the

09:22ultimate winner. She cared about winning

09:23at the highest level, and she did for

09:26all 20 years in the valley. Her loyalty,

09:29what she meant to the fans and her

09:31teammates and her coaches and what they

09:33mean to her is what separates Diana

09:35Terasi.

09:36>> Yeah.

09:40>> DT, your first basket, you know what it

09:42was. You know who it was against?

09:43Basket.

09:44>> There you go. First basket, Sacramento

09:46Monarchs, right? Last basket,

09:51>> what?

09:52>> Minnesota Links. There was a little

09:53trivia to do this. Minnesota Links. Uh,

09:56but all along the way, the points, the

09:59baskets, there were gamewinners, there

10:01were step backs, there were and wands

10:03looking at the ref, but those don't

10:05capture who DT is. It's the moments and

10:08memories. And you're going to see that

10:10on Sunday when you have people crying

10:12because they know what she means to them

10:14and their family. All 10,

10:17646

10:19baskets. So, it's a privilege. It's an

10:22honor to be with the greatest, a winner,

10:24a true champion, someone you mean so

10:27much to Phoenix, the one and only Diana

10:29Terzi. I want to thank Mayor Ggo in the

10:32city for all they've done for this as

10:33well. DT, floor is yours.

10:36>> Wow.

10:40>> Good morning everyone.

10:41>> Morning.

10:42>> Um, first off, I'd like to thank Mayor

10:45Ggo and and the city of Phoenix. Uh,

10:47this wouldn't be possible without her

10:49vision. um you know, without her

10:51thinking this is really important for

10:52the for the city, for the Phoenix

10:54Mercury um and and all the Phoenix um

10:58community. Josh and Matt, thank you guys

11:00so much. Um since you guys have really

11:04taken over the Phoenix organization,

11:06there's been this push to really make

11:08sure that the legacy of of this city is

11:11portrayed and and not only the the

11:13players that have played in this

11:14building, but what the city is all

11:16about. And um you know when I think of

11:19the 20 years that I I spent here um

11:23I get really emotional because I came

11:25here as a little kid. I was 21. I guess

11:27that's not little but it was in my head.

11:30And I'd never been to Phoenix before. I

11:32had no clue what this city was about.

11:34And 20 years later it mirrors all the

11:36things that I thought were important in

11:37life as a teammate

11:40as a daughter and now as a mother. um

11:44hardworking city,

11:47a community that brings everyone

11:49together and mirrors all the things that

11:52it takes to be a champion in life and on

11:54the court. Um and I just hope when

11:57people see that last name, it symbolizes

12:00all the things that it takes um to

12:04really make it. And that's hard work,

12:05discipline, consistency um and not only

12:09that, a great community. This wouldn't

12:11have been possible without everyone that

12:14played at the Phoenix Mercury, worked at

12:16the Phoenix Mercury, coached to the

12:17Phoenix Mercury, everyone who's been,

12:19you know, part of the fabric of what

12:20this championship community means. And

12:23uh, you know, it's it's an amazing thing

12:26for not only myself, my family, everyone

12:30who loves this team and this city, but

12:32for the future generation that can look

12:34up there. Um, and with hard work,

12:36anything is possible. So, I want to

12:38thank everyone who's here today. Um,

12:39what an amazing weekend. I'm I'm super

12:43thankful and grateful for everyone. Uh,

12:45I feel like every time I come to one of

12:47these, I see some faces I hadn't seen in

12:48a long time, and that feels really good.

12:50More than any basket, more than any

12:52championship, it's really the faces that

12:54that have made this 20 years so

12:57important to me and my family. Um, and I

13:00I'm really thankful. And, uh, let's get

13:02this sign and build. Here, guys. Go.

13:06>> All right. We need Scorch. Yeah, it's

13:09countdown time. [music] Everyone, if you

13:11could help me.

13:135 4 3 2 one. Okay.

13:25[music]

13:32[music]

13:35Hey

13:42>> [music]

13:46>> Well [music] done.

13:53[music]

13:59Welcome to

14:52Good afternoon. Thank you for joining

14:54us. Police Chaplain Harry Ston will

14:56provide an invitation in keeping with

14:58the tradition of a legislative prayer

14:59for the council. Participation is

15:01entirely voluntary. Anyone may step

15:03outside or remain seated. Chaplain Ston.

15:13Madame Mayor, honorable council members,

15:16ladies and gentlemen, my prayer today is

15:19based upon 1st Samuel 2:es 1 and 2,

15:22which reads, "My heart rejoices in the

15:25Lord. My horn is lifted up by the Lord.

15:27My mouth boasts over my enemies because

15:29I rejoice in your salvation. There is no

15:33one holy like the Lord. There is no one

15:35beside you and there is no rock like our

15:38God. Let us pray.

15:41Oh God, our father, our hearts do

15:42rejoice in the honor that you have

15:44bestowed upon us to enter your presence.

15:48We are truly grateful for all that your

15:50loving mercy has brought upon this

15:52place. We thank you for the wisdom that

15:54you have imparted to this council and we

15:57ask that you continue to pour forth your

15:59wisdom as [clears throat] they seek to

16:01take care of all that has been entrusted

16:03to their care.

16:05Father, bless all those who work here at

16:07the city of Phoenix as they work for the

16:09safety, security, and well-being of

16:12their fellow people.

16:14Endow them with the strength to do what

16:16needs to be done so that this section of

16:20the earth may flourish under their care.

16:24Father, we humbly come before you with

16:26both our petitions and our praise. Amen.

16:32>> Thank you, Chaplain Ston. I will now ask

16:34Councilman Robinson to lead us in the

16:36pledge of allegiance.

16:37>> I pledge algiance to the flag of the

16:40United States of America and to the

16:43republic for it stands. One nation under

16:47God, indivisible, liberty and justice

16:50for all.

16:59Thank you, Councilman Robinson and

17:01Chaplan Ston. I'll now call to order the

17:03meeting of the Phoenix City Council.

17:04Will the clerk call the role?

17:06>> Councilwoman Wardado.

17:08>> Councilwoman Hernandez here.

17:10>> Councilwoman O'Brien

17:12>> here.

17:12>> Councilwoman Pastor

17:15>> here.

17:16>> Councilman Robinson

17:17>> here.

17:18>> Councilwoman Stark

17:19>> here.

17:20>> Councilman Wearing

17:21>> here.

17:22>> Vice Mayor Haj Washington

17:24>> here.

17:24>> Mayor Ggo

17:25>> here.

17:29Mario Barahas and Elsie Dwarte are with

17:30us to provide Spanish interpretation.

17:32Mario, would you introduce your team?

17:34>> Yes, mayor. Thank you. Good afternoon.

17:36As I already mentioned, uh my name is

17:37Marioas. I'll be working today with

17:39Elsie Dwarte as Spanish interpreters.

17:42I'll now take a moment to introduce

17:44ourselves to our Spanish speaking

17:46residents.

17:52Fore

17:54[clears throat]

17:57[snorts]

18:19distraction.

18:28Thank you, mayor.

18:29>> Thank you so much. Will the city clerk

18:32read the 24-hour paragraph?

18:34>> The titles of the following ordinance

18:35and resolution numbers on the agenda

18:36were available to the public at least 24

18:38hours prior to this council meeting and

18:40therefore may be read by title or agenda

18:41item only. Ordinances number G7549

18:44through 7551, S53190,

18:47and 53225 through 53252 and resolutions

18:5222396 through 22397.

18:56>> Will the city attorney explain the role

18:57of public comment?

18:58>> Yes. Thank you, mayor. Members of the

19:00public may speak for up to two minutes

19:01to comment on agenda items. Comments

19:04must be related to the agenda item in

19:06the action being considered by the

19:07council. General comments that go beyond

19:09the scope of the agenda item should be

19:11made during the citizen comment session

19:13at the end of the agenda. The city

19:15council and staff cannot discuss or

19:17comment on matters related to pending

19:19investigations, claims, or litigation.

19:21Additionally, any member of the public

19:23who appears before the council in their

19:25capacity as a lobbyist must, as required

19:28by Phoenix City Code, disclose this fact

19:30before addressing the council. The city

19:32code states that speakers must express

19:34their comments respectfully and

19:35courteously. Use of profane language,

19:38threats, or personal attacks on members

19:39of the public, council members, or staff

19:41are not allowed. Such comments are

19:43disruptive and unrelated to the

19:45council's business. Any person who

19:46violates these roles may lose their

19:48opportunity to speak further and could

19:49be asked to leave. Thank you, mayor.

19:51>> Thank you so much.

19:53Before we begin the approval of the

19:55meeting minutes, we have an important

19:57retirement of our retirement

19:59administrator this week. If Scott uh

20:01could please stand up. nearly 32 years

20:05of service, including with the

20:08[laughter]

20:16several positions at the city, including

20:17roles in police, city manager's office,

20:19city clerk's office, and retirement. Uh

20:22we are so thankful that among other

20:24things, so many people have been able to

20:25retire thanks to your excellent good

20:28work on our behalf, and we wish you an

20:31incredible retirement. Welld deserved.

20:32Thank you for your service.

20:42>> And now we go to item number one,

20:44approval of the meeting minutes.

20:45Councilwoman Hernandez, do you have a

20:46motion?

20:46>> Thank you, mayor. I move to approve the

20:48minutes of the formal meeting on

20:50December 17, 2025.

20:52>> Second.

20:53>> All those in favor say I.

20:55>> I.

20:55>> Any oppose? Nay.

20:57>> Passes unanimously. Item two, boards and

20:59commissions. Vice Mayor. Motion to

21:01approve the mayor and city council

21:03boards and commission nominations.

21:05>> Second. We have a motion and a second.

21:07All those in favor, please say I.

21:09>> I. Any oppose? Nay.

21:10>> I.

21:11>> Passes unanimously. We will now conduct

21:13a swearing in ceremony. Congratulations

21:15to our commissioners on your unanimous

21:17approval.

21:29Congratulations.

21:39>> Please raise your right hand.

21:41>> I state your name.

21:42>> I

21:44>> do solemnly swear

21:45>> swearly swearly swear

21:47>> that I will support the Constitution of

21:48the United States.

21:49>> I will support the Constitution of the

21:50United States

21:51>> and the Constitution of the Laws of the

21:53State of Arizona

21:54>> and the Constitution and the laws of the

21:55state of Arizona.

21:56>> That I will bear true faith and

21:57allegiance to the same. I will bear true

22:00faith and allegiance to

22:01>> and defend them against all enemies

22:03>> and defend against all

22:05>> foreign and domestic

22:06>> foreign and domestic

22:07>> and that I will faithfully and

22:08impartially

22:09>> I will faithfully and impartially

22:11>> discharge the duties of

22:12>> discharge the duties of

22:14>> state your office

22:15>> your office

22:18>> according to the best of my ability

22:19>> according to the best of my ability

22:21>> so help me God

22:22>> help me God

22:22>> congratulations and thank you for

22:24serving our city yet again mayor

22:58We're excited to thank our commissioners

23:00who are serving on arts and culture and

23:01the development advisory board. Again,

23:03congratulations and thank you for

23:06serving our city.

23:09We provide an advisory role to the state

23:11of Arizona on liquor licenses and we'll

23:12turn to that portion of our agenda next.

23:14Vice Mayor,

23:16>> motion to approve items 3 through 16.

23:19>> Second.

23:20>> Motion and a second. All those in favor

23:22say I. I.

23:23>> Any opposed?

23:26passes unanimously. Uh included today

23:28were several special events and cosina

23:30majal. So I

23:35>> city clerk, are you ready for ordinances

23:37resolution new business planning and

23:38zoning?

23:39>> Yes, mayor.

23:41Vice Mayor

23:42>> motion to approve items 17 17- 79 except

23:46for the following items 23 32 35 46 48

23:5357 62 63 70 and 74 noting that item 41

23:59is withdrawn and item 47 is as revised.

24:03And can the clerk confirm if there are

24:04any other items that should be excluded

24:06for in-person public comments?

24:08>> Yes, mayor and vice mayor. also

24:09excluding items 25, 47, 65, 75, and 76.

24:16That's items 25, 47, 65, 75, and 76.

24:23>> Second.

24:24>> We have a motion.

24:25>> We have a motion and a second. Roll

24:28call.

24:29>> Hernandez,

24:31>> yes.

24:31>> O'Brien,

24:32>> yes.

24:33>> Pastor,

24:37>> yes. Robinson,

24:39>> yes.

24:39>> Stark,

24:40>> yes.

24:41>> Wearing,

24:42>> yes.

24:42>> Hodge Washington,

24:43>> yes. GGO,

24:45>> yes.

24:46>> Passes 8 Z.

24:48>> Vice Mayor, do you have a motion to

24:49suspend the rules and take items out of

24:51order?

24:52>> Yes.

24:52>> Yes. Mayor, I would move that we take uh

24:55suspend the rules and take items 62, 63,

24:58and 65 out of order.

25:00>> Second.

25:01>> We have a motion and a second. All those

25:02in favor say I.

25:04>> I. Any opposed? Nay. Hi.

25:07>> Uh, we'll begin with item 62, the Joan

25:10Gance Cooney Way ceremonial street name.

25:13And I'll turn to Councilwoman

25:16Stark.

25:17>> Stark. [laughter]

25:18>> Thank you, Mary. I uh I'd like to move

25:20approval and then I have some comments.

25:24>> Second.

25:24>> Second.

25:25>> Thank you. About uh two to three years

25:27ago, I had a constituent uh come forth

25:30and talk about uh Joan Ganskuni, and he

25:34had done some research. She was an

25:35elementary school teacher and he had

25:37done some research with his students and

25:39they found out that she was born and

25:41raised in the city of Phoenix and um

25:44that was quite exciting and he asked us

25:46to do some things to celebrate that and

25:48we worked with our public library and we

25:51did celebrate Sesame Street and had some

25:53events but then along came Julia Tagert

25:56and she decided no we need to do more

25:59and so now we are doing a a street n a

26:02street name to uh honor her in

26:05significance of value she's brought to

26:07the entire country with Big Bird and

26:10Oscar the Grouch and the Cookie Monster

26:12and everything that's wonderful about

26:14Sesame Street. My kids certainly grew up

26:16with it as did my brothers. It was a

26:19little before my time. But what's also

26:21interesting about um Joan Cooney is her

26:25grandfather

26:27was mayor of the city of Phoenix. and

26:30we're celebrating 140 years of our fire

26:34department. He was elected in 1885 and

26:38Emil Gance actually created the fire

26:42department which was pretty significant

26:44and it actually occurred because we had

26:46a major fire in downtown Phoenix. And so

26:50he uh ran a bond election and sure

26:52enough we created our fire department.

26:55We're so lucky. We have a professional

26:57fire department, probably the best in

26:59the country, and certainly I think we

27:02can um attribute that to uh Mayor Gance.

