2026-09-22 - Mayor and Council

02:55Hey.

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13:24Heat.

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15:40>> Hey, hey, hey.

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18:24>> Good afternoon everyone. Um, we're

18:27starting the study session of September

18:3022nd. For the record, Vice Mayor Santa

18:33Cruz will be participating

18:35electronically through Microsoft Teams.

18:40Item one, time has been set aside for

18:42staff to provide an update on Oh, we're

18:45not moving. We're not doing item one.

18:47Okay. We are changing things around a

18:49little bit. [snorts]

18:50>> Yes.

18:51I'm so sorry. uh because vice mayor

18:55really wants to participate in the

18:57housing homeless and shelter care code

19:00update as well as the community

19:02preference policy. We're actually moving

19:05those to after the executive sessions if

19:09if um there's no objections.

19:14[laughter]

19:17>> All righty. We are going to then start

19:19with the executive sessions and those

19:23are items three and five. Miss clerk,

19:26>> we can go into that.

19:28>> Well, hold on. She needs to read what

19:30they are first.

19:31>> Um item three, executive session, water

19:33resource resources development to

19:35alleviate effects of drought in the

19:36lower Colorado River Basin. And item

19:38five, executive session, discussion of

19:40memorandum of understanding between the

19:41city of Tucson and the Warbird National

19:43for transport transport of treated water

19:45to the proposed Warird National Golf

19:47Course. All righty. So, we need a motion

19:50to go into executive session.

19:52>> Moved.

19:53>> Second.

19:55>> A motion and a second to go into

19:57executive session.

19:59[laughter]

20:01>> Um, if there's no further discussion,

20:04then all those in favor of going into

20:07executive signify by saying I. I.

20:10>> Any against? Motion carries. Mr.

20:13Attorney, we will take what about an

20:15hour and a half?

20:16>> Yes.

20:16>> Okay. So, uh for the audience in

20:19attendance, we are moving into executive

20:22session and we'll uh return in an hour

20:25and a half. Thank you.

30:29Heat. Heat.

30:35Thank

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1:25:25>> Heat up

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1:45:38hey, hey.

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1:55:22>> Happy.

1:55:38Hey,

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2:09:34Heat. Heat. N.

2:11:29down.

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2:21:33>> Heat.

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2:23:17>> Hey, [music] hey, hey.

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2:33:02>> Heat. Hey, Heat.

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2:37:33>> Hey, hey, hey.

2:38:23Heat. Heat.

2:38:45Heat. Heat. N.

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2:43:09>> Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come

2:43:09on. Come on. Come

2:43:31on.

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2:45:33>> the cruise to join us virtually via

2:45:35teams. Uh may I have a motion to return

2:45:38to study session, please?

2:45:40>> So moved. Second.

2:45:41>> There's a motion and a second. Any

2:45:43further discussion? Hearing none. All

2:45:45those in favor indicate by saying I. I.

2:45:48>> I. Any against? Motion carries. Um, item

2:45:53four is the council's pleasure. What is

2:45:55the council's pleasure for item four,

2:45:58>> Mr. Attorney? Your honor,

2:45:59>> appropriate motion would be to proceed

2:46:00as discussed in executive session to

2:46:02continue to find opportunities to

2:46:03address water shortages for Arizona

2:46:06Colorado River water users through

2:46:08negotiation with federal, state, and

2:46:09local partners.

2:46:10>> So moved.

2:46:11>> There's a motion in a second. Any

2:46:13further discussion?

2:46:15Hearing none. All those in favor, please

2:46:17indicate by saying I. I

2:46:19>> I any against? Motion carries.

2:46:23What is the council's pleasure for item

2:46:25six?

2:46:26>> Mayor, I move to proceed to discuss I'm

2:46:28sorry, proceed as discussed in executive

2:46:30session to bring back an updated within

2:46:3290 days that requires concrete

2:46:34deliverables addressing PAS and

2:46:36environmental remediation necessary

2:46:38infrastructure and acceptable

2:46:40development option for the leased land

2:46:41under discussion.

2:46:43>> There's a motion. May I have a second?

2:46:46I'll second that motion. Um, any further

2:46:50discussion?

2:46:53Hearing none. All those in favor, please

2:46:55indicate by saying I.

2:46:56>> I.

2:46:57>> I.

2:46:58>> Um, any against? Motion carries. And

2:47:02because we are uh talking about some

2:47:05water issues, we're going to continue

2:47:08quickly to items seven and then eight

2:47:12because the item eight is cap order and

2:47:15some updates, but we're going to make it

2:47:17into a one minute update and to talk

2:47:20about our cap water order. Uh so item

2:47:23seven, time has been set aside for

2:47:25discussion regarding public private

2:47:27partnership to clean up PAS

2:47:29contamination threatening Tucson central

2:47:32welfard uh Wellfield Warbird National

2:47:36Project. Mr. Manager, can you set up the

2:47:38the item, please, and then we can start

2:47:41discussion.

2:47:42>> Thank you, Honorable Mayor. as uh

2:47:44indicated in your motion you just uh

2:47:47passed coming out of executive session,

2:47:49you've given us pretty clear direction

2:47:51on what you would like to see next with

2:47:53regard to this conversation around

2:47:54theou. Um so for purposes of today's

2:47:57study session, we're uh the background

2:47:59was provided in materials. Um we have

2:48:01some pretty clear next steps. Um but

2:48:03this is also an opportunity if you

2:48:05wanted to voice anything in particular

2:48:06about what we should be considering as

2:48:08we as we take those next steps as

2:48:10directed.

2:48:11>> Mr. manager. Um I had requested that we

2:48:14include this item both on executive

2:48:16session and on public session uh during

2:48:19study uh to make sure that we had an

2:48:24opportunity to bring this conversation

2:48:27that has been happening for about a year

2:48:30a year and a half. Um, Warbert National

2:48:35approached the city of Tucson,

2:48:38uh, both the city manager's office as

2:48:40well as council member Lee's office as

2:48:43well as my office, uh, really talking

2:48:46about the possibility of using 500 acre

2:48:50acres of cityowned land leased by the

2:48:55Air Force uh, for a golf course.

2:48:59my interest is not um in terms of having

2:49:05another golf course in Tucson. Um and so

2:49:09the answer has from me at least has

2:49:12always been no, right? Um but one of the

2:49:18issues that was shared uh by staff to

2:49:23Warberg National was already the only

2:49:26way we would be interested in um a golf

2:49:31course would be if there is a PAS

2:49:34remediation plan in place. Um, I felt

2:49:38that it was um my responsibility to

2:49:42bring it to mayor and council, have an

2:49:44executive session and have a study

2:49:47session so that the public could listen

2:49:50in on this conversation.

2:49:53>> [snorts]

2:49:53>> For me, um, in my conversations with

2:49:57Colonel Cabrera from DM, um, there is

2:50:01legitimate and genuine interest from the

2:50:04Air Force and DM to extend the lease

2:50:08that they have with the city of Tucson

2:50:10on 500 acres of land that the Air Force

2:50:15leases. Um my request to Colonel Cabrera

2:50:20has always been and will remain um the

2:50:25city of Tucson is not interested in data

2:50:28centers or detention centers.

2:50:31And uh our number one interest in terms

2:50:35of our partnership with the Air Force

2:50:37and DM is the reme remedi remediation of

2:50:42PAS contamination in our aquifer um and

2:50:45in our water. And so that for me remains

2:50:49my most important interest in any

2:50:53conversation

2:50:55um about the lease of the 500 acres

2:50:58owned by the city of Tucson and leased

2:51:01by the Air Force. So, I just wanted to

2:51:03make sure that I made it abundantly

2:51:05clear

2:51:07um that uh the the possibility of WBird

2:51:12paying for PAS remediation is a current

2:51:16uh issue that came up maybe about month

2:51:19ago or two months ago that I felt

2:51:22necessary to bring to mayor and counsel

2:51:25and have a public discussion in front of

2:51:28our community. So, um, wanted to open it

2:51:32with that. I know that, um, Councilwoman

2:51:35Lee also has her concerns and her

2:51:40experience. So, I wanted to throw it

2:51:42over to Councilwoman Lee.

2:51:44>> Thank you, Mayor. And I'll just be

2:51:45brief. My biggest concern was just the

2:51:48urgency of this request and the timeline

2:51:50and also understanding that the Air

2:51:52Force just opened up a uh RFP process

2:51:55that began on Friday of last week and

2:51:57will run accepting solicit proposals

2:52:00until November 2nd. So I really wanted

2:52:02to make sure we had more time to

2:52:04evaluate and allow that process to play

2:52:06forward without putting our finger on

2:52:08the scale with any preference toward any

2:52:10other proposal and the integrity of that

2:52:13process and also have more time for us

2:52:14to decide what needs to be in thisou

2:52:16should it gets selected. So I'm just

2:52:18grateful for the conversation today and

2:52:20the opportunity to keep this option on

2:52:22the table for PAS remediation as well as

2:52:24any infrastructure needs that may need

2:52:26to go in should this proposal be

2:52:28accepted by the air force and

2:52:29potentially move forward. All

2:52:31righty. Any other com comments? Uh,

2:52:34Council Member Dah.

2:52:35>> Thank you, Mayor, and and thank you,

2:52:37Council Member Lee, for coming up with

2:52:38this um course of action. I do think we

2:52:40need more time. Many people will think,

2:52:44Kevin, you support a golf course, and um

2:52:46that's would be really unusual for me.

2:52:48Um but I'm very intrigued with the

2:52:50possibility of getting funding at least

2:52:54a decade earlier um to remediate the PAS

2:52:58problem that originated at the Air Force

2:52:59base. And that's why I I think um it's

2:53:01useful for us to take our time to um uh

2:53:05flesh out this proposal um and to give

2:53:08Warird time to, you know, to prove that

2:53:10they um are truly capable of bringing

2:53:13this about. So that's why I'm glad to

2:53:15support this.

2:53:17>> Any others?

2:53:19Well, and I think most important is

2:53:22again as I clearly stated to Colonel

2:53:25Cabrera

2:53:27um of DM and the assistant secretary of

2:53:31the air force um secretary borders.

2:53:34There are three interests that I have.

2:53:37Um we do not want a data center in that

2:53:41land. We do not want a detention center

2:53:45in that land. and we are willing to

2:53:50consider

2:53:52any proposal, not just Warbert, that

2:53:55will come up with funds to remediate

2:53:59PAIFAS.

2:54:01So, thank you so much. I appreciate um

2:54:03you bringing this to our attention and

2:54:06allowing me to have this com

2:54:08conversation publicly and include our

2:54:11colleagues on the council um in this

2:54:13conversation. With that, um, we do not

2:54:17have a motion. The motion was done after

2:54:20executive session. Um, Councilman Lee,

2:54:23can you make sure that you repeat the

2:54:24motion in this item as well that we just

2:54:27decided on and voted on? Absolutely,

2:54:30Mayor. The motion was that we proceed as

2:54:32discussed in executive session to bring

2:54:34back an updatedou within 90 days that

2:54:37requires concrete deliverables

2:54:39addressing PAS and environmental

2:54:40remediation necessary infrastructure and

2:54:44acceptable development options for the

2:54:45least land under discussion. That was

2:54:47the motion that we just spoke on

2:54:48>> and we passed unanimously. All righty.

2:54:51Thank you so much. Appreciate it. We

2:54:53will go to item eight very quickly. Time

2:54:56has been set aside for mayor and councel

2:54:58to review and provide direction on

2:55:00several water related items including

2:55:02Colorado River update 2027 central

2:55:05Arizona project water purchase and city

2:55:08of Tucson's drought preparedness and

2:55:10response plan status. Uh Mr. Kimick,

2:55:14>> thank you honorable mayor, members of

2:55:16council. Uh this is something that we

2:55:18bring back this time every year. Uh and

2:55:20the focus of it is to have a is have a

2:55:23motion for staff to proceed with a with

2:55:26the draft cap order for the following

2:55:28calendar year as presented in the

2:55:30materials. So three three things and um

2:55:33I won't spend too much time on it, but

2:55:35the Colorado River, we talk about that a

2:55:36lot. There was a decision by the Bureau

2:55:39of Reclamation last month uh to accept a

2:55:42a two-year operating guidelines as part

2:55:44of the first two years of the next

2:55:4610-year plan, which they're still going

2:55:47to work on. How that pertains to our CAP

2:55:50order is this will be the first time u

2:55:53that our contract, our 144,191

2:55:57acre feet of priority 4 water uh will be

2:55:59reduced because of drought on the

2:56:01Colorado. So our anticipated number on

2:56:03that is roughly 14%

2:56:06uh which is around 20,000 acre feet uh

2:56:09from that total and that all comes uh uh

2:56:12like I said to bear in the in the draft

2:56:14proposal. The other what the staff also

2:56:18has in the proposal is the bureau is

2:56:21looking for more water to be left in

2:56:22Lake me for compensated system

2:56:25conservation. So our 2027 order will be

2:56:28have a reduction of 50,000 acre feet for

2:56:31that bucket one which is a cash

2:56:32contribution which we've been using for

2:56:34our water resource portfolio whether in

2:56:37developing

2:56:38um our capital project for water

2:56:40resources or acquiring future water

2:56:42resources. That's how that money is

2:56:44directed. It also has their bucket two

2:56:46obligation which is our pure water

2:56:48Tucson program that we have in the

2:56:50partnership with the bureau and that's

2:56:52another 2800 acre feet related to that.

2:56:56So all in all our order will be around

2:56:5971,000 acret which is significantly

2:57:01lower than our than what we've done. But

2:57:04the caveat is the Arizona Water Banking

2:57:07Authority, which has been setting aside

2:57:09excess water for a couple decades now,

2:57:13uh, for drought contingency, will make

2:57:15up and transfer that wet water of the

2:57:1714% to the city of Tucson's uh,

2:57:19portfolio. So, we're back to in the 90

2:57:22to 95,000 acre feet area, which what

2:57:25have we been doing when we leave 50,000

2:57:27acre feet u in the river? And so, our

2:57:31cap order is reflective of that. Our cap

2:57:34draft order also in the materials is

2:57:35reflective of what we're storing for

2:57:38Phoenix, Poria, Scottsdale, Oral Valley,

2:57:40Vale, Morirana, Pascoyaki tribes as

2:57:43well. That's another 17,900 acre feet

2:57:45coming to the water bank of Tucson um uh

2:57:48next year. Uh and lastly, the drought

2:57:52preparedness and response [snorts] plan

2:57:54uh which we've been operating under for

2:57:56several years now is uh uh because

2:57:59there's going to be a new design on the

2:58:02next 10-year plan. The staff is holding

2:58:05it at our tier 2 response, which our

2:58:07tier 2 response in the last several

2:58:08years has been fantastic. Uh our smart

2:58:11meter roll out is helping city

2:58:13departments find leaks and high usage on

2:58:15properties. Uh we've removed over

2:58:17165,000 square feet of turf at city

2:58:19parks um and three times our grant goal

2:58:23there as well as we've been doing that

2:58:25at commercial and multif family

2:58:26properties to remove another 9 acres uh

2:58:29and as well as retrofits and affordable

2:58:31and low-income housing saving tens of

2:58:33millions of gallons a year. So probably

2:58:36in the next year once we have more

2:58:37certainty on what the tenure what the

2:58:39final 10-year plan is going to be with

2:58:41Lake me from the bureau then we'll have

2:58:44to amend our drought preparedness plan

2:58:45and we'll have a discussion at a later

2:58:47date uh about that. Um so with that

2:58:50mayor that's the update on the Colorado

2:58:52our 2027 CAP order and the current

2:58:55status of our drought response plan and

2:58:57uh looking for a a motion to for staff

2:59:00to move forward with the draft cap order

2:59:02for the year 2027. Do I have a motion?

2:59:05>> Second. I move.

2:59:08>> Second.

2:59:08>> There's a motion and a second. I just

2:59:10have a question. Um, in the order for

2:59:14CAP, um, you say it's going to be about

2:59:1790 to 95,000 acre feet.

2:59:20>> It'll our our wet water imported

2:59:23delivery will be around 71,000. Okay.

2:59:25>> Yeah. But we will get a transfer from

2:59:28the Arizona Water Banking Authority of

2:59:29about 20,000 acre feet of where they've

2:59:33stored water already in the water bank

2:59:34of Tucson. So it'll just be a legal

2:59:36transfer. So for the year it'll be in

2:59:38that 90 91 92,000. And you feel

2:59:41confident that is sufficient to be able

2:59:44to provide the water services that all

2:59:47of our customers including commercial

2:59:50and um residential industrial all of all

2:59:54of our customers water.

2:59:57>> Absolutely mayor and that is uh because

2:59:58of the two things. One our customers

3:00:00have been great in conservation for the

3:00:02last 2530 years. So it's given our

3:00:04portfolio a strong water resource um

3:00:07portfolio. Uh and two uh we've been

3:00:11purchasing excess water in the past

3:00:12ourselves besides the Arizona water

3:00:14bank. So we have uh more than 600,000

3:00:17acre feet of Colorado River already in

3:00:19our aquifer for the city of Tucson and

3:00:22potentially up to another 400,000 of

3:00:24water bank water that should be targeted

3:00:26to the city of Tucson over time as well.

3:00:28a good place to be. Um, and and

3:00:32droughts and and reductions,

3:00:35>> the most resilient city in the

3:00:36southwestern United States when it comes

3:00:38to water supply.

3:00:39>> Um, and thanks to you, uh, thanks to all

3:00:42of you on the team for the incredible

3:00:44work that you're doing to make sure that

3:00:46our water resources

3:00:48are plentiful and that we continue to

3:00:53um, work on conservation uh, for all of

3:00:56us. So, there's a motion and a second on

3:00:58the floor. Any further discussion?

3:01:02Uh, council member Vakas.

3:01:04>> Thank you both, John and Chris. Our

3:01:07current ability to conserve water from

3:01:09the Colorado River reflects the strength

3:01:11of our overall water supply. We have

3:01:13planned with resilience front and

3:01:14center, resilience of our economy,

3:01:16stewardship of our natural resources and

3:01:18desert landscape, livability, and high

3:01:20quality of life. And I know as we face

3:01:22tough questions about how to strengthen

3:01:24our economy, water conservation and

3:01:26remediation will always be at the heart

3:01:28of our decision-making. But we also have

3:01:30abundance and can plan for new econom

3:01:32economic growth as well. So I just want

3:01:35to thank you both for today's

3:01:37conversation.

3:01:37>> Thank you. And I too just want to say

3:01:41that [clears throat]

3:01:42uh this is something that I have been

3:01:44requesting as mayor uh to both our city

3:01:47manager and our water director that we I

3:01:50would really like to have Tucson Water

3:01:54uh do informational town halls um and a

3:02:00conversation with our community about

3:02:02water resources. A lot of people,

3:02:04especially

3:02:05with um some headlines, uh really are

3:02:10concerned about the drought and how it

3:02:14affects our water delivery in the city

3:02:16of Tucson. So I really want to make sure

3:02:20that we create informational town halls

3:02:24where it's not just giving information

3:02:27to the community but also uh getting

3:02:31their input and feedback uh about our

3:02:34water resources but I I I feel that the

3:02:36complete story is not out there and it

3:02:40is our responsibility to share the

3:02:42information that we have with our

3:02:44community about water uh and our future

3:02:47in our water resources now and into the

3:02:50future. So, just wanted to make that

3:02:52public and put it into the record. Um

3:02:55that that's what I would like to see

3:02:57with that. Um there's a motion in a

3:03:00second. All those in favor, please

3:03:02signify by saying I.

3:03:03>> I.

3:03:04>> I. Any against?

3:03:07Motion carries. Thank you all so much.

3:03:09Really appreciate your work. Thank you.

3:03:15Okay, with that

3:03:17uh we will move back to items one and

3:03:21two.

3:03:28Want to make sure I have this

3:03:49Yes.

3:04:38All righty. Sorry about that. I was

3:04:40looking for my information, but that

3:04:41gave time for an and Corin to come to

3:04:44the table. Uh, thank you so much. We're

3:04:47moving back to item one. Um, item one,

3:04:51time has been set aside for staff to

3:04:53provide an update on the housing and

3:04:55homeless emergency declaration issued

3:04:58February 2026, as well as the status of

3:05:01the amendments to the unified

3:05:03development code, building codes to

3:05:06update regulations for shelter care use.

3:05:09Um, I want to start first uh by thanking

3:05:13Vice Mayor Santa Cruz uh for bringing uh

3:05:17the concept of declaring a housing and

3:05:20homeless emergency and working with me

3:05:23to make sure that we had that homeless

3:05:26piece as well because um um

3:05:30affordability and unsheltered

3:05:32homelessness are among the most critical

3:05:34issues facing working families today.

3:05:38When mayor and council passed our

3:05:40housing affordability strategy for

3:05:42Tucson, when was that? Back in 2021, it

3:05:45was with the intention of having an

3:05:47organized approach to bringing more

3:05:49housing across the continuum, uh

3:05:53reducing barriers and bringing needed

3:05:55attention to this issue. So, it was our

3:05:58hope that some of our pilots like Star

3:06:02Village would serve as an example of

3:06:05what is possible. Um, we had learned

3:06:10that uh there were some organizations

3:06:13trying to do micro shelters and um, you

3:06:19know, we wanted to make sure that we

3:06:21were able to do it, especially with our

3:06:24land use codes. And what we learned is

3:06:27that the city of Tucson was the only one

3:06:29that could do um, a project like Star

3:06:34Village. Um, and so we started thinking

3:06:38about how is it that we as mayor and

3:06:40council can change our land use codes uh

3:06:43to make sure that we make housing more

3:06:46available and easier to build, including

3:06:49micro shelters and safe sleeping sites

3:06:53and uh just regular shel shelters. our

3:06:57regular shelters had a lot of um

3:07:02I would say barriers to uh to build and

3:07:06so um with today's update we will talk

3:07:10about where we are um and I'm looking

3:07:14forward to hearing in terms of where we

3:07:17are if there are any barriers for

3:07:20nonprofit organizations to use our

3:07:24homeless and housing emergency

3:07:26and how we can further coordinate the

3:07:29approach uh to our needs. So, I don't

3:07:34know if you wanted to include something,

3:07:35vice mayor, or hear the presentation

3:07:38first.

3:07:40>> I would say hear the presentation first,

3:07:42mayor. Thank you.

3:07:43>> All righty. Uh Mr. Manager,

3:07:46>> thank you, honorable mayor and members

3:07:47of the council. Joining us here today,

3:07:48our planning and development services

3:07:50director, Corin Manning, and it's her

3:07:53birthday, and our director of housing

3:07:56and community development, an Chaneka.

3:07:58So, I will turn it over to you both.

3:08:01Thanks. I'm going to kick us off and

3:08:03then I'll turn it over to director

3:08:05Manning. So, thank you, Mayor. As you

3:08:07mentioned, earlier this year, the Tucson

3:08:11mayor and council declared a housing

3:08:13emergency. This is an update on that

3:08:16emergency. No action is needed at this

3:08:19time, but we really wanted to provide

3:08:21some updates to you all. So, following

3:08:24the housing and emergency declaration

3:08:26earlier this year, housing and housing

3:08:29and community development conducted a

3:08:32scan to identify additional actions we

3:08:35might be able to take in the short term

3:08:38to help address the crisis. As you all

3:08:41know, HCD had already taken on many new

3:08:44initiatives and projects over the past

3:08:47several years. That said, we did

3:08:50identify a few key high priority

3:08:52projects to move forward faster this

3:08:55year. For example, in order to reduce

3:08:58the number of vacant units we have with

3:09:01the city housing portfolio, we launched

3:09:03a turn team of maintenance technicians

3:09:06and a maintenance technician supervisor

3:09:09to bring units online faster. So, we

3:09:12launched that initiative in the spring

3:09:14and since then the turn team has

3:09:16completed 75 turns and they're currently

3:09:19working on 16 units now. And so with

3:09:22every turn, that means we can take a

3:09:25family from our weight list and offer an

3:09:28affordable place for them to live.

3:09:31The memo in your materials identifies

3:09:34several other key initiatives that HCD

3:09:36has been working on this year. As was

3:09:39discussed by the mayor when mayor and

3:09:42mayor and council considered the

3:09:44emergency housing declaration,

3:09:46part of the goal was to allow some

3:09:49flexibility regarding zoning and code

3:09:52requirements. As a reminder on why that

3:09:55is so important, we know via the January

3:09:58point in time count that we have over

3:10:011,250

3:10:03unsheltered

3:10:05individuals on our streets on any given

3:10:07night. We also know the point in time

3:10:09count is likely an underount.

3:10:12Thanks to the new Tucson Puma

3:10:13collaboration to end homelessness

3:10:15dashboard, you can also see how many

3:10:17available shelter beds there are on a

3:10:20given night. And so while we know

3:10:22there's over 1,200 unsheltered, we also

3:10:25know there's only between 20 and 4040

3:10:28shelter beds available on a given night.

3:10:32So, Housing Community Development work

3:10:34closely with planning and development

3:10:36services to develop guidelines for

3:10:38nonprofits and faith-based groups to

3:10:41apply for a temporary use permit to

3:10:43create safe outdoor sleeping areas

3:10:46similar to Star Village. In your

3:10:48materials, there's a two-page summary of

3:10:51that process. The first page provides

3:10:54information on how to apply and the

3:10:56backside is a summary of the guidelines

3:10:59to really help those organizations

3:11:02throughout the process and staff will

3:11:05also be there to help organizations

3:11:07throughout the process. I want to thank

3:11:09Tamara Prime who is the lead for housing

3:11:12and community development. Um Tamara,

3:11:15myself and PDSD has been doing some

3:11:17outreach to nonprofits about this new

3:11:20process.

3:11:22Um, as a reminder, Housing and Community

3:11:24Development has some funding to support

3:11:27up to three pilot projects for the safe

3:11:30outdoor sleeping area.

3:11:33Um, but the temporary use permit process

3:11:35is through planning and development

3:11:37services. And so I'll turn it over to

3:11:39Director Manning to speak more on that

3:11:41and what PDSD has been doing related to

3:11:43the emergency declaration.

3:11:47>> Thank you, an honorable mayor and

3:11:49council members. Um, so as Ann

3:11:52mentioned, this housing and homelessness

3:11:54emergency declaration was declared in

3:11:56February. So we're about 6 months in.

3:11:58Um, and there was a few components of

3:12:00that emergency declaration. Um,

3:12:03essentially the declaration was intended

3:12:04to provide tools and flexibility to

3:12:07better respond to the diverse housing

3:12:09um, and homelessness needs in our

3:12:11community. Of course, there's many, many

3:12:13tools the city is utilizing to respond

3:12:15to that very complex challenges. Zoning

3:12:17and codes are one piece of that, but we

3:12:19want to make sure we're doing everything

3:12:20we can in that space to reduce barriers

3:12:23to shelter care. So, as you mentioned,

3:12:26mayor, shelter care use, there is there

3:12:27are a lot of barriers in our code. Our

3:12:29codes make it very difficult to develop

3:12:32more shelter care uses and also doesn't

3:12:35um hasn't really evolved with the new

3:12:36models that we're seeing in shelter

3:12:38care. So, that's made it very difficult

3:12:40for operators to find shelter care

3:12:42locations that work where they can

3:12:44locate and operate more shelter beds. So

3:12:46the housing and homelessness emergency

3:12:48declaration aimed to address that

3:12:50through three major components. Um one

3:12:53was the temporary uh flexibility for

3:12:55zoning for long-term shelter shelter

3:12:58care that will be there in the long

3:13:00term. The residents may not but it's

3:13:01permanent shelter care in terms of the

3:13:03use staying on site. And then also more

3:13:06flexibility for temporary shelter sites

3:13:09that might not operate long-term as a

3:13:11shelter. So think of Star Village, the

3:13:12safe outdoor sleeping and safe outdoor

3:13:14parking sites that Anne mentioned. And

3:13:16then third, the direction was to develop

3:13:18amendments to our unified development

3:13:20code and other codes so that we would

3:13:22have this flexibility long-term after

3:13:24the housing and homelessness emergency

3:13:25declaration was um over. So we've been

3:13:29working on all three of those fronts,

3:13:31all of those aspects. So first, the

3:13:33temporary flexibility for um long-term

3:13:37shelter care. Um the emergency

3:13:40declaration allowed us to use a

3:13:42different special exception process.

3:13:44Right now most of those shelter care

3:13:46sites have to go through a zoning

3:13:47examiner special exception. The

3:13:49emergency allowed us to expedite that

3:13:51process with a director special

3:13:53exception and also provides flexibility

3:13:55to modify certain zoning standards like

3:13:57minimum lot size, interior setbacks,

3:14:00parking requirements, um separation

3:14:03distance from certain residential zones

3:14:04and other shelter care uses.

3:14:07So we streamlined the process and have

3:14:09flexibility in the standards. We have

3:14:12one project in the pipeline currently

3:14:14utilizing this option. It's actually a

3:14:15project that was in progress prior to

3:14:17the emergency declaration and now the

3:14:19emergency declaration is allowing them

3:14:20to expand from 10 beds on site to up to

3:14:2429 residents. That's the homing project

3:14:26in W three and that is in the permitting

3:14:28process right now. It's actually in a

3:14:30public comment period [snorts] at the

3:14:32moment. Um the second aspect is the

3:14:35temporary use permit for safe outdoor

3:14:37sleeping and safe outdoor parking.

3:14:40Um and so as an mentioned PDSD and HCD

3:14:44staff have worked to de together to

3:14:46develop standards for those sites

3:14:48minimum site standards infrastructure

3:14:50staffing and operational requirements.

3:14:52Um as an mentioned we've taken that to

3:14:54the Tucson Puma collaboration to end

3:14:56homelessness which includes many local

3:14:58service providers to make them aware of

3:14:59this option. we don't have any

3:15:01applications in progress. We have gotten

3:15:04a lot of interest, but we're really

3:15:05trying to get the word out so folks know

3:15:07that this is an available option to

3:15:08them.

3:15:10Um, and then third, the permanent code

3:15:12amendments. This is the longer term

3:15:14piece that we're working on to put these

3:15:16fixes in our code so that it is easier

3:15:18over the long term to build more shelter

3:15:20care and allow more diverse shelter care

3:15:23options in our community. So, we are

3:15:26underway with public engagement on these

3:15:28code amendments right now. We actually

3:15:31um held one event on September 13th,

3:15:34just a couple weekends ago, and we had

3:15:35over 50 attendees, a lot of community

3:15:38interest, and we have a virtual session

3:15:40this week, and then another set of

3:15:42in-person meetings in early October. We

3:15:45also have a community survey open to

3:15:46collect input. Um, and through all of

3:15:49these different methods, we're trying to

3:15:50gather input from our community on where

3:15:52are the appropriate locations for

3:15:54shelter care use, what are the design

3:15:56and development standards that are

3:15:58appropriate on these sites um so that

3:16:00they can integrate well with our

3:16:02neighborhoods and community. So, we're

3:16:04working right now on that public

3:16:06engagement piece. Following that will be

3:16:08refining the proposed standards,

3:16:10developing a set of standards that we

3:16:11will propose to planning commission and

3:16:13then that will go through the full

3:16:15public review process with a public

3:16:17hearing with planning commission and

3:16:18then ultimately come to mayor and

3:16:19council for consideration and a public

3:16:21hearing.

3:16:23In addition to the amendments to the

3:16:24unified development code, our zoning

3:16:26standards, we're also working on

3:16:27building code amendments. Our building

3:16:29code does not define or account for

3:16:32micro cabins or micro shelters which is

3:16:34an emerging model that many providers um

3:16:37wish to offer um for shelter care use.

3:16:40So we are working to define that as a

3:16:42structure in our building code and

3:16:44develop the appropriate standards for

3:16:46those micro cabins. So those amendments

3:16:49are also going through review will be

3:16:50reviewed by our Tucson Pima County joint

3:16:52code committee and then brought to Mayor

3:16:54and Council along with the zoning code

3:16:57amendments. So, all three of the

3:16:59components of the housing and

3:17:00homelessness emergency declaration, the

3:17:03temporary zoning flexibility, the

3:17:05temporary use permits for outdoor safe

3:17:07outdoor sleeping, and the long-term code

3:17:10amendments are all in progress and

3:17:12underway. Um, and with community

3:17:15engagement actively underway for the

3:17:17code amendments. So, again, we're not

3:17:19requesting any action today. We want to

3:17:21provide this update and get any

3:17:22direction and feedback from mayor and

3:17:24council. Happy to answer any questions.

3:17:28Well, first and foremost, happy birthday

3:17:30and thank you so much for working on

3:17:33your birthday and waiting for us. Um,

3:17:36but thank you so much. We really

3:17:38appreciate the incredible work um that

3:17:41both of you and your teams have been

3:17:43able to provide in our call at the mayor

3:17:46and council level um to expedite

3:17:51um housing opportunities for everyone.

3:17:54>> [snorts]

3:17:54>> So, uh, thank you. Really appreciate it.

3:17:58And since there is no direction that you

3:18:01need from us, it's only an update. Does

3:18:03any of the C, uh, council colleagues

3:18:05have any comments or input, feedback?

3:18:09Um, Council Member Cunningham. And then

3:18:12I see some nodding over there at the end

3:18:14of the table. And then, uh, so, Council

3:18:17Member Schubert and then Vice Mayor,

3:18:19Council Member Cunningham.

3:18:34The main um the main piece to me for

3:18:38today is about um

3:18:42the

3:18:44adaptive reuse piece. Um, as much as I I

3:18:49think that all the things that we're

3:18:51doing are fine, but I think there's some

3:18:54creative solutions, especially when we

3:18:56consider SRO's and pieces of the market

3:19:00that aren't being reached. I'm happy

3:19:03with

3:19:05running into programs that help people

3:19:07that are in emergency um situations, but

3:19:11I also want to have programs that help

3:19:14people avoid having to come to us. Uh

3:19:18that are affordable and alternative

3:19:20solutions if they don't want.

3:19:23We need to stop operating under the

3:19:24belief that every single person that we

3:19:27offer help to wants help because that's

3:19:30not the case.

3:19:31There's quite a few people that don't

3:19:34want to be involved with the government.

3:19:38That's just truth. So having alternative

3:19:41options that are affordable are really

3:19:44important to the entire continuum of

3:19:46helping us with the housing crisis. Some

3:19:49people just want to find a good deal and

3:19:52allowing adaptive reuse. We know that

3:19:55offices because of remote working,

3:19:58because of uh changes in technology, we

3:20:03know that we have office space of

3:20:05buildings that are already built. When

3:20:07you consider adaptive reuse, you're

3:20:09saving in multip uh you're saving in

3:20:11engineering and soft costs, you're

3:20:13saving in materials costs, you're saving

3:20:15you're saving in mobilization costs. So,

3:20:18when you have an opportunity to take a

3:20:20building and use adaptive reuse, I think

3:20:23there's opportunities there. I think we

3:20:25run into the minutia and nuance of those

3:20:28issues. Uh for instance, we had I read

3:20:31in one article that we had a group of

3:20:34tiny homes and under our code we needed

3:20:37to install

3:20:39um

3:20:42sprinkler systems in every single one of

3:20:44them. And I thought, well, gee, that's

3:20:49that's rough, man. I mean, there's new

3:20:51houses don't need sprinkler systems. So

3:20:54I look at that and I'm thinking all

3:20:56right we've got to stop overdoing the

3:21:00ris I mean look I don't want to take

3:21:02risks either but when we don't need to

3:21:04overdo risk management to the point that

3:21:06things become so unaffordable that we

3:21:08have people having not having a choice

3:21:10on where they can stay um for our

3:21:13working folks they need to be able to

3:21:14have a choice where they can stay and a

3:21:16lot of them don't want to stay in

3:21:17shelter and they don't want to go back

3:21:18to their cousin's house either so we've

3:21:20got to have an al alternative but we

3:21:22don't have anything in our code

3:21:23regarding SRO's, which are single room

3:21:26occupancy options, which I think are

3:21:28really important. Look, I I'm all about

3:21:30at least requiring a bathroom, but

3:21:32community kitchen and an SRO, which

3:21:34exists in a lot of other cities for

3:21:36people who are kind of clawing their way

3:21:38back, is fine. The other piece I'll take

3:21:41a look at is counterintuitive to the

3:21:43fraud that takes place, which was pretty

3:21:46awful with sober living. There's a lot

3:21:49of folks that prefer sober living if

3:21:51they pay their own way. Um, the way that

3:21:54sober living structure works is that

3:21:55you've got to have somebody who's kind

3:21:57of the the house mom or dad of the sober

3:22:00living place that's got over a year or

3:22:02two of sobriety. And if they do, then

3:22:05that sober living community can be

3:22:06built. And we've got to have that kind

3:22:08of flexibility. But we've got to figure

3:22:10out a way to regulate it in a way that

3:22:12we don't have to recount on the state

3:22:15because a couple of these sober living

3:22:17places have been fraudulent and kind of

3:22:18blown up in our faces.

3:22:21So I'm thinking about those options,

3:22:22SRO's, adaptive reuse,

3:22:25and sober living as options for folks

3:22:28that are market based. They're not

3:22:30necessarily ready to go to shelter. They

3:22:32don't really want anything for free.

3:22:34They do not want to roll enroll in our

3:22:36system, but they definitely want an

3:22:39option that's affordable. And these are

3:22:41options that are affordable for folks

3:22:43that are trying to change their

3:22:45lifestyle on their own and for some

3:22:47folks that are uh

3:22:51uh kind of in the they're in the middle.

3:22:53They're they're not earning enough to

3:22:55pay for their place, but they still

3:22:57want. So, those are those are the things

3:22:59I'm looking for. I'm really looking at

3:23:01this adaptive reuse stuff where we can

3:23:04be creative specifically with our

3:23:06parking requirements, specifically with

3:23:10fire suppression and exits. Um, I think

3:23:13those are the big pieces to that. Um,

3:23:16and if we're going to require

3:23:19uh if we're going to require uh entire

3:23:24buildings to re be to be replplumbed,

3:23:27um, I think we can I think we can

3:23:29probably adapt it so that the existing

3:23:32repplumbing happens. Also, if we're

3:23:33running under three stories, I'm not

3:23:36sure if I'm um I'm okay with as long as

3:23:39we've got fire escapes, I'm okay with in

3:23:41multiple exits, I'm okay with uh

3:23:44changing some of those hardcore

3:23:46requirements on the fire suppression.

3:23:48So, that's the type I and I don't know

3:23:50whether their cities are doing it. We've

3:23:51got to look into it, but that's some of

3:23:52the

3:23:52>> there are other cities uh repurposing

3:23:56commercial um buildings. So we could

3:24:01potentially learn from the work that

3:24:03other cities are doing to repurpose um

3:24:08commercial buildings, office buildings

3:24:09that you know a lot of people have

3:24:12learned to work from home. Uh companies

3:24:15are um having their teams work from

3:24:17home. So there's a lot of commercial

3:24:20office space in our community that could

3:24:23be repurposed. So noted. Corin, did you

3:24:28have anything to add?

3:24:29>> Um, sure. Just briefly, mayor. Um, on

3:24:31the adaptive reuse note, there's several

3:24:32elements in the code Tucson package that

3:24:35we're currently working on that's going

3:24:36through planning commission review right

3:24:38now that um will help with adaptive

3:24:40reuse specifically. So, we'll be

3:24:42presenting that to mayor and council at

3:24:43a f future study session, I think. Um,

3:24:46so yes, more on that soon, Council

3:24:47Member Cunningham. And then on the

3:24:49sprinklers and fire suppression and all

3:24:51the building safety components, that's

3:24:52what will be part of the building code

3:24:54amendments for shelter care and micro

3:24:56cabins because right now they are not

3:24:58defined. So it's a they're kind of in

3:24:59this gray zone between commercial or

3:25:01residential use and we're trying to

3:25:03really define what that use is. So we

3:25:04have the appropriate fire safety

3:25:06measures, probably not sprinklers, but

3:25:08what is that right balance of fire

3:25:10safety? We're looking at that right now

3:25:12with our partners in TFD.

3:25:14>> Thank you.

3:25:14>> Thank you, Council Member Schubert. And

3:25:16then Vice Mayor

3:25:18Thank you, Madame Mayor, members of the

3:25:19council, and thank you for the

3:25:21presentation today and for the

3:25:23tremendous amount of work that has

3:25:24happened behind the scenes during the

3:25:26first six months of our housing and

3:25:28homelessness emergency declaration. Um,

3:25:30I want to acknowledge the leadership

3:25:32that it took to get us here. We declared

3:25:34an emergency. We created a faster

3:25:37pathway for shelter care. We developed

3:25:39standards for safe outdoor sleeping

3:25:41areas. We launched the turn team, which

3:25:43has already brought dozens of vacant

3:25:45city-owned units back online. And our

3:25:47affordable housing fasttrack has helped

3:25:49move more than 1,000 units through the

3:25:51development process. That work really

3:25:53matters. And I'm especially encouraged

3:25:56that the W3 micro cabin project is

3:25:58moving forward. Shout out to the homing

3:26:00project. Years in the making, but six

3:26:02months into an emergency, I think we

3:26:05also need to be candid about the

3:26:06results. We have one shelter care

3:26:08application and zero applications for

3:26:10safe outdoor sleeping areas and that's

3:26:13simply not meeting the scale or urgency

3:26:15of what we're seeing on our streets.

3:26:17We've done a lot of work to remove

3:26:19regulatory barriers. But if we remove

3:26:21barriers and projects still aren't

3:26:23materializing, then we need to ask a

3:26:25different question. What will actually

3:26:27get these developments up and online?

3:26:30What additional carrots can we put on

3:26:31the table for land owners willing to

3:26:33make property available? Could that mean

3:26:36financial incentives, infrastructure

3:26:38assistance, liability protections,

3:26:40expedited site preparation, temporary

3:26:43leases of underutilized land or

3:26:45partnerships that make participation

3:26:47genu genuinely attractive rather than

3:26:50simply permissible? And I want us

3:26:52looking aggressively at what other

3:26:54communities are doing. What are safe

3:26:56sleeping sites, micro shelter villages,

3:26:58safe parking programs, navigation

3:27:01centers, and other forms of interim

3:27:03shelter actually getting people moved

3:27:05off the street? What made these programs

3:27:08possible? And what can we borrow or

3:27:10improve upon, particularly from

3:27:12communities in Arizona? Finally, I think

3:27:14this conversation needs to extend beyond

3:27:16our housing and homelessness

3:27:17departments. Our economic development

3:27:19community regularly tells us that

3:27:21visible street homelessness and extreme

3:27:23poverty affect business recruitment,

3:27:26tourism, downtown vitality and

3:27:28investment. If that is true, then

3:27:31economic development needs to be a part

3:27:32of this solution. Those partners have

3:27:35relationships with developers, property

3:27:37owners, lenders, philanthropies,

3:27:40employers, and people with access to

3:27:41land, capital, construction expertise,

3:27:45and political influence. I would like to

3:27:47know how we can bring those resources

3:27:49into this emergency response and

3:27:52actively recruit sites and partners

3:27:53rather than waiting for applications to

3:27:55arrive. Permanent housing remains the

3:27:58goal, but people need somewhere safe to

3:28:00be tonight. 6 months into an emergency

3:28:03declaration. I think the next phase has

3:28:05to be about more than making these

3:28:07projects possible. It has to be about

3:28:09making them happen.

3:28:12And then I just have a couple of

3:28:13follow-up questions and we can also chat

3:28:16outside of the meeting about this. But

3:28:18two questions. Can you share more about

3:28:20barriers that seem to be impacting

3:28:22community organizations or developers

3:28:24from pursuing these projects at a faster

3:28:26pace? Do we have any insight about

3:28:29whether the pace of interest or

3:28:31potential development might shift

3:28:32sometime soon? My second question, have

3:28:35we identified any other communities,

3:28:37particularly in Arizona, that seem to be

3:28:40seeing momentum in implementing these

3:28:42types of projects or housing emergency

3:28:44proclamations? Thank you.

3:28:50>> Thank you, Council Member Schubert. Um,

3:28:53so to answer your question about what

3:28:55barriers exist, I will share an

3:28:58experience from housing and community

3:29:00development that I know several other

3:29:02nonprofits are currently experiencing.

