2026-10-20 - Mayor and Council

02:56Hey.

03:10Hey. Hey.

03:12Hey, hey, hey.

03:53Hey,

04:04hey, hey.

04:21Hey,

04:24hey, hey.

04:46Hey.

04:51Hey. Hey.

05:44Hey. Hey. Hey.

06:12Hey, hey, hey.

06:28Hey,

06:37hey, hey.

06:41Hey.

07:05Hey. Hey.

07:37Heat

07:48up

08:00here.

08:03Number

09:18Hey,

09:27hey, hey.

09:56um you being all here today. Today is

10:00the study study session of October 20th.

10:04And just for the record, I'd like to

10:07mention that Councilwoman Lee will be

10:09participating electronically with us

10:11today. And Vice Mayor Santa Cruz is

10:15absent, excused. So our first item is to

10:18enter into executive session. Miss

10:20Clerk,

10:22>> item one is notice as an executive

10:23session ongoing negotiations with UPR on

10:26city projects.

10:28May I have a motion to go into executive

10:29session? So moved.

10:31>> There's a motion in a second. Any

10:33further discussion?

10:35Hearing none. All those in favor signify

10:38by saying I.

10:38>> I.

10:40>> I.

10:40>> Any against?

10:42Motion carries. And Mr. Attorney, this

10:45will be 30 minutes. 45 minutes.

10:48>> Say 45.

10:49>> All righty. 45 minutes.

10:53>> Uh, thank you so much. We will be right

10:55out in 45 minutes. Thank you.

18:01Hey, hey, hey.

18:06Heat

18:23Hey, hey, hey.

18:48Hey, hey, hey.

21:48Hey,

21:56hey, hey.

24:00Heat. Hey, Heat.

24:24Heat. Heat.

24:50I

25:10don't

27:44Hey.

27:49Hey.

28:06Oh,

28:12hey.

28:37down.

28:42Hey

29:08down.

30:31Heat.

30:46Hey, Heat.

33:06Hey, hey, hey.

33:11Hey, hey, hey.

33:50Heat. Heat.

33:58Heat.

34:14Hey, Heat.

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35:45hey, hey.

36:56Hey, hey, hey.

44:40Hey. Hey. Hey.

45:29Hey, hey, hey.

46:01Hey,

46:59Hey, hey, hey.

47:24Hey, hey, hey.

48:38Heat. Heat.

49:55Hey, hey, hey.

50:25Hey. Hey. Hey.

51:30Down.

51:41Hey, baby.

55:33Black.

55:43Hey. Hey.

56:03down.

56:06Down.

57:57Heat. Heat.

58:49Hey, hey, hey.

59:19Hey. Hey. Hey.

59:48Hey. Hey. Hey.

1:00:35Hey,

1:00:37hey, hey.

1:01:00Happy.

1:01:09Hey. Hey.

1:01:29Hey,

1:01:33hey, hey.

1:01:55to return to study session.

1:01:58>> So moved.

1:01:59>> There is a motion.

1:02:00>> Second.

1:02:00>> There's a motion in a second. Any

1:02:02further discussion hearing? None. All

1:02:04those in favor, please signify by saying

1:02:06I.

1:02:07>> I.

1:02:08>> I.

1:02:09>> Any against? Motion carries. What is the

1:02:13council's pleasure for item two?

1:02:15>> Your honor, an appropriate motion would

1:02:16be to proceed as discussed in executive

1:02:18session to direct the city manager and

1:02:19the city attorney to negotiate with and

1:02:21authorize the city attorney to litigate

1:02:23if necessary against uh Union Pacific

1:02:26Railroad to ensure taxpayer resources

1:02:28are protected and city projects can be

1:02:30completed in a timely manner.

1:02:31>> So moved.

1:02:32>> There's a motion and a second. Any

1:02:34further discussion on the motion

1:02:36hearing? None. All those in favor,

1:02:38please signify by saying I.

1:02:40>> I.

1:02:40>> I.

1:02:41>> I.

1:02:42>> Any against? Motion carries. Item three.

1:02:54Uh, item three, time has been set aside

1:02:55for the Department of Transportation and

1:02:57Mobility to share information about the

1:02:58upcoming Congress Street closure for

1:03:00Halloween on Saturday, October 31st,

1:03:022026. and other related pedestrian

1:03:04focused street closures.

1:03:07>> Miss Clerk, Mr. Manager, I'm really

1:03:10happy that uh we have this particular

1:03:14item on the agenda. Um, it seems as

1:03:20a last very important piece of

1:03:22conversation that we've been having, it

1:03:24feels for me that we've been having for

1:03:27more than 20 years regarding

1:03:30uh downtown and and infrastructure has a

1:03:34lot to do with it, right? Uh for me,

1:03:37being able to have the downtown links

1:03:40opened

1:03:41and ready to go to be able to uh move uh

1:03:48traffic outside of Congress Street,

1:03:51outside of downtown and connect to the

1:03:54freeway is was a big piece of the

1:03:57puzzle.

1:03:59When we originally had conversations

1:04:02about closing up streets for traffic um

1:04:07and leaving them open for pedestrians,

1:04:09it just feels like such a long time. and

1:04:12uh the conversation about down downtown

1:04:16reinvestment

1:04:17and making our downtown for all of us

1:04:22accessible for not just vehicles but

1:04:26pedestrians cyclists and create

1:04:29multimmobility in our downtown

1:04:32um has been a long time coming. I can

1:04:36remember

1:04:37uh that these conversations were being

1:04:40had with Mayor Walkup at the table and

1:04:46uh when the city of Tucson and mayor and

1:04:48council decided to invest on the 4th

1:04:52Avenue underpass

1:04:55and the conversations were being had

1:04:57about downtown links and how to create

1:05:00that link uh from Broadway to divert

1:05:05you know, semi trucks and other traffic

1:05:08outside of downtown so we can make it

1:05:10more uh pedestrian accessible. Uh, we

1:05:14also had the conversation with Mayor

1:05:17Walkup and Congressman Grihalva about

1:05:19the street car. like all of this

1:05:22infrastructure investment, 4th Avenue

1:05:24underpass, downtown links, the street

1:05:27car, they all relate to the work that

1:05:30has been done um by the city of Tucson

1:05:34and its mayor and council to be able to

1:05:37create the opportunity that we're today,

1:05:39which is interesting

1:05:42um because it, you know, people are

1:05:44going to be like, well, we're just

1:05:46talking about closing a street, girl.

1:05:48But it really is more than that, right?

1:05:51It it is really more than um than just

1:05:56closing down a street. It's about

1:05:58creating the infrastructure and the

1:06:00investments that mayor and council and

1:06:02the city of Tucson decided to do to be

1:06:05able to create the opportunity that

1:06:07we're talking about today. um you know

1:06:11as as as a as a person that has been

1:06:14sitting at this table uh for almost 18

1:06:18years. Um, and when I first ran even for

1:06:24council in November of 2007 when I won,

1:06:28we were already talking about

1:06:31creating a downtown for all of us and

1:06:34um, you know, the work with the downtown

1:06:37Tucson partnership, creating the bid

1:06:40with uh, my council colleagues at the

1:06:43time. Um it it really makes uh a

1:06:46difference um in terms of infrastructure

1:06:49investment and the investments that

1:06:51we've chosen as a mayor and council in

1:06:53the city of Tucson to do to to come here

1:06:57um and talk about Halloween and finally

1:07:02being able to have the capacity to close

1:07:05up Congress

1:07:08um and make it a pedestrian bicycle

1:07:11street car friendly pathway. way for our

1:07:15community to be able to enjoy. And so,

1:07:18um, I know that there's dangers that may

1:07:22exist on the night of Halloween. We've

1:07:25seen it other Halloween nights before

1:07:28where we get 40,000 visitors downtown,

1:07:32but have, you know, 10-ft wide sidewalks

1:07:36where people have to uh walk, where

1:07:39parents, children, and individuals have

1:07:41to figure out, you know, how to keep

1:07:44themselves safe. So, I really want to

1:07:46thank uh Council Member Schubert and

1:07:48Vice Mayor Santa Cruz for bringing this

1:07:51item with me. Um, we all have a shared

1:07:55responsibility as mayor and council to

1:07:58be able to um respond to the needs of

1:08:01our community and uh for me it was

1:08:05important to respond to the needs of our

1:08:07downtown merchants um and our downtown

1:08:11uh stakeholders so that we can provide a

1:08:14safe place where people feel safe and

1:08:18local businesses can succeed in our

1:08:21community because downtown is an

1:08:24important piece. It's the heart of our

1:08:25city. Uh our community can come visit

1:08:29and bring their children. I I was

1:08:32talking to Council Member Schubert about

1:08:34how important it was for me to be able

1:08:37to um uh make the closure start at 5:00

1:08:42p.m. Uh because

1:08:46I want to make sure that children and

1:08:47their parents can come as well as

1:08:49teenagers and um and people of all ages

1:08:53can feel comfortable with. So with that

1:08:56uh just took me down the memory lane of

1:08:59creating the opportunity to be able to

1:09:03um come to today's discussion and open

1:09:08it up for you. I know that there's a lot

1:09:09of logistics and a lot of coordinating

1:09:12and organizing that is taking place and

1:09:15we want to hear about it so that we can

1:09:18uh continue informing our community as

1:09:20as to what's going to happen Halloween

1:09:22night. Mr. Manager

1:09:25Thank you, honorable mayor and members

1:09:26of the council. Uh you're absolutely

1:09:28right. We have been noodling on this for

1:09:30a number of years on how to safely do a

1:09:32closure uh to vehicle traffic on on

1:09:35Congress or other streets. And so uh

1:09:38here to talk about the plans for this

1:09:40year, our deputy director of

1:09:42transportation mobility, Jen Toothaker,

1:09:44and we also have Crystal Moore from the

1:09:46Downtown Tucson Partnership uh available

1:09:48in the audience uh to us augment uh the

1:09:52conversation. Uh so with that uh Jen if

1:09:54you'd like to to lead us through.

1:09:56>> Great. Thank you so much Madame Mayor.

1:09:58Council members. So um I'll speak

1:10:02momentarily about the Halloween closure

1:10:04specifically and then also in your

1:10:06packets was uh information about

1:10:09pedestrianoriented

1:10:11streets and closures uh per request and

1:10:14we added a little additional information

1:10:16in there. We also have information about

1:10:18a funding opportunity on the horizon.

1:10:21So, I'll share a little bit about that.

1:10:23Mayor, as you mentioned, yes. Uh, this

1:10:26conversation's been happening for many

1:10:27years. In 2014, we did a uh circulation

1:10:32study in the downtown area. It did

1:10:34indicate that at that time it was a

1:10:37little too early to be looking at

1:10:38closing down Congress completely uh to

1:10:41to vehicle traffic primarily because of

1:10:44the major project downtown links uh

1:10:46which still needed to get completed and

1:10:49that is now open and operating and

1:10:51provides a viable east west uh

1:10:53alternative to Congress. Since the

1:10:56Sunlink Street Car opened in 2014, we've

1:10:59begun to see downtown activity increase.

1:11:02We're seeing 6 to 8,000 people on a

1:11:04regular in the downtown area, which is a

1:11:07pretty good number. And then uh we start

1:11:10projecting out for special days like

1:11:12Halloween on a Saturday night and that

1:11:14can get up to 30 to 40,000 people

1:11:16projected to be in the downtown area. So

1:11:19to your point, the problem's a physical

1:11:21one. the sidewalks get congested uh

1:11:24particularly at the Congress Tulle and

1:11:26Fourth Avenue intersection as well as

1:11:28Arizona Avenue just south of Ronstat

1:11:30Transit Center. Those are um two areas

1:11:33that will be covered with the street

1:11:35closure. The street closure is going to

1:11:37start at 5:00 pm as you mentioned. It

1:11:40will last until 3:00 a.m. and we will be

1:11:43hitting parking meters to ensure no cars

1:11:45get blocked in. It'll uh it'll be closed

1:11:48from 4th Avenue to just east of Scott

1:11:50Avenue. that does allow for parking

1:11:53access uh to garages and parking lots.

1:11:56Uh it will also allow uh street car

1:11:59operations. Uh this was really

1:12:01important. It was a requirement as part

1:12:03of our planning. Uh there has not we

1:12:06have re we have maintained street car

1:12:08operations during special events since

1:12:10it was launched. The only exception is

1:12:12the street fair on 4th Avenue and 4th

1:12:15Avenue Merchants Association pays for a

1:12:17bus bridge for that event.

1:12:20Our out-ofpocket expenditures for this

1:12:22closure, this pilot closure are pretty

1:12:24reasonable, $5,000 uh for contracted

1:12:27barricades, DTM's covering that with our

1:12:30operating budget. Uh DTM and TPD are

1:12:33also contributing equipment to help keep

1:12:35the costs low. And we are primarily the

1:12:39biggest costs are primarily staffing.

1:12:41We'll have about 40 TPD personnel out

1:12:44that evening. Uh there's also going to

1:12:47be some transit ambassadors coming out

1:12:49and helping along the street car. We

1:12:52also have some staff from Sunlink Park

1:12:54Tucson Streets and DTM helping. Downtown

1:12:57Tucson Partnership will also have about

1:12:59five street ambassadors helping. And

1:13:01then they've been really helping with

1:13:02the area prep advertising, directional

1:13:06signage, and on-site support for

1:13:08attendees and merchants that night. And

1:13:10we have been talking about this as a

1:13:12pilot. So, some of the data points that

1:13:14we'll be looking to evaluate uh after we

1:13:17successfully make it through that event

1:13:20uh are the um traffic control and

1:13:23closure points, street car operations

1:13:25and crowd control, parking access and

1:13:28detours and attendance, and then of

1:13:31course our pedestrian and merchants

1:13:33experience uh which we will kind of be

1:13:35picking up anecdotally.

1:13:38the other information that's in your

1:13:40packet. I'll shift into that topic

1:13:42really quickly. Um, we focused, we have

1:13:45some pictures and we have some

1:13:46description in the materials of Merida,

1:13:48Mexico's CIA 47, which is their

1:13:51gastronomic corridor. They are a sister

1:13:53city of gastronomy just like Tucson is.

1:13:56That one-third mile corridor um gives

1:13:59pedestrians priority through street

1:14:01design and it's a permanent style u

1:14:04street for pedestrians. There's more um

1:14:08it's a one-way traffic lane built with

1:14:10pavers, no curbs, raised intersections

1:14:13at prominent crossings, and the planters

1:14:16and pedestrian level um ballards with

1:14:18lighting on top create sort of a a

1:14:20boundary to the traffic lane. Slow

1:14:23traffic is acceptable there. Limited

1:14:26parking as well as bicycles.

1:14:29And it's similar to what our complete

1:14:31streets design guide calls a shared

1:14:33street. And um Arizona Avenue is a

1:14:36little bit like that as well.

1:14:38Cycllovia Tucson on the other side of a

1:14:41sort of scale spectrum is the temporary

1:14:44community run open streets model of a

1:14:46pedestrianoriented closure and they are

1:14:50celebrating their 25th event this Sunday

1:14:52on October 25th. They are closing about

1:14:56three miles of mostly low volume

1:14:58streets. It costs about $100,000 per

1:15:01event for them to run it and it's funded

1:15:04primarily through sponsorships, vendor

1:15:06fees, and donations. I will say DTM

1:15:09provides some staffing support and help

1:15:11with logistics. TPD is also um provides

1:15:14support at major crossings.

1:15:17Fourth Avenue Street Fair has closed

1:15:19part of 4th Avenue since 1971.

1:15:21Its costs are an estimated $280,000

1:15:25uh per every three-day event they they

1:15:27hold and that's funded with vendor fees

1:15:29and sponsorships.

1:15:30And then lastly, another example

1:15:32presented was Washington Street between

1:15:35Meyer and Court downtown. It's a

1:15:37full-time closure of a short downtown

1:15:39street segment originally initiated by a

1:15:41neighboring property owner by petition

1:15:44process in 2021. Funding for the

1:15:46improvements there have been the

1:15:48responsibility of the property owner and

1:15:50grants uh received through Ria Noeo. Ria

1:15:54Noeo also funded the activate El

1:15:56Prescidio placemaking project that added

1:15:58district making asphalt art curb paint

1:16:00and other removable ballards um in 2025.

1:16:05So all of these are presented as just

1:16:06different options of those

1:16:07pedestrianoriented streets enclosures.

1:16:10the funding that uh we see on the

1:16:12horizon, the bless you board of

1:16:15supervisors approved on September 22nd a

1:16:19federal safe streets for all

1:16:20demonstration grant agreement of more

1:16:23than 2.8 million. One of the grant

1:16:25components includes funding for open

1:16:27streets events and the city of Tucson

1:16:29will be a subreient responsible for

1:16:31managing those funds. The grant becomes

1:16:34effective in August 2027 and could

1:16:37eventually support events at um

1:16:39different scales possibly including

1:16:41downtown.

1:16:42And I'll go ahead and close my remarks.

1:16:45Uh so in summary, uh Halloween closure

1:16:48is a one night pilot with a modest

1:16:50direct cost, a strong public safety

1:16:52rationale, and street car service

1:16:53maintained. Uh what we learn will help

1:16:56us with future closures. And I'm happy

1:16:58to answer any questions that you might

1:17:00have and also turn it over to Crystal if

1:17:03you would like her to speak.

1:17:04>> Yeah, I would love to be able to hear

1:17:07from Crystal if you'd like to come up.

1:17:09Crystal also hand it over to Council

1:17:11Member Schubert. She has been working uh

1:17:15on this item, but also been working uh

1:17:19with um Vice Mayor Santa Cruz and I to

1:17:22make sure that um we're really putting

1:17:25together a strategy on how to get this

1:17:28done. So, Council Member Schubert, I

1:17:30don't know if you want to uh speak first

1:17:32or hand it over to Crystal Moore. All

1:17:34righty. So, um Miss Moore, it's all

1:17:37yours.

1:17:38Um, thank you.

1:17:40>> You you've been on the ground helping us

1:17:42with with this idea.

1:17:44>> Yes. Thank you. Um, good afternoon,

1:17:46mayor and council. I wanted to take a

1:17:48moment to share with you that downtown

1:17:52Tucson has planned an extraordinary

1:17:55Halloween this year, and thank you for

1:17:57your support in making this exciting

1:17:59evening possible. Halloween in downtown

1:18:02Tucson will offer something for

1:18:04everyone, beginning with familyfriendly

1:18:07trick-or-treating at 5:00 pm. We've

1:18:10already confirmed participation for 11

1:18:13downtown merchants to hand out candy and

1:18:16uh Hub is doing something special as

1:18:19well as La Macaroon. Um but that list

1:18:22continues to grow. Keep in mind, we just

1:18:25told them about it a couple days ago. Uh

1:18:28and we anticipate that number to

1:18:30continue to grow as more businesses join

1:18:33us in welcoming families downtown. As

1:18:36the evening progresses, downtown will

1:18:38transition into a full lineup of

1:18:40entertainment, including live music at

1:18:43191 Tulle, themed celebrations at the

1:18:46Rialto Theater, Art Bar, Playground,

1:18:49Brandandy Lion, and Velvet Cowboy, along

1:18:53with the first of its kind, Treasury

1:18:561929, a night of living glam party.

1:19:00Hotel Congress will also host haunted

1:19:02hotel tours during the day, followed by

1:19:05its Halloween celebrations later that

1:19:07evening. And of course, the highlight of

1:19:10the evening, the Congress pilot. This

1:19:13pilot represents more than a street

1:19:15closure. It's an opportunity to explore

1:19:18how we can improve improve pedestrian

1:19:21mobility, manage transportation during

1:19:24peak activity, and create a more

1:19:26welcoming downtown experience. The

1:19:29experience is key to what we are doing

1:19:32to continue to build our thriving

1:19:35downtown. I especially want to recognize

1:19:38Mayor Romero for her support and

1:19:40leadership,

1:19:41Vice Mayor Santa Cruz and Council Member

1:19:44Schupert for their championship of this

1:19:48pilot.

1:19:50downtown. I'm sorry. Tucson Police

1:19:52Department has been strong collaborator

1:19:54with us since last Halloween when we had

1:19:58more than 24,000 people downtown.

1:20:01That's up from the 16,700 that were here

1:20:05in 2024.

1:20:07Immediately following the event, we

1:20:09began f I'm sorry. Immediately following

1:20:12last year's event, we began working

1:20:15together to identify opportunities to

1:20:18improve pedestrian safety, traffic flow,

1:20:20and the overall downtown experience

1:20:22during our busiest nighttime hours. That

1:20:26ongoing collaboration helped lay the

1:20:28groundwork for pedestrian pilot. I also

1:20:31want to thank Department of

1:20:32Transportation and Mobility for working

1:20:35with us to navigate the complexities of

1:20:37bringing this pilot to life. While there

1:20:39have been challenges

1:20:41and differing perspectives along the

1:20:44way, our shared commitment to a safer,

1:20:47more accessible downtown has brought us

1:20:49to this important milestone. And I

1:20:52certainly want to recognize our downtown

1:20:55business operators who have continued to

1:20:58demonstrate their commitment to working

1:21:00together to create a vibrant, welcoming

1:21:02downtown experience.

1:21:04Downtown Tucson Partnership will support

1:21:06the evening through extensive public

1:21:08communications, merchant coordination,

1:21:11and ambassadors stationed at the four

1:21:13designated ride share zones to help

1:21:15people navigate

1:21:17downtown safely and efficiently. We're

1:21:20excited to see downtown come alive that

1:21:23evening from families enjoying

1:21:24trick-or-treating and visit and visitors

1:21:27experiencing our vibrant night life. But

1:21:29perhaps the most important is that the

1:21:33pilot gives us an opportunity to learn,

1:21:36evaluate what works, and explore what's

1:21:39possible for the future of downtown.

1:21:41We've spent years talking about it.

1:21:45this pedestrianfriendly congress. This

1:21:49Halloween we have an opportunity to

1:21:51experience it even just for one evening.

1:21:54I'm really excited for the afteraction

1:21:56meeting to see how we can better

1:21:59improve. Thank you for this opportunity

1:22:01and for having me today.

1:22:03>> Thank you, Miss Moore. Really appreciate

1:22:05it. Council member Schubert.

1:22:07>> Thank you, Madame Mayor, members of the

1:22:09council. Thanks, Crystal, and thank you,

1:22:11Jen. So exciting to be here. Um really

1:22:15excited that we're moving forward with

1:22:17closing Congress Street for Halloween

1:22:19and especially pleased that we're

1:22:20starting early enough in the evening for

1:22:22people of all ages to enjoy the

1:22:24experience. Got to give major kudos to

1:22:27the mayor for making that happen. It's a

1:22:29win for everyone. Um I want to thank

1:22:31Mayor Romero, Vice Mayor Santa Cruz, our

1:22:34Department of Transportation and

1:22:35Mobility, Tucson Police Department,

1:22:38Downtown Tucson Partnership, downtown

1:22:40merchants, and everyone who has worked

1:22:42to make this possible. I especially want

1:22:45to recognize Downtown Tucson

1:22:46Partnership, which has been working on

1:22:48this concept for more than a year. Their

1:22:50early outreach to businesses, the

1:22:53research, the willingness to work

1:22:54through logistical challenges helped us

1:22:56get to this point. And their social

1:22:58media promotion of this pilot has been

1:23:00so positively received. And I want to

1:23:04make sure that Halloween is the

1:23:05beginning of this conversation and not

1:23:07the end. Creating more

1:23:08pedestrian-friendly streets was a

1:23:10central priority of both of my campaigns

1:23:12for city council. When I was knocking on

1:23:14doors throughout W 6, I heard

1:23:16overwhelming enthusiasm for the idea of

1:23:19reclaiming some of our public streets as

1:23:21places for people and not just cars.

1:23:24Cities around the world are doing

1:23:26exactly that. They're moving beyond

1:23:28occasional street closures and temporary

1:23:30experiments to creating permanent

1:23:32pedestrian streets that support local

1:23:34businesses, public life, safer

1:23:36transportation, and more vibrant urban

1:23:39centers. I believe that Tucson is ready

1:23:41for this. And if we want to move from a

1:23:44successful Halloween event to recurring

1:23:46closures and eventually to permanent

1:23:49pedestrianized streets, we need good

1:23:51data to guide our decisions.

1:23:53The staff memorandum identifies

1:23:55important operational measures including

1:23:58traffic detours, parking access, street

1:24:01car operations, crowd management, and

1:24:03merchant experiences. Those are

1:24:05essential to get right. I would like us

1:24:08to think more broadly about what success

1:24:10looks like. We should be measuring

1:24:12pedestrian counts and how long people

1:24:14spend downtown. Collect feedback from

1:24:16businesses about customer traffic and

1:24:19sales and from residents about whether

1:24:21they feel safer and more comfortable

1:24:23walking around. We should look at

1:24:25traffic safety, emergency response,

1:24:28transit operations, accessibility for

1:24:31people with disabilities, and the cost

1:24:33of providing these events. And

1:24:35importantly, we should measure things

1:24:37that are harder to quantify. Whether

1:24:39people feel more connected to their

1:24:41community, whether families and older

1:24:43adults feel welcome, and whether these

1:24:45events bring people downtown who might

1:24:47not otherwise visit. We should also

1:24:50establish baseline measurements so that

1:24:52we can make meaningful comparisons

1:24:54rather than relying solely on anecdotes

1:24:56or impressions. Our W 6 office is

1:24:59already reaching out to researchers at

1:25:01the University of Arizona to explore how

1:25:03we can collect and evaluate this kind of

1:25:05data. I believe there's a real

1:25:07opportunity to build an evidence-based

1:25:09approach that can help Tucson make

1:25:10informed decisions about the future of

1:25:12our streets. The 2014 Congress Street

1:25:15circulation study suggested that

1:25:17downtown wasn't quite ready for

1:25:19permanent pedestrianization at that

1:25:21time, but it also recommended revisiting

1:25:24the question as downtown developed. More

1:25:27than a decade has passed. Downtown

1:25:29Tucson has changed significantly. And

1:25:31it's time to revisit that possibility. I

1:25:34don't want us to limit our ambition to

1:25:36figuring out how to close Congress

1:25:37Street a few times a year. I want us to

1:25:40explore a progression. Start with

1:25:42Halloween, expand to recurring temporary

1:25:44closures, and use what we learn to

1:25:46seriously evaluate permanent

1:25:48pedestrianized streets downtown and in

1:25:51other parts of Tucson where it makes

1:25:53sense. And I look forward to doing that

1:25:55in partnership with Downtown Tucson

1:25:57Partnership, DTM, our businesses, public

1:26:01safety, transit riders, neighborhood

1:26:04residents, people with disabilities,

1:26:06families, and people from all walks of

1:26:09life. I'm really excited for Halloween,

1:26:12but I'm even more excited about what we

1:26:14can build from here. And with that, I'd

1:26:17like to make the following motion. I

1:26:19move to direct the city manager to come

1:26:22back with a work plan for mayor and

1:26:23council review that identifies

1:26:25stakeholders, community organizations,

1:26:29academic partners, local nonprofits,

1:26:32residents, and a public process to lay

1:26:34out a strategy for developing a phased

1:26:36approach to bringing pedestrian focused

1:26:39street closures downtown and elsewhere

1:26:41in Tucson as appropriate. Thank you.

1:26:45>> I second that motion.

1:26:48There's a motion and a second. Sorry,

1:26:51there's a motion and a second. Thank you

1:26:52so much, Council Member Schubert. Super

1:26:55appropriate motion. Um, now that there's

1:26:58a second um a motion, a second, I'm

1:27:01going to open it up for uh input

1:27:03feedback uh from our colleagues on the

1:27:06council. But since the vice mayor also

1:27:09has been a huge supporter of um really

1:27:14promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety

1:27:17in our city, she did have a statement

1:27:20that she wanted me to read. So, uh, the

1:27:23vice mayor is unable to attend today's

1:27:27meeting because she's in a conference

1:27:29focused on reducing homelessness in

1:27:31their role as the city's representative

1:27:34on the Tucson Puma collaboration to end

1:27:37homelessness and unfortunately couldn't

1:27:39be here today. Uh, but this is her

1:27:42statement. Thank you, Director Credio,

1:27:44Deputy Director Jen Tutherer, and your

1:27:47entire team at DTM, and all of the city

1:27:50staff uh that are making this happen,

1:27:53including part Tucson, our Tucson Police

1:27:55Department, and its officers who are

1:27:58working that evening to keep our streets

1:28:00safe and car-free for people walking and

1:28:02biking. I'd also thank the mayor, thank

1:28:05you, vice mayor, for always supporting

1:28:07more bike and pedestrian safety,

1:28:09especially in our downtown. As some of

1:28:12you know, I was hit by a car in a

1:28:14crossrock on Congress Street. I know

1:28:18what it costs when our streets are

1:28:19designed for cars instead of people.

1:28:22This pilot is a chance to show what

1:28:24downtown can feel like when we put

1:28:27safety first for families who walk,

1:28:29bike, and support our homegrown

1:28:31businesses. I'm thank thankful for the

1:28:34collaboration with downtown Tucson

1:28:36Partnership and to my colleague Council

1:28:39Member Schubert for coming to me with

1:28:41the idea of the street closure. Uh and

1:28:47um to be able to expand the possibility

1:28:51of enjoying our streets without having

1:28:54to worry about car traffic or getting

1:28:56hit by a car. Uh these are the kind of

1:28:59experiments we should be doing more of

1:29:02that help bring our community together

1:29:03and support our small businesses who

1:29:05could use some extra love. I know that

1:29:08for many families they don't think about

1:29:10coming downtown. This is an opportunity

1:29:13to welcome those families. When I think

1:29:15of cities I've traveled that are the

1:29:18most enjoyable and feel the safest to

1:29:21explore on foot, they all have one thing

1:29:23in common. They prioritize pedestrians

1:29:26and public transit over cars and on

1:29:29street parking. Think Abotaa Colombia,

1:29:32Mexico City, Guadalajara, which close

1:29:35central roads to car tra every single

1:29:40Sunday, allowing people to walk, bike,

1:29:42and skate freely. or consider San

1:29:45Diego's Gas Lamp Quarter in Santa

1:29:47Barbara, which recently decided to close

1:29:50State Street to car traffic through the

1:29:53end of the year to support outdoor

1:29:55dining. I look forward to seeing the

1:29:57results of the evaluation of this pilot

1:29:59to do this more regularly and eventually

1:30:02expand to other parts of our city. And I

1:30:05wanted to also add uh I wanted to thank

1:30:09uh Supervisor Andres Cano and the Pima

1:30:11County Board of Supervisors for making

1:30:14sure this is um there is more affordable

1:30:17and available parking downtown. And I

1:30:20know that they also scheduled some funds

1:30:23to be used for investment in our

1:30:27downtown. So, I I do not want to not

1:30:30thank um Supervisor Kano and Puma County

1:30:35um for being part of the solution and

1:30:38investing in the heart of our city and

1:30:42our county. So, want to open up uh

1:30:45Council Member Baras, Council Member

1:30:47Dal, and then Council Member Rutingham.

1:30:49>> Thank you, Mayor. Well, I'm so excited

1:30:51for this pilot and all the partners

1:30:52involved. I too want to see downtown um

1:30:56continue to thrive and be active, safe,

1:30:59and welcoming for everyone.

1:31:01I appreciate the city's effort to

1:31:03explore ways to better manage large

1:31:05crowds, support our local businesses,

1:31:06and make downtown more pedestrian

1:31:08friendly. Um for me, when I used to work

1:31:11in Santa Monica, my favorite street

1:31:13every day was going to Third Street,

1:31:16which was closed off. And I learned a

1:31:19little bit about the history of that

1:31:20street. Um, according to longtime

1:31:22residents, they had shared that the city

1:31:26had applied for CDBG grants, community

1:31:29development block grants to close down

1:31:31that corridor because there was in the

1:31:3380s and 90s a lot of gang violence, a

1:31:35lot of um, you know, violent incidences,

1:31:39mostly with young men, but also there

1:31:41was an increase of of blight from a lot

1:31:45of neighbors uh, neighboring businesses

1:31:47that had left that street. So they use

1:31:49this CDBG grant to bring folks to

1:31:52reinvest in this street and to close it

1:31:54down to create a safe environment. So,

1:31:57if there's a way that we could look at

1:31:58that possible funding um stream and look

1:32:02at that as a another case study because

1:32:05the width of that street is similar to

1:32:07downtown to Congress Street, mixed use

1:32:10um back in the '90s, very similar

1:32:12demographics to Tucson, no longer, but

1:32:16um that would be an interesting um

1:32:18incorporation. Third Street in Santa

1:32:20Monica. So, I hope too that this is not

1:32:23just a pilot, but something longterm

1:32:25that we could think about here for not

1:32:27just here in T in in downtown Tucson,

1:32:29but other areas, including Ward 5. Thank

1:32:31you,

1:32:33>> Council Member D.

1:32:35>> Thank you, Mayor. Just wanted to say

1:32:36this is a great project. My son works

1:32:38downtown on Congress Street and uh I've

1:32:41talked to him about it. I'd like to see

1:32:43this happen more often. Um and anything

1:32:46we can do to make it once a month, twice

1:32:49a month, every day. Um, I'd be

1:32:51supportive of that. Thank you.

1:32:54>> Thank you, Council Member. Council

1:32:55member Cunningham.