27:05He also was the first Jewish mayor of

27:08the city of Phoenix, and so that has

27:10some significance as well. You know, it

27:13is quite an honor to say that Joan grew

27:15up here. Again, uh Sesame Street is a a

27:19part of the American fabric, and I'm

27:21very excited that we're doing this.

27:23little jealous that it's in district 8,

27:25but I know why. I mean, obviously, it's

27:28by the Children's Museum, and so someday

27:30I hope we actually have a corner that

27:32honors Sesame Street and Joan at the

27:35Children's Museum. Thank you, mayor.

27:40>> Thank you so much. Uh, we'll go to the

27:42vice mayor and and Julio, if you would

27:44mind coming coming down, we will

27:46recognize you shortly.

27:48>> Thank you, mayor. I echo the sentiments

27:50of Councilwoman Stark. I am proud to

27:52support this item because I think it's a

27:54true opportunity to recognize someone

27:55from Phoenix whose impact reached

27:57children and families across the world.

28:00Um, having Joan born and raised here in

28:03Phoenix and through her creation of

28:05Sesame Street, she made learning more

28:07accessible, more engaging, more joyful

28:10for many of generations of children

28:12including myself. She understood the

28:14power of education and media to teach

28:16children who may otherwise may not have

28:18had access to these type of

28:19opportunities. I think there's something

28:21special having her name recognized right

28:24here in District 8 because it remind us

28:26that extraordinary things from our own

28:28neighborhoods are possible. Her story

28:30tells our young people that you don't

28:32have to leave Phoenix to dream big and

28:34the work that you can you do can have an

28:36impact far beyond our city. This is

28:38exactly the type of history we should

28:40preserve and make more visible. I'm

28:42proud to support Joan Gans Cony's way.

28:45Thank you, Mayor.

28:47>> Thank you. We'll recognize Julia Tagert.

28:50You know, thank you guys so much for

28:52this. Uh Joan and her team have been

28:54wonderful in this. Her family supports

28:55this. They thank the council. Uh it's

28:58wonderful to have Joan be from Phoenix,

29:00Arizona. She was actually growing up in

29:02District 4. Um but the Children's Museum

29:05is a perfect fit for the sign. If you

29:07look at the location, you have the

29:08University of Arizona building, which

29:10was her alma moater, and then you have

29:12the Phoenix Children's Museum. So that

29:13way when people drive by, they get to

29:15recognize all that she did for children.

29:17She was the co-creator of Sesame Street,

29:19which I'm sure many people remember the

29:20show. Um, before I came, my dad said, "I

29:23remember in 1996 the Tickle Me Elmo

29:25craze." And we had to go and all these

29:28stores to find one for your cousin in

29:29Canada cuz I needed it in Canada. So,

29:32everybody has a connection to Sesame

29:33Street and they love it so much. And

29:35it's just a wonderful thing that she did

29:37and she still lives in New York. um she

29:39supports this and once we figure out

29:41that with the New York team and the

29:43immediate family here the sign unveiling

29:45I will make sure that you guys are all

29:46invited but I appreciate you considering

29:48this request because I really want more

29:50people to know about what Joan did with

29:52Sesame Street and that there's amazing

29:54people from Arizona that maybe they

29:55still don't live here but they've done

29:57amazing work for the country and

29:59especially with America 250. This is a

30:01great way to honor Sesame Street as well

30:03as Joan because we've done so much here

30:05in Phoenix and we've had so many great

30:06wonderful people come. And don't worry,

30:08Councilwoman Deborah Stark, I have some

30:09ceremonial street signs coming for your

30:11district, too. Um, so [laughter]

30:15yes, not this year cuz I don't want to,

30:16you know, kill the streets team with

30:18multiple ceremony signs, but no, it's

30:20going to be a great honor and I know the

30:21family is very appreciative of all that

30:23you guys have done to support this with

30:24the Phoenix Public Library recognizing

30:26her and now ceremonial street sign. I

30:29will be nominating her for the Arizona

30:30Women's Hall of Fame. So, that will be

30:31another fun nomination for her. Um, but

30:33thank you again for all the wonderful

30:35words that you said, Vice Mayor Kesha

30:36Haj Washington and Councilwoman Deborah

30:38Stark. It really means a lot and I think

30:40this is going to really inspire young

30:42women that they can be like Joan and

30:44create something that lasts decades and

30:45changes lives all across the globe. So,

30:47thank you.

30:49>> Wonderful. Thank you, Julia, and thank

30:52you to the council woman for bringing

30:54this forward. The Gance family has had

30:56an incredible legacy in our city.

30:59Because of Joan, we have tested Sesame

31:02Street, so our kids got to be

31:04consultants for the show and there are

31:07uh many people who see references to

31:10Phoenix as well. I was a Sesame Street

31:13kid and as a mom, I'm excited this will

31:15move forward and it's such a special

31:17location near one of the best spots for

31:20kids in Phoenix. Roll call.

31:23>> Hernandez. Yes.

31:25>> O'Brien.

31:25>> Yes.

31:26>> Pastor.

31:29>> Yes.

31:30>> Robinson.

31:30>> Yes.

31:31>> Stark.

31:32>> Yes.

31:32>> Wearing.

31:33>> Yes.

31:33>> Hodge Washington.

31:35>> Yes.

31:35>> GGO.

31:36>> Yes.

31:36>> Passes 80.

31:38>> Item 63 is the Mel Martin cere Mel

31:41Martin ceremonial street name signage.

31:44C. Councilwoman O'Brien.

31:46>> Thank you, mayor. I approve. I move to

31:48approve item 63 and then I have

31:51comments.

31:51>> Second.

31:53Thank you. So, I I have to I'm so

31:56honored to be able to get to do this and

31:57and just want to share a little bit that

31:59um Mel Martin is the first business

32:02person I met at a chamber event after

32:06being elected but before being

32:08officially uh inaugurated into office.

32:11And we both showed up to a meeting very

32:13early and and had a lot of time to to

32:16chat. and he is just such an incredible

32:18w a man with great um stories. Uh and so

32:23I learned quickly that he had an auto

32:26museum in my district that he was in the

32:28process of moving and we've I think

32:32become good friends, but I have I have a

32:34few things that I've written down so I

32:36don't forget them all. Um we're so

32:38thrilled that you're here with us today.

32:40Your Mel's contributions to Phoenix have

32:42been cultural, historical, and

32:45educational. He spent a lifetime

32:47preserving and sharing the story of the

32:50automobile and making that history

32:52accessible to our community. Mel's

32:55lifelong dedication started when he was

32:57just 17 years old with his first Douglas

32:59truck. From there he became a mechanic,

33:02a garage owner, towing business

33:04operator, auctioneer, collector, and

33:08ultimately the founder of Martin Auto

33:10Museum, which is located at 43rd Avenue

33:12and Thunderbird Road. Today, Martin Auto

33:15Museum has more than 170 vehicles along

33:18with extraordinary collection of

33:20autootive memorabilia, an antique gas

33:23pumps, signs, and even a vintage

33:25carousel that actually works. Mel's

33:29Museum operates as a nonprofit. It

33:31welcomes groups of school children from

33:33across Phoenix and gives families a

33:35chance to not only see interesting

33:37vehicles, but to experience the history.

33:40I visited the museum several times, and

33:43I've seen firsthand the passion Mel has

33:46for preserving these pieces of our

33:49history and sharing them with others. My

33:51husband has actually disappeared for

33:53hours of time with Mel to learn about

33:56those cars. He made his mark in the

33:58automotive history world and I'm proud

34:00that we can make his contributions a

34:03little bit more visible here in Phoenix

34:05by literally putting his name on the

34:07map. Mel, thank you for your lifetime of

34:10dedication to automobiles history and

34:13our community. I look forward to soon

34:16celebrating the installation of ceremony

34:18ceremonial street signs designating Mel

34:21Martin.

34:25>> Thank you, Councilwoman. Thank you for

34:27recognizing Mel. Mel, thank you for what

34:29you've done for our city and our region.

34:31Whether it be your philanthropic

34:33investments or just making sure that

34:35when we have parades such as Veterans

34:38Day that uh we have the wonderful cars

34:40to celebrate our history and we're very

34:44very thankful for uh your investments.

34:47My son is particularly thankful for the

34:49transformer that you have at the Mel

34:51Martin Auto Museum. Uh but from multiple

34:55generations of my family, thank you for

34:57your indust. And Mel, why don't you

34:58stand since we're starting a bit of a

35:00tradition?

35:10>> Uh

35:12with that, roll call.

35:14>> Hernandez,

35:15>> yes.

35:16>> O'Brien,

35:16>> yes.

35:17>> Pastor,

35:19>> yes.

35:20>> Robinson,

35:21>> yes. Stark,

35:22>> yes.

35:23>> Wearing,

35:23>> yes.

35:24>> Hodge Washington,

35:25>> yes.

35:25>> GGO,

35:27>> yes.

35:27>> Passes 8 Z.

35:29>> Next, we go to item 65. Her Serbian

35:31Heritage Way ceremonial street name.

35:33Vice Mayor.

35:34>> Thank you, mayor. I move to approve item

35:3565 and then I'll give comments.

35:37>> Second.

35:38>> Thank you.

35:38>> Recognized for comments.

35:39>> Thank you so much. I am very pleased to

35:41support item 65 because recognizing our

35:44history means recognizing the many

35:46communities and institutions that helped

35:48make Phoenix the city it is today. St.

35:50Sava Serbian Orthodox Church has been an

35:53anchor in this Phoenix neighborhood

35:55since 1958.

35:57For nearly seven decades, it has

35:59provided cultural, spiritual,

36:01educational, charitable, and community

36:03support while preserving

36:05Serbian-American heritage for

36:07generations.

36:09What I particularly appreciate is that

36:10this recognition also celebrates the way

36:12culture can bring people together.

36:14Servefest gives thousands of people an

36:17opportunity to experience Serbian food,

36:19music, dance, history, and traditions

36:22while creating opportunities for

36:24cultural exchange through our broader

36:26community. A ceremonial sign may seem

36:29simple, but these signs tell a story

36:31about who we are as a city and the

36:33communities that help build Phoenix. I'm

36:35proud to support Serbian Heritage Way

36:38and to recognize the lasting

36:40contributions of the Serbian-American

36:42community in District 8 and across

36:43Phoenix. Thank you, Mayor.

36:46>> Thank you so much, Leonard Clark.

36:54>> Uh, thank you. I'm just uh very happy to

36:55hear that we're preserving our cultural

36:57heritage in the city of Phoenix. I grew

36:59up with a Ukrainian friend and I know

37:00that's not the same as Serbian, but I

37:02know different Serbian people. And all I

37:04have to say is I'm so glad you're doing

37:06this and thank you to the Serbian people

37:07for enriching our city and its culture

37:09and its history. And Zi Zveli, cheers.

37:14>> Cheers.

37:15>> Thank you. Looking forward to supporting

37:17this item. We have a wonderful Serbian

37:20community here. If you have not had a

37:22chance to visit this location, it has

37:26several very impressive and beautiful

37:28buildings, including stained glass and

37:32other artwork that has come from Serbia,

37:34a real gem and a jewel for our city. And

37:37again, Serbfest, incredible food,

37:41culture, and dancing. All right, roll

37:43call.

37:44>> Anand,

37:45>> yes.

37:45>> O'Brien,

37:46>> yes.

37:46>> Pastor,

37:50>> yes. Robinson,

37:51>> yes.

37:52>> Stark,

37:53>> yes.

37:54>> Wearing,

37:54>> yes.

37:55>> Hodgej Washington,

37:56>> yes.

37:56>> GGO,

37:57>> yes.

37:58>> Passes 80.

38:00>> We next go to item 23, settlement of

38:02claim. Vice Mayor,

38:04>> motion to approve item 23.

38:07>> Second.

38:08>> Counciloman Hernandez.

38:09>> Thank you, Mayor. Just have a couple

38:10comments on this. Um, you know, I just

38:12want to acknowledge that this is one of

38:13two settlements that puts us as roughly

38:15$600,000

38:17um in settlements that the city is being

38:19asked to approve for accidents involving

38:21onduty police officers who were driving

38:23their vehicles. Um, you know, that's

38:25$600,000 in public dollars that could

38:27otherwise be invested in youth programs

38:29and housing into human services and

38:32other resources our communities uh

38:34really need right now. Um, I am going to

38:36be voting yes on this because when

38:37residents are harmed, they deserve

38:39repair and accountability. Um, at the

38:41same time, I do believe that we have to

38:44take seriously how we are using our

38:46public dollars and ask what we can do

38:48differently to prevent these incidents

38:50from continuing to happen. Um, there are

38:52other cities across the country that

38:54have taken steps to create stronger

38:56financial accountability and

38:57transparency

38:58um, around police related settlements. I

39:01would love to see us as a city, as a

39:03fifth largest city in the country,

39:04explore similar policies to see what

39:06would work for Phoenix, um, including

39:08more accessible public information about

39:10these cases and a clear understanding of

39:12what accountability measures are put in

39:14place when the city pays a settlement.

39:16Um, we have a responsibility not only to

39:18repair harm after it happens, but to

39:20really learn from these cases and make

39:22sure we are doing everything in our

39:23power uh to prevent that harm from

39:26happening again. Um, thank you so much,

39:28Mayor.

39:29Thank you so much. Roll call.

39:32>> Hernandez,

39:32>> yes.

39:33>> O'Brien,

39:34>> yes.

39:35>> Pastor,

39:37>> yes.

39:38>> Robinson,

39:39>> yes.

39:40>> Stark,

39:40>> yes.

39:41>> Wearing,

39:42>> yes.

39:42>> Hodge Washington,

39:43>> yes.

39:44>> GGO,

39:44>> yes.

39:45>> Passes 80.

39:46>> We next go to item 25, which is an

39:49agreement with NAU related to

39:52the Center for Service and Volunteerism,

39:54Arizona Healthcore, and Environmental

39:55Literacy Corps. Americaore Vice Mayor.

39:58Motion to approve item 25.

40:00>> Second motion and a second. Leonard

40:02clerk.

40:07>> Thank you, mayor. I just wanted to also

40:09say again to the mayor and council, uh I

40:11think this is an excellent program. Uh

40:13we do need these outreach programs for

40:16public health, for uh you know,

40:18conservation and these types of things.

40:20Uh this is what gives our city its

40:22heart. It doesn't have to be just uh

40:25cold uh you know basically people not

40:29connecting with each other. This teaches

40:31uh people to uh you know conserve our

40:34environment and do all kinds of things

40:35like that with Northern Arizona

40:37University. So thank you for partnering

40:39for this. Thank you.

40:42>> Thank you so much.

40:44Roll call.

40:46>> Hernandez.

40:47>> Yes. O'Brien.

40:49>> Yes. Pastor.

40:55>> Pastor,

40:56>> yes.

40:59>> Yes.

41:00>> Thank you. Robinson,

41:01>> yes.