3:29:05So a there were a lot of shelter beds

3:29:08established during the pandemic thanks

3:29:11to American Rescue Plan resources,

3:29:13thanks to CARES Act resources, thanks to

3:29:16state housing trust fund monies. All of

3:29:19those funding sources are currently

3:29:21coming up on a funding cliff the end of

3:29:23this year. And so while we did launch

3:29:26the process and we have not yet seen

3:29:29anyone take advantage of the safe

3:29:30outdoor sleeping area, I think the

3:29:33timing where a lot of nonprofits and HCD

3:29:36are all struggling to find resources to

3:29:38maintain what's currently in the

3:29:40pipeline given all of these funding

3:29:42cliffs. So I think that is a real

3:29:45challenge. We're all scrambling. We know

3:29:47that a couple nonprofits recently ended

3:29:50up closing some shelter operations

3:29:52because they didn't have the operations

3:29:54to continue. So, I think that timing is

3:29:57tricky and something that we'll have to

3:29:59figure out. In terms of one Arizona city

3:30:03that I've that I do look to in terms of

3:30:06their safe outdoor area, in terms of

3:30:08their shelters, Phoenix really has

3:30:11brought a lot of shelter beds on to

3:30:13date. However, they have recognized

3:30:16given the operational cost to continue,

3:30:19they are shifting their focus right now

3:30:21to permanent housing. So, I think we're

3:30:23all trying to figure out how do we

3:30:24navigate this space? How do we navigate

3:30:27the funding uncertainties and address

3:30:30the needs that we know are out there?

3:30:34The other question I think um council

3:30:37member Schubert Schubert asked was um if

3:30:40there are any other cities in Arizona

3:30:43that have declared a homeless and

3:30:45housing emergency.

3:30:47>> Yeah, I know um the city of Phoenix was

3:30:49the first city in Arizona and they've

3:30:52had a housing emergency declared for

3:30:55quite a while now. I'm not sure on other

3:30:58cities.

3:30:58>> Mayor, I believe the other one we looked

3:31:00into was Flagstaff when we were

3:31:02initiating this process. I don't think

3:31:03their housing emergency and Flagstaff

3:31:05though has some of the same um

3:31:08provisions as ours in terms of some of

3:31:10the zoning flexibility, but Flagstaff is

3:31:12the other. Um I know there's a trip to

3:31:15Albuquerque coming up. I think that's

3:31:16not in Arizona, so that wasn't exactly

3:31:18the question, but I know they also um

3:31:20piloted a lot of safe outdoor sleeping.

3:31:25>> So, um good thing that some of the

3:31:27council members are going to Albuquerque

3:31:28pretty soon.

3:31:31Uh Vice Mayor

3:31:34Uh, thank you, mayor. I also wanted to

3:31:37say happy birthday to Corin. Um, thank

3:31:40you for all your work on this. I think

3:31:42some of the questions I had um have

3:31:45already been answered

3:31:47um as far as uh the continued barriers.

3:31:51Um, but I was curious if I know we had

3:31:53talked about before having um

3:31:56someformational sessions for nonprofits

3:32:00and faith groups about what the housing

3:32:03emergency does and doesn't do. And I

3:32:06don't know, just kind of getting some of

3:32:07these stakeholders, you know, in a space

3:32:09to um think creatively of of what we can

3:32:13do in this moment. And I also read, you

3:32:16know, the latest article on the homing

3:32:17project who are trying to take advantage

3:32:20of this and adding more units. Um, but

3:32:22then neighbors being frustrated that

3:32:25they haven't filled the ones that they

3:32:26have right now. Um, so just trying to

3:32:28figure out how we can um, kind of

3:32:31leverage uh, the different, I guess,

3:32:34tools or resources that we all have and

3:32:36hoping that that can continue to be part

3:32:38of the the dialogue moving forward. Um

3:32:42but but thank you for the update and uh

3:32:45look forward to these ongoing community

3:32:48uh feedback sessions as far as what the

3:32:51how the code needs to change, you know,

3:32:53in a more permanent sense. Thank you.

3:32:57>> Thank you, Vice Mayor, uh Council Member

3:32:59Dah, and then Council Member Baras.

3:33:02>> Thank you, Mayor, and thank you both for

3:33:04the presentation and the work you and

3:33:06your teams are doing, and we're so glad

3:33:07you were born. K. Um, the two things I

3:33:10think about a lot are safe sleeping

3:33:12spaces and sleeping in your car. We deal

3:33:15with people and complaints of people

3:33:17sleeping in their RV or their car. And

3:33:20um, let's talk about that first. You're

3:33:22very vulnerable at that point. You're

3:33:24not quite homeless, but all your

3:33:26possessions probably are in your car. If

3:33:29you park in the wrong place, it gets

3:33:30towed and you can't get it out of hawk.

3:33:32You've lost your house. Um there are

3:33:35people who live in their vehicles, their

3:33:38trucks, their vans, their RVs um by

3:33:41choice and uh they've found ways of

3:33:44doing it. There's places on public lands

3:33:46not far outside of Tucson where people

3:33:47go camp, they can legally do it for two

3:33:50weeks and then they move. There's um box

3:33:53stores like Walmart that um that are

3:33:56open 247 and have a bathroom and they

3:33:59like people staying there who will come

3:34:01in and buy stuff, buy food and clothes

3:34:03and such. Um it I've thought that

3:34:06churches would be a place for this and

3:34:08it could be part of a ministry really

3:34:10and I've been surprised that no church

3:34:12in Tucson has done it. Um our former co

3:34:15colleague Steve Kazichic was trying to

3:34:17promote this amongst churches and got a

3:34:20little ways with some some it was the

3:34:22church leadership that would like it but

3:34:24the congregation was nervous and in

3:34:26other cases the congregation wanted it

3:34:28and the church leadership was but um I

3:34:30think they need to be part of this. um

3:34:33uh

3:34:35at our ward office and maybe at my

3:34:37colleagues, we get calls all the time,

3:34:38hey, there's someone who's parked an RV

3:34:40in our neighborhood for years and we

3:34:41don't know anything about them and blah

3:34:43blah blah. Um we need to have spaces for

3:34:45people in the car. The fact that we

3:34:46don't in Tucson makes me sad. Um

3:34:51I'm so proud of the work we've done with

3:34:52Star Village, thanks to the mayor and

3:34:54vice mayor um proposing it uh and all of

3:34:57us supporting it. Um and I think it's

3:35:00proven that it can be done. it can be

3:35:02done and be expensive to run at times

3:35:04and maybe there's cheaper ways. Um but I

3:35:08hope that pilot um lands in someone

3:35:12else's lap. I mean I don't want it just

3:35:14to be a W three thing. We we need one in

3:35:16in everybody's wards and we need a lot

3:35:18of them really. Um

3:35:21so those are my thoughts. Um maybe when

3:35:23you come back in six months or if

3:35:24there's a report I I would hope to hear

3:35:27that hey um the uh community has figured

3:35:30out how to do this um because I think we

3:35:32really need it.

3:35:34>> Thank you. Council member council member

3:35:35Barakas we're going to have to move on

3:35:37to the next item.

3:35:38>> Well I'm glad my colleagues had a lot of

3:35:40the questions that I had too. So um but

3:35:43I do have a couple and happy birthday

3:35:45Cory. So, I know that community

3:35:47engagement's actively underway and I

3:35:49just had a question regarding the

3:35:51meeting that just occurred at the 4th

3:35:52Avenue Coalition Space. What was the

3:35:55feedback? What did you all hear? And

3:35:57then, are you all receiving interest for

3:35:59the September 24th virtual session?

3:36:04>> I'll start out and then kick it over to

3:36:06Director Manning. Thank you, Council

3:36:08Member Brahas. Um, so I was there at the

3:36:11fourth of Coalition Space in the

3:36:13afternoon. I heard the morning was quite

3:36:15a bit busier. Um but while I was there

3:36:18and throughout the day from my

3:36:19understanding there was a mix in terms

3:36:22of um overall folks being very

3:36:26interested in learning more and then

3:36:29also folks who did want to provide

3:36:31significant feedback. I thought planning

3:36:33and development services and the

3:36:35University of Arizona through the DOMAN

3:36:37Institute did an incredible job in terms

3:36:40of laying out a lot of really complex

3:36:42information in really easy to digest

3:36:46ways. Um, I know we've had some requests

3:36:48to put that display up online because I

3:36:52think when you're talking about code and

3:36:54details of the code, it's quite complex.

3:36:57So, I will say feedback while I was

3:36:59there, there were some folks who were

3:37:00really excited about offering places for

3:37:03folks to go. There were other

3:37:05neighborhoods who really wanted to make

3:37:07sure that concerns would be addressed

3:37:10throughout the process. And then I'll

3:37:12turn it over to you in terms of um

3:37:15tomorrow's session. Thursday's session.

3:37:18>> Thursday. Yes. Thank you, Mayor Council

3:37:19Member Roas. Um you we had over 50 folks

3:37:22come through that event on a Sunday,

3:37:23which we thought was very good turnout.

3:37:25a lot of different perspectives as

3:37:27director mentioned. Um I think we're

3:37:30expecting similar turnout for the

3:37:32virtual event this weekend uh this

3:37:34Thursday. And then um the meetings,

3:37:38they're not really meetings, it's more

3:37:39of a kind of uh interactive format in

3:37:42early October. We're actually going to

3:37:43be setting up exhibits in the middle of

3:37:45Parkplace Mall. really hoping just to

3:37:47catch passerbys and folks who are just

3:37:49there for their weekend, you know,

3:37:51shopping or entertainment um at the mall

3:37:54and really share this information, let

3:37:56folks know that this work is underway

3:37:58and get feedback. So, really hoping to

3:38:01engage with a broad cross-section of the

3:38:03community and a lot more folks um

3:38:05through that avenue.

3:38:09Thank you so much. Really appreciate you

3:38:11both and thank you for uh the wonderful

3:38:14update. We are going to move on to the

3:38:17next item which was originally intended

3:38:19to be item two. Um

3:38:22time has been set aside for discussion

3:38:25and pre uh presentation on a potential

3:38:29community preference policy to address

3:38:31Tucson's unique history of displacement,

3:38:34neighborhood change, and housing

3:38:37inequities. And before I just throw it

3:38:39back to the amazing team at Housing

3:38:42Community Development,

3:38:44um I want to

3:38:46um thank Vice Mayor Santa Cruz for

3:38:51really being a willing partner uh and

3:38:54bringing really creative solutions um to

3:38:57write historical wrongs and creating

3:39:00more access to affordable housing. Um

3:39:04it's one thing to [gasps] think about

3:39:06these things which many of us have been

3:39:08thinking about for a long time but

3:39:11really doing the leg work and um

3:39:16uh the community engagement that's when

3:39:19we see the amazing team at housing

3:39:22community development and then of course

3:39:25uh the University of Arizona at Kappla.

3:39:28Um,

3:39:30I want to thank especially

3:39:33uh Representative Viegas. Uh,

3:39:35Representative Viegas and I worked in

3:39:38Pima County together. She was a housing

3:39:43um reinvestment uh program manager. I

3:39:46was the neighborhood reinvestment

3:39:49program coordinator, a junior uh to her

3:39:53and supervisor Richard Elias who at the

3:39:56time also worked as a manager for

3:40:00housing reinvestment. I learned

3:40:02everything there is to know about

3:40:03affordable housing from Representative

3:40:06Viegas and Supervisor Elas.

3:40:11um huge advocates and not only that,

3:40:15they shared the history of the city of

3:40:19Tucson

3:40:20and um really

3:40:24uh the impacts of urban renewal and

3:40:28freeway construction

3:40:31uh and public housing redevelopment and

3:40:33other government sponsored actions that

3:40:37displace generations of Tucson families.

3:40:41At a time the late supervisor Richard

3:40:44Ilas was a historian. That's what he

3:40:47studied at the UVA and that's what he

3:40:49loved and he particularly loved the

3:40:52history of the city of Tucson. And at

3:40:56the time when

3:40:59previous councils and mayors had

3:41:03perpetrated

3:41:05displace horrific displacement of very

3:41:08specific um Mexican-American families,

3:41:12Chinese-American families,

3:41:14African-American families, indigenous

3:41:16families in and around the downtown area

3:41:21and an area, by the way, that they had

3:41:24lived for generations

3:41:27and that they had operated businesses

3:41:31and created thriving, vibrant

3:41:35neighborhoods.

3:41:37Um,

3:41:39previous mayors and councils um

3:41:42prioritized building a new freeway and a

3:41:45convention center over people. And our

3:41:49conversations throughout the year always

3:41:52were, how can we write the historic

3:41:57wrongs?

3:41:59And as mayor, I'll be perfectly honest

3:42:02with you.

3:42:04I first ran for council in 2007.

3:42:09And

3:42:11I quickly realized

3:42:13the

3:42:15um that many families, especially in the

3:42:18southside and the west side, those

3:42:20displays from downtown,

3:42:23uh really had

3:42:25um a lot of doubt and they didn't trust

3:42:31the city of Tucson.

3:42:33And in knowing our history is so

3:42:36wonderful to not commit what that past

3:42:41decisions were right by our mayor and

3:42:43council. It was the displacement. It was

3:42:46racist covenants.

3:42:49um redlinining from banks

3:42:53that really moved

3:42:56uh marginalized families

3:42:59uh from opportunity, displaced from

3:43:02their homes and moved from opportunity.

3:43:07And the areas that we now see 86 87%

3:43:12population of Mexican-American

3:43:15indigenous families live in were the

3:43:18only areas that these families were able

3:43:20to move in. And these areas still to

3:43:23this day,

3:43:26many of them don't have appropriate

3:43:29parks, are underparked,

3:43:32um don't have sidewalks,

3:43:35don't have the quality of life that

3:43:37every family deserves to have in the

3:43:40city of Tucson. that disruption,

3:43:43shattered families, and we still have

3:43:46elders to this day that remember, and

3:43:49they still uh have that trauma, and they

3:43:53still distrust Tucson. TCE was happening

3:43:58um during, you know, the 80s.

3:44:02[snorts] Lots of rights we need to

3:44:03wrong. Um

3:44:06so that's what I've been working on as a

3:44:08council member in my 12 years in

3:44:10service. uh [snorts] on the council, in

3:44:13my relationship with Representative Beie

3:44:18um and in her encouraging myself and

3:44:21many of you and the vice mayor to really

3:44:24think about affordable housing as a

3:44:26stabilizing force for families. These

3:44:30are the things that we tap into to bring

3:44:34these items to the table. And we talked

3:44:38about, you know, the community

3:44:40preference policy. In other words,

3:44:43um to be able to give, uh priority for

3:44:47families that had been displaced because

3:44:50of the decisions that previous mayors

3:44:52and councils had made. Um my dear friend

3:44:56Tucson historian Lydiao wrote a book la

3:45:02a vital book uh highlighting the

3:45:04long-term impact of urban renewal and

3:45:07how those decisions shape local politics

3:45:11and urban development. Back when I was a

3:45:13council member at that time I told Livia

3:45:16that Tucson has a long history and we

3:45:19must remember it.

3:45:22Um, so we never repeat those mistakes.

3:45:24Um, I'm happy that Vice Mayor,

3:45:29Representative Viegas, myself, and now

3:45:32the, as I said, the amazing team of

3:45:34housing community development as well as

3:45:37the University of Arizona Capstone

3:45:39students, we're able to really dig deep

3:45:43and do thorough research and exploration

3:45:46um to the work that is being presented

3:45:49today in the community preference

3:45:52policy. So, my thanks. Um, it's a long

3:45:57way to say

3:46:00this has long this is a long time in

3:46:02coming. And so, I know Vice Mayor, you

3:46:06had some thoughts. I don't know if you

3:46:07wanted to include those thoughts right

3:46:09now to open up the item or if you wanted

3:46:12to go through the presentation first.

3:46:15>> Uh, mayor, I'll just I'll just go now.

3:46:17um that way we can get through the

3:46:19presentation and um Rep. Viegas's

3:46:21remarks and then I want to hear from my

3:46:22colleagues. Um I I do um share the same

3:46:27relationship um with Representative

3:46:29Viegas as a a a mentor when it comes to

3:46:34talking about affordable housing and our

3:46:36historic barios. and as you walk this

3:46:40through, you know, the the history um in

3:46:42within the city of Tucson and a lot of

3:46:44that that grief and that pain that still

3:46:47exists. So, I really um want to thank,

3:46:51you know, this this collaboration

3:46:52between our offices, um between our

3:46:55housing and community development and

3:46:57the University of Arizona capstone team,

3:46:59you know, for the work that's been done

3:47:00to date. Um I again want to thank

3:47:03Representative Betty Viegas who we've

3:47:05been having these conversations and we

3:47:07were talking about them as a right to

3:47:08return policy early on and that those um

3:47:13conversations have evolved now to uh

3:47:15this preference policy. Um and I just

3:47:18thank you representative for again your

3:47:20your mentorship and the ways that um you

3:47:23challenge us to to work intentionally

3:47:26um with uh community at the center. So,

3:47:30uh, we asked for for this discussion

3:47:32because, um, we we talk about building

3:47:35housing affordability. We need to center

3:47:37the communities that have directly been

3:47:39impacted by government decisions as the

3:47:41mayor has outlined. Um, right now,

3:47:43Tucson is facing a different set of

3:47:45pressures. We have housing costs that

3:47:48continue to rise. My office hears from

3:47:50constituents every day about how

3:47:52difficult it is to pay rent or utility

3:47:54bills. Uh this is why um we've been

3:47:57championing, you know, this housing

3:47:59affordability and supporting uh

3:48:03developing uh affordable housing on

3:48:05city- owned land um to to meet this much

3:48:08needed housing need. So I am proud of

3:48:10the five affordable housing projects we

3:48:12have in the planning stages in Ward One.

3:48:14Um our neighbors support housing but

3:48:16also feel the pressure of change and the

3:48:19pain from the past displacements. Um

3:48:22there are barios in the city where

3:48:24families and communities have lived for

3:48:25generations. Uh these are places with

3:48:28deep cultural ties, family networks,

3:48:30businesses, schools, churches, and a

3:48:33sense of identity and belonging that

3:48:35cannot simply be recreated somewhere

3:48:37else. And uh you know, we recognize that

3:48:41building affordable housing, you know,

3:48:43does bring change into the neighborhood.

3:48:45Um, and because we're bringing

3:48:47significant investment to some of our

3:48:49historic barios, and we want those

3:48:51investments to not only create an

3:48:53opportunity for more stable housing, um,

3:48:56just for for long-term, uh, better

3:48:58outcomes. And so the the question is

3:49:01very much connected to the work we're

3:49:02doing through the prosperity initiative.

3:49:05Um, that prosperity initiative asks us

3:49:07to recognize that poverty and economic

3:49:09instability are shaped by systems and

3:49:11policy choices. And if policy choices

3:49:14helped create barriers in the past, then

3:49:16our policies today have to be

3:49:18intentional about removing barriers and

3:49:20expanding uh better better

3:49:23opportunities, better outcomes. So

3:49:25housing is a critical part of that

3:49:27housing stability. Um and we know that

3:49:30that is the cornerstone of addressing

3:49:32generational poverty in our community.

3:49:34The community preference policy

3:49:35discussion allows us to look at another

3:49:37piece of that of this question of

3:49:40whether there are ways to help residents

3:49:41who have experienced displacement or who

3:49:44are at heightened risk of displacement

3:49:46maintain a connection to the communities

3:49:48that they've called home. So, we're

3:49:50beginning the conversation in a space to

3:49:52learn as we explore how to do better for

3:49:54our communities um than the policies

3:49:57that were instituted in the past. So, we

3:49:59need to understand what other

3:50:00communities have done, what lessons

3:50:02their experiences offer, what would

3:50:04actually be appropriate and workable in

3:50:06Tucson, and we also need to take

3:50:08seriously the legal and fair housing

3:50:10considerations, uh the potential impacts

3:50:12of any policy and the practical

3:50:14realities of implementation. But just as

3:50:17importantly, we need to hear from uh

3:50:19tuonins tones who have lived this

3:50:22history. Um because ultimately, this is

3:50:24about more than a preference in

3:50:25affordable housing application. It's

3:50:28about whether we can build a a Tucson

3:50:30where families have again access to not

3:50:33only opportunities but better outcomes

3:50:34and where housing is stable and

3:50:36affordable and where people have a real

3:50:38place in the communities um that they

3:50:40call home. Um so with that I want to

3:50:43kick this off to anka and the students

3:50:46who have done amazing um work in in

3:50:49getting us to this place.

3:50:52>> Thank you vice mayor. Hello again,

3:50:54honorable mayor, members of the council.

3:50:57First, I want to thank the mayor and

3:50:59vice mayor for bringing this item

3:51:01forward for a study session discussion

3:51:04today. When I think about the

3:51:08um possibility of a preference policy

3:51:10for Tucson, I think about the countless

3:51:13conversations I've had and feedback I've

3:51:16received doing outreach for many, many

3:51:20city projects. I've been for the past 20

3:51:23years in Tucson doing community

3:51:24engagement and talking to Tonins.

3:51:27Regardless of the project, there are

3:51:29often similar themes that emerge when

3:51:33doing outreach. And I think the mayor

3:51:35and vice vice mayor summarize this

3:51:37really well. We hear about the anger

3:51:41from decisions that were made long ago

3:51:44and so understandably generations of

3:51:47tonins still hold some of that anger. We

3:51:51also hear a lot of the times from

3:51:53neighbors who are concerned that those

3:51:55projects, the projects that are being

3:51:57proposed are not going to benefit them.

3:52:00In addition, as the city's housing

3:52:02director, I think it's important I

3:52:05recognize the role the housing industry

3:52:07has played in perpetuating inequities

3:52:10across the US. They the mayor mentioned

3:52:12the tools such as redlinining, racist

3:52:15covenants, other discriminary practices

3:52:18that have had significant impacts that

3:52:20we still see today. I recognize a

3:52:23preference policy is not going to change

3:52:25or make up for the past. But I do think

3:52:28if it's done well, we can acknowledge

3:52:30the past. We can support some of the

3:52:32families who were harmed and we can help

3:52:35prevent future displacements. For those

3:52:38reasons, should mayor and council choose

3:52:40to move this forward, HCD is ready to

3:52:43support the implementation of this

3:52:45policy. Preference policies and right to

3:52:48return policies are something I've been

3:52:50following across the country. I've seen

3:52:52it work well in certain cities and

3:52:54organizations.

3:52:56And as the vice mayor mentioned, I've

3:52:58also seen some that are caught in legal

3:53:00challenges. So it's really important we

3:53:03do our homework and provide information

3:53:06for the policy to be successful. So that

3:53:09is why housing and community development

3:53:11submitted this idea to the college of

3:53:13architecture planning and landscape

3:53:15architecture at the University of

3:53:16Arizona for consideration of a capstone

3:53:19project. Fortunately, a group of four at

3:53:22the time UA master students in the

3:53:25planning program selected this project

3:53:27to work on. You'll hear from two of

3:53:29those students in a moment. I want to

3:53:31also express a thank you to the student

3:53:33group for their hard work, dedication,

3:53:35and thoughtful recommendations. I'd also

3:53:38like to thank the HCD staff who work

3:53:41closely with the students and develop

3:53:43the draft community engagement plan that

3:53:45is part of your materials today and

3:53:48especially Lena Prell who led that

3:53:50initiative working with the students and

3:53:52the engagement plan. If mayor and

3:53:54council decide to move this forward, HCD

3:53:57is ready to coordinate community

3:53:58outreach to ensure the policy is rooted

3:54:01in and created with tonins who have

3:54:04suffered prior harms or or who are at

3:54:06risk of displacement. I want to also

3:54:09give a quick thank you to Representative

3:54:11Betty Vieas. Representative Vieas has

3:54:13been talking to me for years about a

3:54:15right to return policy. So for me, it's

3:54:18really important we do it right and we

3:54:20get her input as we go. And then last

3:54:24but not least, I do want to thank Rory

3:54:26Lusk and Lupe Garcia. In your materials,

3:54:30there's a preliminary analysis from the

3:54:32city attorney's office and in particular

3:54:35Lupe Garcia. Um I mentioned that some

3:54:38preference policies have been subject to

3:54:40lawsuits. And so if this moves forward,

3:54:43it's really important that we work

3:54:45closely with our attorneys to make sure

3:54:48this is something that is defensible and

3:54:50results in the positive outcomes we

3:54:52intend. And so I'll turn it over to Roy

3:54:55to briefly remark on the leg legal

3:54:57aspects of this item.

3:55:01>> Uh honorable mayor and council, um I

3:55:04I'll be brief. I I I think we've we've

3:55:06done a a pretty thorough job of of

3:55:08looking at what the legal ramifications

3:55:10of a community preference policy are. I

3:55:13do also want to thank my my colleague in

3:55:15the city attorney's office, Lupe Garcia,

3:55:16who's also here if we have questions. U

3:55:20but uh to to be clear, uh we're talking

3:55:22about two different things, right? We're

3:55:24so so we're talking about for right now

3:55:26a a policy for LITC projects within the

3:55:29city. Um there there's additional

3:55:31requirements for when we're talking

3:55:33about public housing and and housing

3:55:34choice voucher uh uh uh projects, but

3:55:38for those LITC projects, we're we're

3:55:40really concerned about basically one

3:55:43thing. um and that is what the impact of

3:55:46the policy is. And and so our office has

3:55:49has reviewed the policies presented and

3:55:51we believe that as long as uh HCD is

3:55:54careful and considerate of uh any

3:55:56disperate impacts by uh conducting a

3:56:00disparate impact uh analysis uh prior to

3:56:02the implementation of the policy as well

3:56:04as ongoing then I think we're

3:56:06comfortable with this this pro this

3:56:08preference policy.

3:56:11>> Thanks Roy. One clarification at this

3:56:14time we're talking about city city

3:56:16developed LITC projects. Um but at this

3:56:20time I'd like to introduce Amanda Grant

3:56:23who I'm really grateful is now an HCD

3:56:26employee but she was part of the UVA

3:56:28Capstone team along with her classmate

3:56:31April Putney another of the students who

3:56:34worked on this project.

3:56:45Honorable mayor and members of the

3:56:47council, uh we appreciate the

3:56:49opportunity to speak today and share our

3:56:52master's capstone project titled toward

3:56:54a community preference policy in Tucson.

3:56:58Uh in addition to our presentation, we

3:57:00have also brought policy briefs uh

3:57:04developed with all of you in mind. Um so

3:57:07I wanted to offer these to you to peruse

3:57:10if you wish. Uh a lot of our maps

3:57:13provide in our uh are in the policy

3:57:16briefs um that can supplement some of

3:57:18the things that we are going to speak on

3:57:21today.

3:57:23So I'm [laughter] Amanda Grant and this

3:57:25is April Putney. Um today we're

3:57:28providing an a our a bridge

3:57:30recommendations based on our full report

3:57:33which appears in today's supporting

3:57:35documents.

3:57:36Absent today are the two other members

3:57:39of our team Joy Kulo and Enya Seed. And

3:57:42although they're not here um I wanted to

3:57:45take time to recognize their invaluable

3:57:47contributions to this project.

3:57:52So, the purpose of this slide is to

3:57:55underline just how much work went into

3:57:57our project. I'm mostly going to skip it

3:58:00for time, but I wanted to highlight our

3:58:02communications with fair housing lawyers

3:58:04and our national scan of existing

3:58:06community preference policies.

3:58:09We reviewed just about every policy that

3:58:11we found and we secured interviews with

3:58:13impleers from Seattle, Portland, San

3:58:16Francisco, Berkeley, and Austin.

3:58:23So, what is a community preference

3:58:25policy? I'm going to begin with an

3:58:28illustration. Uh, let's call this

3:58:30illustration Lisa. So, Lisa is a Tonin

3:58:34who is increasingly worried about having

3:58:36to move out of her neighborhood to find

3:58:38an apartment that she can afford. Her

3:58:40rent is raised every time she renews her

3:58:43lease, and it takes up an increasing

3:58:45percentage of her budget, leaving less

3:58:47money for groceries, utilities, and

3:58:49other expenses. The city is building a

3:58:51new affordable housing building in

3:58:53Lisa's neighborhood. She's excited to

3:58:55learn that she meets the income

3:58:56requirements. She contacts the project

3:58:59and is added to the wait list for a unit

3:59:01in the building, but the demand is

3:59:03prohibitively high.

3:59:06Lisa is deeply frustrated that this

3:59:08opportunity to stabilize her living

3:59:10situation is again out of reach. This

3:59:13time because the demand for units at the

3:59:15building is too high. Uh this is

3:59:18especially disappointed disappointing

3:59:20because it is not the first time her

3:59:22family has experienced residential

3:59:25displacement.

3:59:27Applying a community preference policy

3:59:29or CPP to the building in Lisa's

3:59:32neighborhood could make all the

3:59:33difference. A CPP is an allocation tool

3:59:36that prioritizes affordable units for

3:59:40residents who meet specific criteria. So

3:59:43if a person meets this criteria, they

3:59:46are moved to the front of the weight

3:59:47list. Cities can use these criteria

3:59:50called preferences in our presentation

3:59:53to target residents who have histories

3:59:55of displacement.

3:59:57Preferences can also be projected

3:59:59forward to try and catch residents

4:00:01before they are displaced. At the start

4:00:04of our work, HCD requested that our team

4:00:06propose a CPP that does both of these

4:00:09things. That the preferences should

4:00:12redress unjust community displacements

4:00:14in Tucson's past and prevent further

4:00:18harms from continued displacement.

4:00:21The benefits of adopting a CPP don't

4:00:23necessarily stop with housing. The

4:00:26public participation for a CPP creates

4:00:28an opportunity to build trust with

4:00:30community members who have been deeply

4:00:32hurt by and are therefore critical of

4:00:35past city action. In a reading about

4:00:38Portland's CPP, the author noted how

4:00:41their policy's greatest greatest success

4:00:44wasn't necessarily in the housing it

4:00:46provided, but in the way the city was

4:00:48able to work in good faith with some of

4:00:50its loudest critics and begin a new era

4:00:53of buyin and collaboration with those

4:00:55communities.

4:00:57The importance of thorough and

4:00:59thoughtful public engagement processes

4:01:01was a discussion our team had often. In

4:01:05so many ways, the success of the CPP

4:01:08hinges on the integrity of its community

4:01:11input process. It is paramount.

4:01:15Otherwise,

4:01:17uh this opportunity to build bridges is

4:01:19squandered and implementers come off as

4:01:21disingenuous and self-serving. Okay,

4:01:24let's get to the good stuff. Uh our CPP

4:01:28consists of four preferences. Preference

4:01:30one addresses historic and historic

4:01:33displacement and exclusion.

4:01:36>> Thank you, Amanda. So, we begin with our

4:01:39first preference category, arguably the

4:01:41most important one for the repairerative

4:01:42goal, especially considering the

4:01:44historical context provided by honorable

4:01:46mayor and council members. Uh, it is

4:01:49already widely acknowledged that

4:01:50widespread housing displacement was the

4:01:52result of government actions in Tucson's

4:01:54history. These actions displaced

4:01:56families, entire communities even, and

4:01:58wiped out whole neighborhoods.

4:02:00Preference one provides the city of

4:02:02Tucson an opportunity to begin attempts

4:02:04at repairing harm from housing

4:02:06displacement due to four defined

4:02:08historical events,

4:02:10urban renewal slum clearance for the TCC

4:02:12construction, construction of I 10,

4:02:15public housing demolition, and exclusion

4:02:18from areas in Tucson due to racist

4:02:20covenants. In preference one, applicants

4:02:23can submit documentation to the city of

4:02:25Tucson to show that they or their family

4:02:27were displaced in one of these events.

4:02:30For Lisa, this means that if her parents

4:02:32or grandparents were displaced, she can

4:02:34earn a preference points in city-owned

4:02:36affordable housing. The city can never

4:02:38allow Lisa or her family to return to

4:02:40neighborhoods that no longer exist, and

4:02:42it can never undo the harm that came

4:02:44from destroying communities. However, it

4:02:46can begin a conversation with an attempt

4:02:48to repair harm by encouraging those

4:02:49affected and their descendants to find

4:02:51stability today through access to

4:02:54affordable housing.

4:02:56Before you, you can see a map. The oval

4:02:59contains the three sites where

4:03:01government action displaced communities

4:03:04historically in Tucson. And then the

4:03:06pink polygons you see represent areas

4:03:08with recorded racially restrictive

4:03:10covenants where um black and brown

4:03:13people were prevented from living.

4:03:17Preference two.

4:03:21Preference two addresses income

4:03:23qualifying tonins in high risk

4:03:26displacement areas. In this preference,

4:03:28we try to identify folks who are

4:03:30currently in danger of displacement and

4:03:32prioritize them for affordable units. in

4:03:34this uh in affordable housing developed

4:03:36by the city's nonprofit.

4:03:38So, how do we identify these residents?

4:03:42Diagnosing areas in town as about to

4:03:44gentrify is a challenge. Researchers

4:03:47generally agree on an equation for this

4:03:50prediction. It appears on the slide.

4:03:52Social vulnerability plus market change

4:03:56equals displacement risk. We decided to

4:03:59use the Tucson Equity Priority Index,

4:04:01also known as TEPY, to identify areas of

4:04:04high social vulnerability. We modeled

4:04:07our market change indicator off of the

4:04:09Puma County Housing Assessment using

4:04:11federal appraisal data to highlight

4:04:13neighborhoods that are seeing a lot of

4:04:14new construction and where homes are

4:04:16selling at prices above their appraised

4:04:19value. We call areas where social

4:04:21vulnerability and market change over

4:04:24overlapped high-risk displacement areas.

4:04:30We built set indicators into a shape

4:04:32file and mapped them. We call this tool

4:04:34Dr. I, which stands for displacement

4:04:37risk index. We included the shape file

4:04:40as a deliverable within our project.

4:04:42These are the census tracks that Dr. I

4:04:45currently identifies as high-risisk

4:04:47displacement areas. So, if Lisa lived in

4:04:50any of these census tracks, she would

4:04:52qualify for this preference.

4:04:55Preference

4:04:58three is for neighborhood residents who

4:05:00live in close proximity to City of

4:05:03Tucson affordable housing projects.

4:05:06Uh important. Oh, pardon me. So, this is

4:05:10for neighbors like Lisa who live close

4:05:12enough to the site of an affordable

4:05:13housing project. Uh so, for people like

4:05:16Lisa, this means that if she lived

4:05:18nearby, she could earn a preference

4:05:20point and help her chances to remain

4:05:21within her current neighborhood. This

4:05:24preference addresses the goal to prevent

4:05:25harm from continued housing

4:05:27displacement. Many Tucson residents like

4:05:29Lisa fear that new development in their

4:05:31area signals gentrification and will

4:05:33lead to rising rents. As private

4:05:35investment often follows public

4:05:37investment, this is a valid concern, but

4:05:40one which can be helped by creating a

4:05:42preference for neighborhood residents

4:05:43who income qualify.

4:05:46Uh, importantly, the neighborhood res

4:05:48resident preference will not apply when

4:05:50an affordable housing project is within

4:05:52an area of low or low to moderate social

4:05:55vulnerability. According to the existing

4:05:57Tucson Equity Priority Index, because

4:06:00these areas are expected to have higher

4:06:02opportunities for neighborhood residents

4:06:04as it stands, close proximity will need

4:06:07to be defined based on legal analysis

4:06:09and public engagement.

4:06:11We suggest beginning with a radius of 1

4:06:14to three miles from project sites. The

4:06:16map that you see outlines our

4:06:18suggestion. The epicenter of each circle

4:06:20represents an existing or future city of

4:06:23Tucson affordable housing project. The

4:06:26smaller circle is one mile radius and

4:06:28the larger dotted circle is 3 miles

4:06:31radius from the site. And the base map

4:06:33that you see uses colors from the Tucson

4:06:36Equity Priority Index to represent

4:06:38social vulnerability.

4:06:40Moving on to preference four. This is

4:06:43for personal housing displacement

4:06:44events. So this uh preference category

4:06:48aims to repair harm to households who

4:06:50experienced housing displacement due to

4:06:52mortgage foreclosure, eviction or a

4:06:54disaster like fire or flood within the

4:06:56last 10 years.

4:06:58While historical housing displacement

4:07:00happened most often due to government

4:07:01action, contemporary displacement

4:07:03typically occurs due to private action

4:07:05or disasters often enabled by existing

4:07:08laws and regulations.

4:07:11Today's housing displacement can be

4:07:12difficult to detect because le people

4:07:15like Lisa are forced to leave their

4:07:17neighborhoods due to rising costs. This

4:07:19type of displacement leaves no trace,

4:07:22just an absence.

4:07:24So, preference 4 aims to capture the

4:07:26most dire results of rising costs,

4:07:28foreclosure and eviction. These, along

4:07:30with disasters, represent verifiable

4:07:32instances of contemporary displacement

4:07:35that merit repair when people are

4:07:37displaced due to rising costs.

4:07:40Applicants can provide documentation of

4:07:42their displacement to the city to earn

4:07:44preference point.

4:07:46For Lisa, this means that though her

4:07:48chances to find new housing have been

4:07:49hurt by a previous foreclosure,

4:07:51eviction, or disaster, she can earn some

4:07:53preference to find housing stability

4:07:54moving forward and recover from adverse

4:07:57events that can be considerably unjust.

4:08:05The four preferences of the CPP come

4:08:07together to create a scorecard.

4:08:09Affordable housing applicants receive

4:08:11points for each preference that they

4:08:13qualify for. Not all preferences are

4:08:15weighted the same. The point values

4:08:17we've assigned correspond with how

4:08:19difficult it is to access necessary

4:08:22records and how widely used we believe

4:08:24the preference will be. Applicants with

4:08:27the highest scores will be first in line

4:08:29for the units. Our policy recommends

4:08:32that 40% of affordable units go to CPP

4:08:36recipients. Once that 40% are full, the

4:08:40remaining applicants are returned to the

4:08:42general pool and are awarded housing

4:08:45using the existing process. If there are

4:08:47not enough CP CPP recipients to fill the

4:08:5040%, those units are given to folks from

4:08:52the general pool. No units should set

4:08:55empty.

4:08:57As we close this presentation, I wanted

4:08:59to be clear that the CPP is not a silver

4:09:01bullet. It is a single tool that should

4:09:04appear in a larger suite of policies to

4:09:06alleviate residential displacement. A

4:09:09goal that is lock step with plan Tucson,

4:09:11the housing affordability strategy for

4:09:13Tucson and the people, communities, and

4:09:15homes investment plan. It's a step in

4:09:18the right direction.

4:09:20Uh this concludes our presentation. Uh

4:09:23thank you again for the opportunity to

4:09:24speak today and uh happy to answer any

4:09:27questions.

4:09:29>> Thank you so much. That was an amazing

4:09:31presentation. Thank you so much to the

4:09:33Kappa students for their incredible

4:09:36resour research and bringing this to us

4:09:39today. And uh what's our next steps

4:09:41before we start with questions?

4:09:44>> Yeah, thanks mayor. Thank you again to

4:09:46the students. I would say one reminder

4:09:49is I think the students work gives us a

4:09:52great starting point but that housing

4:09:55and community development does recommend

4:09:57it be a starting point. We do community

4:10:00engagement. We do listening sessions. We

4:10:03co-design the policy with the community.

4:10:07Um, I do believe we wanted

4:10:08Representative Betty Vieas to give a

4:10:11brief uh summary of her analysis.

4:10:15[snorts]

4:10:18>> Thank Thank you. Thank you, Ann. Thank

4:10:20you, Mayor and Council, for allowing me

4:10:22to be here. This is a really special

4:10:26almost

4:10:28emotional.

4:10:34I think I first met an when I was

4:10:37working on a paper on gentrification 10

4:10:39years ago, 11 years ago. And um it's

4:10:44something that during my entire career

4:10:47of housing and working in community,

4:10:50it's it's uh something that I've always

4:10:55uh worked on because people have always

4:10:57been, you know, come to me and have been

4:10:59affected. My own family has been

4:11:01affected. If you're a native of Tucson

4:11:04um and you're Mexican-American or person

4:11:07of color, you've experienced

4:11:09displacement. And when we first started

4:11:12working on the on gentrification, we

4:11:14realized I realized early on that you

4:11:17can't stop people from moving where they

4:11:19want to live, but you can stop

4:11:22displacement. And that was my main

4:11:25purpose. How can we stop displacement?

4:11:29How can we stop? How can we protect our

4:11:32legacy businesses and our legacy

4:11:34residents

4:11:36that deserve to stay whether there's

4:11:40reinvestment going on? Um and as an and

4:11:44I I don't someone just said that um

4:11:47public investment

4:11:49uh comes first and then private

4:11:51investment and when the private

4:11:53investment comes is in is when you start

4:11:55seeing gentrification.

4:11:58So we need to be able to stop it at the

4:12:01root, right? When the public investment

4:12:02is coming in, then we that's when we

4:12:05should really start looking at some of

4:12:07these uh ways of stopping the

4:12:10displacement. Um so I'm I just want to

4:12:14congratulate and thank uh the Capstone

4:12:16students. You did an amazing job to see

4:12:20something like this come forward. And

4:12:22thank you, mayor, and and and uh vice

4:12:24mayor, for for listening and just

4:12:29learning and understanding how important

4:12:32it is for some of us that have lived

4:12:35here for a long time and have

4:12:37experienced um these inequities that

4:12:40happened to us and our families a long

4:12:43time ago. And if we can do something to

4:12:46correct that now, I think it would say a

4:12:49lot, not just for you as a city and

4:12:52council, but us as a city and community.

4:12:56And um I know I just want to say one

4:12:59thing about the LITC. I know we're

4:13:02looking at only um uh properties that

4:13:06that the city will be uh responsible for

4:13:09and building, but I know that with LITC

4:13:13projects, as long as it's in the QAP

4:13:16um and it's designated in the QAP, um it

4:13:21should be okay for others to use it as

4:13:24well. I believe that there are ways to

4:13:26expand this to even more than just um

4:13:30city housing and I look forward to the

4:13:32many conversations that will happen um

4:13:35during this um this time of of uh

4:13:39figuring it all out and I have no doubt

4:13:42that this will happen um sooner rather

4:13:45than later. So, thank you very much for

4:13:47allowing this this opportunity.

4:13:50Thank you, Representative Beie, and

4:13:52thank you so much for being so involved,

4:13:54doing so much in terms of affordable

4:13:56housing, and it's wonderful to have you

4:13:59as a partner at the state legislature.

4:14:02Thank you.

4:14:03>> H

4:14:05direction.

4:14:06>> We are ready. If anyone has questions or

4:14:09comments, we're happy to take those.

4:14:11>> Uh, do you need a motion to proceed with

4:14:14community engagement?

4:14:15>> We would like direction. Yes, mayor.

4:14:17>> Righty. Can we start with that and get

4:14:19and then go into questions, vice mayor?

4:14:23>> Okay. So, I move to direct housing and

4:14:25community development staff to conduct

4:14:27community engagement on a community

4:14:29preference policy following the

4:14:31engagement plan included in today's

4:14:33material and return to Maring Council in

4:14:35spring of 2027 with the finalized policy

4:14:39recommendation informed by community

4:14:41feedback and uh desperate impact

4:14:45analysis.

4:14:46There is a motion. May I have a second,

4:14:48please?

4:14:49>> I second that motion.

4:14:50>> There's a motion and a second. And now

4:14:52it's time for discussion. And I did see

4:14:54council member Barahas with her hand up.

4:14:56So, go ahead, council member.

4:14:57>> All right. Thank you, mayor. Well, thank

4:14:59you, HCD, and thank you to Kappla for

4:15:02this project. I really enjoyed reading

4:15:05it and seeing it. Um, and of course,

4:15:08thank you to Mayor and Vice Mayor for

4:15:09your involvement and our state

4:15:11representative, Betty Viegas. I know

4:15:13we've had lots of conversations around

4:15:15this topic. Um I you know I'm I'm really

4:15:19excited for this community engagement

4:15:20aspect. So please include our office

4:15:22every step of the way

4:15:24especially as you shared mayor. You

4:15:26know, the harms of past city actions

4:15:28have a have a impact on our southside

4:15:31and our westside neighborhoods where

4:15:33people who were displaced by Tucson

4:15:35Convention Center, public housing

4:15:37demolitions and the freeway largely we

4:15:40relocated to both Ward 1 and W 5. So,

4:15:44additionally, when we meet, I would like

4:15:45to discuss the community preference

4:15:47policy workg group, including

4:15:49potentially additional neighborhoods and

4:15:51community organizations beyond those

4:15:54listed in the draft engagement plan. I'm

4:15:56also interested in discussing ideas for

4:15:59participatory engagement facilitators.