1:32:56>> Um, remember that up until two years

1:32:59ago, we still did Second Saturdays, and

1:33:01this is nothing new. I mean, we used to

1:33:03have this 12 days a year. We also right

1:33:06now have the opportunity to do these

1:33:08things during Dusk. I think we should

1:33:09absolutely look at dusk as their next

1:33:11closure um and coordinate with the folks

1:33:14who organize that show. Uh the other one

1:33:16I'd say is uh during the street car the

1:33:20street car uh the street fair and fall

1:33:22crawl are definitely opportunities to

1:33:24close congress at least on that

1:33:26Saturday. Um we want to be able to make

1:33:29sure it's safe and and all those things

1:33:31but this is actually more common than

1:33:33people think. It isn't like this is the

1:33:35first time we closed off Congress. So

1:33:37it's it's something we can do. Um the la

1:33:40the other one I'd say and I know it's

1:33:42short notice but I'd love to I'd love to

1:33:44talk to the Arizona Bull folks right now

1:33:46and see kind of what they've got in mind

1:33:48and what they're doing. And in that one

1:33:51I actually

1:33:53you know living with the Snoop Dog theme

1:33:56closing to traffic but maybe doing a low

1:33:58rider parade or something like that I

1:34:00think would be really cool. So I think

1:34:02there's some opportunity there um with

1:34:04with Congress. So that that that's just

1:34:06me thinking out the box there. Uh, as

1:34:08far as long-term making it a permanent

1:34:12um

1:34:13a permanent pedestrian thoroughfare, I

1:34:16actually think that warrants a lot of

1:34:17discussion, but I think that we need to

1:34:21hedge that discussion with the

1:34:23connectivity factor

1:34:26uh with the freeway and we still need to

1:34:30have that freeway bypass piece. I think

1:34:32that's super important. We've also built

1:34:34a ton of infrastructure along Congress

1:34:36for parking. So now, how are people

1:34:38going to get their car to the parking

1:34:40structure? So those are the kind of

1:34:42weird it's a bummer

1:34:44>> that that that those look, it's not a

1:34:48bad problem to have, but at the same

1:34:50time, it still presents a very pragmatic

1:34:54challenge to some of the things we're

1:34:55thinking about. But, uh, great work by,

1:34:58uh, one and six to get this moving. And,

1:35:00uh, it's it's what community is all

1:35:02about. It's what community building is

1:35:03all about. So, uh, I'm on board.

1:35:06Awesome. Um I guess for me a couple of

1:35:09things. I know that the city of Tucson

1:35:12Department of Transportation Mobility

1:35:13has been working with Puma County um to

1:35:18apply for the uh safe streets for all

1:35:20grant and that is going to be a $2.8

1:35:24million grant. Um, I'm interested in how

1:35:28we can use

1:35:30um part of this funding to support

1:35:33future street closures and open streets

1:35:36events. Not just temporary. I'm just

1:35:40kind of thinking along the lines that

1:35:42council member Schubert is thinking of

1:35:45like how do we graduate from a you know

1:35:49one-time street closure to really taking

1:35:53a look at the data

1:35:57um and the logistics

1:35:59uh to be able to do it in a much more

1:36:03permanent way. So, I guess my question

1:36:06is how could we work with Puma County

1:36:10with a safe streets for all grant, which

1:36:13is $2.8 million, to try and

1:36:18um institutionalize it with some of

1:36:22those grant funds uh to be able to do it

1:36:25in the long term. And then my second

1:36:29question is, what traffic mitigation and

1:36:31safety plans are in place for

1:36:34surrounding areas like 4th Avenue and

1:36:38neighborhoods that surround downtown,

1:36:41particularly Iron Horse neighborhood and

1:36:45any Armory Park neighborhoods

1:36:49and have we thought about that?

1:36:50>> Mayor, thank you and council members. um

1:36:54with the uh safe streets for all grant.

1:36:57The conversations are actually going to

1:37:00just start uh around those funds. So,

1:37:02it's a little too early to say. However,

1:37:05we will do our best to come back uh with

1:37:08some more information to help guide uh

1:37:10how this how those funds can be used and

1:37:13uh perhaps along with the other uh focus

1:37:16on the phased uh plan that you're you're

1:37:18looking for. Additionally, this the

1:37:21second question you have on traffic

1:37:22mitigation. Um, we are looking at

1:37:25circulation uh through not just downtown

1:37:28area but also around it. And again, I

1:37:30can't underscore enough how important

1:37:33bar the downtown links connection is to

1:37:36really allowing that traffic to just

1:37:39bypass, but also to get around to get up

1:37:43to the Fourth Avenue areas and not

1:37:45require using the the Fourth Avenue to

1:37:48get there.

1:37:50Then of course uh wayward f uh signs to

1:37:54find parking garages.

1:37:57So making sure that we have a way for um

1:38:03uh for vehicles to be able to find their

1:38:06way around uh to find the garages and be

1:38:10able to uh to park in available garages

1:38:13in our downtown.

1:38:15>> Wonderful suggestion. Thank you. We are

1:38:17planning on that for the Congress Street

1:38:19closure. I hadn't been thinking about it

1:38:20for the Fourth Avenue. Yes, we'll

1:38:22absolutely look to do that.

1:38:25>> All righty. Well, um, thank you so much.

1:38:27There is a motion and a second on the

1:38:30table. All those in favor of the motion,

1:38:34please signify by saying I.

1:38:36>> I. I.

1:38:38>> I.

1:38:39>> Any against? Motion carries. Thank you

1:38:42so much. really appreciate all the work

1:38:44downtown Tucson partnership is doing and

1:38:47our very own downtown I mean um

1:38:50Department of Transportation and

1:38:51Mobility. I know um TPD plays a big role

1:38:55in keeping us all safe. So appreciate

1:38:58the work that you're all doing together.

1:39:00Thank you Council Member Schubert and to

1:39:02the vice mayor for um all of the work

1:39:05that we're doing on this item. Right in

1:39:08time. I think we had five minutes to go

1:39:11on this item. So, I'm happy to um happy

1:39:14to be keeping us on track. All righty.

1:39:17So, um the next item is item four, Pima

1:39:20County 2027 bond program. Miss Clerk,

1:39:26time has been set aside to discuss the

1:39:2817 recommended projects listed in

1:39:29attachment A. Provide direction on any

1:39:31changes and direct staff to finalize the

1:39:33city's submitt to the bond advisory

1:39:35committee.

1:39:35>> Mr. Manager,

1:39:37>> thank you honorable mayor and members of

1:39:39the council. I will give some brief

1:39:41opening remarks. Uh, also joining us

1:39:44online is assistant city manager Liz

1:39:47Morales who has been um leading the

1:39:50charge with our our team u both to

1:39:53solicit ideas from each of your offices

1:39:57and um from our our operating

1:40:00departments and we do have

1:40:01representatives from a number of the

1:40:02departments that have projects

1:40:04represented on our list that has been uh

1:40:07provided to the county. Um just by way

1:40:09of background um the Puma County is

1:40:12preparing a potential general obligation

1:40:14bond program for the November 2027

1:40:18election and they have formed a bond

1:40:20advisory committee which will recommend

1:40:23a project list and overall bond amount

1:40:25to the Puma County Board of Supervisors

1:40:27with a target of March of 2027 for that

1:40:30conversation. Um so the conversation has

1:40:34begun with uh the solicitation of

1:40:36projects. The BAC has been formed and

1:40:39has been meeting and um uh for the city

1:40:43of Tucson, we have one seat that we were

1:40:46able to appoint and uh that is the role

1:40:48I appointed uh Miss Morales into and um

1:40:53so we went through a process of

1:40:57identifying projects. We have existing

1:40:59known needs um and we vetted them as

1:41:03staff and in consultation with you all

1:41:06uh leading up to providing that list as

1:41:08a draft with the caveat that oh by the

1:41:12way our mayor and council has not um

1:41:14reviewed this yet. So uh they were uh

1:41:17Pima County and the BAC were informed

1:41:19that we were having the conversation

1:41:20today. So you can give us additional

1:41:22feedback and direction. Um, we focused

1:41:25on areas of known long-standing need

1:41:28that had no viable funding source

1:41:30currently. So, we have a number of

1:41:32voter-approved initiatives, sales taxes,

1:41:34bond programs. We are delivering work

1:41:36across the community in fulfillment of

1:41:40those voterapproved promises and yet we

1:41:43still have unmet unfunded needs. So, we

1:41:46focused on need. We did focus on areas

1:41:50where we have guiding documents that

1:41:53have been developed in consultation with

1:41:56the community with significant community

1:41:59feedback and that have been adopted by

1:42:01the mayor and council. And so that is an

1:42:04expression of your priorities and

1:42:06initiatives. Examples of those include

1:42:09uh plan Tucson itself which is approved

1:42:11by the voters, move Tucson, the housing

1:42:14affordability strategy for Tucson,

1:42:16Tucson resilient together which is our

1:42:18climate action and adaptation plan and

1:42:20our Somos UNO strategic plan uh for arts

1:42:24heritage and culture. The prosperity

1:42:26initiative which was adopted by both the

1:42:28city and the county. our safe city

1:42:30initiative which is celebrating one year

1:42:32of being in operation and other uh input

1:42:36that we've collected over time and as

1:42:38you have in all of your interactions

1:42:40with the public. So we that culminated

1:42:44in a a much longer list than what we

1:42:46submitted but um we also weren't given

1:42:49any specific guidance on what's the

1:42:51magnitude of the bond ask yet. So

1:42:54therefore, what would be a reasonable

1:42:56amount of the bond investment that would

1:42:59occur inside the city? So we did put 17

1:43:03high priority projects on the table.

1:43:06Each of them is um bolstered by a one to

1:43:09four page uh project description which

1:43:13uh was a format provided by the county

1:43:15but it includes uh information on cost,

1:43:18future operations and maintenance

1:43:20requirements uh public support or

1:43:23evidence thereof um things of that

1:43:25nature and we have um presented that to

1:43:31the BAC in a package and that package

1:43:35package is reflected in your materials.

1:43:37You received our cover letter and the

1:43:41project descriptions. We also provided

1:43:44to you a spreadsheet of the 17 is sort

1:43:46of an at a glance look at the 17

1:43:49projects in their entirety.

1:43:51And um the BAC has begun to receive

1:43:56presentations on projects from the

1:43:59county itself and other jurisdictions.

1:44:02Uh as of this date, none of our projects

1:44:05have been presented yet. Uh the next

1:44:07meeting is coming up in about 10 days

1:44:09and that is where we're expecting to be

1:44:11able to start working through our

1:44:13project list with the county. Um, with

1:44:16that, again, we're seeking your your

1:44:19feedback, uh, and, um, either

1:44:22reinforcing what we've presented,

1:44:24challenging what we've presented, um,

1:44:26any tweaks or additions or deletions

1:44:29that we should be considering before we

1:44:31finalize the list. And with that, I

1:44:33would like to turn it over to ACM

1:44:35Morales to see what you would like to

1:44:36add. Um, and which I'm sure will include

1:44:39many thanks to our team who really did a

1:44:42great job of pulling this together. So,

1:44:44Liz,

1:44:45>> yes. Thank you, Mr. Manager. Um, thank

1:44:48you for uh your confidence and

1:44:50appointing me to the committee. Um, we

1:44:53have been working uh as a team um and

1:44:57with our mayor and council ward offices

1:44:59very it's always very um inspiring when

1:45:03we get to work together on on shared

1:45:06vision. So, uh, the only the only thing

1:45:08I would add to what the manager has

1:45:10talked about is just what the projects

1:45:13cover and I'm just going to very briefly

1:45:16um go through those. Um, there are four

1:45:20categories. Um, the first category is

1:45:24public safety and critical facilities.

1:45:26Um, in that in that package is the

1:45:29regional 911 emergency communication

1:45:31center which replaces the 1982 facility

1:45:36which is operating under a code waiver

1:45:38that expires in 2032.

1:45:41Next is the new fire station that we're

1:45:43proposing uh for Tucson Fire which would

1:45:46close a response gap and would be our

1:45:48first infill station in more than 40

1:45:50years. Next is the city court renovation

1:45:53and modernization. Um the court is uh

1:45:57the building is in need of a lot of um

1:46:01renovation and and there's some failing

1:46:03systems. We the next category is public

1:46:06health and community facilities. Um

1:46:09we're proposing a regional navigation

1:46:11center which would be a one-stop

1:46:13facility for unsheltered residents which

1:46:15would be a top safe city priority. Uh we

1:46:19also are proposing a center east

1:46:21mixeduse affordable housing project

1:46:23which would be a city-owned site

1:46:26currently where W 2 office um resides

1:46:30and would leverage about 40 million of

1:46:32other funding for developing the

1:46:34housing. Uh within that package is also

1:46:37the affordable housing site development.

1:46:39It's making approximately five sites

1:46:41shovel ready for affordable housing

1:46:43developers which we would have a 99-year

1:46:46ground lease. We also want to do uh

1:46:49significant neighborhood investments in

1:46:51high poverty neighborhoods as our

1:46:53prosperity initiative. That is one of

1:46:55our policies. It would focus on

1:46:57transportation and neighborhood safety.

1:47:00And then the Tucson resilience hub which

1:47:02would provide two hubs where residents

1:47:04can be safe during extreme heat and

1:47:07power outages. The next category is the

1:47:10transportation safety category where we

1:47:13would propose traffic safety

1:47:15infrastructure targeting our highest

1:47:17crash intersection and corridors, an

1:47:19arterial road pavement rehabilitation

1:47:22which would continue investment beyond

1:47:24Proposition 411 and the old veil road

1:47:28widening from Rita to Hton which would

1:47:30leverage approximately 10 million in

1:47:32impact fees and developer contributions.

1:47:36The the final category is the parks and

1:47:40recreation facilities. Uh we're

1:47:42proposing the Mexican-American Chuco

1:47:44Cultural Center which would implement

1:47:46the Somosuno strategic plan leveraging

1:47:497.5 million and other funding. And we

1:47:51have three parks packages. The first

1:47:54package it would uh provide field

1:47:56lighting, court and pool shade and park

1:47:59expansions. The second package is would

1:48:02be a destination park amenities which

1:48:05would include the Rolph Golf Complex.

1:48:07And the third park package would be

1:48:09around reinvestment Reed Park, Balboa

1:48:12Heights Skate Park and historic pools.

1:48:15And then the Tucson Convention Center

1:48:17enhancements, the Leo Rich Theater and

1:48:20Linda Ronstat Music Hall, Alva uh Torres

1:48:23Plaza and the Central Plant and uh

1:48:26public restrooms and drinking water,

1:48:29which we would target five parks and

1:48:31transit sites um to um provide some

1:48:34portable bathrooms that the public could

1:48:37use and also access to drinking water.

1:48:40Um all of these are projects that um our

1:48:43staff are there ready to provide any

1:48:45background or additional detail. Um the

1:48:48city manager talked about the the level

1:48:51of bond funding. I do want to add that

1:48:53as we don't know how much um the BAC or

1:48:57the board of supervisors are willing to

1:48:59go today. What property owners pay in

1:49:03Puma County is approximately 8 cents on

1:49:05every $100,000 of assessed property

1:49:08value. that that's approximately per the

1:49:10Pima County uh is about 213 million. So

1:49:15that is would be what's current and what

1:49:17we're uh property owners ex uh

1:49:20experience right now in their annual

1:49:22payments. So um the proposed projects

1:49:25all the costs are preliminary. they will

1:49:28change with design escalation based on

1:49:31uh based on uh costs uh that might rise

1:49:35and then also just the BAC's decision on

1:49:38the overall size of the program. So I

1:49:40submit that to you for your

1:49:42consideration and thank you for for your

1:49:44time that you've all spent to get us to

1:49:47this point.

1:49:49>> Okay. I want to reiterate that last

1:49:52sentence that you said uh to Mr. Tamir,

1:49:57Miss Morales, um, and the entire, um,

1:50:01city manager team, Anna Rosenberry and,

1:50:06uh, Christina,

1:50:08um, and every single department that

1:50:10submitted information to be able to put

1:50:13this, uh, quickly together. Um, I know

1:50:17that Puma County is moving very, very

1:50:20quickly and with their bond advisory

1:50:23committee and so I know that many of you

1:50:26had to drop some things and start

1:50:29working on this list and it was uh very

1:50:34important for me to have my colleagues

1:50:35on the council listen to the ideas that

1:50:38you all had, submit their own ideas and

1:50:42those ideas were instituted

1:50:44um uh within the package that you

1:50:47presented to us today. So, thank you for

1:50:50the incredible work that you all did to

1:50:52make sure that we had a comprehensive

1:50:55list of the needs uh that the city of St

1:50:58uh Tucson has uh that we're submitting

1:51:01to uh Puma County to a possible Puma

1:51:04County bond. Um,

1:51:06the Pima County Board of Supervisors is

1:51:09thinking about putting this uh item,

1:51:11this bond election in 2027.

1:51:15And 2027, as we all know, is an off year

1:51:19for all of all other elections except

1:51:22for City of Tucson Mayoring Council. Um,

1:51:25so working together is going to be key,

1:51:29I believe, between City of Tucson and

1:51:32Puma County. Frankly, I'm very very

1:51:35excited about the opportunity to think

1:51:37about further collaboration with Puma

1:51:40County and the board of supervisors and

1:51:42other regional partners. Um because this

1:51:46is how we make most significant change.

1:51:50Uh think about the um other

1:51:54opportunities that we've collaborated

1:51:56on. for example, a prosperity initiative

1:51:59that we're working hand inand on. Most

1:52:03recently, Pima County, the city of

1:52:06Tucson, and the University of Arizona

1:52:09are holding hands and working very

1:52:11collaboratively in economic development

1:52:14and moving uh forward with economic

1:52:17mobility for all. Uh we have seen

1:52:21success um and even ribbon cutings with

1:52:25the RTA next and the uh billions of

1:52:29dollars uh that are going to be invested

1:52:33into our transit and transportation

1:52:37systems. So we need to make sure that we

1:52:40are thinking together about what will

1:52:42benefit all of us. Our shared priorities

1:52:46are very similar. FEMA County and the

1:52:48city of Tucson, we share priorities in

1:52:51housing affordability, investment in our

1:52:53parks, in climate resiliency efforts,

1:52:56implementing our safe city initiative

1:52:59and the one puma initiative and economic

1:53:03development. Those are just a few of the

1:53:05things that we hold hands and share

1:53:08priorities in. And so, uh, the role that

1:53:11Tucson plays in our region is very

1:53:14significant, right? The city of Tucson

1:53:16and our residents, um, are the biggest

1:53:19population center of our of our county.

1:53:23Our downtown is a shared downtown for

1:53:25all of us. Um the University of Arizona

1:53:29campus uh is inside the city of Tucson

1:53:33and serves all of us and draw draws uh

1:53:37sports fans and theater enthusiasts and

1:53:40students and residents uh across the

1:53:43region into Tucson. So again, we have an

1:53:46opportunity to work together. There's um

1:53:49the list that you showed us is uh very

1:53:52thorough. it I can see each of my

1:53:55colleagues thoughts and voices into uh

1:53:59into all of them. Um for me especially

1:54:02are a couple of things that are

1:54:04important

1:54:06um that you know we make sure that we

1:54:09work handinhand with a board of

1:54:11supervisors

1:54:12um to prioritize our list. I know our

1:54:16list is plentiful.

1:54:19Um, I want to know where it is that Pima

1:54:23County is going to land on in terms of

1:54:27the what's the top, right? What is what

1:54:30they want? What's the top of what they

1:54:32want to ask voters to invest in? Um, and

1:54:37I want to make sure that we're, you

1:54:40know, holding hands with Pima County to

1:54:44uh create recommendations for this bond

1:54:46that invests in our community, invests

1:54:51in ourselves, uh, in meaningful ways so

1:54:54that we can continue moving forward. So,

1:54:57I'll open it up for my colleagues and

1:54:58their input on this. Council member

1:55:01Kane.

1:55:04So, uh there's a few things we need to

1:55:06think about on the bond. Uh top first is

1:55:09that they're they're we're running under

1:55:12an assumption that they're going to add

1:55:13another 53 cents per 100,000 of assessed

1:55:16value. Uh which rounds them at about

1:55:21a half a billion. It sounds like without

1:55:23raising taxes they can get to 213

1:55:26million. I think that's we're running

1:55:28off that assumption right now, though

1:55:29I'm not sure if those numbers are

1:55:32correct. We have 431 million in capital

1:55:35needs that we're proposing and 341

1:55:38million that we want to spend. Moreover,

1:55:41and I think this is pretty important, we

1:55:43need to consider the idea that uh

1:55:46they only want to give us 40% of the

1:55:48money. So, whatever we whatever whatever

1:55:50comes in on the bond, we're only going

1:55:52to get 40%. And if the bond's only 213

1:55:55million, that's like $80 million. Couple

1:55:57things about that. Even though we only

1:55:59generate 40% of the property taxes,

1:56:01we're 53% of the population. I don't

1:56:03think it's fair that we only get that

1:56:05one portion. I think it should be an

1:56:07algorithm that considers uh population

1:56:10as well. So my hard ground to support

1:56:12the bond package is for 47%.

1:56:15If we're not going to get 47%, I'm not

1:56:18going to be really excited about any

1:56:19type of bond package for the city. The

1:56:21other thing is is that there's dual

1:56:23opportunities here. There's situations

1:56:25where there's a city project, but

1:56:27there's also a city project that serves

1:56:29people who live in the county. And I

1:56:31think that also should be considered

1:56:32when we consider the holisticness of

1:56:34some of these projects. So, a good

1:56:36example is right now W 2 is the only

1:56:39ward that does not have a water slide at

1:56:41any of its parks. If we put a water

1:56:43slide at Jesse Owens, it mostly serves

1:56:45city of Tucson residents. But if it we

1:56:47put one at UD Doll, it would make that

1:56:50park a more regional uh destination. and

1:56:53I don't think it should count against

1:56:54the city's total because uh it serves

1:56:57quite a few people who live in the

1:56:58county. So, those are some of the things

1:56:59I'm thinking about. I'd really like to

1:57:02see that piece added. Um I think that's

1:57:05really important to uh kind of filling

1:57:07out the vision for what city parks are.

1:57:09I have some questions about the city

1:57:11east, the center east project, uh and

1:57:14the housing piece. I'm not sure that's

1:57:17the full dynamic. I mean, I think that I

1:57:20think that depends on some of the

1:57:21dynamics that um

1:57:25that we consider for Operation Divisions

1:57:27East. Operations Division East right now

1:57:29is under parked and uh believe it or

1:57:32not, Broadway and Pantan is a much more

1:57:34strategic location in so far as

1:57:36response. Uh we'd also be able to do

1:57:39some things like East Side Court at that

1:57:40that site. And though we want people to

1:57:43be able to go downtown, I don't think

1:57:45it's

1:57:46I don't think it's unreasonable to

1:57:49expect people who live at Harrison and

1:57:50Broadway or out in Broadway to have to

1:57:52go all the way downtown all the time. I

1:57:53think being having them to be able to go

1:57:55to uh Pantano and and Broadway is a is a

1:57:59fair thing. They're still driving four

1:58:00or five miles. So I I think that there's

1:58:03some I have some questions about that

1:58:05piece. I know it's only a 10 million and

1:58:07we can leverage it for for 40 million

1:58:09more. I'd like to find another site that

1:58:11we could do that. I'm all on board for

1:58:14finding a way to leverage affordable

1:58:16housing. I have no issues with that, but

1:58:17I think there might be better sites than

1:58:19Center East. Um, finally, Center East

1:58:22isn't near a park or any other city

1:58:25amenity. So, that's kind of one of the

1:58:27pieces to it. uh

1:58:32as far as the 53 cents. So they're they

1:58:36their current proposal is 53 cents to

1:58:38get them to I believe their half a

1:58:40million uh piece. Look, either you're

1:58:44asking for money or you're not. And then

1:58:45you've got to figure out what's the max

1:58:47you can ask with a straight face and not

1:58:49have people go nuts. I think 53 cents is

1:58:52actually too little. I think we can say,

1:58:54"Hey, look, 88, 90 cents, 99 99 cents,

1:58:58whatever it is per month, I think we can

1:59:01probably do a little better." And hey,

1:59:03look, if we're able to get 700 million

1:59:05and get 47% of that pie, believe it or

1:59:08not, we can fund everything that's asked

1:59:10for on this list. And so, I think we

1:59:12want to go to the county with those

1:59:14strategies and say, "Hey, look, one is

1:59:16you got to do better than 40%." And two

1:59:19is if we're going to ask for money,

1:59:21let's ask for money and let's see, you

1:59:23know, where that thing if not if not

1:59:26let's take the 213. I actually think

1:59:28it's way more passable a bond if we do

1:59:31not ask for a property tax increase. The

1:59:33problem is is that that means the most

1:59:35we're going to end up with is like 97

1:59:37million bucks. That's it. And that won't

1:59:40cover even one-third of all the things

1:59:41we have on our list. So, those are kind

1:59:44of my

1:59:47reactions off the queue. Uh, the B the

1:59:51team did a great job in putting all this

1:59:53stuff together in a hurry, uh, in being

1:59:55nimble, and trying to get information in

1:59:58a time crunch. So, I'm good with all

1:59:59that, but I just think again, I want to

2:00:03negotiate

2:00:05with this bond advisory committee and

2:00:06go, look, we've got 53% of the

2:00:09population. We're doing a whole bunch of

2:00:11the work to help folks. We're doing all

2:00:13the buildouts. You got to help us out a

2:00:16little more than that. Uh, finally, I'm

2:00:17all about some of these road projects.

2:00:20We're we've get we keep getting stuck

2:00:22and we have some road stuff that's

2:00:24expiring. So, building this into that

2:00:26bond package is a great idea. Thank you.

2:00:29>> Thank you, Council Member Cunningham. I

2:00:30do see Councilwoman Lee has her hand up,

2:00:33so I'm going to jump into the virtual

2:00:36world so that we can give her some time

2:00:38to speak.

2:00:40Thank you, mayor. Welcome to the virtual

2:00:42world. Um, no, I also want to thank

2:00:44staff for all of their work and outreach

2:00:46to get a list pulled together in such

2:00:48short amount of time. Um, you already

2:00:50know I am thrilled to see Old Veil Road

2:00:52widening from Rita to Hton on the list,

2:00:55number five on the list. Obviously,

2:00:56critical for the support of the growth

2:00:58that we're experiencing out here um and

2:01:00the jobs and the economic development

2:01:02that come to follow. I also agree with

2:01:04my colleagueu sentiment on getting our

2:01:06fair share. Similar to RTA

2:01:08conversations, we need to make sure that

2:01:10Tucson is getting a representative share

2:01:12of uh investment in the projects and you

2:01:15know just just thinking about how the

2:01:18list ultimately the consolidated list is

2:01:20going to land with voters. I think we

2:01:21have a really strong project list for

2:01:23the city and hopefully as we refine the

2:01:25list down as things get closer we can

2:01:26put something forward to voters that um

2:01:29is going to land and they're going to be

2:01:30excited to support it. So, um, thanks

2:01:32again to the team for all of your work

2:01:34to put this together. Thanks for putting

2:01:36Old Veil Road on there.

2:01:37>> Thank you, Councilwoman, Council Member

2:01:39Vargas.

2:01:42>> Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, staff.

2:01:44Um, I just wanted to share uh something

2:01:47that I would like to see us have a lens

2:01:49on. I believe that we should consider

2:01:50the rodeo grounds as a priority under

2:01:53item 17, park package 3, reinvestment

2:01:56and activation of parks and pools. This

2:01:59is one of um not just our southside's

2:02:01main destination, but city of Tucson. We

2:02:05have an opportunity to preserve an

2:02:07important part of Tucson's heritage

2:02:09while preparing this facility for future

2:02:11generations. It was established in 1925

2:02:14and the Tucson Rodeo is approaching its

2:02:17102nd year here in 2027, representing

2:02:21more than a century of tradition and

2:02:22community pride. Their last master plan

2:02:25occurred in 1995. So, I would like to

2:02:28see if uh give direction if we could

2:02:30dust that off and and see um revisit

2:02:34that master plan

2:02:36to see what was in there. Also, you

2:02:38know, we host rodeos in the winter. We

2:02:42also have an opportunity to expand the

2:02:44grounds use with additional evening

2:02:46programming because there isn't any

2:02:48lights that can accommodate nighttime

2:02:51programming and year-round community

2:02:53events. So, investing in upgrading

2:02:55lighting, modernize the infrastructure,

2:02:58add some air conditioning units,

2:03:00weatherization, and improve signage and

2:03:02parking. Public art that celebrates our

2:03:05Tucson history and vetto culture that

2:03:08also in includes our black indigenous

2:03:11Asian culture would help create a safer,

2:03:13more comfortable, and more more

2:03:15versatile venue. These improvements

2:03:17could support not just rodeos, but

2:03:19cultural celebrations, economic

2:03:22development events such as concerts, and

2:03:24other community events while preserving

2:03:26this historic public asset. I would like

2:03:29for us to consider directing staff to um

2:03:32just again look at that master plan in

2:03:341995 and evaluate these needs, develop

2:03:38cost assess assessments specifically for

2:03:41nightlighting, strategize and up

2:03:45oh go ahead strategize an updated master

2:03:49plan and identify priorities for a

2:03:51future bond so we can truly honor our

2:03:54history here while expanding the rodeo

2:03:56grounds um for future generations. It's

2:03:59really important again to think about

2:04:02this as a long-term investment. The

2:04:04other thing I want to add when looking

2:04:05at the bond or the list was the LA

2:04:08Transit Center is located in Ward Five

2:04:11and W 5 wasn't listed in item 14 for

2:04:15public restrooms and drinking water um

2:04:18access item along with potentially some

2:04:21W five parks. We only have a couple

2:04:23parks that have working water fountains.

2:04:26So all these public amenities such as

2:04:28our park transit center should have

2:04:30working public restrooms and access to

2:04:32water. So really again tying in W 5 to

2:04:35Laos transit center. And lastly,

2:04:39I'm super excited to see Sanorita Park

2:04:42skate park listed in item 16 park

2:04:44package 2. This is a key priority for

2:04:48again not just W five but for Tucson and

2:04:50southern Arizona. The buzz and

2:04:52activation following our grand opening

2:04:54of Santaorita Park has not died down. I

2:04:57seen it every day in action at all times

2:04:59of the day. The skate park is active.

2:05:02It's been active for years. So before

2:05:04the ribbon cutting and I really want to

2:05:06show this community that we're investing

2:05:08in the long haul and also what I've been

2:05:10hearing from a lot of families is a need

2:05:12for a introduction skate park area some

2:05:15amenities for younger children um that

2:05:18are beginning so they're not just

2:05:20watching these professional or more

2:05:22skilled skaters at the skate park. So

2:05:25I'm tr I'm really looking forward to

2:05:27this and and getting some investment

2:05:28done at Sanorita skatepark. Thank you.

2:05:34>> Council member Doll.

2:05:35>> Thank you, Mayor. Thanks to um all the

2:05:38staff who have worked on this. I think

2:05:39it's a balanced um amount of things and

2:05:42I hope we can work with Puma County and

2:05:43I hope it's successful. One thing about

2:05:46pools, since we've mentioned some

2:05:47specific projects, a pool is one of

2:05:49those pools that's towards the boundary

2:05:51of the city of Tucson. It gets a lot of

2:05:53use from um

2:05:56neighborhoods in Puma County that are

2:05:58underserved and it's we don't have to

2:06:01build a new pool. We just have to um

2:06:04upgrade a pool that can't be opened at

2:06:06this point. So, I hope that will be

2:06:08included as we go through the Thank you.

2:06:12>> Thank you, Council Member Schubert.

2:06:15>> Thank you, Mayor. First, I want to thank

2:06:17uh city manager and staff for the

2:06:19additional work that went into this most

2:06:20recent recommendation.

2:06:22I know you haven't had much time to

2:06:24prepare, but I also want to make sure

2:06:26that we're hearing from our department

2:06:27heads about critical capital needs, and

2:06:31I appreciate the clearer explanation of

2:06:33how these 17 projects were selected. Um

2:06:36the distinction between critical needs

2:06:38and enhancements and the intention to

2:06:40outside funding and long-term operating

2:06:42costs. As we consider the city's $383

2:06:46million request, I want to reinforce

2:06:49four priorities that I believe should

2:06:51guide our investments. That would be

2:06:53housing, water security, household

2:06:56affordability, and climate preparedness.

2:06:58On housing, I strongly believe we need

2:07:01to prioritize preserving the public

2:07:02housing that we already own. Properties

2:07:05like Crayfra and Fry Towers, which I

2:07:07recently toured, represent an enormous

2:07:10public investment, and we have an

2:07:11obligation to maintain them and to

2:07:13ensure that residents have safe,

2:07:15healthy, dignified places to live. I

2:07:18support expanding affordable housing,

2:07:20but I would like to see a serious

2:07:21assessment of our existing public

2:07:23housing capital needs before we finalize

2:07:25our requests.

2:07:27on water. I'm concerned that we still

2:07:29don't have a specific investment in

2:07:31water security on this list,

2:07:34particularly given the serious PAS

2:07:36contamination challenges we're facing. I

2:07:39appreciate staff's willingness to

2:07:40evaluate treatment infrastructure, and I

2:07:43appreciate that water treatment

2:07:44facilities come with large operations

2:07:47and maintenance expenses not covered by

2:07:49bond funding, but so do many, if not all

2:07:52of the projects on this list. Safe,

2:07:54clean drinking water is a shared

2:07:56priority.

2:07:57On affordability, I support investments

2:08:00in neighborhood safety, public

2:08:01amenities, and essential services,

2:08:04particularly in historically underserved

2:08:06neighborhoods. I'm pleased to see a

2:08:08request for public health infrastructure

2:08:10in the form of public bathrooms and

2:08:13access to drinking water on this list.

2:08:16And on climate preparedness, I support

2:08:18the proposed resilience hubs, shade

2:08:20investments, and neighborhood

2:08:21improvements. These investments should

2:08:24be integrated whenever possible with

2:08:26storm water harvesting, pedestrian

2:08:28safety, and other improvements that

2:08:30deliver multiple public benefits.

2:08:33My request is that we continue

2:08:35evaluating the missing investments in

2:08:37housing preservation, water security,

2:08:40and climate resilient infrastructure,

2:08:42and that we prioritize projects

2:08:44addressing the greatest demonstrated

2:08:46needs.

2:08:47I want Tucson to bring forward a

2:08:49thoughtful, defensible bond package that

2:08:51voters can trust and that delivers

2:08:52lasting benefits to the greatest number

2:08:54of people who need it in our community.

2:08:57Thank you.

2:08:59Uh thank you, Council Member Schubert.

2:09:02Any others input feedback for the city

2:09:04manager to take? Um I'm

2:09:09really happy with the list that we have.

2:09:11Of course, we have so many needs, right?

2:09:13And but for me, one, I'm super excited

2:09:17to work in partnership with Puma County

2:09:20and the board of supervisors

2:09:22uh to make sure that we are investing in

2:09:26the right uh needs, right? And I know we

2:09:30have a billion dollars worth of need or

2:09:32more, but what are the right investments

2:09:37for this particular bond? Um, and it

2:09:40would be good to know, um, you know,

2:09:44what are our plans for affordable

2:09:45housing? I know that Puma County Board

2:09:47of Supervisors is putting $250 million

2:09:51in affordable housing projects outside

2:09:55of this bond. So, how do we look at the

2:10:00entirety of the pie, not just the bond

2:10:05and what we want to invest here? Um, I

2:10:09think it's fair to ask, do we have um

2:10:14PAS uh concerns in our water system and

2:10:18how are we going to apply for funds to

2:10:21remediate those? Right. It does the

2:10:24federal government have a responsibility

2:10:27to respond to our PAS needs or is it the

2:10:31bonds um and this opportunity that make

2:10:35more sense? Um, I know I've had this

2:10:38conversation with Tucson Water, with

2:10:40you, Mr.