41:03>> Yes. Thank you. Stark,

41:05>> yes.

41:05>> Wearing.

41:06>> Yes.

41:06>> Hud Washington.

41:07>> Yes.

41:08>> Diego.

41:08>> Yes.

41:09>> Passes 800.

41:11>> Item 32 is next. Outside legal counsel.

41:14Vice Mayor.

41:15>> Motion to approve item 32.

41:17>> Second.

41:18>> Motion a second. We'll begin with public

41:20comment. Jeremy Thcker followed by

41:22Kristen Listen,

41:36Mayor and [clears throat] Council. uh

41:39spending $300,000

41:42so far on the illusion of an ethics

41:46commission and accountability was

41:48acceptable when there was some hope

41:50attached to it at the beginning that it

41:51was actually going to turn into the real

41:52thing. Um unfortunately that has not

41:56happened. So spending another $150,000

41:59on [clears throat]

42:01the wizard when we've all seen behind

42:04the curtain already uh is unacceptable.

42:07Before

42:09you vote today, I ask you for four

42:10questions. I might not get to all of

42:12them. First one is,

42:15does the city trust that the city is

42:18being more ethical? The citizens, I'm

42:20sorry, trust that the city is being more

42:21ethical uh or transparent.

42:24Well, ethics complaints before we had

42:27the ethics commission were public

42:30records.

42:31We could also at least fight with the

42:34attorney who was putting them in the

42:36desk drawer. we knew who it was and we

42:37could talk with them. Now we can't do

42:39either of those. Ethics complaints are

42:41completely in the dark.

42:44So the ethics commission has had 27

42:49ethics complaints filed since it was

42:51started. The not one of them has come

42:54before this council. Not a single ethics

42:58complaint

43:00has made it here.

43:02So

43:04clearly we're either the most ethical

43:06city in the world and we don't need it

43:08or we're wasting money, lots of money

43:11and time. And this is not against Beth.

43:13I think she's very good attorney. Um

43:16this is about the ethics commission. Um

43:19it's

43:21a foundation. It's never going to work.

43:23Um it doesn't follow any best practices.

43:27Uh it's clear that it's it's a waste of

43:30time and it's just trying to pull the

43:33wool over our eyes. So I ask that you

43:35spend this money in a better way.

43:39>> Kristen is next.

43:45>> Hi council. Um so you created this

43:49commission in 2017 and you appointed no

43:52one for six years. in its first meeting

43:56uh March of 2024 that meeting was an

43:58orientation. Since then it has canceled

44:0211 of its 31 scheduled meetings. So

44:04that's more than one in three. It has

44:07not met in 83 days and the next meeting

44:10is October 22nd after today's vote. It

44:14holds four of five seats and as its own

44:17rules require four votes to do anything.

44:20So every decision must be unanimous. So

44:23that means one absence on the commission

44:26and this body it can't act at all.

44:30That's not theoretical. Um back in June

44:33uh complaint died on a 2 to2 vote and it

44:37closed for good. That's it. Last

44:39December you gave this commission an

44:41assignment. Uh residents petition on the

44:43inquiry process. So council councilwoman

44:45Stark moved it. Councilman Robinson

44:48second it. It passed. That was 294 days

44:51ago. They discussed it four times, then

44:55voted to bring you draft amendments by

44:57August 20th.

44:59They cancelled August. They cancelled

45:02September.

45:03Nothing has come back to you. So that's

45:06Jeremy mentioned 29 complaints appear in

45:09this commission's own minutes and not

45:11one has ever reached council. Uh we

45:14check the legislative record and in two

45:16and a half years the only ethics items

45:18to reach you are that citizens petition

45:22and this contract today. It's never

45:25produced an annual report and staff

45:27confirmed it back in April that none

45:29exists and that none is required. So

45:32$300,000

45:34and you are asked tonight for 150,000

45:37more justified in one sentence with no

45:40scope of work. So, please fill the

45:43vacant speed, fix the vote threshold,

45:45require an annual report, publish the

45:48pending complaints, and then you can

45:50fund it. Thank you,

45:53>> Councilwoman Hernandez.

45:55>> Thank you, Mayor. Just have a couple

45:56questions on this item. um as the newest

45:59member to the council, just trying to

46:00understand um and for the public.

46:18My first question is um can you

46:21elaborate a little bit on what the

46:22purpose of the ethics commission is and

46:25how f how people selected to join are

46:29selected to join the ethics commission.

46:32Good afternoon mayor, members of

46:33council. The purpose of the ethics

46:34commission is to review ethical concerns

46:37brought forward regarding elected

46:39officials, boards, commission, and

46:40committee members. I'm going to let

46:42David Benton speak to the process of

46:44appointing members.

46:48Mayor, members of of council, the ethics

46:51commission are is is created by this

46:55body, but they're uh the commissioners

46:58are appointed through the judicial

47:01oh let me see

47:05get the exact name for you.

47:06>> Selection board

47:08>> the judicial selection advisory board.

47:10They're the ones who uh once the

47:12applicant is is chosen, that applicant

47:15goes before the judicial selection

47:16advisory board, there's some interviews

47:18that are are are conducted, kind of a

47:21triage process, and then those

47:23recommendations are made and before you.

47:26>> Okay. Thank you so much. And um who does

47:30um when those reports come in and those

47:33complaints come in, they only go to the

47:35I mean obviously they go to the ethics

47:36commission and then who do they report?

47:38or I guess where's the reporting

47:40hierarchy there?

47:43>> Good afternoon, mayor, members of

47:44council. So, when the ethics commission

47:45comes in, it goes through the city

47:46clerk's office. It then gets forwarded

47:48to the ethics commission who conducts uh

47:51per city code and their rules um their

47:54review and they choose,

47:57you know, whether to look into it

47:59further, close it, dismiss it. There's

48:01several different actions they could

48:03take. Um it continues to go down that

48:05path until it's finalized. If uh

48:07recommendations were to be made,

48:10[clears throat]

48:11it would eventually come to council, but

48:13if it's dismissed or closed, it ends

48:15there. Um once the complaint is

48:17dismissed or closed, they are made

48:18public on the website. Um but while

48:21they're under review, they are

48:22confidential.

48:23>> Okay. Thank you so much. And what are if

48:26there's ethics violations found

48:31or substantiated, what are the

48:33consequences there and who determines

48:35that?

48:40uh mayor, members of council, all

48:43recommendations from the council once

48:44from the commission ultimately come

48:46before you. You're the ones who make the

48:48decisions that uh a violation has been

48:51found. Um and then under that there

48:54could be sanctions, there could be

48:56reprimands, there could be anything, but

48:58what actually happens comes before you

49:00in the end.

49:01>> Okay. Thank you so much. Um and then my

49:03final question is really um around this

49:07the amount on this item. Is there

49:10anything we can provide to answer to one

49:12of some of the questions that we just

49:14heard in public comment on what the

49:16expansion of this contract will u is

49:18looking to really focus on.

49:22Mayor, members of council, this contract

49:24was originally uh approved by you in

49:262024 in March. And basically what this

49:29contract does is provide outside counsel

49:32because there's a conflict of interest

49:34that the city's attorney's office cannot

49:37provide uh advice to this commission

49:39because the complaints could be any of

49:42you any boards members in the city

49:44attorney's office um provides legal

49:46advice to all those entities. And so

49:48this takes care of that conflict or the

49:51appearance of impropriety that occurs.

49:53So that that was originally done in 2024

49:56was extended in 2025 out to 2027. And

49:59what this does here is add additional

50:01money to have that outside council

50:04continue with their with their inquiries

50:06and their advice to the commission.

50:08There's actually two additional

50:10complaints that have been filed from

50:11what I understand.

50:12>> Okay. Thank you so much. Um, you know, I

50:15think there I think optically and for

50:18the public, right, there exists concerns

50:21when we're talking about ethics

50:22commission and and I don't think that

50:23exists just to Phoenix. This was the

50:25same structure that is modeled at the

50:27state legislature where ethics

50:28complaints for elected members uh go

50:33through the committees that are uh

50:35served by the elected members. Right?

50:38Right. So, I think there's an

50:39opportunity across different

50:41jurisdictions to really look at how we

50:43structure ethics committees um to ensure

50:47that our residents are seeing those

50:49bodies as independent and actually could

50:52provide accountability and that if

50:54they're submitting things that they feel

50:56we are we step out of line on that

50:59that's truly investigated. So, I think I

51:01I I have some concerns around the

51:03structure we currently have. Um, I kind

51:06of liken this to, you know, police

51:07investigating the police themselves.

51:10Ultimately, like they are responsible to

51:12look into their own policy violations.

51:14And so this is a little akin to that.

51:16Um, and it's not, like I said, it's not

51:18just isolated to the city of Phoenix.

51:19That is also true at the state level.

51:22Um, and I don't know if fiscally this is

51:26the right move at this time. um when it

51:29seems like there are some there's a path

51:31to correct the structure we have and if

51:35we correct that structure the current

51:37funding that's allotted for that maybe

51:38that would be more effective. So like I

51:40would like to see us look at the

51:42structure and maybe correct that where

51:45we can instill some confidence in the

51:47public that that body is moving truly

51:49independently um before we add

51:52additional monies to it.

51:54>> Uh that is a wrap on my comments. Thank

51:56you mayor. Thank you, Vice Mayor.

51:59>> Thank you. I have a couple questions

52:00also. Um, is it and without talking

52:04about the actual substance of the work

52:07that's being done? I think so. This is a

52:09contract or amendment of a contract to

52:11provide additional resources for legal

52:13services. Is it possible to give us high

52:15level about some of the work that the

52:17corpor um the ethics commission has been

52:20doing that has resulted in the need for

52:21this additional legal services?

52:28Uh Madam Chair, members of the council,

52:30there there's a number of things. Um let

52:32me start off that uh outside council

52:35provides advice and counsel to all the

52:38members on whatever uh inquiry comes

52:40before them, process, procedure. Um in

52:45fact this particular um outside council

52:48can duct can can conduct investigations

52:52look into the inquiries specifically

52:54provide provide advice on those and this

52:56is this is just from my uh experience

52:59because this is all done in executive

53:01session. So I don't sit in these and and

53:04I'm just looking at how the the

53:05contracts are drafted.

53:09Um, so

53:11from what I gathered from what you said

53:13is I feel like the ethics commission,

53:15this is my summary, so you can tell me

53:16if I'm incorrect. I feel like the ethics

53:18commission given the newness of the

53:20role, the newness of the procedural

53:23structure, the newness of what they're

53:25being asked, I got the impression that

53:27they have been asking council to make

53:29sure that they are going down the right

53:32path and have the right procedure in

53:33place. Um, is that kind of what you were

53:36saying in this in this instance?

53:40Uh uh mayor uh members of the council,

53:44yes and no. There they they do have to

53:46get some direction depending on what the

53:47inquiry says. The a lot of this is

53:50driven by the procedures they've adopted

53:53for themselves, the bylaws they've

53:55adopted themselves, which is all drawn

53:57from um city code which this body

54:00approved uh quite some time ago. So

54:03there are guidelines, there are

54:04processes in place to make sure that

54:07everything's done appropriately.

54:09>> Okay. And is legal counsel assisting the

54:12commission with the actual investigation

54:15of these uh 27 or 29 complaints?

54:20>> Mayor, members of council, if the

54:21commission were to vote to move

54:24something forward to investigation, then

54:26this contract is capable of conducting

54:28those investigations. And if if the

54:30determination was made to move something

54:32towards an investigation, would that

54:34that instruction that direction be

54:38public notice?

54:41>> Mayor, members of council, the

54:42complaints that come in are confidential

54:45until they are finalized. So once the

54:47final determination is made is when they

54:49become public and are made public. So

54:51the the 25 or so that have been reviewed

54:54and have come to some form of completion

54:56are posted on the website right now.

54:57>> Okay. So I I guess I was trying to fill

55:01in some blanks for members of the public

55:03and and and for some for myself also

55:06that part of the the services being

55:09provided by outside counsel is actually

55:11to assist in the investigation to

55:12determine whether or not there is

55:14validity or no validity to the

55:16complaints that have been raised. And

55:19given the amount of petitions or

55:22complaints that we have and the

55:24circumstances of each petition that may

55:27necessitate the um urgency of having

55:31additional funds to complete that

55:32process.

55:33>> Yeah. Mayor, members, council, vice

55:34mayor, I'll also add like if we look

55:36currently right now this outside legal

55:38council is

55:39>> Was I correct before you go?

55:41>> What was that?

55:41>> But I was correct. You were not in but I

55:43don't think you said yes.

55:44>> Yes. Okay. Um I the the one thing I want

55:46to add is currently the commission as

55:48was mentioned is looking based on that

55:50citizen petition at the current rules

55:52that they follow and this outside legal

55:55council is giving advice input feedback

55:58to the commission while they're

55:59exploring these rules that will

56:01eventually come back to this body. So,

56:04it's fair to say that outside council in

56:07essence is also helping the ethics

56:08commission in carrying out their

56:10responsibilities

56:11um to be able to investigate more

56:13efficiently and independently.

56:14>> Yes, that's correct.

56:15>> Okay. Um and can you talk a little bit

56:17about how the additional $150,000 was

56:20determined and why this level of um

56:23funding was appropriate for the needs

56:25from the commission through the end of

56:26the contract.

56:29Uh, mayor, members of the council, we

56:31had reached the maximum amount we were

56:33going to spend on this particular

56:34contract. We needed some additional

56:36funding to continue with, not only, as

56:39Mr. Matthews mentioned, the review of

56:41the procedures as well as the bylaws,

56:43but um, we have a couple of complaints

56:46that have come in. So, they're going to

56:48need assistance with those things, too.

56:50>> Okay. So is it fair to say one of the

56:52outcomes that the council and the public

56:54can expect if this motion carries with

56:57the additional availability um of legal

56:59counsel is at a minimum some

57:01recommendations on the from the in

57:04response to the citizens petition at a

57:07minimum the um rule considerations as

57:10well as hopefully to resolve the

57:12petitions that or the complaints that

57:13are pending. Mayor, members of council,

57:15vice mayor, I I will say that if the

57:18commission determines that they want to

57:21make recommendations on rules, those

57:22would come forward. I that determination

57:24has not been made at this time.

57:26>> That's a fair distinction, but the goal

57:28is to at least be able to help them to

57:29vet and review that information and have

57:31um council appine to the commission

57:34confidentially as to what their

57:36recommendation is.

57:37>> That's correct.

57:38>> Okay. Thank you, mayor. Those are my

57:39questions. Thank you both.

57:40>> Thank you.

57:41>> Roll call.

57:42>> Hernandez.

57:43>> No. O'Brien,

57:45>> yes.

57:46>> Pastor,

57:51>> yes.

57:52>> Robinson,

57:53>> yes.

57:54>> Stark,

57:55>> yes.