4:16:02And I have a couple one question, two

4:16:05questions. So I notice on

4:16:08preference three on the map largely city

4:16:12of South Tucson is you know in that um

4:16:16that that buffer. How are we as a city

4:16:19actively engaging with that jurisdiction

4:16:22especially being that that city is 75%

4:16:25renters. So that city is um high alert

4:16:28for for displacement and gentrification.

4:16:31I'll let you answer that one and then

4:16:32I'll go into my last question.

4:16:34>> Yeah. Thank you, Council Member Brahas.

4:16:37So, I will say we can do more engagement

4:16:41with the city of South Tucson. This

4:16:43right now we are looking at this as for

4:16:46city projects which are currently only

4:16:48in the city jurisdiction. That said, I

4:16:51am really grateful that the city of

4:16:52South Tucson leadership has participated

4:16:56and been a part of the South Tent

4:16:58discussions for a future affordable

4:17:01housing project that is right on their

4:17:03border. And so given that, I do think we

4:17:06can do more engagement with the city of

4:17:08South Tucson related to this policy.

4:17:10>> Okay. Thank you. And then lastly, this

4:17:13is something that I know I've mentioned

4:17:14to you all and and actually um st

4:17:17[clears throat] many viegas around

4:17:20family estate planning. I would like to

4:17:22include some type of component on that

4:17:25in this engagement efforts because a lot

4:17:27of our legacy families are aging and I

4:17:32feel like there hasn't been enough

4:17:33discussions of what's going to happen to

4:17:34that property when they when they're no

4:17:37longer here. And um looking at the map,

4:17:39a lot of those neighborhoods do have

4:17:41those legacy families and legacy

4:17:44businesses too, which I would like to

4:17:46see if we could include that as well,

4:17:48cuz when gentrification happens around

4:17:51our business corridors, you know, that's

4:17:53kind of the first sign of of

4:17:54displacement and gentrification. So,

4:17:57thank you.

4:18:00>> Any others,

4:18:02questions, comments?

4:18:04All righty. That's wonderful. Um then

4:18:07there's a motion on the floor. There's a

4:18:09second. All those in favor of the

4:18:11motion, please indicate by saying I.

4:18:14>> I. I.

4:18:15>> Any against? Motion carries. Thank you

4:18:18all so much. We really appreciate you

4:18:21and your knowledge and looking forward

4:18:23to the continued discussion. Thank you,

4:18:25Representative Viegas, for coming to and

4:18:29speaking with us. Much gracias.

4:18:32All righty.

4:18:34Uh let's see. We are going on to item

4:18:38nine. Let's go see what item nine holds.

4:18:42>> Yes.

4:18:44>> All righty.

4:18:46Item nine. Time has been set aside to

4:18:48provide an update on the regional opioid

4:18:50response and how the city and Puma

4:18:53County are addressing it in Tucson. Um,

4:18:57Mr. Manager, I don't know if you have

4:19:00our team here.

4:19:02>> Thank you, honorable mayor and members

4:19:04of the council. I believe the team is

4:19:06rapidly approaching us. Um [laughter] we

4:19:09do have uh the fabulous Lee Hopkins here

4:19:12to um kick things off with us. And then

4:19:16we do have Dr. Jacobs from the

4:19:18University of Arizona also present to to

4:19:21give you an update on the sobering

4:19:24alternative for recovery center or safer

4:19:26center. So with that, I would like to

4:19:29turn it directly over uh to Lee.

4:19:33Good afternoon everyone. Thank you so

4:19:35much for having us um honorable mayor

4:19:37and members of the council. So I will be

4:19:39brief with my remarks today because I

4:19:41want to leave time for our guests. Um

4:19:44starting off just an overview of some of

4:19:46the points in the memo. Uh the regional

4:19:50opioid settlement advisory committee has

4:19:52some updates. In July, we received an

4:19:55additional $4 million into the pool of

4:19:58opioid settlement funds, bringing us to

4:20:01a total of 35.5 million received

4:20:04historically.

4:20:06Um, also, uh, in July, at the end of

4:20:10July, ROSAC members approved, um, just

4:20:14under $330,000

4:20:15contract to fund four months of bridge

4:20:19funding for our Desert Cove um, recovery

4:20:22and re-entry program that the city will

4:20:25be doing with CBI. And the health

4:20:28department uh with ROSAC's approval also

4:20:32is currently drafting a request for

4:20:35proposal for annual funding for a low

4:20:38barrier recovery and re-entry um

4:20:40addiction treatment program that will be

4:20:43a competitive bid. So, we anticipate

4:20:45that RFP coming out in the next few

4:20:47months and though that project would

4:20:50begin likely around February of 2027 for

4:20:55renewable annual funding. Um,

4:20:59also the 2026 funded projects that are

4:21:04the grantees of opioid settlement

4:21:06dollars concluded their second quarter

4:21:08of work. I'm happy to share specific

4:21:11details. Um, but in the in the interest

4:21:13of time, I'll just share that whereas

4:21:16quarter one was a lot of planning,

4:21:18quarter two was full implementation. So,

4:21:21we've seen a lot of progress in the

4:21:23projects, the number of youth that have

4:21:25been um reached through the prevention

4:21:27efforts has doubled up to 500 youth. We

4:21:31also see certain partners working

4:21:33together to create referral processes

4:21:35from one of their programs into the next

4:21:38so that there's a continuum of care

4:21:40being funded by the opioid settlement

4:21:42dollars. Um and all grantees currently

4:21:46because of the nature of year one of

4:21:48funding are under spent. So we have a

4:21:51little buffer of funding. Um, we do

4:21:54anticipate that in year two they will be

4:21:57spending their full budgets, but for

4:21:59this year we did have a little cost

4:22:00savings as well.

4:22:02Currently, the ROSAC members are doing

4:22:06site [clears throat] visits with all of

4:22:07the grantees. Um, I'm going to one

4:22:10tomorrow at LPKNC and then next week at

4:22:12the Haven and Justice Services, but

4:22:14we're visiting all of them as a group.

4:22:17And so I will be seeking feedback um

4:22:21within the next month from you all about

4:22:25approving year 2 contracts. We'll be

4:22:28meeting on October 21st to vote on

4:22:30whether to continue all of those

4:22:32contracts into year two. Um and then

4:22:38also specifically for um Community

4:22:41Bridges Incorporated um sobering

4:22:43alternative for recovery safer center.

4:22:45They're on a slightly different track as

4:22:47far as timeline. Um they did just do a

4:22:50six-month evaluation for the initial

4:22:52pilot phase and Dr. Jacobs um and Mr. uh

4:22:58Laurvaser Laaser, sorry I said it with

4:23:00the German pronunciation

4:23:02um are here to talk in more detail about

4:23:04that.

4:23:06Uh, last but not least, related to our

4:23:09regional work, the health department is

4:23:12um in the process of developing a

4:23:14regional behavioral health plan. That's

4:23:16something they're going to contract out.

4:23:18Um, and that will be they'll incorporate

4:23:21the findings of recent needs

4:23:23assessments, action plans, the work that

4:23:24we've all been doing already. That's all

4:23:26going to be incorporated, but they'll be

4:23:28adding additional scope. And that plan

4:23:31will be kind of an up-to-date roadmap

4:23:34for us as a community, but also for

4:23:36ROSAC about how to do investment uh

4:23:39decisions.

4:23:41Uh so the next ROSAC meetings will be

4:23:43October 21st and November 18th so that

4:23:45they're on your radar and those can all

4:23:48be uh the information about those can be

4:23:50accessed in the at the website that's in

4:23:52the memo. Um, just talking about the

4:23:57wonderful folks I get to work with day

4:23:58in and day out on the community safety

4:24:00health and wellness team. We've been

4:24:02approved for an additional year of state

4:24:04opioid response funding which comes

4:24:06through our department of health access.

4:24:09And we also received positive feedback

4:24:11recently from both access at the state

4:24:14level but also SAMA um the um substance

4:24:18abuse and mental health services agency

4:24:20at the federal level for the work that

4:24:22we're doing um because of how we really

4:24:24meet people literally where they're at.

4:24:27Quick update also on TPD's work related

4:24:30to the opioid epidemic. Uh the most

4:24:33recent August um safe city deployment

4:24:36was uh with ODS Operations Division

4:24:39South along the 22nd Street corridor

4:24:42between I 10 and Kino. Um I invite you

4:24:45to uh ask any questions you have about

4:24:48the data. I will um defer to my

4:24:51colleagues at TPD. If you do have

4:24:53questions about uh the annual data as

4:24:56well as the August data, um also the TPD

4:25:00um core unit recently had their second

4:25:04training uh for outreach workers uh on f

4:25:09Friday, September 4th, and there were

4:25:11more than a hundred participants from

4:25:13nonprofit organizations and city and

4:25:15county agencies. and they cover issues

4:25:18that are important for folks working in

4:25:19the field related to mental health and

4:25:22addiction, related to safety, related to

4:25:24legal restrictions on what we should and

4:25:26should not do as far as encampments um

4:25:29and um overdose prevention education.

4:25:34And with that, I am honored to pass the

4:25:38floor to Dr. Jacobs, who is from the

4:25:43RISE team at University of Arizona. They

4:25:46have been doing evaluation of the safer

4:25:48center throughout the initial six-month

4:25:50pilot phase. And then also seated is

4:25:54Ryan Lauderwaser who is the director of

4:25:57uh crisis services at CBI and oversees

4:25:59the safer project.

4:26:02>> Good afternoon. I'm here as the lead of

4:26:04the UOVA's RISE evaluation team and we

4:26:07are subcontracted by CBI as the external

4:26:11evaluator for the safer center. Today I

4:26:14want to share highlevel implementation

4:26:16progress and early findings from the

4:26:18safer cent's first six months from our

4:26:22most recent evaluation report which I

4:26:23think you guys got yesterday.

4:26:26As you know in January the safer center

4:26:29opened as Puma County's first 96-hour

4:26:32sobering center. While it's safer, up to

4:26:3515 patients at a time, including those

4:26:37with pets, can receive medical

4:26:40monitoring, clinical assessment,

4:26:42medications for opioid use disorder,

4:26:45group counseling, peer support, and/or

4:26:48discharge referrals to continuing care.

4:26:51In terms of who safer is serving, I'm

4:26:54going to start with a fair amount of

4:26:56statistics and data, but then zoom out

4:26:58to some of the bigger picture findings.

4:27:01So during its first six months, 322

4:27:04unique patients were admitted to SAFER,

4:27:07averaging 58 patients per month. Most

4:27:11patients were white, non-Hispanic or

4:27:13Latino, male, and between 25 and 54

4:27:17years old. 81% had title 19 insurance.

4:27:21And most patients arrived at SAFER with

4:27:24extensive social needs. 86% reported

4:27:27having no or unstable housing. 99% were

4:27:31unemployed and 59% reported food

4:27:35insecurity.

4:27:37Just over half of patients received an

4:27:39opioid use disorder diagnosis through

4:27:42clinical assessment and fentinyl was the

4:27:44dominant substance identified through

4:27:46drug screening. The majority of patients

4:27:49diagnosed with opioid use disorder had a

4:27:52co-occurring substance use disorder as

4:27:54well of which amphetamines was the most

4:27:57common. Buprenorphine, a medication to

4:28:01treat opioid use disorder, had a 42%

4:28:04initiation rate and 47% continuation

4:28:08rate among opioid positive patients.

4:28:13Our team looked at factors affecting

4:28:15patient length of stay as a way to

4:28:18consider the extent to which patients

4:28:20utilized the available safer services.

4:28:23Older white male patients were more

4:28:26likely to stay longer at safer. In

4:28:29consulting with safer leadership,

4:28:31they suggested this could mean a greater

4:28:33readiness among the subgroup to

4:28:36participate in sobering care or

4:28:38potentially having fewer post-discharge

4:28:41natural supports to return to at this

4:28:44later stage in their substance use

4:28:45journey.

4:28:47In the analysis, we also saw that

4:28:49patients who had a high school diploma

4:28:51or GED stayed longer at safer than those

4:28:54who didn't. This most likely reflects

4:28:57broader societal social determinance of

4:29:00health that come with more education

4:29:02like more access to income, more

4:29:05familiarity with navigating health and

4:29:07social systems, or fewer competing

4:29:09pressures pulling someone to leave safer

4:29:12early.

4:29:13Patients who'd gone without food or

4:29:15without clothing in the last year tended

4:29:17to leave safer sooner as well. This was

4:29:19a weak but consistent pattern. Someone

4:29:22who's going without basic necessities

4:29:24may feel more pressure to get back out

4:29:26and handle what's urgent in their life

4:29:28rather than complete their safer stay.

4:29:31None of these associations are causal

4:29:33findings in our early evolving data set.

4:29:36But the through line is that how long

4:29:38someone stays is perhaps shaped more by

4:29:40their broader life circumstances than by

4:29:43anything clinical during their stay.

4:29:45Which is the reason our report

4:29:47recommends even more tailored discharge

4:29:49planning built around each person's

4:29:51social needs.

4:29:54Among the 53% of patients who were

4:29:56surveyed about their stay at Safer,

4:29:59patient satisfaction was high. patients

4:30:02described feeling cared for, fed, and

4:30:05safe. It's important to note that 47% of

4:30:09patients did not complete a satisfaction

4:30:11survey during the reporting period in

4:30:14part because the survey wasn't

4:30:15introduced until March and so we don't

4:30:18know their feedback on their stay. This

4:30:20is gap occurred for a variety of reasons

4:30:23that CBI is working to address. Now, I'd

4:30:26like to turn our attention to the 18

4:30:28pets that came to Safer with their

4:30:31owners, 17 dogs and one cat. We know the

4:30:35unique importance of pet care at Safer.

4:30:38Early challenges in providing such care

4:30:41detailed in our first report from April

4:30:44have seen improvements related to pet

4:30:46friendly facility operations, policies,

4:30:49and partnerships to better serve these

4:30:51guests and their owners.

4:30:55One of the most important questions that

4:30:57has been asked about the value of safer

4:31:00is whether it decreases burden on our

4:31:02law enforcement system. What we know

4:31:05from the data is that criminal justice

4:31:07referrals made up just 2% of documented

4:31:11safer intakes during the January through

4:31:13June period. But that number almost

4:31:16certainly understates what's really

4:31:18happening. Most patients, 73% actually

4:31:22arrived to CBI's safer unit after being

4:31:26internally transferred from CBI's

4:31:2923-hour crisis unit. This creates some

4:31:32challenges in the data as to the source

4:31:34of these patients original referral to

4:31:37safer, even if they first went to the

4:31:4023-hour crisis unit. We sat down with

4:31:43TPD's core unit in June and they told us

4:31:46that their own count of safer referrals

4:31:49ran higher than CBI's data. Officers and

4:31:53outreach teams often work together, so

4:31:55it's not always clear whose referral to

4:31:58safer it technically was. Or officers

4:32:01may drop a patient off at the door,

4:32:05so their referral may not get logged.

4:32:08And CBI also offers officers a survey to

4:32:12complete at the time of drop off to

4:32:14indicate whether the patient would

4:32:15otherwise have been taken to jail, but

4:32:18only three surveys were completed during

4:32:20the six months. So we don't yet have a

4:32:23reliable number for how many jail

4:32:25bookings SAFER is preventing. We know

4:32:28officers value it. We know it is

4:32:31functioning as a diversion point in

4:32:33practice, but fixing the tracking

4:32:35systems to understand the scale of that

4:32:38impact is needed and is a key

4:32:40recommendation in the report. It's also

4:32:42something that CBI and TPD are actively

4:32:45working on at this time.

4:32:48Now, I'd like to turn to SAFER's

4:32:50discharge and referral findings. 70% of

4:32:54patients had a complete discharge from

4:32:56SAFER and the majority received a

4:32:58treatment referral to CBI's other

4:33:00clinics.

4:33:02One of the reports recommendations is

4:33:04for more discharge options in addition

4:33:07to CBI's internal network, particularly

4:33:10for patients with pets or those without

4:33:12housing. CBI has formed a communications

4:33:15working group to continue to explore

4:33:18such partnerships.

4:33:20Over the six months, referrals to other

4:33:22medical and behavioral health partners,

4:33:24especially Safer subcontractor Kodak

4:33:27grew steadily, and Kodak's patient

4:33:30navigator at SAFER, became a bridge for

4:33:3319 people to continue their care at

4:33:35Kodak. Of those, the four who started

4:33:38medication for opioid use disorder or at

4:33:42Kodak were still doing so at 30 days

4:33:45after their safer stay. These are small

4:33:48numbers and we hope to build upon them

4:33:50in the coming months. That said, very

4:33:53few treatment programs or shelters in

4:33:56this region accept pets. So, a stay at

4:33:58Safer can still end without a pet

4:34:01friendly treatment or shelter bed for

4:34:03them to go next. Should there be an

4:34:06additional pet friendly treatment option

4:34:08in the future, it would help fill this

4:34:10gap and potentially provide another

4:34:13avenue for us to evaluate longerterm

4:34:15outcomes among safer patients who are

4:34:18discharged to such a facility.

4:34:21I've mentioned several data gaps that

4:34:23inhibit our ability to provide complete

4:34:26findings around the safer center,

4:34:28including cleaner data on law

4:34:30enforcement referrals. Again, something

4:34:32CBI is working on. Several other key

4:34:35data metrics are also in need of further

4:34:38reporting enhancements. Triage time was

4:34:41documented for only 11% of patients and

4:34:44required nlloxxone education and

4:34:46distribution had zero patients recorded

4:34:49as receiving it, which is very likely a

4:34:52documentation gap. ML initiation and

4:34:56continuation documentation would benefit

4:34:58from further clarity. And for 18% of all

4:35:02discharges, patients who did not have a

4:35:05verified treatment referral had friends

4:35:07or family listed as their treatment

4:35:10referral. CBI is working to address

4:35:13these issues.

4:35:15In summary, since January, SAFER has

4:35:18moved from an accelerated launch to a

4:35:20program with a cleaner operational

4:35:22rhythm and better documentation

4:35:24processes. Safer is still resolving data

4:35:27collection and reporting barriers, as

4:35:30well as filling remaining staffing

4:35:32positions, including a dedicated SAFER

4:35:35program manager. This next year will

4:35:37allow SAFER to continue building towards

4:35:40its key goals and address identified

4:35:42gaps while remaining an important low

4:35:45barrier resource for substance use care

4:35:47in the county. I'm also hopeful that

4:35:49we'll be able to demonstrate several key

4:35:51outcomes particularly related to

4:35:53deflections and their longerterm

4:35:55outcomes for patients after they leave

4:35:58safer. I'm happy to answer evaluation

4:36:01questions, but more importantly, Ryan

4:36:03Lauderer from CBI is here to answer your

4:36:06implementation and operational

4:36:08questions.

4:36:15>> Hi, I'm Ryan Lawaser from CBI, the

4:36:17director of crisis services. There are a

4:36:18few things I just like to comment on

4:36:20that Dr. Jacobs touched upon. One is the

4:36:23TPD referral. So, one of the things we

4:36:25know about SAFER is that we want to see

4:36:26if it is a diversion program, something

4:36:28we can do. We have started a safer

4:36:30committee meeting that meets monthly. I

4:36:32know Lieutenant Jimenez, who's right

4:36:33behind me, was great to see him walk in

4:36:35the door. He's been a part of that

4:36:36meeting. We're working on those

4:36:37relationships. Captain Pickroll has also

4:36:39been there as well. I'm really working

4:36:41on the surveys, making sure that we're

4:36:43make um touching base with TPD when they

4:36:45show up to the safer program, getting

4:36:47them those surveys and building those

4:36:49relationships. We have a meeting set up

4:36:51with the data analytics team with TPD as

4:36:53well with from CBI so that we can

4:36:55continue to partner on data collection

4:36:57and make sure that there's alignment in

4:36:59the data that we have and the data that

4:37:01TPD has. So we really are trying to be

4:37:04good stewards of those funds and making

4:37:05sure that we're doing things we need to

4:37:06to report out.

4:37:09>> Thank you so much. I really appreciate

4:37:11it, Dr. um Jacobs. This is

4:37:14[clears throat] such valuable

4:37:15information and and I just want to thank

4:37:18um CBI and um the regional opioid

4:37:23settlement committee

4:37:25um and as well as Pima County uh and

4:37:29Puma County Health Department for their

4:37:31incredible work in following on making

4:37:34sure that this particular pilot program

4:37:36safer

4:37:38um was moving and that we were

4:37:40collecting the data necessary And I just

4:37:44want to emphasize how safer is a pilot

4:37:48program and now that we have another

4:37:51year of funding thanks to uh ROSAC

4:37:55committee um

4:37:59we can move it from a pilot into a much

4:38:01more um hopefully permanent um program

4:38:07that we can do in partnership between

4:38:09the city of Tucson Pima County and uh

4:38:13ROSAC as well as CBI and hopefully the

4:38:16UVA continues to you know guide the work

4:38:19that we're doing in this in this

4:38:22program. Uh, safer

4:38:25is a dream that

4:38:28our team here in the city of Tucson,

4:38:31both community safety, health and

4:38:32wellness, as well as mayor and council

4:38:37really

4:38:39pushed on um because one of the things

4:38:43that we have learned in um our direct

4:38:47dealing with unsheltered homelessness is

4:38:51that it is one very complex and many

4:38:54people um and it does they don't have to

4:38:58be necessarily unsheltered but many

4:39:00people that are unsheltered had

4:39:02substance use disorders as well as um

4:39:06mental behavioral health issues. And so

4:39:09we had very clear gaps in services and

4:39:12funding uh for the necessary treatment

4:39:17to offer the resources necessary for um

4:39:21for um residents in Tucson whether they

4:39:24were unsheltered or not. So creating

4:39:27safer was something that I was very

4:39:29adamantly

4:39:31um supportive about. And so when we saw

4:39:36ROSAC um investing in it, we were really

4:39:39really happy. I also want to thank uh

4:39:42CBI's coordination with TPD. I know for

4:39:46a fact that uh via our safe city

4:39:50deployments, we work with Pima County

4:39:55Health Department as well as uh

4:39:57nonprofit organizations and TPD um to be

4:40:02able to connect individuals that need it

4:40:05to safer. I'm not sure if the survey is

4:40:08a long one. Uh, but I think we need to

4:40:11figure out how we um make sure that

4:40:14those numbers reflect each other, the

4:40:16numbers that TPD has as well as CBI has.

4:40:21and

4:40:22[clears throat] really appreciate the

4:40:23further recommendations by RISE and I'm

4:40:28looking forward to um making sure that

4:40:30we continue in uh fig figuring out uh

4:40:36the kinks in the process so that um we

4:40:40all have this data information this data

4:40:42that's valuable. Um because from this

4:40:45right from the work that we have all

4:40:47been doing together came the realization

4:40:52that from safer right from the what is

4:40:56it the 96 hours that individuals have

4:41:00that there was a disconnect from those

4:41:0296 hours to a longer term recovery

4:41:06facility. I know that on our end uh

4:41:10we're in partnership as as well with

4:41:13CBI,

4:41:15but I know that there is a connection

4:41:17from Safer to our Desert Cove um

4:41:21recovery center uh which we are

4:41:24advocating for funding and we receive

4:41:25that funding for the next four months uh

4:41:29from the regional opioid settlement

4:41:32committee. But I really want to make

4:41:34sure that we we look at those numbers

4:41:36and that we continue exploring what are

4:41:39the gaps to make sure that we are not

4:41:42losing people through the cracks, right?

4:41:44Um people leave safer, where do they go

4:41:49and what are the percentages and what's

4:41:51the data um to make sure that those

4:41:54individuals are headed somewhere and not

4:41:57the street anymore. So, with that, I

4:42:00just wanted to make sure that I open it

4:42:02up for questions and comments from our

4:42:04colleagues. Council member Cunningham,

4:42:06>> a few things. Um, can we get a copy of

4:42:08the study? I mean, you had a lot of

4:42:10numbers and there were there it's

4:42:12probably really valuable data, but I've

4:42:14got to be able to read it myself in

4:42:16order to get it. So, that's my first

4:42:18piece. It probably would have been

4:42:20helpful to have in the materials so we

4:42:23could at least prep some of the the

4:42:24questions I have. Um,

4:42:28like part of my some of my questions you

4:42:30might have covered, but it was hard to

4:42:32follow everything like the total number

4:42:34of referrals to safer, how many people

4:42:36stayed the full 96 hours, how many

4:42:38direct um referrals went to detox or to

4:42:42went to further detox or went to

4:42:43ultimate ultimately went to treatment.

4:42:46I'm pretty concerned that we only have

4:42:4837 referrals and safe uh in safe

4:42:51deployments over eight months that went

4:42:53to shelter.

4:42:55And that doesn't mean that what we're

4:42:58doing isn't wrong. What it means is is

4:43:00that we've got a lot of people refusing

4:43:03services. That's pretty obvious. They're

4:43:06kind of saying, "Hey, I want to come

4:43:07with you. Let's talk about it." And then

4:43:10a couple hours later, they they might

4:43:12change their mind. Or we have people who

4:43:14we engage on the street, we have a

4:43:16really good positive discussion with

4:43:18them and then they say, you know, that's

4:43:20great and I'll be back tomorrow and

4:43:22that's what I think's happening on the

4:43:24field in the field. I mean, that's my

4:43:27suspicion, but I really would like to

4:43:29have that data. It's okay

4:43:32that folks aren't ready. We can't just

4:43:35We just got to be realistic about it.

4:43:37All right, that plan may not be working

4:43:40perfectly. And so it's okay if folks

4:43:43aren't ready, but we want to be sure

4:43:45they're safe. We want to be sure that

4:43:48they uh have emergency services

4:43:51available to them, and we want to be

4:43:53sure that um they aren't disrupting the

4:43:58quality of life of their neighbors. And

4:43:59that's the bottom line. And it's that's

4:44:02not an easy balance. It's also not an

4:44:04easy balance to make those engagements.

4:44:07I think

4:44:09uh I think the safer operations are

4:44:12doing a good job and that yeah we've got

4:44:13249 contacts and that's really good. I

4:44:16mean if we're making 249 contacts some

4:44:19probably I'd love to dismbiguate that a

4:44:22little bit and see of those 249 contacts

4:44:25we made in the safer in the safe

4:44:26operations how many of them were repeat

4:44:28contacts. I think that would be really

4:44:30helpful. Um, we executed I think 11

4:44:32referrals and this is the data that I

4:44:34had to study that we actually had that

4:44:36was able to study. Um, we executed those

4:44:39I think 11 misdemeanor referrals and

4:44:42four felony referrals. So that there's a

4:44:44misconception out there that everybody

4:44:46out there's got is got a warrant

4:44:47pending. It doesn't sound like it.

4:44:49>> So we probably need to dispel that. And

4:44:51so there's some data out here that I

4:44:52think is useful. your data would really

4:44:55be helpful to kind of we could take the

4:44:57safe data and the safer data and take a

4:44:58look at kind of where we're missing. But

4:45:00the bottom line is is that one of the

4:45:03one of the

4:45:05goals we set forth a year ago, even two

4:45:08years ago, was that anybody who wants

4:45:10detox should be able to get it. And

4:45:12that's kind of what Safer was set up

4:45:13for. But 4 days ain't going to do it.

4:45:16And we've got to be able to have an exit

4:45:18plan uh for 30-day or for six more days

4:45:22of detox and then 30-day, 28 day,

4:45:25doesn't matter. Access is only only

4:45:27going to pick up the bill of so much of

4:45:28that. And then the next piece is how

4:45:31they transition into sober living. I'm

4:45:33willing to figure out a way to put that

4:45:361,500 bucks up per person and pay for

4:45:38two months of sober living as long as

4:45:40they're working their their daily as

4:45:42long as they're working their daily

4:45:43meeting. That's a that's a low impact

4:45:45investment. If somebody has completed

4:45:47rehab and is willing to go to a daily

4:45:49meeting, that's not up to ask. It's

4:45:51right in there with detox. That's stuff

4:45:53we can control. What we can't control is

4:45:56how much time we have for the folks in

4:45:59the field to engage every day. But think

4:46:02of it this way. If we were able to put

4:46:04two people a day in detox for a year and

4:46:06it translated to rehab, that's 700

4:46:10people in one year that we'd help. And I

4:46:12don't think right now we're going to

4:46:13make those numbers. So that's kind of

4:46:15what I'm

4:46:17I'm the challenge I'm laying down to but

4:46:20to to CBI to safer to safe to law

4:46:24enforcement to cashew

4:46:27to our navigators is can we put two

4:46:30people a day into treat into residential

4:46:32treatment. Can we really do that? And I

4:46:36think we have to find a pathway to do

4:46:37that. And if we can, great. I also think

4:46:40that we've got some things in the

4:46:42community that are available that we're

4:46:44kind of missing the opportunity on where

4:46:47we're engaging folks um and where we're

4:46:50where we're meeting where they are. I

4:46:51think there's still some opportunity on

4:46:55engaging folks through the transit

4:46:57system

4:46:59that can help us get them to where we

4:47:02want to be. So, those are my thoughts.

4:47:03Council member, I'm going to give others

4:47:05the opportunity, but just to make sure

4:47:07in the past 6 months, um, Safer has

4:47:10served 322 patients, right? That is that

4:47:13correct number?

4:47:13>> Yeah. And 70% of those received a

4:47:16complete discharge, which means that

4:47:18they received referrals to continuing

4:47:20care. Um, I don't want to get lost in

4:47:22the weeds of the data, but I do want to

4:47:24just mention there's two sets of data

4:47:26here that are reported. One is the

4:47:28individual's treatment referral if they

4:47:30did get referred for treatment services.

4:47:32So that's where they're going to get

4:47:34that recovery support if they so choose

4:47:36or if that's part of their care plan.

4:47:39And the other data in there is their

4:47:40placement referral and that's where

4:47:42somebody goes and lays their head their

4:47:44first night after they leave safer which

4:47:46may or may not be where they're going

4:47:48for treatment. They may be referred for

4:47:50outpatient services and so their

4:47:52placement referral is with a friend or a

4:47:54family member. just a one small nuance

4:47:57to think about in terms of that those

4:47:59patients recovery journey or just care

4:48:01journey after they leave safer.

4:48:04So I if if we keep on track from the

4:48:07first 6 months of safer serving 322

4:48:12patients that would be uh 644 almost the

4:48:16400 that you're talking about that's uh

4:48:20pretty much the numbers that you're

4:48:22looking for a council member. Um I think

4:48:25placement and connection to services the

4:48:2970%

4:48:31um is an important number.

4:48:34Uh I really want to know the data in

4:48:37terms of where they're going and what

4:48:41type of services from that point are

4:48:44helping them because we've [snorts] got

4:48:47to make sure that

4:48:50you know we're not it's an investment

4:48:53right? what we're doing is an investment

4:48:55in an individual to get them to a sober

4:48:59space and so what happens then I I

4:49:03really want to know what after that

4:49:05what's the data and I think that's why

4:49:07one of the biggest gaps that we felt was

4:49:09there is the longer term recovery center

4:49:14which is why we advocated for Desert

4:49:17Cove which is also managed by CBI any

4:49:21other questions comments

4:49:23on this item. Council member Schubert,

4:49:26>> I'll keep it quick because the other

4:49:27questions that I had were already pretty

4:49:29much asked except um

4:49:32you were talking about um you know I

4:49:35think that it's pretty striking that um

4:49:38so many people who are interacting with

4:49:40the safer services have other needs have

4:49:43things like housing and stability. Um,

4:49:46can you share a bit more about what

4:49:48we're doing to foster collaboration and

4:49:50referrals to a wide range of community

4:49:51resources, particularly those that offer

4:49:53more stability during times of

4:49:56transition? Um, and I'm really

4:49:57interested. Um, I know that you

4:49:58mentioned the working group that was

4:50:00also talking about that. The pets are

4:50:02definitely on my mind, too.

4:50:04>> Yeah, pets are on our pets are on our

4:50:05mind, too. That that's a that's one of

4:50:07the largest barriers for some of the

4:50:09members to receive care is they don't

4:50:10want to be separated from their pet. We

4:50:12do have the safer committee meeting that

4:50:13happens monthly where it is a meeting

4:50:15that is engaged for community partners

4:50:18that the purpose of that is to bring in

4:50:20people in the community that are

4:50:21referring to safer so we can build those

4:50:22relationships look for resources and

4:50:24make sure that as a CBI team that we're

4:50:27are meeting the needs of the people who

4:50:28one are referring into safer and that we

4:50:30are connecting the people they're

4:50:32referring to us appropriately for

4:50:33ongoing follow-up care. So the

4:50:35discussion we had just this last week in

4:50:37our safer committee meeting was that we

4:50:39need to open up this meeting to other

4:50:40community members and and really

4:50:42identify who are the people that need to

4:50:44be sitting in this committee and at the

4:50:46table so that we are developing the

4:50:47partnerships that we need to. So the

4:50:49next meeting we have coming up in

4:50:50October part of our plan is to sit down

4:50:52and talk about what are the strategies.

4:50:54Um for example Tucson Medical Center has

4:50:57started referring quite a few patients

4:50:58to safer just within the last couple

4:51:00weeks. We've been doing a lot of

4:51:01outreach to them. They're not sitting at

4:51:02the table. I'd love to have them at the

4:51:04table so that we can continue to partner

4:51:06with them and look at what is their

4:51:08experience when people come in for

4:51:09medical detox in the hospital and where

4:51:11do they typically send them and how can

4:51:13we partner with those facilities and

4:51:14those organizations in the community so

4:51:16that we can really make sure that

4:51:17there's a seamless process for members

4:51:19when they come in for care and they come

4:51:21in for treatment so we can build those

4:51:23relationships. What I really see about

4:51:24the safer program is it is relationally

4:51:27driven and we're only the Desert Cove is

4:51:29a great example um that that whole

4:51:32program for Desert Cove has been a great

4:51:34resource for us especially in terms of

4:51:35people with pets because they receive

4:51:37pets there and they've been able to do

4:51:39IOP with housing housing at Desert Cove

4:51:41getting into treatment and making sure

4:51:43that they aren't separated. I'd love to

4:51:45see ideally some more grant funding for

4:51:48boarding for pets so we could do that

4:51:49and there's some people in the community

4:51:51that would really like to support safer

4:51:53in that way. So that's a pathway that

4:51:55we'll continue to work on. Um and I and

4:51:57I also about developing relationships

4:51:59with some of the shelters in the

4:52:00community. There's several members of

4:52:02our staff on safer that have developed

4:52:04personal relationships with Prima Vera

4:52:07and um they they're saying hey whenever

4:52:09we need a bed we're going to call them

4:52:11up and they're willing to set a bed

4:52:12aside and help us out and do that. So,

4:52:14but again, it's all about relationship,

4:52:16right? So, a big part of the work that

4:52:18we're doing is building those

4:52:19connections and relationship in the

4:52:20community. So, we have pathways, we have

4:52:22connections for people to make sure we

4:52:23can get them to some sort of stable

4:52:25housing upon discharge.

4:52:27>> Taylor,

4:52:29I have a couple of questions. One, um,

4:52:3181% of patients according to your report

4:52:36had access to access. Um, are there any

4:52:40aspects of safer that would be build

4:52:42through insurance while while still

4:52:45making treatment available for those

4:52:48without insurance? Are we billing? In

4:52:50other words, is CBI billing access for

4:52:54services at safer?

4:52:55>> We do. So when when people are meeting

4:52:57the criteria for services, we do bill

4:53:00for services. Um, there are a number of

4:53:02patients who come through that don't

4:53:03have access or access is paused, right?

4:53:06So the transition center, we might take

4:53:08someone who's transitioning out of jail

4:53:09and they come and access has been paused

4:53:11and so we will help them try to get that

4:53:14started again. There have been a number

4:53:16of occasions where a member's access has

4:53:18turned on while in the safer program

4:53:20which is great because that op that

4:53:23opens up all sorts of discharge referral

4:53:25options for them that previously were

4:53:27not available earlier in their stay. So

4:53:29those are things that we're tracking as

4:53:31well. Uh so and it's uh having insurance

4:53:34is great having access because it

4:53:36provides different opportunities. Um and

4:53:38we for every person who comes in that

4:53:40isn't insured we also get them started

4:53:42with access filling out an application

4:53:44getting them started on the process so

4:53:46that maybe you know Dr. Jacobs talked

4:53:48about unique referrals but the number of

4:53:51referrals when members come back to

4:53:53receive care again at CBI if their

4:53:54access is turned on by that point that

4:53:56gives them a whole another pathway that

4:53:57wasn't available the first time. So

4:53:59those are definitely things that we work

4:54:00on. I would love to see the the data on

4:54:04how many individuals are using access at

4:54:07safer versus our opioid settlement funds

4:54:10to be able to provide those that don't

4:54:12have insurance and then hopefully also

4:54:14have the resources uh to be able to

4:54:16connect them to access if necessary. Um,

4:54:20you talked a little bit about this, but

4:54:22I would love to know how um, CBI and

4:54:26SAFER are working with other behavioral

4:54:29health agencies in terms of referral.

4:54:32For me, it's important to be able to

4:54:34have referral coming from our officers

4:54:37at TPD because one of the things that we

4:54:41wanted to make easy for our officers is

4:54:44to be able to have a connection for them

4:54:47to drop off individuals at Safer without

4:54:50it taking four hours. Right? The only

4:54:53other option before we created this was

4:54:56them taking them to a emergency room

4:54:59where they our officers had to sit for 6

4:55:02hours. If anyone has been to an

4:55:04emergency room, it takes four to six

4:55:07hours to get in. So, um, in order for us

4:55:11to for our officers to have an easy

4:55:13connection,

4:55:15um, we wanted to make sure that safer

4:55:18was a possibility for them. Um, besides

4:55:23this availability to our police

4:55:25officers, are there any other behavioral

4:55:28health agencies that can connect with

4:55:32SAFER and CBI?

4:55:34>> Yes, any behavioral health agency can

4:55:36connect with SAFER. So, the the

4:55:38commitment we first the commitment we

4:55:39have to TPD is that they won't be there

4:55:41for more than five minutes. So we we

4:55:43have a safer drop when they come in that

4:55:44we will commit to making sure that that

4:55:46process for them as they're there they

4:55:48drop somebody off and within five minute

4:55:50that they're out the door and back on on

4:55:51the road right so we don't want to tie

4:55:53up their time in terms of other

4:55:55behavioral health agencies we do a lot

4:55:57of work with Lafronta with via Maria

4:55:59with AMD that that we definitely want to

4:56:01make sure that those pathways are open

4:56:03with Kodak of course we do you know

4:56:05they're our partner with with safer um

4:56:08but even in terms of just to any other

4:56:10behavioral health agency that says I

4:56:12want to make sure that my member can

4:56:13receive detox services. We will receive

4:56:16that. We have a email address

4:56:17[email protected].

4:56:19We'll receive referrals through there.

4:56:21If people email us and do that, we have

4:56:22a safer phone number as well that people

4:56:24can call to try to connect and just let

4:56:26us know like, hey, I want to I want to

4:56:27refer my member over to you guys. We

4:56:29will definitely work with them. When

4:56:31safer first started, it was my

4:56:33understanding that it was a warm

4:56:34handoff. Somebody had to present with

4:56:36the member to Safer in order to do this

4:56:38warm handoff. We have evolved from there

4:56:41so that we have created other pathways

4:56:43like the phone number like the email

4:56:44address where me where organizations can

4:56:47now email say hey I'm sending this

4:56:48person your way and we will receive

4:56:50people without that it it was somewhat

4:56:52of a barrier for someone to have to come

4:56:54with them all the time. So we've reduced

4:56:56that barrier and allowed the member just

4:56:58to come without that warm handoff

4:56:59knowing that we're still communicating

4:57:01with their outpatient clinic or

4:57:02behavioral health agency through other

4:57:04means when they arrive.

4:57:06>> Thank you so much. I don't know Mr. Mr.

4:57:07Tamir, if you had a question or comment.

4:57:10>> Thank you, honorable mayor. Just one

4:57:11quick update comment. Uh the data uh

4:57:14report that you requested, Council

4:57:16Member Cunningham, was actually sent

4:57:17yesterday. Um it's not part of the

4:57:20regular materials. It was received and

4:57:22and then transmitted yesterday. So, that

4:57:24additional data is in your inbox um at

4:57:26your convenience. Thank you.

4:57:29>> Thank you. And I just wanted uh to thank

4:57:32all of you, our very own Lee Hopkins and

4:57:36uh Dr. Jacobs, thank you so much to CBI

4:57:39and the entire team at our safer center.

4:57:42Really appreciate our own TPD team. Is

4:57:45it captain or lieutenant? Hey, menace.

4:57:48>> Lieutenant.

4:57:49>> Lieutenant, I was going to give you a

4:57:50raise.

4:57:51>> Captain, [laughter]

4:57:53just to let the chief know. Uh, but

4:57:56thank you so much for uh your incredible

4:57:58work in partnership with all of us. So,

4:58:01thank you and uh hopefully we'll see you

4:58:04soon so that we can continue this work

4:58:06especially I'm very excited what we can

4:58:09do with uh Desert Cove as well. Thank

4:58:11you.

4:58:12>> Thank you.

4:58:13>> Thank you.

4:58:14>> Righty. So, we now move uh to item 10.

4:58:18Um, item 10 has been set aside for mayor

4:58:21and council to decide and provide

4:58:24direction regarding establishing a

4:58:26one-year pilot program to provide

4:58:28financial and technical support to

4:58:30businesses located in city of Tucson

4:58:33capital construction project work zones.

4:58:36Mr. Manager,

4:58:37>> thank you honorable mayor and members of

4:58:39the council. We've been talking about

4:58:40this item for a bit um and the

4:58:43challenges that some of our businesses

4:58:45have when major construction projects

4:58:47are happening along that corridor. And

4:58:50so um our folks at Department of

4:58:53Transportation Mobility working with

4:58:55business services and our small business

4:58:57group have put together a pilot program

4:59:01uh to deploy some one-time dollars that

4:59:04came from the um ARPA framework as

4:59:06established by mayor and council. Um but

4:59:08there is an ongoing revenue stream that

4:59:11um would be able to contribute to this

4:59:13as an ongoing program should it prove

4:59:16successful. Uh with that we have our

4:59:18director of transportation mobility uh

4:59:20Sam Credo and deputy director June uh

4:59:23Jennifer Toothaker. Sorry uh not June

4:59:27not June. All right you left June. Okay

4:59:30you're up Sam.

4:59:31>> All right. Thank you so much Mr. Manager

4:59:33and good afternoon madame mayor members

4:59:35of the council. Happy fall. We're very

4:59:37happy to be here today and excited to

4:59:39talk about this program. Um, as you

4:59:42know, in May of this year, um, while we

4:59:45were going through the fee discussions,

4:59:47there were two fees that were created

4:59:49that were new to the Department of

4:59:50Transportation and Mobility that you all

4:59:52approved. That includes the loss of use

4:59:55fee and the loss of value fee. During

4:59:58those discussions, we committed to

5:00:00returning to you with a program that

5:00:03would highlight uh the support that we

5:00:06can provide to small businesses that are

5:00:07being impacted by city of Tucson

5:00:10construction projects. So, today we are

5:00:12excited and proud to present to you for

5:00:15the first time, Ready, Steady, Open, our

5:00:18program that uh has two elements to it,

5:00:21a pilot grants program, which I'll talk

5:00:23about here in just a moment, and

5:00:25enhanced communication for small

5:00:26businesses. um experiencing

5:00:28construction. As the manager mentioned,

5:00:31there's been $345,000

5:00:33that were set aside from ARPA framework

5:00:35dollars to serve as seed money to kick

5:00:37off this pilot grants program. Um we've

5:00:40done a lot of research in in across the

5:00:43country that have very similar programs

5:00:46and uh what we found is that those

5:00:48programs not only have various grant

5:00:49types but also select project corridors

5:00:52and so as part of ready steady open uh

5:00:54we are going to provide three grant

5:00:56types. Uh the first is a readiness grant

5:00:59which provides up to $500 to small

5:01:01businesses to get ready for

5:01:03construction. That could be creating a

5:01:05new banner, creating maps, maybe hiring

5:01:08somebody to help with their social media

5:01:09campaign. The selected project corridors

5:01:12include the Proposition 101 downtown

5:01:14paving package, Hton Road, 22nd to

5:01:16Irvington, Silverbell Goray to El Camino

5:01:19delsero, and there's uh one addition

5:01:21that was an omission in your material,

5:01:23which is 22nd Street from Camino Seiko

5:01:26to Hton, and thank you to council member

5:01:27Cunningham award 2 for pointing that

5:01:29out.