2:10:42uh even with the EPA about who's

2:10:47responsible for PAS remediation

2:10:50um and are we going to are we willing to

2:10:53wait 20 years or 10 to 20 years let's

2:10:56say uh for the department of defense to

2:11:02pay for our remediation infrastructure

2:11:05and to pay for management and operation

2:11:08of what they've caused in our water

2:11:11facil in our water resources. So really

2:11:14taking a look at this list, I agree it's

2:11:17going to be have to be cut down,

2:11:19especially because right now we don't

2:11:21know what the Pima County Board of

2:11:23Supervisors is willing to go out to the

2:11:27voters and ask for. Um I know that they

2:11:31haven't done a bond election in almost

2:11:3520 years and so um I know they want to

2:11:38thread really lightly and and request uh

2:11:43from the voters what they feel will be a

2:11:45successful ask. So again, excited. I

2:11:50believe firmly that um the priorities

2:11:55we've listed from traffic safety

2:11:58infrastructure to Old Veil Road to our

2:12:03regional navigation center to our Tucson

2:12:06resilience hubs to investments in the

2:12:11TCC from you know um Leo Rich to Linda

2:12:16Ronstad to the investment in Hakome

2:12:21Plaza and our uh library which could

2:12:25become a Mexican-American Chico Cultural

2:12:29Center. All of those spaces and

2:12:31investments are important to reinvest in

2:12:35and um I don't think any anything on

2:12:38this list doesn't make any sense, but

2:12:40we're going to have to work with the

2:12:42board of supervisors, work with the bond

2:12:44advisory committee, and between all of

2:12:47us to try and make sure that we're

2:12:50asking for the right things uh for this

2:12:53particular package. So, thank you all

2:12:56for your incredible work. I don't know

2:12:58if that helps you uh to hear about our

2:13:02thoughts, Mr. Manager, in terms of our

2:13:04priorities. Um, but I'm pretty sure that

2:13:08we're going to continue

2:13:11uh working on the priorities and then

2:13:14once we know the number from Puma

2:13:16County, we will have to do a lot of

2:13:18really hard work together to get to a

2:13:20number that makes sense.

2:13:22>> Uh, thank you, honorable mayor, and

2:13:24members of the council. Yes, this

2:13:26dialogue is incredibly helpful to us.

2:13:29Um, couple of the key takeaways I have

2:13:31is one, what we've expressed as

2:13:34priorities seem to resonate and then

2:13:37there's more, right? So, there's

2:13:39definitely

2:13:40um needs beyond this. What I what I I

2:13:44think is really tactical things I can

2:13:46take away is one, let's be in the

2:13:49discussion and have our list and get it

2:13:52vetted with the bond advisory committee

2:13:54and look for opportunities to get these

2:13:56needs whether they stand alone or

2:13:59whether they're bundled together. If we

2:14:01have a parkslike approach and there's

2:14:04city priorities and similar county

2:14:07priorities or other jurisdictions, maybe

2:14:09that becomes one bigger thing that we

2:14:11that we put forward as a region. Um

2:14:15we've heard some specifics uh wide and w

2:14:18too heard um um consideration of the

2:14:22rodeo grounds which we've discussed

2:14:23before and and that's certainly in our

2:14:25in our thoughts. Um we will uh also look

2:14:29at where we have ex on the restrooms and

2:14:32and drinking fountains and you brought

2:14:33up LA Transit Center heard but also um

2:14:37there might be areas where we actually

2:14:39have existing facilities that we can

2:14:41make sure we're prioritizing as well. So

2:14:42I don't I just want to make sure you

2:14:44know you heard uh with regard to uh

2:14:48Council Member Schubert and your

2:14:50discussion the four priority areas some

2:14:52of which are reflected here but you've

2:14:53identified um either real uh gaps either

2:14:58in this package or do we have an answer

2:15:01for it? So the affordable housing as you

2:15:03indicated mayor we have a number of

2:15:05strategies there. So, as part of a next

2:15:08step as we go and and do battle on

2:15:10behalf of the people of Tucson, I think

2:15:13there's a few of these things I would be

2:15:14following up with. Okay, here's our

2:15:16strategy around craycraft towers as an

2:15:18example. It's one we just talked about

2:15:20yesterday, but it also is one that has

2:15:24big needs, but in talking with um our

2:15:26housing uh community development

2:15:28department, there's actually a bundle of

2:15:30of of funding that we have assembled for

2:15:33craycraftoft towers, which includes some

2:15:35of the uh uh funding from the county

2:15:38through the affordable housing

2:15:40allocation. So let's uh when when

2:15:43something is absent but expressed as a

2:15:45priority, we'll do our best to uh fill

2:15:47in that gap or that uh explain what the

2:15:50strategy is. Um so hopefully that'll be

2:15:53helpful in this style of moving forward.

2:15:55And we do expect it to be iterative as

2:15:57we go. So I think we have sufficient

2:15:59direction to keep plugging away and

2:16:01moving. Um and uh again, thank you all

2:16:03for your support um and your reflections

2:16:05on on what was put together here.

2:16:09>> Thank you, Mr. manager and thank you

2:16:10everyone Liz um and the entire team for

2:16:14putting this list together and and

2:16:16sitting at the bond advisory committee.

2:16:18All righty. So with that we're going to

2:16:21move on to item six.

2:16:31Item five,

2:16:35>> time has been set aside at the request

2:16:37of Mayor Romero to provide an update the

2:16:40efforts to support unsheltered homeless

2:16:42unsheltered persons and how the city is

2:16:44addressing the concerns expressed by

2:16:46residents and business owners in Tucson.

2:16:49>> So, I just wanted to open this come on

2:16:50come on up and join us. Um I wanted to

2:16:53open this item um just to remind uh the

2:16:59public and mayor and council about.

2:17:02We've had this item as a monthly update

2:17:05for three years. Three years.

2:17:10And uh this is something that we have

2:17:12been discussing mayor and council in

2:17:15front of the public on how to best serve

2:17:19our community both housed and unhoused.

2:17:23Uh there are concerns from

2:17:26neighborhoods. Um, but we also have a

2:17:29responsibility as as a city to make sure

2:17:33that we are also

2:17:36offering evidence-based solutions for um

2:17:41our unhoused residents and and we have

2:17:44created programs that never existed

2:17:46before in the city of Tucson. Um, and

2:17:50that are working.

2:17:52Um, I think

2:17:55one of the biggest things that I've been

2:17:57able to um see firsthand is the

2:18:02unsiloing

2:18:04of how Tucson Police Department,

2:18:06housing, community development,

2:18:09even code enforcement, environmental

2:18:11services, parks and recreation, all of

2:18:14these departments have been able to

2:18:18unsilo because of the work that mayor

2:18:20and council have been insistent upon. We

2:18:25are coming up actually I think we just

2:18:27um uh you know celebrated the one-year

2:18:31anniversary of creating the safe city

2:18:34initiative which really was created out

2:18:38a bit of desperation uh to continue the

2:18:42innovative solutions

2:18:45um being put together by all of us um to

2:18:49break down the silos to see tangible

2:18:51results um And we wanted to make sure

2:18:55that we also brought to the table our

2:18:59city court systems, our nonprofit

2:19:02partners, uh Tucson Police Department,

2:19:06taught us a lot of things and how to

2:19:09work together hand in hand to offer our

2:19:13unsheltered um neighbors as well as our

2:19:17neighborhoods solutions that make sense.

2:19:20So, um, thank you so much, uh, um, to

2:19:25all of the team, Mr. Tamir from TPD to

2:19:28housing first to housing community

2:19:30development, our parks and recreation

2:19:33partners, our city courts for creating

2:19:37community courts for envisioning a video

2:19:41alternative to jail um option uh where

2:19:46we could put it all together, work hand

2:19:49in hand. Much more work to be done. uh

2:19:52we cannot sing hurrah right now but we

2:19:57have shown evidence that the work that

2:20:00we are doing is important and it is a

2:20:04good return on investment. We have 1,230

2:20:09people in our shelters that would

2:20:12otherwise because of the safe city

2:20:15initiative and the work that we're doing

2:20:17in the last year alone, 1,230

2:20:22people in our city shelters and off the

2:20:25streets. Um,

2:20:28our balance of compassion and

2:20:30accountability has improved our

2:20:33acceptance rate of service.

2:20:36um from 10% to 58%.

2:20:41Um it has always been important to me

2:20:44that our safe city initiative

2:20:47uh not be a program uh where we

2:20:52incarcerate. On the absolute contrary,

2:20:56um finding the right resources for the

2:21:00individuals,

2:21:02um our unsheltered individuals is the

2:21:05goal. Incarceration is not. And so, um

2:21:09I'm seeing a lot of really good work

2:21:13because of the further work that we're

2:21:16doing, uh with our safe city initiative

2:21:19and our community partners. So, I want

2:21:22to thank very especially our Tucson

2:21:24Police Department core team and our

2:21:27officers, community safety, health and

2:21:29wellness, Puma County Justice Services

2:21:32and the public defenders office, our

2:21:35multidisciplinary outreach teams, and

2:21:37every volunteer uh who is working on the

2:21:40ground every day to talk to people and

2:21:43get them the help they need. Over the

2:21:45past 12 months, we have built trust and

2:21:48relationships with every contact. um

2:21:51someone might not say yes to services

2:21:54the first or even the second or even the

2:21:5710th time they are offered help but when

2:22:01people are ready to say yes we are ready

2:22:04to help them start their journey and

2:22:07stay in recovery. So um our investments

2:22:11in low barrier shelters like save safer

2:22:14which is an investment done with opioid

2:22:17settlement funds desert cove which is a

2:22:20longerterm

2:22:22recovery option that we're putting

2:22:24together pace which is connecting people

2:22:27in our city parks

2:22:29are helping more people get off the

2:22:31streets and ensuring that everyone can

2:22:34enjoy our public spaces. So thank you

2:22:36all so much. Um, I'm going to leave

2:22:40leave it up to you to give us the report

2:22:42on this, but um I'm really excited about

2:22:45the

2:22:46um the progress that we are making

2:22:49together and the innovation that is

2:22:52being used um by all of us at mayor and

2:22:56council, but very specifically uh to our

2:22:59team uh that is working on the ground

2:23:01and really thinking creatively on how um

2:23:05how we continue with the services. So,

2:23:08that's my soap box. Uh, Mr. Mr. Manager,

2:23:12help us introduce the item.

2:23:14>> Okay. Thank you, honorable mayor, and

2:23:15members of the council. Uh, I really

2:23:17don't have much to add because, uh, you

2:23:20did a fantastic job of giving the

2:23:22overview and the background and the

2:23:24purpose and need of what we're doing

2:23:25here. So, I'll step out of the way and

2:23:28and turn it over to Brandy and Allison

2:23:30here who are prepared to give you this

2:23:32uh, update for the month. Honorable

2:23:35mayor, members of the council, I'm happy

2:23:37to provide an update today. I'm going to

2:23:39start with the federal funding because

2:23:41it's one of the biggest factors that

2:23:43affect our regional homelessness

2:23:45response. Um, at the moment, um, the

2:23:47continuum of care or COC is HUD's main

2:23:50funding source for local homelessness

2:23:52programs here. That funding is

2:23:54coordinated through our Tucson Puma

2:23:56Collaboration to end homelessness or

2:23:58TPCH as you often hear. On June 1st, HUD

2:24:02released this year's COC funding notice,

2:24:05which made about $4 billion available

2:24:08nationally. Um, it was a major shift

2:24:11though because it moved away from the

2:24:12housing first model and would have

2:24:14required people to take part in

2:24:16supportive services and substance use

2:24:18treatment in order to receive even the

2:24:19smallest services. Um, the city joined

2:24:22other jurisdictions and national

2:24:24organizations in a lawsuit uh

2:24:26challenging those conditions. Um on

2:24:28August 7th, a federal court in Rhode

2:24:30Island ruled in our favor and threw out

2:24:32the notice. Um the appeals court then

2:24:35allowed the competition to move forward.

2:24:37HUD re-released the notice on September

2:24:3918th with applications due September

2:24:4230th. So that only gave our local

2:24:44providers 12 days to prepare um their

2:24:48submissions. Um so we're continuing to

2:24:51work through TPCH to support our

2:24:52providers and protect our regional

2:24:54systems through this uncertainty. We're

2:24:56also waiting on two federal youth

2:24:58homelessness awards. HUD planned to

2:25:00announce them by midepptember and I was

2:25:02just informed um by Jason Thorp that

2:25:05that still has not been announced. Um if

2:25:08if they're funded, the city Catholic

2:25:10community services youth on their own in

2:25:12United Way will partner to address youth

2:25:15homelessness.

2:25:17our our youth action committee made up

2:25:19of young people with lived experience

2:25:21helped review those applications and

2:25:23made funding recommendations to the TPCH

2:25:26board.

2:25:27On to our next it's our safe city

2:25:30deployments. Um these bring together

2:25:32city departments as you were talking

2:25:34about madame mayor. Um Puma County law

2:25:37enforcement the courts and service

2:25:38providers to address locations with

2:25:41serious public safety, health and

2:25:43environmental concerns. the 22nd Street

2:25:46and I 10 star and starass corridor was

2:25:49one of the ones that we've completed um

2:25:52since July. We also completed another

2:25:54one that was in WS one and six. Um and

2:25:57the other one that we've completed since

2:25:59July is Speedway and Broadway between

2:26:00Wilmont and Co in Ward 2. Teams made 36

2:26:04contacts and 15 people accepted services

2:26:07or completed intakes. These included

2:26:09shelter, detox, medication assisted

2:26:12treatment, and coordinated entry, which

2:26:14is a means to get going into the housing

2:26:17process, right? Um, these deployments

2:26:19are also also removed a significant

2:26:22amount of narcotics and weapons from our

2:26:24streets. Uh, there is a deployment

2:26:25scheduled for October 28th. Currently,

2:26:29looking at the full year from October

2:26:302025 through September of 2026, partners

2:26:34carried out 22 deployments. Over that

2:26:36period, we recorded 346 contacts, 202

2:26:41service acceptances or intakes. And

2:26:43that's nearly as you mentioned, Madame

2:26:45Mayor, 60% of the people that we

2:26:48engaged. So, um that included 60 shelter

2:26:51acceptances, 65 detox acceptances, 51

2:26:55medication assisted treatment

2:26:56acceptances, 26 coordinated entry

2:26:59intakes, which as I said start the

2:27:01housing assessment process. The

2:27:03deployments also supported 157 virtual

2:27:06court appearances.

2:27:09>> 157, that's pretty incredible. Removed

2:27:1243 tons of debris and cleared city 62

2:27:15encampments. Um, these numbers don't

2:27:17reflect the number of people that were

2:27:19detained or went in on felony warrants

2:27:21and and TPD can provide that update at

2:27:23another time. The key point is that

2:27:25we're pairing accountability and cleaner

2:27:27public spaces with real connections to

2:27:29services as as you mentioned. Um, as we

2:27:32move into the winter months, we'll

2:27:34adjust our approach and we'll keep

2:27:35everyone informed on what those

2:27:36approaches are. We're also strengthening

2:27:39our response in city parks through our

2:27:42parks assistance and community

2:27:43engagement team. In August, PACE

2:27:46completed 37 park assessments. Um, these

2:27:49are usually triggered by 311 or online

2:27:53or by park staff who notice safety

2:27:55concerns during routine maintenance

2:27:57checks. The team made 13 outreach

2:27:59referrals to community safety, health,

2:28:01and wellness and posted 25 no camping

2:28:04notices um near encampments that were

2:28:07active. Uh PACE also took part in a

2:28:09coordinated cleanup with environmental

2:28:11and general services, community safety

2:28:13and TPD and led cleanups with TPD's core

2:28:16team at Kennedy Park and Anza Park. One

2:28:19important new step that Pace is taking

2:28:21is that they've started a weekly census.

2:28:24Um, and it counts people using the park

2:28:26spaces such as the ramadas, the open

2:28:29areas, the restrooms. Um, and that data

2:28:32will help us measure whether our

2:28:33cleanups, outreach, and enforcement are

2:28:35making a difference park by park.

2:28:38Finally, I want to highlight our new

2:28:39community storage program, which

2:28:41launched September 21st at Tucson City

2:28:43Court. Um the program provides eight

2:28:45secure lockers where people experiencing

2:28:47homelessness can store their belongings

2:28:49up to 24 hours. Um these are so that

2:28:52they can go to appointments, essential

2:28:54appointments, um go to court. Um the

2:28:56lockers are available weekdays 8:00 a.m.

2:28:59to 5:00 p.m. Court security cha staff

2:29:02check those people in and handle the

2:29:04lockers. Um and any items left longer

2:29:06than 24 hours um gets picked up by

2:29:08Community Safety, Health, and Wellness,

2:29:10and we store those in another program

2:29:11that we have. Um the program is funded

2:29:14by Arizona Complete Health and people

2:29:16are already utilizing that um program.

2:29:19Um the program I said that uh having to

2:29:22carry everything can sometimes keep a

2:29:25person from from meeting their

2:29:26appointments and their obligations in

2:29:28court. Um this small but practical step

2:29:31removes any barriers and gives people a

2:29:32more dignified way uh to take care of

2:29:34their important matters. And with that

2:29:37uh that covers our federal funding piece

2:29:40um outreach and access work. Now I'll

2:29:42turn it over to Allison who will walk

2:29:44you through our shelter update including

2:29:45Star Village.

2:29:48>> Thank you Brandy. Honorable mayor and

2:29:50members of the council. Good afternoon.

2:29:52I am the housing first program director

2:29:54and I've been in this role for just

2:29:56about a year. Thank you for the

2:29:57opportunity, my first time to share with

2:29:59you the update on our city-owned

2:30:00shelters and the one-year report for

2:30:03Star Village. The city owns and partners

2:30:05in operating several low barrier

2:30:07emergency shelters along with Star

2:30:10Village, which is an safe outdoor space.

2:30:12These sites connect people to behavioral

2:30:14health stabilization, housing

2:30:16navigation, and transitional housing

2:30:18support. Right now, 234 people,

2:30:21including families with children, are

2:30:23staying across six sites. Wild Cut In

2:30:26has 78 adults and children. Desert Cove,

2:30:28which is operated by Community Bridges,

2:30:30has 19 adults. Craftoft shelter which is

2:30:34operated by Puma County has 65 adults.

2:30:36They are undergoing some construction

2:30:39having a fire suppression system

2:30:40involved fencing with motorized gates as

2:30:43well as other minor improvements. Ampi

2:30:46Housing Resource Center which is

2:30:47operated by Old PBLO Community Services

2:30:50has 49 adults. Bred and Roses

2:30:53transitional housing, also operated by

2:30:55Old PBLO Community Services, is

2:30:57servicing eight adults.

2:30:59Star Village last reported having 15

2:31:01individuals at their site. Star Village

2:31:04started as a pilot project one year ago

2:31:06on October 15, 2025. It provides safe

2:31:10outdoor sleeping site for women and

2:31:12non-binary individuals. In its first

2:31:15year, there were critical partners who

2:31:16made Star Village possible. The Prima

2:31:19Vera Foundation staffed the site 247.

2:31:22Old PBLO Community Services provided

2:31:24case management to all Star Village

2:31:26clients on site. The city's MDOT team

2:31:29provided outreach in a onem radius to

2:31:32the site and placed clients into the

2:31:34program, as well as connected those

2:31:36unsheltered to other shelters in the

2:31:38city and resources within our community.

2:31:41City staff help with maintenance of the

2:31:43site and any other needs as they came

2:31:45up. The site has showers, cooling and

2:31:48warming areas, shared gathering spaces,

2:31:51a community garden, a dog run, and it's

2:31:55near Donna Ligins Recreation Center,

2:31:57which has been utilized. Services on

2:31:59site include case management and housing

2:32:02support, health care and screenings,

2:32:04behavioral health and recovery support,

2:32:07meals and hygiene, life skills, work

2:32:10opportunities through Prima Vera Works

2:32:12and the OPCS homeless work program,

2:32:14which is a lottery, and 24-hour safety

2:32:17support. But staff also listened to the

2:32:19residents. The residents asked for

2:32:21gardening seeds, tools, phone charging,

2:32:24Wi-Fi for job applications, and a space

2:32:27to cook. and Prima Vera was able to meet

2:32:30those requests. Now, let's talk about

2:32:32the numbers. These numbers cover October

2:32:351st, 2025 through September 30th, 2026.

2:32:39The number that I think matters most is

2:32:42Star Village provided 7,212

2:32:45nights of safe sleep. When residents

2:32:48were asked what they valued most, they

2:32:50kept saying the same thing. They felt

2:32:52safe and they could finally rest. Over

2:32:55the year, Star Village served 138 people

2:32:59over 152 stays. Those also they also

2:33:02served 17 pets. 14 people came back

2:33:06after leaving. As Madame Mayor said,

2:33:09sometimes people aren't ready the first

2:33:10time. However, they trusted STAR enough

2:33:13to return and try again. That trust is a

2:33:16big part of how this work succeeds.

2:33:18There were 122 exits during the year.

2:33:2222% went to permanent or temporary

2:33:24housing, 14% went to emergency shelter,

2:33:296% to an institutional setting, 36%

2:33:32returned to places not meant for people

2:33:34to live, and 22% to unknown locations.

2:33:38These numbers both show the progress

2:33:40we've made and how much work remains.

2:33:42Outreach teams from Prima Vera, OPCS,

2:33:45and the city's MDOT team provided 4,284

2:33:49outreach encounters. 284 encounters or

2:33:5349% did take place in Ward 3, 10, 101

2:33:57encounters in Ward 6, 775 encounters in

2:34:01Ward 1, 237 encounters in Ward 5, 105

2:34:06encounters in Ward 4, 60 of these

2:34:09encounters were outside city limits, and

2:34:1222 encounters in W 2. Star Village is

2:34:15also about community and empowerment.

2:34:17Residents have an advisory council, hold

2:34:20regular house meetings, and share

2:34:22responsibility for the site and garden

2:34:25together. They also have a place where

2:34:27they can express themselves and be

2:34:28heard. For many residents, STAR is a

2:34:31chance to rebuild confidence and a sense

2:34:33of belonging. STAR was also supported by

2:34:36the great people of our city. We had 19

2:34:38volunteers provide 194 hours of service.

2:34:42We also collected $40,11368

2:34:46in donations.

2:34:48None of this happens without our

2:34:50partners and several of them are here

2:34:51with us today. I'd like to thank Eively

2:34:54Bonia, CEO of Prima Vera Foundation and

2:34:56her team, Raina Leon, Anna Riviera,

2:35:00Christopher Dalt, Margarita Baoza, and

2:35:02Christina Abbril. Thank you for building

2:35:04Star Village from the ground up and for

2:35:07the care you gave the residents this

2:35:08first year. I'd also like to thank thank

2:35:11Tom Litwiki and the staff of Old PBLO

2:35:14Community Services. Thank you for your

2:35:16case management work over the past year

2:35:18and for stepping in to lead the site

2:35:20going forward.

2:35:22Thank you mayor and council for

2:35:24approving funding for Star Village for

2:35:26year two. Old Public Community Services

2:35:28has now taken over operations at Star.

2:35:31Our commitment to the neighborhood stays

2:35:33the same. We will keep the closed campus

2:35:35approach, hold oursel accountable to our

2:35:37good neighbor agreement, and continue

2:35:40with the neighborhood cleanups. This

2:35:42concludes my update. Thank you for your

2:35:44time. Brandy and I are happy to answer

2:35:46any questions you may have. Thank you,

2:35:48Brandy. Thank you, Allison. Really

2:35:50appreciate the incredible work that you

2:35:52all do. We'll open it up for my

2:35:54colleagues on the council. Council

2:35:55member Cunningham,

2:35:59>> congratulations on all the encounters

2:36:01and also

2:36:03outstanding job with the star report.

2:36:06And this is why I appreciate the honesty

2:36:08on it. You had 58% of people where it

2:36:11wasn't necessarily a good output, but

2:36:13that doesn't matter. At least you're

2:36:15telling us what's going on. We have way

2:36:17too many social services agencies are

2:36:19like, "Oh, we have 99%

2:36:23uh success rate." And then you say,

2:36:24"Well, did you count this guy?" "Well,

2:36:26he left early, so it didn't count, and

2:36:28this one didn't count." No, no, no. We

2:36:30want to know the raw numbers. And this

2:36:31is what's concerning is that we're

2:36:33making a lot of these encounters, and

2:36:35we're not moving things forward. We're

2:36:37making the same encounter, the same

2:36:39person seven times on the streets. For

2:36:41our social workers, that's for our

2:36:44street level engagement people. That's

2:36:46got to be rough. We've got to figure

2:36:48out, hey, wait a minute. How do we find

2:36:49these high need individuals and

2:36:53get them to that point? Give them a

2:36:55little bit of more of a nudge, right?

2:36:56Well, we don't really know how to do

2:36:58that. And actually, I think that's where

2:37:00this discussion meets. So, despite

2:37:04today's outstanding report and where we

2:37:06are with our housing, I want to

2:37:09challenge you guys a little bit. I think

2:37:11we need to bring at this item to this

2:37:14table some people from courts.

2:37:18Not just city court, but county court,

2:37:21justice court, probation, pre-trial.

2:37:24What happened? We get folks in the

2:37:25system, they get a warrant, it gets

2:37:27dismissed. What happens later? What's

2:37:29going on? I think we're we're I I met

2:37:32with some of our court workers and

2:37:34they're having a tough time keeping up

2:37:37with how to make ATJ work. They don't

2:37:41really see a model where we can get

2:37:427-day ATJ happening. And we need that

2:37:457-day ATJ. We can't just there's no

2:37:48there's no schedule. If a person's

2:37:50ready, a person's ready. Or if a

2:37:52person's become a high need individual

2:37:54to the point that they the situation

2:37:56can't be managed anymore, we've got to

2:37:57make a decision. We can't say, "Okay,

2:37:59well, we'll see you on Tuesday." I mean,

2:38:02that that just doesn't work. So, for me,

2:38:04I want to see how can we take this

2:38:06envelope and fold courts into it. and

2:38:10what resources do courts have where we

2:38:13can engage folks in a meaningful way to

2:38:15say, "All right, what you're choosing

2:38:17isn't acceptable. How can we get you to

2:38:20the place where we need you to go?" And

2:38:21that's I think it's I think that's the

2:38:23challenge we've had, I think a lot I

2:38:26think a lot of our street engagement

2:38:27that we've been involved on. Also, W 2

2:38:29has way more than 22 encounters because

2:38:31you guys know that I'm doing like 15 or

2:38:3316 encounters every two weeks myself.

2:38:36So, um, I want us to start counting

2:38:39Marcus and I encounters. So, let's

2:38:41figure out if we can get that going.

2:38:43Anyway, the point is is that with I

2:38:46think if we can get courts and educate

2:38:48ourselves a little bit on how we can

2:38:50fold the court system into this a little

2:38:53more proactively, we may get some

2:38:55results and we may get some when we're

2:38:57making multiple contacts on the same

2:38:59person, we may get some movement. And I

2:39:01think that's kind of what we've all been

2:39:03looking for. It's kind of in the holy

2:39:04grail of what we're all about. So that's

2:39:06the challenge. Understand I'm saying

2:39:09that and it sounds so easy. I know

2:39:11there's like 99 things more to it and I

2:39:13understand that. But

2:39:14>> Council Member Cunningham, I just

2:39:16absolutely hear you and that is

2:39:18something that we started doing with the

2:39:21Metro Justice Working Group. Um,

2:39:23Supervisor Scott, myself, Puma County,

2:39:27and and the entire city team. And so I

2:39:31guess and and by the way uh Mr. Lusk is

2:39:34part of that conversation as well and he

2:39:36can help us through any advancement work

2:39:39that you're all done but I don't know if

2:39:41you wanted to jump in um Mr. Lusk to

2:39:44this conversation.

2:39:45>> Sure. Thank you honor and council member

2:39:47Cunningham. Your point's well taken and

2:39:48and that's a conversation we've been

2:39:50having for some time now. Um I've been

2:39:52having some regular conversations with

2:39:54Kate Vesley from Pum County uh and the

2:39:57and the safer center. Um, and we're

2:39:59really looking towards uh trying to

2:40:01understand what that continued contact

2:40:03looks like and how we can have both uh

2:40:07services and accountability. And we're

2:40:09really working hard on that, especially

2:40:10with our our our community court and and

2:40:13other

2:40:14facilities.

2:40:15>> And that's what I'm coming off of. I

2:40:16know you guys are starting this process,

2:40:18but we have community court, we have

2:40:19veterans court, we have homeless court,

2:40:21and really I I think maybe we're oversp

2:40:24specializing. We we really have high

2:40:26need individual court and I don't know

2:40:28what else to call it but we we have to

2:40:31take a look at how that would work. I

2:40:33look there's a lot more to it. We got to

2:40:34get the county attorney in that in that

2:40:37discussion a couple of the presiding

2:40:39judges. There's a lot to it. I get it.

2:40:41But we I'm really challenging to push

2:40:43the envelope here. That's all.

2:40:44>> Absolutely. Council member Kenne will do

2:40:47that.

2:40:48>> Um we do have other council colleagues

2:40:52that want to jump in. Council member uh

2:40:54Schubert and then Council Member Vahas.

2:40:58>> Thanks, Mayor. Thank you, staff, Brandy,

2:41:00Allison. Um really appreciate this

2:41:03update and for the difficult work being

2:41:05done every day to address unsheltered

2:41:07homelessness. Um I want to return to a

2:41:10number I raised during our last

2:41:11discussion, 1,269 people living

2:41:15unsheltered in Tucson according to the

2:41:162026 point in time count. Um, I think of

2:41:20this as our placement gap, the number of

2:41:22people we need to find appropriate

2:41:23shelter and housing options for. We

2:41:26currently have 234 people in six city

2:41:29operated shelters and Star Village's

2:41:31recent storm damage reminds us of how

2:41:34fragile some of our existing

2:41:35infrastructure is. My first question,

2:41:39how is our current zoning code limiting

2:41:41our ability to expand safe, sustainable

2:41:43shelter options, and what specific

2:41:45changes would help us close this

2:41:47placement gap? I also encourage

2:41:49residents to participate in the shelter

2:41:51code amendment survey on the planning

2:41:54and development services website before

2:41:55it closes on October 25th. They did

2:41:58extend it. We've heard considerable

2:42:00misinformation about this process and

2:42:02informed community participation is

2:42:04essential.

2:42:06Second, I appreciate the updates on safe

2:42:08city deployments. Um, however, a 58.4%

2:42:12acceptance rate doesn't tell us whether

2:42:14people are actually staying housed.

2:42:17Can future reports include information

2:42:19about how many individuals enter

2:42:21shelter, transition to permanent

2:42:23housing, and remain housed?

2:42:26And are we evaluating how increasing

2:42:28staffing, such as with our community

2:42:31safety, health and wellness, or

2:42:33adjusting our referral processes could

2:42:35improve these outcomes?

2:42:38Third, I'm encouraged by the PACE team's

2:42:40efforts to collect weekly census data in

2:42:42our parks. Parks must remain safe and

2:42:45accessible for everyone, including

2:42:46people experiencing homelessness.

2:42:50How will we measure whether park

2:42:51interventions actually connect people to

2:42:53services and housing rather than simply

2:42:56displacing them from one public space to

2:42:58another? I want to acknowledge I'm

2:43:00asking super difficult questions and I'm

2:43:02not expecting that that's going to be

2:43:03solved by any one department. I feel

2:43:05like these are our questions as a

2:43:07collective community.

2:43:09Finally, I'd appreciate utilization data

2:43:12for the new community storage program,

2:43:14which is such an exciting effort. This

2:43:16is a practical intervention that can

2:43:18help people retain their belongings

2:43:19while accessing services, and we should

2:43:22understand its reach.

2:43:24Ultimately, I want us to have

2:43:25conversations that move beyond tracked

2:43:27contacts, cleanups, and enforcement

2:43:29actions and toward measuring actual

2:43:31reductions in unsheltered homelessness.

2:43:34My understanding is that we along with

2:43:37our continuum of care partners are

2:43:39already tracking this kind of data um in

2:43:41our bimonthly reports here. I would love

2:43:43to see some of that information,

2:43:45particularly how many people we're

2:43:47helping get into stable housing, how

2:43:50long it takes, and what investments are

2:43:52needed to close the gap. And again, I

2:43:54acknowledge that these are hard

2:43:56questions without easy answers, but

2:43:58these are the kinds of questions that

2:44:00people are asking me and our office. and

2:44:02I I value being responsive and elevating

2:44:05what I'm hearing. So given all that,

2:44:08that's the information and

2:44:09accountability we'd like to see in

2:44:11future reports. Thank you so much for

2:44:12all you do.

2:44:14>> And I think those questions are valid

2:44:16also for our federal partners, right?

2:44:18Like what what is it that the state is

2:44:20doing for unsheltered homelessness? What

2:44:23is it that the federal government is

2:44:25doing for unsheltered homelessness?

2:44:27Because to be honest with you, the

2:44:29federal government is making it harder

2:44:32to provide the housing first services

2:44:36that we prefer, right? And so my

2:44:39question is, how is it

2:44:44that the federal HUD guidelines changing

2:44:49the priorities from housing first to

2:44:53treatment first? How is it going to

2:44:55affect our budget and our bottom line?