57:55>> Wearing,

57:56>> yes.

57:56>> Hudge Washington,

57:57>> yes.

57:58>> GGO,

57:59>> yes.

57:59>> Passes 71.

58:02>> We next go to item 35 related to the

58:04state housing trust fund. Vice Mayor,

58:07>> motion to approve item 37.

58:12>> 35.

58:12>> Oh, I'm sorry. 35.

58:14>> Second.

58:15>> Motion to end a second.

58:18Roll call.

58:21>> Hernandez. Mayor, may I explain my vote?

58:24>> Yes.

58:25>> Thank you so much. I just want to take a

58:27moment to highlight a really amazing

58:29item on the agenda today, which is this

58:30item. Um the proposed $500,000 grant

58:34application to support a workforce

58:36readiness program and on-site case

58:38management and navigation services at

58:39the Phoenix Navigation Center. Um, this

58:42program would provide daily employment

58:44opportunities through the neighborhood

58:45brigade workforce readiness program

58:47along with case management, uh, on-site

58:50navigation services, behavioral health

58:53support, and assistance with housing

58:55placement. This is the kind of

58:56wraparound services um and support that

58:59really recognizes people as whole human

59:02beings and not just as people

59:03experiencing homelessness um but as

59:05people who have goals, who have skills,

59:07who have responsibilities and a real

59:09desire to move forward. Um and while I

59:12absolutely support, you know, us

59:14pursuing this grant, I also want us to

59:16think beyond the grant because this work

59:18is continuous and will be continuous

59:21until we really solve the issue of

59:22homelessness. Um, investing into

59:24programs like this shows our residents

59:27that we are serious about moving people

59:28out of homelessness and into a path of

59:31stability. Um, but more importantly, I

59:33think it shows the residents that we are

59:35putting our money where our mouth is

59:36when it comes to this issue. Uh so I

59:38really want to thank Rachel, the entire

59:40HOS uh OHS team for bringing this

59:43forward and I want to thank uh Fund for

59:45Empowerment and the many community

59:47organizations that um really advocate

59:50for our unsheltered residents and who

59:52continue to come and engage with us um

59:54in our good uh in really good partners

59:57um advocating for dignity, for the

59:59well-being, and for the futures of all

1:00:01of our community. Thank you so much,

1:00:02Mayor. Oh, with that, I vote yes. Thank

1:00:04you.

1:00:08O'Brien,

1:00:09>> yes.

1:00:10>> Pastor,

1:00:12>> yes.

1:00:13>> Robinson,

1:00:14>> yes.

1:00:14>> Stark,

1:00:15>> yes.

1:00:16>> Wearing,

1:00:16>> yes.

1:00:17>> Hodgej [clears throat] Washington,

1:00:18>> yes.

1:00:19>> Yes.

1:00:20>> Passes 8-0.

1:00:22>> Next is item 46, contract with the Los

1:00:25Angeles Organizing Committee for the

1:00:262028 Olympic and Parolympic Games to

1:00:29host Olympic torch relay and related

1:00:31events. Vice Mayor,

1:00:32>> motion to approve item 46. Second,

1:00:37>> the United States will host our next

1:00:39summer Olympics, and the city is

1:00:41thrilled about the prospect of

1:00:43participating in LA28's historic torch

1:00:46relay. We're currently working directly

1:00:48with LA28 regarding the next steps in

1:00:50the consideration process.

1:00:52This builds on my efforts to make sure

1:00:54Phoenix remains connected with all

1:00:55possibilities for the 2028 Olympics.

1:00:58I have convened a statewide committee to

1:01:00examine opportunities including hosting

1:01:02qualifying events or international teams

1:01:05to train in our market given our close

1:01:06proximity to Los Angeles. The entire

1:01:08nation can be proud of the games and

1:01:10Phoenix will be honored to play its role

1:01:12in showcasing our community to the

1:01:14world. I've had the pleasure of

1:01:16partnering with Vice Mayor Hajj

1:01:18Washington on these and I'll turn to her

1:01:19for comments.

1:01:20>> Thank you, Mayor. I am too. I'm also

1:01:22very excited to support this item

1:01:24because just having the opportunity to

1:01:26potentially bring the Olympics torch

1:01:28relay to Phoenix would be a tremendous

1:01:30win for our city especially. I know the

1:01:32mayor as mentioned has been working very

1:01:34hard on this for some time and the

1:01:36Olympics represents so much more than

1:01:38competition. It is a recognition of

1:01:40individual and team uh uh excellence. It

1:01:44also represents perseverance,

1:01:46friendship, and the ability to bring

1:01:48people together. And I think those are

1:01:49values that we should continue to

1:01:51celebrate here in Phoenix. I also

1:01:53appreciate as this will potentially give

1:01:55our residents an opportunity to

1:01:56experience a piece of the Olympic Games

1:01:58right here in our community. So fingers

1:02:00crossed that the torch will one day pass

1:02:03through our Phoenix streets and the

1:02:04associated community celebration will

1:02:06give us a chance to showcase our city

1:02:08once again on a national and

1:02:10international stage. Thank you, Mayor.

1:02:12>> Thank you. Roll call. Oh, I'm sorry,

1:02:14Councilwoman O'Brien.

1:02:16>> Thank you, Mayor. I am excited to

1:02:17support Phoenix's opportunity to be part

1:02:19of the 2028 Olympic torch relay. After

1:02:23the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia,

1:02:25Greece, the birthplace of the games, the

1:02:27flame will travel through all US 50 US

1:02:30states for the first time ever. The full

1:02:32route will be announced next year, but

1:02:34with the council's approval today, we

1:02:35know Phoenix will help carry the spirit

1:02:37of friendship across Arizona and

1:02:39ultimately to Los Angeles for the summer

1:02:41games in 2028.

1:02:44Phoenix knows how to welcome the world.

1:02:46We've hosted multiple Final Fours and

1:02:48NBA All-Star games along with Super Bowl

1:02:50events. And every year, we attract

1:02:53national and international baseball fans

1:02:55for spring training. It's fitting for

1:02:57Phoenix to participate in the Olympic

1:02:59torch relay. I'm excited we'll see

1:03:01Phoenix residents line our streets, our

1:03:03kids experience the Olympic Flame up

1:03:05close, and our community come together

1:03:07for this history making moment. When the

1:03:09Olympic Flame comes to Phoenix, it will

1:03:11be a new chance for our city to shine on

1:03:13the world stage. Thank you, mayor.

1:03:16>> Thank you. Roll call.

1:03:18>> Hernandez,

1:03:18>> yes.

1:03:19>> O'Brien,

1:03:20>> yes.

1:03:21>> Pastor,

1:03:23>> yes.

1:03:24>> Robinson,

1:03:25>> yes.

1:03:25>> Stark,

1:03:26>> yes.

1:03:27>> Wearing,

1:03:27>> yes.

1:03:28>> Hodgej Washington,

1:03:29>> yes.

1:03:30>> GGO,

1:03:31>> yes.

1:03:31>> Passes 80.

1:03:33>> Next is item 47, authorization to enter

1:03:36into agreements with the DEA for

1:03:38reimbursement for police services. Vice

1:03:40Mayor,

1:03:41>> motion to approve item 47. Second.

1:03:44>> We have a motion and a second. Leonard

1:03:45Clark.

1:03:53>> Thank you, mayor and council members.

1:03:54Uh, yes. Um,

1:03:57I do believe in reform of our police

1:03:59department, but I also believe in those

1:04:01officers who have lost their lives

1:04:02defending our citizens. But we need

1:04:05reform. But what I'm here to say about

1:04:07right now is I I have deep concern

1:04:09because the current federal

1:04:10administration and I'm not going to say

1:04:12his name. We all know who the we all

1:04:15know who that is. Uh the federal

1:04:18government's made it official that

1:04:19they're going to use the they're going

1:04:21to expand the Department of Justice, the

1:04:23Department of

1:04:25uh the drug agency here. They're going

1:04:27to expand and work with ICE. Now, I

1:04:30understand if ICE happens to meet

1:04:32somebody who's undocumented and doing uh

1:04:34in these illicit drug activities, but

1:04:37what concerns me now with the current

1:04:38lawlessness coming from Washington DC, I

1:04:41I do approve this, but in the future, I

1:04:43am highly concerned about our Phoenix

1:04:45police officers who must keep their

1:04:46constitutional oaths with working with

1:04:48ICE, who do not keep their

1:04:50constitutional oaths because DEA, it is

1:04:52official, has expanded. Look it up. It's

1:04:55right there. Department of Justice is

1:04:57now working officially with ICE. So I

1:05:00would strongly caution that our officers

1:05:03stay stay on the law side enforcing our

1:05:06laws. These courageous officers, okay?

1:05:08And I know we need reforms, but we

1:05:11should not be working with ICE. They are

1:05:14they are unconstitutional and they are

1:05:16out against the citizens of Phoenix and

1:05:19the American people. So please, no more.

1:05:22I think that we need to be highly

1:05:23concerned about that. DEA is working

1:05:25with ICE. It is official. Thank you.

1:05:28>> Thank you.

1:05:31>> Roll call.

1:05:33>> Ednandez.

1:05:34>> Yes.

1:05:34>> O'Brien.

1:05:35>> Yes.

1:05:36>> Pastor,

1:05:38>> yes.

1:05:39>> Robinson,

1:05:40>> yes.

1:05:40>> Stark,

1:05:41>> yes.

1:05:42>> Wearing,

1:05:42>> yes.

1:05:43>> Hodgej Washington,

1:05:44>> yes.

1:05:44>> GGO,

1:05:45>> yes.

1:05:45>> Passes 80.

1:05:47>> Next is item 48, Covert Track Global

1:05:49Positioning System Units. Vice Mayor.

1:05:52Motion to approve item 48. Second

1:05:55Leonard clerk.

1:06:00>> Thank you. Should be my last time

1:06:02speaking except on non-aggenda items. Um

1:06:05as a former citizen of Phoenix, I

1:06:07understand we need to have tools for our

1:06:08law enforcement to catch the bad ombres.

1:06:11Um, but I am concerned now as we all

1:06:14know about um, we all know about what's

1:06:16going on with flock cameras and Peter TL

1:06:19and Americans being spied on like it's

1:06:22some kind of time out of Romania. But

1:06:25this GPS positioning system, it says go

1:06:27after suspects. So I hope that there are

1:06:30actual judicial warrants that are being

1:06:32used. So for example, I know, you know,

1:06:35I've had some investigations by some of

1:06:36your folks in law enforcement come to

1:06:38find out about that. but um that

1:06:41American citizens such as myself are not

1:06:44without judicial warrant being tracked

1:06:46with these GPS tracking systems and

1:06:48people can roll their eyes but you see

1:06:50it's not a problem until it happens to

1:06:52you and that is what's going on. So I am

1:06:54against this. I was neutral. I am highly

1:06:57against GPS systems right now because we

1:07:00have a federal government that is out of

1:07:01control spying on American citizens.

1:07:04It's like something out of the old Roman

1:07:06uh Romania dictatorship. So please, I

1:07:08would vote no on this. I don't like it.

1:07:10I don't like that American citizens can

1:07:11be tracked unless I can be assured if

1:07:13you can ask your police people that they

1:07:15must get judicial warrants to get actual

1:07:18suspects, not just who people who are

1:07:21targeted because the federal government

1:07:22doesn't like people like me criticizing

1:07:24you know who in Washington DC. Thank

1:07:26you.

1:07:27>> Thank you, Councilwoman Hernandez.

1:07:30Uh

1:07:31>> thank you so much, Mayor. Um just have a

1:07:33couple questions on this item.

1:07:37Mayor, Councilman Hernandez, members of

1:07:39the council, uh, Assistant Chief Ed

1:07:40Dcastro and Commander Safler are here to

1:07:43answer those questions.

1:07:44>> Perfect. Thank you so much.

1:08:08Thank you so much. Um, my first question

1:08:10around this is how is the tracking

1:08:13currently being used?

1:08:16>> Good afternoon, Mayor Council. Council,

1:08:19excuse me, council member Hernandez. Uh,

1:08:22what we do right now is every every time

1:08:24we place a tracking device, one of these

1:08:26GPS devices, there's a there's an

1:08:29extensive method to do so. It there's an

1:08:31affidavit that's filled out. It goes

1:08:33before a judge. A judge issues a a court

1:08:35order on that that establishes there is

1:08:38probable cause. The crime has been

1:08:39committed. At that point, we will place

1:08:42a tracker.

1:08:43>> Okay. Thank you. And where is that that

1:08:45information stored?

1:08:48>> Uh that's that's all with the court.

1:08:50>> Okay. And it only lives with the court?

1:08:52>> Yes.

1:08:53>> Okay. Um and I guess because it lives

1:08:56there, how are we

1:08:58>> Councilwoman Hernz? I'm sorry. Um it

1:09:01also lives within our RMS system. So

1:09:03reports are done by us by the

1:09:05detectives. So it's part of the case

1:09:07report for whatever that crime may be.

1:09:10>> Okay. [clears throat]

1:09:11And

1:09:12what auditing mechanism do we have? Is

1:09:16that was that all?

1:09:18>> Go ahead.

1:09:20>> Okay.

1:09:21>> Ma'am once once more. uh what auditing

1:09:24mechanism do we have around the use of

1:09:26this technology to ensure that it is not

1:09:29being access is not being abused to it

1:09:31uh abused to that to this tool.

1:09:35Mayor, council, councilwoman Hernandez.

1:09:37Basically, what we do is every time that

1:09:40a detective determines this is an

1:09:42appropriate method of investigation for

1:09:44the case, it he writes the affidavit, he

1:09:46or she writes the affidavit, it then

1:09:48goes to the supervisor as well as the

1:09:50lieutenant for the unit. Depending upon

1:09:52what it is, it can go all the way up the

1:09:54chain to the chiefs and at that point,

1:09:57but basically everybody has a look at

1:09:59this before we do we make any of those

1:10:02moves.

1:10:03>> Okay. Thank you. And if there's any um

1:10:06if there's any misuse there or any gaps

1:10:09in that process that you just uh walked

1:10:11us through, what measures of

1:10:13accountability are there in place?

1:10:17Uh mayor, councel, and council,

1:10:19essentially what it is, if they if

1:10:21they're violating policy or the law, uh

1:10:24we've got we've got method methods to

1:10:26deal with that. Uh we've got a

1:10:28professional standards bureau that deals

1:10:30with uh any possible internal uh policy

1:10:33violations. We've also got detectives

1:10:35that if they're breaking the law, we're

1:10:37going to investigate them like we would

1:10:39anyone else.

1:10:40>> Okay.