5:01:30We also will be uh none of those which

5:01:33have started construction yet and we'll

5:01:34will start construction next year. The

5:01:36next grant type is our stabilization

5:01:38grant and this is our largest grant

5:01:40award up to $10,000 which is to be

5:01:42provided to businesses and help them

5:01:44stabilize and keep their doors open

5:01:46during construction. And the four

5:01:48projects that we've selected are Fifth

5:01:50Street Country Club to Wilmont, 22nd

5:01:52Street Bridge Replacement Corridor,

5:01:55Grant Road, Sparkman to Swan, and Park

5:01:57Avenue 18 to 36. again, all of which are

5:01:59under construction right now. And then

5:02:01lastly is our recovery grant and this is

5:02:04to help the small local businesses

5:02:06recover after construction, keep their

5:02:08doors open. And the two projects

5:02:10selected for that were South 12th uh

5:02:12Irvington to Drexel and Valencia cold to

5:02:14Hen. Uh both of which are either

5:02:16complete or wrapping up. In your

5:02:17material in attachment A, we have this

5:02:19summary there and you'll see that there

5:02:21are projects that are bolded. The bolded

5:02:23projects are RTA projects. And it's

5:02:25important to note that because for 20

5:02:27years, the RTA has had a business

5:02:29support program that has provided not

5:02:31only consulting hours, but also

5:02:33technical assistance. And so we do see

5:02:35that there's an opportunity to partner

5:02:37with the RTA, develop synergy, and work

5:02:40collaboratively to roll out this

5:02:41program. Uh hopefully strengthening both

5:02:44of our programs. And I know that uh

5:02:45members from the RTA are in the audience

5:02:47if if there's any questions about that.

5:02:50There is an eligibility component to

5:02:52this. We want these businesses to have

5:02:53been on the corridor at least 6 months

5:02:55prior to construction, having a current

5:02:57city of Tucson business license, fewer

5:02:59than 25 full-time employees, less than

5:03:01$2 million of revenue. We did provide

5:03:04for exclusions such as liquor store,

5:03:07smoke stops, adult industry, cash

5:03:09checking places. Um, there are some

5:03:11documentation requirements that'll be

5:03:13done through an application process.

5:03:14We're working very closely with Aaron

5:03:16Williams and utilizing the Zoom grants

5:03:18platform which is what we use to to

5:03:21deploy the ARPA grant dollars. Uh the

5:03:23program is userfriendly and we're going

5:03:25to make the application as simple as

5:03:27possible. There will be some

5:03:29documentation that'll be required as

5:03:30part of that application process

5:03:32including financial documents and also

5:03:34signing a waiver agreeing not to file a

5:03:37claim against the city of Tucson further

5:03:39down the road. With your direction and

5:03:41approval today, we are ready to launch

5:03:43this grant program October 1st and open

5:03:46the window to accept grants for the

5:03:48month of October. Uh we plan to close

5:03:50the grant window at the end of October

5:03:52and use the first part of November to

5:03:54review the applications we receive, make

5:03:56selection, and get grant awards in small

5:03:58business's hands uh in time for the

5:04:01holidays. There's also a reporting

5:04:03requirement as part of this. We want to

5:04:05know how these funds are impacting small

5:04:07businesses. So, we're asking that they

5:04:09uh participate in required check-ins at

5:04:113, six, and 12 months so that we can

5:04:14understand did they keep their doors

5:04:15open, did they expand their business,

5:04:17did they contract. We also are

5:04:19committing to you that we are going to

5:04:20return in 12 months and tell you how

5:04:22this pilot program worked and share with

5:04:25you the results. And so, we'd like to

5:04:26have that that data.

5:04:28The second component of this is the

5:04:30enhanced communication piece. As I

5:04:32mentioned, we did research across the

5:04:33country of these similar programs and

5:04:35many of the cities across the United

5:04:37States have dedicated staff that work

5:04:40with the businesses. They call them a

5:04:41capital projects liaison. We're

5:04:43currently filling that role but with

5:04:45different people across the city. In

5:04:47this interim and pilot phase, we're

5:04:49going to align our resources to make

5:04:50sure that we're make that we're filling

5:04:52that gap. That's again where the RTA

5:04:54comes into play as well. We'll be

5:04:57working with them on the RTA projects to

5:04:59make sure that we're providing that

5:05:00enhanced level of communication. We'll

5:05:02be working together to create a

5:05:04construction readiness checklist that'll

5:05:05be available online on the project

5:05:07website once it launches that really any

5:05:11business can can access, small and large

5:05:14businesses and working towards being

5:05:16able to provide technical assistance,

5:05:17enhanced marketing. We will be working

5:05:20very closely with the office of

5:05:21community and economic impact because

5:05:24their team already has established

5:05:26relationships with many of these small

5:05:27businesses and that's how we're going to

5:05:29make sure that they can connect the

5:05:30small businesses to this to the grant

5:05:32program as well as the enhanced

5:05:34communications uh and outreach piece. I

5:05:37already mentioned the work that we'll be

5:05:38doing with the RTA. Again, we feel that

5:05:40with this program, we can strengthen the

5:05:42work that we do to support small

5:05:44businesses on these um city-owned uh

5:05:46cityrun construction projects. Uh Deputy

5:05:49Director Toother is joining me today.

5:05:51She's largely been working behind the

5:05:53scenes to help build this program from

5:05:55the ground up. And with that, Mayor, I'd

5:05:57be happy to answer any questions.

5:05:59>> Thank you. Um Sam, do you need any

5:06:01direction um to move this forward?

5:06:04>> Mayor, yes, if we could receive

5:06:06direction, that would be great. Thank

5:06:07you. So, an appropriate motion.

5:06:10>> There's a motion and a second. And the

5:06:12motion is to uh move direct staff to

5:06:16implement a one-year pilot grant program

5:06:19to use remaining AARPA framework funds

5:06:22in the amount of 345,000.

5:06:24The program will provide grants to small

5:06:26local businesses along select corridors

5:06:29that have been impacted by city of

5:06:31Tucson capital construction projects.

5:06:33So, that's the motion. That's the

5:06:35direction we're giving. There's a motion

5:06:36and a second. Now it's time for

5:06:38discussion. Mr. Tamir, and I know that

5:06:41Vice Mayor has um comments.

5:06:48Did you want to say something, Mr.

5:06:49Timmy?

5:06:49>> I was just noting that.

5:06:51>> Ah, okay. Vice Mayor.

5:06:54>> All right. Thank you. Um I just really

5:06:56wanted to thank um Director Credio and

5:06:59and the team for your work on this

5:07:01pilot. Um these are the types of

5:07:03initiatives that we need to keep rolling

5:07:05out and not be afraid, you know, to try

5:07:07something different in support of our

5:07:09community. Um really uh happy that our

5:07:12small and local businesses on Lados

5:07:15South 12th Avenue are going to be

5:07:16eligible for the recovery grants post

5:07:19construction. I know that a lot of our

5:07:21small businesses are feeling the strain

5:07:24both from this summer um from increase

5:07:27in operational costs uh food etc. And um

5:07:31you know these are all decisions being

5:07:33made at the federal level um by this

5:07:36current administration uh coming down

5:07:39you know into our our small businesses

5:07:42and really kind of feeling um that that

5:07:45strain. And so um giving them a little

5:07:47relief I think will go a long way. Um

5:07:50and just two things I know that we when

5:07:52we were getting brief we had mentioned I

5:07:54just want to make sure to say it at the

5:07:56table that the elig eligibility applying

5:08:00to food trucks with the permanent

5:08:02location address also be taken into

5:08:04consideration. Um, we have a lot of food

5:08:07trucks um that are made up from our

5:08:09Latino small business community who um

5:08:13can't afford a brick and mortar but have

5:08:15been at their locations for a long time

5:08:17and have also um been impacted by by

5:08:22construction. And then the other piece

5:08:24was the boundaries extending past the

5:08:27immediate construction boundaries uh due

5:08:29to the impacts hitting those that are

5:08:31within a mile or so buffer in some

5:08:33cases. Um so for example um we have

5:08:37Cokeia La Palma which is a food truck on

5:08:4022nd Street just uh east of South 6th

5:08:43Avenue has contacted our office also

5:08:46expressing how um the 22nd Street Bridge

5:08:50construction um has also reached them um

5:08:54even though it's uh further further west

5:08:56from where the construction is at. So if

5:08:58those are just kind of things that we

5:09:00can take into consideration I think it

5:09:02would be really helpful. That's that's

5:09:04all. Mayor, thank you.

5:09:05>> Thank you. All righty. Uh, Council

5:09:08Member Councilwoman Lee and then Council

5:09:10Member Vakas.

5:09:11>> Just a quick one. Amazing work to the

5:09:13team. I love this program. And as you

5:09:15guys [clears throat] get ready to roll

5:09:15this out for the window of October 1st

5:09:17through the end of the month, please

5:09:18engage with our offices because I think

5:09:20I know for our team, we would love to be

5:09:21involved in connecting with businesses

5:09:23and helping to pass around the exciting

5:09:25news. So, thank you.

5:09:27>> Absolutely, Council Member Maras.

5:09:29>> Thank you, Mayor. Well, I appreciate you

5:09:31both so much because um this is

5:09:34particularly

5:09:36relevant here in uh Ward 5 given the

5:09:40long-term impacts businesses along South

5:09:4212th Avenue, South Park Avenue, and the

5:09:4422nd Street Bridge project are facing.

5:09:46So, this pilot offers an opportunity to

5:09:49adopt a more proactive approach to

5:09:51supporting businesses before, during,

5:09:53and after construction.

5:09:55I know uh for the past six months in

5:09:58Ward 5, we've seen firsthand with our

5:10:00lunch meetups how extended road projects

5:10:03can affect customer access, visibility,

5:10:06parking, and overall business

5:10:07operations. So, I'm glad that this

5:10:08proposal includes not only financial

5:10:11assistance, but also dedicated uh city

5:10:13leazison to help businesses prepare for

5:10:15construction to stay informed and to

5:10:17remain open. I just want to make sure

5:10:20that the program is going to be

5:10:21accessible to the small businesses that

5:10:23truly need it the most and that we learn

5:10:26from this pilot, right, to improve and

5:10:29support future projects. Some of the

5:10:32small businesses our office has worked

5:10:34with um do not have active websites or

5:10:38social media. And often these business

5:10:40owners do not uh fully grasp how to

5:10:44complete online forms

5:10:47or you know have experience applying for

5:10:49programs like this. So how will the city

5:10:51make sure that small businesses are

5:10:53aware of these grants? And as we look

5:10:56ahead to future construction projects,

5:10:58can the city use what we learned from

5:10:59this pilot to provide support earlier

5:11:02before businesses experience major

5:11:04impacts? Thank you.

5:11:07>> Thank you, Madame Mayor, Council Member

5:11:09Brahas. Those are excellent questions

5:11:11and we have been talking a lot about the

5:11:12outreach component. Uh, you know, we are

5:11:15going to launch a website, but it's

5:11:16going to be more than that. We are going

5:11:17to do mailers along the project

5:11:19corridors, both in English and Spanish.

5:11:22We are I appreciate the comments,

5:11:25Councilwoman Lee, about engaging the

5:11:27ward offices. We're going to make sure

5:11:28that you're armed with that material as

5:11:30well. So, as people come in your office,

5:11:32you can hand them a flyer or make sure

5:11:33that they have the ability to contact us

5:11:36and uh make sure that the businesses

5:11:38that really do need the help that that

5:11:40they're getting this information. The

5:11:41other piece that I'll mention is we've

5:11:43been talking as a as a as a team that

5:11:45Aaron Williams uh will be providing some

5:11:48office hours during the open grant

5:11:49period so that people if they've got

5:11:51questions on how to fill out the

5:11:53application, he will be available and

5:11:55we've uh chatted with Lane Mandel as

5:11:57well about having some of her staff

5:11:58available so that we can provide those

5:12:00office hours both in English and

5:12:01Spanish.

5:12:02>> Thank you and thank you Jen for

5:12:04attending our lunch meetups. I know the

5:12:05business owners are very thankful when

5:12:07you're there.

5:12:10Any others?

5:12:13I just wanted to thank uh DTM um for

5:12:16bringing this pilot program forward. I

5:12:18am super excited about Ready Set Open

5:12:22and um looking forward to also um

5:12:25distributing the information to those

5:12:28businesses that have been affected, many

5:12:31of them for many months and months and

5:12:34months. And so I'm I'm concerned and I'm

5:12:37happy that you have been very responsive

5:12:39to the needs of our small business

5:12:41community. Council member,

5:12:43>> I had one quick thing. It's not a big

5:12:45deal. I want to leave it off for this

5:12:46item because I don't want to mess

5:12:48anything up, but I know we're doing

5:12:50Ritstown next year. If there's a

5:12:52situation I there's not a lot of

5:12:54businesses on the route, but if there's

5:12:56a situation that arises, we'll bring it

5:12:59back. That's all. Nothing big.

5:13:04Thank you so much. So, we have a a

5:13:05motion, a second on the floor. All those

5:13:07in favor, please signify by saying I. I.

5:13:10>> I. Any against?

5:13:13>> Motion carries. Thank you so much.

5:13:15Really appreciate it. Uh both of you for

5:13:18this awesome work. So, we are moving to

5:13:21item 11.

5:13:24Uh all righty. Item 11. Time has been

5:13:26set aside for continued discussion and

5:13:28direction on items related to Puma

5:13:31Association of Governments and the

5:13:33Regional Transportation Authority. Mr.

5:13:35Manager,

5:13:37>> thank you honorable mayor. Uh Sam Credio

5:13:40will be continuing into this item and we

5:13:42are also um very happy to welcome the

5:13:45executive director of the RT, Mr.

5:13:47Michael Ortega is also present to give a

5:13:50brief presentation. But uh I believe

5:13:52we're starting with Sam.

5:13:54>> Thank you, Mr. manager. And good

5:13:56afternoon again, honorable mayor,

5:13:58members of the council. This is our

5:13:59regular update on all things related to

5:14:01PAG and RTA. Uh I'll be briefing my

5:14:04remarks and then I'll turn it over to

5:14:05the executive director. On September

5:14:079th, the RTA technical management

5:14:10committee met, talked about several

5:14:12things. Um but there's a couple that I

5:14:13want to make sure that I highlight for

5:14:14you and then I'll also provide a few

5:14:16project updates. Um particularly the

5:14:18actions that the technical management

5:14:20committee took were first the

5:14:22recommendation for approval of the

5:14:25master IGAS uh for both the program

5:14:28delivery as well as the uh transit

5:14:30service delivery. Those are recommended

5:14:32for approval by the RTA board and also I

5:14:35want to note that for our jurisdiction

5:14:37those are placed on the consent agenda

5:14:39this evening as well for approval by the

5:14:41mayor and councel. Also during the RTA

5:14:45quarterly report, there were a few

5:14:46actions that were taken by the TMC that

5:14:48are worth noting. The first is there was

5:14:50quite a bit of conversation about the

5:14:53impacts that coordinating with the Union

5:14:55Pacific Railroad has on project

5:14:56delivery. And at the end of that

5:14:58conversation, there was a recommendation

5:14:59that the RTA board uh signed on to a

5:15:02joint letter to the Union Pacific

5:15:03outlining those concerns and seeking

5:15:06some remedy on how we coordinate with

5:15:09the railroad during projects. um

5:15:11particularly noting that they are

5:15:12delaying our projects and and I'll talk

5:15:14about that in just a moment. Um there

5:15:16was also a review and discussion on the

5:15:1830% plans for uh the city's first avenue

5:15:21project and that was unanimously

5:15:23recommended for approval by the RTA

5:15:25board. And lastly, there was a

5:15:27recommendation for approval by the board

5:15:29for the RTA to serve as the entity

5:15:32responsible for delivery of two city of

5:15:34Tucson projects. 1st Avenue from River

5:15:37to Grant as well as Hton Road from

5:15:39Tankerie to Broadway. I'll also just

5:15:42mention that later that day there was a

5:15:43presentation and update to the cart and

5:15:45the first avenue project was also

5:15:47discussed there and the 30% plans were

5:15:50recommended for approval by the cart.

5:15:52And then last week the first avenue

5:15:54citizen task force also met and

5:15:56recommended approval of the 30% uh

5:15:58plans. Uh as it relates to project

5:16:01updates, I do want to give a few um very

5:16:04briefly is over the next four to six

5:16:06months, we are going to celebrate the

5:16:08completion of four major RTA projects

5:16:11beginning uh with October 9th will be

5:16:13Valencia cold to Houtton and I I hope

5:16:15that you can make it out there and join

5:16:16us for that celebration. Um we also are

5:16:19going to be kicking off two projects

5:16:21within the next uh year or so including

5:16:24Silverbell which is currently out to

5:16:26bid. This is from Gore to El Camino

5:16:28delsero and then uh Hton Road from 22nd

5:16:30to Irvington. Um I do want to mention

5:16:33just one note on the 22nd Street Bridge

5:16:35project. I mentioned challenges working

5:16:37with Union Pacific. Um we are you know

5:16:39I'm just waving the yellow caution flag

5:16:41that we are having some challenging

5:16:43discussions with the railroad. I was out

5:16:45there myself last week and saw that it

5:16:47is slowgoing the demolition. Um, we are

5:16:49making some headway with the boots on

5:16:51the ground folks from Union Pacific, but

5:16:54we are just seeing those overall

5:16:56challenges on on being able to work

5:16:57within the railroad rightway. And so

5:16:59that's why we flag that for the U TMC

5:17:02and the RTA board. But we're making

5:17:04progress and I'll be able to provide

5:17:05more updates as that project progresses.

5:17:08Lastly, I just want to note that as it

5:17:09relates to the arterial and collector

5:17:12roadway rehabilitation element, we did

5:17:14kick off on August 14th the Irvington

5:17:16Road repaving. We're actually well on

5:17:18our way of of getting that job

5:17:19completed. Councilwoman Lee has a very

5:17:22big smile on her face. [laughter]

5:17:24And uh so that I'm excited to see that

5:17:27project be completed. And the next one

5:17:28in the pipeline is Silverbell Road from

5:17:30Grant Road to St. Mary's. Another happy

5:17:33face at the end of the table there.

5:17:34Thank you, mayor. And with that, that

5:17:36concludes my remarks. I do now want to

5:17:38turn it over to the executive director

5:17:40of PAG RTA, Mr. Mike Ortega, for a brief

5:17:43presentation.

5:17:44>> Before we go, we welcome you. Come up.

5:17:46come up if you feel like before we

5:17:47welcome um executive director Ortega to

5:17:51the microphone.

5:17:54Sam, if you need any help in terms of

5:17:58Union Pacific with our congressional

5:18:01delegation,

5:18:02um [clears throat] I know it takes an

5:18:04act of Congress sometimes to move Union

5:18:06Pacific into

5:18:09letting us do the work that we need to

5:18:11do. please let us know because

5:18:14um it's important that Union Pacific at

5:18:17least understand that our congressional

5:18:20delegation is paying attention to their

5:18:22lack of

5:18:25forward movement.

5:18:26>> Thank you, mayor. Appreciate that.

5:18:30>> Thank you, mayor, and the members of the

5:18:32council. Um it's a pleasure being here

5:18:34and mayor, I don't mind telling you

5:18:35every time you said Mr. Manager, I I

5:18:37sort of jumped a little bit. So, old

5:18:39habit. Um, I did bring someone with me

5:18:42uh today, Mr. Greg Buyers, and I wanted

5:18:44to introduce him or have him introduce

5:18:45himself. Greg, if you don't mind coming

5:18:47up. Greg will be the point person. He is

5:18:50the deputy director of the executive of

5:18:52the U, uh, PAG RTA. Uh, he's the deputy

5:18:55director and he'll be the point person

5:18:57on North First Avenue and on Hatton

5:18:59Road. And so, I want to make sure that

5:19:01you all know who he is. So, Greg, if you

5:19:02don't mind introducing yourself.

5:19:05>> Thank you very much, uh, mayor and

5:19:07members. Um so I've been with uh RTA now

5:19:12for in PAG uh since since May so four

5:19:15months about uh I came from ADOT where I

5:19:19was the uh state engineer as well as the

5:19:22deputy director. Uh I ran all the

5:19:24construction and maintenance uh for the

5:19:26entire state system. Uh I was doing did

5:19:30that for uh five years. I was with AOT

5:19:33for 11 years uh altogether. Uh prior to

5:19:37that I was had my own engineering firm

5:19:40in New Mexico. I sold it, moved here to

5:19:42Arizona. Uh actually worked for the city

5:19:46for a very short period of time before

5:19:47going to work for AOT. So uh glad to be

5:19:51here and and working on your projects.

5:19:54So thank you.

5:19:58>> Thank you, Greg. Uh, Mayor, your uh your

5:20:00comments and and Sam's comments were

5:20:02spot on on a variety of fronts, and I

5:20:04wanted to just quickly touch on them. I

5:20:06know it's late in the day. Um, so first

5:20:08of all, we're we're we're going and

5:20:09blowing, really getting things moving

5:20:12across the entirety of the program,

5:20:14which are all the elements. Um, and as

5:20:17you see from the materials we provided

5:20:19there, uh, one of the biggest messages

5:20:21that I'm trying to get through to

5:20:23everyone is the magnitude of what we

5:20:26have in front of us. uh when you look at

5:20:29uh almost uh $3.4 billion dollar when

5:20:32you take all the leveraged money that

5:20:34we're expending over 20 years uh that's

5:20:37in excess of $200 million a year. Very

5:20:40significant. Our usual expenditure rate

5:20:42has been between 50 and 70 million. So

5:20:45we have very very uh tall order in front

5:20:47of us uh to make sure that we we get

5:20:49these uh projects and these programs uh

5:20:52out the door and delivered as the voters

5:20:53uh have have entrusted with us. Just

5:20:56very quickly, uh, we have embarked on

5:20:58pre-authorization. So, if, uh,

5:21:00jurisdiction and the city of Tucson has

5:21:02has done that, jumped on a few projects,

5:21:04gave them pre-authorization so that we

5:21:07don't hold them up. Uh, the old days,

5:21:10you know, we talked about the or as I

5:21:12mentioned, the master IGAs. In the old

5:21:14days, every step had an IG or an IG

5:21:17amendment that would require approvals

5:21:20and the bureaucracies of both

5:21:22organizations. And so the idea is to

5:21:24really shortcut a lot of that uh and get

5:21:27the master IGAs and the project

5:21:29charters. I'll talk about that in a

5:21:30minute. Streamlining committees, making

5:21:33sure that their uh focus is based on the

5:21:36policy direction from the RTA board or

5:21:39the regional council. Extremely

5:21:40important that they have direction uh so

5:21:43that they can vet issues or vet

5:21:45conversations amongst themselves and

5:21:47provide feedback directly back to the

5:21:49board without filtering. And I'll talk

5:21:51about that here in a minute as well.

5:21:54So you mentioned um in in the remarks

5:21:57earlier uh director mentioned the 22nd

5:21:59Street Bridge um and that's a role that

5:22:03we traditionally had not played but

5:22:05today and mayor thank you for the offer

5:22:07on the congressional delegation. That's

5:22:09step two. Uh step one is a joint letter

5:22:13of the RTA board to Union Pacific asking

5:22:17them for an in-person meeting and

5:22:20expressing concerns about the projects.

5:22:22And there was two that we put on the

5:22:23list, although there's a whole, you

5:22:25know, big list. Uh, one was the 22nd

5:22:27Street Bridge. The other one was

5:22:29Tangerine Road. Imagine when the project

5:22:32is basically complete and we're waiting

5:22:34almost three years for a design on the

5:22:38railroad. I mean, that's just uh and and

5:22:40by the way, that's an atgrade crossing,

5:22:42which means there's equal exposure for

5:22:45the railroad as well as for for the the

5:22:48motoring public. So, I mentioned uh we

5:22:51have been asked by by your team, by by

5:22:53Tim and and by Sam to help out with

5:22:56North First Avenue and Hton Road.

5:22:58Excited to do that. Uh but keep in mind,

5:23:00even though we're quote the lead agency,

5:23:03doesn't mean we're doing it in a vacuum.

5:23:04Uh we are tight at the hip. We meet

5:23:06weekly with the with the team with the

5:23:08staff, talk about issues, talk about

5:23:10things that are going on out there that

5:23:12we might be able to work together and

5:23:13and and solve jointly. So, this is what

5:23:16the first period looks like. first

5:23:18period is five years. Um 17 projects are

5:23:22already either in preliminary planning,

5:23:25design, andor construction. Uh I'm glad

5:23:28to report or hear that Sam reported the

5:23:31ribbon cutings that are coming up, but

5:23:33also groundbreings. Uh so there are a

5:23:36variety of projects that are either

5:23:38they're in any stage of the of the

5:23:40development process. And because of the

5:23:43way that the ballot was worded and and

5:23:45and uh outlined, those first seven

5:23:48projects, I believe five of those are in

5:23:49the city of Tucson. And so those are

5:23:52right out of the chute, which I know

5:23:53many many times at this table was

5:23:55discussed. But it's important that we

5:23:58are all a welloiled machine to get those

5:24:00out the door and make sure that we have

5:24:01uh ultimately those those projects uh

5:24:04delivered. So, keeping in mind that the

5:24:07RTA board is responsible for the

5:24:09delivery, but it's the delivery of the

5:24:11program and this slide really outlines

5:24:13all of the elements. So, we spent a lot

5:24:15of time talking about roads uh because

5:24:17that's a big chunk of the money. It's

5:24:19about $1.4 billion, but there are other

5:24:22components that are equally important

5:24:23and equal impactful, if you will, within

5:24:26the entirety of the community. All of

5:24:28those are on our radar, and we're making

5:24:29sure that we're making progress on those

5:24:33accountability to the voters. I think uh

5:24:34you heard me say this once before when I

5:24:37came uh and chatted with you all. Uh

5:24:39extremely important that we recognize

5:24:43those quarterly analyses, those

5:24:45quarterly reports will be open, but they

5:24:48also hold us accountable. They hold us

5:24:50accountable as a region. So, it's not

5:24:53intended to be, you know, put someone in

5:24:54a bad light. It's truly intended to say

5:24:57like on 22nd Street, what's the problem?

5:25:00What can we do to help? How do we uh

5:25:02gather around you? and support you in

5:25:05delivering that program because it's

5:25:07extremely important. I want to draw your

5:25:08attention over to the right there, that

5:25:10that uh little org chart there. I put

5:25:12that up there because it's important

5:25:14that you know and recognize in the good

5:25:16old days there was actually the

5:25:18executive director right below for right

5:25:20below the RTA board and so the

5:25:22committees would funnel through the

5:25:23executive director. We've changed that

5:25:26and now the committees go directly to

5:25:29the board with no filtering. And that's

5:25:31important because ultimately the board

5:25:33needs to hear from not only the

5:25:36technical experts but also the citizens

5:25:38as well. They have issues or concerns.

5:25:40It gives them a direct line to the the

5:25:43board. All of the agendas going forward

5:25:45will have a report out from the

5:25:47committees. So there'll be an item that

5:25:50says, you know, if you want to report

5:25:51out to the the board, here's the

5:25:53opportunities. basically like what Sam

5:25:55did September 9th here's here was the

5:25:57action that was taken but it's an

5:25:59opportunity for the board to hear

5:26:00directly from from the the committees

5:26:04the other thing u I want to just point

5:26:06out and uh Sam mentioned it during his

5:26:08presentation on the small business by

5:26:10the way hats off to you on that program

5:26:12I think it's awesome can't wait to

5:26:14partner uh we've already got strategies

5:26:16on how we can work together it needs to

5:26:19be seamless well that communication also

5:26:22can be outward as far as the status of

5:26:25projects. So, one of the frustrations

5:26:26that we hear over and over and over

5:26:28again is people don't know what's going

5:26:30on with the project or with the program.

5:26:33And so, we've got a new uh website,

5:26:35totally revamped, got a new logo on it.

5:26:37It's great. It's wonderful, but we're

5:26:40going to expand it so that we've got

5:26:42links to DTM's project status reports so

5:26:46that when they do their flyovers with a

5:26:47really cool drone and they show all

5:26:48these really cool videos, we can link

5:26:51those and so people that want to know

5:26:53what's going on with Grant Road or First

5:26:56Avenue or H Road or 22nd Street, they

5:26:59can click on that and we'll have a link

5:27:01directly to your information. Again,

5:27:04really important to keep people up to

5:27:05date on on where we're headed and what

5:27:07we're doing.

5:27:08So, mayor, members of council, I wanted

5:27:10to be brief, just a high level uh

5:27:13synopsis of where we are. Uh, happy to

5:27:15get into as much detail on any aspect

5:27:17that that you'd like, but I didn't want

5:27:19to take too much of your time. Thank

5:27:20you, Mayor.

5:27:20>> Thank you, Mr. Ortega. I really

5:27:22appreciate uh you joining us today. I'm

5:27:24looking forward um to our continued work

5:27:28together, making it as easy as possible

5:27:31to uh progress with uh our projects. Um,

5:27:38as we are transitioning to RTA next and

5:27:42the projects that are coming online, I'm

5:27:44excited to hear about all of the plans

5:27:47that you are bringing into

5:27:50uh the RTA next. So, with that, I want

5:27:53to make sure that I give some time to my

5:27:55colleagues on the council, see if they

5:27:56have any questions or comments. Council

5:27:58member D.,

5:28:02>> thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Sam. Thank

5:28:03you, Mike. It's It's such a new day.

5:28:07[laughter] And thank you to you. I I

5:28:09assume you're both for the speedy work

5:28:12at the intersection of Interstate uh 10

5:28:16and uh um Grant Road. Oh my gosh. And

5:28:21the signage was great. I go that way all

5:28:23the time. And I learned how to Only once

5:28:26did I oh darn get stuck. But it wasn't

5:28:29wasn't a bad thing. That that was

5:28:31incredible and I look forward to more of

5:28:32that. Thank you for introducing your um

5:28:34deputy director. My one question for you

5:28:36was who's the point person on on First

5:28:39Avenue? And you got it. So, we'll be

5:28:40working closely. My office and my staff

5:28:43member is going to get your contact

5:28:44information, too. Um and

5:28:48I think that's it. Thank you.

5:28:51>> Thank you. Any others? Any comments,

5:28:53questions? Vice Mayor Santa Cruz.

5:28:57I was just going to be silly and be like

5:28:59city manager Mike Ortega

5:29:01aka executive director. No, it's always

5:29:05great to see you and love seeing you,

5:29:07you know, in your engineering hat. Um I

5:29:10I just feel like we need to continue

5:29:11making um friends with our Union Pacific

5:29:15entities and anything we can do um to

5:29:18support that because I know that's been

5:29:20such a challenge in so many projects. I

5:29:23know in Ward one um even with downtown

5:29:26links. So um uh thank you for you know

5:29:31bringing attention to that and and again

5:29:34anything we can do to support it. Um

5:29:35thank you.

5:29:38>> Any others? Uh Councilman Lee, nice to

5:29:41meet you Greg. I will be bothering you

5:29:43about Hton. So thank you for being here

5:29:45today. And to Mike, thank you so much.

5:29:47It's not minimal to reduce a

5:29:49[clears throat] layer between the

5:29:50citizens voice and the technical

5:29:52advisory committee directly to the

5:29:54board. So I just want to acknowledge

5:29:55that. That was very significant. So

5:29:57thank you for doing that.

5:30:00Any others?

5:30:02Well, thank you so much. Really

5:30:04appreciate it Sam for the update. Um

5:30:06thank you Mr. Orteas. Nice meeting you

5:30:09Greg and looking forward to our

5:30:11continued work together. Our next item

5:30:14is item 12.

5:30:17Time has been set aside for discussion

5:30:19and updates on the fiscal year 27

5:30:22compensation plan. Mr. Manager,

5:30:25>> thank you, honorable mayor and members

5:30:26of the council. This item can also be

5:30:28quite brief. Um, you've already adopted

5:30:31a classification and comp plan for this

5:30:33fiscal year. Um, but we wanted to bring

5:30:36two things to you before we did the

5:30:38October deployment of the market

5:30:40adjustments. You know, as you know, we

5:30:42were phasing things in. We have market

5:30:44adjustments and 4,900 adjustments, pay

5:30:47placement adjustments coming up in in a

5:30:49couple weeks. And as we continue to do

5:30:52our ongoing work, we identified two

5:30:53areas that we wanted to uh seek your

5:30:56approval so that we could roll that into

5:30:57that same process. You will not be asked

5:31:00to act on this today. You'll be asked to

5:31:02vote on the consent agenda on 106. Um

5:31:06but your comments today will be helpful

5:31:07to us. Uh, one of them is there's an

5:31:10additional job title that we are

5:31:13recommending we move up an additional

5:31:15grade. This is the engineering project

5:31:18manager J2015.

5:31:20It's currently a G110. What does that

5:31:23mean? I don't know either, but we want

5:31:25to make it a G11, which is essentially

5:31:27one grade up, which means the salary

5:31:29structure for that job moves upward. And

5:31:31when we talk about uh the f who these

5:31:34folks are, they're uh largely the city

5:31:37project managers for projects like these

5:31:39RTA projects for major roadway

5:31:40corridors. Um so um we found that we we

5:31:44had them a little bit short on the

5:31:45market. Um and so we would like to move

5:31:48them up without waiting uh any

5:31:50additional time for that. Um there are

5:31:52five employees that would be impacted by

5:31:54that. um including I might say the

5:31:57project manager for the grant and I 10

5:31:59uh magic show that you already just

5:32:01commented on. So um having said that um

5:32:04also within our water department we have

5:32:06utility technicians which are our

5:32:08maintenance folks who do a number of

5:32:10different work uh products on our system

5:32:13to keep it running and functioning and

5:32:14address leaks. These are these utility

5:32:16technicians are part of a skill-based

5:32:18pay program which means that as they

5:32:20acquire and test for skills their pay

5:32:22goes up. The current program allows them

5:32:25to gain up to four new skills per year

5:32:28maximum. And right now they have two

5:32:30opportunities per year to do that. We

5:32:33would like to make it so that they can

5:32:34get those skills even sooner. So we'd

5:32:36like to move it to be four times a year

5:32:38they could test. Still the same maximum

5:32:41number of skills per year and still the

5:32:43same uh pay structure, but they can get

5:32:46their skills a little bit faster. Those

5:32:48are the two um things that we're

5:32:50recommending [snorts] that you adopt. um

5:32:52coming up on the October 6th consent

5:32:54agenda. I am available if you have any

5:32:56questions.

5:32:58>> Council member Cunningham,

5:32:59>> we I we talked offline about it. I'm not

5:33:01sure. I I'm under the impression. I'm

5:33:03not sure if it's I just asked for some

5:33:06research on it. Um it sounded like we

5:33:09had some discrepancy on a reduction in

5:33:11pay inadvertently with ES supervisors. I

5:33:15don't know if that's correct or not, but

5:33:18I know that they they were concerned

5:33:20that they were going to actually take a

5:33:21pay reduction. If that's the case, I

5:33:24want to make sure we're we delay. I

5:33:25don't want to take anything away. So, I

5:33:26just wanted to

5:33:29>> Yep. Honorable mayor, Council Member

5:33:31Cunningham, the ES supervisors have had

5:33:34a concern that they would have a

5:33:36potential reduction in pay uh when the

5:33:38class and comp plan goes into full

5:33:40effect. That was um not correct. We have

5:33:45verified that they would not be

5:33:46receiving that reduction in pay. Uh

5:33:48although I can see why they might have

5:33:50thought so. So the these particular

5:33:53supervisors supervise our solid waste

5:33:55equipment operators. These are the folks

5:33:57that do the garbage and recycling

5:33:59collection. The solid waste equipment

5:34:01operators were on a tier-based pay

5:34:05system. We are eliminating the tierbased

5:34:08pay system and they're actually going up

5:34:10three grades in their pay. So they're

5:34:11getting no tier pay. they're getting

5:34:14straight pay and they're all um quite

5:34:16happy with that outcome. The folks that

5:34:18supervised them were concerned that a 5%

5:34:21that some of them have would be going

5:34:24away because tier program was going

5:34:25away, but that is not the case. The 5%

5:34:27was never intended to go away. There's

5:34:30no action to take it away. So that

5:34:31that'll be communicated back to them as

5:34:33well.

5:34:33>> Yeah. Can you make sure you get with

5:34:35those guys so they know what's going on

5:34:36and it's broken down to them very very

5:34:39um directly?

5:34:41We will circle back with them again.

5:34:44>> Any other questions? Council member

5:34:45Varakas.

5:34:46>> Thank you, ma'am. Yeah, I too want to

5:34:47piggy back on that. As council member uh

5:34:49Cunningham shared, you know, I I too met

5:34:52with the supervisors and they did

5:34:54indicate that they have not received ex

5:34:56explanations on their compensation

5:34:58level. So I think at a minimum another

5:35:01conversation with the group would be

5:35:02extremely valuable and I'm concerned

5:35:04that their work is not valued in the way

5:35:06other supervisor works um in other

5:35:09departments is valued and environmental

5:35:12services is perhaps our most

5:35:13constituentf facing department and their

5:35:15work also involves risks that are

5:35:17different from other roles.

5:35:20While I'm not certain what a final

5:35:22outcome should be, a warm conversation

5:35:24should be a good place to start and I'm

5:35:27here to support that. Thank you.

5:35:32>> Any others? Uh, Council Member Schubert,

5:35:34>> just want to say that I met with those

5:35:36supervisors, too. So, I support efforts

5:35:38to clear up any miscommunications that

5:35:41have happened. Um, they specifically

5:35:42mentioned um some operators or some

5:35:45supervisors moving from G107 from 109

5:35:49and wanting to stay at 109 in addition

5:35:51to the 5% thing. Thank you so much.

5:35:54>> Thank you, Council Member Roas. I do

5:35:56have one question. What other

5:35:59jurisdictions were used for market

5:36:00comparisons and was this the same across

5:36:03the board for all roles across the city?

5:36:07Honorable mayor, members of the council,

5:36:08I will bring director train up to the

5:36:10microphone so that I don't get the five

5:36:12jurisdictions incorrect. We do have five

5:36:15jurisdictions that we have used as our

5:36:16comparators consistently for the last

5:36:18three years. That is true for all

5:36:20positions except for in police and fire.

5:36:23and police and fire they have

5:36:24memorandums of understanding with the

5:36:26unions where a specific sets of

5:36:29jurisdictions are the comparators. So

5:36:31where we have anou that specifies it we

5:36:34follow theou in all of the cases it is

5:36:37the five jurisdictions that are about to

5:36:39be stated by Dr. train.

5:36:43>> I get the fun question. Thank you very

5:36:45much, honorable mayor and members of the

5:36:48council. Uh, historically, what has been

5:36:50used is uh Mesa, Chandler,

5:36:56town of Morirana,

5:36:58Pima County, Oro Valley. Those are the

5:37:03ones that uh we have looked at on a

5:37:07regular basis and we do share that

5:37:10information on a regular basis in terms

5:37:13of conversation as it comes up.

5:37:16Comparators are uh a routine type of

5:37:19question. So

5:37:20>> thank you Dr. TR.

5:37:22>> Sure.

5:37:24So I guess my question is

5:37:27Morirana Oro Valley

5:37:31Pima County

5:37:33do not provide environmental services

5:37:36and nor have operators. What happens

5:37:38when that is the case?

5:37:41in the case. So it is true, honorable

5:37:45mayor, members of the council, that not

5:37:46all five of those jurisdictions have

5:37:49complete overlap with all the services

5:37:51we provide. Where we can find a good

5:37:53comparator, we use it. If they if some

5:37:56of those five don't have that particular

5:37:58job title, then it might rely on only

5:38:00the two or three that do.

5:38:03This has been our process for the last

5:38:05three years. While we are also doing our

5:38:08work for FY27, looking ahead to next

5:38:11year, we will also be reviewing the

5:38:13those five comparators to see if they

5:38:16are still valid comparators for our

5:38:18city.

5:38:19>> But that that has been our policy for

5:38:21three years running and we we it is a

5:38:24challenge to match job titles across

5:38:27cities to J to match job duties. So, Dr.

5:38:30Train is also launching in this fiscal

5:38:32year a job descriptions um process where

5:38:36they'll be doing um deep dives with uh

5:38:40the workforce and of verifying that the

5:38:42job descriptions that we have and the

5:38:43job titles that we have. Um so we're

5:38:45we're in the you know year three of

5:38:47doing a full revamp and overhaul of all

5:38:50of our systems in class and comp. Um so

5:38:52certainly challenging and revisiting

5:38:54those comparator cities is is something

5:38:56we'll do in this coming year as well.

5:38:59>> Excellent. Thank you. Thank you so much.

5:39:01So, you don't need any action from us.

5:39:03>> That's correct, mayor. It'll be on

5:39:05consent at the 10:6 meeting.

5:39:07>> Okay. Any other questions from the

5:39:08colleagues? I don't see any. We move on

5:39:12to item 13. Time has been set aside for

5:39:15discussion and direction relating to

5:39:17matters pending in front of the Puma

5:39:19County Board of Supervisors and other

5:39:21regional jurisdictions.

5:39:24Mr. your um manager,

5:39:26>> honorable mayor, uh Stephanie Zamora,

5:39:28who is our um interim director of

5:39:31intergovernmental relations, is probably

5:39:34on a jury right now. She has jury duty

5:39:37today.

5:39:38>> And if I didn't see her, that means

5:39:40she's not the one on trial, [laughter]

5:39:42to be clear. So, on the regional item,

5:39:46just a couple of quick updates. Um, Pima

5:39:48County recently approved several items

5:39:50that are connected to Tucson, uh,

5:39:52including, uh, nearly $3 million in city

5:39:55county housing agreements, an update

5:39:58updated economic development due

5:40:00diligence standards that follow Tucson's

5:40:02threshold for large water users, at

5:40:05least our current threshold, and the

5:40:07creation of the Arizona Taiwan talent

5:40:10and innovation hub downtown, which the

5:40:12mayor's work has been closely involved

5:40:14with. Um, and also in other news, Pimac

5:40:16County has recently u brought Matt Copek

5:40:19on board as a new intergovernmental

5:40:22affairs manager. We look forward to

5:40:24working with him in that capacity and I

5:40:25think that's the first time in a long

5:40:27time that they've actually had somebody

5:40:28in that particular role. Thank you,

5:40:30mayor.

5:40:31>> Thank you. I really appreciate the

5:40:33update and excited um to be able to be

5:40:37working on the next joint meeting with

5:40:40the Puma County Board of Supervisors

5:40:41hopefully in November. Uh our clerk is

5:40:44working on possible dates and hopefully,

5:40:49you know, uh talking with you and your

5:40:51staffs about a good date for a joint

5:40:53meeting. Uh, according to our city

5:40:56manager and county administrator, what

5:40:59they heard in the last joint meeting was

5:41:02an emphasis um, of course an emphasis on

5:41:06our prosperity initiative, but an

5:41:08emphasis on economic development and on

5:41:11youth prevention, intervention,

5:41:14employment, etc. So, um, hopefully that

5:41:18is the focus of the following joint

5:41:22board of supervisors meeting. So, please

5:41:24take a look at your calendar and

5:41:26hopefully we can find a date before the

5:41:29Thanksgiving holiday uh that we can meet

5:41:32together with the board of supervisors.

5:41:34Anything else? Any questions?