2:44:59And I think that we have to make sure

2:45:01that as a city we are bringing our

2:45:04federal partners to the table and not

2:45:09just asking for the resources that we

2:45:12need but that they rely on

2:45:15evidence-based

2:45:17programs like housing first is we have

2:45:22proven that it works right. Um, a lot of

2:45:25people because they have lack of

2:45:27information and knowledge, they think

2:45:30that it's only housing

2:45:32as opposed to housing individuals and

2:45:36wrapping them around with the services

2:45:39that they need. And so, we are fighting,

2:45:41I don't know about you, council member,

2:45:43but I am fighting a lot of

2:45:45misinformation

2:45:46out there that people use are using

2:45:50against me and against the city. uh

2:45:53because we use a program, housing first,

2:45:58that is an evidence-based program. They

2:46:00don't understand how it works. They

2:46:02don't care about finding out about the

2:46:04numbers that we're sharing monthly. We

2:46:07have been sharing these numbers monthly

2:46:09for the last 3 years and they don't

2:46:12care. Facts don't matter sometimes. And

2:46:15so, yes, your questions are good and

2:46:18should be asked of of our team, but they

2:46:20should also be asked of the federal

2:46:23government. What is it that the federal

2:46:24government is doing to help an issue

2:46:29that shouldn't rest on the shoulders of

2:46:31cities? Unsheltered homelessness should

2:46:34rest on the shoulders of all of us.

2:46:37every layer layer of government,

2:46:40federal, state, county, and city. All of

2:46:44us should be finding solutions for this.

2:46:47So, appreciate your questions and we

2:46:50should return those questions to the

2:46:51federal government and the state

2:46:52government and say, what is it exactly

2:46:55that you're doing to help us? Um, I want

2:46:58to thank our partners that are in the

2:47:01audience. Tom Litwiki is here with O

2:47:04PBLO Community Services. I know that um

2:47:08the team here is here from uh Primaba

2:47:11Foundation. Thank you so much for

2:47:13helping us with Star Village for being

2:47:15part of the solution. And I hear that we

2:47:18also have our transit ambassadors in the

2:47:22audience here. So I really want to uh

2:47:26ask our transit ambassadors, newly hired

2:47:29transit ambassadors to stand up, please.

2:47:32Thank you so much. We are very

2:47:36appreciative

2:47:37of you all. I just want to call them out

2:47:40by name. Rian Scott, um Harvey Thompson,

2:47:44Ethan Van Aller, Cass Ariel

2:47:48Romero, and Ralph Barber. Thank you and

2:47:51welcome to the City of Tucson team. We

2:47:54are very happy to have you and are

2:47:56looking forward to um the continued work

2:48:00that we're all going to do together to

2:48:02keep our community safe. In your in your

2:48:05case, our transit system uh well

2:48:08informed, our residents well informed

2:48:10that use our transit system and your

2:48:12help being extra eyes and ears to

2:48:15connect people to the resources that

2:48:17they need. So, thank you so much. Any

2:48:20other questions, comments? Council

2:48:22member Vahas,

2:48:23>> I just have a couple questions, but I

2:48:24could email them to you, but I want to

2:48:26thank you both and thank you both for

2:48:27taking our team on a site visit site

2:48:30tour a few weeks ago. It was very

2:48:32informative and we were able to ask a

2:48:33lot of questions at that time. But um my

2:48:36only question really was the results for

2:48:38the weekly park census. when are they

2:48:40going to when will we have that

2:48:43information and will we be able to um

2:48:46dig a little deeper on on the outreach

2:48:48and and who we need to bring in for

2:48:50partners and then actually I have

2:48:52another question um how are we tracking

2:48:55whether individuals contacted through

2:48:57the safe city deployments are

2:48:58successfully transitioning into shelter

2:49:01treatment permanent housing what is that

2:49:03follow-up process look like and what

2:49:04gaps are we seeing thank you both

2:49:08>> and what resources we need to cover

2:49:10those gaps. Um, so very similar

2:49:13questions as council member Schubert.

2:49:15Any others? Okay. Also, one thing that I

2:49:18really am getting on um trying to repeat

2:49:24um how does how do we involve our

2:49:26community

2:49:28in in participating in the safety of our

2:49:30city? Like you know, our community, they

2:49:33have eyes and ears. They they know their

2:49:36neighborhood. They know their needs.

2:49:38It's not just about reporting, but how

2:49:40is it that we urge how can we urge

2:49:43residents to get involved in our safe

2:49:46city initiative, right? How do we urge

2:49:48our residents to show up to team up to

2:49:51cleanup events? Um there also there's

2:49:54research that proves that you know

2:49:57keeping a clean neighborhood is part of

2:50:01creating safety uh in our so how do we

2:50:05how do we ask our community to

2:50:08participate and volunteer and team up to

2:50:11clean up and I know that our

2:50:13multidisciplinary outreach team is

2:50:16really good about working with churches

2:50:20um that go out and put together heat

2:50:23relief kits and go out into the

2:50:25community and do, you know, distribution

2:50:28of of um uh safety kits as well. How do

2:50:33they donate to our nonprofit

2:50:35organizations so that we can provide

2:50:39more beds? So, I would also ask that we

2:50:43think about like how do we involve our

2:50:46residents in being part of the solution

2:50:50as we move forward. So, um, that's my

2:50:53feedback and, um, and if there's no

2:50:57others, thank you, Brandon, Allison, and

2:51:00all of our transit ambassadors, everyone

2:51:03involved in, um, keeping our community

2:51:07safe and and doing the incredible work

2:51:09that you all do. Mr. Manager, did you

2:51:12want to add anything else?

2:51:14>> No, mayor. Just adding my thanks to

2:51:15them.

2:51:19All

2:51:19>> righty. Move on to item six,

2:51:23Miss Clerk.

2:51:26Item six. Time has been set aside to

2:51:29receive direction from mayor and council

2:51:31regarding approval of the incentive

2:51:33request provided by Benson Hospitality

2:51:35Manager LLC for hotel development, the

2:51:37independent economic analysis for the

2:51:39project has been completed.

2:51:41>> Mr. Manager.

2:51:43>> Thank you, honorable mayor and members

2:51:44of the council. Joining us here at the

2:51:47table is Mike Chakowski to uh present

2:51:50and discuss the results of this

2:51:52particular assessment and uh request

2:51:55your direction for next steps. Mike,

2:51:58thank you Mr. Tamir. Uh good afternoon,

2:52:00Mayor Romero, members of the council. Uh

2:52:02thank you again for your time

2:52:04consideration of the item of the Clara

2:52:07Remodeling Hotel done by Benson

2:52:09Hospitality Manager LLC. Uh developers

2:52:13proposing renov renovation and

2:52:15modernization of existing hotel located

2:52:18at 755 East Benson Highway formerly

2:52:20known as the Minsk to be renamed the

2:52:22Clara. Uh site has been vacant for

2:52:25several years as we're all aware in

2:52:27considerable disrepair. I do want to say

2:52:29on a personal note uh this project

2:52:31brings me full circle in my career with

2:52:33the city. Uh it's one of my first

2:52:35projects with housing way back when was

2:52:37South Park revitalization corridor over

2:52:40there. So, this is really cool to be

2:52:41seeing this happening over there. Um,

2:52:45just as a reminder, general terms of

2:52:47this incentive are reimbursement of city

2:52:49sales tax and hotel tax to offset

2:52:51eligible on or off-site public

2:52:53improvements, permit and impact fees,

2:52:55workforce training, or any combination

2:52:57of those. No reimbursement, as always,

2:52:59shall be made until all completion of

2:53:01the project, verification of all costs

2:53:03and taxes collected. And the final value

2:53:05again is the lesser of all these

2:53:07numbers, actual numbers. Uh per mayor

2:53:09and council direction, we did uh

2:53:11initiate an economic analysis which you

2:53:14have in your packet. Um coming up very

2:53:18strong for actually the size of this

2:53:19project over five years. Project would

2:53:22generate direct city sales tax a net of

2:53:25$1.3 million. Uh the boutique hotel, so

2:53:29a little bit of a smaller kind of infill

2:53:32hotel. Very cool. Will create 17

2:53:34construction jobs, five full-time jobs,

2:53:36and four part-time jobs. And it's

2:53:39obviously in its current vacant,

2:53:40neglected condition. It is not

2:53:42generating any any revenue, but actually

2:53:43a blight on the community and costing us

2:53:46significant time and tax dollars in

2:53:49maintaining it. Um the red development

2:53:51will have significant positive impacts

2:53:53in the area. As mentioned, the project

2:53:56could generate a total economic impact

2:53:58of $2 million, $9.9 million over 5 years

2:54:02in direct and indirect revenues. Um,

2:54:05projected value of the incentive is

2:54:07$500,000 over those five years, capped

2:54:09again at that 45% rate of the all city

2:54:12sales tax actually collected, not to

2:54:14exceed $100,000 per year. Well, the city

2:54:18would net projected $1.3 million over

2:54:20those five years, significantly

2:54:22exceeding and meeting the requirements

2:54:25for our benefits test for the

2:54:27incentives.

2:54:28So, as mentioned, direction today is

2:54:30requested to formalize development

2:54:32agreement, bringing it back to mayor and

2:54:34council for final consideration.

2:54:36Next steps, we would bring back as

2:54:38required a legal notice of intent on

2:54:39that on a subsequent uh council meeting

2:54:42followed by that consideration of that

2:54:44development agreement. I'm happy to

2:54:46answer any questions. I do have Connor

2:54:47Blunt here representing developer if you

2:54:50have any questions for him. I know

2:54:51council member Baras, you have met with

2:54:53her team and toured the site and we've

2:54:55also had TPD and everybody meeting with

2:54:58the site as well as looking at other

2:54:59opportunities in the area. So, very

2:55:01exciting opportunity. Thank you.

2:55:03>> It is very exciting. Council member

2:55:04Vadas, do you have a motion?

2:55:08I just wanted to say I'm just encouraged

2:55:11and looking forward to this opportunity

2:55:13with you all here at the Clara Hotel and

2:55:15I just want to make sure that we're

2:55:17looking beyond the numbers and focusing

2:55:18on what this investment truly means for

2:55:20our residents and the surrounding area.

2:55:22That means creating local opportunities,

2:55:24jobs, supporting economic activity, and

2:55:27ensuring the community truly sees those

2:55:29tangible um benefits. So, thank you. I'm

2:55:32I move second.

2:55:34>> So, there's a motion and a second. Any

2:55:36further discussion on this item? Council

2:55:39member Cunningham,

2:55:40>> just remember, it's way better to get

2:55:43part of something than all of nothing.

2:55:45And every single time we talk about

2:55:47these incentives, some folks are very

2:55:50quick to misrepresent them as some type

2:55:53of cash giveaway. And the bottom line is

2:55:56that the opposite is true. Uh we won't

2:55:58even get the investment unless we do

2:56:00things like things. Again, we're getting

2:56:02part of something instead of all of

2:56:03nothing. This is a really good

2:56:05investment for the southside. Anybody um

2:56:08anybody familiar with the Benson Highway

2:56:10corridor and where this is realizes how

2:56:13excellent it is. Thanks for taking this

2:56:15risk on Tucson.

2:56:17>> Um I too just want to say how exciting

2:56:19this is. This is such a positive

2:56:21investment in an area of our city that

2:56:25highly needs the investment, but it's

2:56:27also popping. it's, you know, moving

2:56:30forward and uh being able to have a

2:56:33reinvestment strategy in this area is um

2:56:37is something that I'm happy about. I

2:56:40know that we're including this area in

2:56:43our opportunity zone program and um

2:56:47again, I agree with Council Member

2:56:48Cunningham that that getting a

2:56:51percentage of something is better than

2:56:52getting nothing of nothing. Um and this

2:56:56area deserves this investment and the

2:56:59people and neighborhoods that

2:57:00surrounding this area uh will see a big

2:57:03difference. So uh happy to move this

2:57:05forward. There's a motion and a second

2:57:08on the floor. If there's no further

2:57:10discussion, all those in favor, please

2:57:11signify by saying I

2:57:13>> I

2:57:14>> I.

2:57:15>> Any against? Motion carries. Thank you

2:57:18all. Thank you so much. Thank you,

2:57:20Council Member Barahas. And thank you,

2:57:21Mike. We move on to item seven.

2:57:28Time has been set aside for Marian

2:57:30Council to provide an update on the

2:57:31proposed community ordinances and

2:57:33development enhancements code Tucson 26

2:57:36code update package which contains

2:57:38amendments to the unified development

2:57:39code UDC and Tucson city code. Mr.

2:57:43Manager.

2:57:44>> Thank you honorable mayor and members of

2:57:46the council. Joining me here is our

2:57:48director of planning and development

2:57:49services, Corin Manning, who will be uh

2:57:53giving you an overview of what this is,

2:57:56maybe even mention a couple of things

2:57:58that it is not. And um really we're

2:58:01seeking your feedback as we go along. Um

2:58:05and uh we'll be uh also covering a bit

2:58:07of what this next steps look like moving

2:58:09forward. Um we don't need any particular

2:58:12direction at this point, but we're just

2:58:13seeking your feedback uh on our process

2:58:15so far. With that, I give it to Korn

2:58:17Manning.

2:58:19>> Thank you, city manager, and good

2:58:21afternoon, honorable mayor Romero,

2:58:22council members. This is an update, as a

2:58:24city manager mentioned, on the community

2:58:26ordinances and development enhancements

2:58:29or code Tucson 26 code amendment

2:58:32package. This package is really intended

2:58:34to modernize, clarify, and streamline

2:58:37our zoning code and review processes.

2:58:40Um, so I want to clarify that PDSD is

2:58:43engaged in a number of code initiatives

2:58:45at the moment. So I want to clarify that

2:58:47this package does not include amendments

2:58:49related to shelter care or commercial

2:58:51rainwater harvesting. Those are separate

2:58:52items that we are currently working on

2:58:54and we will have an update on commercial

2:58:56rainwater harvesting code amendments at

2:58:58the next mayor and council study session

2:59:00and then on shelter care at a future

2:59:02date. So this package is really um

2:59:06geared towards as I mentioned

2:59:07streamlining and modernizing our code.

2:59:09It was initiated by mayor and council in

2:59:11December of last year. It actually

2:59:13includes 78 amendments related to

2:59:15development review, sign code, parking,

2:59:18housing, and adaptive reuse.

2:59:21Planning commission has reviewed this

2:59:23amendment and recommends approval with

2:59:25three conditions that we will cover um

2:59:27in a moment. I also want to note that

2:59:30this package previously included

2:59:32standards for battery energy storage

2:59:34systems, also known as BES. um that

2:59:37component has been removed from this

2:59:39package to allow for additional

2:59:41stakeholder discussion, technical

2:59:43analysis so we can really craft the

2:59:44appropriate standards around that use as

2:59:47a separate code amendment. Uh so pending

2:59:50feedback from mayor and council today,

2:59:51we do intend to schedule this proposal

2:59:53for a public hearing on November 17th.

2:59:56Um Alisa Hamlin has also joined us, our

2:59:58deputy director. Thanks, Alisa. Um, and

3:00:00Alisa is going to cover more of the

3:00:01outreach process and um, some of the key

3:00:04components of this package.

3:00:10Honorable mayor, members of the council,

3:00:12it's a pleasure to be with you here this

3:00:14afternoon. Excuse my tardiness. Um, I'm

3:00:16excited to talk to you about Code Tucson

3:00:18because this is something I'm really

3:00:20passionate about. I'm really am invested

3:00:22in being able to propose some changes

3:00:24that I think are going to make our

3:00:25zoning code better. Um this has been a

3:00:28long process over the last uh you know

3:00:31several months but we have been able to

3:00:34get feedback from a lot of those in the

3:00:36community regarding improving our

3:00:38development codes and improving our

3:00:40zoning code. Um for community engagement

3:00:43we first started this process by

3:00:45reaching out to those in the community

3:00:48with an open-ended question of what they

3:00:50wanted to see improved in our codes. And

3:00:53the feedback from that really shaped the

3:00:55central themes that are part of this

3:00:57package. And once we had a handle on

3:01:00what we thought were kind of the

3:01:02priorities that we heard and things we

3:01:03knew were going to be um able to improve

3:01:07the code overall, we held a series of

3:01:10public meetings in June this year where

3:01:13we talked through the themes and also

3:01:15the proposals that were on the table to

3:01:17improve the code. Um, we had around 60

3:01:22people that attended the two meetings

3:01:24and we were able to garner some good

3:01:26feedback from that. We did get a lot of

3:01:28comments that were related to process

3:01:31changes, um, the need to remove barriers

3:01:34to housing and parking standards, common

3:01:36topics. And then we did provide a

3:01:39follow-up community survey after those

3:01:41public meetings as well. And that gave

3:01:44us some good things to work towards. So

3:01:47for code Tucson we were able to develop

3:01:50eight themes and I have kind of

3:01:52portioned them into two different

3:01:53buckets. Uh four of the eight themes are

3:01:56really about clarifying simplifying or

3:01:59modernizing the code some you know

3:02:01normal improvement kind of things. The

3:02:04other four items are related to policy

3:02:06areas that we know have been important

3:02:08to the community and to the mayor and

3:02:10council, including parking improvements,

3:02:13adaptive reuse, emerging land uses,

3:02:16housing, and modernizing and

3:02:18reauthorizing our sign code. So today,

3:02:21I'd just like to focus on the four that

3:02:24I would clarify as kind of policy areas

3:02:27because I think that's where there's

3:02:29been a lot of interest. Uh the first

3:02:31being clarifying parking standards.

3:02:34There is um seven items in this category

3:02:37and we know that

3:02:39there's been comments from the community

3:02:41not only about the amount of parking

3:02:43that's out there, but the design of our

3:02:45parking areas and how it relates to our

3:02:47public places. So this is some

3:02:50incremental items that we're proposing

3:02:52as part of code Tucson. It's not a

3:02:54complete overhaul, but we think it makes

3:02:55some very meaningful improvements,

3:02:58especially things that we know have been

3:03:00barriers to development in the past and

3:03:02to improving our built environment. So,

3:03:05those items include allowing parking,

3:03:08temporary parking for special events, um

3:03:11clarifying for the standards for shared

3:03:14parking situations, including for in

3:03:16mixeduse developments and as part of

3:03:18shopping centers. uh clarifying parking

3:03:21for recreational uses and self-service

3:03:23uses and also removing a barrier that

3:03:27we've heard time and again about

3:03:29calculating outdoor seating areas as

3:03:31part of your parking requirement. Um

3:03:33kind of disincentivizes creation of

3:03:36those spaces. And then the last item and

3:03:39perhaps the most meaningful is to

3:03:41simplify our process for an individual

3:03:44parking plan. This is our primary tool

3:03:47for which we can give parking reductions

3:03:49through the zoning code. And based on

3:03:53feedback from the community and also the

3:03:54planning commission, we added this to

3:03:57the package to be able to open up the

3:04:00opportunity to do an IP in more

3:04:02locations throughout the city and

3:04:04provide more developments, the

3:04:05opportunity to make that argument for

3:04:07why an IP would be appropriate for their

3:04:10location.

3:04:12Um, this does still allow for a review

3:04:15process and for the PDSD director to

3:04:17impose conditions when they're

3:04:19appropriate in those scenarios.

3:04:22The se second policy area that I want to

3:04:24mention is emerging land uses and

3:04:26adaptive reuse. Uh, we know that we have

3:04:29a lot of uh vacant structures or

3:04:31underutilized structures in our city.

3:04:34So, we've tried to respond to that by um

3:04:36streamlining the opportunities to use

3:04:39our primary adaptive reuse tool, opening

3:04:41that up to use for restaurants and bars,

3:04:44which were not previously allowed to use

3:04:46it in the same way, and also creating

3:04:49more opportunities for services to be

3:04:52located in commercial, office, and

3:04:54industrial areas. our office zoning has

3:04:57typically not allowed for certain um

3:05:00uses that an office employee might need

3:05:02on their everyday and so trying to

3:05:04create more opportunities for that and

3:05:06for accessory and mixed use. So really

3:05:09um limiting some of the things that have

3:05:12been holding back reuse of our existing

3:05:15developed areas. Originally, as Korin

3:05:18mentioned, we did include a proposal for

3:05:20battery energy storage systems as part

3:05:22of this topic area, but that has since

3:05:25been pulled, but that would have fit

3:05:26into our emerging land use categories.

3:05:28We did also make some other small minor

3:05:32improvements to other use categories

3:05:34that represent the evolution of things

3:05:37over time.

3:05:39The third area that I'll mention is

3:05:41removing barriers to housing. Um,

3:05:44housing is something in the forefront of

3:05:47much of the community's mind and

3:05:50affordability and being able to find

3:05:52adequate housing. So, one of the things

3:05:54that we're proposing as part of this

3:05:56package is to create an opportunity for

3:05:59middle housing subdivisions. And this is

3:06:02feeding off of prior direction from the

3:06:04mayor and council when we adopted the

3:06:06middle housing code update to really

3:06:09think about then how to create ownership

3:06:11opportunities for those middle housing

3:06:13units. So the subdivision option would

3:06:15do that allow for smaller lot sizes to

3:06:18be created and sold and therefore

3:06:20creating more affordable options and

3:06:23that would apply citywide to the

3:06:24locations that allow middle housing.

3:06:27We also have a couple items in that

3:06:30housing topic area allowing for easier

3:06:33conversion of existing structures to

3:06:35ADUs or cassitas and then clarifying

3:06:38some standards also related to our new

3:06:40threshold with middle housing the five

3:06:42unit threshold. So cleaning that up. And

3:06:45then the last topic Ariel mentioned

3:06:47today is our sign code reauthorization.

3:06:50That was originally set the sign code

3:06:52was originally set to sunset in um

3:06:56August. We did previously ask the mayor

3:06:58and council to extend that for 6 months

3:07:00while we worked through this project.

3:07:03And so it is now set to expire in

3:07:05February, but we're hoping we're going

3:07:07to get through code Tucson before then

3:07:09and um be able to remove the the

3:07:13requirement for a sunset date. Our sign

3:07:15code has been in place for several

3:07:17years. We've seen it be successful.

3:07:19We're also proposing some minor updates

3:07:22to some design um standards related to

3:07:25the sign code as part of that topic

3:07:27area.

3:07:30So uh as I mentioned there was a few

3:07:33items that obviously we made some

3:07:34adjustments as we kind of went through

3:07:36the last few stages with the planning

3:07:38commission. We did meet with them in two

3:07:40study sessions because of the quantity

3:07:43of the information that we had in this

3:07:45code package. Um a total of 78 I believe

3:07:50different area items. Um, and that is

3:07:54very large and we were really lucky to

3:07:56be able to have fruitful conversation

3:07:58with them about some adjustments we

3:08:00could make along that way. But we held a

3:08:03public hearing with them on October 7th

3:08:06and they did move forward with a

3:08:08recommendation to the mayor and council

3:08:10to adopt the code amendments as part of

3:08:12code Tucson with a few um conditions

3:08:16which we've already mentioned the

3:08:17battery storage to remove that. They

3:08:19also recommended we change some items

3:08:23related to substation

3:08:25um upgrades and we had proposed as part

3:08:29of the package that very minor upgrades

3:08:31i.e. like replacing equipment wouldn't

3:08:34trigger a zoning examiner special

3:08:36exception. We've since revised that to

3:08:38be a PDSD director special exception. So

3:08:40more administrative but very in very

3:08:42limited circumstances. So, we're

3:08:45refining that language based on um

3:08:47direction from the planning commission.

3:08:50And they also um revised a wall height

3:08:54associated with that. And then the final

3:08:57item I'll mention is that they did want

3:08:59to see further work done on parking

3:09:01standard reform as we've mentioned and

3:09:05we're tenatively hoping that we can move

3:09:07this forward to public hearing with the

3:09:10mayor and council assuming we have some

3:09:12direction from you today. So that is the

3:09:15items that I was hoping to summarize and

3:09:17I think Korin do you have any closing?

3:09:19>> Yes, thank you Alisa. Um so we think

3:09:22Code Tucson is a very significant reform

3:09:25and will really um improve how we review

3:09:28and regulate development Tucson but of

3:09:30course that work is never done as you

3:09:31heard from Alisa. Um some of the

3:09:35community priorities we really heard

3:09:36through this process were housing and

3:09:38parking reform. How can we make further

3:09:41um advance those issues further? So, I

3:09:43just wanted to highlight that to mayor

3:09:45and council, those are items definitely

3:09:46on our radar that we're taking away from

3:09:48this process. Um, on parking, as Lisa

3:09:51mentioned, there are a number of very

3:09:53targeted reforms in this package, but um

3:09:56really a further effort would need to be

3:09:57kind of a dedicated um project related

3:10:00to parking um in partnership with

3:10:03Department of Transportation Mobility

3:10:04and other partners. Um and on housing,

3:10:07again, that really emerged as a key

3:10:09priority. Again, many items in here that

3:10:11will make significant changes, including

3:10:12that subdivision option. Um, but this is

3:10:15something that is already on PDSD's

3:10:17agenda and work plan for the coming

3:10:19years. We received a pro housing grant

3:10:21from HUD in partnership with HCD. So,

3:10:23that is something we're starting to put

3:10:25together a larger residential reform

3:10:26package and will be returning to Mayor

3:10:28and Council in the near future for more

3:10:30in-depth discussion of that item. Um, so

3:10:32with that, um, again, pending the

3:10:34outcome of today's discussion, we will

3:10:36be bringing this back to mayor and

3:10:37council for a public hearing and

3:10:39consideration on November 17th. Well,

3:10:42thank you so much, Corin and Elisa, for

3:10:44your incredible work, and thank you for

3:10:46bringing us a a package that had so much

3:10:50community input and feedback. I know

3:10:52that you did surveys, you did meetings,

3:10:54you did very specific uh stakeholder

3:10:57group engagement meetings, and so I

3:11:00appreciate all of the work that you're

3:11:02doing. It makes my heart happy that

3:11:06um you know, in in the feedback that you

3:11:09received. I did read the uh feedback.

3:11:14What is it? The overview of code Tucson

3:11:16survey results and hearing from the

3:11:19general community and development

3:11:22professionals and neighborhood advocates

3:11:24and special interest groups. Uh many of

3:11:28them talked about uh parking

3:11:31requirements um you know to reook at the

3:11:35parking requirements infill housing

3:11:37density um you know all of the issues

3:11:41that we've been working on and that we

3:11:43know we need to work on. Uh so the the

3:11:46survey results I think really um bring

3:11:51to light what we have been talking about

3:11:54for the last I would say six to 12 20

3:11:59years around here. Um, so I did see that

3:12:04your recommendation is to come back for

3:12:08future unified development code

3:12:10amendments

3:12:12um to look at the parking which the

3:12:15planning commission recommended that

3:12:18parking overall should be looked at uh

3:12:21throughout the city of Tucson. And then

3:12:24of course the housing reforms that you

3:12:25recommend that you come back with um for

3:12:31doing larger residential code reform uh

3:12:36supported by the pro uh housing grant

3:12:39that we applied for and success

3:12:41successfully brought to Tucson. So uh

3:12:44people have very similar things issues

3:12:48on their minds about housing

3:12:49affordability. How do we how do we do

3:12:51infill development?

3:12:54Um how do we protect sensitive the

3:12:58sensitive outskirts of our city in terms

3:13:01of um you know keeping buffers to

3:13:06natural open spaces uh parking and

3:13:09what's working what's not working. So,

3:13:11I'm I'm really happy with the package

3:13:14that you bring forward and I know that

3:13:16my colleagues have have some additional

3:13:18input on the same note. So, open it up

3:13:21for my colleagues on the council. Um,

3:13:23Council Member Cunningham and then

3:13:25Council Member Schubert.

3:13:29>> We start with the easy ones. Battery

3:13:30storage use,

3:13:33please be liberal. Um, I like the idea

3:13:36of being able to storage batteries as

3:13:39long as they meet the safety

3:13:41requirements, but I want I'm thinking

3:13:43about allowing neighbors to put it in

3:13:46easements. Uh, people can be encouraged

3:13:48to get off-rid. I mean, there's just all

3:13:50kinds of things. So, battery storage is

3:13:52a thing where

3:13:54at first sight you're thinking, oh,

3:13:55battery storage i3. Well, what we really

3:13:58have to do is say battery storage can be

3:14:00all zones, but you can't store an entire

3:14:04battery farm on an R1. You can have like

3:14:07this much square foot on R1. It has to

3:14:09be, you know what I mean? So, it has to

3:14:11be a moving target where if you're going

3:14:13to do a battery farm, that's an I or a

3:14:15C. But if you're going to do some type

3:14:18of modest battery storage, it can be a

3:14:21proportion of your lot or it can be

3:14:23that's kind of where I'm going on that.

3:14:25Um, also if it's underground, I think

3:14:27all bets are off. Whatever. Somebody

3:14:28wants to build a giant, you know,

3:14:30basement underneath their land so they

3:14:32can storage batteries.

3:14:34Okay. I mean, I don't know. Um, all

3:14:36right. The second one is the setback

3:14:39relief for ADUs. I think you guys got it

3:14:41covered. Um, we've run into a few of

3:14:45those things. I just want to make sure

3:14:47we're going to add some provisions like

3:14:48if there's a physical barrier, if it's

3:14:50out of line of sight, then that ADU

3:14:53setback relief can even go farther. I

3:14:55just think it's I think it's a good

3:14:57move. I mean, sometimes it it defeats

3:15:01the purpose and getting an In other

3:15:03words, we'll put an ADU on one part of

3:15:05the property or we'll ask them to put it

3:15:06on one part of the property when it

3:15:08makes way more sense to be somewhere

3:15:10else even though the setback isn't

3:15:12violated. So, we've got to like be we

3:15:15have to have some nimleness with

3:15:16people's site plans. Um, okay. On the

3:15:20middle housing piece,

3:15:22our affordability piece for me isn't

3:15:25just

3:15:26um our zoning and our parking

3:15:29requirements. And so, I'm glad we're

3:15:31going to do those things. It's great.

3:15:33But the biggest piece is the

3:15:35construction defect. I brought it up at

3:15:37this table for our state agenda and and

3:15:39we've talked about construction defect

3:15:41insurance and how it affects middle

3:15:43housing and the cost to build it. In

3:15:45other words, right now if I want to

3:15:46build a three-bedroom, two bath town

3:15:48home, it's the same amount of money to

3:15:50build a single family residence, which

3:15:52is crazy, right? It isn't actually the

3:15:54same amount of money, but the insurance

3:15:56premiums are just way higher. So, I'm

3:15:59going to challenge you guys a little bit

3:16:00to get with the with the great Roy here

3:16:04and see if we can come up with a plan

3:16:06that doesn't violate the gift clause and

3:16:08allows people to purchase bridge

3:16:10insurance from the city at a very low

3:16:13rate

3:16:15for a two-year self- insurance

3:16:16construction defect instead of the

3:16:18seven-year self- insurance construction

3:16:21defect. I think what we'll see is a very

3:16:24good drive to lower middle housing costs

3:16:28and it will pencil out to take a larger

3:16:31residential lot midtown go vertical and

3:16:34do three or four town homes or condos.

3:16:36So those are the ones off the top of my

3:16:39head. I also think if we get some stuff

3:16:42where we get big time resistance will

3:16:45slow down. We could break this into two

3:16:48or three sections for the

3:16:49non-controversial, the couple people

3:16:52need a couple tweaks and then the stuff

3:16:55where one person points out says, "Oh my

3:16:57god, and 80 people are at our office

3:17:00yelling and screaming." So, you know, if

3:17:02we we need to have a torch and pitchfork

3:17:04provision where if we get one that's

3:17:06just unforeseen, we can pull it off the

3:17:09package. That's all. Thanks for

3:17:11listening.

3:17:12>> Thank you, Council Member Schubert.

3:17:16Thanks, Mayor, and thank you, PDSD

3:17:18staff, for the tremendous amount of work

3:17:20that has gone into Code Tucson 2026, and

3:17:23to the hundreds of residents who took

3:17:25the time to provide thoughtful feedback.

3:17:27I appreciate that these amendments are

3:17:29focused on making our development code

3:17:31more practical, flexible, and responsive

3:17:33to our community's needs. This is always

3:17:36a work in progress, and we're really

3:17:38lucky to have such a talented team

3:17:40leading the work. Changes like

3:17:42eliminating unnecessary parking

3:17:44requirements, making it easier to

3:17:45convert existing structures into ADUs,

3:17:48and establishing clearer middle housing

3:17:50standards are exactly the kinds of

3:17:52reforms we need to reduce barriers to

3:17:54housing in neighborhood serving

3:17:55businesses. I also appreciate the

3:17:57attention to rainwater harvesting,

3:18:00although um I remain concerned that the

3:18:02proposed six-foot height threshold for

3:18:05sistern setback exemptions may

3:18:07unnecessarily limit larger, more

3:18:10effective systems. I hope that we can

3:18:12revisit that provision.

3:18:14I also want to acknowledge concerns

3:18:16raised by residents about the potential

3:18:18weaponization of code enforcement. While

3:18:21I understand that changes to the

3:18:22neighborhood preservation ordinance fall

3:18:24outside of this process, I do believe we

3:18:27should examine whether some of our

3:18:28enforcement standards create unnecessary

3:18:31burdens without meaningfully improving

3:18:33public health or safety. Our development

3:18:36code has an enormous influence on

3:18:38housing affordability, transportation

3:18:40choices, neighborhood design, economic

3:18:43growth, and our ability to meet our

3:18:45climate goals. Parking requirements are

3:18:47a particularly important piece of that

3:18:49equation.

3:18:50Requiring more parking than a

3:18:52development actually needs, drives up

3:18:54construction costs, consumes valuable

3:18:56land, and reinforces car dependency. We

3:19:00should be evaluating whether our

3:19:01standards reflect the transportation

3:19:03system and housing options that we want

3:19:05Tucson to have in the future. And with

3:19:07the support of the ProHousing Grant, we

3:19:09have an opportunity to continue removing

3:19:11regulatory barriers and expanding the

3:19:14types of homes that can be built in our

3:19:16city.

3:19:19With that, I'd like to affirm that I'm

3:19:20pleased to see this package of updates

3:19:22move to public hearing. And I offer the

3:19:25following motion.

3:19:27Request PDSD to return to Marin Council

3:19:30in early 2027 with a work plan for the

3:19:34next phase of unified development code

3:19:36amendments. That plan should include a

3:19:38review of parking standards as

3:19:40recommended by the planning commission,

3:19:43including parking minimums and related

3:19:45access and parking design standards.

3:19:48The work plan should also include

3:19:49residential code reforms supported by

3:19:51the pro housing grant with the goal of

3:19:54expanding housing options and reducing

3:19:56unnecessary barriers to development.

3:19:58Thank you. So there's a motion on the

3:20:00floor. May I have a second?

3:20:04>> I second.

3:20:05>> There's a motion and a second. Any

3:20:07further discussion on this? This is

3:20:10basically a motion as I understand it.