1:10:41>> Thank you so much. I just have a lot of

1:10:43concerns around any tool of mass

1:10:45surveillance um especially right now um

1:10:47when our communities are calling on us

1:10:49for more accountabil accountability and

1:10:51transparency in our police department um

1:10:54and with use of all of the surveillance

1:10:56equipment right that um law enforcement

1:10:58has at their disposal um because what

1:11:01we've seen in a lot of different areas

1:11:03is that they're not there's no proper

1:11:06parameters that we have been able to put

1:11:08in place to absolutely protect our

1:11:10residents from uh privacy data breaches.

1:11:15Um and I have a lot of concerns

1:11:17supporting this item um for a lot of

1:11:19those reasons right there. We're seeing

1:11:21some of our neighboring cities um like

1:11:23Chandler, like Tempe who are being more

1:11:26bold on their approach and their stance

1:11:28to protect residents with tools of

1:11:30surveillance um really of mass

1:11:32surveillance um in our community. So

1:11:34just have a lot of concerns on all of

1:11:36these items without those proper

1:11:38mechanisms in place. Um, so I will not

1:11:41be voting. I will not be able to support

1:11:42this item today. Uh, thank you so much,

1:11:44>> Mayor Council. Council uh, woman

1:11:46Hernandez, I just want to go back to the

1:11:48question. I think I understood it now.

1:11:50So, this is a self-contained system. The

1:11:52only people that have access to the

1:11:54information from these um, GPS tools

1:11:57that we have are us, the detectives. So,

1:12:00this doesn't go out, nobody can log in.

1:12:02It's it's simply us. And this is not a

1:12:04mass surveillance tool. This is a very

1:12:06targeted surveillance tool. So, we go

1:12:09and we get warrants to be able to put it

1:12:10on very specific suspects that we're

1:12:13looking for that are part of homicides,

1:12:15robberies, human trafficking, uh, drug

1:12:18trafficking, and when we get the

1:12:20permission from the judge, we put it on

1:12:21those specific vehicles. So, it goes to

1:12:23nobody else but us.

1:12:25>> Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that. It's

1:12:26still but it's still a tool of the

1:12:28surveillance state and so my concerns

1:12:31still exist. Thank you,

1:12:34>> Vice Mayor.

1:12:35>> Thank you, mayor. Um, I was going to ask

1:12:36that question because I was my

1:12:38understanding that this is not like a

1:12:40it's not like flock cameras where you're

1:12:42surveilling every vehicle that passes

1:12:44through intersection. My understanding

1:12:46of this is it's more similar to like a

1:12:48micro tracker, similar to vehicles um

1:12:51that have been, for example, leased and

1:12:53have not been fully paid off. Sometimes

1:12:56the owner of the vehicle will put a

1:12:58tracking device on that vehicle so they

1:13:00know where that vehicle is at that time.

1:13:02So, it's an actual physical apparatus

1:13:04that is attached to a specific vehicle.

1:13:05Is that correct,

1:13:09>> Mayor? Council Councilwoman

1:13:11[clears throat] Hodgej Washington. Yes,

1:13:12correct. It is a physical that is

1:13:13specific to that particular vehicle.

1:13:16>> And before that uh tracker is a fix to a

1:13:19vehicle, you file a petition with the

1:13:23court. You outline the probable cause as

1:13:25to why you believe not only that a crime

1:13:28has occurred or is in progress, but you

1:13:30also identify why you believe that

1:13:32specific vehicle is involved and why you

1:13:34believe that tracking is necessary in

1:13:37order to apprehend or to document the

1:13:40criminal activity that's suspected.

1:13:42Correct.

1:13:43>> That is correct.

1:13:44>> Okay. And is only after a judicial

1:13:46officer has issued you called it a court

1:13:49order or a warrant is at that juncture

1:13:52when the micro tracker is attached to

1:13:54the vehicle. Correct.

1:13:55>> Correct.

1:13:56>> And what happens if a judge says you

1:13:58don't have enough probable cause?

1:14:00>> Then we go back and we do more

1:14:02investigating to see if we can find it

1:14:03or we find other avenues to be able to

1:14:06um try to find the suspect.

1:14:08>> Okay. And it's also my understanding

1:14:10that these trackers have a certain um

1:14:14shelf life for lack of a better word.

1:14:16Can you tell me what the shelf life is

1:14:17for that?

1:14:18>> That I will hand over to Commander

1:14:20Sappler.

1:14:21>> Uh

1:14:22Mayor, Councilwoman, basically what it

1:14:25is is they uh they're a battery operated

1:14:28device. And so depending upon how how

1:14:32far it goes, how long it goes, u but

1:14:34there's a there is a shelf life. It

1:14:36could be anywhere from 3 days to about

1:14:3930 days. So

1:14:41>> it's not an indefinite tracker that

1:14:43lasts. Okay, that's what I wanted to

1:14:44make sure I understood as well.

1:14:46>> Okay, thank you for those

1:14:47clarifications. I appreciate that. Thank

1:14:49you, Mayor.

1:14:50>> Thank you so much. Roll call.

1:14:52>> Hernandez,

1:14:54>> no.

1:14:54>> O'Brien,

1:14:55>> yes.

1:14:56>> Pastor,

1:14:59>> yes.

1:15:00>> Robinson,

1:15:03>> yes.

1:15:04>> Stark,

1:15:04>> yes. Wearing

1:15:06>> yes.

1:15:06>> Hudge Washington.

1:15:07>> Yes.

1:15:08>> GGO.

1:15:09>> Yes.

1:15:09>> Passes 71.

1:15:11>> Item 57 is backflow assembly testing

1:15:14repair and replacement services. Vice

1:15:15Mayor.

1:15:16>> Motion to approve item 57.

1:15:18>> Second.

1:15:19>> Tammy Weaver.

1:15:27>> Tammy. Uh,

1:15:28>> so I'm speaking on item number.

1:15:31>> Can you hear me?

1:15:32>> Yes. It's the backflow assembly testing.

1:15:36Okay, thank you. Um, it's very difficult

1:15:38to hear. Um, I support the city testing.

1:15:40I'm I'm a resident of North Phoenix and

1:15:42I'm speaking on on my own behalf. I

1:15:45support the city testing its own backlo

1:15:47devices. It's the second increase this

1:15:49year and it shows how much testing is

1:15:50needed to keep the water supply safe,

1:15:53but the city only pays to test its own

1:15:54devices. Where I live, making sure

1:15:57backflow devices actually get tested

1:15:58falls largely on volunteer residents.

1:16:01Backflow prevention protects everyone's

1:16:03drinking water, not just one property.

1:16:05With heavy industry like TSMC now

1:16:07connected to the same system, the city

1:16:09should take ownership. I'd ask for three

1:16:11thing three things. A first, a city-run

1:16:14record of every required backflow device

1:16:16in its test date. Second, direct notice

1:16:19to owners who were overdue. Third, an

1:16:21annual public report on compliance with

1:16:23industrial and high hazard connections

1:16:25listed separately. Water quality

1:16:27shouldn't depend on volunteers. And

1:16:29lastly, um I did sign up to speak on the

1:16:32item earlier about ethics, but um I was

1:16:35not called on to speak during my my

1:16:38time.

1:16:41>> Thank you. If you sign up, uh available

1:16:43to speak if necessary, um then we call

1:16:46on you if people have questions.

1:16:49All right. Uh roll call.

1:16:52>> Hernandez,

1:16:53>> yes.

1:16:54>> O'Brien,

1:16:55>> yes.

1:16:55>> Pastor,

1:16:58>> yes. Robinson,

1:16:59>> yes.

1:17:00>> Stark,

1:17:01>> yes.

1:17:01>> Wearing,

1:17:02>> yes.

1:17:02>> Hudge Washington,

1:17:03>> yes.

1:17:04>> GGO,

1:17:05>> yes.

1:17:06>> Passes 80.

1:17:11>> Item 70, water services department

1:17:13engineering on call. Vice Mayor.

1:17:17>> Motion to approve item

1:17:2070.

1:17:21>> Second.

1:17:23>> We have a motion and a second, Tammy.

1:17:29So, up to $100 million in engineering

1:17:31contracts paid for the water services

1:17:33capital budget, which my sewer water and

1:17:36sewer rates will help fund. The rate

1:17:38process starts in November. But before

1:17:40then, I'd ask staff to say publicly how

1:17:42much of this work is for North Gateway

1:17:44and TSMC related infrastructure. I'd

1:17:47also ask how the Northgateway

1:17:48purification plant's remaining balance,

1:17:50about 586 million after the federal

1:17:53grant, will be split between existing

1:17:55rateayers, impact fees, and partners. I

1:17:57shouldn't have to learn the answer from

1:17:59my water bill. Thank you.

1:18:01>> Thank you. Roll call.

1:18:03>> Hernandez,

1:18:04>> yes.

1:18:05>> O'Brien,

1:18:06>> yes.

1:18:06>> Pastor,

1:18:10>> yes.

1:18:10>> Robinson,

1:18:11>> yes.

1:18:12>> Stark,

1:18:12>> yes.

1:18:13>> Wearing,

1:18:14>> yes.

1:18:14>> Hudge Washington,

1:18:15>> yes. GGO.

1:18:17>> Yes.

1:18:17>> Passes 80.

1:18:21>> Next we go to item 74, retroactive

1:18:23approval to apply for an Arizona State

1:18:25Historic Preservation Office certified

1:18:27local government pass through grant for

1:18:29federal fiscal year.

1:18:31Vice Mayor

1:18:32>> motion to approve item 74.

1:18:34>> Second.

1:18:35>> Motion and a second. Uh we have two

1:18:38comments. We'll start with Kristen

1:18:39followed by Jeremy.

1:18:52Um, so item 74 reads

1:18:56Thank you. Appreciate it. Item 74 reads

1:18:59as if you're applying for a $20,000

1:19:02federal grant, but if you look at the

1:19:03number beside it, the city is putting in

1:19:06$175,000.

1:19:08You are not receiving money on this

1:19:10item. You are spending it 9 to1. That

1:19:13match is not required. These path

1:19:15passroughs run 6040. So a $20,000

1:19:19federal share requires about 13,000 from

1:19:21the city. You are volunteering 13 times

1:19:24that. To put it bluntly, $75,000

1:19:29per mile for a report about a dirt path.

1:19:33Not the repair, a report. So now for the

1:19:37dates, the application deadline was

1:19:38October 17 of last year. and the final

1:19:42extended deadline was June 30 of this

1:19:44year. So, you're being asked to

1:19:46authorize the application today. So,

1:19:49either it went in without your

1:19:50authorization or it never went in. So,

1:19:53the report does not say which. So, I ask

1:19:57that you please ask that before you

1:19:59vote. Um, one fact that's not in your

1:20:02packet. the neighborhood association

1:20:04whose support letter you were given is a

1:20:06registered lobbying principal before the

1:20:09city represented by a paid government

1:20:11affairs firm. So, it's in your own

1:20:13clerk's registry. One line in the report

1:20:15would have told you that. Lastly, uh

1:20:18nine homes front that path. Every one of

1:20:21those is a historic property class, so

1:20:23they're already assessed at half the

1:20:25ordinary rate. So, they avoid $64,600

1:20:29in a tax year. Um, Phoenix's share of

1:20:31that across 15 years is roughly 156,000.

1:20:34So item 74 asks for

1:20:39175.

1:20:40You would spend more studying that

1:20:42corridor than this city has ever given

1:20:44up in tax for the nine owners who front

1:20:47that path twice. The same street, same

1:20:50object. Um, that's what preservation has

1:20:53become. We're not saving buildings. It

1:20:56is a transfer upward upward to the most

1:20:59protected property on the block. Please

1:21:01vote no on 74. Thank you.

1:21:05>> Jeremy is next.

1:21:11>> [clears throat]

1:21:14>> There's nothing illegal going on here,

1:21:16but the spending $175,000

1:21:20on a study for a problem that doesn't

1:21:22exist

1:21:24uh in one of the richest neighborhoods

1:21:25in Phoenix doesn't make any sense. Um

1:21:29what Kristen said was that they we've

1:21:31got nine historic homes. We got more

1:21:33than that, by the way. We just measured

1:21:35nine. The average home that abuts the

1:21:38bridal path is $1.9 million.

1:21:43They pay half the property tax of

1:21:46everyone else, the 99% of people that

1:21:49own homes in this city. Why are we

1:21:53subsidizing

1:21:56those people? Why are we subsidizing

1:21:57people with 2 million? One of the homes

1:22:00is $4.4 million.

1:22:03They pay half the property tax. If we

1:22:05just collected the property tax, which

1:22:06the reason they pay half is to protect

1:22:08their homes for maintenance,

1:22:12what the hell are we doing with the dirt

1:22:13path maintenance? Like, so we're paying

1:22:15double. We're discounting it and we're

1:22:18paying for it. Uh what's the point of

1:22:20this? This money could be used so much

1:22:23better. Uh, take it, divide it, make

1:22:27first-time down payments for people that

1:22:29actually need protection,

1:22:32not people with $4 million houses that

1:22:35don't. The bridal path is a luxury and

1:22:38those people can afford to pay for it or

1:22:41at least pay their share of what they

1:22:44should be to start. Thanks.

1:22:47>> Thank you, Councilman Robinson.

1:22:50>> Thank you, Mayor. You know,

1:22:52[clears throat] I'm pleased to support

1:22:53this grant request because it helps us

1:22:55take the first steps toward its

1:22:58long-term preservation of the Murphy

1:22:59Bridal Path. The funding gives us the

1:23:01ability to address some very practical

1:23:04needs. The Murphy Bridal Path is a

1:23:06valued asset for central Phoenix and for

1:23:08our entire city, but like any

1:23:11outstanding or long-standing public

1:23:13space, it faces real maintenance

1:23:15challenges. The grant will allow the

1:23:17city to study existing conditions and

1:23:20provide thoughtful recommendations that

1:23:22protect the path's historic character

1:23:24while enhancing safety fa safety and

1:23:27usability for everyone to enjoy it.

1:23:29These will not be cosmetic upgrades.

1:23:31They're they're essential steps to

1:23:33ensure that the path remains safe,

1:23:36accessible, and functional for the

1:23:38community. This study will give us a

1:23:40clear road map as we continue working

1:23:43together to ensure the Bridal Path

1:23:45remains a safe, beautiful, and

1:23:46well-maintained resource for generations

1:23:49to come. Now, I want to thank the

1:23:51community leaders, and there were a ton

1:23:53of them, as well as community leaders

1:23:55and their neighbors who have been strong

1:23:57champions for this effort and sub

1:24:00submitted letters of support to help

1:24:02move this project further or move the

1:24:04project forward. I look forward to

1:24:06seeing the results of the study and to

1:24:08continue the work of protecting this

1:24:10important community resource. With that,

1:24:12mayor, I would like to move approval of

1:24:14item 74, which it already has, but I

1:24:16will be voting yes. Thank you for the

1:24:18time.

1:24:19Uh, thank you, Councilman. I certainly

1:24:21consider the Murphy bridal path to be a

1:24:22city-wide amenity. People come from all

1:24:24over our community to enjoy it. When we

1:24:27talk about what we'd like to see in

1:24:29terms of shade and and walkability, it

1:24:31is often one of the most cited examples

1:24:34in Phoenix. Roll call.