5:41:38Hearing none, we're now turned to agenda

5:41:40item 14. Time has been set aside for

5:41:43mayor and council to receive an an

5:41:45update on state and national legislation

5:41:47and regional committees, [clears throat]

5:41:49executive orders, and direction to any

5:41:51associated litigation. Mr. Manager,

5:41:55thank you. Uh, still receiving the

5:41:57report from me today. And of course,

5:41:59there's materials in your in your uh

5:42:01agenda materials. Uh, Congress on the

5:42:04federal level has a limited schedule

5:42:05before the pre-election recess. Uh the

5:42:08government is funded under continuing

5:42:10resolution through December 11th. Of

5:42:13particular importance to Tucson, the

5:42:15house passed the word bill or the water

5:42:17resources development act with expanded

5:42:19authorization for the Southlands

5:42:22recycled water loop which would support

5:42:23extending the system reclaim system to

5:42:25the loss realis sustainability campus

5:42:28and position the city to pursue future

5:42:30federal funding for the flow project. So

5:42:32authorization does not equal

5:42:34appropriation, but you got to have one

5:42:36to get the other. Additionally, we are

5:42:39grateful to representatives Grihalva and

5:42:41Ciscomani and senators Kelly and Ggo for

5:42:43their support of this important project.

5:42:45Negotiations must continue and we're

5:42:47excited that the expanded authorization

5:42:49remains in play and could allow Tucson

5:42:51to pursue future federal funding for the

5:42:53entire project.

5:42:55And then at the state level, there

5:42:57continues to be discussion of a

5:42:59potential special legislative session on

5:43:01Colorado River water issues as new

5:43:04federal operating guidelines take effect

5:43:06on October 1st. And then looking ahead

5:43:09to the 2027 session, 911 funding remains

5:43:13a major priority following a $4 million

5:43:15statewide funding gap this year along

5:43:18with any stakeholder discussions around

5:43:20housing, tenant rights, and eviction

5:43:21protections. We will be visiting with

5:43:24you to develop that state legislative

5:43:26agenda with a goal of bringing that to

5:43:27you in November for consideration. And

5:43:30of course, um we look forward to uh what

5:43:33the midterms hold as far as um the state

5:43:36of Arizona's um House and Senate. And so

5:43:40we'll go go forward from there. Thank

5:43:42you, Mayor.

5:43:43>> Thank you, Mr. Manager. I'm I'm also

5:43:45very thankful to our um congressional

5:43:48delegation for their continued support

5:43:50for our Southlands recycled water loop,

5:43:53which is basically our extending our

5:43:55recycled water system from Mission Manor

5:43:58Park all the way over to L'Oreales

5:44:02Sustainability Campus and into uh the

5:44:05southeast of our community so that we

5:44:08can use uh continue to use uh recycled

5:44:11water um for all of the nec necessary

5:44:15services that we provide with it. Um,

5:44:17any questions, comments on this

5:44:19particular item?

5:44:21Council member Barahas.

5:44:24Thank you, Mayor. I wanted to bring up

5:44:26something uh regarding the census

5:44:28bureau.

5:44:29There was it was released uh a release

5:44:32proposal rule on September 10th, 2026

5:44:36regarding residents criteria and

5:44:38regulations on demographic questions as

5:44:40they pertain to the dennial census for

5:44:432030. Comments on the proposed rule are

5:44:46due by October 13, 2026. This proposed

5:44:49rule is very concerning as it could

5:44:52install fear in the community for being

5:44:54counted by the census. This would

5:44:56prevent immigrants without green cards

5:44:58from being included in the census and

5:45:00would eliminate questions about race and

5:45:02ethnicity. This is extremely concerning

5:45:04as we rely on this data not only for our

5:45:07elected representation in Congress and

5:45:09at every level of government and would

5:45:11result in significant undercount of our

5:45:13population. In excluding race and

5:45:15ethnicity data would be a huge loss for

5:45:17understanding our community needs. So, I

5:45:20would like to direct staff to find out

5:45:21if there are responses we as a city of

5:45:23Tucson could attach ourselves to and if

5:45:26staff can draft a response mayor to

5:45:28mayor council so we could sign on to to

5:45:32let the record show our opposition to

5:45:34these proposed rule changes.

5:45:39Thank you, Council Member Baras. We're

5:45:40going to keep an eye make sure that we

5:45:43are working with our congressional

5:45:44delegation again to see what we can do.

5:45:48We're hopeful um that we will have

5:45:52friendly

5:45:54um Congress people to help us through

5:45:57this um census work that we're doing.

5:46:00But I hear you. It's never too early to

5:46:04um get our prepare ourselves for what's

5:46:07coming.

5:46:08Anything else?

5:46:10Anything else? Okay. So, does anyone

5:46:14have any items to remove from the

5:46:16consent agenda for today's regular

5:46:18meeting? This is item 15.

5:46:22Seeing none, item 16. Does anyone have

5:46:24any items for future agendas?

5:46:28All righty. Seeing none, study session

5:46:31is adjourned. The next regularly

5:46:32scheduled meeting is on Tuesday, October

5:46:366, 2026. Thank you all. I'll see you at

5:46:40Let's see.

5:46:42Oh, I'll see you at 5:40 here in the

5:46:44chambers for a regular meeting.

5:47:02>> [music]

5:47:08[music]

5:47:32[music]

5:47:39[music]

5:47:43>> I know you're

5:47:57[music]

5:47:57Oh,

5:48:21[music]

5:48:26hey.

5:49:07Hey,

5:49:09hey,

5:49:19hey.

5:49:52>> [music]

5:50:07[music]

5:50:52[music]

5:51:22>> Hey,

5:51:27hey, hey.

5:52:23>> [music]

5:52:34>> Hey.

5:52:37[music]

5:52:43Hey. Hey.

5:52:48Hey. Hey. Hey.

5:53:14[music]

5:53:19>> [music]

5:53:29[music]

5:53:55>> Hey.

5:54:28>> [music]

5:54:58>> Hey,

5:55:02hey, hey.

5:55:11>> [music]

5:55:20[music]

5:55:25[music]

5:55:49>> Hey, [music]

5:55:54hey, hey.

5:56:05>> [music]

5:56:16[music]

5:56:31[music]

5:57:19[music]

5:58:15>> Heat

5:58:28up

6:00:01Hey,

6:00:03hey, hey.

6:00:06Hey. Hey. Hey.

6:00:09[music]

6:00:17[music]

6:00:23[music]

6:00:37>> [music]

6:00:45[music]

6:00:52[music]

6:00:57[music]

6:00:57>> Heat. Heat.

6:01:04[music]

6:01:13[music]

6:01:18Hey. Hey. Hey.

6:01:32[music]

6:01:52>> [music]

6:01:58[music]

6:02:07[music]

6:02:50[music]

6:02:52>> Hey,

6:03:00[music]

6:03:03hey, hey, hey, hey.

6:03:10>> [music]

6:03:33[music]

6:03:54[music]

6:04:30[music]

6:04:39[music]

6:04:46[music]

6:05:13[music]

6:05:22[music]

6:05:32[music]

6:05:38[music]

6:05:46>> Hey

6:05:47>> [music]

6:05:59[music]

6:06:04>> everybody.

6:06:06[music]

6:06:40>> [music]

6:06:47[music]

6:07:09[music]

6:07:32[music]

6:07:46[music]

6:07:58[music]

6:08:14>> Hey,

6:08:26hey, hey.

6:09:45>> [music]

6:09:54[music]

6:10:19[music]

6:10:25[music]

6:10:49[music]

6:11:15[music]

6:11:40[music]

6:11:51[music]

6:11:56[music]

6:12:15[music]

6:12:30[music]

6:12:36>> Hey, hey, hey.

6:12:39[music]

6:12:44>> [music]

6:12:57[music]

6:13:05>> Baby, [music]

6:13:10[music]

6:13:30hey.

6:13:46>> [music]

6:13:54[music]

6:13:59[music]

6:14:26>> Hey, hey, hey.

6:14:29[music]

6:14:35[music]

6:14:42[music]

6:15:30>> [music]

6:15:45>> Heat. Heat.

6:16:17>> [music]

6:16:24>> Heat. Heat. N.

6:16:31Heat. Heat.

6:17:01>> [music]

6:17:14>> Hey,

6:17:16[music]

6:17:16hey, hey.

6:17:21Hey, hey, hey.

6:17:40[music]

6:17:45[music]

6:17:54>> [music]

6:18:02[music]

6:18:20[music]

6:19:00>> Hey, hey, hey.

6:19:49>> [music]

6:19:58[music]

6:20:17>> Hey.

6:20:20Hey. Hey.

6:20:25>> [music]

6:20:36[music]

6:20:46[music]

6:20:49>> Heat. Heat.

6:21:48>> [music]

6:22:00[music]

6:22:26>> Hey,

6:22:29hey, hey.

6:22:53>> [music]

6:22:53>> Oh,

6:22:58hey.

6:23:14>> [music]

6:23:21>> down. [music]

6:23:31>> [music]

6:24:14[music]

6:24:30[music]

6:24:43[music]

6:25:06>> Heat.

6:25:17Heat.

6:26:08Hey.

6:26:22Heat.

6:26:38Heat.

6:27:13Heat. [music]

6:27:22[music]

6:27:32Hey, heat. Hey, heat.

6:27:36[music]

6:27:41>> [music]

6:27:46[music]

6:27:55[music]

6:27:55>> Heat. Heat.

6:28:01Heat. Heat. N.

6:28:05[music]

6:28:14[music]

6:28:20[music]

6:28:32>> [music]

6:28:37>> Heat. [music]

6:28:42Heat.

6:28:52>> [music]

6:28:57[music]

6:29:08>> Hey, [music]

6:29:11hey, hey.

6:29:17>> [music]

6:29:24[music]

6:29:29[music]

6:29:34[music]

6:30:08[music]

6:30:09>> Hey, hey, hey.

6:30:21[music]

6:30:28[music]

6:30:39>> [music]

6:31:01[music]

6:31:46[music]

6:31:53[music]

6:32:01[music]

6:32:09[music]

6:32:27[music]

6:32:53[music]

6:32:54>> Heat. Heat.

6:33:02[music]

6:33:13[music]

6:33:17>> [music]

6:33:29[music]

6:33:40[music]

6:34:01[music]

6:34:16[music]

6:34:33[music]

6:34:58[music]

6:35:13[music]

6:35:32>> Hey, hey, hey.

6:35:37[music]

6:35:55[music]

6:36:22>> [music]

6:36:46[music]

6:36:57[music]

6:37:07[music]

6:37:25[music]

6:37:30[music]

6:37:50[music]

6:38:46[music]

6:39:16[music]

6:39:22[music]

6:39:28[music]

6:39:32>> Hey, hey, hey.

6:39:46[music]

6:39:56[music]

6:40:21>> [music]

6:40:28[music]

6:40:33[music]

6:40:34>> me.

6:40:42[music] Baby,

6:40:45baby.

6:40:58>> [music]

6:41:03[music]

6:41:30[music]

6:41:38[music]

6:41:48[music]

6:41:53[music]

6:42:03[music]

6:42:09[music]

6:42:18[music]

6:42:23[music]

6:43:08>> Heat. Heat.

6:43:50Hey,

6:43:52[music] hey, hey.

6:44:05>> [music]

6:44:14>> Heat. Heat. N.

6:44:34>> [music]

6:44:44[music]

6:45:23[music]

6:46:03>> Hey. Hey. Hey.

6:47:20>> [music]

6:47:26[music]

6:48:13[music]

6:49:24[music]

6:50:23[music]

6:50:45>> Hey,

6:50:47[music]

6:50:49hey, hey.

6:50:54>> [music]

6:51:02[music]

6:51:21[music]

6:51:50[music]

6:52:33>> Hey. Hey. Hey.

6:53:00Heat

6:53:16up

6:53:30here.

6:53:47Hey,

6:53:51hey, hey.

6:54:18the meeting, the regular meeting of

6:54:20mayor and council of Tuesday, September

6:54:2222nd. Really appreciate all of your

6:54:25presence. Uh for the record, Vice Mayor

6:54:28Santa Cruz will be participating

6:54:30electronically through Microsoft Teams.

6:54:33Standle uh council will stand in session

6:54:36and we do need to go to roll call.

6:54:40>> Council member Cunningham

6:54:42>> here.

6:54:43>> Council member Dah

6:54:44>> here.

6:54:45>> Councilwoman Lee

6:54:46>> here.

6:54:46>> Council member Braos

6:54:47>> here. Council member Schubert here. Vice

6:54:50Mayor Santa Cruz

6:54:52>> here. Mayor Romero

6:54:53>> here. Before we move to item two, the

6:54:57city attorney will go over the rules of

6:54:59decorum for mayor and council meetings.

6:55:01Mr. Attorney.

6:55:02>> Thank you, honorable mayor and members

6:55:03of council. Arizona's open meeting laws

6:55:05provide that members of the public may

6:55:07attend and listen to the proceedings

6:55:08during tonight's public meeting of the

6:55:09mayor and council. Arizona law also

6:55:12allows the mayor and council to enforce

6:55:13rules and procedures for public

6:55:15attendance of the meeting to ensure

6:55:16orderly behavior and to prevent

6:55:18unnecessary interference with the public

6:55:19meeting. Here are the rules that apply.

6:55:22the rules required to quorum and orderly

6:55:24conduct by the members of the audience.

6:55:25No person attending the meeting shall

6:55:27engage in conduct that disrupts or

6:55:29otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of

6:55:31the meeting, including any statements or

6:55:33conduct that interrupts the persons who

6:55:35might be addressing the American council

6:55:36or that disrupts the discussions of the

6:55:38mayor and council. The mayor has the

6:55:40authority to ensure compliance with the

6:55:41rules of orderly conduct. If disorderly

6:55:44or disruptive conduct continues after a

6:55:46warning and this is that first warning,

6:55:48the mayor may direct the removal of

6:55:49persons from the chambers and or recess

6:55:51the meeting itself. If disruptive

6:55:53behavior makes it necessary to clear the

6:55:55chambers, the persons who disrupted the

6:55:56meeting will not be allowed to return to

6:55:58the chambers for the remainder of

6:55:59tonight's meeting. As a final note,

6:56:01please be aware that interfering with or

6:56:03preventing this lawful public meeting

6:56:04from being carried out in an orderly

6:56:06manner not not only violates the rules

6:56:08of participation but also violates title

6:56:1013 of the Arizona Revised Statutes.

6:56:13>> Thank you, Mr. Attorney. Item two,

6:56:19invocation pledge of allegiance and

6:56:20appointments to boards, committees, and

6:56:22commissions.

6:56:23>> We will first start with a land

6:56:25acknowledgement. Let us begin by

6:56:27grounding ourselves in acknowledging

6:56:30these lands. The city of Tucson is on

6:56:32the lands that have been stewarded by

6:56:34the tono otam since time immemorial and

6:56:37the Pasquayaki people who have lived in

6:56:39the Sonoran desert for thousands of

6:56:42years. Please ride for rise for the

6:56:44pledge of allegiance.

6:56:54to the stands one

6:56:59indivisible

6:57:01and justice for all.

6:57:06Item 2 C.

6:57:09We have two presentations today. Uh, one

6:57:14is for um, falls prevention month and

6:57:19let me see if we have a special guest

6:57:23today. We have Mary Odonahu, executive

6:57:26director at Southern Arizona Senior

6:57:28Pride. We have Abdul and Lee, co-chairs

6:57:31of the Southern chapter of the Arizona

6:57:34Falls Prevention Coalition and any

6:57:37others that want to join us up at front.

6:57:40And and then we have a second

6:57:42proclamation. I'm really honored to

6:57:45present a proclamation in recognition of

6:57:47the Pasco tribe. Uh they just recently

6:57:50celebrated their 48th annual federal

6:57:53tribal recognition day which was

6:57:56September 18th. 48 years um since

6:58:01marking the anniversary of receiving the

6:58:03federal recognition by an act of

6:58:05Congress on September 18th, 1978.

6:58:09So, we will first do false prevention

6:58:12awareness. And as always, my colleagues

6:58:15on the council are always welcome to

6:58:17join me up front uh with our special

6:58:20guest.

6:58:26>> We have a prayer.

6:58:28>> We have that

6:58:51Yes, you can you can take all the front

6:58:55please.

6:58:58Thank you.

6:59:01Thank you so much. This uh false

6:59:03prevention awareness month is important

6:59:07to all of us. Um you know we all have

6:59:10loved ones that are at risk of falling.

6:59:14I have a 94 year old mom that

6:59:17unfortunately no longer walks because of

6:59:20falls uh and osteoporosis.

6:59:23But um you know it's something that we

6:59:26have to make uh uh the community aware

6:59:30of that it can happen to any of us. Um

6:59:34it's not just age but also uh you know

6:59:38aging. So uh thank you all so much for

6:59:42coming. We really appreciate it and um

6:59:46I'm so happy that you're all here and

6:59:48then hopefully some of you are prepared

6:59:50to say a couple of words

6:59:52>> about this. All [clears throat] righty.

6:59:53So on behalf of the city of Tucson and

6:59:55the office of the mayor, whereas since

6:59:592015, the southern chapter of the

7:00:01Arizona Falls Prevention Coalition has

7:00:04helped reduce incidents of falls and

7:00:07fall related injuries among people 60

7:00:10years of age and older living in Tucson

7:00:12and southern Arizona through community

7:00:15collaboration, education, outreach, and

7:00:17advocacy. And whereas slips and falls

7:00:20are the leading cause of injury related

7:00:23deaths among people 60 years of age and

7:00:26older. Whereas in 2025, Puma County

7:00:29experienced 304 deaths amongst people 60

7:00:34years and older with the total cost of

7:00:37unintentional f falls excluding those

7:00:40for physician care, EMS services,

7:00:43rehabilitation, and long-term disability

7:00:46exceeding $3 billion a year. And whereas

7:00:49falling is not an inevitable effect of

7:00:52aging, yet non-fatal falls can lead to a

7:00:56loss of mobility, fear, isolation, and

7:00:59loss of functional independence. And

7:01:02whereas older adults at risk of falling

7:01:04notably benefit from fall prevention

7:01:07programs that can teach them specific

7:01:09strategies they can use daily to improve

7:01:12mobility and stability and therefore

7:01:15reduce fall risks. And whereas we

7:01:18encourage health care professionals,

7:01:20family, friends, and neighbors to treat

7:01:22people with mobility challenges with

7:01:25patience, compassion, and respect while

7:01:28offering understanding, assistance, and

7:01:30support that promotes dignity, safety,

7:01:33and independence.

7:01:35Whereas the southern chapter of the

7:01:37Arizona Falls Prevention Coalition urges

7:01:40older adults, family members,

7:01:42caregivers, health care professionals,

7:01:45regional medical centers, fire safety

7:01:47personnel and first responders, law

7:01:50enforcement officers, and community

7:01:52partners to join SCA, FPC, and and

7:01:57routinely

7:01:58assess older adults, including our

7:02:01veterans and those with disabilities,

7:02:03for fall risk.

7:02:04while implementing strategies that

7:02:07improve quality of life, mobility, and

7:02:09stability to reduce falls. Now,

7:02:12therefore, I, Raa Romero, mayor of the

7:02:14city of Tucson, Arizona, do hereby

7:02:17proclaim September 2026

7:02:20to be falls prevention awareness month

7:02:24uh in this community and ask everyone to

7:02:27join us in uh promoting falls prevention

7:02:31awareness month. In witness whereof, I

7:02:34have here unto set my hand and cost the

7:02:37seal of the city of Tucson, Arizona to

7:02:40be affixed this 22nd day of September,

7:02:432026. Thank you all so much and

7:02:46congratulations. Thank you for your

7:02:47work. Thank you.

7:02:57Uh so Mayor Romero, members of the

7:02:59council, colleagues, uh community

7:03:02partners, thank you for this important

7:03:04recognition. Uh on behalf of the

7:03:07southern chapter of Arizona False

7:03:08Prevention Coalition, I want to thank

7:03:11the city of Tucson for proclaiming

7:03:14September as false prevention awareness

7:03:16month. Our message is simple. Falls are

7:03:19not an inevitable part of aging and many

7:03:22falls can be prevented. Since 2015, our

7:03:26coalition has brought together healthc

7:03:28care providers, public health

7:03:29specialists, first responders, community

7:03:32organizations,

7:03:34educators, and many others around one

7:03:37shared goal, helping older adults remain

7:03:40safe, active, and independent in their

7:03:43communities. False prevention cannot be

7:03:45accomplished by one organization.

7:03:48It takes all of us, older adults and

7:03:50families, healthc care providers, first

7:03:53responders, community organizations, and

7:03:55local government. The Southern Chapter

7:03:58members collectively work with partners

7:04:00to enhance older adult services

7:04:02throughout the year. And we would like

7:04:04to invite everyone to join us on October

7:04:0716 for our sixth annual falls prevention

7:04:11fair where adults, families, and

7:04:14community members can learn practical

7:04:17ways to prevent falls and connect with

7:04:19local resources. Thank you, Mayor

7:04:21Romero, the city council, uh, and all of

7:04:25the community members and partners for

7:04:28standing with us and helping us build to

7:04:30some where older adults can live safely,

7:04:33actively, independently. Thank you so

7:04:35much.

7:04:36>> Thank you so much.

7:04:44>> Thank you,

7:04:46Madame Mayor and members of the council.

7:04:49Thank you for proclaiming September 26,

7:04:512026 as falls prevention awareness month

7:04:55and for recognizing the important work

7:04:58of the uh of the cha southern southern

7:05:02chapter of Arizona Falls Prevention

7:05:04Coalition. As the executive director of

7:05:07Southern Arizona Senior Pride, I am

7:05:09proud that our organization provides

7:05:12supportive services and healthy aging

7:05:15programs for older LGBTQ adults. Through

7:05:18our free Move with Purpose classes, our

7:05:21community members have a direct

7:05:24opportunity to reduce their risk of

7:05:26falls. Senior Pride classes support more

7:05:30than physical health. Group exercise

7:05:34helps reduce loneliness, builds

7:05:36accountability, and creates meaningful

7:05:39routines and friendships. Our

7:05:41participants have a safe, welcoming

7:05:46space to discuss concerns and falls and

7:05:49support one another. This proclamation

7:05:52highlights the city of Tucson's

7:05:54commitment to the safety, dignity,

7:05:57independence, and healthy outcomes of

7:05:59older adults. We are grateful for the

7:06:01city's partnership and for the

7:06:03recognition of organizations and

7:06:05programs such as ours working every day

7:06:08to help our older community members

7:06:11remain active, connected, and well.

7:06:14Thank you.

7:06:42Thank you.

7:06:45>> Thank you so much. Thank you.

7:06:51>> Thank you. All righty. We have one more

7:06:53proclamation

7:06:56and if we could have our honored guests

7:06:58join us over here. Um, Pascoyaki

7:07:01Chairman Ernnandez, Pascoyaki Council

7:07:04members Flores and Gonzalez, Secretary

7:07:06Rosi Sto Alvarez, Attorney General OJ

7:07:10Flores, Casino Soul Interim Director uh,

7:07:14Amanda Lazva, if I pronounce it right.

7:07:18Amanda L. Yes. Casino El Soul General

7:07:22Manor Manager Lesa Cesma.

7:07:26Thank you all so much. Really appreciate

7:07:28your presence. Thank you so much for

7:07:31coming. Um I'm really happy to be able

7:07:34to do this proclamation and appreciate

7:07:36you all. Um really thinking about how we

7:07:40celebrated this 48 years together. So,

7:07:44um the proclamation says a lot, but it

7:07:49is important to be said. And so, um let

7:07:53us begin. On behalf of the city of

7:07:55Tucson and the office of the mayor, uh

7:07:58we would like to proclaim um uh

7:08:02September 18, 2026 to be the Pasquayaki

7:08:05tribe 48th annual federal tribal

7:08:07recognition day in this community. Um

7:08:11whereas the city of Tucson respectfully

7:08:14acknowledges that we gather on lands

7:08:16originally and still inhabited, cared

7:08:19for, and culturally connected to

7:08:21indigenous peoples. We honor the

7:08:24ancestral homelands of the Pasuayaki

7:08:26tribe and Otam and recognize the

7:08:29multi-millennial presence, history, and

7:08:32stewardship of the Pasuayaki people

7:08:34throughout this region. We honor their

7:08:37elders and descendants, past and present

7:08:39and future, and recognize the history,

7:08:42heritage, language, traditions, arts,

7:08:45ceremonies, and culture of the Pasuayaki

7:08:47people are deeply woven into the

7:08:50identity of Tucson and southern Arizona

7:08:53and across the region of the Southwest.

7:08:56The city of Tucson reaffirms its

7:08:58commitment to reciprocal, respectful,

7:09:02and let me see if I can

7:09:06Okay.

7:09:12An enduring government-togovernment

7:09:14relationships with sovereign tribal

7:09:16nations. And whereas the Pascoayaki are

7:09:19of an ancient and enduring people

7:09:22indigenous to this land since time in

7:09:24memorial. The tribe recognizes cultural

7:09:27affiliation with the ancestral sonoran

7:09:30desert people and with our historic and

7:09:33cultural communities throughout the

7:09:34greater southwest region including the

7:09:37areas that now make up the United States

7:09:40in the southwest and northwest Mexico.

7:09:43Evidence of the affiliation among Yaki

7:09:45ancestors and those of other

7:09:47contemporary cultural communities in the

7:09:50region can be found in cultural, ritual,

7:09:53cosmological,

7:09:55linguistic, and other threads of

7:09:57continuity in ancestral places and

7:10:00within our communities today. And

7:10:02whereas the history and homeland of the

7:10:05Yaki people extend beyond modern

7:10:07international boundaries and Yaki people

7:10:10have maintained longstanding cultural,

7:10:13familial, ceremonial, and historical

7:10:16connections throughout what is today

7:10:19northern Mexico and the American

7:10:21Southwest, including southern Arizona.

7:10:24And whereas holders of Yaki, Yaki

7:10:27cultural knowledge tell of an ancient

7:10:30Yaki settlements along the river now

7:10:33known as the Santa Cruz and of trade

7:10:36between Yaki ancestors and their

7:10:38neighbors. Material evidence of this

7:10:41interaction among the people of the

7:10:43region, including Yaki ancestors, can be

7:10:46found in the immediate vicinity of Old

7:10:48Basa village and in other locations

7:10:51throughout the city of Tucson. And

7:10:53whereas Yaki communities developed and

7:10:56maintained their language, social

7:10:58institutions, spiritual practices,

7:11:01ceremonies, governmental traditions, and

7:11:04relationships with their lands and

7:11:06waters over countless generations and

7:11:10continue to do so. And whereas Pasuayaki

7:11:13communities throughout Arizona are

7:11:16places of profound historical and

7:11:19cultural importance where generations of

7:11:21Yaki families have maintained ceremonial

7:11:24traditions, including the sacred Lenton

7:11:27and Easter ceremonies that remain a

7:11:30cornerstone of Yaki religious and

7:11:33cultural life. And whereas the Yaki

7:11:35people persevered for generations in

7:11:38their effort to have their political

7:11:41identity and governmental status

7:11:43recognized by the United States while

7:11:46continuing to strengthen their

7:11:47communities and preserve their unique

7:11:49culture, traditions, and way of life.

7:11:54And whereas on September 18th, 1978,

7:11:57President Jimmy Carter signed public law

7:12:0095-375

7:12:03as amended and the Indian Reorganization

7:12:06Act of 1934,

7:12:09formally recognizing the Pasqua Yaki

7:12:12Indian people and making the tribe and

7:12:15its members eligible for federal

7:12:17services and assistance afforded to

7:12:19federally recognized Indian tribes.

7:12:22making a historic achievement for the

7:12:24Pascoyaki people and establishing

7:12:27September 18th as a defining date in the

7:12:31modern history of the Pasa Pasuayaki

7:12:34tribe. And whereas federal recognition

7:12:36of the Pasuayaki tribe started with a

7:12:39small 202 acre reservation which we were

7:12:42sitting at on Friday.

7:12:46um established for the use and benefit

7:12:49of the trib's now over 22,000 members

7:12:53and in public law 103-357

7:12:56Congress explicitly acknowledged the

7:12:59Pascoyaki tribe as a historic Indian

7:13:01tribe with inherent sovereignty and

7:13:05whereas on September 18th of each year

7:13:08the Pasuayaki people celebrate and honor

7:13:10their sovereignty and the federal

7:13:12government's recognition of the tribe on

7:13:15recognition day. And whereas September

7:13:1718th provides the people of the city of

7:13:20Tucson and the entire region the

7:13:23opportunity not only to commemorate the

7:13:25Pascoyaki tribes federal recognition,

7:13:28but also to recognize the much longer

7:13:30history of the Yaki people, their

7:13:33resilience and survival, their enduring

7:13:36presence in this region, their

7:13:38contributions to Tucson, and their

7:13:40continuing role as a sovereign

7:13:43government partner in the future of

7:13:45southern Arizona and the entire region.

7:13:48Therefore, the city of Tucson hereby

7:13:51proudly declares September 18th as

7:13:54Pasuayaki recognition day in honor of

7:13:57the Pasuayaki tribe, the Yaki people,

7:13:59and the shared history, partnership, and

7:14:02contributions to the city of Tucson and

7:14:04the greater Tucson region. and witness

7:14:07whereof I have here unto set my hand and

7:14:10caused the seal of the city of Tucson,

7:14:12Arizona to be affixed this 22nd day of

7:14:15September, 2026. Thank you all so much.

7:14:18Congratulations.

7:14:20[applause]

7:14:39Good evening, uh, Mayor Romero and

7:14:41council members and all guests that are

7:14:43here today. I am Julian Hernandez,

7:14:45chairman of the Pascoyaki tribe. I want

7:14:48to express my gr gratitude for

7:14:51recognizing September 18 as the

7:14:53Pascoyaki recognition day. This

7:14:56proclamation honors and the strength of

7:14:59our history,

7:15:01contributions of our people. It values

7:15:04our strong relationship with the city of

7:15:07Tucson and looks forward to building

7:15:10brighter future together and helping

7:15:12each other out and continuing to support

7:15:14each other. Thank you.

7:15:20Anyone

7:15:26else

7:15:28>> gonna say a word? No.

7:15:29>> Thank you. [laughter]

7:15:31>> But

7:15:33>> but in the process Oh, go ahead.

7:15:36>> Just continue. I just want to say thank

7:15:38you from the bottom of my heart for you

7:15:40to to do this on um

7:15:44>> this proclamation on behalf of the city

7:15:47of Tucson. Obviously, we've been

7:15:48partners for a long time, but for you to

7:15:51be able to spend time with us in our

7:15:53community, uh wanting to have quarterly

7:15:56meetings uh truly does uh does mean a

7:16:00lot to us and those relationships are

7:16:01truly valued. I just want to say thank

7:16:03you from the bottom of my heart.

7:16:06>> Token of appreciation,

7:16:09embroidery of our tradition for honoring

7:16:12this to the council members and

7:16:13yourself. So,

7:16:14>> thank you so much. This is huge.

7:16:21Yes. Thank you. I'm done.

7:16:26>> Yeah. Thanks.

7:16:57Congratulations.

7:17:47Thank you so much. Really appreciate um

7:17:50both groups for um joining us and and

7:17:55for the work that you do uh for your

7:17:58missions. Uh we have item 2D which is

7:18:02the city manager's communication number

7:18:04268 dated September 22 is received into

7:18:08and made part of the record. Uh did you

7:18:10need to call in?

7:18:12>> Okay. Are there any we don't have any

7:18:15appointments um in this meeting but are

7:18:18there any personal appointments to be

7:18:20made at this time?

7:18:22>> Okay. If not we move on to item three.

7:18:26Mayor and council report summary of

7:18:27current events. City Manager's

7:18:28communication number 269 dated September

7:18:3122 is received into and made part of the

7:18:33record. This time has been scheduled to

7:18:35allow members of the mayor and council

7:18:37to report on current events. These are

7:18:40to be current events of activities

7:18:42within the community, not position

7:18:44statements on policy issues. Does any

7:18:46council member have anything to report

7:18:48at this time? All of you? Okay. Um we're

7:18:52going to start here and then go down the

7:18:54pike and finish with the vice mayor. I

7:18:56don't know if she has any um summary of

7:18:59current events.

7:19:01Council member Schubert.

7:19:02>> Thank you, Madame Mayor, members of the

7:19:04council, and everybody who's here

7:19:05tonight. I'm going to open my current

7:19:08event report with an update about

7:19:09traffic violence that has occurred since

7:19:11our last Marin Council meeting just in

7:19:14an effort to keep this at the forefront

7:19:16of our minds. Um, okay. So, on September

7:19:1917th, there was a hit and run with

7:19:21injuries. On September 18th, there were

7:19:24two separate incidents. The first one

7:19:27was a two vehicle collision with one

7:19:29person in critical condition. That

7:19:31morning, a pedestrian was also

7:19:33hospitalized after being hit by a car.

7:19:35That was on the 18th. On the 20th, uh

7:19:38early in the morning, a 25-year-old

7:19:40driver hit a 71-year-old bicyclist who

7:19:43was pronounced dead at the scene. That

7:19:45was the fifth bicycle death this year,

7:19:47compared to two

7:19:49two at this time last year. So, um kind

7:19:52of a big jump there. Um, and then also

7:19:55on September 20th in a totally different

7:19:57part of town on the same morning, a

7:20:00bicyclist was badly injured in a crash.

7:20:03All right, moving on to upcoming current

7:20:05events. Wick staff are excited to attend

7:20:08a two-day Arizona science policy

7:20:10communication dialogue at the UOVA

7:20:12around POS contamination and related

7:20:14policies and regulatory measures on

7:20:17September 23rd and 24th. So, uh,

7:20:20encourage you to subscribe to our W 6

7:20:22newsletter if you haven't already. Um,

7:20:24we'll probably include an update in the

7:20:26following edition and um, our

7:20:28newsletters come out every Friday. Um, I

7:20:31also wanted to make sure you all were

7:20:32aware about the public input sessions

7:20:35that are happening around the updated

7:20:37zoning regulations for shelter care.

7:20:39They're calling it Gimme Shelter. Um, so

7:20:42this is the city of Tucson Planning and

7:20:43Development Services in collaboration

7:20:45with the DMAN Institute at the UOVA and

7:20:47they want to hear from you about their

7:20:49changes to regulations for shelter care.

7:20:52They're having a virtual session on

7:20:54Thursday, September 24th from 5:30 to

7:20:567:00 p.m.

7:20:58Um, [clears throat] and if you're not

7:20:59going to that, then maybe you'll attend

7:21:02the traffic calming session that we're

7:21:04hosting on the same night at the W 6

7:21:07office. Um, so this session will include

7:21:09a brief presentations from the city of

7:21:11Tucson Department of Transportation and

7:21:12Mobility about existing programs,

7:21:14processes, and opportunities related to

7:21:16neighborhood traffic calming features,

7:21:19including the neighborhood traffic

7:21:20management program and the safe streets

7:21:22miniig grants. And we'll also have a few

7:21:24W 6 residents on hand to share their

7:21:26experiences navigating that system. So

7:21:28again, W 6 info session about traffic

7:21:31calming happening this Thursday,

7:21:32September 24th, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. It's

7:21:36hybrid. you can call in on Zoom or come

7:21:38visit us at the W 6 office.

7:21:41Um and then finally on Saturday,

7:21:44September 26 at the W 6 office from 11

7:21:47to 1, we're going to have our summer

7:21:49stampede celebration. So all summer

7:21:52we've had um a scavenger hunt for stamps

7:21:55that are in different parts of W 6 with

7:21:57little booklets where participants can

7:21:58collect those stamps. Each stamp is an

7:22:01entry into our raffle um prize drawing.

7:22:04So again, this Saturday, September 26,

7:22:0711 to 1, come out for ice cream,

7:22:10raffles, for special swag, gift

7:22:12certificates, stickers, and more. Um,

7:22:15and we hope to see you there. And then

7:22:18just a final update from the W 6 chill

7:22:22space, which is the cooling center that

7:22:23we've been running out of the W 6

7:22:25office. Um, it's closing on September

7:22:2830th. We've been open since the um last

7:22:31week of May. So, since the last week of

7:22:34May, we've had almost 2,000 visits.

7:22:38We've given out 771 showers. We have a

7:22:41shower at the W 6 office because we used

7:22:43to be a police station, fire station

7:22:45before that. Um, and then we've had 290

7:22:48unique visitors, so that's unduplicated

7:22:50headcount that have come to the W 6

7:22:52office to use our chill space. The most

7:22:54frequently utilized services are the

7:22:56city of Tucson Housing Outreach. Thank

7:22:59you so much to staff for adding adding

7:23:00the chill space to their rotation. Um

7:23:03and also El Rio is very heavily utilized

7:23:05by our attendees. And then my final

7:23:07update um just a little plug for October

7:23:101st through 8th as a week without

7:23:12driving. It's called a week without

7:23:15driving, but you can also reduce your

7:23:17driving for that week. It's a challenge

7:23:20and it's a challenge that's led by a

7:23:21diverse coalition of local

7:23:23organizations, advocates, government

7:23:25agencies, and elected leaders across the

7:23:27US. The Week Without Driving was started

7:23:29in 2021 when Anna Zverz at Disability

7:23:33Rights Washington launched it so that

7:23:35policymakers, elected leaders, and

7:23:36transportation professionals could begin

7:23:38to understand what the barriers are for

7:23:41non-drivers experiencing access in their

7:23:44communities. Like, it's really hard to

7:23:46exist without a car. So, after 2 years,

7:23:49pedestrian advocacy organization America

7:23:52Walks joined the effort, made it into a

7:23:54national week without driving. um and

7:23:56it's continuing to grow. So, I just I'm

7:23:58hoping that we can see some

7:24:00participation in Tucson this year. And I

7:24:02want to hereby challenge my colleagues

7:24:05on the mayor and council to participate

7:24:07by either reducing or illuminating your

7:24:09driving for the week of October 1st

7:24:12through 8th. And um we'll be sharing our

7:24:14experiences in the W 6 office as well.

7:24:16And that includes my current event

7:24:18report. Thank you.

7:24:19>> Thank you, council member. Council

7:24:20member Vahas.

7:24:21>> Thank you, Mayor. A few updates here in

7:24:24W 5. This week is Gives week as the

7:24:26Sunnyside Foundation celebrates 30 years

7:24:29of investing in education, community

7:24:31support, and our Southside families. I

7:24:34invite everyone to participate and help

7:24:36them reach their 130,000 fundraising

7:24:39goal. This Thursday is Sunnyside

7:24:41Foundation's block party from 5:00 to

7:24:439:00 p.m. at American Eat Company. Last

7:24:46Friday, our office hosted another

7:24:48successful community lunch meet up at

7:24:49Mr. K's original barbecue. Thank you to

7:24:52all our neighborhood leaders, residents,

7:24:54and city departments for continuing to

7:24:56join us. Our next lunch meetup will be

7:24:58Friday, October 30th at Sunny Days Cafe

7:25:01located on Campbone Irvington from 12:00

7:25:03to 1:30 p.m.

7:25:06Saturday was a busy day in Ward 5. I

7:25:08joined mountain mamas and Rainas who

7:25:09hike uh to celebrate Latino Conservation

7:25:12Week at Bowen Stonehouse Trail. It was

7:25:15great meeting new hikers who were

7:25:17experiencing the trail and hiking for

7:25:18the first time. I also enjoyed hiking

7:25:21alongside you over here, Vice Mayor and

7:25:24Kristen from Ward One and her son. It

7:25:26was a beautiful trail. It was hot, but I

7:25:29highly recommend you all experience at

7:25:31least once. That same evening, we kicked

7:25:34off our first movies in the park at

7:25:35Silver Lake Park with the movie Goat.

7:25:38Thank you to Parks and Recreation, TPD,

7:25:41311, 911, Mini Ponderosas, the Community

7:25:44Food Bank of Southern Arizona, and TE

7:25:46for sponsoring this three-part series.

7:25:49Thank you to all the food trucks and

7:25:50everyone who attended. Investing in our

7:25:53parks is especially important in W 5.

7:25:56Our area experiences some of the hottest

7:25:58temperatures in the city. While our

7:26:00green spaces are more limited than other

7:26:02parts of of town. Parks give our

7:26:06families and kids places to gather,

7:26:08play, exercise, and enjoy the outdoors.

7:26:11Our next movies will be October 3rd at

7:26:14Santaita Park and October 24th at Gani

7:26:17Baderas Park right next to Sunnyside

7:26:19High School. Movies begin after dusk and

7:26:23families are welcome to bring their

7:26:25blankets or lawn chairs, some snacks,

7:26:27but we're also going to have some food

7:26:28trucks available and we're asking you

7:26:30all to bring at least two cans of non-p

7:26:32perishable food items to support the

7:26:35Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona

7:26:37for our neighbors during this holiday

7:26:38season.

7:26:40I would also like to invite you all in a

7:26:43couple weeks to join us for the Santaita

7:26:45Park reopening celebration on Friday,

7:26:47October 2nd, starting at 5:00 p.m. Bring

7:26:51your families, your neighbors. We'll

7:26:53have food, entertainment, speakers, lots

7:26:55of activities, and lots of surprises.

7:26:57Mayor, I want to wish you a very happy

7:26:59belated birthday. I know you received a

7:27:01lot of happy birthday wishes, but I hope

7:27:03you had a wonderful celebration. I would

7:27:05also like to wish Korn Manning, planning

7:27:08and development services director, a

7:27:10happy birthday as well. Her birthday's

7:27:11today. And finally, if Officer Jimmy

7:27:14Martinez is here, can you please come

7:27:16out if somebody can get him? Uh, I would

7:27:20like to congratulate Officer Jimmy

7:27:22Martinez after 32 years of dedicated

7:27:25service. Jimmy, give everybody a round.

7:27:28Give him a round of applause.

7:27:33Officer Jimmy Martinez. After 32 years

7:27:35of dedicated service, he's going to be

7:27:38retiring on October 28th. Coming up,

7:27:41today marks his last city council

7:27:44meeting, bringing an end to an

7:27:46incredible chapter of service to our

7:27:47community. Officer Martinez began

7:27:49working mayor and council meetings since

7:27:522011

7:27:54and has been a familiar and dedicated

7:27:56presence here in city hall ever since.

7:27:58Thank you, Officer Martinez,

7:28:00[clears throat] for your years of hard

7:28:02work, commitment, and service. We wish

7:28:04you all the best in your retirement, and

7:28:07hope you stay retired, [laughter]

7:28:09and I hope you enjoy every minute in

7:28:11your next chapter. Congratulations

7:28:13again, and thank you for 32 years of

7:28:15service.

7:28:22>> Councilwoman Lee,

7:28:23>> no announcements. Mayor,

7:28:24>> Council Member Dah,

7:28:26>> no announcements, but there's a lot of

7:28:28stuff going on in W 3. You can read

7:28:30about it in our newsletter or on our

7:28:31website.

7:28:32>> Council member Cunningham,

7:28:36>> just one um kind of a foreshadowing

7:28:39announcement. For the fifth year in a

7:28:41row, we're hosting the disability pride

7:28:43day. Uh my office has organized it every

7:28:46single year. It's become an

7:28:47internationally recognized event. Uh

7:28:50it'll be December 5th this year and

7:28:51it'll be at the El Rio Neighborhood

7:28:53Center. This is our first time. It's

7:28:55going to be there. Uh the day will

7:28:57feature performances and music by

7:28:59disabled artists, uh disability

7:29:01information and discussions, food trucks

7:29:04and vendors, and a resource fair for for

7:29:06other folks. We'll also have multiple

7:29:09adaptive sports sessions, um which was

7:29:13um which has really been something

7:29:15special here in Tucson. We've really

7:29:18upped our adaptive sports game. We

7:29:20hosted several national um national

7:29:24championship tournaments for adaptive

7:29:25sports and the University of Arizona is

7:29:27recognized as one of the uh number one

7:29:29adaptive sports programs in the country.

7:29:31Uh that's done with a lot of our

7:29:33community sponsors. We also have u

7:29:35Southern Arizona adaptive sports which

7:29:37is a model for the rest of the country.

7:29:39Uh and we we've really got a really

7:29:42inclusive and and outstanding program

7:29:44that they run. The festivities will

7:29:46start around 11:00 a.m. But here's the

7:29:48most important part of this

7:29:49announcement. If you want to participate

7:29:52or be part of this, please contact my

7:29:55office uh 791-4687

7:29:58520-791-4687

7:30:00or email us at w2 at tucsonac.gov.