3:20:12Council member Schubert basically giving

3:20:15direction on what um our mayor and

3:20:18council memorandum is suggesting, right,

3:20:21that um planning and development

3:20:23services will come back and put together

3:20:27a package for parking reform as well as

3:20:29housing reforms.

3:20:31>> Yeah. Okay. Thank you.

3:20:32>> Just want to make sure that you know

3:20:34we're clarifying. Any others? Council

3:20:36member do. Thank

3:20:38>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh congratulations and

3:20:41thanks to the team and a special thanks

3:20:43to the planning commission doing an

3:20:45extra meeting. Um and I'm going to

3:20:48support their recommendations because of

3:20:50that. I'm going to support this motion

3:20:51too because I understand that um it's

3:20:54been made in consultation with you all

3:20:56because when I think of all the things

3:20:58you're doing um composting toilets um

3:21:01new landscape stuff

3:21:03etc etc um doing a lot of work.

3:21:07Appreciate it. Um, thank you, mayor.

3:21:10>> Of course. Any others?

3:21:13Okay, hearing none. All those in favor

3:21:15of the motion, please signify by saying,

3:21:17"I

3:21:18>> I."

3:21:19>> Any against?

3:21:21Motion carries. Thank you, Corin Lisa.

3:21:24Thank you so much for all of the work

3:21:26that you and your teams do. Well done.

3:21:29All righty. We move on to item eight.

3:21:35Item eight. Time has been set aside to

3:21:37approve an authorized execution of an

3:21:38intergovernmental agreement between the

3:21:39city of Tucson and the state of

3:21:41Arizona's Department of Public Safety to

3:21:43continue TPD's participation in the

3:21:45Arizona Vehicle Theft Task Force.

3:21:48>> Mr. Manager,

3:21:50>> honorable mayor, members of the council,

3:21:53and apologies for making you nervous.

3:21:55Council member Dah with having TPD at

3:21:57the table here. Uh like to welcome TPD.

3:22:00uh this is uh at your request on an item

3:22:04that was brought to you in a previous

3:22:06council meeting and you wanted some

3:22:08further discussion and uh better

3:22:10understanding of the item uh before

3:22:12taking action on it. So uh assistant

3:22:14chief Duffy is here uh to uh guide us

3:22:16through this discussion. I turn it to

3:22:18you.

3:22:20>> Right. Thank you honorable mayor and

3:22:22council members. I just want to give a

3:22:24brief I know you get a lot of

3:22:26information before you so I'm going to

3:22:29briefly talk about uh the IG um some of

3:22:32the questions that we've answered but I

3:22:34think there's some additional questions

3:22:36that uh will be asked. So this item was

3:22:39brought to before mayor and council in

3:22:41August regarding TPD's involvement with

3:22:43the department of public safety

3:22:45autotheft task force. Follow-up items

3:22:47were requested and I just want to re

3:22:50recap what the task force is. Um, and I

3:22:52know a lot of items come your way, so

3:22:54I'm going to give some uh historical.

3:22:56The Arizona DPS task force is a regional

3:22:59partnership for stolen vehicle

3:23:01investigations and recovery. The IGA

3:23:04primarily supports TPD participation and

3:23:07cost sharing. It does not itself

3:23:09authorize new ALPRs, cameras, or bulk

3:23:12record sharing systems. Uh, we have been

3:23:15part of this task force for about 28

3:23:18years now. TPD's role in mission. TPD

3:23:21assigns one sergeant who's seated next

3:23:23to me, Sergeant Kutias, um and one

3:23:26detective to the Southern Arizona task

3:23:28force. Uh the ATF initiates vehicle

3:23:31theft investigations.

3:23:33Related cases may uncover firearms,

3:23:35narcotics, or organized vehicle theft

3:23:38activity. Regional coordination helps

3:23:40recover vehicles crossing city, county,

3:23:43state, and international boundaries. Uh

3:23:45just a little bit of the value of it. Uh

3:23:48so far through September of this year,

3:23:51they've recovered 195 vehicles.

3:23:54136 of those, so 70% of them were TPD

3:23:57related.

3:23:5968% of the total arrests are TPD related

3:24:03and 3,585,316

3:24:07recovered property value.

3:24:10Uh just for clarification, TPD related

3:24:12means linked to TPD, not necessarily

3:24:15that a TPD personnel individually

3:24:17recovered them. Um but it is related to

3:24:19a TPD case. Um I must really stress that

3:24:22with our current staffing and all of

3:24:24other the other responsibilities, we

3:24:26would not have been able to recover this

3:24:28number without the task force designated

3:24:30to this effort. Oftentimes, stolen

3:24:32vehicles are used in violent and

3:24:34egregious crimes. One recent example is

3:24:36the gun store burglaries. a stolen

3:24:38vehicle was used in those burglaries.

3:24:41Um, oftentimes they'll tell you in hopes

3:24:43of not uh being caught. So, this task

3:24:46force was able to recover the recover

3:24:48the vehicle that led to some of the

3:24:49arrest of those responsible. Uh, I think

3:24:52it's also important to note that some of

3:24:54these vehicles are often stolen from

3:24:56apartment complexes with victims who

3:24:57only carry li carry liability insurance,

3:25:01which means that if we don't recover

3:25:02their vehicle, they're at a total loss.

3:25:04They don't get reimbursed from their

3:25:05insurance company.

3:25:08DPS does reimburse 75% of the

3:25:11compensation for our two assigned task

3:25:13force members. Um, which ultimately

3:25:16reimbures the city 440

3:25:19800 440,800

3:25:21annually. As requested in the August

3:25:24meeting, TPD provided a briefing to

3:25:26every council member or their aids. It

3:25:28was also requested that TPD present this

3:25:30to the APC committee. Um this has been

3:25:34done and at the end of the presentation

3:25:36to IAPC the committee had no objections.

3:25:39The committee was satisfied with a

3:25:41statutory framing and rationale but I

3:25:44want to mention something that was

3:25:46mentioned in that meeting um which was

3:25:49similar to the concerns here of mayor

3:25:51and council. Um the border strike force

3:25:54was mentioned which is a department of

3:25:56public safety program. It does not exist

3:25:58anymore. when Government Hobbs was

3:26:00elected, that strike force was

3:26:02rebranded, renamed, and some units were

3:26:04removed. Um,

3:26:07so it doesn't exist anymore. And for

3:26:09mission clarification is that it's not

3:26:12an immigration enforcement effort.

3:26:14There's a squad that is positioned in

3:26:16Ngalas, which is close to the border,

3:26:18but they are working primarily to bring

3:26:20back vehicles that are stolen and taken

3:26:22into Mexico. They bring them back to the

3:26:24US in hopes to reite them, reunite them

3:26:26with the victim of that crime.

3:26:28Um I also have a set of questions um I

3:26:32think we received 16 questions that were

3:26:34brought forward since our briefings um

3:26:37which took place the beginning of

3:26:38September. All of the questions and

3:26:40answers have been provided to each

3:26:42council office and the mayor's office. I

3:26:45can go over them if you'd like or we can

3:26:47just leave it uh to specific questions.

3:26:50I'd like to uh leave it to specific

3:26:52questions. If any of the colleagues on

3:26:55the on the council have those questions

3:26:58they and they want some answers for,

3:27:01let's since you have the answers, let's

3:27:03make sure that we just focus on the ones

3:27:05that that there's qu still questions on.

3:27:08>> Absolutely.

3:27:09>> All righty.

3:27:11Are you done with your presentation?

3:27:12Okay. Thank you so much. Really

3:27:14appreciate your update. Um I just want

3:27:17to make sure that I open it up. I know

3:27:19council member Schubert has some

3:27:20questions and requested that we have

3:27:24this item in front of us. So, Council

3:27:25Member Schubert, if you want to jump

3:27:27right in.

3:27:28>> Thank you so much, Mayor, and thank you

3:27:30for being here. Really appreciate it.

3:27:33Um, I appreciate that Council Member Lee

3:27:35moved to continue this item back in

3:27:37August to allow us to have more

3:27:39discussion on this item as we hear from

3:27:41constituents who are concerned about

3:27:43data sharing, surveillance technologies,

3:27:45and government accountability. In our

3:27:48briefings with TPD, we were able to

3:27:49learn more about the intricacies of this

3:27:52program. And I just want to express my

3:27:53appreciation for the responsiveness

3:27:56um and the openness to just hearing from

3:27:58us. It's one city, one team, but we

3:28:00always want to make sure that we can

3:28:01turn around and provide specifics to our

3:28:03constituents. Um so I'm going to raise a

3:28:05few questions here just for public

3:28:07transparency.

3:28:09Um, while the IGA contains no reference

3:28:12to ALPRs or license plate reader

3:28:14technologies and the statewide task

3:28:16force does not have direct access to

3:28:18TPD's ALPRS

3:28:20are ALPRs used in the strategies of this

3:28:23task force.

3:28:27Uh, so TPD officers assigned to the task

3:28:30force uh do have access to TPD ALPRS and

3:28:34the Seaart cameras. The officers are

3:28:36allowed to share information with ATF

3:28:39members only in further ends of the

3:28:41active investigations, but they do not

3:28:43have access to our ALPRS.

3:28:45>> Thank you so much. Um, so that explains

3:28:47a little bit of the guard rails that you

3:28:49all use. Um, is there anything else

3:28:51besides ensuring that the information is

3:28:54tied to a specific case?

3:28:56>> Yes, actually, uh, we have a general

3:28:58order that governs that. Um, every Q

3:29:00requires a case event number, um, and

3:29:03documented justification. Um, so you

3:29:05have to have a criminal nexus in order

3:29:07to check the ALPR um, information or any

3:29:11of the SEARC's cameras. Thank you. There

3:29:15are two major databases used in this

3:29:17program. The National Crime Information

3:29:19Center or the NCIC as well as the

3:29:21Arizona Crime Information Center, the

3:29:23ACIC. According to the briefing from

3:29:26TPD, um, the information put into the

3:29:28system is not personally identifiable

3:29:30information, PII. Can you explain what

3:29:33data does go into these databases?

3:29:36>> Yes. So the APL ALPR data does not

3:29:39contain uh the PII ACIC and NCIC can

3:29:44sometimes contain bolo or flyers. Um but

3:29:48that is any um autotheft that's

3:29:50uploaded. It's a state requirement and

3:29:52so only law enforcement that has access

3:29:55to it for a criminal reason can get

3:29:57that. But for ALPR that's normally

3:29:59license plate information. So it'll say

3:30:01this vehicle stolen. You would have to

3:30:03go in and normally check the report.

3:30:06Sometimes um attached to NCIC or ACIC it

3:30:10will say if the vehicle is located it

3:30:13will tell you who to get a hold of

3:30:14victim wise to give that back to but

3:30:16that would be it. So just to confirm um

3:30:19no information like specific names of

3:30:22people, immigration status or biometric

3:30:24data?

3:30:25>> No. Um, in our research, we found the

3:30:28AVTF newsletters, which do share

3:30:31overarching information like hotspot

3:30:33data and the makes and models of

3:30:34vehicles stolen. Can you share what data

3:30:37metrics are used internally within TPD

3:30:40to measure the success of the AVTTF, TFF

3:30:43program? Um, what are these metrics and

3:30:47uh what of these metrics are shared with

3:30:48the Arizona Department of Public Safety?

3:30:50Yeah, the key metrics for our success

3:30:52honestly are the total number of

3:30:54recovered vehicles, total value dollar

3:30:56of the recovered vehicles, the

3:30:57percentage of su successfully prosecuted

3:31:00cases, uh which is about 85% for us and

3:31:04justice for community members and that

3:31:06is what we share with DPS.

3:31:09Thank you. Final question. I'm curious

3:31:11if the materials shared with mayor and

3:31:13council on this item are the same

3:31:14materials that were shared with the

3:31:15independent audit and performance

3:31:17commission or if they're different. Uh

3:31:20yes. So very similar. The IGA was

3:31:23shared. Um similar questions were asked

3:31:26and responded to. They had a few

3:31:28additional questions uh mainly related

3:31:31to victim. So they were victim centered

3:31:33and so those were also answered but um I

3:31:37was not part of that meeting. Sergeant

3:31:39Gutierrez was and from what I understand

3:31:41it was almost exact questions that came

3:31:43up here that were asked and answered um

3:31:46and then some additional ones.

3:31:48>> Thank you. Thank you so much. Thanks for

3:31:50taking the time to answer these

3:31:51questions and to address the concerns of

3:31:53council on this matter. I think it's

3:31:55imperative that when we have IGAS or

3:31:57contracts with outside agencies or

3:31:59private companies that we thoroughly

3:32:00review what we're sharing, how data is

3:32:02managed in how we're measuring success.

3:32:05And the goal of discussions like this

3:32:06are to ensure you know Marin Council and

3:32:08the public have full transparency and

3:32:11measurable evidence of success in data

3:32:13sharing and surveillance technology

3:32:15programs. I recognize that specialized

3:32:18tools in national and state databases

3:32:19can assist in property recovery and

3:32:22solving crimes, but I think if we're

3:32:24going to use them, we have to pair

3:32:25detailed police department briefings

3:32:27with objective data reports to build

3:32:29public trust as well as ensure targeted

3:32:31enforcement while protecting civil

3:32:33rights. I really appreciate the time

3:32:35taken for this discussion. Thank you so

3:32:37much.

3:32:38Thank you so much, uh, Council Member

3:32:40Schubert, and I appreciate you, um,

3:32:43really bringing this item,

3:32:46um, removing it from consent agenda,

3:32:48having a conversation, and I want to

3:32:50also give some appreciation to

3:32:52Councilwoman Lee, uh, for requesting

3:32:55that we have a study session item on

3:32:57this. Um, also council uh woman Lee has

3:33:02been for many years leading on making

3:33:05sure that there is clarity, transparency

3:33:09and protection of our residents in the

3:33:12strategies that we used at TPD. Um, I

3:33:16also want to thank the independent honor

3:33:18and performance commission for reviewing

3:33:20the IGA and making sure that they felt

3:33:23comfortable with the work that we're

3:33:26doing. and of course TPD

3:33:29um and all of its members working on

3:33:32this item for really giving us the

3:33:35opportunity uh as mayor and council to

3:33:38have this discussion. And I I'll

3:33:42I want to reiterate something that I had

3:33:44a conversation with Chief Prito and her

3:33:47team when we were discussing some of the

3:33:50on our updates because we all receive

3:33:53updates from our chief. Um and one of

3:33:57the things that we talked about was, you

3:34:00know, how are people feeling? How are

3:34:02residents feeling in our community? and

3:34:05and um I understand that there's

3:34:09mistrust in government. Um there's a lot

3:34:12of crazy stuff happening right now in

3:34:15government at all levels of government,

3:34:17right? And what we see of importance

3:34:22um in both from people mistrusting

3:34:25government in terms of corruption and

3:34:28what we're seeing in terms of corruption

3:34:30in in in the top echelons of government

3:34:36in uh in our country we haven't seen

3:34:39before. and what the federal priorities

3:34:45in terms of weaponizing data and I think

3:34:48people are feeling that and so it's

3:34:50important that we have these

3:34:52conversations

3:34:53not that we are distrustful of Tucson

3:34:57Police Department and the work that

3:34:58you're doing and that you have been

3:35:00doing for decades with IGA such as this

3:35:04one but what is happening at other

3:35:08levels of government to weaponize data

3:35:11and for us to be able to show our

3:35:14community this is what we do. This is

3:35:16what we've done before and this is why

3:35:19we here in the city of Tucson and with

3:35:22Tucson Police Department, this is how

3:35:24we're going to protect your data

3:35:27um and provide the services to keep our

3:35:31community safe as we always have done.

3:35:33So I totally understand

3:35:37um having this conversation and being

3:35:39able to provide the transparency and

3:35:42accountability and clarity that we have

3:35:45providing uh have been providing for

3:35:47decades. Having these conversations at

3:35:50this moment in time is uh equally

3:35:53important. So I see Councilwoman Lee's

3:35:56hand up. Councilwoman Lee um the floor

3:35:59is yours.

3:36:01Thank you, mayor, and thank you for the

3:36:02acknowledgement of all the work that we

3:36:04have been doing the past several years

3:36:05with transparency, disclosing policies,

3:36:09how we're collecting, protecting,

3:36:11auditing, all of those things because it

3:36:12is absolutely critical. And I really

3:36:14appreciate you pointing out how, you

3:36:16know, we're dealing with the the trickle

3:36:18down impacts of of distrust at other

3:36:20levels of government and other levels of

3:36:23um corporate America really. So, um,

3:36:26thank you for that, mayor. you you

3:36:27stated it perfectly and thanks to TPD

3:36:29for all the extra time that you spent to

3:36:31help educate us and the community about

3:36:33this particular IGA. Um I think overall

3:36:37as some of my colleagues have already

3:36:38said it's critical to helping to

3:36:40maintain and build trust at the local

3:36:41level where we do have control. Um and I

3:36:44really appreciate the APC chiming in.

3:36:47And I did connect with my appointee as

3:36:49well to see what her thoughts were after

3:36:50this. And I think absolutely critical

3:36:52that we have that citizen oversight on

3:36:55this and anything that we're doing that

3:36:57has anything to do with data, AI,

3:36:59emerging technology. Um that was really

3:37:01instrumental to the work that we've

3:37:03done. So I just want to thank everyone

3:37:05for their their attention on this, for

3:37:07their time on this. Um, I'm going to,

3:37:09you know, fully support the IG moving

3:37:11forward, but just wanted to share my

3:37:12gratitude um for this process and let's

3:37:15keep doing more of this because I think

3:37:16it's going to be even more important as

3:37:18the years go by. Thanks, Mayor.

3:37:21>> Thank you so much, Councilwoman. Any

3:37:23other comments, questions? I I don't see

3:37:26anything. Thank you so much. Appreciate

3:37:29your work and um information.

3:37:43Item nine.

3:37:47>> Time has been set aside for discussion

3:37:48and direction relating to matters

3:37:49pending in front of the Puma County

3:37:51Board of Supervisors and other regional

3:37:52jurisdictions.

3:37:55>> All righty, Mr. Manager, do we have any

3:37:57updates on this item? Honorable mayor,

3:37:59members of the council, joining us

3:38:00remotely is Stephanie Zamora, uh, who's

3:38:04probably two doors down from ACM Morales

3:38:06right now. So, uh, Stephanie, I know you

3:38:09have some brief updates for us.

3:38:11>> Thank you, Mr. Manager, uh, and

3:38:14honorable members and uh, honorable

3:38:16mayor and members of the council. I am

3:38:18uh joining you live from Long Beach,

3:38:20California at the ICMA and I'm really um

3:38:22happy and proud to be representing

3:38:24Tucson in our profession um here. And um

3:38:29on the regional fronts, Puma County

3:38:30selected three finalists for the county

3:38:32administrator role. Uh the board is

3:38:34interviewing those candidates today and

3:38:36they will potentially select a person

3:38:38today or by October 27th. Uh the board

3:38:41also approved its updated funding

3:38:43priorities um including an additional $1

3:38:46million over two years for the health

3:38:48department to support residents uh

3:38:50losing access and SNAP benefits as we've

3:38:52been seeing in across our community. Um

3:38:54and this would be particularly through

3:38:56food assistance, legal advocacy, and

3:38:58healthcare. Um I want to thank Mayor

3:39:00Romero and Council Member Barahas for

3:39:02raising the issue of school closures for

3:39:04this item. And so on this front um TUSD

3:39:07announced its first proposed

3:39:08consolidation uh yesterday recommending

3:39:11that Hudllo Elementary merge into SU

3:39:13elementary beginning in the 202728

3:39:16school year. Additional school recommend

3:39:19uh school closure recommendations are

3:39:20expected throughout this week with up to

3:39:2210 schools potentially affected over the

3:39:25next two years. Um a 31 member advisory

3:39:28committee including representatives from

3:39:29city council wards and puma county

3:39:31districts are helping inform um the

3:39:34process.

3:39:35Uh and following this uh TUSD will hold

3:39:38a governing board meeting on October

3:39:3927th at 5:30 at Paulovery High School

3:39:42for public comments followed by a public

3:39:44hearing on November 17th and a final

3:39:46board vote on December 8th. And for

3:39:49further regional context on this matter,

3:39:51um, Amphitheater Public Schools went

3:39:53through a similar process earlier this

3:39:54year. In January, its governing board

3:39:57unanimously approved closing Copper

3:39:59Creek, Donaldson, Holloway, and Nash

3:40:01elementary schools with students um

3:40:03consolidated into other campuses

3:40:05beginning in the current school year.

3:40:07uh TUSD cites declining enrollment

3:40:10driven by lower birth rates, families

3:40:12moving to private schools or

3:40:13homeschooling through Arizona's ESA

3:40:15program as some of the primary reasons

3:40:17for um these consolidations. The

3:40:19district is also facing um reduced state

3:40:22funding and rising costs to maintain um

3:40:24under underutilized campuses. So again,

3:40:26honorable mayor and members of the

3:40:28council, thank you for raising this

3:40:29issue. Um we are continuing to track

3:40:31that as as more developments um arise.

3:40:37Thank you so much for the update. Are

3:40:38there any questions on this? Um, okay.

3:40:42So, we're going to move to item 10,

3:40:44which is um um

3:40:48state and national legislation and

3:40:50regional committees. I'm just going to

3:40:52start off just by um talking about um

3:40:57what our neighbors, the Otam Nation, are

3:41:01facing. The federal government is

3:41:02accepting comments on proposed border

3:41:05wall construction and the city of Tucson

3:41:08is weighing in. Um

3:41:11the Trump administration is pricing

3:41:13ahead despite the nation's opposition.

3:41:16We've done a resolution in support of

3:41:19the Dhonautam nation on this and um you

3:41:23know if we all feel comfortable we're

3:41:25going to continue uh expressing our

3:41:28support for that nation. Um,

3:41:32also, uh, the city will be joining

3:41:37partners in submitting comments, uh, by

3:41:40October 29th on that particular issue. I

3:41:44did want to hand over

3:41:46um the mic to our city attorney, Roy

3:41:49Lus, because he did want to talk about

3:41:52an amicus brief that the public rights

3:41:55project is asking us to jump into. Mr.

3:41:59Lusk.

3:42:00>> Thank you, honorable mayor, members of

3:42:01council. Um, we were uh just informed

3:42:03that uh from our litigation partners uh

3:42:06that there is a uh amicus brief being

3:42:09circulated to various cities related to

3:42:11the assault weapons ordinance of Cook

3:42:14County. Um it's it's a a sort of

3:42:19regulatory um ordinance that

3:42:23uh reasonably restricts uh weapons like

3:42:26AR-15s and those sorts of platform

3:42:28weapons and and uh I would ask for your

3:42:31direction on whe whether or not we would

3:42:32sign on uh for the city.

3:42:36>> Um I'd like to move that we um add the

3:42:40city of Tucson and Amicus, please.

3:42:42Second.

3:42:43>> There's a motion and a second. Any

3:42:46further discussion on adding Tucson to

3:42:49this hearing? None. All those in favor

3:42:51of the motion, please signify by saying

3:42:53I.

3:42:54>> I.

3:42:54>> I.

3:42:55>> I.

3:42:56>> Thank you. Any against?

3:42:59All righty. You've got your direction,

3:43:01Mr. Attorney.

3:43:02>> Thank you, mayor. I also wanted to make

3:43:04sure that um I informed you that I am

3:43:07sending a letter of support um to

3:43:12support Sherikawa National Park Act.

3:43:15Congress passed the Sherikawa National

3:43:17Park Act uh which would make Sherikawa

3:43:21National Monument in Coochis County um

3:43:24Arizona's fourth national park. So, um,

3:43:28the bill was presented to President

3:43:30Trump for action late last week. Uh, he

3:43:35has 10 days excluding Sundays to sign on

3:43:39or veto it. If he takes no action, it

3:43:41becomes law. Um, and it just is very

3:43:45exciting to make Sherikawa

3:43:47um, a national park in the state. So, I

3:43:50just wanted to make sure that I informed

3:43:52you. I'm sending a letter of support uh

3:43:55on behalf of the city of Tucson for

3:43:56Sherikawa National Park.

3:43:59>> Mayor, I sent an individual one as well.

3:44:01>> That's great. Thank you for doing

3:44:03>> that's wonderful. All righty. Any other

3:44:05questions, comments on this particular

3:44:07item, Mr. Manager?

3:44:09>> Honorable mayor, just a quick uh on the

3:44:11federal front, we're still awaiting uh

3:44:13budget information and on the state

3:44:15front, we know there's u federal and

3:44:17state elections pending. So we are

3:44:19prepared for uh safe and secure

3:44:21elections in uh Tucson and working

3:44:24closely with Puma County. So that's all

3:44:26I

3:44:26>> I'm so glad that you brought that up u

3:44:28Mr. Tamir because um I know that Tucson

3:44:32Police Department, Mr. Lusk, Laura

3:44:36Conover, uh the recorders office, the

3:44:39elections department, we're all working

3:44:42together to make sure that our elections

3:44:45are safe and secure and that people's

3:44:49votes are protected. So, um we do have a

3:44:53plan as a city and county um to help

3:44:57make sure that we have a safe election

3:45:00day even though election is happening

3:45:02right now. Um, we want to make sure that

3:45:05we, um, let our community know we, you

3:45:10know, our police department, our county

3:45:12attorney, our city attorney, we're all

3:45:15working together to make sure that

3:45:17people feel safe and secure when voting.

3:45:20>> Honorable mayor, I do have uh, one quick

3:45:23final update from Stephanie on an act

3:45:25that was signed.

3:45:27>> Oh. Um, thank you, Mr. Manager and

3:45:29Honorable Mayor. I just want to state

3:45:30for the record that President Trump just

3:45:32signed that uh the Cherikawa National

3:45:34Park Act into law this afternoon. So,

3:45:36just want to um for continuity and for

3:45:39the record. Thank you.

3:45:41>> That's great. Perfect. Thank you so

3:45:43much, Stephanie. I really appreciate it.

3:45:46Anything else on this item? Item 11.

3:45:49Does anyone have any items to remove

3:45:51from the consent agenda at today's

3:45:53regular meeting?

3:45:56>> Yes, Madame Mayor. I want to remove

3:45:58items um 7E and 7D.

3:46:01>> 7E and 7D. 7D and 7E. Any others? All

3:46:06righty. Item 12. Does anyone have any

3:46:10items for future agendas?

3:46:12Seeing none, the study session is

3:46:16adjourned. The regular session will

3:46:20begin at 5:40. We'll see you in an hour.

3:46:24Thank you all so much.

3:46:43Hey,

3:46:46hey, hey.

3:53:26Nat.

3:58:11baby.

3:58:22Hey

3:58:51Hey, hey, hey.

3:59:34Hey,

3:59:42hey, hey.

3:59:45Hey. Hey. Hey.

4:00:54Heat. Heat.

4:02:29Happy

4:02:44birthday.

4:03:33Hey. Hey. Hey.

4:05:02Hey,

4:05:14hey, hey.

4:08:25hey down hey

4:10:42Heat

4:10:56up.

4:11:36Heat. Heat.

4:12:45Heat. Heat.

4:13:37Hey,

4:13:42hey, hey.

4:13:45Hey. Hey. Hey.

4:25:04Hey, hey, hey.

4:26:30Hey, hey, hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.

4:31:27Hey, hey, hey.

4:32:45Hey,

4:32:48hey, hey.

4:33:27Hey,

4:33:38hey, hey.

4:34:51Come.

4:35:50Hey,

4:35:53hey, hey.

4:36:27Hey, hey, hey.

4:38:11Heat. Heat. N.

4:39:27Hey. Hey. Hey.

4:40:13Heat. Heat.

4:40:47Heat.

4:41:07Hey, heat. Hey, heat.

4:41:12Heat. Heat.

4:44:10Hey.

4:44:16Hey. Hey.

4:47:59Hey. Hey. Hey.

4:50:36Good evening. Thank you all so much to

4:50:40everyone that is here with us today. We

4:50:43will start with um the public housing

4:50:47authority meeting first and then go into

4:50:51regular meetings. So um for the record,

4:50:55Councilwoman Lee will be participating

4:50:57electronically through Microsoft Teams

4:51:01and Vice Mayor Santa Cruz is absent

4:51:03excused. The board of commissioners of

4:51:06the city of Tucson public housing

4:51:08authority will stand in session. Uh,

4:51:11Miss Clerk, can you call roll call?

4:51:15>> Commissioner Santa Cruz.

4:51:17>> Excused. Commissioner Cunningham

4:51:20>> here.

4:51:21>> Commissioner Dah

4:51:22>> here.

4:51:22>> Commissioner Lee

4:51:23>> here.

4:51:25>> Here.

4:51:26>> Commissioner Barahus

4:51:27>> here.

4:51:27>> Commissioner Schubert

4:51:28>> here.

4:51:29>> Commissioner Hawkins

4:51:30>> here.

4:51:30>> Chair Romero

4:51:32>> here.

4:51:33We have a quorum. Item two,

4:51:37FY2027 Housing Choice Voucher payment

4:51:40standards. City manager PHA

4:51:43communication number 17 dated October

4:51:4620th is received into t and make part of

4:51:49the record. Madame clerk, you are

4:51:50requested to read resolution PHA 2026-58

4:51:55by number and title only. Resolution

4:51:58number PHA 202658 relating to housing

4:52:00and community development, approving the

4:52:02proposed fiscal year 27 payment

4:52:04standards as required by the US

4:52:05Department of Housing and Urban

4:52:06Development and setting an effective

4:52:07date. What is the board's pleasure?

4:52:16>> So move your honor. Second.

4:52:18>> There is a motion and a second to pass

4:52:21and adopt resolution PHA 2026-58.

4:52:26Um, any discussion at this time on this

4:52:30motion?

4:52:31Seeing none, we do need to go to roll

4:52:34call.

4:52:35>> Commissioner Cunningham,

4:52:37>> I.

4:52:38>> Commissioner D.

4:52:39>> I.

4:52:40>> Commissioner Lee.

4:52:42>> I.

4:52:43>> Commissioner Barahas.

4:52:44>> I.

4:52:45>> Commissioner Schubert.

4:52:46>> I.

4:52:48>> Chair Romero.

4:52:49>> I

4:52:53think Commissioner Hawking.

4:52:56and Commissioner Hawkins.

4:52:57>> Commissioner Hawkins.

4:52:59>> I All righty. Um

4:53:02I think Commissioner Hawkins has a

4:53:04question. Did you want to ask a

4:53:06question, Commissioner?

4:53:07>> I wasn't sure if Jason Thorp went to

4:53:09speak on this

4:53:10>> this particular item.

4:53:11>> Yes. On this particular item.

4:53:14>> Thank you.

4:53:15>> Okay. All

4:53:16>> righty. Thank you. There's another

4:53:17question. Uh Commissioner Vahas.

4:53:20>> Thank you, Mayor. No, I just wanted to

4:53:22recognize Jason for your leadership and

4:53:24guidance of the, you know, PHA. The

4:53:27progress made including all PHA programs

4:53:29returning to HUD's standard performance

4:53:31status is an important accomplishment.

4:53:34And just on behalf of our W5 team, we

4:53:36want to wish you the very best moving

4:53:37forward.

4:53:38>> Thank you, Commissioner, and thank you,

4:53:41Commissioner Hawkins. Really appreciate

4:53:42you asking that. All righty. So, um,

4:53:47we have everyone that's voted, correct?

4:53:50All right. So, the motion to approve

4:53:52resolution PHA 2026-58

4:53:56passes by a vote of 70.

4:54:00Item three, access to the HCD main

4:54:03office. City manager PHA communication

4:54:06number 18 dated October 20th is received

4:54:11into and made part of the record. Time

4:54:13has been set aside for review of the

4:54:15access to the main office of the housing

4:54:19community development department. Uh

4:54:22what is the or you need to read the

4:54:23resolution? No. What is the council's uh

4:54:26the board's pleasure on this item?

4:54:28Commissioner Hawkins.

4:54:29>> Yes. Um this is um

4:54:31>> Okay. So, I'm excited because I'm

4:54:34speaking on this item today. Um, and the

4:54:38subject is access to the HCD main office

4:54:41citywide and outside. See,

4:54:44the United States has the words in God

4:54:46we trust stamped on its currency. And I

4:54:48believe that the great I am hears our

4:54:49voices that go unheard and watches over

4:54:52us all. Today, I'd like to acknowledge

4:54:54the people in the room that understand

4:54:56this meeting behind the words and give

4:54:58them an opportunity to speak on this

4:55:01manner. I would like to recognize

4:55:03council member uh Schubert um Miranda

4:55:07Schubert W 6 city of Tucson for her

4:55:10efforts to seek available funding

4:55:11towards access to the HCD main office at

4:55:16310 North Commerce Park uh loop

4:55:19endeavor. I'd also like to personally

4:55:22thank uh Jason Thorp, deputy director of

4:55:25the housing authority community

4:55:26development department in the city of

4:55:28Tucson who always listens to me. um

4:55:31never ignores my concerns and helping

4:55:33ensure the voices of my constituents in

4:55:36need are not overlooked.

4:55:38Um people need means and resources to

4:55:41meet requirements. We must also listen

4:55:43to their concerns so that we can better

4:55:45understand their circumstances and work

4:55:47toward re towards real solutions that

4:55:50give them a fair opportunity to succeed.

4:55:52I need to be transparent with my

4:55:54constituents. I urge you as you pursue

4:55:57your opportunities, plan ahead, take

4:55:59charge of your life, and please speak up

4:56:01respectfully. Do everything you can to

4:56:03succeed no matter what the outcome. Uh,

4:56:06I'd like to invite Anchanette Good, the

4:56:08uh, AICP director housing uh, director

4:56:11of housing and community to speak on

4:56:14this item.

4:56:18>> Thank you, Commissioner Hawkins, Chair

4:56:21Romero, um, board of commissioners. So,

4:56:24I really want to thank Commissioner

4:56:26Hawkins for bringing this item forward.