1:24:36>> Nandez,

1:24:37>> yes.

1:24:37>> O'Brien,

1:24:38>> yes.

1:24:39>> Pastor,

1:24:43>> yes.

1:24:44>> Robinson,

1:24:45>> yes.

1:24:46>> Stark,

1:24:47>> yes.

1:24:48>> Wearing,

1:24:48>> yes.

1:24:49>> Hud Washington,

1:24:50>> yes.

1:24:50>> GGO,

1:24:52>> yes. Passes 8.

1:24:55Item 75 is next. Approval of a Phil

1:24:58Gordon threatened building grant for 330

1:25:00North 18th Avenue in the Oakland

1:25:03Historic District in D7. Do we have a

1:25:05motion?

1:25:05>> Motion to approve item 75.

1:25:08>> Second.

1:25:08>> We have a motion and a second. We named

1:25:10these grants for our former mayor, Phil

1:25:12Gordon, who was such an advocate for

1:25:14historic preservation and protecting the

1:25:16city of Phoenix's history. We do have

1:25:19public comment on this. We'll begin with

1:25:20Kristen, followed by Jeremy.

1:25:33Um,

1:25:35so item 75 hands $84,600

1:25:38of public money to Oakland Financial

1:25:41LLC. Um, quick summary of the law before

1:25:45uh before the policy. Article 9, section

1:25:487 of the Arizona Constitution bars the

1:25:50city from making a grant by subsidy or

1:25:52otherwise to any corporation. It

1:25:55survives only if what the public gets

1:25:57back is not grossly disproportionate to

1:25:59what it pays. Um the neighborhood

1:26:03character and district integrity are

1:26:05indirect benefits that don't count. So a

1:26:08court sets the fair market value. So the

1:26:10whole question is one number. What is a

1:26:1325year easement on this house worth?

1:26:17Nothing in the report answers that.

1:26:19There's no appraisal. There's no method.

1:26:22There's no range.

1:26:24Oakfield bought that house in July of

1:26:26last year for $154,000

1:26:29cash from an unrelated seller. And you

1:26:32are being asked to pay $84,600.

1:26:35So more than half of the price of the

1:26:37whole property for a partial interest

1:26:40that expires.

1:26:42And here is the part I ask you to sit

1:26:44with. The city denied the demolition. So

1:26:47that denial drove the price down.

1:26:50Meaning Oakland bought at a lower price.

1:26:52And the city now proposes to essentially

1:26:55hand that discount back with public with

1:26:58public money. So I ask that you please

1:27:00make the city attorney state the

1:27:02easement's value on the record. And

1:27:05until he does, you cannot make the

1:27:08finding that this constitution

1:27:11requires. Please vote no on 75.

1:27:16Thank you. Next up, we have Jeremy

1:27:18Thatcher.

1:27:19Sorry.

1:27:26So, the last one I said wasn't illegal.

1:27:28Um, I am fairly certain this is uh the

1:27:33gift clause of the state of Arizona

1:27:35requires a

1:27:37even give and take uh when the city

1:27:41gives money away. Um, in this case, this

1:27:44is already historic property that

1:27:47already has conditions set on it.

1:27:51What benefit

1:27:52did the citizens of Phoenix get for the

1:27:55$80,000 that we're giving away? Not to a

1:27:57homeowner, by the way. This is a

1:28:01landlord who has 10 properties, several

1:28:05of them on the same street, who just

1:28:07bought the home at a discount. Why are

1:28:10we subsidizing this? Once again, we've

1:28:13got people that are paying extravagant

1:28:16rents in apartments. We've got people

1:28:18that don't have homes, and we're

1:28:19subsidizing the people who are causing

1:28:21that increase in rates. This is insane.

1:28:24This is illegal.

1:28:26You can't give this money away. You have

1:28:29to get a return on your investment. And

1:28:31I'd love for one of you to explain to me

1:28:33what the return on investment is for

1:28:35giving $80,000

1:28:37to a historic home. How does the city

1:28:39get its money back?

1:28:42You don't.

1:28:44So, this is a problem

1:28:47and it's going to be a problem on the

1:28:48next one, too. Thanks.

1:28:51[cough]

1:28:52>> Thank you. Any questions from people?

1:28:55All right,

1:28:57Councilman Start.

1:28:59>> No, I don't have any questions. I

1:29:00apologize.

1:29:01>> Oh, no worries. Um, go ahead and do roll

1:29:03call.

1:29:04>> Hernandez,

1:29:05>> yes.

1:29:06>> O'Brien,

1:29:07>> yes.

1:29:07>> Pastor,

1:29:10>> yes.

1:29:11>> Robinson,

1:29:12>> yes.

1:29:13>> Stark,

1:29:13>> yes.

1:29:14>> Wearing,

1:29:15>> yes.

1:29:15>> Hodge Washington,

1:29:16>> yes. Passes 70.

1:29:21Next up, we have item 76.

1:29:25which is the approval of a Phil Gordon

1:29:27threatened building grant um in district

1:29:308 at 9 927 North 8 Street. Can I get a

1:29:35motion, please?

1:29:35>> I move to approve.

1:29:36>> Second.

1:29:37>> Thank you.

1:29:42For that we have two speakers um Michael

1:29:48Bucher

1:29:49and Kristen L.

1:29:54and Jeremy Thcker.

1:30:10Uh Mike Bushbacher, 3101 North Central,

1:30:14uh Sweet 1000. Um just wanted to say I'm

1:30:17in support of the funding and the grant

1:30:19and that's it.

1:30:21>> Thank you. Thank you so much. Next up,

1:30:24Kristen Lizen.

1:30:29>> Thank you, council and vice mayor. Um I

1:30:32to introduce myself, I'm Kristen Liss

1:30:33and I'm on the board of directors of

1:30:34Good Goat. Um item item 76 is a fun one.

1:30:38Um it's $250,000

1:30:41to Rand Holdings LLP. It is the larger

1:30:44of your two preservation grants today

1:30:46and there's less behind it than the last

1:30:48one. Um, starting with the property,

1:30:50what the property costs. Does anybody

1:30:52know? I don't think you do because

1:30:54nobody does. The deed is dated December

1:30:5727, 2024 from RAN LLC to Ran Holdings

1:31:00LLP signed by the same man as president

1:31:03of the company conveying the property to

1:31:06his own partnership. It is a courtesy

1:31:08recording. There's no escrow, no title

1:31:10insurance. Uh, marked affid affid

1:31:14affidavit exempt under ARS 11-1134b.

1:31:18the exemption for transfers among

1:31:20commonly controlled entities. So, no

1:31:22price was ever recorded and your report

1:31:25calls this the current owner. Um,

1:31:28basically the deed shows one operator

1:31:30moving a parcel between his own

1:31:31entities. There's no appraisal of the

1:31:34easement. There's no valuation method

1:31:36and no identified funding source. The

1:31:38report states the amount goes the report

1:31:42report states the amount and goes

1:31:44straight to the terms. Um, under Turkin

1:31:47and SH, you must find that the $250,000

1:31:50that you're granting does not grossly is

1:31:54not grossly disproportionate to a

1:31:5530-year easement. You cannot make that

1:31:58finding today because you have neither

1:32:00the easement's value nor the property's

1:32:02basis. You are putting a quarter of a

1:32:05million dollars into the anchor parcel

1:32:07of a block one landlord is assembling.

1:32:11So these preservation items today, not

1:32:13one of those items contains a number

1:32:16showing what the public receives. Not a

1:32:19paperwork problem. This is a program

1:32:21that has stopped measuring altogether.

1:32:23So please vote no on item number 76. You

1:32:27>> thank you so much.

1:32:30>> Thank you, Jeremy.

1:32:32I recommend that you vote yes on this

1:32:34one because this is the exact legal case

1:32:37that I would like to take against the

1:32:39historic property tax discount. Um, this

1:32:43is going to a

1:32:46landlord who owns 45 properties. The

1:32:49entire block. The entire block he owns.

1:32:54We're giving him $250,000.

1:32:56The report says that he a new owner took

1:33:00possession. It's the same owner from one

1:33:03of his entities to the other.

1:33:08If this is not a violation of the gift

1:33:10clause, I don't know what possibly could

1:33:12be. Um, we're giving more than the value

1:33:15of the house. And for what? And to who?

1:33:20Can anyone explain to me how this is a

1:33:22good use of money

1:33:25of the taxpayers? How this benefits

1:33:27anyone except that person? In fact, it

1:33:30negatively benefits the rest of the

1:33:33people that are looking to rent, that

1:33:35are looking to buy, because we've got

1:33:36one person taking all of it.

1:33:40So, I if you're going to vote yes,

1:33:43please explain it. I'd love to

1:33:45understand why

1:33:47or just sit there silent. Thank you.

1:33:49Thank you. Those are the last of our

1:33:52speakers on that item. I will ask um

1:33:57Josh Banerk and Helena Rutter to come

1:34:00forward to answer a couple questions for

1:34:02me, please.

1:34:21Thank you.

1:34:23I thought it might be helpful to give

1:34:25you an opportunity. My question, I guess

1:34:27in simplistic terms would be, can you

1:34:29articulate the public benefit um that

1:34:31the residents of Phoenix would get

1:34:33receive as a result of the um of this

1:34:36item?

1:34:40>> Thank you, Vice Mayor, members of

1:34:41council. Uh yes. So the uh under the

1:34:44current zoning ordinance uh there is a

1:34:47one-year stay of demolition uh in place

1:34:50for historic properties.

1:34:52Uh and uh in this case with a

1:34:55conservation easement uh basically what

1:34:57changes is that that demolition uh

1:35:01restraint extends to that period um of

1:35:06of the duration of the conservation

1:35:08easement. Uh so we are we're basically

1:35:11um in our historic districts uh they're

1:35:14basically comprised of obviously

1:35:16numerous uh individual buildings

1:35:20uh which include both contributing

1:35:21resources and non-contributing

1:35:23resources. There's kind of a threshold

1:35:25of about 50% that we're looking to

1:35:28maintain at least uh to maintain a

1:35:31historic district. So when we lose a

1:35:33resource completely uh then we have a

1:35:36non-contributing lot. Uh so really the

1:35:38goal of our office is to maintain our

1:35:41historic districts to maintain

1:35:42contributing resources. So the grant

1:35:44funds allow us both to save sort of the

1:35:47historic resource a contributing

1:35:49resource and then we also have that

1:35:51additional protection um that we don't

1:35:53have currently under the the zoning

1:35:56ordinance. Um we are also able to uh

1:35:59have higher kind of standards uh things

1:36:01that we review on the property during

1:36:03the uh the uh period of the easement in

1:36:07that uh currently you know it basically

1:36:10has to be a building permit uh to

1:36:12trigger our review. Um but there are

1:36:14things in terms of uh materials when the

1:36:16city invests in those things. Um

1:36:19obviously we don't want to see those uh

1:36:21removed. Uh so this also kind of

1:36:23enhances the enforcement uh of the

1:36:26office to maintain uh contributing

1:36:28properties.

1:36:30Thank you so much for that. And I just

1:36:32want to make sure I'm clear because you

1:36:33you mentioned it. You said from the

1:36:35initial um one-year period the

1:36:38demolition to the duration of the

1:36:40conservation easement. And just to make

1:36:42sure it's clear, the duration of the

1:36:43proposed conservation easement is 25

1:36:45sorry 30 years in this case. Correct.

1:36:51Sorry, Vice Mayor. Uh,

1:36:53>> H2.

1:36:53>> H2. [laughter]

1:36:56>> Uh, yes, that is correct. Thank you,

1:36:58Vice Mayor, members of council.

1:37:00>> Okay, so that takes it from a

1:37:02conservation easement from having it

1:37:04from one year to prop for up to third,

1:37:06well, not up to, but 30 years edition.

1:37:09So, there is some um there is definitely

1:37:12impact and you also talked about a

1:37:14little bit about enhanced enforcement.

1:37:15Can you expound a little bit more on

1:37:17that?

1:37:17>> Yes, thanks. Thank you, Vice Mayor,

1:37:19members of council. Um, so when the city

1:37:21invests public funds into the exterior,

1:37:23and I should say that these uh the the

1:37:26goal of these and historic preservation

1:37:28is broader seen as a public benefit. Uh

1:37:31that's sort of the model behind the

1:37:33adoption of the ordinance is that

1:37:35historic preservation is a public

1:37:36benefit. Uh and so the funds that we use

1:37:39as grant funds are really focused on the

1:37:41exterior of the building. Um and you

1:37:44know obviously bringing it back to uh so

1:37:47in this case there's uh you know fire

1:37:48damage to the roof so roof would be

1:37:50reconstructed everything keeping um with

1:37:53the original character of the home. And

1:37:56so if we were to say um you know provide

1:38:00funding for uh historic windows um that

1:38:04we wouldn't normally be able to regulate

1:38:06um because if it doesn't need a building

1:38:08permit we're not we don't regulate those

1:38:10things. If public funds are going for

1:38:12those materials, even if we can't

1:38:14normally regulate it with a conservation

1:38:16easement, we can. It gives us that

1:38:18additional mechanism because again, if

1:38:20public funds are being invested in a

1:38:22property, we want to make sure those

1:38:23materials are staying with the property.

1:38:28>> Thank you so much for the clarification.

1:38:30Question for Councilman Stark. And just

1:38:32quickly, um, as far as the the tax

1:38:35break, it's for 10 years for commercial,

1:38:3915 for residential. Isn't there a time

1:38:42limit?

1:38:43>> Uh, yes. Um, Vice Mayor, uh,

1:38:45Councilwoman Stark, members of the

1:38:46council, uh, the the property tax

1:38:48reduction is managed in partnership with

1:38:50the state historic preservation office

1:38:53and, uh, the county assessors. And so

1:38:56those are for it's properties that are

1:38:58listed in the National Register of

1:38:59Historic Places. It's not actually a

1:39:01program that's administered by the city

1:39:02of Phoenix. Um for commercial properties

1:39:07uh that are eligible for that. Basically

1:39:09what they do so commercial uh rental

1:39:12basically any incomeroucing properties

1:39:14under that state program uh they

1:39:17evaluate your property before you make

1:39:19improvements. They evaluate it after you

1:39:22make improvements and then you are

1:39:24charged 1% of the value of the

1:39:26improvements over 10 years. Um, so

1:39:29again, that's not a city program. That's

1:39:31that's a um program in partnership with

1:39:34the state and and county assessors,

1:39:37>> but long term, we do benefit by an

1:39:40increase in valuation after the the the

1:39:43tax break is taken away. Correct.

1:39:45>> Yes, Councilwoman Stark. It it is uh in

1:39:48place for for 10 years and and obviously

1:39:50they they say typically, you know, to

1:39:52benefit from it, it needs to be a

1:39:54substantial investment into the

1:39:56property.