7:30:04We're always looking to take on new

7:30:06partners for this event and it's been

7:30:08something uh it's been [snorts] one of

7:30:11the best ones I've ever done and I think

7:30:13this will be my last one this year. So,

7:30:16this will be my last one uh as the war I

7:30:19council member. So, I can't wait to host

7:30:21this event and make it something

7:30:23special. Thank you.

7:30:25>> Thank you, council member.

7:30:29Vice Mayor.

7:30:31>> Yes. Thank you, Mayor. I also want

7:30:34wanted to extend a happy birthday week

7:30:37to you. Um, thank you so much for all

7:30:40the work and your dedication to our

7:30:42Tucson community and all of your decades

7:30:45of service. Also, I know it's a

7:30:47sacrifice for your family to be in this

7:30:50position. So, I also want to extend, you

7:30:52know, my love and appreciation um for

7:30:54your family and everybody that surrounds

7:30:56you um that allows you to show up for us

7:30:58every day. So, happy birthday.

7:31:01>> Um I also

7:31:03wanted um to uh reiterate what council

7:31:08member Baraha said about Latino

7:31:10Conservation Week and the Hike with

7:31:12Mountain Mamas and Reas who hike on

7:31:14Saturday. it. I I was so moved to be

7:31:18around so many amazing women, a lot of

7:31:22them moms, um hiking for the first time,

7:31:25talking about what the outdoors means to

7:31:27them. Um the impact it has on their

7:31:30mental health and just trying to find

7:31:32community. And so it was a very moving

7:31:35event and even though it was hot, we got

7:31:37through it. And so I just want to thank,

7:31:39you know, the work of all these

7:31:41beautiful women for how they show up for

7:31:43our community. And I know council member

7:31:45Barahas, you know, was instrumental in

7:31:48in making those spaces. So, so thank you

7:31:50for that and extending the invitation

7:31:51for us to participate.

7:31:54Um, we also had the opportunity to be a

7:31:56part of the Sunnyside Foundation Burrito

7:31:58run as part of their gives week this

7:32:01past Sunday. Um, celebrating their their

7:32:0430-year anniversary. I'm a Sunnyside

7:32:06School alumni. I graduated from Desert

7:32:08View High School and it was beautiful to

7:32:11see all our high schools, middle

7:32:12schools, elementary schools, all the

7:32:14families out there coming together and

7:32:18uh like council member has also said,

7:32:20you know, they have a goal to raise

7:32:22$130,000 by Thursday and so invite um

7:32:26the community to come out um and

7:32:28celebrate, help donate, contribute, and

7:32:31also be in community at American Eco on

7:32:34Thursday.

7:32:36And then for some of our upcoming

7:32:38events, we have the Fiesta de May, which

7:32:41is the an annual fiesta that takes place

7:32:43on Saturday, September 26 from 3:00 p.m.

7:32:47to 900 p.m. at Kennedy Park Fiesta Area,

7:32:513357 South Lato Choya Boulevard. Uh the

7:32:55festival uh runs from September 24th to

7:32:58the 27th and it highlights Tucson's

7:33:01designation as a UNESCO city of

7:33:03gastronomy and celebrates the cultural,

7:33:06historical and culinary significance of

7:33:09corn in the sonor and desert. Um so

7:33:12invite you know folks would love to see

7:33:15not only my colleagues but the community

7:33:16to come um and partake in the

7:33:19celebration.

7:33:21And then um the other event we have is

7:33:24um join us in the closing ceremony of

7:33:26the 10th annual Tucson Deaf Awareness

7:33:29Week this Sunday, September 27th at Hain

7:33:33Muretta Park from 2 to 6:00 p.m. Bring

7:33:35your friends, family, a chair, food, and

7:33:38a smile. We will have they will have

7:33:40booths and fun activities for adults and

7:33:43children. I'm just bringing awareness to

7:33:45this very important event. And then

7:33:48finally, I know Council Member Schubert

7:33:51um mentioned this in her traffic

7:33:53violence updates, but I wanted to send

7:33:56my condolences to the family and loved

7:33:58ones of Thomas Phip Rusei, a 71-year-old

7:34:02cyclist who was hit and killed by a car

7:34:04last Sunday at 6:00 a.m. at the

7:34:07intersection of North Greewood and West

7:34:09Ironwood Hill Drive. Um this is really

7:34:12heartbreaking collision for us um

7:34:15because the Department of Transportation

7:34:16and Mobility had just installed um a

7:34:20protected bike lane leading up to that

7:34:22intersection. And so I want to continue

7:34:25working with neighbors of how we make

7:34:26that intersection safer um for folks um

7:34:31walking or biking across that

7:34:33intersection. So that is all my

7:34:35announcements. Mayor, thank you.

7:34:37>> Thank you, Vice Mayor. Thank you for the

7:34:38sweet words. I'm the type of person that

7:34:41celebrates my birthday for about 3 4

7:34:44weeks. Um, and I just, you know, love to

7:34:47celebrate the life that I was given by

7:34:49my mother and father. Um, and in the

7:34:52words of my mother, she made me alone.

7:34:54It was just her. [laughter]

7:34:58Um, but I received a lot of beautiful

7:35:02notes and love from family and friends

7:35:05and many of you that send me texts and

7:35:08presents and cards and so um really

7:35:12appreciate it. I love what I do u vice

7:35:14mayor. I love showing up every day um to

7:35:18make a difference in our community. So

7:35:20um thank you for your kind words. I

7:35:23would like to invite the community to

7:35:27check your registration to vote. Um the

7:35:31last day to register to vote for this

7:35:33year's general elections is Monday,

7:35:36October 5th. Uh early voting starts

7:35:39October 7th. I would highly encourage

7:35:42tonins to educate themselves uh about

7:35:46the items on our ballot. Um lots of

7:35:50initiatives on the ballot this year. um

7:35:53for both state and city. Uh cast your

7:35:56vote as quickly as possible and make

7:35:58sure uh that you are registered and that

7:36:02they have your correct name and address

7:36:04etc. I like to make a point of voting

7:36:08every single election. I'm eligible

7:36:11eligible to vote in. I hope that you do

7:36:14as well. Uh remember to exercise your

7:36:16civic duty for our local elections

7:36:18coming up this November 2026.

7:36:22Please visit recorder.puma.gov

7:36:25to register to vote or to check and

7:36:28update your status of your registration

7:36:30as well. So, thank you all so much.

7:36:33Please pay attention and register to

7:36:35vote. Um, with that, we're moving on to

7:36:38item four,

7:36:41city manager report, summary of current

7:36:43events. City manager communication

7:36:45number 270 dated September 22nd is

7:36:48received into and made part of the

7:36:50record. This time has been scheduled to

7:36:52allow the city manager to report on

7:36:54current current events. Mr. Manager.

7:36:58>> Thank you, honorable mayor. Uh, one

7:37:00thing for tonight, um, just, uh, for the

7:37:03public that, uh, to remind you that you

7:37:05can apply to be a part of the 32nd

7:37:08annual downtown Parade of Lights. The

7:37:11downtown parade of lights and festival

7:37:13returns with festivities at downtown's

7:37:15Hakime Plaza on Saturday, December 5th

7:37:18at 6:30 p.m. with a new route through

7:37:22the Elpresidio neighborhood and plenty

7:37:24of holiday fun along the way. Parade

7:37:27applications are open now for

7:37:29businesses, organizations, and community

7:37:31groups that want to participate. And

7:37:33these applications are due by Friday,

7:37:36November 20th. and there is a cap on the

7:37:38number of entries accepted because of

7:37:39the parade route and limitations there.

7:37:42So if you want to participate this year,

7:37:44the time is now. Thank you, mayor.

7:37:46>> Thank you, Mr. Manager. Item five,

7:37:50liquor license applications. City

7:37:52manager's communication number 271 dated

7:37:56September 22 is received into and made

7:37:59part of the record. Madame Clerk, please

7:38:01read the liquor license agenda. Your

7:38:03honor, on the evening's agenda, we have

7:38:05one application for a new license, three

7:38:06persons and locations of transfers, 13

7:38:08applications for a special event, and

7:38:10one application for an agent change

7:38:11acquisition of control. All applications

7:38:13are in compliance with city

7:38:14requirements. An appropriate motion will

7:38:16be to forward items 5B 1-4, 5C 1-13, and

7:38:205D1 to the state liquor board with a

7:38:22recommendation of approval.

7:38:23>> So moved, your honor.

7:38:24>> Second. There's a motion and a second.

7:38:27Any further discussion on this item?

7:38:30Hearing none. All those in favor, please

7:38:32signify by saying I.

7:38:34>> I.

7:38:34>> I.

7:38:35>> Any against?

7:38:38Motion carries. Item six.

7:38:43>> Call to the audience. Madame clerk,

7:38:45please read the announcement. At this

7:38:47time, any member of the public is

7:38:48allowed to address the mayor and council

7:38:49on any issue except for items scheduled

7:38:51for a public hearing at the meeting.

7:38:52Call the audience will last for 30

7:38:54minutes and speakers are limited to

7:38:55three minute presentations. The green

7:38:57light will turn on when you're called to

7:38:58speak. It will turn yellow when you have

7:38:5930 seconds remaining. and then it will

7:39:01turn red and beep when your time is up.

7:39:02At that time, please conclude your

7:39:04comments.

7:39:06>> All righty. Um, can we make sure that we

7:39:09assign the time and when I do call you,

7:39:12please make sure that you come to the

7:39:13tall mic and speak into uh the mic. Our

7:39:18first speaker is Josh Kerman.

7:39:42Good evening, uh, mayor and council. Uh,

7:39:45my name is Josh Kermanerman. Uh, I am a

7:39:47Tucson Ward One resident. Um, and I am

7:39:51also a transmission planning engineer

7:39:53and a retained speaker with Tucson

7:39:55Electric Power. Um, I have been in my

7:39:58role with TP as a transmission planning

7:40:00engineer uh, for four and a half years

7:40:02now. Um in my role uh my my

7:40:05responsibilities include uh performing

7:40:08essential planning studies and analyses

7:40:10needed to ensure the reliability of the

7:40:12electric transmission grid in Tucson and

7:40:14southern Arizona. Uh as well as uh

7:40:18maintaining compliance with regulatory

7:40:19requirements um that pertain to electric

7:40:22utilities.

7:40:24Um being a trusted engineer uh energy

7:40:26partner is vital and extremely

7:40:28meaningful because TP service territory

7:40:30covers the majority of Tucson. As you

7:40:32all know, having a strong relationship

7:40:35with the city of Tucson is essential for

7:40:38our customers and for the public.

7:40:41Uh TP provides a critical service to our

7:40:45community and we take that

7:40:46responsibility uh very seriously.

7:40:49Uh, I have a deep sense of pride working

7:40:51for T knowing that we provide reliable

7:40:53electricity and service to the residents

7:40:55of this community, especially during the

7:40:58hot summer months when our customers are

7:41:00counting on us to keep the lights on and

7:41:02keep the AC's running. Uh, it is an

7:41:04opportunity uh to serve the public and

7:41:07plan in my current role uh for the needs

7:41:10to support a reliable energy future for

7:41:12Tucson. uh every day I take pride in

7:41:15helping deliver a service that supports

7:41:17the members of our community. Um and I

7:41:20take great pride in that. Uh so just

7:41:24wanted to provide that statement to you

7:41:26all this evening. Uh appreciate the

7:41:28opportunity uh mayor and council uh to

7:41:31be able to express why I value um the

7:41:33opportunity that I have with Tucson

7:41:35Electric Power and the privilege to be a

7:41:37part of a trusted energy provider that

7:41:39serves the city of Tucson. Thank you.

7:41:43Thank you, Brenley Caro.

7:41:50>> Hello, Mayor and Council. My name is

7:41:52Brinley Caro and I'm a resident of

7:41:54Tucson and an organizer with the Party

7:41:56for Socialism and Liberation. I'm here

7:41:58to speak on Prop 421, which if passed

7:42:01would enshrine an unfair and

7:42:03unaffordable 25-year contract while

7:42:05simultaneously raising our rates by 14%.

7:42:09In the 25 years of this franchise

7:42:10agreement, TE will steal $71 million

7:42:14from us, the rateayers. Think about that

7:42:17for a moment. While working families are

7:42:19struggling to pay their monthly bills,

7:42:20TP is looking to lock in decades of

7:42:23profits at our expense. T has invested

7:42:26millions of their rateayers dollars into

7:42:28convincing us that Prop 421 is a good

7:42:30deal for Tucson uh for Tucson. They have

7:42:34even had their employees come here

7:42:35tonight and I'm sure on company time.

7:42:39Uh, see, none of these benefits um are

7:42:42appealing to the customer. They like to

7:42:43boast that with a measly $2 million they

7:42:46can plant so many trees. But what is the

7:42:48real cost of the franchise agreement to

7:42:49us, the working people of Tucson? This

7:42:52will be a terrible deal for Tucson

7:42:54residents and will have devastating

7:42:56effects. The $200 a year increase that

7:42:58will come if we allow this franchise

7:43:00agreement to go may not seem like a lot

7:43:02to the billion billionaire shareholders

7:43:05of Fortis, the Canadian company that

7:43:07owns our power and profits off of our

7:43:09rates. But for us two sonins who are

7:43:12already struggling to afford groceries

7:43:14and choosing between food, medicine,

7:43:16housing, or paying our electric bill, we

7:43:19don't need this franchise agreement. We

7:43:21don't need a rate hike and we don't need

7:43:22another large-scale data center stealing

7:43:24our water. We don't need an elected body

7:43:27that can't even bother to hear our

7:43:28concerns over uh concerns over the wants

7:43:31of TEP's billionaire owners. What we

7:43:34truly need is a public utility for our

7:43:36electricity. The same type of public

7:43:38utility that helps helps us defeat the

7:43:40initial proposal of Project Blue where

7:43:42the community rejected the siphoning of

7:43:44our water. I also want to mention

7:43:46another thing. the email that you had

7:43:48sent um that you all approved to be sent

7:43:50to all of your city employees with a

7:43:52link to the TE website highly

7:43:54encouraging city employees to vote for

7:43:56this proposition. I not only think that

7:43:58this is sneaky and deceptive, but a

7:44:00betrayal of both the city employees of

7:44:01Tucson and all Tucson residents. TE has

7:44:05put millions from us paying our um has

7:44:07put millions from us paying our rates to

7:44:09them funding misleading commercials

7:44:11riddled with misinformation and lacks of

7:44:14death depth of explanation of the

7:44:15reality of this agreement. Not only do I

7:44:17encourage everyone here to vote no on

7:44:19Prop 421 and to register to vote, but we

7:44:22also demand a public power utility of

7:44:24for all of Tucson and an end to TE, an

7:44:27end to wallet breaking electricity bills

7:44:30and the beginning of a publicowned

7:44:31utility. Imagine how much more money we

7:44:33will have in our pockets if we weren't

7:44:34paying outrageous rates and lining

7:44:37shareholders pockets with billions each

7:44:38year. What could we do with that money?

7:44:40Fund our schools, fund our roads, our

7:44:42education, our healthcare, you name it.

7:44:44We deserve this and we don't deserve the

7:44:46city of Tucson betraying us by selling

7:44:49us the false narrative that TE of

7:44:51maintaining infrastructure and restoring

7:44:53power and quicker trees when we know two

7:44:55$2 million a year is negligent compared

7:44:57to the profits our back.

7:44:59>> Thank you.

7:45:00>> Um

7:45:09so I just wanted to make sure Mr. Tamir

7:45:13for I think the community needs an

7:45:16explanation in terms of that email sent

7:45:19to city employees and uh what it

7:45:22connected to.

7:45:25Honorable mayor, mayor, Mr. Council, I

7:45:27just want to be clear the initial link

7:45:30um was placed by staff to the the page

7:45:33which was linked to the two documents

7:45:35that were um under consideration, the

7:45:38franchise agreement and the ECA. those

7:45:41links uh those original links to that

7:45:43original page did not include all the

7:45:45information that's included there. Now,

7:45:47in [snorts] addition, it was never

7:45:49intended to advocate for or against the

7:45:52Prop 421. In fact, the language used for

7:45:54the link was to read the uh franchise

7:45:57agreement in the ECA. Uh therefore I

7:45:59don't f my office has reviewed it and

7:46:01don't find any violation of the um uh

7:46:05law or or concern about where how it was

7:46:08linked. Out of an abundance caution that

7:46:11link has been taken down is now u

7:46:14pointing to the appropriate documents.

7:46:17>> I appreciate that. I I just have to push

7:46:21back on the um an email directing our

7:46:26employees to take a look at something

7:46:29that's on the ballot. And I know that I

7:46:32mean I've been on the council for 18

7:46:34years. Um and our city attorney has

7:46:37always been very, including yourself, um

7:46:40has told mayor and council to be very

7:46:42careful

7:46:43>> with what we're posting, right? And so I

7:46:47would say the same thing uh to our city

7:46:51manager or city attorney um to avoid

7:46:55even the perception of [clears throat]

7:46:58um of the city of Tucson uh encouraging

7:47:02any type of one particular initiative

7:47:07um to avoid that alto together.

7:47:10>> Understood. Thank you, mayor.

7:47:11>> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Attorney. Our

7:47:13next speaker is J. D Wallace.

7:47:24Hello, Mayor and Council. My name is J.

7:47:26D. Wallace. I'm a Tucson Ward 6 resident

7:47:28and retained speaker for Tucson Electric

7:47:30Power at 880 East Broadway. Here to talk

7:47:33about what we're doing to remain a

7:47:34trusted energy partner. Last week's

7:47:37storms on Monday evening caused outages

7:47:39for up to 26,000 customers. Most outages

7:47:42were brief, and by the following

7:47:44morning, less than 100 remained without

7:47:46service. Damage on Broadway between

7:47:48Pantano and Prudence included eight

7:47:50broken poles, two broken crossarms, and

7:47:52a downed wire. More than 2600 customers

7:47:55were affected by that damage, including

7:47:57the W 2 offices. Four customers remained

7:48:00out the following day, including the

7:48:02Hilton Hotel, and we used emergency

7:48:04cable to restore power there as our

7:48:06crews repaired the damage. We appreciate

7:48:08everyone's patience, including the

7:48:10drivers who used that route as Broadway

7:48:12was closed multiple days so employees

7:48:14could more safely perform the necessary

7:48:16repairs. Over the last month, we met

7:48:19with seven education foundations across

7:48:21the area to present them, each with a

7:48:23$10,000 donation to support classroom

7:48:25grants to TUSD's Educational Enrichment

7:48:29Foundation. uh the Ampi Foundation,

7:48:32Flowing Wells Educational Foundation and

7:48:34Sunnyside Foundation are the ones that

7:48:36are within city limits as well as Vale

7:48:38Morirana and Serorita. And each of these

7:48:40foundations say this helps their

7:48:42teachers take the curriculum to the next

7:48:44level. Whether it's a grant they apply

7:48:46for in some foundations or a debit card

7:48:48that they can use to get critical

7:48:49supplies, these help teachers avoid

7:48:51paying out of their own pocket for the

7:48:53classroom, which can often happen. And

7:48:55as with all our philanthropic donations,

7:48:57these funds come from corporate

7:48:58resources and do not impact t uh rate,

7:49:01excuse me, do not impact customer rates.

7:49:04Power a statewide fund providing bill

7:49:06relief, has reached its limit for the

7:49:08year. As of last Friday, 1875 TE

7:49:12customers received a total of

7:49:141,18,671.35.

7:49:18And one recipient, a single mother who

7:49:20is a ride share driver, says that

7:49:21assistance from the Department of

7:49:23Economic Security, combined with

7:49:25additional relief, helped her to not

7:49:27only pay her outstanding balance, but

7:49:28also to cover her next bill. Other

7:49:31assistance programs remain available,

7:49:33such as the lowincome home energy

7:49:34assistance program that is administered

7:49:36through the Arizona Department of

7:49:38Economic Security, as well as our own

7:49:40lifeline program. Thank you for your

7:49:42time and please direct constituents who

7:49:44seek assistance to our customer service

7:49:46representatives who can help connect

7:49:48them to those programs or additional

7:49:50community assistance programs. Thank

7:49:52you.

7:49:54>> Thank you, Mr. Wallace. Um, our next

7:49:57speaker is Amy Zahki,

7:50:01I believe. I'm sorry.

7:50:04>> I'm sorry. It's really light pencil, so

7:50:07it's really hard to read.

7:50:08>> Yeah. Um,

7:50:10>> go ahead. So, um, hi, my name is Amy

7:50:13Zavastowski and I moved to Tucson from

7:50:15upstate New York nine months ago. While

7:50:17I haven't been a TE rateayer for long, I

7:50:20do have experience with another utility

7:50:23company, Central Hudson, that Fortis,

7:50:26TEP's parent company, also owns. I want

7:50:29to put on the record a history of Foris

7:50:31and by association TEP, as being an

7:50:34untrustworthy company.

7:50:37I was on the board for a nonprofit that

7:50:39owned a 2500 square foot community

7:50:41center and our utility provider was

7:50:43Central Hudson which was acquired by

7:50:46Foris in 2014.

7:50:50In 2022, we were hit with a bill of over

7:50:53$14,000

7:50:54in back charges and updated readings. We

7:50:58had a budget billing plan, so this was

7:51:00in addition to the amount we had already

7:51:01been paying. Here are some highlights of

7:51:03the mismanagement by c Central Hudson

7:51:06and Fordis. Over 8,000 residential

7:51:09accounts were heavily overcharged due to

7:51:12erroneous software calculations.

7:51:14Accounts were mistakenly hit with bills

7:51:16totaling thousands of dollars or showing

7:51:19energy usage levels typically of a

7:51:21midsize business. Between late 2021 and

7:51:24mid 2022, more than 30,000 customers had

7:51:28multiple months worth of delayed bills

7:51:30automatically drained from their

7:51:32checking accounts simultaneously.

7:51:35Central Hudson auto withdrew over $16

7:51:38million during this period without

7:51:40proper warning. In one instance, pulling

7:51:43up $28,000 from a single customer's

7:51:46account. The system failed to generate

7:51:49bills on time, leaving thousands of

7:51:51households with no utility statements

7:51:53for months, only to later receive

7:51:55massive compounded bills. Luckily, the

7:51:58New York State Public Service Commission

7:52:00launched an extensive investigation, a

7:52:02landmark $64 million settlement required

7:52:06for Central Hudson shareholders to

7:52:09absorb the cost of repairing the system.

7:52:13Let's see.

7:52:15This resulted in Central Hudson's board

7:52:17of directors to remove the company's

7:52:19CEO. How is this related to TE and the

7:52:2225-year franchise agreement? The billing

7:52:25mismanagement scandal shows us here in

7:52:27Tucson that unless the state steps in,

7:52:31Fordis will mistreat its customers.

7:52:33Fordis prioritizes corporate profits,

7:52:36reporting well over a billion dollars

7:52:38annually while failing to protect local

7:52:40consumers from catastrophic management

7:52:42errors. How can Tucson rateayers see

7:52:44what happened with Central Hudson and

7:52:47not have increased distrust of TEP and

7:52:49Foris? Giving a company with a proven

7:52:52track record of causing extreme harm to

7:52:54its customers unrestricted access to our

7:52:58infrastructure for 25 years is a recipe

7:53:02for disaster.

7:53:04Sorry, I just lost my spot. Um,

7:53:09yes. Uh, recipe. Yeah. Reparations and

7:53:12system corrections were only made upon

7:53:14force of the government.

7:53:16>> Thank you, ma'am.

7:53:17>> So,

7:53:17>> thank thank you, ma'am.

7:53:20>> Aora Ramirez.

7:53:23[applause] Aora Ramirez.

7:53:32Sounds like the people want a public

7:53:33power option.

7:53:36Uh, so as you can tell, I'm here to

7:53:38express my opposition to Proposition 421

7:53:41and to ask city council to truly explore

7:53:44a public power utility option. Council

7:53:46members, over the last month, I've been

7:53:48talking to my neighbors, my co-workers,

7:53:49my friends, my family, the baristas at

7:53:51my favorite local cafe, servers at

7:53:54restaurants that you all probably go to,

7:53:56and every single one of them opposes

7:53:58TP's greed. I am a social worker and so

7:54:02every day I hear stories of how

7:54:04difficult it is for people to pay their

7:54:05electric bills. Many people have to

7:54:07choose between paying their rent or

7:54:10paying their electricity. One specific

7:54:12person that I'm working with is about to

7:54:14be evicted because she had to choose

7:54:16between her rent and keeping her insulin

7:54:18refrigerated.

7:54:20Here in Tucson, we know that the summers

7:54:22are hot. I'm curious if any of you have

7:54:24ever had to decide between paying your

7:54:26electric bill or paying your rent.

7:54:29AC here is truly a life or death matter

7:54:32and we need electricity for that. Last

7:54:35summer 97 there were 97 heat related

7:54:38deaths in Pima County and 40% of those

7:54:41were indoors. That means those were

7:54:42people that did not have air

7:54:44conditioning. TP stood up here and said

7:54:46that they care. It's such a

7:54:47responsibility for them to take care of

7:54:49the people but they shut off the

7:54:51electricity to that elderly woman who

7:54:53needs to refrigerate her insulin. Do

7:54:54they really care about our community?

7:54:56No, they don't. It's also interesting to

7:54:59me that um TP has representatives here.

7:55:01I actually just learned from some of

7:55:03them that they actually don't even get a

7:55:05discount on their electricity. Talk

7:55:06about corporate greed. They don't even

7:55:08care about their own employees and we

7:55:10want to give them 25 years to monopolize

7:55:12our public grid. That's crazy. Um a

7:55:16couple weeks ago, the power was out at

7:55:18my house for 6 hours. my entire

7:55:20neighborhood, the neighborhood across

7:55:22from me and the shopping center that is

7:55:24across from me. I couldn't cook dinner

7:55:25because surprise surprise, I have an

7:55:27electric stove. I couldn't go to the

7:55:28grocery to buy food because the

7:55:30employees were sent home. There was no

7:55:31electricity. It took them six hours to

7:55:33fix that. And it was because the wind

7:55:35from the monsoon had knocked over two

7:55:38power posts. How long have we been

7:55:40having monsoons in Tucson? And TP hasn't

7:55:42figured out how to not let that happen

7:55:44every summer. They do. They know what

7:55:46the solution is, which is underground

7:55:48power lines. But that's not profitable

7:55:51for them. Right. Right.

7:55:54>> Um I kind of digressed from what I

7:55:56wanted to say, but um basically this

7:55:59proposition is a bribe. It is a $2

7:56:01million bribe. As we heard, Ford is a

7:56:04Canadian company, meaning that profit

7:56:06does not stay in Tucson. That company

7:56:09made over a billion dollars just last

7:56:11year. $425 million of those dollars came

7:56:14from TE. They're trying to give us $2

7:56:17million. That is a pathetic bribe. And

7:56:21if the city council is going to accept

7:56:22that, you're going to let them

7:56:24monopolize our electricity for the next

7:56:2625 years for $2 million. If we weren't

7:56:29making profit for TE, we could plant

7:56:32those trees. We could provide those

7:56:33services that T comes up here and says

7:56:35that they give us. So, I urge everyone

7:56:38at [clears throat] home to vote no on

7:56:39Prop 421.

7:56:40>> Thank you, Miss Ramirez.

7:56:43>> James King.

7:56:46James King.

7:56:53>> Good uh good evening uh mayor and um all

7:56:56the council members. I just came up to

7:56:59say thank you for listening to us. Thank

7:57:02you Falcon

7:57:05Barakas Sherbert Nikki. I did talk to

7:57:08your your [clears throat] assistant and

7:57:10I did talk to your assistant Mr. D. I

7:57:13really do. You guys appreciate. We still

7:57:14want to sit down and talk with you guys.

7:57:16We want to get to know you guys more,

7:57:18have more open communications for

7:57:20whatever we can do for you. Mr. City

7:57:23Manager, we will we're waiting to sit

7:57:25down and talk with you about this

7:57:27situation. There is you guys, don't get

7:57:29me wrong, you got you you me and you

7:57:32have done business when I was an Aphne

7:57:34uh union member.

7:57:36Mrs. uh Swallow, looking forward to

7:57:38meeting with you. Looking forward to

7:57:40having this good discussions with you.

7:57:42I've always kept my my mind open and

7:57:44talked with you guys.

7:57:46Mayor, thank you for everything that you

7:57:49guys done for us and everything. I just

7:57:52want to say sorry, we can't stop the

7:57:54driving. We got to pick up garbage. We

7:57:57I'm looking forward to October 2nd to go

7:58:00see with with my grandson. And I do wish

7:58:03you guys can't wait for you guys to come

7:58:04and see with us because the compression

7:58:06between the operators which you guys did

7:58:09really good for them and I'm not pushing

7:58:11it because I was an operator for over 20

7:58:13years and my fellow peers here have been

7:58:16over here for 20 years also. We're just

7:58:18looking for something that is going to

7:58:20help us because of the compression

7:58:23between 106 to 107. It just doesn't cut

7:58:27it. And I'm sorry. We just think we just

7:58:29feel that we need to be heard. And I

7:58:31just want to thank you guys for this

7:58:32time and I really really thank all of

7:58:36the council members. We're still looking

7:58:38forward to seeing you, Mrs. Mayor, to

7:58:40come and have a sit down with us and so

7:58:42we can discuss more stuff. Thank you.

7:58:44You guys have a good

7:58:44>> Thank you, Mr. King. And we did give

7:58:46direction during study session to make

7:58:48sure that they pay special attention to.

7:58:51>> I did see that and I did and I

7:58:52appreciate everything Mr. Cunningham

7:58:55Barakas, you even yourself, Mrs. Mayor,

7:58:57where you

7:58:57>> Thank you. did address the the towns

7:59:00that we were compared to.

7:59:02>> Thank you.

7:59:03>> And there are towns, not cities.

7:59:05>> Yes.

7:59:05>> Thank you so much.

7:59:06>> Thank you.

7:59:07>> Thank you, Mr. King. Really appreciate

7:59:08you guys. Ethan Riel.

7:59:20>> Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name

7:59:22is Ethan Regal. I am a resident of W 2.

7:59:26I'm here tonight because I believe that

7:59:28Tucson should reject Prop 421.

7:59:32We need to ask ourselves, why are we

7:59:35continuing to pay a private for-profit

7:59:37monopoly to provide a service that our

7:59:40city's own study says that we can

7:59:42provide ourselves? Our own feasibility

7:59:45study found that a public utility could

7:59:47cover the purchase of TE's assets needed

7:59:50to serve Tucson while charging rates

7:59:52equal to or lower than T's rates. I'm

7:59:56also concerned about the ECA tied to

7:59:58Prop 421. Um the city's own commission

8:00:01on climate, energy, and sustainability

8:00:04raised concern that it could

8:00:06disincentivize public power. While $2

8:00:09million a year sounds good on paper,

8:00:11it's less than 1% of TEP's hundreds of

8:00:15millions of dollars in net income that

8:00:17they reported last year. And we've

8:00:19probably all already seen their ads. Um,

8:00:21they're spending millions of dollars to

8:00:24persuade us in money that would be far

8:00:26better spent investing into our

8:00:28community. I'm not asking the city to

8:00:32municipalize our electric system

8:00:34tomorrow. I am saying that we seriously

8:00:36need to pursue public power in order to

8:00:39give Tonins the best deal possible. With

8:00:42public power, we can deliver lower

8:00:44rates, cleaner energy, and with TE, our

8:00:48rates are designed not only to cover the

8:00:50utilities costs, but to provide a return

8:00:52to shareholders, which I don't think

8:00:54Tucson needs. Let's reject Prop 421 and

8:00:57let's seriously pursue public power.

8:01:00Thank you,

8:01:03Lee.

8:01:05Zish

8:01:07Lee.

8:01:17Hi, my name is Lee Zishi. I'm a Ward One

8:01:20resident and I'm an organizer with

8:01:22Tucson DSA and Public Power for Tucson

8:01:24and the No Desert Data Center Coalition.

8:01:27And I'm one of over 200 people who have

8:01:29signed a pledge to vote no on Prop 421

8:01:32like many of the people in the room

8:01:33tonight and urging you to put a public

8:01:35power utility on the ballot instead.

8:01:38That's what the people of Tucson want to

8:01:39vote on. There are several reasons I

8:01:41oppose 421. 25 years is far too long and

8:01:45honestly it's a really bad franchise

8:01:47deal. Other si other cities have gotten

8:01:50utilities to actually reduce fossil fuel

8:01:52use while TE is investing more in fossil

8:01:55fuels and actually have gotten lower

8:01:57bills while ours will go up with a new

8:01:59rate hike. Um, and all Tucson is getting

8:02:02is a $2 million a year bribe while TE's

8:02:05business model contributes to climate

8:02:07change and leaves thousands of people

8:02:09struggling to pay their bills. It was

8:02:11interesting to hear JD talk about a

8:02:12single mom who got assistance from them

8:02:14because just last year I talked to a

8:02:16single mom who her entire December

8:02:19paycheck went to her TE bill so she

8:02:21couldn't buy gifts for her kids

8:02:23including one of her daughters who's on

8:02:24disability and needs electricity to

8:02:26survive. So those are not the stories

8:02:28I'm hearing talking to hundreds of

8:02:30tonins. And 10 years ago, I was at

8:02:33Standing Rock. Um, and as the climate

8:02:36crisis work worsens, TEP is supporting a

8:02:39nearly 6 billion dollar pipeline to

8:02:42bring fracked gas from Texas to Arizona.

8:02:45Guess who's building that pipeline?

8:02:47Energy Transfer Partners, the same

8:02:49company that brutalized indigenous

8:02:51people at Standing Rock. That's who TE

8:02:54partners with. And what are they

8:02:56building bringing that gas for? To power

8:02:59data centers. I mean, it's just insane

8:03:01that this is happening. We just saw

8:03:03thousands of people, hundreds of people

8:03:05die in Nepal because of the climate

8:03:07crisis, and this is what we're getting.

8:03:09Um, and so I really do thank you so much

8:03:12for doing the feasibility study, for

8:03:14rejecting Project Blue. I'm glad you

8:03:16addressed these emails because it was

8:03:18very disappointing to see that,

8:03:19especially since TEP's website clearly

8:03:22puts Prop 421 in the positive light and

8:03:26encourages people to vote against it.

8:03:27And so what I'm really asking you to do

8:03:30is to believe in the power of Tucson.

8:03:32Um, Central Hudson actually has an

8:03:35amazing public power fight. It's being

8:03:37led right now by a DSA assembly member

8:03:39named Sarah Honesta. And when she ran

8:03:42for office, her tagline was the future

8:03:45must be beautiful. And I will also let

8:03:47you know she ran against a 23 incumbent

8:03:49on public power because he did not

8:03:51support it and she beat him. So from New

8:03:54York to here in Tucson, we are taking on

8:03:57these utilities who are making bills too

8:03:59high that are funding the climate crisis

8:04:01and just asking you to stand with the

8:04:03people of Tucson. And I encourage

8:04:05everybody to vote no on 421. Thank you,

8:04:10>> Norma.

8:04:13Norma.

8:04:16Norma.

8:04:28Thank you very much, Mayor and Council,

8:04:30for listening to us. We have very

8:04:33important information for you. As you

8:04:36can see,

8:04:38when I was a little girl,

8:04:40my father said to me, "Do you know,

8:04:43honey, that the water on planet Earth

8:04:46has been here since planet Earth began.

8:04:54And that water is still here right now.

8:04:58And it's sacred.

8:05:01And 70% at least of everybody in this

8:05:05room and all over the planet consists of

8:05:10that water.

8:05:12So we have a unity

8:05:16everybody.

8:05:18It's sacred.

8:05:20It's life.

8:05:23We don't need to rush into this as this

8:05:26contract doesn't really expire until

8:05:292027

8:05:31and the electorate has not agreed to it

8:05:34yet.

8:05:36And I've pledged already to vote against

8:05:38Prop 21, which I encourage everyone to

8:05:41do. It's a horrible deal for our

8:05:44citizens. We want a public p power

8:05:47utility and we insist,

8:05:50we hope that the mayor and council will

8:05:53put it before the voters sooner than

8:05:55later.

8:05:57TE is already one of the largest water

8:06:00users here and they pay very little for

8:06:03the water they use.

8:06:05Meanwhile, we're going to be paying 14

8:06:08million a year on our monthly bill for

8:06:10the franchise fee, but TEP will only

8:06:14give 2 million a year for the energy

8:06:16collaboration agreement. We're not

8:06:19stupid. Everybody's been talking about

8:06:21it here. So, those commercials that are

8:06:24acting as if we're going to get a big

8:06:26deal, obviously, we know what the story

8:06:30is.

8:06:31So I would hope that the council and now

8:06:35thank you for clarifying mayor that the

8:06:38council is not promoting TE's position

8:06:41position but I would hope that that be

8:06:43clarified more fully to the population

8:06:47of Tucson because everybody is getting

8:06:48the wrong idea that this is a political

8:06:52gambit of some sort between the city and

8:06:54TE. So that's not a good sign.

8:06:59Please.

8:07:02Do you think it's wise to put corporate

8:07:04profits over the health and the vibrancy

8:07:06and the longevity of this community? I

8:07:10don't think so. Vote no on PR 421. Thank

8:07:15you.

8:07:15>> Thank you, ma'am.

8:07:18>> Esther Garcia Romero. Esther Garcia

8:07:21Romero.

8:07:33Oh, it's not too too tall. So, my topic

8:07:38today is a little bit different than

8:07:40when you guys are used to. There's a lot

8:07:43of tension going on in here. Can you

8:07:45guys hear me?

8:07:46>> Okay. Is that better?

8:07:48>> Okay. Sorry. So, my topic is a little

8:07:51bit different. Hopefully, in a positive

8:07:53direction. I know we have a lot to think

8:07:55of and there's a lot going on right now.

8:07:58So, um I had an idea. I wanted to bring

8:08:00it to you guys' attention. Um my topic

8:08:03is called innovative revenue strategy.

8:08:05It's a donor advised uh fund something

8:08:09that Tucson is not participating in

8:08:11unlike other thousands of

8:08:13municipalities. So, it's known as DAFFs.

8:08:16And I'm sure that you guys some of you

8:08:18might be aware what a DAFF is. Um do I

8:08:22still need to speak up? Sorry.

8:08:26>> Okay. Is that better?

8:08:28>> Oh, sorry. Okay. So, let me just kind of

8:08:30play catchup here. Allow me one moment

8:08:33because this is my first time speaking

8:08:35and I don't want to screw anything up.

8:08:37We have 3 minutes, right? Okay.

8:08:40>> You're down to 154.

8:08:43>> I'll make it quick. I'll keep it to two.

8:08:45Good evening, Mayor and Council. Um,

8:08:47mayor, city manager, council members. My

8:08:49name is Esther Garcia Romero. I am

8:08:53I am a city um resident here in Tucson.

8:08:57I'm here to share a zerocost revenue

8:08:59strategy that could help fund our city's

8:09:01critical infrastructure right now during

8:09:03this tight 2025 and 2026 fiscal cycle.

8:09:07Right now, Tucson is leaving money on

8:09:08the table by missing out on a massive

8:09:10$326 billion national pull of individual

8:09:15individual uh philanthropic I don't know

8:09:18how to pronounce that capital known as

8:09:20donor advice funds. DAFFS is another

8:09:22name for it. Under IRS rules, donors can

8:09:25legally grant these funds directly to

8:09:27municipalities uh for exclusive public

8:09:30purposes. This is incredibly urgent for

8:09:32Tucson due to our current budget cont uh

8:09:35contractions paired with a massive wave

8:09:37of donors holding preunded 2025 uh DAFF

8:09:41balances who are actively looking to

8:09:43deploy millions into local communities

8:09:45before federal tax laws shift in 2026.

8:09:49in Tucson. If Tucson builds a friction

8:09:52free intake framework with our finance

8:09:54teams can set up as they can set that up

8:09:56in little as two to four weeks capturing

8:09:58just 2% of the re regional DAFF volume

8:10:01brings in about 40 million a year. We

8:10:04can immediately use that private money

8:10:06as our local cash match for federal

8:10:08infrastructure grants, unlocking an

8:10:10additional 16 million federal funds,

8:10:12turning a $4 million gift into a $20

8:10:15million impact. These funds can

8:10:17instantly pave roads. Uh you can use it

8:10:20for fire, housing, jail prevention,

8:10:22whatever you guys need for community

8:10:24foundations. Uh you can also work with

8:10:27community foundation for southern

8:10:29Arizona which has handled 219 million of

8:10:32these local assets. I've already emailed

8:10:34all of you guys a full copy of that

8:10:37proposal. Please keep an eye on your

8:10:39email for it. Thank you.

8:10:41>> Thank you, Miss Garcia Romero. JP

8:10:44Salvadier.

8:10:56I was late.

8:10:59Madame Mayor, Councilman

8:11:02JP Salveter, Tucson native, real estate

8:11:06broker.

8:11:10Prop 421. A no vote will not change

8:11:13current service rendered by TEP Foris.

8:11:17Use of TE City of Tucson rightways will

8:11:21still need prudent pre-authorization to

8:11:24proceed. Please note that the utility

8:11:27will have its contract in place until

8:11:30August 2027.

8:11:33I will vote no on Prop 421.

8:11:3825 years of franchise

8:11:42contract because

8:11:45it prevents wider discretion by the

8:11:48mayor and council and other municipal

8:11:50entities to freely and cooperatively

8:11:53engage statewide commonwealth utility

8:11:56propagation options without [snorts]

8:11:58first litigating TE for profiteering

8:12:03setbacks.

8:12:06the bundled rightway, including fiber

8:12:09optics. Okay, that's a that's a huge

8:12:11monopoly you're giving away to them

8:12:15along with other covenants and provider

8:12:18rights will qualify them to claim any

8:12:21and all future projected loss of revenue

8:12:26for the entire 25-year

8:12:29ending future franchise contract

8:12:32[snorts] along with continual megapole

8:12:35tornatic cost increases.

8:12:37the longer we delay undergrounding.

8:12:40Hello, and assuming public long-term

8:12:44benefit versus foreign proxy

8:12:48stakeholders annual gouging rate

8:12:50increases.

8:12:53Let's do some simple math.

8:12:570125

8:13:00times 1.6 billion.

8:13:04What is that? Oh, $2 million. Hey,

8:13:09they're giving us 1/8 of a penny

8:13:14and they're taking the lion share.

8:13:16Hello, TEP. Are you here? You still

8:13:19here?

8:13:20What a gouging. What a joke. I'm sorry.

8:13:24We're not ignorant. The facts are there

8:13:28to be observed.

8:13:31slow infrastructure

8:13:34growth and increased uh

8:13:39low KV capacity with 128 KV to

8:13:44facilitate data centers first at our

8:13:48expense.

8:13:50If you refuse to remove TE's foreign

8:13:53proxy utility takeover of our public

8:13:57easement.

8:13:58>> Thank you JP.

8:13:59>> Step down. We can't

8:14:00>> we appreciate it. We have other

8:14:02speakers. Thank you JP.

8:14:04>> Lilana Salmon.

8:14:08Lilana.

8:14:15Good evening Mayor and members of the

8:14:17Tucson City Council. My name is Lilana

8:14:20Sman and I am a resident of Plaza del

8:14:22Soul Mobile Home Park here in Tucson. I

8:14:24am here today because my family received

8:14:26a water bill of approximately $2,000 for

8:14:29just 31 days of service. I live in a

8:14:32single family home. Our previous water

8:14:35bills were approximately $50 to $60 a

8:14:38month. Then suddenly we received a bill

8:14:40for more than $2,000.

8:14:43How does a family go from paying

8:14:44approximately $50 a month to 2,000? and

8:14:48you say, "I do not have an irrigation

8:14:50system. I do not have a pool to explain

8:14:53such an enormous increase. I have been

8:14:55trying to get answers. I have been

8:14:57requesting information, reviewing the

8:14:59billing records, documented the water

8:15:01meter myself, but I still do not have an

8:15:04explanation for how this amount was

8:15:05calculated for my family. I understand

8:15:08the plumbing problems can occur. I also

8:15:11believe that when a family receives a

8:15:12bill extraordinary, there should be a

8:15:14thorough investigation before the family

8:15:16is expected to pay thousands of dollars.