4:56:29This came up at a recent resident

4:56:31advisory board meeting where some of our

4:56:34public housing residents and housing

4:56:36choice voucher residents mentioned that

4:56:39there used to be the fixed route service

4:56:42to um Sunran bus service to housing

4:56:45community development. There is no

4:56:47longer that fixed route, but there is

4:56:50Sun on demand. And so thanks to

4:56:53Commissioner Hawkins, we are currently

4:56:55working with Department of

4:56:56Transportation to try to better at least

4:56:59communicate what exists today. I did

4:57:01invite Department of Transportation

4:57:03Mobility

4:57:05um transit administrator Ian Sansom

4:57:07here. he can answer questions about the

4:57:10sun ondemand system, but Commissioner

4:57:13Hawkins bringing this forward is

4:57:15allowing us to at least communicate on

4:57:17what what exists today to better explain

4:57:21to residents and participants how to

4:57:23access campus. Um Ian, do you mind just

4:57:26sharing very briefly how how Sun on

4:57:28Demand works?

4:57:35>> Yes, thank you. Good evening, honorable

4:57:37mayor, council, and commissioner

4:57:38Hawkins. Thanks for having me. Um, yeah,

4:57:41I just want to touch on a few points um,

4:57:43quickly with Sun on Demand. Um, so this

4:57:46is, as it uh, name implies an ondemand

4:57:49service offered by the city of Tucson.

4:57:51Um, within this Tucson city limits,

4:57:53there are actually three Sunon demand

4:57:56zones. Um, zone one, which was the first

4:58:00established on demand zone, um, is on

4:58:02the west side, and it's bounded by

4:58:05Silverbell Road on the west, Grant Road

4:58:07on the north, uh, Cushing Street on the

4:58:10south, and then Oracle on the east,

4:58:12northeast. Um, and there's also a

4:58:15section of Sun on Demand zone one that's

4:58:18uh that covers the Ronstat Transit

4:58:19Center. So, anywhere within this zone

4:58:22one, you can pick up uh you can request,

4:58:24I'm sorry, um curb to curb transit

4:58:27service um for free. It's free just like

4:58:30the rest of our transit service. Um so,

4:58:33you can pick up, request a ride um

4:58:35within that zone one area um and be

4:58:38dropped off within that zone one. You

4:58:40can also request a ride within zone one

4:58:43or zone two and be dropped off within

4:58:45either zone one or zone two. So, you can

4:58:47go between those two zones. Um, I'll

4:58:50also mention, uh, the service, uh, runs

4:58:53pretty similar to regular Sunran

4:58:55service. So, 6:00 am to 8:00 PM on

4:58:58weekdays. Um, and then, uh, goes until 5

4:59:02I'm sorry, 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays and

4:59:045:00 p.m. on Sundays.

4:59:08>> And on demand, Ian, is um, do

4:59:12constituents have to call

4:59:14>> to make an appointment to take the

4:59:17>> Yes, honorable mayor. Yes. Um you do

4:59:20have to either call or use the Sunran

4:59:23app to I'm sorry on demand app um which

4:59:26is separate to request a ride. Um and

4:59:28you do have to request a ride 1 to 7

4:59:30days in advance to be assured of a ride

4:59:33time. You can request for same day

4:59:34service. However, you will not be

4:59:36assured of getting a ride that same day.

4:59:40>> Do you have the number?

4:59:42>> Yes. And it's in the it's also on the

4:59:45they have a book that came out. Do you

4:59:47want to provide the number if there's a

4:59:49number that people can call?

4:59:51>> Yes. So, I actually I brought pamphlets.

4:59:53Um, and if anybody wants to grab a

4:59:54pamphlet with more information, I'll

4:59:56have them on the chair over here next to

4:59:57me. I can also answer any questions

4:59:59afterwards. Um, the number is

5:00:00520-7981000.

5:00:04>> Oh, easy enough.

5:00:06>> Um, Commissioner Hawkins, did you have

5:00:08any questions or followup?

5:00:10>> Yeah, I just wanted to add to what you

5:00:11said, uh, what you were saying, Ian,

5:00:13about requesting a ride just to let my

5:00:15constituents know. Um, a lot of times,

5:00:17um, before I got a car, I had to arrive

5:00:21early. Um, and I would arrive the bus

5:00:23before just in case. Sometimes the buses

5:00:26leave early. Uh, so you want to make

5:00:28sure that you're there well before your

5:00:30time so that you don't miss your

5:00:31appointments.

5:00:34>> Thank you.

5:00:34>> Thank you, Ann.

5:00:35>> All right.

5:00:36>> Thank you so much. All righty. Anything

5:00:38else that you needed on this particular

5:00:40item, Commissioner? Excellent. Any other

5:00:42questions from you, Commissioner

5:00:45Schubert? Thank you so much, honorable

5:00:47mayor, um members of the um commission,

5:00:51and thank you to Commissioner Hawkins

5:00:52for bringing this up. Um it's definitely

5:00:55important that we are constantly working

5:00:57toward making Tucson a city that's

5:00:59accessible to everybody and especially

5:01:02people who are guests of the HCD office.

5:01:04So, I really appreciate you bringing

5:01:06this up. Um the W 6 office is happy to

5:01:09support anybody who needs help with

5:01:10planning their ride to HCD and

5:01:12troubleshooting. Um, we're happy to walk

5:01:14people through the transit app, um, and

5:01:17help help you all connect to whatever

5:01:19you need. Um, and in the meantime,

5:01:21continuing to advocate for increased and

5:01:24sustainable funding for transit so we

5:01:26can have routes for everything we could

5:01:27possibly need. Thank you so much.

5:01:30>> Thank you. All righty. We move on to

5:01:33item four,

5:01:35quarterly public housing authority

5:01:37update and fiscal year 26 public housing

5:01:39authority impact report. City managers

5:01:41PHA communication number 19 dated

5:01:44October 20th is received into and made

5:01:46part of the record. Is there a motion to

5:01:49approve the quart quarterly update? So

5:01:52moved.

5:01:53>> There's a motion.

5:01:54>> Second.

5:01:55>> There's a motion and a second. Any

5:01:57further discussion on this item?

5:02:00Seeing none. Um all those in favor of

5:02:03the motion, please signify by saying I.

5:02:05>> I.

5:02:06>> I.

5:02:06>> I.

5:02:06>> I.

5:02:08>> Any against? Motion carries. Item five,

5:02:12approval of minutes. City managers

5:02:15communication number 16 dated October

5:02:1820th is received into and made part of

5:02:20the record. Is there a motion to approve

5:02:22the minutes of the April 7th, 2026? So

5:02:25moved

5:02:25>> and June 9th, 2026 meeting. There's a

5:02:29motion and a second. Any further

5:02:31discussion on this hearing? None.

5:02:35>> All those in favor, please signify by

5:02:37saying I.

5:02:37>> I.

5:02:38>> I. I.

5:02:40>> Any against? Motion carries. Item six.

5:02:45>> Adjournment.

5:02:47>> The meeting of the board of

5:02:48commissioners is adjourned. The mayor

5:02:50and council will now convene our regular

5:02:52meeting. Thank you so much,

5:02:54commissioner. Really appreciate you.

5:02:56Thank you so much.

5:02:58>> Um, all righty. We are going to take one

5:03:00moment so that we can uh reconvene at a

5:03:03regular council meeting. Thank you,

5:03:05Commissioner.

5:03:06>> Thank you.

5:03:11Yes.

5:03:26>> No, it can't be.

5:03:31>> I'm done.

5:03:35Like that's it. just threw it like a

5:03:382-year-old child.

5:03:42Oh yeah, I love to throw across the

5:03:44room.

5:03:54>> There's none.

5:03:55>> There's no

5:04:13It's very

5:04:19good.

5:04:38All righty. Now we will reconvene for a

5:04:40regular mayor and council meeting.

5:04:43Again, for the record, Councilman Lee

5:04:45will be participating electronically

5:04:47through Microsoft Teams and Vice Mayor

5:04:50Santa Cruz is absent. Excused. Council

5:04:53will stand in session and we do need to

5:04:55go to roll call.

5:04:57>> Council member Cunningham

5:04:58>> here. Council member Doll

5:05:00>> here.

5:05:00>> Councilwoman Lee

5:05:03>> here.

5:05:04>> Council member Brahas

5:05:05>> here. Council member Schubert

5:05:07>> here. Vice Mayor Santa Cruz

5:05:09>> absent excused.

5:05:10>> Mayor Romero

5:05:11>> here. Before we go to item two, the city

5:05:14attorney will go over the rules of

5:05:16decorum for mayor and council meetings.

5:05:18Mr. Attorney.

5:05:20>> Thank you, honorable mayor and members

5:05:21of council. Arizona's open meeting laws

5:05:23provide that members of the public may

5:05:24attend and listen to the proceedings

5:05:26during tonight's public meeting of the

5:05:27mayor and council. Arizona law also

5:05:29allows the mayor and council to enforce

5:05:30rules and procedures for public

5:05:32attendance of the meeting to ensure

5:05:33orderly behavior and to prevent

5:05:34unnecessary interference with the public

5:05:36meeting. Here are the rules that apply.

5:05:38The rules require to quarum and orderly

5:05:40conduct by the members of the audience.

5:05:41No person attending the meeting shall

5:05:43engage in conduct that disrupts or

5:05:45otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of

5:05:47the meeting, including any statements or

5:05:49conduct that interrupts the persons who

5:05:50might be addressing the mayor and

5:05:51counsel or that disrupts the discussions

5:05:53of the mayor and counsel. The mayor has

5:05:55authority to ensure compliance with the

5:05:58rules of orderly conduct. If disorderly

5:06:00or disruptive conduct continues after

5:06:01warning, and this is that first warning,

5:06:03the mayor may direct the removal of

5:06:05persons from the chambers and or recess

5:06:07the meeting itself. If disruptive

5:06:09behavior makes it necessary to clear the

5:06:10chambers, the persons who disrupted the

5:06:12meeting will not be allowed to return to

5:06:13the chambers for the remainder of

5:06:14tonight's meeting. As a final note,

5:06:16please be aware that interfering with or

5:06:18preventing this lawful public meeting

5:06:19from being carried out in an orderly

5:06:21manner not only violates the rules of

5:06:22participation, but also violates Title

5:06:2513 of the Arizona Revised Statutes.

5:06:30>> Um, all righty. Thank you so much. Item

5:06:32two,

5:06:35invocation, pledge of allegiance, and

5:06:37appointment to boards, committees, and

5:06:38commissions.

5:06:41>> All righty. We will start with item two

5:06:44which is the uh invocations and pledge

5:06:46of allegiance. Uh we'll start with the

5:06:48land acknowledgement. Let us begin by

5:06:50grounding ourselves

5:06:52and acknowledging these lands. The city

5:06:56of Tucson is on the lands that have been

5:06:58stewarded by the tonoatam since time in

5:07:01memorial and the Basuyaki people who

5:07:03have lived in the Sonoran desert for

5:07:06thousands of years. Please rise for the

5:07:08pledge of allegiance.

5:07:21One nation under God indivisible.

5:07:29>> All righty. Thank you. Item 2 C1. Um, I

5:07:33would like to proclaim October 20th,

5:07:362026 to be honoring blackowned

5:07:39businesses on South Park Avenue Day. And

5:07:43our second proclamation,

5:07:47our second proclamation, which is item

5:07:492C2,

5:07:51is

5:07:53um to present city of Tucson and Pima

5:07:55County Children's Outdoor Rights. So, we

5:07:59will uh go with our first proclamation

5:08:04and our esteemed guest who will join us

5:08:07tonight at at the front uh honoring

5:08:10historic blackowned businesses on South

5:08:12Park Avenue. Um Mr. Walter Hopkins,

5:08:16uh, Gwen Pierce, Shondaanda Shondaanda

5:08:20Pierce, Becky Hopkins, Tracy Hockett,

5:08:23Shirley Hockett, Barbara Hopkins, Bertha

5:08:27Hopkins, Victor Bolleg, Rhonda Kendrick

5:08:31Monise, Ray Kendrick, Mr. Charles

5:08:34Kendrick, Kendra Kendrick, uh, Donna

5:08:38Walls, Mr. Jimmy Hill, Mr. James

5:08:42Christopher, Willie Blake, and lovely

5:08:45Ganther.

5:08:47Please join me at the front.

5:08:52>> And to my colleagues, please join us as

5:08:54well.

5:09:20All righty. So, who wants to hold this?

5:09:26>> I would love for you.

5:09:31>> All righty.

5:09:33>> You look so beautiful, everyone.

5:09:36>> Really appreciate you.

5:09:38All righty. So, on behalf of the city of

5:09:41Tucson and the office of the mayor, I

5:09:44would like to proclaim uh October 20th,

5:09:492026 to be a day of honoring historic

5:09:53blackowned businesses on South Park

5:09:56Avenue.

5:10:03So whereas we honor the history,

5:10:06resilience, and contributions of the

5:10:09black community in Tucson, whose

5:10:11pioneers, entrepreneurs, and visionaries

5:10:15have profoundly shaped the fabric of our

5:10:18city, particularly along South Park

5:10:21Avenue in Ward 5. And whereas at the

5:10:24height of the civil rights movement,

5:10:26when racial barriers limited the

5:10:29opportunities available to black

5:10:31Americans, the blackowned businesses on

5:10:34South Park Avenue stood as pillars of

5:10:38the community and as unapologetic

5:10:41architects of Tucson history. And

5:10:44whereas Walter Thomas Hopkins, barber,

5:10:48living community historian and owner of

5:10:51the historic blackowned business Hopkins

5:10:54Fashions and Sounds, refused to let

5:10:57rejection or discrimination determine

5:11:00his future. He built his own

5:11:03opportunities and created opportunities

5:11:05for others. and whereas with his then

5:11:08wife Lula Hunter, co-owner of Hopkins

5:11:12Fashions and Sounds created a special

5:11:15place where a haircut, the latest

5:11:18records, and the latest fashions came

5:11:20with conversation and inspired social

5:11:23change. And whereas Charles Kendrick, a

5:11:27history maker in his own right, built

5:11:29the very building that housed Hopkins

5:11:32Fashions and Sounds and his work to help

5:11:35lay the foundation for a business that

5:11:38grew into far more than a barber shop,

5:11:40malt shop, and record and clothing

5:11:42store.

5:11:44Mr. Kendrick was also an entrepreneur

5:11:47and community builder who owned several

5:11:50businesses along South Park Avenue,

5:11:53including Ken's Market, the Black

5:11:55History Museum, and Mr. K's Barbecue,

5:11:58which is delicious,

5:12:01providing neighbors with essential

5:12:03goods, nourishment, and a place to

5:12:06preserve and celebrated their own

5:12:09history. And whereas Hopkins Fashions

5:12:12and Sounds became a community

5:12:14cornerstone. It provided jobs for youth,

5:12:17instilled a sense of self-ride, and

5:12:20offered a safe space for expression,

5:12:22intellectual and creative freedom, and

5:12:25self-confidence, and most importantly

5:12:28allowed one of the most powerful forms

5:12:30of resistance to thrive, the power of

5:12:34joy. And whereas Walter Hopkins played

5:12:38an important role in Tucson's community

5:12:40and cultural life in the 1960s,

5:12:44including his involvement in the

5:12:46afroamerican coordinating committee, the

5:12:49Miss Tan Beauty pageant, and the black

5:12:52the Tucson Black Expo 1968 events that

5:12:56celebrated black American beauty,

5:12:58talent, fashion, and achievement.

5:13:01Whereas the documentary

5:13:042032 South Park Avenue created by

5:13:08filmmakers Shandra Pierce and Gwen

5:13:11Hopkins Pierce

5:13:17preserves and shares this important

5:13:19chapter of Tucson's history with current

5:13:22and future generations. And whereas we

5:13:25celebrate the enduring legacy of these

5:13:27blackowned businesses and honor those

5:13:30who came before who laid the groundwork

5:13:33and built community in South Park. And

5:13:36whereas to know where we are going, we

5:13:40must first know where we come from. The

5:13:43story of South Park Avenue's blackowned

5:13:46businesses and the people behind them

5:13:48remind us that when a community creates

5:13:51its own opportunities and uplifts one

5:13:54another, its impact lasts for

5:13:57generations.

5:13:59Now therefore, I, Rahina Romero, mayor

5:14:02of the city of Tucson, Arizona, do

5:14:05hereby proclaim October 20th, 2026 to be

5:14:09a day of honoring blackowned businesses

5:14:13on South Park Avenue in the city of

5:14:16Tucson. And I recognize

5:14:19Walter Thomas Hopkins, Lula Hunter, and

5:14:23Charles Kendrick for their enduring

5:14:25contributions to our community. And I

5:14:28encourage all residents to learn about

5:14:31and celebrate this history, resilience,

5:14:34and achievements of the black American

5:14:36community in Tucson and specifically in

5:14:40W 5. In witness whereof, I have here

5:14:43unto set my hand and cost the seal of

5:14:46the city of Tucson, Arizona to be

5:14:48affixed this 20th day of October, 2026.

5:14:53Congratulations,

5:15:05And it would be our honor if Mr.

5:15:08Hopkins, you can say a couple of words

5:15:12um just to continue inspiring us.

5:15:17>> Should I hold it?

5:15:18>> No, no, no.

5:15:21>> Uh thank you, uh Mayor Romero. It's a

5:15:26privilege and an opportunity to be here

5:15:28to uh represent those who went on before

5:15:32me and and uh to be able to and I know

5:15:35they would be proud, you know, to uh

5:15:39know that you proclaim this day, October

5:15:4225th, will be um black business um

5:15:46remembrance on South Park Avenue.

5:15:50And I thank you. It's a privilege and

5:15:52opportunity to have the opportunity to

5:15:53be here.

5:15:53>> Thank you.

5:15:54>> Okay.

5:16:02sit down.

5:16:07>> Before that,

5:16:08>> yeah, you guys have to turn around.

5:16:11>> Before Before we take the picture, I

5:16:12want to allow for two other people to

5:16:14say a couple of words. So, uh,

5:16:16Shondaanda Pierce, who's our documentary

5:16:20filmmaker, if you'd like to say

5:16:22something. and and then also on behalf

5:16:25of Mr. K uh we have his son here to

5:16:29represent him and say a couple of words.

5:16:31So where is Shondaanda?

5:16:36>> Okay, believe it or not, I'm actually

5:16:38shy. That's why I'm always behind the

5:16:40camera, but I just want to say thank you

5:16:42to everyone. Thank you for making this

5:16:44happen. um he really is a living legend

5:16:48and you know this is it's an honor and I

5:16:50also you know my grandmother who is now

5:16:53in heaven I hope she's looking down on

5:16:55us and she's also proud as well. So

5:16:57that's all I got to say. Thank you guys.

5:17:08>> Hi I'm Pio.

5:17:10I um first walked into Mr. K's museum 17

5:17:16years ago and being of Hawaiian descent

5:17:21um instantly

5:17:23I saw a lot of cool stuff. I saw a lot

5:17:26of cool stuff

5:17:28but over the past years um Mr. K has put

5:17:34a story behind each of those items. And

5:17:38then you learn that

5:17:41everything has a story that needs to be

5:17:43told. Everything has a history. And

5:17:46unfortunately, he can't be with us

5:17:47tonight because he's at the VA um having

5:17:51health issues. But this proclamation and

5:17:54people like Mr. Hopkins are very

5:17:56important because they tell the stories

5:17:59and we need to honor them and appreciate

5:18:01them while they're still here and not

5:18:03when they're gone.

5:18:05>> That's right.

5:18:13>> All righty. And uh we had a little bit

5:18:16of a preview of the um so stay here

5:18:21before we take the picture. Right. So,

5:18:23we're going to play the preview.

5:18:25>> We're going to actually show you the

5:18:27preview. It's a It's a one and a half

5:18:29minute preview of the documentary.

5:18:32>> So, please enjoy.

5:18:35>> 2032.

5:18:36>> It's 2032 2032 South Park Avenue.

5:18:53On the corner of a busy street in

5:18:54Tucson, Arizona, sits an unsuspecting

5:18:57building that has shaped countless lives

5:18:59within Tucson's black community.

5:19:02It created jobs, offered refuge, sparked

5:19:05creativity, and nurtured connection. It

5:19:08was a heartbeat, a haven, a space where

5:19:11people could simply be. From the 60s to

5:19:14the 80s, it was Hopkins Fashions and

5:19:16Sounds. A place where you could sit for

5:19:18a fresh cut of the barber shop, pick up

5:19:20some afroentric styles, grab a malt, and

5:19:22spin the newest hit record. But above

5:19:24all, it was where you could find family

5:19:26and a place to belong. How do I know

5:19:29this? Because I'm the granddaughter of

5:19:32the founders of the shop. Everybody felt

5:19:34welcome and everybody felt

5:19:37um safe

5:19:40>> at home kind of like you're in a house

5:19:42full of people that you know

5:19:44>> of pride

5:19:46um black power. There was lively because

5:19:50there was music playing.

5:19:52>> I can picture the community involvement

5:19:55with the Hopkins barber shop.

5:19:57>> Okay, now the kids call it vibe.

5:19:59>> Welcome.

5:20:0180% of them came to get their haircut

5:20:03and the 80 other 20% came because it's a

5:20:06good place to be. We're going to have

5:20:07some interesting conversations in here.

5:20:09>> The conversations that were going on in

5:20:11the department.

5:20:12>> Yeah, man. That's outstanding.

5:20:14>> Yes.

5:20:15>> Like I think because I saw my parents do

5:20:17it, I never thought of anything being

5:20:20impossible.

5:20:22Over the course of four years, I spent

5:20:25time with close friends, loved ones, and

5:20:28family, each with a personal connection

5:20:30to Hopkins Fashions and Sounds. And this

5:20:34is the story of that very special place.

5:20:37Located at 2032 South Park, Avenue.

5:20:48>> All right. Now, we can take a picture.

5:20:53Mr. H. Stay close to him.

5:20:56>> There you go. If you want to squish in

5:20:58together or it's okay if you want to

5:21:00>> come up front.

5:21:05We need a few.

5:21:13>> So we can even it out.

5:21:16>> Getting close.

5:21:20Okay, we're gonna take a

5:21:27>> Where are we watching? Where's Where's

5:21:29the

5:21:30>> Oh, you

5:21:38take one. One, two, three.

5:21:46At

5:21:50least there's no flash.

5:22:00>> Ready? Oh, good. Okay. At the count of

5:22:03three. One, two, three. South Park.

5:22:09>> This is the most cameras we've had in

5:22:13documentary.

5:22:14Thank you so much.

5:22:24>> Thank you so much.

5:22:26>> Thank you. Thank you.

5:22:28>> Thank you. Thank you.

5:22:29>> Thank you. Thank you.

5:22:30>> Okay, that was so lovely. Thank you so

5:22:33much. That was lovely.

5:22:50Take do a selfie real quick.

5:22:52>> Thank you.

5:22:53>> Thank you so much.

5:22:55>> Really fast. Ready? Oh, shoot.

5:23:01>> Yeah. Yeah.

5:23:05I have to edit my

5:23:06>> Thank you. All righty. Our uh next

5:23:10beautiful and amazing proclamation as

5:23:12well is we have some distinguished

5:23:15guests as well as I call your name.

5:23:17Please join us uh for the children and

5:23:20nature week proclamation

5:23:22uh here representing uh supervisor Jen

5:23:25Allen as Bonnie Bazada. Uh Monica

5:23:29Brinkerhoff United Way of Greater Tucson

5:23:32Associate Vice President for Charlie

5:23:34early childhood education. Lara Hamway

5:23:37of the city of Tucson Parks and Wreck.

5:23:40Soil Coronado Vargas, Tucson Water and

5:23:42Storm Touch Shade. Hillary Van Alsburg

5:23:46of the Children's Museum.

5:23:49Kate Hiller, Puma Connecting Children to

5:23:52Nature Coalition and members of the Puma

5:23:55County Connecting Children to Nature

5:23:58Coalition. Anyone that wants to join us

5:23:59up here, we would be more than happy.

5:24:02And so I'm gonna give this to you all.

5:24:05So you can hold it.

5:24:08>> Yes. Join us. Join us. Join us. Join us.

5:24:13Hand your camera to someone so that they

5:24:14can take a picture of you all.

5:24:18All righty. So,

5:24:20um,

5:24:23on behalf of the city of Tucson and the

5:24:25office of the mayor, uh, we hereby

5:24:28proclaim with the Pima County Board of

5:24:31Supervisors the third week of October as

5:24:34children and nature week in Tucson and

5:24:38in Puma County. So whereas uh Puma

5:24:42connecting children to nature coalition

5:24:45through a process shaped by local youth,

5:24:48caregivers, families, teachers, and

5:24:51community leaders created the children's

5:24:54outdoor rights to advance equitable

5:24:57access to nature and connection to our

5:24:59unique sonoran desert ecosystem. Whereas

5:25:04children's outdoor rides represent the

5:25:06intersection of city of Tucson legacy

5:25:08programs, plan Tucson 2025, move Tucson,

5:25:14One Water 2100, parks and recreation

5:25:17master plan, prosperity initiative, and

5:25:20the safe city initiative by recognizing

5:25:23that access to nature is an essential

5:25:26component of child development,

5:25:28community health, and equitable

5:25:31opportunity. And whereas the children's

5:25:34outdoor rides provide a child- centered

5:25:36framework that advances the goals of the

5:25:39prosperity initiative by expanding

5:25:42access to natural spaces in early

5:25:44childhood settings, supporting

5:25:47naturerich community spaces in

5:25:49historically underinvested neighborhoods

5:25:52and promoting a multi-generational

5:25:54approach grounded in environmental

5:25:57justice. And whereas multiple city of

5:26:00Tucson departments steward and provide

5:26:03access to outdoor spaces, support

5:26:06environmental education, childhood

5:26:09programs, and youth workforce

5:26:11development, including the cities of

5:26:13Tucson's parks and recreation

5:26:15department, Tucson storm to shade

5:26:17program, Tucson water, Tucson million

5:26:21trees initiative, and so many others.

5:26:24Whereas the benefits of natural spaces

5:26:26in both urban and rural areas are

5:26:29essential to fostering healthy

5:26:31communities, improving quality of life.

5:26:34Now therefore, be it resolved that I,

5:26:38Mayor Rahina Romero, mayor of the city

5:26:40of Tucson, Arizona, in partnership with

5:26:43a Puma County Board of Supervisors,

5:26:46hereby proclaim the third week of

5:26:48October as Children and Nature Week. And

5:26:51be it further resolved, the city of

5:26:53Tucson and Puma County commit to

5:26:55incorporating concepts of children's

5:26:58outdoor rides into policies,

5:27:01resource allocations, and

5:27:03infrastructure, recognizing that every

5:27:06child, youth, and family should have the

5:27:09opportunity to connect with nature,

5:27:11observe wildlife, play outside, breathe

5:27:15clean air, experience dark skies, and

5:27:18care for the sonor and desert. In

5:27:20witness whereof, I have here unto set my

5:27:24hand and cost the seal of the city of

5:27:26Tucson, Arizona to be affixed this 20th

5:27:29day of October, 2026. Congratulations.

5:27:39All righty. I would love to invite any

5:27:42of you would like to add some words uh

5:27:45to make sure that you explain to the

5:27:48community what you're all doing.

5:27:50>> That would be great.

5:27:51>> Okay, let's start with Bunny over here.

5:27:53>> Okay,

5:27:55>> Mayor Romero, council members, first

5:27:57Supervisor Allen sense her regrets for

5:27:59not able to be here tonight. She is

5:28:02stuck in a meeting that's still going

5:28:03on, but I have the privilege of

5:28:05representing her and of celebrating

5:28:07another wonderful joint city county

5:28:09initiative celebrating the children's

5:28:11outdoor rights proclamation. So these

5:28:14are her words. Puma County has a proud

5:28:16legacy of protecting the sonor and

5:28:18desert through the sonor and desert

5:28:19conservation plan, a communitydriven

5:28:22commitment to preserving our region's

5:28:23natural and cultural heritage. But

5:28:26conservation is about more than

5:28:28protecting the land. It's also about

5:28:30connecting people to that land and

5:28:33inspiring generations to care for it.

5:28:36When children discover a cactus ren,

5:28:39explore a wash, or walk beneath a mosqu

5:28:41tree, they begin to understand their

5:28:43place in our natural world. Our

5:28:46conservation legacy will be the

5:28:47strongest when every child has the

5:28:49opportunity to experience what we what

5:28:52we are working so hard to preserve.

5:28:55>> Monica

5:28:59Thank you honorable mayor and council.

5:29:03Uh we are absolutely thrilled. Today is

5:29:05a culmination of years of work of this

5:29:08coalition and many more working together

5:29:11because we believe that children's

5:29:13equitable access to nature in our

5:29:14community matters. We know that children

5:29:17who have access to nature are healthier,

5:29:20they're smarter, and they're happier.

5:29:23and every child in our community should

5:29:25access nature no matter where their zip

5:29:27code is. So, thank you so much for for

5:29:30making this proclamation. Thanks to all

5:29:32of the uh coalition members and um let's

5:29:36let's grow a whole new generation of

5:29:39stewards of our environment in the

5:29:41future.

5:29:48>> Thank you.

5:29:51So, I'm Hillilary Vanlberg, executive

5:29:53director at Children's Museum Tucson,

5:29:55and I just want to thank you, mayor and

5:29:57council, especially council person

5:29:58Barahas, for recognizing the importance

5:30:01of children's outdoor rights. At

5:30:03Children's Museum Tucson, we believe

5:30:04children learn through play,

5:30:06exploration, and discovery. Through our

5:30:08nature ninos program at Tohonul, we

5:30:11bring children and parents together to

5:30:13explore the Sonoran Desert and

5:30:15appreciate its plants and animals. But

5:30:17not every family has easy access to

5:30:19natural areas, transportation to trails,

5:30:22or shaded places to play. Accessible

5:30:24parks, gardens, and outdoor learning

5:30:26opportunities matter. Making nature

5:30:29accessible benefits not only children,

5:30:31but families and our entire community.

5:30:34Thank you.

5:30:34>> Thank you.

5:30:40So, I'm humbled to be here on behalf of

5:30:42the city of Tucson, but also parks and

5:30:44wreck and all that we bring to the

5:30:46community and be a gathering space for

5:30:48kids and their family. And I have to do

5:30:50a shout out to Jasmine Chan, who sits on

5:30:52the coalition. She's not here today

5:30:54because she is literally expecting a

5:30:57baby any day now. So she is she is the

5:31:00future generation, but she's a huge

5:31:03advocate and has really led the charge

5:31:06for us on incorporating nature play into

5:31:08a lot of our parks and we'll continue to

5:31:11be committed to that because we we feel

5:31:13passionate about it. So thank you.

5:31:19Hi, I'm Kate Hiller and I'm a community

5:31:21member and part of this coalition and um

5:31:24I started this work when I worked at the

5:31:25county and now I'm a volunteer with the

5:31:28coalition who I really appreciate. Thank

5:31:31you to um I call everybody their first

5:31:33name. I guess that's wrong. Council

5:31:35person uh Barahas and especially Mayor

5:31:38Romero, thank you very much and the

5:31:39entire council for doing this and

5:31:41Supervisor Allen, I'm sorry she's not

5:31:43here joining us today. We have specific

5:31:47things that we believe in. We believe

5:31:48that children need the opportunity to

5:31:50play outside, breathe clean air, and

5:31:52explore nature, and connect with the

5:31:54place they call home. Our coalition

5:31:57believes that every child deserves that

5:31:59opportunity. And a few years ago, I had

5:32:01the opportunity of taking a group of

5:32:03third and fourth graders from Monzo

5:32:06Elementary School up to Catalina State

5:32:08Park on bikes. It It was a hall. They

5:32:11did it. It was very impressive. And this

5:32:14amazing thing happened is that when we

5:32:17after we got there, I found the kids

5:32:19that we brought up laying on the

5:32:21mosquite trees cuz there's those giant

5:32:23mosquite trees and they were laying

5:32:25across them as if it was home. It was

5:32:28beautiful. And the moment has stayed

5:32:31with me a number of years. And those

5:32:32children didn't need a lesson about why

5:32:34nature matters. They needed the

5:32:36opportunity to experience it. So makes

5:32:38it moves me highly. Um, children thrive

5:32:42and surprise us surprise us when we give

5:32:44access to nature. And today's

5:32:46proclamation affirms that as we move

5:32:49forward both as a city and county.

5:32:50There's so much that the departments do.

5:32:52There's so much that happens at the

5:32:54elected officials level and we just want

5:32:57to go further because they're our future

5:33:00and we always say it, but now we're

5:33:02advocating to include them in all of

5:33:04that. And thank you very much for

5:33:06everything you do to help us do this and

5:33:08in the future. Thank you. Love you.

5:33:30three. One more. One, two, three.

5:33:35One, two, three, four, five, six.

5:33:52Oh yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much.

5:33:56>> Thank you so much.

5:33:57>> Thank you. Great.

5:34:07>> Whatever your name is.

5:34:26Okay.

5:34:30That was

5:34:44all righty. Well, that was beautiful and

5:34:46thank you so much for letting us do

5:34:48that. Uh, and appreciate everyone that

5:34:51came specifically for those

5:34:53proclamations.

5:34:55Item 2D,

5:34:59appointments to boards, committees, and

5:35:00commissions,

5:35:04city managers communication number 297,

5:35:06dated October 20th, is received into and

5:35:09made part of the record. May I have a

5:35:11motion to approve the appointments in

5:35:13the report?

5:35:14>> So moved.

5:35:15>> Second.

5:35:16>> There is a motion and a second to

5:35:18approve appointments of Carrie Foot to

5:35:21the Puma County Tucson Women's

5:35:23Commission. reappointments of Anna

5:35:25Rosemary to the Tucson Fire Public

5:35:27Safety Personal Retirement System Board

5:35:30and the Tucson Police Public Safety

5:35:33Personal Retirement System Boards. I

5:35:35would like to thank you um both for your

5:35:38willingness to serve the city of Tucson

5:35:41in this capacity. Is there any

5:35:43discussion on the motion in the second?

5:35:46Seeing none, all those in favor of the

5:35:48motion, please signify by saying I.

5:35:51>> I.

5:35:51>> I. Any against? Motion carries. Are

5:35:56there any personal appointments to be

5:35:58made at this time?

5:36:00All righty. I see none. We move on to

5:36:02item three. Mayor and council report

5:36:04summary of current events. City managers

5:36:06communication number 294 dated October

5:36:0920th is received into and made part of

5:36:12the record. This is the time that has

5:36:14been scheduled to allow members of the

5:36:16mayor and council to report on current

5:36:18events. These are to be current events

5:36:20of activities within the community, not

5:36:23position statements on policy issues.

5:36:25Does any council member have any reports

5:36:28at this time? We're going to start over

5:36:30here in W six with council member

5:36:32Schubert.