1:39:58>> Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Mayor.

1:40:00>> Thank you so much, Councilwoman Stark.

1:40:02Um, seeing there are no further

1:40:03questions, I'll go ahead and proceed

1:40:05with the roll call vote.

1:40:06>> Hernandez,

1:40:08>> yes.

1:40:09>> O'Brien,

1:40:09>> yes.

1:40:10>> Pastor,

1:40:13>> yes.

1:40:14>> Robinson,

1:40:14>> yes.

1:40:15>> Stark,

1:40:16>> yes.

1:40:17>> Wearing

1:40:20Hodge Washington,

1:40:21>> yes. Passes 6.

1:40:29Next, we will proceed to our uh citizens

1:40:32comment.

1:40:34I will turn to the city manager to

1:40:36provide statement.

1:40:38>> Thank you. During citizen comment,

1:40:40members of the public may speak to the

1:40:41city council for up to three minutes on

1:40:43issues of interest or concern. However,

1:40:45the matters addressed must be within the

1:40:47jurisdiction of the Phoenix City

1:40:48[clears throat] Council and on which the

1:40:50council has the authority to act. The

1:40:52citizen comment session is limited to 30

1:40:54minutes. The Arizona open meeting law

1:40:56allows the city council to listen to

1:40:58comments that prohibits council members

1:41:00from discussing or acting on the issues

1:41:02presented. However, council members may

1:41:04respond to criticism. Thank you.

1:41:07>> Thank you. Uh we will start with our

1:41:10first speaker is Faith Karns followed by

1:41:13Frank Urban.

1:41:29Thank you, council.

1:41:32>> Oh,

1:41:33>> I feel that.

1:41:35>> Thank you.

1:41:36>> There needs to be more effort for the

1:41:39handicapped people that are here in

1:41:41Phoenix.

1:41:44We aren't getting what we would like and

1:41:47we're not getting what we need.

1:41:50And what we need is a place where we can

1:41:54go

1:41:56and be accepted right now.

1:41:59Even though I've got a place, there's a

1:42:02lot of handicapped people out there that

1:42:04don't

1:42:05because of the rules

1:42:08of them saying, "Oh, well, if you can't

1:42:10take care of yourself,

1:42:13you can't come in."

1:42:17We need a place where there's somebody

1:42:19there

1:42:22to help

1:42:25because right now we're not getting it.

1:42:30And as far as the shelters, they still

1:42:34need work,

1:42:36a lot of work.

1:42:39And with that, I'll close.

1:42:44>> Thank you so much. Next speaker is

1:42:46Frank, followed by Clarissa Peterson.

1:42:50>> Hello, city council. Uh, my name is

1:42:52Frank Urban. I'm with Fund for

1:42:53Empowerment. I would also like to

1:42:57comment on the shelters. There are a lot

1:43:00of people there that are working there

1:43:02that say they would like to help the

1:43:04homeless,

1:43:06but actually they don't care at all.

1:43:10They will

1:43:12throw your they will throw you out on

1:43:16the street

1:43:19without your stuff for no reason

1:43:22whatsoever. for the smallest infraction

1:43:25of that shelter's roles.

1:43:28Um, [clears throat]

1:43:31I myself have been a victim of that very

1:43:34thing more than once.

1:43:38Um,

1:43:43and there needs to be a lot more heat

1:43:47relief.

1:43:49Um,

1:43:53even in uh

1:43:56now

1:43:58there needs to be heat relief during the

1:44:00summer summer summer months like July

1:44:02and August. That's that's a given. But

1:44:05also

1:44:07um

1:44:10all year round because it's still gets

1:44:12hot even outside of July and August

1:44:16and the homeless population is still at

1:44:18risk

1:44:20from heat related deaths outside of July

1:44:23and August. Uh and with that that's all

1:44:26I have to say. Thank you.

1:44:29>> Thank you so much Frank. Our next

1:44:30speaker is Clarissa followed by Eric

1:44:33Richardson.

1:44:44Moving on to Eric Richardson, followed

1:44:46by Lauren Caraso.

1:44:52>> Hello. Um, I'm Eric Richardson. I

1:44:55represent um funds for empowerment and

1:44:57I'm also a current resident at SOS and

1:45:01um basically I want to talk about I

1:45:03guess the heat reliefs uh one of the

1:45:05things I want to talk about is the heat

1:45:06relief uh maybe getting extended. I mean

1:45:10most of those most people believes they

1:45:11closed uh the beginning of this month

1:45:14and I guess I can understand because the

1:45:16weather is getting cooler or whatever uh

1:45:18and everything but still at the same

1:45:20time uh it still gets hot you know um I

1:45:24mean I can't believe it's October I'm

1:45:26not from here or whatever so I'm from

1:45:28the Midwest so it kind of throws me off

1:45:31it being still like 90° and it's October

1:45:33you know uh I'm still trying to get used

1:45:36to that but uh but no but I I mean,

1:45:39maybe not as many heat reliefs as it is

1:45:41like back in July, August, but at least

1:45:42maybe get like maybe some type of

1:45:44extension to some basically or at least

1:45:47have them open when the weather is um

1:45:51extreme temperatures and everything. And

1:45:54also um far as with SOS, I know most of

1:45:58the times I talk about SOS about

1:46:00improvements it needs. Um there's

1:46:01nothing in general that I want to talk

1:46:02about but just um but but you know that

1:46:06[clears throat] always needs improvement

1:46:07but uh far as the staff more staff

1:46:11accountability I don't think there's no

1:46:13accountability for for the staff. Um

1:46:16seems like he would eat anything or do

1:46:19anything they would want but mainly with

1:46:21security too. U I don't I think we need

1:46:24like be honest with you less security

1:46:27basically. It seemed like all they all

1:46:30they really do is uh just make sure

1:46:34rules are more enforced basically. I

1:46:36mean there's no they secure more I think

1:46:39they're more of secure for for the

1:46:42employees basically. They don't secure

1:46:44they're not securing us basically as far

1:46:46as the residents. And that's all I got

1:46:48to say. Thank you.

1:46:50>> Thank you so much. Um next is Lauren

1:46:54followed by Christopher Kuraso.

1:47:11and then Clarissa could go next if she's

1:47:14back.

1:47:22>> Hello. Um, I just had to say at SOS they

1:47:27don't have any um, dentistry or anything

1:47:30like that. It would be nice if somebody

1:47:32came like once or twice a month. And the

1:47:37heat relief should be open in the winter

1:47:39time, I think. So, it's like a warming

1:47:42station.

1:47:44And that's all I really wanted to say.

1:47:46Oh, and diabetes. My husband has

1:47:49diabetes and they don't have anything

1:47:52for food at as [clears throat] sorry at

1:47:55SOS for him like that. Like he eats the

1:48:00food every once in a while but it

1:48:02doesn't do any good for him. Thank you.

1:48:05>> Okay. Thank you. And are you Lauren or

1:48:07Christopher?

1:48:07>> I'm Lauren.

1:48:08>> Thank you.

1:48:12>> Christopher followed by Clarissa if

1:48:14she's back. And if Clarissa is not back,

1:48:17we're going to go to Antonio Harris.

1:48:28>> Uh yes, I'm with the Fund for

1:48:30Empowerment

1:48:31>> and you're Antonio.

1:48:32>> Antonio,

1:48:33>> thank you.

1:48:35And um

1:48:37with regard to the cooling centers

1:48:41um

1:48:43that uh possibly running out of funding.

1:48:48So, there's a way we can find funding

1:48:50for that cuz um

1:48:54a lot of u homeless people that are at

1:48:56these centers,

1:48:58[snorts] they're um they're able to get

1:49:01housing from the staff that's working

1:49:04there and if they qualify, they're able

1:49:07to process them

1:49:09and they're able to get them um housing

1:49:12vouchers. I know a few people that that

1:49:15happened to. So,

1:49:18so hopefully um there's a way that that

1:49:21can be put in the budget somehow or

1:49:24whatever.

1:49:26So, thank you.

1:49:27>> Thank you so much, sir. Um next up we

1:49:30have Elizabeth Venal followed by David

1:49:33Morgan.

1:49:45Okay. So, I have another citizen

1:49:46petition. It's more specific this time.

1:49:49Um, it does concern the uh Americans

1:49:52with Disabilities Act, but it's also

1:49:54about code violations,

1:49:56uh, building code violations, which is

1:49:58what the, um, ADA refers to when it

1:50:03doesn't have a specific standard. Okay.

1:50:06So, um, with the with the showers, we've

1:50:09had multiple people testify that they

1:50:11couldn't use the showers until the

1:50:12middle of the night because the

1:50:13temperature was too hot. And this is a

1:50:16problem that could probably be rectified

1:50:18very cheaply. Um, I would imagine um,

1:50:21somebody suggested to me it might be

1:50:24valves or pipes, you know, to to fix the

1:50:29the temperature of the water. So, um,

1:50:33you know, under federal standards, it

1:50:35says the should, well, we we say based

1:50:38on those federal standards, the city

1:50:40should test a new shower, the SOS law to

1:50:42make sure the temperature of the water

1:50:43never exceeds the guidelines of the

1:50:45American Society of Sanitary Engineering

1:50:48and Consumer Product Safety Commission.

1:50:50If the temperature ever exceeds the

1:50:52guidelines of plumbing codes and

1:50:54anti-scald regulations which limit hot

1:50:56water delivered to accessible fixtures

1:50:58to 120 degrees Fahrenheit at the outlet

1:51:01to prevent burns and ensure safety for

1:51:04all users including those with reduced

1:51:06mobility or sensation who are more

1:51:09likely to get burns. If you have reduced

1:51:12mobility or sensation,

1:51:14um if the temperature exceeds 120

1:51:16degrees, the city ever, okay, the city

1:51:20should correct the temperature through

1:51:21means recommended by professionals in

1:51:23this area. Again, it's probably very

1:51:24cheap. um background, multiple people

1:51:27from the SOS are happy and we've been

1:51:31taking this route where we go in and we

1:51:33sort of present issues as opposed to

1:51:38it's not actually that hard to file ADA

1:51:40complaints. You don't need an I don't

1:51:43need an attorney to file an to file an

1:51:45ADA complaint, but we go and we bring

1:51:48this in front of you in a respectful way

1:51:51and people are are are very grateful for

1:51:54these showers. And so it shouldn't

1:51:56necessarily be taken as an affront if we

1:51:58say that these we want these facilities

1:52:00to be better. So people have said,

1:52:04"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, but I

1:52:07can't take a shower cuz it was too hot.

1:52:10Thank you. I can't use it." So, you

1:52:14know, um going back to the the uh

1:52:18statement, um

1:52:22most plumbing codes and safety

1:52:23precautions set the maximum hot water

1:52:25temperature at 120° Fahrenheit for

1:52:27plumbing fixtures like sink, showers,

1:52:29and bathtubs to prevent scalping. At

1:52:32120°, it takes about 5 minutes to burn.

1:52:34Higher temperatures such as 140° can

1:52:37cause severe burns in seconds.

1:52:39Therefore, limiting the temperature to

1:52:40follow the ASSC and CPSC guidelines is

1:52:43important to prevent scalding injuries.

1:52:45And I can't read the last part, but 88

1:52:48goes back to these plumbing guidelines.

1:52:50>> Thank you so much.

1:52:55Our next speaker is David Morgan,

1:52:58followed by Lee Ellis, the second.

1:53:05[clears throat and cough]

1:53:06>> Hi, I'm David Morgan. I'm with Funds for

1:53:08Empowerment. I also live at the SOS

1:53:11still. I've been there 2 years. Um the

1:53:14system at the shelter, the whole housing

1:53:16system, the whole way everything is

1:53:18structured, it dehumanizes.

1:53:21If it if that isn't bad enough,

1:53:24it doesn't work. It's broken. I've been

1:53:28coming in here and saying there's no

1:53:29accountability. I've been coming in here

1:53:30and saying we need to get companies that

1:53:32actually care about us to start running

1:53:35it, to start being transparent.

1:53:37accountable. I've tried to talk to the

1:53:39office of homeless solutions. They got

1:53:42nothing. They would rather see me as an

1:53:44adversary than an asset. They don't

1:53:47understand that I have a brain, too.

1:53:49[clears throat] That I can come here.

1:53:52They get mad when the city comes down on

1:53:54them as if it's my fault. I didn't break

1:53:56this system. I'm pointing out the

1:53:58problems that are in it. I have probable

1:54:01solutions. I have brain. I don't want to

1:54:03listen. Please, you guys have been

1:54:06listening and I appreciate you so much.

1:54:10Thank you.

1:54:11Um, [clears throat]

1:54:14this ride has been amazing for me coming

1:54:16in here and making the changes that

1:54:18we've been making, but the retaliation

1:54:20has been ridiculous.

1:54:23It it it's non-stop.

1:54:27Somebody was just commenting that they

1:54:29were able to get see people get housing.

1:54:31They only got housing cuz they have

1:54:33money. Those of us that don't have an

1:54:35income that that can't get an income,

1:54:39two years in the shelter,

1:54:41that's acceptable when a shelter is

1:54:45worse than a prison or a jail. I'm I'm

1:54:47glad you find that amusing, Warren. I

1:54:49really am. Um it it to me it's a shame

1:54:53that your heart is so hard

1:54:56and that you don't see me as a human

1:54:58being. I see you as one. It's amazing.

1:55:02Anyway,

1:55:04I'm working hard to try to make the

1:55:06changes in the shelter for a reason. I'm

1:55:09not going to be in it forever, but other

1:55:10people are going to be moving into it.

1:55:12And these changes need to be made. We

1:55:14need to fix the system. We need more

1:55:17funding for that, not for landlords.

1:55:21We We need funding for housing. We need

1:55:24to help the people who are incapable

1:55:27to an act for themselves. Well, those

1:55:30that are handicapped, those that are

1:55:31like me that are that are broken, we

1:55:34can't work like we used to. We can't do

1:55:35labor.

1:55:38Why should I work for minimum wage

1:55:39anyway? Smarter than you have. It's

1:55:42horrible.

1:55:53The next Okay, there we go.

1:55:58Hi, thank you for your time. I'm Lean

1:56:00Ellis the second. I'm with funds for

1:56:01empowerment. I currently reside at the

1:56:03SOS. Like to take the time to thank you

1:56:05for our new ADA bathrooms and I was

1:56:07hoping that we can make some more

1:56:08changes. Uh for instance, on our job

1:56:11search log, I unlike some others can go

1:56:13to the library. Um they can't. So, I'm

1:56:16hoping maybe we can get a computer in

1:56:17the office. You figure out uh finish

1:56:20your uh meeting with your case manager.

1:56:22You can sit down there on the computer.

1:56:23Give you an hour down there at the

1:56:24library. So, give you the hour there.