8:15:18This situation is especially concerning

8:15:20because Blasa del Soloul has experienced

8:15:22water leaks within the community. I am

8:15:25asking whether the meter readings were

8:15:26accurate, whether there could be a

8:15:28billing error and any other water loss

8:15:30outside my home could have affected the

8:15:33amount charged to my household. I am

8:15:35asking who is responsible for ensuring

8:15:37the residents of the mobile home parks

8:15:39are built accurately and fairly for

8:15:41their water usage. My family is already

8:15:43facing financial hardship

8:15:46and an enormous unexplained $2,000 water

8:15:49charge adds an enormous burden to any to

8:15:53in an already difficult situation. I am

8:15:55not standing here to excuse the water

8:15:57that my household legitimately used. I

8:16:00am asking for transparency,

8:16:02accountability, and fair investigation.

8:16:04I respectfully asked the city council to

8:16:08help determine which city department or

8:16:10regulatory authority can investigate the

8:16:12water billing practices at Plasa del

8:16:16sorry review the um uh sorry protection.

8:16:20I also asked the city consider what

8:16:22protections are available to the

8:16:23families who are facing eviction while

8:16:25disputing extraordinary

8:16:28utility charges. No family should have

8:16:30chosen between paying a water bill, a

8:16:33keeping roof over the heads of the

8:16:34children. I am here because I want

8:16:36answers. I do not get them from Plato

8:16:39del Soul. My lawyer has been in contact

8:16:42with Zon-in-Law that represents them. No

8:16:44answer at all either. Thank you,

8:16:47>> Miss Salmon. Um, I just have a question.

8:16:49Did the the mobile home park charge you

8:16:52or did you receive a city of Tucson

8:16:55water? No, it's the mobile home charges.

8:16:58>> Yes, there there's there's many mobile

8:17:01home parks that are abusive.

8:17:04>> Um and so what what I would like for you

8:17:06to do if it if at all possible, can you

8:17:09we're going to keep your number and um

8:17:13my office will will call you so that we

8:17:16can connect you with um the AG's office,

8:17:20the attorney general's office, okay?

8:17:22um and any type of help that we can

8:17:24because if you receive the bill from the

8:17:27mobile home park itself then then it is

8:17:32um it could possibly be predatory.

8:17:35>> Yeah.

8:17:36>> Okay. Okay.

8:17:37>> We're we're we'll keep your number.

8:17:38>> Thank you.

8:17:39>> Okay. Thank you, ma'am. [applause]

8:17:45>> All righty. And we're going to have two

8:17:47um remaining speakers. We've gone over

8:17:5045 minutes and so we will finish with

8:17:53Nicholas Kota and then Kimiko

8:17:55Washington. Nicholas.

8:18:06Good evening. Can everyone can hear me?

8:18:08Okay.

8:18:08>> All right. For more than 40 years, Davis

8:18:10Mton Air Force Base has allowed toxic

8:18:13chemicals to enter our water. They did

8:18:15this knowing the dangers these chemicals

8:18:17posed. And yet, for decades, they did

8:18:19nothing. Only when exposed did they

8:18:21partially acknowledge their culpability,

8:18:23and that's about all they've done. Tens

8:18:25of millions of dollars of our

8:18:26hard-earned money has been spent dealing

8:18:28with and cleaning up their mess. That's

8:18:31to say nothing on the impact of the

8:18:32health and well-being of our loved ones.

8:18:34Officials say this problem doesn't

8:18:36currently pose an imminent threat to

8:18:37public drinking water. I'm very sorry if

8:18:39I don't trust that in the slightest.

8:18:41It's been reported that it will cost the

8:18:42Pentagon almost $22 billion to adjust to

8:18:46address this problem nationally. Almost

8:18:48twice that, nearly $4 billion was spent

8:18:50in the first 100 days uh in the war of

8:18:53aggression with Iran alone. Now, former

8:18:56members of the same wasteful,

8:18:58imperialistic, and shameful military

8:19:00with benevolent laress are offering to

8:19:03leverage the government to remove these

8:19:04chemicals faster than planned. What's

8:19:06the catch? Well, this great group of

8:19:08guys just really want to build a really

8:19:10cool golf course in the middle of the

8:19:12desert in the middle of a drought. We

8:19:15just need to hand over some land on

8:19:16which to build it. And by the way, any

8:19:19cleaned and treated water is to be used

8:19:21exclusively for the golf course, not for

8:19:23any actual beneficial use, just to add a

8:19:25little insult to injury. These guys want

8:19:28to step in, cash in on their old boys

8:19:30club connections

8:19:32uh to do them a favor, exploiting this

8:19:34fiasco so they can bask in the successes

8:19:36of their service to American

8:19:38wararmongering. And there's the mayor,

8:19:40city council, and city manager lapping

8:19:42up a pathetic step towards long overdue

8:19:44accountability, smiling and also

8:19:47grateful. What an incredible

8:19:48opportunity. If we say no to this

8:19:51proposal, we're told we must resign

8:19:53ourselves to year after year of more

8:19:55feet dragging, more taxpayer dollars

8:19:58wasted to do the government's job for

8:19:59it, and contaminated water as a fact of

8:20:02life. Yet only through the expression of

8:20:05our collective power can we hold

8:20:06government truly accountable. Our

8:20:08society is structured so that this does

8:20:10so that this does this does not come

8:20:12naturally. So the people's power must be

8:20:15built and strengthened in moments like

8:20:17this. Yes, we may perhaps materially

8:20:20benefit from this rotten deal in the

8:20:22short term if we're lucky, but we would

8:20:24forfeit more than just our precious land

8:20:26and water. We would prove true the fear

8:20:29many have that we don't have power or

8:20:32control or a say in the quality of our

8:20:34lives and how our communities are

8:20:36shaped. This choice between the status

8:20:38quo and a quidd proquo is a false one.

8:20:41So, I encourage everyone to express

8:20:43their disapproval and opposition. And to

8:20:46the city council, this deal and any deal

8:20:49like it must be treated as the insult is

8:20:52and be strongly rejected with conviction

8:20:55and maybe a little spine for once. Thank

8:20:57you.

8:20:59>> Thank you, Mr. Kota.

8:21:02[applause]

8:21:03And our last speaker is Kimo Washington.

8:21:08>> Hello. Thank you, mayor, for this last

8:21:11moment. Um, my name is Kamika

8:21:13Washington. I've stood before you

8:21:15multiple times um advocating for the

8:21:17naming of the new aquatic center at

8:21:19Mission Manor uh to be named after my

8:21:21son Ocean Washington who was killed by

8:21:25driveby shooters

8:21:27and fell to the ground and took his last

8:21:30breaths right where the entrance to that

8:21:32aquatic center is. And um I I submitted

8:21:36this proposal in March and I've proposed

8:21:39a gun memorial to be established. Um I

8:21:44have not yet received a response from

8:21:47any of my um emails. I have um I have

8:21:51gotten, you know, you guys have gotten

8:21:53my contact info. I've attended these um

8:21:55these meetings pretty regularly and and

8:21:58in these meetings I'm learning. I'm

8:22:00learning a lot. Um I was here last month

8:22:03or last earlier this month. Um and I'm

8:22:05aware of the moratorum uh put on naming

8:22:08parks and I also understand um that the

8:22:11naming of the Stacy Rodondo fields at

8:22:13Kennedy Park still went through and vice

8:22:15mayor stated that it was not a renaming

8:22:18but a naming on a new softball complex.

8:22:21Uh similarly to the aquatic center, it's

8:22:24not a park, it's an amenity.

8:22:26So I still come before you learning and

8:22:30asking how I can get ocean's name

8:22:32remembered in this spot that holds so

8:22:34much pain and grief and also fun and

8:22:39water exploration for our community

8:22:41including Ocean's daughter who just

8:22:43[snorts] turned seven today.

8:22:46I also come before you because of the

8:22:49ongoing gun violence in Tucson. Um, I

8:22:52came to you in June right before uh the

8:22:56proclamation of gun violence awareness

8:22:58day and I appreciate that. Um, and when

8:23:03we had the uh mass shooting downtown,

8:23:06you know, we we all came together as a

8:23:08community and I was there at that

8:23:11emergency meeting as well uh pleading

8:23:14for solutions to lessen the violence in

8:23:17Tucson [snorts] because when a single

8:23:19incident of gun violence occurs, it

8:23:22doesn't just affect one person. It it

8:23:24shatters entire lives. the mother, the

8:23:27father, the siblings, the cousins, the

8:23:30friends, [snorts] and the lost future of

8:23:33that individual.

8:23:35Now we have yet another public space

8:23:37where two of our citizens were killed by

8:23:39guns. [snorts]

8:23:41And our community is mourning and we

8:23:43remember the exact space where it

8:23:45happened, the time it happened, and the

8:23:48closeness of the community who was

8:23:50broken by the tragedies. So, I'm here

8:23:53today to ask the council for real

8:23:54action.

8:23:56What are the next steps for naming the

8:23:58aquatic center and what is the city

8:24:00doing to prevent the next family from

8:24:02standing here at this podium?

8:24:05Thank you.

8:24:08[applause]

8:24:10>> Thank you, Miss Washington.

8:24:12That uh is the conclusion of our call to

8:24:15the audience. Thank you everyone so

8:24:16much. I appreciate your presence and

8:24:19your feedback and input to mayor and

8:24:21council. Item seven,

8:24:24>> consent agenda.

8:24:26Uh reports from the city manager on the

8:24:28consent agenda are received into and

8:24:30made part of the record. Madame clerk,

8:24:32you are requested to read the consent

8:24:34agenda. Item 7 A, approval of minutes.

8:24:387B, intergovernmental agreement with

8:24:39Puma County Recorders Office to provide

8:24:41election related services for the city

8:24:42of Tucson elections. Item 7 C approving

8:24:45expenditure of budget mayor and ward

8:24:47office funds for various programs and

8:24:49projects. Item 7 D approval of

8:24:51involuntary tort judgments for fiscal

8:24:52year 2526. Item 7E, intergovernmental

8:24:55agreement between the city of Tucson and

8:24:56Regional Transportation Authority of

8:24:58Pima County for delivery of non-transit

8:24:59RTA plan elements. Item 7F,

8:25:02intergovernmental agreement between the

8:25:03city of Tucson and Regional

8:25:04Transportation Authority of Puma County

8:25:05to fund, implement, and deliver RTA plan

8:25:08transit services and operations. Item

8:25:117G, amendment number one to the 5-year

8:25:14agreement to USGS to monitor stream

8:25:16flows and substance uh in the Tucson

8:25:19area. Item 7H, notice of intent to enter

8:25:21into a sight specific sales tax

8:25:23development agreement with Tucson in

8:25:24LLC.

8:25:30>> That's it. [snorts]

8:25:32[laughter]

8:25:33>> All righty. May I have a motion, please?

8:25:35>> Your honor.

8:25:37>> So moved.

8:25:38>> Second.

8:25:39>> There's a motion and a second. Any

8:25:42further discussion on this hearing?

8:25:45None. We do need to go to roll call.

8:25:48Councilman Lee.

8:25:49>> Hi.

8:25:50>> Council member Cunningham.

8:25:51>> Hi.

8:25:52>> Council member Schubert.

8:25:53>> Hi.

8:25:54>> Council member Dah.

8:25:55>> I.

8:25:56>> Council member Barahus.

8:25:58>> I.

8:25:58>> Vice Mayor Santa Cruz.

8:26:00>> I.

8:26:01>> Mayor Romero.

8:26:02>> I. The items on the consent agenda are

8:26:04approved by a vote of 70.

8:26:07Item eight.

8:26:09>> Public hearing ordinance amending

8:26:10chapter 7 of the Tucson code sections 27

8:26:12through 20 and 27 through 21.

8:26:152720 and 2721 staff recommended

8:26:18revisions to the large quantity water

8:26:20user ordinance. Ordinance number 12188

8:26:23following ad hoc committee review.

8:26:26City manager communication number 275

8:26:30dated September 22nd is received into

8:26:32part of the record. This is the time and

8:26:35place legally advertised for a public

8:26:37hearing uh to obtain approval. Uh hold

8:26:40on. I don't know if this is the correct

8:26:43language.

8:26:45Um,

8:26:47>> yep. Yep. No, it's not.

8:26:48>> It's a wrong hearing. Do you have the

8:26:50language?

8:26:53>> Okay. Sorry, we had the wrong language.

8:26:57Just going to make sure

8:27:16Okay.

8:27:21So, maybe the public hearing ordinance

8:27:23amending chapter 27

8:27:26>> of Tucson code section 27-20 and 27-21.

8:27:38Um

8:27:41staff recommended revisions to the large

8:27:43quantity water user ordinance. Ordinance

8:27:46number 12188

8:27:49following ADHD committee review

8:27:56communication

8:27:57um September 22-26-27275.

8:28:03Is that what it is?

8:28:04>> Yes, that's title.

8:28:06>> All righty. Um, this is a public hearing

8:28:10scheduled to last for no more than one

8:28:12hour. Speakers are limited to five

8:28:15minute presentations.

8:28:17Please come forward when I call your

8:28:19name and make your presentation. State

8:28:21your name, whether you live inside the

8:28:24city of Tucson or not, whom you are

8:28:27representing, and whether or not you are

8:28:29a paid speaker. Uh, do we have any cards

8:28:32from the audience to speak?

8:28:36All righty. So we are scheduled for no

8:28:38more than an hour.

8:28:41All righty. Our first speaker is Catlo

8:28:44Chepic.

8:28:56Good evening.

8:28:58My name is Catlo Shipek. I live in Ward

8:29:003. I am here representing Watershed

8:29:02Management Group. [clears throat] Excuse

8:29:04me. We are we as residents are asked to

8:29:08be desert dwellers. To quote Tucson

8:29:10Water, Tucson's heritage of conservation

8:29:13has established our community as one of

8:29:15the most water resilient cities in the

8:29:17southwest. And we are thanks to past and

8:29:21present leadership. However, to be

8:29:24resilient, we cannot pause to rest

8:29:26during critical moments. We find

8:29:28ourselves here today at a crossroads

8:29:31where we can choose to improve how we

8:29:33engage large quantity water using

8:29:36businesses and ensure they too are

8:29:38desert dwellers or we can let them

8:29:42continue to do business as usual

8:29:44regardless of our uncertain water

8:29:47future. The proposed revisions by Tucson

8:29:50Water to the large quantity water user

8:29:52ordinance do little to ensure we do not

8:29:55have the opportunity to engage large

8:29:58water users and provide performance

8:30:00measures on their water use and

8:30:02stewardship. The ordinance with

8:30:04currently proposed revisions allow these

8:30:07new large water users to continue with

8:30:09business as usual. We must ask new large

8:30:13water users to also be desert dwellers.

8:30:16This includes how to care and respect

8:30:19all waters, give back more than one

8:30:22takes, and be aligned with and

8:30:24supporting our community values and

8:30:27stewardship of our water, our rivers,

8:30:29and our wershed.

8:30:31This is why we are asking for one, a 2:1

8:30:35water demand offset for the consumptive

8:30:37use portion by the business. Why are we

8:30:40asking for a 2:1 offset? A case study

8:30:43report recommends a 2:1 ratio to protect

8:30:46or restore water resources in areas of

8:30:49existing depletion. Our regional aquifer

8:30:53two, we are asking for a lowering of the

8:30:57threshold to 2500 ccfs per month, which

8:31:00calculates to 72 acre feet per year to

8:31:03ensure we can have an open and

8:31:05transparent conversation with more large

8:31:08water users. Currently, only 56 existing

8:31:12users are at or over 2500 CCFs per

8:31:15month, and only an additional 15

8:31:18existing users are over 10,000 CCFs per

8:31:21month. This past year, we have had zero

8:31:24applications at 10,000 CCFs per month.

8:31:28Let's ensure we can have a productive

8:31:30conversation with new large users and

8:31:32not miss that opportunity.

8:31:36Three, we are asking for a pause during

8:31:38periods of drought to allow us to

8:31:40protect existing water users and

8:31:43safeguard our supplies to ensure we can

8:31:45sustain our waters for generations to

8:31:47come. We may have 10 years of water

8:31:50banked in the aquifer, but we need to be

8:31:53looking well beyond seven generations

8:31:55out. We are facing continued uncertainty

8:31:58with the Colorado River. We have already

8:32:01learned that the more we can support the

8:32:02Colorado River and other communities,

8:32:05the more we can benefit in investing in

8:32:07our own resilience.

8:32:09Let's demonstrate regional leadership in

8:32:12water and community resilience and make

8:32:14these changes to this ordinance. We are

8:32:17grateful for our Tucson community and

8:32:19those here today and in the past who

8:32:21have shared their concerns and called

8:32:23for action to continue progress on the

8:32:25replenishment of our aquifer and renewal

8:32:27of our rivers to sustain our community.

8:32:31Thank you, Mayor Romero and city council

8:32:33members for your leadership on this

8:32:35issue.

8:32:37Thank you,

8:32:39[applause] Marggo it.

8:32:48Good evening, mayor and council. My name

8:32:50is Marggo IUi. I'm a resident of Tucson.

8:32:52I'm here representing myself and I'm not

8:32:54paid.

8:32:56We are facing severe challenges to our

8:33:00groundwater supply. Not only by

8:33:01population growth, but by compounding

8:33:04depletion through agriculture,

8:33:06industrial mining, chip manufacturing,

8:33:08and data centers. The conflict between

8:33:11economic survival and environmental

8:33:13reality must be faced and dealt with if

8:33:16we are to survive. Now is the time to

8:33:19plan for the future instead of reckless

8:33:22and short-sighted policies that naively

8:33:25hand over more of our precious shrinking

8:33:28resource. It is imperative that the

8:33:31large quantity water user ordinance be

8:33:33strengthened to specifically protect our

8:33:36local water supplies, especially in

8:33:38light of the extreme drought and pending

8:33:41Colorado River water allocation cuts.

8:33:45While budgetary planning is of course

8:33:47necessary, the main concern cannot be

8:33:50solely economic development with little

8:33:53to no regard for our unique desert

8:33:55environment. The lack of planning for a

8:33:58sustainable future is confounding. If we

8:34:01continue on this path, we will surely

8:34:04render our environment uninhabitable.

8:34:07I don't think any of us want to look in

8:34:09the mirror and see ourselves as an

8:34:12endangered species.

8:34:14We support the following revisions as

8:34:16priority recommendations proposed by the

8:34:19watershed management group. One, a

8:34:22public review process for large quantity

8:34:24water user ordinance for all future

8:34:26revisions to the ordinance. Two, a

8:34:28requirement that all large water users

8:34:30have a net zero conservation plan uh a

8:34:34ratio of 2:1.

8:34:36Three, ensure that all toxins,

8:34:38contaminants, PAS, etc. are eliminated

8:34:41from recharged, leaked, or released

8:34:43water with consequences for failing to

8:34:46meet this requirement. Four, in the

8:34:48event of diesel spills that contaminate

8:34:51Tucson water, the user must be 100%

8:34:53responsible for emergency cleanup. This

8:34:55just happened in New Jersey, by the way.

8:34:58Five, lower the threshold from 10,000

8:35:01CCF to 2500 CCF to reflect the limited

8:35:04water resources of our desert city.

8:35:08Six, suspend any new requests for water

8:35:11while we are in extreme drought and

8:35:12facing cuts to our water allocation.

8:35:16Seven, include language that ensures

8:35:18water user does not diminish the surface

8:35:20waters of the Santa Cruz River, Priito

8:35:23River, Tank Verde Creek, or Sabino

8:35:25Creek. Eight, ensure large water user

8:35:29does not reduce the Tucson water service

8:35:31area groundwater aquifers.

8:35:34Watershed management has worked

8:35:36tirelessly toward a goal of achieving a

8:35:38proactive hydrolo water future. That is

8:35:40restoring our desert rivers, cooling our

8:35:43cities, and ensuring we honor the sacred

8:35:46value of water. It would be

8:35:48reprehensible to dismantle their

8:35:50accomplishments.

8:35:51allowing the pace of of resource

8:35:54extraction to satisfy the ravenous

8:35:56appetites of corporate greed would do

8:35:58just that. If we don't draw the line to

8:36:01protect our finite water resources now,

8:36:04we will be complicit in having destroyed

8:36:07our beloved Sonor and Desert. Water

8:36:09depletion is not inevitable if we act

8:36:12together now. We can't wait until we're

8:36:16faced with a water emergency crisis

8:36:18because then it will be too late. Thank

8:36:21you.

8:36:25Nick Maya. Nick Maya.

8:36:34Nick Maya.

8:36:37Ivy Schwarz. Oh, Nick. There. There he

8:36:40is. Thank you.

8:36:43My mom always told me to take the hat

8:36:45off at the dinner table, so I suspect

8:36:46she also probably would mean the deis as

8:36:48well. Um,

8:36:51good evening, mayor and council. My name

8:36:53is Nick Maya. I'm here on behalf of the

8:36:55Coalition for Sonor and Desert

8:36:56Protection where I'm the current program

8:36:58manager. I'm also a recent W 6 resident.

8:37:01Just want to say that we echo the

8:37:03comments from Catlo and WMG that you

8:37:05just heard before me or two people

8:37:07before me. Hope you had the chance to

8:37:09read the letter we submitted ahead of

8:37:10tonight's meeting. The proposed

8:37:11revisions improve enforcement and

8:37:13transparency, but they would still allow

8:37:15facilities to use substantial amounts of

8:37:16water without being reviewed as a large

8:37:18user. Given the ongoing drought,

8:37:21uncertainty about Colorado River

8:37:22reductions, and growing interest from

8:37:24water intensive industries, we believe

8:37:25the city should adopt a more

8:37:27precautionary approach. New large

8:37:29developments should demonstrate that

8:37:30they will not shift water related costs

8:37:32and risks onto residents, groundwater

8:37:34resources, or the environment. They

8:37:36should also meaningfully contribute to

8:37:37replenishing the water they consume.

8:37:39We're particularly concerned about

8:37:41protecting the Santa Cruz River's flow.

8:37:43Reclaimed water is not unlimited, and

8:37:45decisions about its use can directly

8:37:46affect the river and the wildlife

8:37:48habitat it supports. The ordinance

8:37:50offers Tucson the opportunity to set

8:37:51clear expectations before the next major

8:37:53water user applies. We respectfully

8:37:56encourage you to adopt stronger

8:37:57safeguards now while the city still has

8:37:59the opportunity to plan uh proactively.

8:38:01Thank you.

8:38:06[applause]

8:38:07>> Thank you, Nick. Ivy Schwarz.

8:38:19>> Good evening, Madame Mayor, members of

8:38:22the council, staff, Mr. Tumour. Nice to

8:38:26see you again. It's been a while. Thank

8:38:28you. Thanks for this opportunity to

8:38:30speak.

8:38:32Uh, first of all, I'd like to thank you

8:38:34for the ordinance you passed in August

8:38:36of 25

8:38:38related to large water users. That was a

8:38:42really important thing to do and I

8:38:43appreciate that.

8:38:47Um, the watershed management group and

8:38:49others in this community, Coalition for

8:38:51Sonor and Desert Protection, others, I I

8:38:54totally um e echo what they've said and

8:38:57I really thank them for their work and

8:39:00for being here.

8:39:01and for the other folks that are here

8:39:04who are concerned about this issue as

8:39:06well. Um, I read something recently that

8:39:11just totally blew me away, which was

8:39:14that the average household in this

8:39:17community uses 126 gallons of water per

8:39:20day, which works out to just under 3,800

8:39:24gallons per month. And that it would

8:39:27take over 160

8:39:30years, 160 years for that average

8:39:34household to use up the amount of water

8:39:39that would be used up as a monthly

8:39:41threshold by large water users. I mean,

8:39:46I can't even conceive of those numbers

8:39:50to tell you the truth. I mean, it just

8:39:53totally blew me away. And I think we

8:39:55need to keep that in the front of our

8:39:57minds when we think about this issue

8:39:59because the large water user ordinance

8:40:02is really about data centers. I mean we

8:40:04know that right and this discussion is

8:40:08actually about values. We know that too.

8:40:12I mean isn't that true? This is about

8:40:15values. Values that we hold dear in this

8:40:18community. We want to protect this land.

8:40:20We want to protect the desert. We want

8:40:22to protect the water here. and we want

8:40:24to make have this be continue to be a

8:40:27viable place to live.

8:40:30So

8:40:32what I'd like to communicate today and I

8:40:34guess I should have said I'm speaking

8:40:35for myself. I live in word one. I forgot

8:40:37to say that I'm not being paid by

8:40:39anybody to do this. Um, my personal

8:40:44feeling about all of this

8:40:46is

8:40:48that

8:40:50we need to have net zero water use here.

8:40:56We need to use reclaimed water here, not

8:41:01portable water.

8:41:04We need to have net zero energy use,

8:41:08certainly sustainable

8:41:10energy use here.

8:41:13If there's a large

8:41:15uh company or corporation that wants to

8:41:18build here and they're going to use a

8:41:20lot of energy, they need to be using

8:41:23solar for that energy. They shouldn't be

8:41:26using

8:41:28uh coal or natural

8:41:32uh natural uh liquid gas, which is

8:41:36actually methane, which is even worse

8:41:39than carbon dioxide for the environment.

8:41:43Um we need to stop repeating Republicans

8:41:46talking points about being unfriendly to

8:41:48business. If we we can bring businesses

8:41:51here that build solar panels, that build

8:41:54parts for windmills, that can do all

8:41:56kinds of things that will be beneficial

8:41:59rather than destructive.

8:42:02People are upset about data centers.

8:42:05Over 70% of people in this country are

8:42:08opposed to data centers now. I mean,

8:42:10that that's really unbelievable when you

8:42:12think about it, right? They don't trust

8:42:15big corporations. They don't trust

8:42:17billionaires. They want local control.

8:42:20They want to protect the desert.

8:42:23And all these things are

8:42:27the majority viewpoint now. They are the

8:42:30majority viewpoint. They are not um

8:42:33socialist necessarily. They're not

8:42:36extremist. They're not any of those

8:42:38boogie word kinds of words that we hear

8:42:42or name calling. This is what people

8:42:44believe now. And we really are at a

8:42:47pivotal moment in this country and in

8:42:49this city and in this state and I think

8:42:51we can move forward in positive ways not

8:42:54negative ways. So basically I'm urging

8:42:57you folks and I've known a lot of you

8:42:59for a long time. I am urging you to make

8:43:04the decision which is not super scary.

8:43:07It's happening all over the country now

8:43:09in lots of states and lots of

8:43:10municipalities to have a moratorum on

8:43:13data centers to have a pause here

8:43:17because it's time to rethink all of this

8:43:20and do things that are good for our

8:43:21community and good for our planet.

8:43:24>> Thank you so very much.

8:43:28[applause]

8:43:29>> Florence Johnson. Florence Johnson.

8:43:39>> Um, thank you for the opportunity to

8:43:42speak. Can you hear me? Okay.

8:43:44>> Um,

8:43:46I'm representing myself. I'm a resident

8:43:49of Ward 6. Um, I want to state that

8:43:54Tucson's large quantity water user

8:43:56ordinance does not go far enough.

8:43:59Tucson's large quantity water user

8:44:02ordinance must operate according to

8:44:05hydroloal water budget. For details on

8:44:09the composition of a hydroloal

8:44:12water budget, consider all of the

8:44:14following in the budget. Groundwater,

8:44:17rainwater, cap water, and recycled

8:44:21wastewater.

8:44:22For more detailed guidelines, please

8:44:25consult with Tucson's watershed

8:44:27management group.

8:44:29We are in a tier 2 drought. A Tucson

8:44:32large quantity water user ordinance must

8:44:36operate within our region's hydro local

8:44:39water budget. It must operate with a 2:1

8:44:44water demand offset that will require a

8:44:47large water user to replace every 100

8:44:50acre feet of water used with 200 acre

8:44:54feet of local water. a paper water

8:44:58credit from a watershed outside of our

8:45:01region such as Nevada like has been

8:45:04suggested in the past by our city

8:45:07managers.

8:45:09Um explanation of the benefits of

8:45:12project blue.

8:45:15This will not resupply losses to our

8:45:17local water supply from a large quantity

8:45:20water user. A hydrolo water budget

8:45:24requires adhering to the following

8:45:26equitable and environmentally sound

8:45:28principles. Require recharging more

8:45:31groundwater than is used. Restore

8:45:34heritage wetlands and river flow. Reduce

8:45:37water demand to be in line with local

8:45:39water supplies. Prioritize community

8:45:42values to ensure local indigenous tribes

8:45:45have water sovereignty. Limit and report

8:45:48on evaporative loss.

8:45:51reduce and limit off-site water use. For

8:45:54example, limit redirecting water store

8:45:58uh redirecting water use or storage of

8:46:01water to ancillary operations that are

8:46:04not directly related to the large water

8:46:06users primary permitted operation.

8:46:10Prohibit use of reclaimed, recycled, or

8:46:12stored water as an offset for large

8:46:15water users. Restore water tables to

8:46:18regrow Tucson's lost urban forests to

8:46:21help cool and clean the air we breathe.

8:46:24Lower the large water user offset to be

8:46:26comparable to Avonale's

8:46:2928 acre feet per year. Revise this down

8:46:32from Tucson's current ordinance of 276

8:46:36acre feet per year. require public

8:46:39reporting of large quantity water use

8:46:41volumes by quantity used and recovered

8:46:44or recycled with separate annual

8:46:47accountings for wastewater volumes and

8:46:49analysis of wastewater composition.

8:46:52Require a public review process for any

8:46:54new or revised large quantity water user

8:46:58operation.

8:46:59A large um quantity water user ordinance

8:47:03must have clear and meaningful

8:47:05performance offsets that can be measured

8:47:08and applied locally. The ordinance must

8:47:10value reclaimed reclaiming waste water

8:47:13as highly as any other water source. The

8:47:16ordinance must account for and restore

8:47:18the water loss during wastewater

8:47:20treatment and from evaporation during

8:47:22any form of large water use. Tonians

8:47:26demand an amended large water user

8:47:28ordinance that protects all local water

8:47:30users and increases transparency by

8:47:33providing meaningful reporting and

8:47:36public participation in the permitting

8:47:38of large water users. Tsonians simply

8:47:41can't afford the permitting of any more

8:47:44industrialsized operations that require

8:47:47high levels of water and electric power

8:47:51use. Large quantity water users must be

8:47:54required to do more than use water

8:47:56responsibly. They must be required to

8:47:59report their water usage and wastewater

8:48:01volumes and quality. They must their

8:48:05operations must make meaningful

8:48:06contribution to employing full-time

8:48:08workers for a livable wage with pathways

8:48:11to advancement. In addition, there must

8:48:13be enforcable financially significant

8:48:15consequences for violations of Tucson's

8:48:18large water user ordinance. Thank you.

8:48:22>> Thank you, Miss Johnson.

8:48:24[applause]

8:48:25Elena Ortiz. Elena Ortiz.

8:48:39Hi, good evening.

8:48:42My name is Elena Ortiz. Um, I am a

8:48:44resident of Tucson and of W five.

8:48:49Um, and I'm here to urge you to continue

8:48:52working together um, and with the Tucson

8:48:54community to strengthen the large water

8:48:56user ordinance.

8:48:59I grew up here and I have to say like

8:49:03I'm truly afraid about my my future here

8:49:07and being able to stay here and that's

8:49:08what really motivates me to be here. Um,

8:49:12as we know, the city rushed to pass this

8:49:14ordinance last year in the wake of

8:49:16Project Blue, and I'm grateful that you

8:49:18all worked so quickly um in that moment

8:49:21to fill a really important policy gap.

8:49:25Um, however, we need your leadership to

8:49:27make this policy stronger by creating

8:49:30opportunity for meaningful community

8:49:32input and to protect our precious water

8:49:35resources into the future.

8:49:38Last month, we learned that Arizona is

8:49:40going to see significant cuts to the

8:49:42amount of water that we rece receive

8:49:44from the Colorado River given ongoing

8:49:46drought, um overuse of the river's

8:49:49resources over many, many decades and

8:49:52generations. Um and climate change, uh

8:49:55as much as a third of our current water

8:49:57allocations.

8:49:58Um and it's also likely that cuts could

8:50:00increase in the coming years. So there's

8:50:02a lot of uncertainty, right? Um, so

8:50:05serious water shortage scenarios aren't

8:50:08part of this like far-flung future that

8:50:09we talk about, right? They're in fact

8:50:11here today. Um, and they really compel

8:50:14us to do what we can to protect our

8:50:16water resources for the community and

8:50:18ecological well-being into the future.

8:50:21Um, so I'd like would love to see mayor

8:50:23and council strengthen the large water

8:50:25unit or user ordinance in the following

8:50:27ways. Um, first I think we need a more

8:50:30robust and meaningful public engagement

8:50:33process with more public forums like

8:50:35town halls to discuss and meaningfully

8:50:37give input as a community to improve

8:50:40this ordinance and ensure it reflects

8:50:41our values. Someone was talking about

8:50:43this being a value um conversation and I

8:50:46totally agree. Um, as the memo from last

8:50:49year's ad hoc committee um reflects,

8:50:52public input process then was was

8:50:54rushed. it was around the holidays saw

8:50:56pretty low participation. Um there

8:50:59wasn't really time to meaningfully

8:51:00engage our neighboring tribal

8:51:02governments and that's a huge oversight.

8:51:04Um I want to uplift uh uh the

8:51:08recommendations that others in the room

8:51:09have um up have shared um and support um

8:51:13lowering the threshold for the

8:51:15definition of a large water user um to

8:51:18reflect our limited water resources. Um,

8:51:21so down from 10,000 CCFs to 2500 CCFs

8:51:25and would really support the city

8:51:27exploring a ceiling. Um, the city of

8:51:29Aurora, Colorado, um, has an interesting

8:51:31tiered, um, policy that may be worth

8:51:34looking into. Um, would like to see that

8:51:37the, um, conservation plan, um, be

8:51:40required to be net zero and include

8:51:42binding commitments from the water user

8:51:45to implement water conservation,

8:51:47recharge, and reuse strategies. um and

8:51:50I'm supportive of the 2:1 ratio others

8:51:52have spoken about. Um [snorts] I think I

8:51:55say this a lot when I come to these

8:51:56meetings, but I really want to see

8:51:58regular and independent monitoring um

8:52:01and reporting um as part of the the

8:52:04ordinance to verify the actual water use

8:52:07that large water users um to ensure that

8:52:10they're meeting the conservation plan

8:52:12commitments um and require that they

8:52:14disclose water they're getting from

8:52:16other sources such as groundwater. Um,

8:52:19this information should be accessible

8:52:20and public and the costs associated with

8:52:23any kind of reporting should be paid by

8:52:25the water user. Um, I'd also like to see

8:52:28suspensions

8:52:30um included um uh like higher up in the

8:52:34process of of the violation process to

8:52:37really hold water users accountable. Um

8:52:40we should suspend their water if they're

8:52:42not meeting the terms of their plan. Um,

8:52:45and I support uh what others have spoken

8:52:47about um a moratorum on new large water

8:52:50user application during periods of

8:52:52extreme drought um and until we know

8:52:54more about what these final Colorado

8:52:56River water allocations will be. Um and

8:52:59I'd love to see exploring applying the

8:53:01terms of this ordinance to existing

8:53:04water users. Um, so these measures can

8:53:08better reflect, I think, our community

8:53:09values and protect our limited water

8:53:12resources to support thriving human and

8:53:14non-human and ecological communities and

8:53:17our waterways into the future. Um, thank

8:53:19you in advance for your time and your

8:53:21thoughtful consideration of these

8:53:22recommendations um, and other ways to

8:53:25strengthen this ordinance. Thanks.

8:53:27>> Thank you, Mortis.

8:53:30[applause] And our last speaker is Carl

8:53:33Freeman. Carl Freeman.

8:53:40>> Hello. Thanks for the opportunity to

8:53:41speak. Um,

8:53:44around water, I guess I'm going to be a

8:53:46little different than most people. Um,

8:53:49the exhaust pipes from our cars, that's

8:53:52approximately 500,000 exhaust hours per

8:53:56day, which results in about 90 million

8:53:59BTUs. And to put that in a visual

8:54:01perspective, that much heat is

8:54:04evaporating an Olympic size swimming

8:54:06pool every second for 24 hours a day on

8:54:09average. That's a lot of water that's

8:54:11lost out of the city. And if we really

8:54:14wanted to stop that, we could press

8:54:15forward aggressively with a lot of solar

8:54:18panels to power so electric cars because

8:54:21they don't do that. Um,

8:54:25and in the bigger sense, uh, I try to

8:54:27offer solutions. Uh, everyone thinks

8:54:30that a cooperative would be a great idea

8:54:32for Tucson, but Fortis would fight that

8:54:35legally and only the lawyers would win.

8:54:38Uh, a way around that is if legally, I

8:54:41don't know if we can, but legally if we

8:54:42made each neighborhood its own

8:54:44energyindependent entity, we could be

8:54:47Tucson could be energy independent in a

8:54:49month or sorry, sorry, in a decade

8:54:51easily. Um, but all those exhaust pipes

8:54:54not only are evaporating water, but we

8:54:57don't get the monsoons. You'll see the

8:54:59the weather maps when the they come

8:55:01through in that heat dome of all, you

8:55:03know, global climate change, yes, but

8:55:05specifically heating up our own frying

8:55:08pan. That's taking away a lot of water

8:55:10from what's not coming. That's a

8:55:12cumulative effect. So, uh, are we doing

8:55:16things to cover our washes? a wash. I

8:55:19explained to people from back home

8:55:21that's where a river used to be covering

8:55:24it with solar panels. Are people around

8:55:26the world doing this and recovering

8:55:27making washes back into rivers? Uh

8:55:30agrovtaics, they're using them around

8:55:32rivers to grow and anyway the there's so

8:55:36much we can do on this. Um if ne again

8:55:39if neighborhoods could be

8:55:40energyindependent entities we can kind

8:55:42of endun the whole thing of fortis

8:55:44because every I I'm an installer right

8:55:49now solar panels are so good batteries

8:55:51are so good it's 2 cents a kilowatt hour

8:55:54that's not and that would go down by the

8:55:57time you built it probably be a penny

8:55:59these are the directions we have to go

8:56:01in the legal entanglements won't let us

8:56:03get there I would love to see us rise

8:56:05above the whole situation

8:56:07and not insult to t workers that are

8:56:10just trying to do their job and look at

8:56:13the real solutions we need. And I I sent

8:56:15something during co to you about an app

8:56:18to link people together to for these

8:56:20kind of meetings uh and early adopters

8:56:23to solar. Uh anyway, uh uh

8:56:31uh I don't have much more to say other

8:56:33than

8:56:35Oh, yes. Um per perhaps I mean water is

8:56:37becoming more expensive every day. If we

8:56:40had a tax credit for any entity that

8:56:43come forward with a way to save it,

8:56:45giving them a tax credit for every

8:56:46gallon they save. A small tribute but

8:56:49definitely worth looking at. Thank you.

8:56:52>> Thank you, Mr. Freeman.

8:56:55All

8:56:56>> righty. So, that was my last card

8:56:58submitted, but um I do like to ask if

8:57:01there's anyone in the audience that

8:57:03would uh is wishing to be heard. Why did

8:57:06I I know that it was going to be you,

8:57:08JP.

8:57:10>> Come on up.

8:57:12[snorts]

8:57:12Any others?

8:57:17>> Thank you, Madame Mayor.

8:57:19My name is Jonathan Salvatra. I'm a

8:57:22native to Sonan. I'm not a retained

8:57:25speaker. I'm speaking for myself and

8:57:29I've spent uh a number of years uh over

8:57:3334 years with the railroad and I I know

8:57:37a lot about the industrial developments

8:57:40that are in the outlying areas. Uh, and

8:57:47there are so many things we could we

8:57:50could be creating

8:57:53that will enhance the benefits to

8:57:56everyone. Um,

8:57:59the indigenous community has farmed in

8:58:03this area for over 4,000 years.

8:58:08That's huge. Now, uh,

8:58:12Farmer's Insurance has a pecan orchards,

8:58:15the gardens there at Sarita, and we

8:58:19don't have running water anymore in the

8:58:22Santa Cruz.

8:58:24Um,

8:58:26speaking of large water users,

8:58:30back again. What happened to American

8:58:33battery? They just got in under the wire

8:58:36before we created provisions for those

8:58:39kind of heavy large users. Are they

8:58:42honoring some guideline that we're

8:58:45trying to create to, you know, maintain,

8:58:48you know, this more reasonable use of

8:58:51our water and our resources.

8:58:54Um,

8:58:57few months ago I spoke to Sharon Magdal.

8:59:02um

8:59:04she's the uh UVA water resources WRRC

8:59:08director

8:59:10and

8:59:12she mentioned that California is is uh

8:59:17creating areas where the flash flooding

8:59:20can be retained.

8:59:22Uh there are so many different things we

8:59:24can do. We we we're talking about

8:59:26desalinization with California and then

8:59:30with Mexico and sharing, you know, some

8:59:32reciprocal agreement so that we give

8:59:34them more uh of these resources. Same

8:59:37thing's going on. Um

8:59:42the practicality of it is now we really

8:59:45need something like a 10-year moratorum

8:59:48that I mentioned in the last meeting. If

8:59:51we don't get sufficient rainfall that

8:59:55allows the Colorado mountain range to

8:59:58supply water through its uh

9:00:03continuity,

9:00:04uh then

9:00:07no large user commercial activity

9:00:12should maintain itself

9:00:14against our best uh interests. Um,

9:00:19Rosemont Mine,

9:00:22now Copper World.

9:00:25Uh, they have direct access to our, uh,

9:00:29Sanorita watershed,

9:00:32our regional aquifer that comes down

9:00:34through that break in the mountains from

9:00:36Sierra Vista area and and along I 10.

9:00:40Um, and it replenishes our aquifers.

9:00:46um

9:00:48they plan to take more water out than

9:00:51they can ever

9:00:53recharge back in. Even uh I I noticed uh

9:00:58John Kemick is here. he can verify that

9:01:02um they only have the potential of

9:01:05getting 3% of the water that they take

9:01:09out of that watershed in the Sanoritas

9:01:14with water they provide through the

9:01:16Colorado River project to the the PAS

9:01:21and the desalinization and the

9:01:22non-pottable water uh treatment that's

9:01:25going on there that he's been

9:01:27championing for so long. Um,

9:01:31so what about the other 97% that they're

9:01:34going to take out of the Sanoritas and

9:01:38drain our backup regional aquifer?

9:01:42It's not going to come back for 100

9:01:45years, maybe more. So these are all

9:01:49really critical issues. Now

9:01:54why am I disappointed

9:01:56at times with the council? Okay. So, you

9:02:01immediately uh have uh these

9:02:03non-disclosure agreements, you know,

9:02:05that you're talking to other entities

9:02:07about. And here in the paper, the Star,

9:02:10we just found out about Warbird. Oh,

9:02:12well, the mayor has been talking to him

9:02:14for a year and a half. I don't know.

9:02:16What's going on? This is uh very

9:02:19disappointing.

9:02:20>> You got five minutes just like everyone

9:02:22else. Thank you.

9:02:23>> Thank you.

9:02:24>> Thank you. Any others wishing to be

9:02:26heard on this?

9:02:30>> [applause]

9:02:31>> I'm sorry, sir. You already had your

9:02:33five minutes on this item.

9:02:37>> I'm sorry. Thank you. All righty. Any

9:02:40anyone else that hasn't spoken on this

9:02:42issue and wants to be heard? Okay. With

9:02:44that, uh, we have no others, then I'd

9:02:47like to, um, request that we have a

9:02:50motion to close the public hearing.

9:02:53>> I move we close the public hearing.

9:02:54>> And there's a motion in a second. Um any

9:02:58other discussions

9:02:59hearing? None. Um all those in favor of

9:03:03closing the public hearing signify by

9:03:05saying I.

9:03:07>> I.

9:03:08>> I.

9:03:09>> Any against? Motion carries.

9:03:13All right. Madame clerk, you are

9:03:15requested to read ordinance 12272

9:03:19by number and title only. Ordinance

9:03:21number 12272 relating to Tucson water

9:03:23authorizing adding new provisions to the

9:03:25Tucson code specifically chapter 27

9:03:27water article 1 general section 2720 and

9:03:302721 large water quantity water users

9:03:33and additional remedies declaring an

9:03:35emergency and setting an effective date.