5:36:34Thank you, honorable mayor, members of

5:36:36the council. I'm going to start my

5:36:38current event report with my traffic

5:36:39violence update. So each meeting I give

5:36:42an update about um the crashes and uh

5:36:46whether pedestrian or vehicle related

5:36:48that have occurred since the last

5:36:49meeting. So since the last mayor and

5:36:51council meeting on October 15th, there

5:36:54was a fatal escooter crash in which a

5:36:5730-year-old was pronounced dead upon

5:36:59arrival at the hospital.

5:37:01On October 17th, a 31-year-old

5:37:04motorcyclist died after running a red

5:37:06light and hitting a car. Uh, and then

5:37:09yesterday, October 19th, a 60-year-old

5:37:12driver passed away from injuries

5:37:14sustained from a an October 13th crash.

5:37:18Anybody who's interested in um learning

5:37:21more and giving input about how we

5:37:24invest in road safety um should save the

5:37:27date for the streets equation. The W 3

5:37:29and six sessions will happen on Tuesday,

5:37:32November 10th, 5:30 to 7:30 at El Rio

5:37:36Neighborhood Center. and we'll include

5:37:37that information in our newsletter.

5:37:39There's also um a virtual option

5:37:41citywide and that is going to be on

5:37:43Monday, November 9th from noon to 2 p.m.

5:37:47Upcoming current events tomorrow uh

5:37:50Wednesday, October 21st at 8 a.m. I will

5:37:54join the morning scoop with Arizona

5:37:56Capital Times to participate in a panel

5:37:58discussion titled The Cost of

5:38:00Deportation: Economic Impacts on

5:38:03Arizona. The conversation will examine

5:38:05new data, real world perspectives, and

5:38:07the economic impacts and trade-offs

5:38:09associated with deportation, and how

5:38:10those costs affect Arizona communities,

5:38:13businesses, and taxpayers. Uh, the event

5:38:15is free to attend and virtual. Link to

5:38:18register is in our latest W 6

5:38:19newsletter, or we can send it to you if

5:38:22you reach out to us.

5:38:24The Big Gay 5K is happening on Saturday,

5:38:27October 24th at 9:00 a.m.

5:38:30and this is uh happening in the downtown

5:38:32area. Streets will be reopened as

5:38:35quickly and safely as possible. The

5:38:37event organizers have committed to

5:38:39leaving the streets clean, keeping event

5:38:41noise as reasonable as possible, and

5:38:43will provide access lanes to help

5:38:45residents safely leave the neighborhood

5:38:47while the event is underway.

5:38:49the Big Gay 5K. Again, that's October

5:38:5124th and it's primarily going to impact

5:38:53Armory Park. All right, next update. The

5:38:56shelter care zoning survey has been

5:38:58extended. Many neighbors have reached

5:39:01out to the Ward 6 office recently to

5:39:03provide feedback about shelter care and

5:39:05where we're going to put shelters.

5:39:08Currently, the city is in the early

5:39:09stages of a public process to collect

5:39:11community input before proposing any new

5:39:14or updated code amendments. For those

5:39:16interested in this topic, we recommend

5:39:18completing the planning and development

5:39:20services survey about community

5:39:22priorities. The deadline has been

5:39:24extended to this Sunday, October 25th.

5:39:28In the coming months, um city staff will

5:39:30be reviewing survey results and

5:39:32community feedback in order to develop

5:39:34what they want to do with the city's

5:39:35code to allow for more shelter.

5:39:37Additional community meetings,

5:39:39discussions, and public hearings are set

5:39:40for early 2027.

5:39:44Also, this Sunday, Tucson's 25th Clovia

5:39:47Tucson event is happening. All are

5:39:50invited to join me at the W 6 office at

5:39:549:00 a.m. Um, this is a great

5:39:56opportunity for anybody who's been

5:39:57curious about biking on Tucson Streets

5:39:59and is maybe feeling a bit intimidated.

5:40:01We'll go together as a group and it'll

5:40:03be slow. Um, so again, meet me at the W

5:40:066 office October 25th to ride, scoot,

5:40:09and roll um to the Rose and Colin Forbes

5:40:12Armory Park Activity Hub. So, we're

5:40:14going to take a low stress way the whole

5:40:16way to get there. At the W 6 office,

5:40:18we're going to have coffee and fresh

5:40:20fresh pan doulce. Um, and we're going to

5:40:23use the Third Street, University Bike

5:40:24Boulevard. We're going to check out the

5:40:26North Sixth Avenue protected bike lanes.

5:40:28It's going to be great. All right, next

5:40:30up, Recycling 101 W 6 info session is

5:40:33happening on Thursday, October 28th from

5:40:355:30 to 7:00 and that's hybrid. So, you

5:40:38could attend in person at the W 6 office

5:40:41or virtually. Um, it's going to be an

5:40:43hour long and we have information in our

5:40:45latest newsletter.

5:40:47And then just a reminder that voting is

5:40:49happening right now. We have a lot of

5:40:51information and resources in our latest

5:40:53newsletter. The last day you can request

5:40:55a ballot is October 23rd. The last day

5:40:57to mail it is October 27th. And then

5:41:00election day is November 3rd. You can

5:41:03vote or drop your ballot off at any vote

5:41:05center. And then finally, um want to

5:41:08announce the 4th Avenue cleanup with the

5:41:10office of Mayor Rao Romero. Um that's

5:41:13going to be Friday, October 23rd from 9

5:41:16to 11:00 a.m. We're going to meet at

5:41:18Hagerty Plaza on 4th Avenue at 9:00 a.m.

5:41:21So we hope to see you there. And then

5:41:23please save the date. meet us at

5:41:25Speedway and Alveron for a cleanup on

5:41:27November 5th. And that concludes my

5:41:29current event report. Thank you.

5:41:31>> Thank you, Council Member Schubert.

5:41:32Council member Barakas.

5:41:33>> Thank you, Mayor. First, I would like to

5:41:35con first I would like to invite

5:41:37everyone of all ages to join us at our

5:41:40final Movies in the Park series. We will

5:41:42be meeting at Gunni Baras Memorial Park

5:41:45right next to Sunnyside High School. The

5:41:47event starts at 6:00 p.m. and Coco will

5:41:50begin at dusk. Bring your family, bring

5:41:52a blanket, maybe a jacket, and enjoy an

5:41:55e enjoy an evening together with our

5:41:58community. A special thank you to our

5:42:00sponsor TE and our community partners,

5:42:02Tucson Parks and Recreation, Tucson

5:42:05Police Department, Mini Ponder Rosas,

5:42:06and Community Food Bank of Southern

5:42:08Arizona for helping make this series

5:42:10free series possible. Thank you as well

5:42:14to everyone who has donated non-p

5:42:16perishable food items to support the

5:42:18community food bank and our neighbors

5:42:19this holiday season.

5:42:21You all are making a difference. I would

5:42:23like to congratulate our PBLO Gardens

5:42:26neighborhood who they're meeting right

5:42:29now actually. Um I want to share some

5:42:32good news with you all. We received a

5:42:34Tona Atam gaming grant and PBLO Gardens

5:42:37Neighborhood will be receiving a

5:42:39basketball shade structure at their

5:42:42park. So congratulations to PBLO Gardens

5:42:44Neighborhood.

5:42:46I also want to recognize and share some

5:42:49more good news. Miss Cynthia Lopez, a

5:42:52science teacher at Desert View High

5:42:53School for her national recognition with

5:42:55the 2026 American Chemical Society High

5:42:59School Teacher Award. This is a national

5:43:01recog recognition.

5:43:04Congratulations to Miss Lopez on this

5:43:06wonderful accomplishment. We are so

5:43:08proud of you and we see you local

5:43:10educator doing some big things and

5:43:12making moves here in our SUSD district

5:43:15in our neighborhoods. I also want to

5:43:17invite you to join us on Friday, October

5:43:2030th from 12 to 1:30 p.m. for our next W

5:43:235 lunch meetup at Sunny Day's Cafe on

5:43:26Campbell and Irvington. These meetups

5:43:29are a great opportunity to connect,

5:43:31reconnect, eat a good meal, share ideas,

5:43:35and have conversations about the issues

5:43:37and opportunities that matter most to

5:43:38our community. So, I hope to see you all

5:43:40there. Lastly, I want to recognize and

5:43:43congratulate Raal Hayne as she moves on

5:43:45to a new opportunity. She'll be working

5:43:47with our senator, Mark Kelly. Raal has

5:43:50served on our team as our scheduling and

5:43:52digital communications adviser, and we

5:43:54are so proud of her. We are grateful for

5:43:57her hard work, dedication, and

5:43:59contributions to our office, to our W5

5:44:01community, to Tucson, and the residents

5:44:03we serve. While we will certainly miss

5:44:06her, we wish her the be the very best as

5:44:08she begins this exciting new chapter.

5:44:10And finally, I too want to remind you

5:44:12all registered voters that election day

5:44:15is Tuesday, November 3rd. Please make a

5:44:17plan to vote. Know where you're going to

5:44:19vote. Have a game plan. If you have a

5:44:22ballot by mail, please make sure to

5:44:24return it early and follow the official

5:44:26instructions for submitting your ballot.

5:44:28Your voice matters and engaging in our

5:44:31elections is one important way to help

5:44:33shape our future of our community. Thank

5:44:36you all for staying engaged, supporting

5:44:38one another, and continuing to make our

5:44:40W 5 a special place to live, work, and

5:44:42play. Thank you.

5:44:43>> Thank you, Council Member Vahas.

5:44:45Councilman Lee, do you have any uh

5:44:47summary of current events?

5:44:50Not tonight, Mayor. Thanks for asking.

5:44:52>> Thank you, Council Member Doll.

5:44:54>> Not tonight. Thank you,

5:44:55>> Council Member Cunningham.

5:44:57>> Couple things. Um, so this is a weird

5:45:00one. About 3 weeks ago, we had a we had

5:45:03people playing pickle ball at at UD Doll

5:45:06Park. We have this piloted program where

5:45:08Tucson area pickle ball volunteer

5:45:11basically maintain this asset for the

5:45:13park for us. It's really been good for

5:45:14the budget. There's people using it.

5:45:17It's citizenbased. It's this awesome

5:45:18program except one of the players had a

5:45:23heart incident and collapsed.

5:45:27And amazingly, Rob Rob Whitner, an ER

5:45:31doctor, retired, who was playing with

5:45:33him, and an EMT Tucson firefighter named

5:45:36Matt Smith were there playing pickle

5:45:38ball. And about four years ago, the

5:45:41mayor and I worked on this thing to get

5:45:42every single park an AED, which is one

5:45:46of those paddle things. We have one at

5:45:48every park. And someone went out and

5:45:50brought the paddle and the guy got

5:45:52revived like right there on scene. And

5:45:54one of the doctors told me it's like a

5:45:56one in 5,000 chance that that happened.

5:45:59So this Friday morning, we're going to

5:46:01recognize Matt Smith, the parks and

5:46:03recck workers, and Dr. Whitmer, at UD

5:46:06Doll, at Tucson area pickle ball because

5:46:08that's I mean I'm glad the guy's okay

5:46:11and everything, but it's amazing that

5:46:13the precautionary things that we put in

5:46:15work. And so I wanted to thank Matt

5:46:18Smith and Rob Whitner for for basically

5:46:20saving that guy's life. That's awesome.

5:46:22Um and then on Saturday morning, we're

5:46:26cleaning up the wash um at 7820 East

5:46:29Broadway. There's a wash. you know, you

5:46:31this is too that unfortunately right now

5:46:33we have folks that end up using washes

5:46:36to set up a temporary residence and they

5:46:37leave behind quite a bit of stuff. So,

5:46:39my team and we're inviting neighbors to

5:46:41come out and clean up the wash. We're

5:46:43meeting at 8:30 a.m. at 7 8 7820 East uh

5:46:48Speedway um this Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

5:46:51And then about 11:00 I'm leaving and I'm

5:46:54going to get cleaned up. I'm going to go

5:46:55to my son's basketball game and then I'm

5:46:56headed to homecoming. And this is what's

5:46:59crazy is that we're ranked at homecoming

5:47:01for the first time in a long time. And

5:47:04we'd really like to see us fill the

5:47:06stadium. Um they the u the UVA athletic

5:47:10department to their credit reduced

5:47:12prices to $10 and coach uh Brandon

5:47:15brought bought a,000 tickets for kids in

5:47:19Tucson. In fact, he gave 22 tickets to

5:47:22uh one of the our girls flag football

5:47:24programs on the east side. and uh I'm

5:47:26probably going to hit them up for more

5:47:27if there's there's more available. Um so

5:47:30please support our Wildcats for

5:47:32homecoming this year. Um I also wanted

5:47:35to invite everybody to the division

5:47:37advisory committee town hall. So that's

5:47:39operation divisions east. Um and that's

5:47:41going to be this Thursday at 6 p.m. at

5:47:43our office 7820 East Broadway. And

5:47:46that's an opportunity to talk to our

5:47:48captain, our deputy chief and basically

5:47:50interact with some of the things that

5:47:52our police folks are doing. Uh, I also

5:47:55want to congratulate the Elks Lodge.

5:47:57They did a trunk or treat, 2,200 kids.

5:48:00Man, it was unbelievable. It was one of

5:48:02the largest trunker treats I've ever

5:48:03seen. Uh, Mr. Botkin out there, Rich

5:48:06Botkin, his all of his uh relatives

5:48:10worked with Saro High School in the east

5:48:11side. And so, it was just this amazing

5:48:14thing at at Elks Lodge. And we had

5:48:16actually had a trunk or treat earlier

5:48:18that that day at Camp Bow for kids and

5:48:21pets and dogs. And so we had a a a kids

5:48:24trunk or treat and we were like like 300

5:48:26people showed up and we're thinking, "Oh

5:48:27man, this is so great." And then we went

5:48:29to Elks Lodge and they had 2,200 people.

5:48:31So congrat congratulations to them. Uh

5:48:35and then finally, this one isn't really

5:48:38in Wii, but it's two W residents, and

5:48:40that's the husband and wife founders and

5:48:42directors of of uh Dancing in the

5:48:44Streets, uh Joey Rogers and Celeste

5:48:47Lupu. And they started Dancing in the

5:48:48Streets 19 years ago, and it's free.

5:48:51anyone can show up and any kid if they

5:48:54can't afford it can go take ballet and

5:48:56every year they do a production of the

5:48:58Nutcracker. It's their number one uh

5:49:00fundraiser. They get grants from my

5:49:02office from uh Angel Charity. So se

5:49:05Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th at

5:49:08the Leo Rich Center right across at

5:49:09Tucson Convention Center. You can get

5:49:11tickets for the annual Dancing in the

5:49:14Streets production of the Nutcracker.

5:49:17And that is all I got to say.

5:49:21Thank you so much, council member. I too

5:49:23attended this past Saturday uh the Boo

5:49:27Bash at Lincoln Park in Ward 4, and I'm

5:49:31going to up you I'm going to up you on

5:49:33the attendance. There was more than

5:49:344,000 families and their kids.

5:49:38>> I'm sorry, but Quincy Douglas, I heard

5:49:39had over 5,000. So, shout out to Mr.

5:49:42Jerry over there, Quincy Douglas.

5:49:44>> It was so wonderful. and talking about

5:49:46the Boo Bash and you know and Halloween

5:49:49and and dressing up which it was so

5:49:52wonderful to watch all the kids and the

5:49:55and the families uh dressed up. Um this

5:50:00uh Saturday the 31st uh for the first

5:50:04time the city of Tucson will be closing

5:50:07Congress Street and um it will be closed

5:50:11uh from 5:00 p.m. to 3:00 in the

5:50:14morning. And one of the reasons that we

5:50:16all decided we wanted it uh closed at 5

5:50:20is because we wanted young families um

5:50:23children, teenagers to feel comfortable

5:50:26in coming downtown to trickor treat and

5:50:29enjoy the festivities of Halloween

5:50:32downtown. So that um is happening on the

5:50:3631st. There's going to be a lot of

5:50:38activities for families and children.

5:50:42Please make sure that you remain safe,

5:50:45that you uh are well lit, that an adult

5:50:49is with children uh at all times, and

5:50:52make sure that um that you you know that

5:50:56people are driving safely uh because

5:50:59there's a lot of pedestrians the night

5:51:02of Halloween. So, let's keep each other

5:51:03safe and have a happy Halloween,

5:51:07everyone. With that, we move on to item

5:51:10four.

5:51:12City manager report summary of current

5:51:13events. City manager communication

5:51:15number 295 dated October 20th is

5:51:19received into and made part of the

5:51:20record. This time has been scheduled to

5:51:22allow the city manager to rec report

5:51:24report on current events. Mr. Manager,

5:51:27>> thank you honorable mayor and members of

5:51:29the council. Uh, one thing for tonight

5:51:31is a reminder about the Tucson Youth

5:51:33Climate Action Fund. Um, this fund has

5:51:36actually been doubled to a total of

5:51:38$100,000.

5:51:40um through a matching investment from

5:51:43the Arizona Community Foundation. So

5:51:45that has expanded opportunities for

5:51:47young people to turn their climate ideas

5:51:49into action um and to uh give folks the

5:51:53opportunity to participate. Uh we have

5:51:56extended the application deadline to

5:51:58Friday, October 30th. So get your

5:52:00application in and then head to Congress

5:52:03Street the next night um without cars.

5:52:06Uh the ACF is matching the city of

5:52:08Tucson support dollar for dollar and

5:52:10support is coming from Bloomberg

5:52:11Philanthropies through the participation

5:52:13in the Tucson Youth Climate Action Fund.

5:52:17Um this will expand resources for young

5:52:20people ages 15 to 24 to develop and lead

5:52:24projects that help make Tucson a more

5:52:25sustainable, resilient, and climate

5:52:27ready community. To learn more and apply

5:52:29for a $1,000 to $5,000 in funding, um

5:52:33visit our website um and or uh follow

5:52:36our newset uh for more um information.

5:52:39Thank you, Mayor.

5:52:40>> Thank you, Mr. Manager. Item five,

5:52:44liquor license applications.

5:52:46>> City managers, communication number 296

5:52:48dated October 20th is received into and

5:52:51made part of the record. Madame Clerk,

5:52:53please read the liquor license agenda.

5:52:56Your honor, on the evening's agenda, we

5:52:57have two applications for new licenses,

5:52:59one application for person and location

5:53:00transfer, eight applications for special

5:53:02events, and 20 applications for agent

5:53:04change acquisition of control. All

5:53:05applications are in compliance with city

5:53:07requirements. An appropriate motion

5:53:08would be to forward items 5B 1-3, 5C

5:53:111-8, and 5D 1-20 to the state liquor

5:53:14board with a recommendation of approval.

5:53:18>> So moved. Second.

5:53:20>> There's a motion and a second. Any

5:53:21further discussion on the motion

5:53:24hearing? None. All those in favor,

5:53:25please signify by saying I.

5:53:27>> I.

5:53:28>> I.

5:53:28>> I.

5:53:29>> Any against? Motion carries. Item six.

5:53:35>> Call to the audience.

5:53:38>> All righty. Um, Madame Clerk, please

5:53:41read the announcement. At this time, any

5:53:44member of the public is allowed to

5:53:45address the mayor and city council on

5:53:46any issue except for items scheduled for

5:53:48a public hearing at the meeting. Call to

5:53:50the audience will last for 30 minutes

5:53:51and speakers are limited to three minute

5:53:53presentations. The green light will turn

5:53:54on when you're called to speak. It will

5:53:56turn yellow when you have 30 seconds

5:53:57remaining. And it will turn red and beep

5:53:58when your time is up. At that time,

5:54:00please conclude your comments.

5:54:02We are going to start with Johnny Ray.

5:54:05This is um in particular, uh

5:54:08Commissioner Hawkins really wanted to um

5:54:11make sure that we called them first. So,

5:54:15Johnny Ray is our first speaker.

5:54:23Thank you, your honor. Um, I'm speaking

5:54:25for a great many people in my building

5:54:28against my my regional or directional

5:54:31manager. Uh, let me calm down. We have

5:54:36great difficulties with her with

5:54:38repairs. Our AC was down for 44 days.

5:54:44uh after one month or excuse me 20 days

5:54:47she had several companies come down for

5:54:50an appraisal

5:54:53she did nothing. I personally called

5:54:55section 8 after 30 days.

5:54:58Uh they forced her to comply to have it

5:55:02repaired. It only lasted 5 days.

5:55:07That was three weeks ago.

5:55:09They're still not repaired again. that

5:55:11includes in the heating. This is one of

5:55:14many issues with this manager. There's

5:55:16safety issues with lighting on the roof

5:55:19which I repaired. There's issues with

5:55:21obstacles in the dark up there that I

5:55:24personally had to move after many days

5:55:27of reporting things. She uh the leases,

5:55:30she's been signing all new leases for a

5:55:32new building, but is neglecting the

5:55:35referral the renewing old leases. Many

5:55:38people come to me and told me that,

5:55:41including myself, that their leases are

5:55:43not being renewed. There are many issues

5:55:45as far as uh I'm helping the maintenance

5:55:48man fix everything. The man has been

5:55:52lying to us, telling us the parts are in

5:55:55or it's leaky lines. I spoke to the

5:55:58engineers of the air conditioning

5:56:00companies and as this moment, nothing's

5:56:03being done. I don't think she's has any

5:56:06intentions of getting it fixed because

5:56:07the weather's cooling down. So, the AC

5:56:10is not needing, but we still need

5:56:11heating.

5:56:13There's issues with her taking packages

5:56:15in to her office and leaving them there

5:56:17and not handing them to the people. A

5:56:19lot of times, this is medicine that

5:56:20people need. She is uh has no regard for

5:56:24veterans. She definitely does not she

5:56:26addresses us as those people. She's very

5:56:30aggressive. She combatant.

5:56:33She's argumentative.

5:56:36She has a demeanor about her that's very

5:56:38unpleasant. I've buted heads with her

5:56:41many times. Many times she's very sweet

5:56:44and nice with me because I won't put up

5:56:46with her. I had an issue with my carpet

5:56:49where there was a ripple and needed to

5:56:50be stretched. Should have been replaced

5:56:52in the first place. She demanded me,

5:56:54told me, ordered me to move my furniture

5:56:58out of the way. I'm 100% disabled

5:57:01veteran. It's not possible.

5:57:04I eventually had somebody move it

5:57:07through uh the services at our building.

5:57:10There are three buildings owned by

5:57:12Laughara.

5:57:13I personally have been dealing with the

5:57:15owners. They're trying to get rid of

5:57:17her. They're trying to get rid of entire

5:57:19uh cornstone management. This

5:57:21individual, her name is Rhonda uh I

5:57:25can't remember her last name. It's in my

5:57:26notes.

5:57:28She has to be replaced.

5:57:30>> Mr.

5:57:31uh we've you know we we've heard heard

5:57:35you loud and clear. Um, what I'm going

5:57:37to do is I'm going to give your number,

5:57:41if that's okay, to our city manager,

5:57:44uh, so that we can get, um, our housing

5:57:48community development department to

5:57:50follow up with you in terms of your

5:57:51needs and see what type of support the

5:57:55city of Tucson can be um, for

5:58:00uh, what you're seeing with LaRonta

5:58:03Management. I I definitely hear you. We

5:58:07hear you. We have your number and we

5:58:09will absolutely call you.

5:58:11>> Well, it is health and safety issues. I

5:58:13ended up 5 days in a hospital.

5:58:15>> It is.

5:58:16>> All right. Thank you very much for

5:58:17listening to me.

5:58:18>> Yes. Thank you, sir. We will absolutely

5:58:21follow up.

5:58:24Thank you. Our next speaker, I believe,

5:58:28is Betty.

5:58:33I think it's B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

5:58:34B B B B B B Betty.

5:58:37Okay. Um after that we have Marina

5:58:42Reese.

5:58:47Hello.

5:58:51Okay. Um hello, mayor and council. Um my

5:58:56name is Marina Reese. I am um

5:59:00sorry. I am a city of Tucson resident

5:59:03and a supervisor for TND distribution

5:59:06metering at Tucson Electric Power. Um, I

5:59:10have worked at TP for the past six years

5:59:12and I have called Tucson home since

5:59:142002.

5:59:16In my role, I lead teams responsible for

5:59:18metering operations and customerf facing

5:59:21work that helps ensure reliable electric

5:59:23service for our community.

5:59:26One of the things I value most about

5:59:27working at TE is the opportunity to to

5:59:30develop employees, support customers,

5:59:33and help solve problems that directly

5:59:35impact the people we serve. Recently, I

5:59:38had the opportunity to collaborate with

5:59:40the W 5 office alongside representatives

5:59:43from customer service and customer

5:59:46advocacy. Together, we shared

5:59:47information about customer assistance

5:59:49programs, energy resources, and how

5:59:52customers can better understand their

5:59:54electric bills. Experiences like this

5:59:57reinforce the importance of strong

6:00:00partnership between TE and the city of

6:00:02Tucson. Maintaining a positive working

6:00:05relationship with the city of Tucson is

6:00:07important because the service provided

6:00:09every day supports homes, schools,

6:00:12businesses, and critical community

6:00:14needs. When T and the city of Tucson

6:00:17work together, we are better able to

6:00:19serve the customers, support economic

6:00:21growth, and maintain reli reliable

6:00:24electric services that our community

6:00:26depends on. As both a Tucson resident

6:00:30and T employee, I take pride in serving

6:00:32the community that my family and I call

6:00:34home. The neighbors, the friends, family

6:00:38rely on the same electric service that

6:00:40our employees work hard to support

6:00:43daily.

6:00:45Thank you, mayor and council, for the

6:00:47opportunity to speak today um and for

6:00:50your continued partnership with Tucson

6:00:52Electric Power as we work together to

6:00:54serve the community. Thank you.

6:00:56>> Thank you, Miss Reese. Our next speaker

6:00:58is JP Salvater.

6:01:07Madame Mayor, Council,

6:01:10City Attorney Lusk,

6:01:13I appreciate the opportunity to come

6:01:14before you today.

6:01:17Um,

6:01:18yay.

6:01:21It's more than just a token gesture to

6:01:24our indigenous heritage.

6:01:29It's not an invocation

6:01:32and that needs to be restored. Madame

6:01:34Mayor, but as we are, we share our love

6:01:39and our concern for this community with

6:01:42one another.

6:01:45City of Tucson props.

6:01:48I was very happy to read

6:01:52u

6:01:54a summary uh of the props uh through

6:01:58luminaria.org.

6:02:00lu m i n a r i a.org.

6:02:06That's very simple and clear-cut.

6:02:09They don't create more verbage than is

6:02:11necessary.

6:02:14Several items that I see that are very

6:02:16significant are Prop 144,

6:02:20voter ID. It's another form of

6:02:24discrimination that allows the Arizona

6:02:27legislature to to create its own little

6:02:31new direction for us over the federal

6:02:34government. I think this is really

6:02:36cruel. So when in doubt, consider the

6:02:40pack money behind something and just say

6:02:42no.

6:02:44Uh Prop 310, the photo camera. Oh,

6:02:49hello. Yes, we don't want photo camera

6:02:53stuff and we don't want, you know, uh to

6:02:57be violated uh without uh due course,

6:03:01due recourse.

6:03:02Uh and

6:03:06the little loophole is that December if

6:03:09the if any jurisdiction decides to use

6:03:12that uh in invoke something by December

6:03:16of this year then it's a it's a buy. So

6:03:21just say no.

6:03:25TEP Foris

6:03:29city through their contract that that TE

6:03:32is um created this multi- multi-year

6:03:37contract 25 years has

6:03:49disguised it in so many different

6:03:51fashions that it's it's beyond belief.

6:03:55It's simply that this this foreign proxy

6:04:00wants to dictate to the city of Tucson

6:04:03and the state of Arizona

6:04:06how it can take 1.4 to 2 point two

6:04:10billion dollars from our citizens.

6:04:13>> Thank you. Thank you JP. Really

6:04:15appreciate it. Your time is up.

6:04:18Appreciate you. Thank you for coming.

6:04:21Shana West.

6:04:34Does it start when I start? Okay. Um,

6:04:37hello. Um, I believe that PDSD has been

6:04:41neglecting to enforce regulations

6:04:43explicitly called out in our Arizona

6:04:45Revised Statutes regarding the

6:04:47regulatory nature of our area plans.

6:04:50Over the last several months, I've been

6:04:51trying to understand how their

6:04:52interpretation of the code isn't in

6:04:55conflict with the ARS. PDSD and the city

6:04:57attorney have been doing everything in

6:04:58their power, though, to avoid answering

6:05:00me on the topic, going as far as to

6:05:02violate UDC procedure so they don't have

6:05:04to comment on the topic. Back in June, I

6:05:07submitted a zoning determination for a

6:05:09development in my area that I thought

6:05:10failed to comply with the UDC

6:05:12requirement to conform to an area plan.

6:05:15I cited prior zoning determinations, the

6:05:18ARS language on which aspects of the

6:05:20area plan are allowed to be regulatory

6:05:22and superior court cases that I was

6:05:24given by PDSD in my rationale for the

6:05:27determination. PDSD refuses to fulfill

6:05:30that determination. They state that it

6:05:32is already answered in previous

6:05:34determinations.

6:05:36Um, even though I argue that it's

6:05:38fundamentally a different request, but

6:05:40regardless, the UDC states that a zoning

6:05:42administrator shall deliver within 30

6:05:44days. Uh, there's no option for denial

6:05:47or assessment of the determination. It's

6:05:49just a requirement to deliver within 30

6:05:51days. I've said multiple times, well, if

6:05:54this is the same, uh, then it should be

6:05:56a simple turnaround and I'll pay the

6:05:57$200. Um, and I'm willing to pay for

6:06:00that. My risk incurred. And they are

6:06:02still refusing over and over to fulfill

6:06:04it. never responding to my questions

6:06:07about conflict with the Arizona Revised

6:06:09Statutes, always saying that it's a

6:06:10retunded determination. Then um their

6:06:14excuse changed. They said, "No, this is

6:06:16actually a legal interpretation and

6:06:17that's why we can't fulfill it." I

6:06:19mentioned this was uh my interpretation

6:06:22of a violation of the UDC that my

6:06:24personal rationale referenced the ARS um

6:06:27court cases again sent to me by PDSD.

6:06:30It's not a legal interpretation. It's a

6:06:32UDC determination. Uh the city attorney

6:06:36got involved in the email chain still

6:06:38refusing to answer any questions about

6:06:40the ARS which I put in every single

6:06:41email and they didn't answer it. Um they

6:06:44cited more court cases. I pointed out

6:06:46that these court cases weren't

6:06:47applicable to specific plans. If you

6:06:49read it, they're all talking about the

6:06:50general plan regulatory nature of the

6:06:52general plan. Um I also say that other

6:06:55cities in Arizona, if you look at their

6:06:57general plans, they state that area

6:06:58plans can be regulatory and that is how

6:07:01you execute on the general plan. Um, the

6:07:04whole email chain has ghosted me after

6:07:06that. It's been almost two months. Uh,

6:07:08the city manager was on the email chain,

6:07:10several directors in PDSD, my ward one

6:07:12infrastructure rep, um, they haven't

6:07:15responded to me. Uh, this impacts every

6:07:18single ward here. You all have areas in

6:07:21your ward that are mostly guidelines for

6:07:23development, but contain two to three

6:07:25regulations, um, shall statements that

6:07:28are meant to preserve the character and

6:07:30the unique nature of your areas. Um, and

6:07:33for the last 10 years at least, PDSD has

6:07:37not been enforcing those.

6:07:39>> Thank you, Miss West. I will follow up,

6:07:41make sure that the city manager follows

6:07:43up with you and try and figure out. I'm

6:07:47I I'm not familiar with the case, but we

6:07:49will absolutely follow up.

6:07:51>> Absolutely. Thank you very much.

6:07:52>> Thank you so much. All righty. Our next

6:07:55speaker is um

6:08:01Wooden Wooden Manuel

6:08:04>> Woody

6:08:05>> Woody Woody I'm sorry

6:08:13good evening

6:08:15>> good evening

6:08:16>> my name is Woody Emanuel I'm a Puma

6:08:18County resident and I'm a singlephase

6:08:20metering technician at Tucson Electric

6:08:22Power for 12 ers. Working at T is

6:08:25important because we provide an

6:08:28essential service that powers our

6:08:29community.

6:08:31Having a strong relationship with the

6:08:33city of Tucson is essential for our

6:08:35customers and the public. Being a

6:08:38trusted energy partner is vital and

6:08:41extremely meaningful because TP's

6:08:43service territory lies directly

6:08:47on the ancestral lands of my people.

6:08:50The very name Tucson comes from the

6:08:53autumn words,

6:08:55an area our people have inhabited for

6:08:58generations.

6:09:00While T has been providing electricity

6:09:02to the region for over 100 years, I feel

6:09:07at home because my ancestors have called

6:09:09this place home for thousands of years.

6:09:12This is a deep sense of pride in working

6:09:15at Tucson Electric Power. And it's more

6:09:18than a job to me.

6:09:20It's an opportunity to serve the public,

6:09:24contribute to a respected company, and

6:09:27inherently honors the legacy of my

6:09:29ancestors.

6:09:32Every day, I take pride in helping

6:09:35deliver a service that supports our

6:09:37community while remaining connected to a

6:09:39place that has been home to my people

6:09:43since time at memorial. Thank you.

6:09:47>> Thank you, Mr. Manuel, April Putney.

6:10:02>> And what's extra ridiculous is that they

6:10:04like them in the order that they do.

6:10:08>> Hi, my name is April Pney. I live in W

6:10:10one. I am not a retained speaker.

6:10:15I am not a retained speaker or being

6:10:16paid to be here.

6:10:20Hi, Mayor Romero and city council

6:10:22members. I am here today to demand that

6:10:24the city of Tucson pass a resolution to

6:10:26prohibit future contracts and cancel

6:10:28current contracts with businesses or

6:10:30contractors who are engaged in building

6:10:32or supporting the border wall in Arizona

6:10:35or any other state.

6:10:38This border wall project destroys not

6:10:40only our environment but also human

6:10:41lives that make our city and state a

6:10:44thriving and beautiful place. The border

6:10:46is designed explicitly to cause

6:10:47suffering and death through the

6:10:49bipartisan prevention through deterrence

6:10:51policy and has resulted in more than

6:10:534,500 deaths since 1981

6:10:56and 73 deaths in Arizona alone this

6:10:58year.