1:56:27Um,

1:56:29I also did want to see about the

1:56:30solutions we can make on permanent

1:56:32housing. Um, I was told section 8 was

1:56:34reopened and I heard HUD housing might

1:56:36be able to help us. Um, maybe reaching

1:56:38out to some of these other programs. It

1:56:40would be very beneficial for us. Um, a

1:56:44lot of the participants, like I said,

1:56:45they can't get down to do some of the

1:56:47things that I can, but I just feel the

1:56:49more resources that we uh bring to the

1:56:51SOS would help us for a more positive

1:56:54exit and wouldn't have us uh to be

1:56:57returning. Uh, you'll have a very

1:57:00successful or chance for a successful uh

1:57:02ending. I had some more comments here,

1:57:04but they've already been covered. So,

1:57:06thank you guys for your time. Have a

1:57:07beautiful night.

1:57:08>> Thank you. Next speaker is Natalie

1:57:10Miller, followed by Charles Whiteside.

1:57:22[clears throat]

1:57:23Hello. I live at the SOS shelter and um

1:57:28they have recently uh stopped holding

1:57:31our belongings and stated that they have

1:57:34changed the rules such as perfume in

1:57:36plastic containers.

1:57:39um body products. They're basically

1:57:42treating us as infants or if we're in

1:57:44jail. We have cars with fuel in the

1:57:48parking lot. We're adults. I mean, so I

1:57:52literally have stayed outside for a

1:57:54couple nights because I'm not willing to

1:57:57give up certain possessions that they

1:57:59were keeping in lockers and have given

1:58:01me no option to put anywhere else.

1:58:04expensive things people have had to

1:58:06throw away and then the staff takes them

1:58:08because they just come up all of a

1:58:10sudden with what they held in lockers

1:58:12for us. Now we cannot have there and we

1:58:15have nowhere else to put it just out of

1:58:17nowhere.

1:58:18So I'm not willing to be run over like

1:58:20that and I've literally slept in the

1:58:22back um outside so I can watch my

1:58:25possessions

1:58:26because I'm just don't it's the issue of

1:58:28I'm tired of being run over by people

1:58:30for no reason. I'm an adult. if I want

1:58:32to have my perfume.

1:58:34Um, they have a smoking section, we have

1:58:36cars, we have things all around us. They

1:58:38are nitpicking and being as if we are

1:58:42infants. Um, I watched them throw a man

1:58:45out who had just become just got out of

1:58:47the hospital and he had his paperwork

1:58:49because they stated that he was not

1:58:51medically released. The paperwork stated

1:58:53he was.

1:58:55So, against fact, they put this man who

1:58:58just got back out the door. I stopped an

1:59:01officer on the street and told him what

1:59:03the issue was. Um I know that the

1:59:05vulnerable adult um a Arizona revised

1:59:09statute uh states that anyone knowingly

1:59:13allowing someone who is a vulnerable

1:59:15adult to be in danger or be neglected,

1:59:20exploited, and doesn't make a report to

1:59:23a police officer or something like that

1:59:26is in violation of the law. It is a

1:59:28crime. This officer said there was no

1:59:31crime. He was not interested. Uh it is a

1:59:34crime according to our law, our Arizona

1:59:36Revised Statutes. I became one at one

1:59:38point due to section 8 housing, very ill

1:59:40to where I could not even care for

1:59:42myself. I was demeaned and told like I

1:59:45could I didn't have the energy to clean

1:59:47and do anything. Um they told me they

1:59:49would come over and have someone teach

1:59:50me to clean. I didn't need to be taught

1:59:52how to clean.

1:59:54I'm very sharp. Um and I've slowly

1:59:56regained my faculties. I've just watched

2:00:00too many situations where it seems like

2:00:02the whole purpose of these shelters and

2:00:04fiduciaries is to have job employment

2:00:07for people rather than solutions and

2:00:10lifting people up. I'm for a long time I

2:00:13never went to a heat relief because I do

2:00:15not want to be checked in any manner at

2:00:17the door like for my being or what's on

2:00:21me. I just want to go in like I was in a

2:00:23restaurant.

2:00:25Thank you.

2:00:27Thank you so much. Charles Whiteside is

2:00:30next, followed by Jerry Vanas.

2:00:36[clears throat]

2:00:37>> Good afternoon, Vice Mayor and City

2:00:39Council. My name is Charles Weissside.

2:00:41I'm here with Fund for Employment and

2:00:43I'm also a participant of SOS. Um, I

2:00:46just wanted to comment on the lack of

2:00:48accountability with the staff members. I

2:00:51had a situation yesterday around

2:00:53lunchtime where me and a participant was

2:00:55eating and one of the staff members had

2:00:58brought her personal issues and she

2:01:03um one of the clients had asked for

2:01:05extra meal because around 12:45 they

2:01:08give out last call and it was probably

2:01:11about 12:55 she told the um participant

2:01:14she had to wait to one. So I spoke up on

2:01:16the um the situation and she was upset.

2:01:20So it just like we get retaliation for

2:01:23things we talk about. It's like we

2:01:26coming up here and we don't have a mic

2:01:27but you guys have a mic. It's like they

2:01:29want to take our mics away. Um I also

2:01:32want to talk about what the young lady

2:01:33before me said about the perfume. I had

2:01:36a sleeping bag in the storage

2:01:38and after I attend one of these

2:01:40meetings.

2:01:41They told me I had to get my sleeping

2:01:43bag and throw it away. But I asked could

2:01:44I use it on my own personal? They doing

2:01:48they didn't let me do that. So it's just

2:01:50a retaliation. Every time we speak up

2:01:51we're it's like we get spanked for it.

2:01:54Um I appreciate you guys for listening.

2:01:56Have a good one.

2:01:56>> Thank you so much. Um Jerry Van Gas

2:01:59followed by Jeremy Thatcher Thatcher.

2:02:01Sorry.

2:02:07>> Good afternoon. Uh Jerry Van Gas. I'm a

2:02:10uh public watchdog for Phoenix Mount

2:02:13Reserve System.

2:02:15Um

2:02:17nothing's more iconic in the city of

2:02:19Phoenix than Camelback Mountain. Half a

2:02:22million people from all over the world

2:02:26hike that mountain every year.

2:02:29And yet, uh, since, uh, the renovation

2:02:33of the trail head back in 2015,

2:02:36January, I've been going there every day

2:02:39when the gates are open by the rangers

2:02:42at 4:30 a.m. with a box of bananas. Been

2:02:47handing those out every day since when

2:02:51I'm in town.

2:02:53this year, August 1st, all of a sudden

2:02:56the gates were only being open at 500

2:03:00a.m.

2:03:02We're not sure who pushed for this. Uh

2:03:05we will find out. And yet the the parks

2:03:08and recck department sent out a letter

2:03:11to city departments and others stating

2:03:15that it's always been 5:00 except for a

2:03:18few slip ups by the janitorial team

2:03:21leaving the gate open.

2:03:23Uh that's a flatout lie. You're telling

2:03:28everybody 500,000 people don't know when

2:03:32they show up to hike. I suggest you have

2:03:35a staff member go out and talk to the

2:03:38early arrivals. They will tell you it's

2:03:41only been since August 1st of this year.

2:03:46Uh

2:03:49we're and then uh they have the gall

2:03:51after this 5:00 opening to take money

2:03:56from our 3PI voter initiative fund

2:04:00not to make improvements but to make

2:04:02changes that nobody was alerted to,

2:04:05nobody had any input on. And yet they

2:04:09were they were thwarted

2:04:12uh with another gate they were going to

2:04:13put in right at the street at McDonald

2:04:16by the city of Paradise Valley. So,

2:04:19you're basically, we've got a record

2:04:22request in from our attorneys at the

2:04:24Arizona Center for Law and the Public

2:04:26Interest

2:04:27Rangers Law, which has their daily

2:04:32regimen, [clears throat] which will show

2:04:34that they were opening the gates at 4:30

2:04:37every morning. So, I don't know who

2:04:39concocted these lies. They're out there,

2:04:42but we're going to keep pushing till we

2:04:44get that 4:30 reopening. Thank you.

2:04:49Thank you so much.

2:04:52Jeremy is next. Um, followed by Devonte

2:04:56Stanley.

2:05:02So, we've read the reports about uh Echo

2:05:05Canyon that have been sent to you by

2:05:07Marty who claims that uh [snorts]

2:05:11the agreement has been

2:05:14sunrise to sun set. That is true. That

2:05:17was the agreement signed when we

2:05:18exchanged land with the uh Camelback

2:05:22homeowners.

2:05:24That's not 5:00 a.m.,

2:05:27right? Sunrise to sunset is a moving

2:05:29target. It's not 5 a.m. So, watch the

2:05:32slight of hand that's being pulled when

2:05:34he's acting like it's one and the same.

2:05:36It's not. So, how did we change it? If

2:05:39we have if we've got to get permission

2:05:40and we have an agreement with those

2:05:42homeowners from sunrise to sunset,

2:05:45why are we opening at 5:00 a.m.? That's

2:05:47not what was agreed to. We're already

2:05:49violating the agreement.

2:05:52So, it's blaming it on the cleaning crew

2:05:57is condescending

2:05:59and wrong. Jerry has been delivering 40

2:06:03pounds of bananas daily to Echo Canyon

2:06:06for a decade.

2:06:08think he knows what time it opens. He's

2:06:10got a pretty good feel for it at this

2:06:12point. Uh he's known as Banana Man. Like

2:06:16he's out there. And if there's one thing

2:06:18about Jerry, he shows up

2:06:20on time

2:06:22every time. So

2:06:27just be honest. If we're moving it to

2:06:29five, say we're moving it to five. Say

2:06:30we didn't do it. But stop pissing on our

2:06:33legs and telling it's raining.

2:06:36So,

2:06:40we're getting ready to submit a citizen

2:06:41petition about these damn things, too.

2:06:45This is a complete rock.

2:06:49The mayor sat up here and said changed

2:06:51them last year and stopped showing the

2:06:54deis so she can leave and not be on

2:06:57camera or so people can't see who stands

2:07:00up here on camera. Uh YouTube is

2:07:04perfectly capable of captions in real

2:07:08time. So why are we showing this? The

2:07:10only place we broadcast this is YouTube

2:07:12and that technology is completely

2:07:14available and has been.

2:07:16So why are we not showing the people?

2:07:19The city code requires it. Every meeting

2:07:22of the formal council will be televised.

2:07:24This is not televised.

2:07:28This is an audio recording.

2:07:31This doesn't allow people to see who's

2:07:33speaking, to form groups, to uh petition

2:07:36our government to congratulate one

2:07:38anothers or to support one another.

2:07:42This needs to be live and we're

2:07:43submitting a citizen petition to bring

2:07:44it back. And who who voted on it? When

2:07:47did that vote take place?

2:07:49This is a major change.

2:07:52Who decided this? Was it y'all? Was it

2:07:54the mayor? Was it in secret?

2:07:57we'd like to know and we're going to do

2:07:59that right now. Thanks.

2:08:02>> Thank you. Um we are approaching the 30

2:08:05minute mark so if we um this may be our

2:08:09last speaker depending on how long uh

2:08:11Mr. Stan Devonte Stanley takes then if

2:08:13you

2:08:16>> Hello. I'm with uh funds for empowerment

2:08:19and also a member at the SOS program. I

2:08:23just wanted to say that the the plumbing

2:08:26and showers could be a lot better and um

2:08:28a lot of the staff could be could do a

2:08:31lot better at their jobs than what they

2:08:32are doing.

2:08:36>> Oh, thank you. Um we have one more

2:08:39speaker I can um Leonard Clark. Go

2:08:42ahead.

2:08:48>> Thank you, Mayor and Council members. I

2:08:50first of all I want to thank uh the

2:08:53beautiful people who are here because I

2:08:55need to come here so I can listen when

2:08:57you're in person uh that works you know

2:09:00you can hear what's going on. So uh I'm

2:09:03hoping that they we can achieve some

2:09:05accountability on what they're talking

2:09:06about. But uh also I'm here because I'm

2:09:09concerned I believe the midterm

2:09:11elections are 27 days away and I want

2:09:13the citizens of Phoenix to be to know

2:09:15they're safe from intimidation. And I'm

2:09:17not talking from a Democrat Republican

2:09:19because I am an independent, although

2:09:21[clears throat] I lean very heavily

2:09:22left. But I'm just worried because in 27

2:09:26days, I don't want the city uh the

2:09:28residents of Phoenix to show up and

2:09:31people are standing there demanding

2:09:33their identification. FBI agents that

2:09:36work for Cash Patel, these types of

2:09:39things. And I know that the other

2:09:40authorities are going to be working on

2:09:42that. But I'm just wondering, I'm hoping

2:09:44our uh law enforcement will remember

2:09:47their constitutional oaths and the laws

2:09:49of Arizona that these things are not

2:09:50allowed. Also, I want to send a shout

2:09:52out to the truck drivers of Arizona, the

2:09:55ones in Phoenix and all around the state

2:09:56of Arizona. I've had family members

2:09:58because Phoenix is on a very t, you

2:10:00know, tenuous

2:10:02line. We are running very close on the

2:10:04diesel and the truck drivers are

2:10:06literally having less food to put on

2:10:08their tables for their children due to,

2:10:09you know, what going on in Iran. So, I

2:10:13just want to say thank you to all those

2:10:14truck drivers. I know some of you like

2:10:16Trump, but despite that, we're Americans

2:10:20and I want to thank you for helping put

2:10:21food on the tables for the citizens of

2:10:23Phoenix because that diesel is going up,

2:10:26up and up, and it looks like it's going

2:10:28to get worse. So, I call on the citizens

2:10:31of Phoenix, don't do what, you know, the

2:10:34lawlessness in Washington DC wants. I

2:10:37call on the citizens of Phoenix to get

2:10:38along with each other. look at the human

2:10:40person before you, not at their

2:10:42political party, because I can tell you

2:10:44that's what certain political forces

2:10:46want in Washington DC. And you know who

2:10:47I'm talking about. Thank you.

2:10:49>> Thank you so much. We've reached the end

2:10:51of public comment in terms of

2:10:57>> Yeah, you can bring that to the clerk.

2:10:59Um you can bring that up to the front of

2:11:01the clerk for to receive that. For

2:11:03anyone who is registered to speak for

2:11:04public comment that didn't get called

2:11:06today, um you're invited to return at

2:11:08our next meeting and you are names will

2:11:10be called first during our public

2:11:11comment. With that, we are ajourned.

2:11:14Thank you.

2:11:24Indian School Park. My name is Marty

2:11:25Whitfield and I'm the parks and

2:11:27recreation uh director for the city of

2:11:28Phoenix. It is a privilege to welcome

2:11:31you all here this morning for the

2:11:33special uh groundbreaking ceremony to

2:11:35commemorate the start of the

2:11:37construction of the USS Phoenix Cold War

2:11:40monument today. All right. [applause]