9:03:38What is the council's pleasure?

9:03:41>> Madame Mayor

9:03:42>> uh council member do

9:03:43>> I I would like to move that resolution

9:03:47uh with two additions. One, I would like

9:03:50to lower

9:03:50>> the ordinance

9:03:51>> the ordinance. Thank you. Thank you.

9:03:54>> Um I'd like to lower the amount from

9:03:5610,000 to 5,000 and I would like to

9:04:00direct the city attorney to develop a

9:04:03line item uh amendment. Um and I'll

9:04:08explain it um what I'm looking for. Um,

9:04:13and then I would like the city attorney

9:04:15to come back and perhaps in a consent

9:04:16agenda in a future to just do that that

9:04:18correction. I was speaking with director

9:04:20John Kami about what happens if a um

9:04:24large water user is going over and

9:04:26there's a 120% and then get the director

9:04:29gets to to take some action. I wanted to

9:04:32make sure that it would come to mayor

9:04:33and counsel and he said of course I

9:04:34would do that. So, I don't think he

9:04:36disagrees with it coming to mayor and

9:04:38counsel, but I would like that in the

9:04:40ordinance some way or another. Um, does

9:04:42that make sense, city attorney?

9:04:45>> Go ahead, Mr. Lisk.

9:04:47>> I I think I understand. Uh, council

9:04:49member D, honorable mayor, I I just want

9:04:51to make sure. Are you talking about if

9:04:53somebody violates the ordinance, it

9:04:55would come back as part of the process?

9:04:58>> Yes.

9:04:59>> Okay. Thank you.

9:05:02>> That's my motion. And I have some words

9:05:03afterwards. Yeah.

9:05:05That's there's a motion. May I have a

9:05:07second? Uh,

9:05:08>> I'd like to second for the sake of

9:05:10discussion.

9:05:10>> Okay. So, there's a motion and a second.

9:05:13Further discussion.

9:05:14>> Madame Mayor,

9:05:15>> um, we did this incredible good

9:05:18ordinance in response to Project Blue.

9:05:20And that was good. And we thought and we

9:05:24said we will come back in a year and see

9:05:25if we need to tweak it after going

9:05:27through a process that involved

9:05:29stakeholders. It wasn't public

9:05:30engagement. We were trying to get expert

9:05:32people from different parts of the

9:05:33community, Catlo, um people who were

9:05:36developers, people who had thoughts

9:05:38about water. [snorts] And what's come to

9:05:41us is their consensus. And I that's

9:05:44great. All all the consensus stuff is

9:05:46great. But what really concerns me is

9:05:48we've had a year where this ordinance

9:05:50hasn't been tested. Partially that's

9:05:52great because no big data center has

9:05:54dared try to build in Tucson and they

9:05:57better not. But there's other industries

9:06:00that we might be concerned about using

9:06:02too much water for too few benefits. And

9:06:04that's what's great about this

9:06:05ordinance. So that's why I believe that

9:06:0710,000 is too high. I heard a lot of

9:06:11suggestions for 2,500. And that's not

9:06:13bad. But let's split the difference. Um

9:06:16I think the mayor said it one time, and

9:06:18I hope you said this publicly, this is a

9:06:20living document. As as we go through it,

9:06:22we can change it, but we actually need

9:06:24to test it. We need to have some people

9:06:26trying it out. I agree that this is not

9:06:29an anti-b businessiness. This is a water

9:06:32conservation. This is Tucson's values.

9:06:34Tonins have been great water

9:06:36conservationists. And by the way, Tucson

9:06:38Water has done a great job of stewarding

9:06:40our water. If anything speaks to why we

9:06:43should have public power, it's because

9:06:44we do water really good.

9:06:45>> Yeah.

9:06:46>> Um

9:06:48but but let's bring it down a little

9:06:50bit. I was looking at uh my colleagueuh

9:06:54council member uh Schubert asked some

9:06:57excellent questions and we got some

9:06:59answers and I was looking at the chart

9:07:00of current big users and we're not

9:07:04likely to get very many at 10,000. So,

9:07:06we need to bring it down and um I think

9:07:085,000 is great. If in a year we've only

9:07:12gotten one or gotten zero, well then we

9:07:14reconsider it. Some of the other

9:07:16suggestions are great. I've put put

9:07:19forth net zero water for years. The

9:07:21staff has done a report back to us about

9:07:24it. I'm not sure that it's time for

9:07:26that, but I hope someday it will be time

9:07:28so that any large water would pay the

9:07:31inloo fees to do conservation and pay

9:07:33for areas where we don't have money to

9:07:35to put good appliances in low-inccome

9:07:38homes, for instance, and other water

9:07:40conservation measures. Um, water is

9:07:43sacred. Water is life. I love that it um

9:07:46Marco, you you bringing that up very

9:07:48early in this meeting. Um and we need to

9:07:50be good stewards and um I think we're on

9:07:52the right track and I hope you'll

9:07:54support my um motion. Thank you,

9:07:57>> Council Member Cunningham. And I also

9:07:58wanted to ask Mr. Manager if there was

9:08:00any presentation. I forgot to do this.

9:08:03if there was any presentation by our

9:08:06Tucson Water team or yourself.

9:08:08>> Honorable mayor, uh, members of the

9:08:10council, there was no presentation

9:08:12planned and all of the key points have

9:08:14been brought out actually by members of

9:08:16the audience, the ad hoc task force and

9:08:18the consensus recommendations.

9:08:20>> Okay. All righty. Council member

9:08:22Cunningham,

9:08:23>> I got a couple things. And again, this

9:08:25is I want to pass this. [snorts] Um, I I

9:08:29don't care how low we go. actually we

9:08:31can go to 2500 or 5,000

9:08:35um [clears throat] because as long as it

9:08:38looks like there's some discretion for

9:08:39the director and the council to

9:08:41intervene some of the folks who came in

9:08:43and by the way Ivy it's really nice to

9:08:45see you um we talked about

9:08:50these users that we can't imagine well

9:08:52one of them is a hospital and that's

9:08:55like this weird nuance in this ordinance

9:08:57and where if so I have three hospitals

9:09:00that operate in W 2 and one of the

9:09:03pieces is they're constantly expanding

9:09:06or changing and if they go to more than

9:09:08a certain even because their meters are

9:09:11all connected under one company they'd

9:09:14still count as a high user. Well, I

9:09:16don't want people's healthc care or

9:09:18hospital state money going up because we

9:09:21we're gouging them on their water bill.

9:09:23So, that's like the one piece of this

9:09:25that I'm is floating out there. But like

9:09:29I said, there's some discretion for the

9:09:30director and the council on this

9:09:32ordinance. So, I think that's an

9:09:34important piece to it that allows us.

9:09:36The one thing that does worry me about

9:09:38the discretion in this ordinance is

9:09:39actually on the other side, and that's

9:09:41the enforcement piece. Um,

9:09:45as written, the 120% cap doesn't have

9:09:48like an automatic consequence. Uh, so

9:09:50there really isn't like a true hard cap

9:09:53where the director can say, you know

9:09:55what, you're cut off or your flow

9:09:57restriction is down. And I think

9:09:59probably we're going to need that. I

9:10:02want the director to have that teeth and

9:10:05I want him to be able to say or her be

9:10:08able to say whatever. And if they want

9:10:10to appeal it, they should have to come

9:10:11before the body. So I like the idea of

9:10:14triggering a hard cap. Now we can wait

9:10:17and amend it later. I want to pass what

9:10:20we have tonight because I think partly

9:10:22is time of is of the essence. But for

9:10:24me, I want that flexibility for

9:10:26hospitals or flexibility for a larger

9:10:30user that comes in that really does

9:10:32serve a purpose. There may be a

9:10:34situation where they're a large user,

9:10:35but they're working a recharge project.

9:10:37That could actually happen.

9:10:38Counterintuitive to what we believe.

9:10:40Now, I'm sure there's some water credit

9:10:43uses that we'd have there, but still

9:10:45that's these are these scenarios that

9:10:46you don't think about. The other the

9:10:48other scenario is of course is

9:10:51triggering that hard cap. I want to make

9:10:53sure that we're enforcing this if we

9:10:55have a user go over. In the meantime,

9:10:58Project Gravel has now filed to build a

9:11:05a data center in Serita

9:11:08and the board of supervisors will take

9:11:11up

9:11:12their 120-day moratorum on Tuesday. And

9:11:17so again, this discussion is evolving

9:11:19constantly. Um, for me, I have no issues

9:11:23limiting high water users. I have no

9:11:26issues with any of that stuff. I just

9:11:28want to make sure we're responsible in

9:11:30those scenarios where we have a hotel,

9:11:33where we have a a large hospital that

9:11:38has that many patients and that many

9:11:40people. I mean, if there's 9,000 people

9:11:42using the water, that makes a little bit

9:11:43more sense than if we have a giant

9:11:46machine using the water. So, those are

9:11:48my thoughts on it. Again, take it for

9:11:51what it's worth. I don't think that we

9:11:53need to make those changes today. I

9:11:55think as we have this living document,

9:11:57we'll be able to make tweaks.

9:11:59>> Uh, thank you, Council Member

9:12:01Cunningham. Um,

9:12:04I have a lot of thoughts. Um especially

9:12:07because I feel as though um

9:12:13the facts about our water resources are

9:12:19not complete in in terms of our

9:12:22community and um I have been asking and

9:12:26I formally requested at today's study

9:12:29session that we have informational town

9:12:32halls and community engagement events

9:12:35about our water resources, including the

9:12:38large uh water user ordinance. Um

9:12:43because I I do believe uh council member

9:12:46Dah that these types of ordinances are

9:12:51living documents, right? We're not um I

9:12:54feel as though we're not going to leave

9:12:56it um as it is written today for the

9:13:00next 25 years. that we are going to um

9:13:04allow for ourselves and and and future

9:13:07mayor and councils to adjust hopefully

9:13:10for the better um so that we can have

9:13:13the best outcomes in terms of our water

9:13:16resources. Um

9:13:20you know I um and you know uh Dr. Short

9:13:25said it herself. I, you know, you've

9:13:27known me for a long, long time since

9:13:31before I ran for city council. And it is

9:13:35about ethic and it it is about working

9:13:39with our community and their needs and

9:13:43learning from Tonins. Um, Tonins have a

9:13:48water conservation ethic. We value open

9:13:53spaces and wildlands. We value

9:13:57um our beautiful biologically diverse

9:13:59desert. We fight to protect it. And that

9:14:04is what I come from, you know, and um

9:14:11I believe that the mayor and council

9:14:14have been responsible stewards of our

9:14:16water resources. And I can't just take

9:14:19that credit ourselves, right? This mayor

9:14:21and council, it goes back a few

9:14:24generations of mayors and councils and

9:14:26city managers and Tucson water directors

9:14:29that have that set the tone um about

9:14:34water conservation. I wish that [snorts]

9:14:37125 years ago when we created Tucson

9:14:40Water, the mayor and council at the time

9:14:43would have said, "We're also taking

9:14:45electricity." I wish we would have done

9:14:48that. Um because of the stewardship that

9:14:53having a mayor and council that is

9:14:54elected by the public uh for our water

9:14:58is has made the difference and um how we

9:15:03handle the quality of the water PAS

9:15:06remediation

9:15:08at 14 dioxine most currently. Have there

9:15:12been concerns, especially um

9:15:15environmental justice issues with TCE in

9:15:19our water and Tucson water delaying

9:15:22remediation.

9:15:24Um not that we caused right but delaying

9:15:28remediation and that has changed. Um,

9:15:33so I feel that there is no evidence

9:15:38that show a lack of responsible water

9:15:44stewardship by this particular mayor and

9:15:47council. Um, we said no to project blue.

9:15:53We heard our community. Unfortunately,

9:15:57some on the board of supervisors didn't.

9:16:00And now the water being used for that

9:16:02project is coming from our aquifer. Um

9:16:06we changed our zoning codes, our land

9:16:09use codes as an additional measure. We

9:16:12passed in as in an emergency basis the

9:16:15large quantity water users ordinance. We

9:16:19passed water uh protection.

9:16:22Going out back even further, um we

9:16:25passed and implemented our climate

9:16:27action plan

9:16:30created uh back in 2008

9:16:34uh the water

9:16:36um service policy in terms of serving

9:16:42and I was there um I was one of the ones

9:16:46that put that forward to deliver only

9:16:49water um inside the city of Tucson. on

9:16:52the annexation for water policy. We

9:16:56passed uh we passed an ordinance to ban

9:17:00nonfunctional turf in commercial zones.

9:17:03Uh created the residential conservation

9:17:06fee. Um we created our green storm water

9:17:10infrastructure fund. Um, not to mention

9:17:14that we have successfully banked so much

9:17:16of our excess Colorado River allocations

9:17:20into our aquifer that we have more than

9:17:2350 years worth of water banked. Um,

9:17:29we also moved fast and furiously to work

9:17:32with the Biden administration

9:17:34to leave behind water and lake me to be

9:17:38responsible stewards for the entire

9:17:41state. And off of that work, we received

9:17:45federal funds to create our uh pure

9:17:49water advanced water purification

9:17:52project, which by the way, I'm going to

9:17:55San Diego to visit theirs tomorrow

9:17:58um because they have been doing um pure

9:18:01water purification for the last 10

9:18:03years.

9:18:05So,

9:18:07I really want our citizens to understand

9:18:10that Tucson

9:18:13and your mayor and council have

9:18:16continuously we I think we challenge

9:18:19ourselves as mayor and council to go

9:18:23further and further and further and

9:18:25further

9:18:27uh into

9:18:29um

9:18:31water conservation

9:18:33and making sure that we're serving

9:18:37um

9:18:39as clean water as we possibly can

9:18:42deliver, getting ahead of the PAS issues

9:18:46uh that our

9:18:50um Air National Guard and our Air Force

9:18:53have uh put into our system.

9:18:57So

9:18:59all this to say

9:19:01that as mayor I also have the

9:19:06responsibility

9:19:08to think about

9:19:11other issues in the city of Tucson.

9:19:12Right. I I feel very confident and and

9:19:15that's why I I need to we need to have a

9:19:19community engagement and conversation on

9:19:22water and the resources we have and

9:19:28what are our plans as we move to the

9:19:30future in terms of the uses that we can

9:19:37give to our water. But I also have a

9:19:40responsibility as mayor to work on an

9:19:43issue that Tucson and Puma County have

9:19:48um been going through for at least four

9:19:52decades and that is poverty.

9:19:55Poverty in our community has been

9:20:00prevailent and it's not just Tucson,

9:20:02it's also Pima County. We have abnormal

9:20:06percentages of poverty in our community.

9:20:09Abnormal.

9:20:11When I first started as a council member

9:20:13in 2007, it was 24% people living in

9:20:18Tucson living in poverty.

9:20:22And [snorts]

9:20:23um we have been able to see those

9:20:26numbers drop. I mean that was one in

9:20:29four children living in poverty.

9:20:33and we have been able to drop those

9:20:37numbers to 18%.

9:20:39But that is still very high. That's

9:20:41abnormally high over what the state

9:20:44poverty levels are. And so we passed a

9:20:49prosperity initiative in the city of

9:20:51Tucson to tackle that humongous

9:20:55uh societal issue that we have in Pima

9:20:58County and the city of Tucson. And I

9:21:01bring that up because

9:21:03we also have to think about what is it

9:21:07that we want to say yes to. We said no

9:21:09to data centers. We have been very good

9:21:11as a mayor and council to say no to

9:21:15mines and to other extractive industry

9:21:19in our community. But we need to be able

9:21:21to find an industries that we say yes

9:21:25to. So when people talk about this water

9:21:28policy as if this is an opportunity or

9:21:31an open door for um data centers, data

9:21:36centers use 32,000

9:21:38CCFs per month. Our 10,000 CCF per month

9:21:44threshold would never allow a data

9:21:47center to go through the cracks. Never

9:21:51mind that we passed land use codes that

9:21:54protect from that. Um, by having even a

9:21:59conversation about the possibility of

9:22:02ever allowing a data center in the city

9:22:05of Tucson, they would have to come to

9:22:07us, which means you all will have a

9:22:10voice in that. And so

9:22:15I believe that

9:22:18we need to pass the policy that we have

9:22:20today. I would agree that we could bring

9:22:24it down to 8,500 CCFs uh per month. Uh

9:22:30but and I agree and I actually love the

9:22:33idea of having a conservation plan

9:22:38required at a lower threshold. I I

9:22:41believe that the conservation plan

9:22:43should be established at a 5,000ccf

9:22:46threshold. Um

9:22:50because I I agree with a council member

9:22:52Cunningham. He said, you know, there's

9:22:54hospitals that use uh 50 to uh 100 CCFs

9:23:01per um per month. There are community

9:23:06colleges, schools, parks,

9:23:09um,

9:23:11recreation centers that use 8,000 CCFs,

9:23:17hospitals, colleges that use 7,200

9:23:23CCFs.

9:23:24And we really have to make sure that we

9:23:27are paying attention to we cannot do an

9:23:30automatic shut off to a school.

9:23:33We cannot do an automatic shut off to a

9:23:36hospital or a college or a recreation

9:23:40center. And so

9:23:43the water policy as

9:23:47um edited by the stakeholder group is an

9:23:51additional step that we move forward

9:23:54with. And I do demand that we have

9:23:59additional community engagement

9:24:02conversations

9:24:03about our water resources and what we've

9:24:06done to protect our water resources to

9:24:09remediate PAS and 14day accent and TCE

9:24:14from our delivery to our community. Um,

9:24:18but I want to make sure that we are not

9:24:21tying our own hands when it comes to

9:24:25creating long-term highwage jobs in our

9:24:29city that we need to be able to create

9:24:34to provide economic mobility to our

9:24:38residents. So, I as the mayor have to

9:24:40balance the needs of how we proceed in

9:24:44our community and continue monitoring

9:24:48uh the ordinances and policies that we

9:24:52pass for the betterment of our

9:24:55community. So, I I just had to lay it

9:24:58all out in terms of what I believe in

9:25:01terms of how we proceed. Councilwoman

9:25:04Lee, I'm sorry. I I jumped in because I

9:25:06I just I was feeling it.

9:25:08>> You are the mayor. You are allowed to

9:25:09jump in when you're feeling it. Mayor,

9:25:11um no, just I really appreciate the

9:25:13conversation. I really appreciate all of

9:25:14the the feedback and the wisdom that is

9:25:16coming from the group. Um I feel like

9:25:18fundamentally we're all aligned. You

9:25:20know, I brought this item forward over

9:25:21the summer. We unanimously approved it

9:25:24to get something in place to address the

9:25:25vulnerability that existed. Um so I

9:25:27think we're all very much focused on

9:25:29protecting and securing our water future

9:25:31for our our community. Um, I do want to

9:25:34be very intentional and and mayor, I

9:25:36really appreciate you kind of putting

9:25:38all of your thoughts out there about the

9:25:39economic impact of this choice. And Ivy,

9:25:42I want to put a little bit of a nuance

9:25:44to to your point about

9:25:47prioritizing business over water.

9:25:49Because similar to the mayor to me it's

9:25:51about finding the balance between

9:25:52protecting the water as the primary

9:25:54focus but also not the business as much

9:25:57as creating the opportunity for tonins

9:25:59because we were the only um city within

9:26:02our peer cities to have a negative job

9:26:04growth last year. We actually lost jobs

9:26:07compared to every other community uh

9:26:09like ours. So, how do we find

9:26:12opportunity and create jobs and bring

9:26:15industry here that ma matches our values

9:26:17and is in alignment with what we want to

9:26:19see as a community and not having um

9:26:22anything that might impede on that

9:26:24ability to find the right opportunities

9:26:26for tonins. Um so, Phoenix currently I

9:26:30think we we modeled ours and talked to a

9:26:32lot of our peer jurisdictions. I think

9:26:34they're at 2,000 ccf. So, even this I'm

9:26:37sorry, 20,000 ccf. So even this one is

9:26:39half of that. Um I too mayor would feel

9:26:43comfortable um moving forward the the

9:26:45recommendations from the committee at

9:26:468500 CCF. I do feel like that's a move

9:26:49down in the the direction that we're

9:26:51heading. Um, I I agree the conservation

9:26:55plans potentially exploring that

9:26:57opportunity for 5,000 CCF and using some

9:27:00time to understand who the users are

9:27:02that are between that 2500 mark and up

9:27:05to 10,000 like you said so we can really

9:27:08understand the impact of lowering it

9:27:10beyond 8,500 and what that would

9:27:13actually look like in terms of

9:27:14implementation. Um, I think that would

9:27:16be a very productive use of our time. I

9:27:18also love um council member Dah your

9:27:20idea of making sure the mayor and

9:27:22council would get notified if a large

9:27:23water user goes over their allowance so

9:27:26that that would that would be made

9:27:27visible to us. So I would actually like

9:27:28to offer a substitute motion if I could.

9:27:31I want to move to approve the staff

9:27:33recommendation resulting from

9:27:34collaboration with the large quantity

9:27:36water users ad hoc committee and direct

9:27:38staff to bring this item back in 120

9:27:41days for mayor and council to consider

9:27:43requiring a water conservation plan for

9:27:45large users that meets a specific

9:27:47threshold at 8,500 CCF.

9:27:51The future presentation should include

9:27:52analysis on thresholds used by

9:27:54comparable cities with similar needs,

9:27:56anticipated water use by different types

9:27:58of development, and recommendations for

9:28:00thresholds that protect Tucson's water

9:28:02future while supporting the types of

9:28:04businesses and opportunities we want to

9:28:06attract for Tonins.

9:28:09>> There's a motion.

9:28:10>> I second that motion.

9:28:12>> There's a motion and a second and a

9:28:14point of clarification.

9:28:15>> A substit substitute motion. [snorts]

9:28:17>> Yes.

9:28:18>> Point of clarification. Does that

9:28:19include um coming back in 120 days with

9:28:22the stuff about the city council

9:28:25>> and to notify mayor and council should a

9:28:28large water user go over their

9:28:30threshold.

9:28:32>> All righty.

9:28:32>> If you accept my substitute addition

9:28:35>> that [clears throat] is second.

9:28:38>> So um typically you would have

9:28:39discussion now and you can decide which

9:28:42motion you would like to vote for to

9:28:44vote as the actual motion.

9:28:46>> Okay. after discussion.

9:28:48>> Can I have a point of information?

9:28:50>> Um, I was wondering if staff can walk us

9:28:52through um what exactly happens under

9:28:56the proposed revisions if the threshold

9:28:59is crossed and a conservation plan is

9:29:01required like what does a conservation

9:29:03plan look like? I'm hearing a lot of

9:29:05concern from my colleagues about the

9:29:08competitive competitiveness of anybody

9:29:11having to do this.

9:29:15Members of the mayor and council. Um,

9:29:17honorable mayor, my name is Chris Avery.

9:29:19I work as a principal assistant city

9:29:21attorney and help draft the original

9:29:22ordinance.

9:29:24The approach that we took in drafting

9:29:26the original ordinance was that above

9:29:28the threshold all applications do are

9:29:32required to have a conservation plan.

9:29:34They are required to show maximum

9:29:36efficiency of water. And then the

9:29:39director essentially plays a gatekeeping

9:29:41role in ensuring that the application is

9:29:43complete. and then the application is

9:29:45forwarded to the mayor and council for

9:29:47approval. We did not propose

9:29:50uh the method that's used in the city of

9:29:52Phoenix where lower threshold

9:29:56water users in the Phoenix case 10,000

9:29:59CCF upper threshold water users in

9:30:01Phoenix are 20,000 ccf. It's a number

9:30:04different number because Phoenix uses

9:30:05gallons but we thought that the mayor

9:30:07and council would want to review every

9:30:09application. What I'm hearing in the

9:30:10substitute motion is sort of a

9:30:12Phoenix-like approach between for water

9:30:15users between 5,000 CCF and 8,500 CCF,

9:30:18which would be consistent with our

9:30:22approach here. The water conservation

9:30:24plan would be submitted to the director

9:30:26for approval. Upon director approval,

9:30:28between 5,000 and 8,500, we would

9:30:31proceed above 8,500 would go to mayor

9:30:34council for approval. that that model is

9:30:38used by the city of Phoenix. It was

9:30:40roughly approximate to what we would be

9:30:43proposing here. Um that those thresholds

9:30:47are approximately equal to um the the

9:30:518500 threshold is approximately equal to

9:30:53the lower threshold in Phoenix and the

9:30:55thresholds in Tempe and Mesa. Um so we

9:30:58would kind of be operating in the same

9:30:59space when we're competing for um

9:31:02applications from the Arizona Commerce

9:31:04Authority, etc. And then this

9:31:05discretionary model of approval would be

9:31:08similar to the way the ordinance works

9:31:09in some other cities including Phoenix

9:31:11for lower threshold

9:31:14applications. So that I think that I

9:31:16hope that explains um the question and

9:31:19how it might work under this new model.

9:31:21Under the current model, all

9:31:22applications go to the mayor and council

9:31:24for approve for approval above the

9:31:25threshold

9:31:26>> above the 10,000 CCFs.

9:31:28>> Yes.

9:31:30Are you um are you able to share a

9:31:32little bit more about like is this

9:31:34conservation plan really long? Is it

9:31:37complicated?

9:31:39>> Well, the the conservation plan is a

9:31:42component of an existing application.

9:31:44And so essentially the conservation plan

9:31:47as I read as I heard the ordinance would

9:31:49be very similar to what's in the

9:31:51ordinance today. So you have to show

9:31:52your conservation efforts, you have to

9:31:54show your efficiency and your you have

9:31:56to show conservation efforts. have show

9:31:58efficiency in the way that you use

9:32:00water. A hospital might have different

9:32:02forms of efficiency than a manufacturer

9:32:05and may want to use different kinds of

9:32:07water than a manufacturer, but in each

9:32:10case that information would be furnished

9:32:12to the director and the director would

9:32:13work with the applicant to make sure

9:32:15that the information is complete. so

9:32:17that um either the public has knowledge

9:32:20of a director approved plan or the mayor

9:32:23and council has the ability to review a

9:32:25complete plan under the higher

9:32:27threshold.

9:32:27>> Am I hearing that you want to different

9:32:30examples of conservation efforts? Is

9:32:33that what I'm hearing?

9:32:34>> No, I just wanted more of a general idea

9:32:36and then just a follow-up question about

9:32:38that. If a new potential large water

9:32:41user applied under this ordinance and

9:32:42was a key industry or public service

9:32:44like health care, um education or

9:32:47environmental stewardship, how would

9:32:49that be taken into account um when a

9:32:52plan is evaluated?

9:32:53>> So, one of the consensus items that did

9:32:56come out of this stakeholder committee

9:32:57was to give some leniency toward

9:33:01um those public benefit large quantity

9:33:04water users. And I I kind of hear that

9:33:06being incorporated in this new motion as

9:33:08well.

9:33:10Ultimately, the way this particular

9:33:13system works, the mayor and council

9:33:15approves

9:33:17an application and can set conditions as

9:33:19appropriate to the industry. And so, you

9:33:21do have quite a bit of flexibility under

9:33:23the current version of the ordinance

9:33:25above 10,000 CCF. This would give you a

9:33:29little bit perhaps more applications to

9:33:32review at 8,500. and then the director

9:33:35using that same discretion and authority

9:33:37to analyze applications between 5,000

9:33:39and 8,500.

9:33:42>> Thank you. And then one final question.

9:33:45Are you able to talk us through what

9:33:47kinds of industries use between 2500 and

9:33:505,000 ccfs of water a month?

9:33:54>> I I think I'll turn that over to John.

9:34:02>> Council member Schubert. mayor and

9:34:04council. I think I think it's going to

9:34:05end up being a variety and that's why

9:34:07the flexibility on the conservation plan

9:34:09is important because an industry can

9:34:11come in at any size, at any scale, at

9:34:14any type of use of water. Um, some of

9:34:16the industries we do see right now that

9:34:18are in that range do or some of that

9:34:21were brought up. It could be community

9:34:23schools, it could be a hospital, it

9:34:24could be a healthcare facility, um, or a

9:34:27park, even a city park, you know, are

9:34:29getting are near those ranges as well.

9:34:31But uh that's why I think we wanted the

9:34:34flexibility on the conservation plan is

9:34:37because the variability of the economy

9:34:39that could come to Tucson.

9:34:44>> Thank you.

9:34:46Any others?

9:34:47>> Madam Mayor,

9:34:48>> Council Member D.

9:34:49>> I'm going to be the loyal opposition to

9:34:51this um substitute motion. I think

9:34:54[laughter]

9:34:55it's going to delay for three months.

9:34:56We're not going to get any because it's

9:34:58still above 10,000. And I think it's

9:35:00important for us to start engaging with

9:35:02businesses that want to come here and

9:35:04talking about water conservation plans.

9:35:06I don't think it's bad to even go down

9:35:08to 2500 like many of our um

9:35:12environmental conservation experts um uh

9:35:15in Tucson have suggested. So, um I I'm

9:35:19going to work with you all and I I know

9:35:21it's going to pass.

9:35:22>> I No, I I love and I I hate to jump. I

9:35:25really like the idea of having

9:35:27conservation plans at 5,000 CCFs and

9:35:31over and and

9:35:34if the the flexibility of what the

9:35:36conservation plan means even schools can

9:35:39participate right in conservation plans

9:35:42even parks participate

9:35:43>> that was it. Um um but I just wanted to

9:35:48add council member that um

9:35:52we have been working my office has been

9:35:54working with uh Puma County, the

9:35:57University of Arizona um to really

9:36:02rethink how we do economic development.

9:36:04One of the reasons that we recently

9:36:08created the Office of Community and

9:36:11Economic Impact is because we did not

9:36:14want to

9:36:16um look at economic development on its

9:36:19own. We created this office of community

9:36:23and economic impact to include the

9:36:27prosperity initiative, the climate

9:36:30resiliency

9:36:31office, the office of economic

9:36:36development,

9:36:37um the equity office is part of this

9:36:41team as well as what am I missing?

9:36:46cultural,

9:36:47>> culture,

9:36:48>> cultural affairs,

9:36:50um, equity, all of these, all of these

9:36:54issues that really should be

9:36:56[clears throat] unsiloed and we should

9:36:58it we shouldn't consider economic

9:36:59development opportunities if it doesn't

9:37:02fit all of the ethic

9:37:05um that we all feel are important for

9:37:09the city of Tucson. And that's what

9:37:11we're doing. Um, and in in my work with

9:37:17Pima County and the University of

9:37:19Arizona,

9:37:20uh, looking at how can we bring, uh, and

9:37:26develop economic opportunities

9:37:30in advanced manufacturing or advanced

9:37:33packaging, which use much less water

9:37:38resources and electricity resources.

9:37:42than even um chip manufacturing which is

9:37:46a huge thing up in Phoenix. Uh but we

9:37:49want to be able to create these

9:37:51opportunities and we are looking into

9:37:55what fits in Tucson. Um, so I I'm going

9:37:59to be supporting the substitute motion

9:38:02because we are requesting as I heard it

9:38:07um that the staff at Tucson Water bring

9:38:10us back a report with information about

9:38:15conservation planning 5,000 CC ccs and

9:38:19up and um also what did you say the the

9:38:24different usages of different industry

9:38:28that we're um possibly interested in. So

9:38:31I I don't know if there's any other uh

9:38:33comments. Uh Council Member Cunningham.

9:38:36>> So my big thing is so we're not passing

9:38:39anything tonight.

9:38:41>> Yes. What are we passing?

9:38:44>> So the the motion currently will be

9:38:45whether to adopt the substitute motion

9:38:48or as your main motion to then consider

9:38:50and vote on or to not adopt the

9:38:53substitute motion and to consider the

9:38:56original motion made by council member

9:38:57D.

9:38:57>> Can you repeat the substitute motion?

9:39:00>> Can you repeat

9:39:02it?

9:39:04>> Yes. Uh so was to move to approve the

9:39:06staff recommendation resulting from

9:39:08collaboration with the large water

9:39:10quantity users ad hoc committee and

9:39:12directing staff to bring back this item

9:39:14in 120 days for mayor and council to

9:39:16consider requiring a water conservation

9:39:18plan. So that's the part mayor for large

9:39:21water users that meets the specific

9:39:23threshold at 5,000 ccf for the for the

9:39:26plan review. The future presentation

9:39:28should include an analysis of thresholds

9:39:30used by comparable cities with similar

9:39:32needs. anticipated water use by

9:39:34different types of development and

9:39:36recommendations for thresholds that

9:39:37protect Tucson's water resources while

9:39:39supporting the types of businesses and

9:39:41opportunities we want to attract to

9:39:42Tucson

9:39:44>> and the mayor council

9:39:45>> and that's [laughter] not in my language

9:39:47but yes and notify mayor and council if

9:39:50any large water user trips the

9:39:52threshold.

9:39:55>> I I'm getting waved over by the city

9:39:58manager. I I had one point of uh

9:40:00question for our so we're hearing the um

9:40:04motion correctly. Uh Council Member Lee,

9:40:08were you also including in that motion

9:40:11lowering the threshold to 8,500 as an

9:40:14immediate action or was that to be

9:40:15considered as part of the 120day?

9:40:21>> I'll go ahead and do it.

9:40:22>> Let's go ahead and do it immediately.

9:40:24drop it to 8,500 and then 5,000 is the

9:40:26trigger for the conservation plan.

9:40:28>> And and the way we would interpret that

9:40:30is all of the staff recommended uh

9:40:34modifications would be immediately in

9:40:36force. The threshold for the overall

9:40:40ordinance would be at 8,500 in lie of

9:40:4310,000 CCF and we would come back in 120

9:40:46days with the conforming language about

9:40:48the conservation plan requirements

9:40:50between five and 8500 and the

9:40:52notifications of the mayor and council

9:40:53of all the things

9:40:54>> especially that last piece.

9:40:56>> If we're hearing that correctly then

9:40:57that's we just want to make sure that

9:40:58that's what you'd be

9:40:59>> that's how I understand it.

9:41:00>> Yes.

9:41:02>> Yes.

9:41:06So, I'd like to have the mayor and

9:41:09council consider the substitute motion

9:41:11if there's no um objection.

9:41:16>> No objection.

9:41:18>> Okay. So, everyone agrees that you're

9:41:19going to go with the substitute motion

9:41:22unanimously or should I'm going to vote

9:41:24no.

9:41:24>> Okay. So, so the vote

9:41:26>> vote on it. So, the vote will be um you

9:41:30you will vote yes if you want to

9:41:33consider the substitute motion as your

9:41:35main motion and you will vote no if

9:41:37you'd like to consider the original

9:41:38motion by council member Dah as the main

9:41:40motion.

9:41:41>> So, yes, if we want to consider

9:41:43>> to consider the substitute motion and no

9:41:46um to consider the original motion.

9:41:49>> Okay.

9:41:50>> So, we'll start with council member Dah.

9:41:53>> No.

9:41:54>> Council member Cunningham.

9:41:56>> No. Council member Schubert, [snorts]

9:41:59>> no.

9:42:02>> Council member Barahas,

9:42:03>> yes.

9:42:04>> Councilwoman Lee,

9:42:05>> yes.

9:42:06>> Vice Mayor Santa Cruz,

9:42:09>> yes.

9:42:10>> Mayor Romero,

9:42:12>> yes.

9:42:13>> Okay, so the motion on the table to

9:42:15discuss now is the substitute motion.

9:42:20>> Roll call. if you'd like.

9:42:25>> Councilwoman Lee,

9:42:26>> I.

9:42:27>> Council member Barahas,

9:42:29>> I.

9:42:30>> Council member Dah.

9:42:31>> No.

9:42:32>> Council member Cunningham.

9:42:36>> Wait, didn't I just vote? No.

9:42:37>> Yeah, the second time.

9:42:38>> So, so the original you were voting on

9:42:41which motion to vote on. This is now for

9:42:43the actual substitute motion.

9:42:44>> No.

9:42:47>> Council member Schubert. I'd like to

9:42:49make some comments before I make my

9:42:51vote. Is that okay? Procedurally,

9:42:54>> I was waiting to make remarks. And

9:42:56>> procedurally, it should have been done

9:42:57before the vote.

9:42:59>> I can vote and then make remarks. Is

9:43:00that better?

9:43:03>> You can make um remarks after the roll

9:43:05call.

9:43:06>> Okay. No,

9:43:08Vice Mayor Santa Cruz.

9:43:12>> Okay.

9:43:14>> That was an I correct.

9:43:17Correct.

9:43:18>> Thank you, Mayor Merrell.

9:43:20>> I

9:43:23So, the motion passes uh four to three.

9:43:26Okay. So, you did count council member.

9:43:30>> Did you vote?

9:43:30>> She voted second.

9:43:31>> Okay, good. Second. Um All righty. So,

9:43:34if you if you had any comments, please

9:43:35make them now.

9:43:37>> Yeah, totally not the order that I meant

9:43:39for this to go in. Um thank you to

9:43:41everybody who's still here. Um, and

9:43:44thank you to each person who spoke here

9:43:46today and who wrote to a council office

9:43:48over the past few weeks. We received a

9:43:50lot of emails at the word six office. We

9:43:52actually received dozens of calls and

9:43:54emails, almost all of which were asking

9:43:57for additional changes to the proposed

9:43:59ordinance, specifically reducing the

9:44:0110,000 ccf a month threshold and

9:44:04incorporating stronger protections for

9:44:06our water supply, such as requiring a

9:44:08water offset for consumptive water use.

9:44:10I also want to thank everyone who

9:44:12brought this existing ordinance into

9:44:13being last year and quickly filled a

9:44:15glaring gap in our water policy,

9:44:17particularly the community activists and

9:44:19the strong leadership from this mayor

9:44:21and council before I was sitting up

9:44:23here. Thank you to the leadership of no

9:44:26data no desert data center coalition

9:44:28wershed management group citizen water

9:44:30advisory committee and Tucson water and

9:44:33all the participants and facilitators of

9:44:35the ad hoc committee who gave thoughtful

9:44:37feedback that was incorporated into the

9:44:39changes that were being considered

9:44:41today. Thank you to those who have been

9:44:43stewarding water in this region since

9:44:44time immemorial to the ood and yomi

9:44:47peoples and to the people of all

9:44:48backgrounds who continue to steward the

9:44:50land water inhabitants of this place. I

9:44:53also want to underline that the

9:44:54ordinance draft that was under

9:44:57consideration is stronger than what we

9:44:58put on the books a year ago. It closes a

9:45:01loophole to ensure that users cannot

9:45:02have multiple meters in order to avoid

9:45:04the 10,000 ccf threshold. It allows for

9:45:07a waterrestricting device to be

9:45:09installed at the violator's expense at a

9:45:11second violation rather than at a

9:45:12fourth. It adds a director's notice of

9:45:15non-compliance as a public record

9:45:17advancing toward greater transparency.

9:45:21All of that being said, I don't think

9:45:23these changes go far enough to meet the

9:45:25realities that we're facing. As we have

9:45:28heard from person after person this

9:45:29evening and over the past few weeks,

9:45:3210,000 ccfs a month is an unbelievable

9:45:35amount of water. It's more than the

9:45:38average Tucson single family home uses

9:45:39in 114 years. And that's in one month.

9:45:43It is the top 0.006%

9:45:47of all Tucson water users. And that

9:45:49amount is the lowest amount of water

9:45:51that would trigger a conservation plan

9:45:52with our current ordinance. [snorts] I

9:45:55support business and I want more

9:45:56businesses to come to Tucson.

9:45:59But the businesses I want to see here

9:46:00are ones that are willing to make a

9:46:02conservation plan, stand behind it, and

9:46:05aren't afraid to show it to Tucson

9:46:06residents. All this ordinance is asking

9:46:09is for accountability and a transparent

9:46:13plan for conservation. Notably, no one

9:46:15is being capped on water usage through

9:46:17this ordinance. I repeat, there's no cap

9:46:19in this ordinance. I absolutely agree

9:46:22that jobs are important and needed for

9:46:23Tucson, but I want them to be jobs from

9:46:26employers who share our community's

9:46:28values and recognize the importance of

9:46:29water. My office has heard calls from

9:46:32the community including including the

9:46:34Coalition for Sonor and Desert

9:46:35Protection, the Greater Tucson Climate

9:46:38Coalition, Tucson Puma Historical

9:46:40Commission, Watershed Management Group,

9:46:42members of the ad hoc committee to lower

9:46:45the large water user threshold to 2500

9:46:48CCF a month.

9:46:50I agree. It's still higher than some

9:46:52other Arizona municipalities.

9:46:55Using 2500 ccfs of water every single

9:46:57month or what an average family in

9:46:59Tucson would consume over 27 years seems

9:47:03like a reasonable level for an entity to

9:47:04provide reporting and conservation

9:47:06planning in a southwest desert community

9:47:08increasingly reliant on its groundwater.

9:47:112500 ccfs of water is still less than

9:47:14the top 0.02%

9:47:16of all Tucson water customers. I commit

9:47:19to continuing to work with community

9:47:21partners, my colleagues on the council

9:47:22and Tucson water over the next 120 days

9:47:26and I hope that when it comes back it is

9:47:28strengthened. Thank you so much. I want

9:47:31to add uh some comments. I do want to

9:47:33thank the people here because it's

9:47:36important that the community participate

9:47:39in this. I want to thank our water

9:47:41director, John uh Kimik, deputy

9:47:44director, Scott Schlowweiler,

9:47:46uh Chris Avery, our city attorney, our

9:47:48chief resilience officer, Fatima Maluna,

9:47:51my own Eddie Garcia, that participated

9:47:54in the many hours they dedicated to this

9:47:58process. Um I also want to recognize

9:48:00every member of the large quantity water

9:48:02users ad hoc committee for bringing

9:48:04their expertise p perspectives and

9:48:07thoughtful

9:48:08um questions to the discussion. Um

9:48:13their participation really helped us uh

9:48:16understand how to continue

9:48:19um advancing the ordinance and I want to

9:48:23reiterate that finding the balance that

9:48:26we need. We are approving the ordinance.

9:48:29It's not that we're not approving the

9:48:30ordinance. The ordinance did not exist

9:48:34before uh project blue and it is an

9:48:38ordinance that we're approving uh that

9:48:41we're making better. And um I truly wish

9:48:45that we continue having an um a dialogue

9:48:50with our community uh to offer

9:48:53information about our water resources as

9:48:57well as engage with the community about

9:49:00how we move forward um in terms of our

9:49:04water resources and the quality of our

9:49:06water because I think part of that

9:49:07conversation has uh has to be had with

9:49:11PAS.

9:49:12and um PAS remediation in our aquifer as

9:49:17well as um uh uh other um issues and

9:49:23contaminants uh that we have. And by the

9:49:26way, um the city of Tucson prides itself

9:49:30itself in offer in um serving

9:49:34absolutely incredible clean water. Um,

9:49:40so I I just want to reiterate

9:49:43that uh this mayor and council have um

9:49:48done everything we possibly can to make

9:49:51sure that we are protecting our water

9:49:53resources and we will continue to do

9:49:56that. Uh this motion that we supported

9:50:00is passing and improving the large water

9:50:03users ordinance and um really making it

9:50:07an opportunity to uh develop the um

9:50:12conservation plans which I really like

9:50:15um at a particular threshold and see how

9:50:19we move forward uh with that and

9:50:23reporting to mayor and council I think

9:50:24is an important piece. um so that we can

9:50:28decide how to proceed with those that

9:50:31are violating our water ordinance. So

9:50:34with that um thank you so much. Really

9:50:37appreciate it. Thank you for your work

9:50:38and thank you to all that stayed behind

9:50:42uh for the vote. We now move on to

9:50:45>> item nine.

9:50:45>> You need item nine. Did we need to read

9:50:49the ordinance number uh or we're good

9:50:52with the vote?

9:50:53>> We're good with the vote. We we read the

9:50:55ordinance number.

9:50:56>> Okay. All righty. So, we move on to item

9:50:58nine.

9:50:59>> Adjournment.

9:51:00>> City council is adjourned. The next

9:51:02regular scheduled meeting will be on

9:51:04Tuesday, October 6th at or after 5:30

9:51:08p.m.

9:51:43>> [music]

9:51:49[music]