6:11:02We cannot allow our businesses to profit

6:11:05off of the construction of a corrupt and

6:11:06damaging border wall designed to further

6:11:08this inhumane and devastating project.

6:11:11As a Tonin living in Ward One, I cannot

6:11:13abide my local tax dollars being

6:11:15funneled to border wall profitering by

6:11:18my city government.

6:11:20Companies like Sunk Construction,

6:11:21Standback Sanitation, Southlands

6:11:24Engineering, and Made in the Shade are

6:11:25Tucson companies that are profiting off

6:11:27of environmental destruction and human

6:11:29suffering alike along the borderlands.

6:11:32Specifically regarding Standback, I see

6:11:34their purple portaotties at most public

6:11:36parks and servicing events like Tucson

6:11:39Meet Yourself just this last weekend.

6:11:41There were dozens of them. It's crushing

6:11:43to see so much financial support for

6:11:45Standback, the sanitation company

6:11:47complicit with border wall construction

6:11:49for my city, especially when we have so

6:11:51many residents hurt by the inhumane

6:11:53border wall and the policies that it

6:11:55actualizes and especially when there are

6:11:57so many other options. A quick browser

6:12:00search revealed several options the city

6:12:01can explore when switching from

6:12:03standback. Ace pumping and portables. I

6:12:06have personal experience with them. I've

6:12:07been very happy with their service.

6:12:09Tucson Portaotties, Dumpster Guys

6:12:11portaotty and dumpster rental, Brightley

6:12:13portaotty rental, portaotty dogs,

6:12:16central portaotti rental, the list goes

6:12:18on. You don't have to use standback.

6:12:20There's plenty of other options. We are

6:12:23a city that takes pride in our

6:12:25community, diversity, and openness to

6:12:27all people. And we demand that action is

6:12:29taken to ensure that Tucson companies

6:12:31like Sunt, Standback, Southland's

6:12:33Engineering, and Made in the Shade and

6:12:34all others that intend to profit off of

6:12:36this immoral and unnecessary border wall

6:12:38do no business with the city of Tucson.

6:12:43>> Bob Yos Yosi. Bob Yosi. Yosi, I think it

6:12:49is. I'm sorry if I massacred your last

6:12:52name.

6:12:53>> You did great.

6:13:06Mayor Romano, council people, um my name

6:13:09is Bob Yosley. I'm a Pima County

6:13:11resident. I'm here to talk to you about

6:13:13dark skies. And it was very gratifying

6:13:16to hear the the proclamation for the uh

6:13:20children's connection to nature and

6:13:22mentioning dark skies in the sonor and

6:13:24desert. 60 years ago I was 10 years old

6:13:28and I got my first look at the Milky

6:13:30Way. I grew up in the Bay Area of

6:13:33California and it was impossible to see.

6:13:36It was a religious experience. And now

6:13:39I'm living in the headquarters, the

6:13:41world center of astronomical research

6:13:45here in southern Arizona where there are

6:13:48over 50 telescopes dedicated to research

6:13:52as well as generating a tremendous

6:13:54amount of economic impact for the area.

6:13:57Astronomy

6:14:00creates 252 $252 million annually and

6:14:04employs over 300 3,300 people in

6:14:08Arizona. In this part of Arizona, it's

6:14:11estimated

6:14:13that $5.9 billion will be spent on

6:14:16astroourism and astronomical related uh

6:14:19promotion by 2029.

6:14:23Unfortunately, and if you look at this

6:14:25document I just handed to you on page

6:14:27two, the ordinances, the codes that you

6:14:31have for protecting the night sky in

6:14:33Puma County and Tucson are greatly

6:14:36outdated and it's been since 2018 that

6:14:39the revision process has been in in

6:14:42place and is progressing unfortunately

6:14:45kind of slowly. In the meantime, the

6:14:48lighting technology has moved from high

6:14:50pressure sodium and low pressure sodium

6:14:52to LED lighting, which is two to three

6:14:55times more polluting to the night sky.

6:14:58And if you look at the bottom picture,

6:15:00you can see that with only a.7% increase

6:15:03in population, the light pollution in

6:15:06Tucson last year increased 9.5%.

6:15:10This is a disaster.

6:15:14This is a hair on fire, all hands on

6:15:16deck moment. If you're truly intending

6:15:18to protect the night sky, these

6:15:20ordinances have been in place since 1972

6:15:23to recognize the importance of

6:15:25protecting the night sky. One of the

6:15:28things I've noticed is that enforcement

6:15:31is woefully underfunded and

6:15:34understaffed.

6:15:35I'm standing here today to announce that

6:15:38I will do everything possible to create

6:15:40a group of people of volunteers who can

6:15:43help with that situation.

6:15:45And I'll just say that you don't have to

6:15:48have this. If you look on uh page the

6:15:52last page six, you'll see what the city

6:15:56and county of Flagstaff and Cookanino

6:15:59have done. They are decreasing their

6:16:02light pollution by having

6:16:04state-of-the-art ordinances and

6:16:06state-of-the-art enforcement. Thank you

6:16:09for your time. I appreciate it.

6:16:11>> Thank you, Mr. Hosley. Really appreciate

6:16:12you.

6:16:14>> All righty. Our next speaker is Jessica

6:16:16Allen.

6:16:25Good evening, Mayor and Council.

6:16:28As we come close to elections, I want to

6:16:30take the time to reflect on the

6:16:32leadership that's continued to fail the

6:16:34citizens of Tucson. You come up with

6:16:37program after program after program, yet

6:16:39the success rate is still very low. We

6:16:42have an open air drug use being ignored

6:16:45by police and the city council. And we

6:16:47have elderly residents terrified in

6:16:49their homes because the police never

6:16:50show up. Citizens are being told that it

6:16:53is their responsibility to report open

6:16:55air drug use while businesses like La

6:16:57Frontara are left with no

6:16:59responsibility. I know Mayor and Kevin

6:17:02Dollah's office are very aware of this

6:17:04issue with La Fonta because I've

6:17:06included you both in all of the emails.

6:17:10Why is it that the mayor and the council

6:17:13are against doing anything that might

6:17:15actually help the citizens of Tucson?

6:17:18The free buses have continued to be a

6:17:20problem. Yet you refuse to consider

6:17:22charging even a small fair. A small fair

6:17:26wouldn't be an issue for working people,

6:17:28but taxpayers continue to fund free

6:17:30transportation that can be used by

6:17:32people committing crimes, dealing drugs,

6:17:35or leaving the scene of a crime, which

6:17:37I've seen myself happen. Have you ever

6:17:39actually looked into the statistics on

6:17:41how criminals are using the Sunran bus

6:17:43that you're giving away for free?

6:17:46You set up programs like Star Village

6:17:48and then tell everybody that everything

6:17:49is fine. Meanwhile, the people living in

6:17:52those neighborhoods are the ones

6:17:53suffering while the public is told

6:17:55everything's fine according to

6:17:56statistics. That may not reflect any of

6:17:59the residents, what any of the residents

6:18:00are actually experiencing.

6:18:03Now, you want to vote on reszoning to

6:18:05place shelters all over Tucson. Yet, you

6:18:08can't even manage what you've already

6:18:10created.

6:18:11How many more citizens are going to be

6:18:13left dealing with the consequences of

6:18:15these decisions?

6:18:17And how can you get accurate statistics

6:18:19when the police don't answer the phone

6:18:21or even show up? I spent 10 minutes

6:18:24waiting on the phone for an answer from

6:18:27911. I got no answer. I got no call

6:18:30back.

6:18:32Just last night, two intoxicated

6:18:34individuals broke into my elderly

6:18:36neighbor's rental property and tried to

6:18:37get inside to sleep in there. This is

6:18:39the same property where squatters had

6:18:41already been found that they were living

6:18:43there for 2 months without her

6:18:45knowledge. This is just feet away from

6:18:48the property she lives in. I called the

6:18:50police. After 3 minutes, I finally got

6:18:52an answer. But I was told by the

6:18:54dispatcher, "Don't follow them. Don't

6:18:56chase them."

6:18:58I was told this is a high priority call.

6:19:00Yet the police never showed up. And

6:19:02still the previous two times they

6:19:04haven't showed up. And to this point at

6:19:06this council meeting, I've yet to

6:19:08receive anything from the police but a

6:19:10survey,

6:19:12which is insane. What are citizens

6:19:14supposed to do when we're told not to

6:19:15take action ourselves, but the police

6:19:17don't respond? At what point are you

6:19:18going to stop take making the citizens

6:19:20suffer? Charge for the buses. Do

6:19:22something about the open air drug use.

6:19:23Hold people accountable. Your housing

6:19:25first approach will never work if you

6:19:27refuse to hold people accountable.

6:19:28You're enabling a cycle that continues

6:19:30while law-abiding citizens are left to

6:19:32suffer the

6:19:32>> Thank you, Miss Allen. really appreciate

6:19:34it.

6:19:35>> All righty. We have Veronica Hanley.

6:19:38Veronica Hanley.

6:19:44>> Hello. Um, my name is Veronica. I am a

6:19:47business owner. I'm just representing

6:19:49myself. I'm not a retained speaker and

6:19:51I'm just representing my employees. I

6:19:53own two business locations in Ward 5 and

6:19:56Ward uh three or two, excuse me. And um

6:19:59I just wanted to use the opportunity to

6:20:01address everybody and say thank you. Um

6:20:05I've seen an improvement in going on

6:20:08eight years in uh sorry Ward 5 um where

6:20:13my breadand butter business location is

6:20:16and uh I've seen the improvements um

6:20:20very gradual. I know the mayor and

6:20:23council gets a lot of uh complaints. I

6:20:25was one of those complaints actually

6:20:26like three times. But I felt heard among

6:20:30the other business owners in Ward 5. Um

6:20:34and I felt like there was actual

6:20:35improvement. The roads are much better

6:20:38actually. Um I know there's the we're on

6:20:41park in 22nd, so there's that bridge,

6:20:43but it actually didn't impact us all

6:20:46that much. maybe a little bit, but um I

6:20:49just wanted to take an opportunity like

6:20:51to see talk to everyone as a group and

6:20:54just say thank you for all the

6:20:55improvements in W 5 and the I I was a

6:20:58recipient of a couple of grants and it

6:21:00really helped my business um actually

6:21:02thrive. So, um yeah, so thank you for

6:21:06everything that's been done in W five.

6:21:08Uh W, you know, two is fine or W three

6:21:10is fine. Um, but I just really wanted to

6:21:13say thank you for everything that's been

6:21:14done to W five and all the improvements

6:21:16and my employees and I can see the

6:21:18improvements. Um, we're across the

6:21:20street from uh Borton Magnet School.

6:21:22They've seen the improvements. Um, and

6:21:24the other businesses that we've shared,

6:21:26we've just seen all I know there are

6:21:28complaints about homeless people and

6:21:30drug use, but we we have seen the

6:21:33improvements and we do think that TPD

6:21:34has stepped it up. Um, so yeah, I just

6:21:37want to take the opportunity to address

6:21:38everyone and say there are businesses.

6:21:40were just quiet that see the

6:21:43improvements. We've complained. We see

6:21:44the improvements and we we really want

6:21:46to thank you so much. So, thank you.

6:21:48>> Thank you, Miss Henley. Appreciate it.

6:21:52All righty. Um, our next speaker is

6:21:56Jackie

6:21:57Riddle.

6:22:14Well, Regina, you get to meet me again.

6:22:18The fallen the the guardian angel lady

6:22:22that gives out guardian angels to the

6:22:25police department, fire department, some

6:22:27of your constables and you.

6:22:29But I'm here again

6:22:32and

6:22:34I don't usually come downtown unless I

6:22:36take a Sundan

6:22:38because of the fear of the violence in

6:22:42Tucson. I got attacked the first two

6:22:45weeks I came in from Kentucky

6:22:48on Pantano

6:22:51on my wheelchair.

6:22:53But thanks to my father

6:22:56that was a military officer that trained

6:23:00me since 14 to be like a Navy Seal.

6:23:05I was able to protect myself and use a

6:23:09pepper spray stun gun and a little

6:23:12hammer hit him in the middle and I

6:23:15tasered him and got him down and then he

6:23:19took off real quick. But I'm here

6:23:24dressed in a Celtic Scottish outfit

6:23:27today for you because I'm representing

6:23:31my history, Scottish history where they

6:23:34stood up for their integrity.

6:23:38They stood up for their

6:23:40belief in being a team members and

6:23:44standing up for each other in battle.

6:23:46And that's my Ukrainian family, too. So,

6:23:50but I'm standing up today because I'm

6:23:53tired of going every week I go down to

6:23:57the police department and I got a friend

6:23:59named U Sergeant Leon

6:24:04and I take uh gratefulness gifts every

6:24:07Monday for the police department and

6:24:10fire departments to show gratefulness

6:24:12which is my tradition also.

6:24:15But I see a lot of

6:24:19policemen

6:24:21that their morale has gone down because

6:24:24they don't feel appreciative. They don't

6:24:26feel supportive being support.

6:24:30And when you don't feel when you don't

6:24:33feel uh supported and someone appreciate

6:24:36you, your morale goes down. When your

6:24:41morale goes down, then your self-esteem

6:24:44go down. So, I'm I'm advocating for the

6:24:49Tucson Police Department, and they are

6:24:53very hard workers, and they going

6:24:55through a lot of emotional like stress,

6:25:00uh, PTSD problems,

6:25:03and it has to do with the shortage of

6:25:07staff

6:25:08and not feeling appreciated.

6:25:12So, you can go ahead and take all the

6:25:13pictures you want with the police

6:25:16department, but show appreciation and

6:25:18support them, please.

6:25:19>> Thank you, Miss Riddle. Really

6:25:21appreciate it. Um, Robert Royce.

6:25:32I'm Robert Royce. First, let me

6:25:35remind you that the section 8 housing,

6:25:38three doors down from me, has been

6:25:39vacant for three months.

6:25:42Uh, this same house where former tenants

6:25:46stole all the copper wiring and plumbing

6:25:49several years ago. If you're going to be

6:25:52placing poor people into a middle class

6:25:54neighborhood,

6:25:55it would it's your obligation to

6:25:57maintain the property and keep it

6:25:59occupied.

6:26:01Um, Mayor Romero, my patience with you

6:26:05has run out. When you threw that

6:26:08despicably dirty look at me at your

6:26:10first meeting, I just,

6:26:13you know,

6:26:16considered the fact that your patron

6:26:18whose specialty was throwing dirty looks

6:26:20around. I received a couple myself.

6:26:24when you stated a couple years ago that

6:26:27you you'd read all the cards and hurt

6:26:29everybody, but clearly not mine. Once

6:26:33again, I let it roll off my back. But at

6:26:37the last meeting when you told me and

6:26:40the public that you are not a ceremonial

6:26:42mayor and did it in your best demeaning

6:26:45school marm tone, that was the end of my

6:26:48patience.

6:26:50There are two forms of city government.

6:26:53There are mayor or council governments

6:26:55where the mayor administers the city.

6:26:58There are manager director governments

6:27:01where the mayor is a ceremonial mayor

6:27:03and the city manager

6:27:07administers the city. You just gave the

6:27:09manager an obscene $60,000 raise to $375

6:27:14uh,000 a year. And clearly we you are a

6:27:18ceremonial mayor. If you don't like that

6:27:20fact, my automatic initiative is on file

6:27:24in the clerk's office. Just pull it up,

6:27:26remove the pay raises, which would

6:27:28actually be a demotion and pay at this

6:27:32point and ask your fellow council

6:27:35members, board of directors members to

6:27:38put it to a vote.

6:27:41Now,

6:27:43I'm asking the voters to replace this

6:27:45one party government with a new

6:27:47Jeffersonian party. I'm collecting

6:27:50signatures. I'm cranking it up now

6:27:52because you made so much adrenaline at

6:27:55the last meeting after your comments

6:27:58that I'm just going to go ahead and

6:28:00crank everything up. Our new

6:28:01Jeffersonian party, a better future for

6:28:03Tucson. End one party rule in Tucson.

6:28:06Implement financial responsibility in

6:28:08our city. asked the voters if they want

6:28:11to reorganize our city to the more

6:28:13Jeffersonsonian mayor council almatic

6:28:15form of government a countywide sales

6:28:18tax to replace the Tucson sales tax in

6:28:20the interest of fairness unleash the

6:28:23genius of our city's people currently

6:28:25restricted by the machine government in

6:28:28our city thank you

6:28:33>> all righty our next speaker is Riley Oet

6:28:37IET

6:28:39I'm sorry.

6:28:44>> No worries. It's a tricky one. Uh,

6:28:47hello, Mayor Romero and city council

6:28:49members. My name is Riley Yoska and I'm

6:28:51a resident of W 6.

6:28:53>> I wasn't even close. I'm sorry.

6:28:55>> No, that's okay. No worries. I am here

6:28:58today to request that the city of Tucson

6:29:01pass a resolution to cancel current

6:29:03contracts with any entity that is

6:29:05engaged in construction of the border

6:29:06wall. This border wall project destroys

6:29:09our environment and kills human beings.

6:29:12The US Mexico border wall is explicitly

6:29:15designed to be deadly as detailed in the

6:29:17bipartisan prevention through deterrence

6:29:20policy. The border wall has been

6:29:22implicated in more than 4,500 deaths

6:29:25since 1981.

6:29:27This year alone, it has been implicated

6:29:29in 73 deaths. I feel strongly that it is

6:29:32unethical and unconscionable to allow

6:29:34businesses to profit off the

6:29:36construction of this inhumane, deadly,

6:29:38and environmentally destructive project.

6:29:41I cannot abide by my tax dollars being

6:29:43funneled in being funneled to border

6:29:45wall profitering by my city government.

6:29:48Companies like Sun Construction,

6:29:50Standback Sanitation, Southland's

6:29:53Engineering, and Made in the Shade are

6:29:55Tucson companies that are profiting off

6:29:57environmental destruction and human

6:29:59suffering along the borderlands. I'm

6:30:02here tonight to urge you to ensure that

6:30:04these companies and all others that

6:30:05intend to profit off this immoral and

6:30:07unnecessary border wall do no business

6:30:10with the city of Tucson. I want to

6:30:12acknowledge that you've already heard a

6:30:14similar message today. I hope you will

6:30:16consider this a testament to just how

6:30:18many people in our community share this

6:30:20perspective. Thank you for your

6:30:22consideration on this matter. And um I

6:30:25just also wanted to say that I think

6:30:27free buses are a gift to many people in

6:30:29need of reliable transportation and

6:30:32housing first models are successful in

6:30:33several other cities. So I applaud that

6:30:35approach. Thank you so much.

6:30:37>> Thank you so much. Our last speaker will

6:30:40be JD Wallace.

6:30:52Good evening, mayor and council. My name

6:30:53is JD Wallace. I'm a Tucson resident and

6:30:56also a retained speaker for Tucson

6:30:58Electric Power at 88 East Broadway

6:31:00downtown with updates on how we're

6:31:02working to remain a trusted energy

6:31:04partner. Last week, TE produ presented

6:31:07United Way of Tucson and Southern

6:31:09Arizona with a $100,000 check to support

6:31:12Puma early education scholarships

6:31:14program scholarships known as PEEPs for

6:31:18early childhood education in Puma

6:31:19County. 13,000 preschool age students

6:31:22are in families that meet the income

6:31:24eligibility requirements for these

6:31:26programs, but fewer than 5,000 are

6:31:29receiving it. The donation from

6:31:31corporate resources and not rateayer

6:31:33funds will support an additional

6:31:35classroom and is hoped to supercharge

6:31:37peeps by attracting additional corporate

6:31:40sponsorships. Our neighborto neighbor

6:31:42program has four more events this month

6:31:44where customers can receive in-person

6:31:46guidance on discount program enrollment,

6:31:49referrals to community agencies, and

6:31:51weatherization kit assistance. Just a

6:31:53over a year ago, TEP participated in its

6:31:56first neighborto neighbor event, and

6:31:58since then, representatives at these

6:32:00events have provided more than 3,000

6:32:02discount enrollments and dist

6:32:04distributed 1,400 weatherization kits.

6:32:08The total benefit to customers over the

6:32:10year is more than $860,000.

6:32:13We'll have two events Friday morning,

6:32:15one at Unleashed Christian Church and

6:32:18the other at Community Food Bank of

6:32:19Southern Arizona. We'll also be at

6:32:22Movies in the Park Saturday night at uh

6:32:24Gunny Barreris Park. And then next week

6:32:27on Friday morning, representatives will

6:32:29be again at the Community Food Bank of

6:32:31Southern Arizona. The times and

6:32:33locations are under our neighbor connect

6:32:35page on te.com

6:32:37and customers can also ask for

6:32:38assistance on that page if they can't be

6:32:40at these events. Thank you for your time

6:32:43and please send any constituents seeking

6:32:45assistance to these resources to our

6:32:47customer service representatives or to

6:32:49te.com.

6:32:51Thank you.

6:32:52>> Thank you, Mr. Wallace. All righty. That

6:32:54was our last speaker and we're moving on

6:32:56to item seven, consent agenda.

6:33:00>> Reports from the city manager on the

6:33:02consent agenda received into and made

6:33:04part of the record. Madame clerk, you

6:33:06are requested to read the consent

6:33:08agenda.

6:33:12Uh three unanimous consent items 7D and

6:33:157E were removed from the consent agenda.

6:33:18Uh current consent agenda is 7A approval

6:33:21of minutes. 7B establishment of the

6:33:24second 2 sec

6:33:2722nd street improvement project. I 10 to

6:33:30Kino Parkway citizens corridor planning

6:33:32task force. Item 7 C victim's rights

6:33:35program grant award. Item 7F, lease

6:33:38agreement with PTI US Acquisitions LLC

6:33:41for the telecommunications facility at

6:33:431400 North Silverbell Road, Walke

6:33:45Marietta Marietta Park. Item 7G, lease

6:33:49agreement with the new Singular Wireless

6:33:50PCS LLC, DBA AT&T for the

6:33:53telecommunications facility at 4159

6:33:56South Elizabeth,

6:33:58Lamar Park. Item 7H, amendment five to

6:34:02the IGA awarding the city's community

6:34:04safety health and wellness program

6:34:06funding from the Arizona Healthc Care

6:34:07Cost containment system state opioid

6:34:10response

6:34:11for fiscal year 27 grant program

6:34:14contract number YH25-0055

6:34:18CTR065754.

6:34:22What is the council's pleasure?

6:34:26Your honor, I move that we pass uh the

6:34:30non removed items on the consent agenda.

6:34:32Second.

6:34:34>> So there's a motion and a second. Any

6:34:36further discussion?

6:34:39>> Hearing none. Let's go to roll call.

6:34:41>> Council member Cunningham.

6:34:42>> Hi.

6:34:43>> Council member Barahas.

6:34:45>> I.

6:34:45>> Council member Schubert.

6:34:47>> I.

6:34:47>> Councilwoman Lee.

6:34:50>> I.

6:34:51>> Council member Dah.

6:34:52>> Hi.

6:34:53>> Mayor Romero.

6:34:54>> I. The items on the consent agenda are

6:34:56approved by a vote of 6. There are two

6:34:59items that were requested to be

6:35:01considered separately. That's item D and

6:35:04E. Item 7D, approval of updated

6:35:07memorandum of understanding between the

6:35:08Tucson Police Department and the Bureau

6:35:09of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and

6:35:11Explosives regarding TPD participation

6:35:13in the National Integrated Ballistic

6:35:15Ballistic Information Network.

6:35:18>> All righty. Um, these were requested uh

6:35:21to be considered separately. Can you

6:35:22accept the communication and ask me to

6:35:24read the resolution?

6:35:24>> Oh, I will accept the communication and

6:35:26ask you to read the resolution.

6:35:29>> Resolution number 24196 relating to law

6:35:32enforcement approving a memorandum of

6:35:33understanding between the Tucson Police

6:35:35Department and the Bureau of Alcohol,

6:35:37Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

6:35:38regarding the Tucson Police Department's

6:35:40participation in the National Integrated

6:35:41Ballistic Information Network,

6:35:43authorizing the Chief of Police to

6:35:44execute a memorandum of understanding on

6:35:46behalf of the Tucson Police Department

6:35:47and declaring an emergency.

6:35:49>> All righty. Now we can go to council um

6:35:53member Schubert who requested these

6:35:56items be approved separately. Council

6:35:57member Schubert. Thank you mayor,

6:35:59members of the council. Um so I

6:36:02understand uh the request of this item

6:36:04and I understand its utility in

6:36:06investigating gun crimes. However, there

6:36:08are a few areas of the contract that I'm

6:36:11unclear on and would like to direct some

6:36:13questions to city attorney. I'm also

6:36:15doing this for the benefit of public

6:36:17transparency so that our constituents

6:36:19can hear um what we're considering

6:36:21before we consider this item and take a

6:36:23take a vote. Um okay. So, um, section

6:36:27two of the resolution document reads,

6:36:29"The chief of police is authorized and

6:36:31directed to execute the memorandum of

6:36:33understanding on behalf of the Tucson

6:36:35Police Department and to execute any

6:36:38other documents, certifications, or

6:36:40related agreements either with ATF or

6:36:43other law enforcement agencies necessary

6:36:45or desirable to give effect to this

6:36:47resolution, theou or the proper sharing

6:36:49of law enforcement information under the

6:36:51opices of and in compliance with ATF's

6:36:53NIBIN program. So my question, what is

6:36:57within the scope of additional

6:36:59agreements that would be allow allowable

6:37:01under section two?

6:37:04>> Honorable mayor, um council member

6:37:05Schubert, uh that that's a good

6:37:07question. The uh proper sharing or

6:37:09excuse me, the um

6:37:13information related to this particular

6:37:16um program. So it would be something

6:37:18like an amendment to theou or an

6:37:21additional agreement if there was

6:37:23another participant in the NYBEN program

6:37:26and and I'll I'll point the effect of

6:37:28the resolution is for participation in

6:37:31the NIBN program. The NBEN program is

6:37:32only for sharing of ballistic

6:37:34information. So information related to

6:37:37guns used in crime uh and their uh

6:37:41casings slugs or other information

6:37:45information related to that. the

6:37:47identification of those firearms.

6:37:49>> Thank you. Um could for example an

6:37:51agreement be signed which could expand

6:37:54um other agencies who this data could be

6:37:56shared with like ICE, Homeland Security,

6:37:58the FBI or Border Patrol?

6:38:00>> Uh no, because that's not part of the

6:38:02NIBN program.

6:38:03>> Thank you. Um what's the full scope of

6:38:06data collected in ATF's um NBA program?

6:38:09I know you mentioned a little bit of

6:38:10that. Is there any reason that ALPRs or

6:38:13audio surveillance such as um that

6:38:15accompanying Shot Spotter could be used

6:38:16under this agreement?

6:38:18>> No. And I I can point you to the actual

6:38:20language in the agreement. Uh it doesn't

6:38:22uh there's no information related to

6:38:24firearm owners or registrations. It's

6:38:27only for uh image ballistic evidence and

6:38:30test fires of firearms illegally

6:38:32possessed, used in a crime, or suspect

6:38:34suspected by law enforcement officials

6:38:36of having been used in a crime.

6:38:39>> Thank you. And one final question. If a

6:38:41departmental director, in this case the

6:38:43chief of police, does move forward to

6:38:45execute any additional documents,

6:38:47certifications or related agreements, um

6:38:50either with ATF or other law enforcement

6:38:52agencies as allowed under section two of

6:38:54the resolution. How can those documents

6:38:56or agreements be reviewed by myself as a

6:38:59council member with my colleagues on the

6:39:01council and also the general public?

6:39:04>> Sure. Um, council member, you can re you

6:39:05can always reach out for information to

6:39:07directly to the the um department

6:39:09director as can the city manager or the

6:39:12full council if they wish to.

6:39:15>> Thanks so much for answering these

6:39:16questions. I appreciate the transparency

6:39:18and information shared. Um, and if

6:39:21there's no additional questions from my

6:39:22colleagues, I am ready to vote on this

6:39:25item.

6:39:30>> I move that we pass and adopt the item.

6:39:32>> Okay. I second the motion. All

6:39:34>> righty. So, there's a motion to adopt

6:39:36and pass the item. There's a second. Any

6:39:38further discussion on this item?

6:39:43>> Hearing none. Uh, we do need to go to

6:39:45roll call.

6:39:46>> Council member Cunningham.

6:39:47>> Hi.

6:39:48>> Council member Baras.

6:39:49>> I.

6:39:50>> Council member Dah.

6:39:51>> I.

6:39:52>> Council member Schubert.

6:39:53>> I. Councilwoman Lee.

6:39:57>> I. Mayor Romero.

6:39:59>> I. Item passes by a vote of 6. All

6:40:02righty. The the next item is item B,

6:40:05also considered separately by council

6:40:07member Schubert.

6:40:09>> E,

6:40:10>> I'm sorry.

6:40:13>> E as an excellent. There you go. Item

6:40:167E, intergovernmental agreement between

6:40:17the city of Tucson on behalf of the

6:40:18Tucson Police Department, the state of

6:40:20Arizona on behalf of the Arizona

6:40:21Department of Public Safety for the

6:40:23Tucson Police Department's participation

6:40:24in the Arizona Vehicle Theft Task Force.

6:40:28>> All righty. Uh, Council Member Schubert.

6:40:30>> Accept the communication. Oh, accept the

6:40:31communication. I'm sorry. And read the

6:40:33resolution.

6:40:34>> Resolution number 24202 relating to the

6:40:37Tucson Police Department and

6:40:38intergovernmental agreements approving

6:40:40and authorizing the chief of police's

6:40:41execution of an intergovernment

6:40:43agreement between the city of Tucson on

6:40:44behalf of the Tucson Police Department,

6:40:45the state of Arizona on behalf of the

6:40:47Arizona Department of Public Safety for

6:40:48the Tucson Police Department's continued

6:40:50participation in the Arizona Vehicle

6:40:52Thft Task Force and declaring an

6:40:53emergency.

6:40:57Thank you, honorable mayor, members of

6:40:59the council. While we have significant

6:41:02data that shows that both violent and

6:41:04property crime are trending downward in

6:41:06Tucson and across the country, there's

6:41:08still a narrative in our community that

6:41:10crime is on the rise. While we must

6:41:12address that misinformation, I want to

6:41:14be sure that we do not invalidate the

6:41:16real lived experiences of residents who

6:41:19have fallen victim to crime, especially

6:41:21when it results in personal harm, severe

6:41:24financial loss, or long-term trauma. The

6:41:26Arizona Vehicle Theft Task Force, AVTTF,

6:41:30program that we discussed earlier today

6:41:32in study session is a statewide program

6:41:34that allows collaboration and funding to

6:41:37aid in recovering stolen vehicles.

6:41:39Having your car stolen can have a

6:41:40devastating

6:41:42um impact. Um it impacts employment,

6:41:45insurance premiums, and financial loss.

6:41:48Being able to have it recovered is

6:41:49important to the people or business

6:41:51impacted by vehicle theft. Nevertheless,

6:41:53when we accept funds that require

6:41:55tracking people, sharing data, and/or

6:41:58surveillance technology, we need to be

6:42:00cognizant of the potential misuse, civil

6:42:03liberties concerns, or potential for

6:42:05federal overreach that could conflict

6:42:07with our values here in the Tucson

6:42:09community. With the rapid evolution of

6:42:11new technologies and data concerns being

6:42:13at the forefront of many conversations

6:42:16about safety, it is critical to have

6:42:18ongoing discussions and reporting to

6:42:20ensure transparency and trust.

6:42:23TPD maintains thorough and thoughtful

6:42:25department policies on use of technology

6:42:28which are publicly available on their

6:42:30website and as elected uh leaders it is

6:42:33our responsibility to proactively

6:42:35address constituent concerns. Review of

6:42:38IGAs and their programs is essential to

6:42:41maintain transparency build public trust

6:42:44and ensure the safety privacy and civil

6:42:46rights of all tonins.

6:42:49As we discussed during study session,

6:42:51the AVTTF program does use statewide and

6:42:54national databases to collect and

6:42:56distribute information and also uses

6:42:59ALPR tools um to aid in vehicle

6:43:02recovery. So, while it can be an

6:43:04important strategy for addressing

6:43:06property recovery and victim

6:43:07settlements, we need to ensure

6:43:09responsibility and transparency within

6:43:11the program. Therefore, in tandem with

6:43:14the extremely helpful briefings that the

6:43:16department um has provided as well as

6:43:18oversight by the IAPC,

6:43:21it would be beneficial to provide um

6:43:24regular data and statistical reports

6:43:26when programs are active. I'd like to

6:43:28make a motion to approve the IGA with

6:43:31the addition of a six and 12-month

6:43:33report back to Marin Council from TPD um

6:43:36using the following metrics. number of

6:43:38cases that were supported using ALPR

6:43:40searches, number of queries using ALPR

6:43:43data, um by AVTF assigned staff, um

6:43:48patrol division, investigative unit, and

6:43:50CESARC, identified hotspots of vehicle

6:43:53theft locations, identified hotspots of

6:43:56recovery locations, and any complaints

6:43:58reported to the independent police

6:44:00auditor of TPD related to this program.

6:44:04My goal of this reporting request is to

6:44:06transparency, transparency,

6:44:08accountability, and measurable evidence

6:44:10of success in data sharing in this

6:44:12program so Tucson residents feel safe

6:44:14and trusting of the work in our

6:44:16departments. Thank you so much.

6:44:21>> All righty. There's a motion.

6:44:28And again, that motion was to approve

6:44:30the IGA with the addition of six and 12

6:44:32month reports back to the mayor and

6:44:33council.

6:44:37There's a motion on the floor.

6:44:39>> Can I ask a question before?

6:44:40>> Absolutely.

6:44:41>> Secondying. Um, is this acceptable to

6:44:43TPD?

6:44:44>> Sure.

6:44:45>> Okay. I think that's the

6:44:48>> the

6:44:48>> I don't know if that I I don't know if

6:44:49that's the right question. I think do we

6:44:52do do we do this type of reporting

6:44:54already? That I think that would be the

6:44:56question. Uh, Mr. Mr. Manager or Mr.

6:45:00Attorney,

6:45:01>> honorable mayor, members of the council,

6:45:02I'll start and city attorney might add.

6:45:06Um, I think it's very reasonable to

6:45:08require six and 12 month reports.

6:45:11>> Um, I think we would have to look

6:45:13through the specifics of those data and

6:45:15see what is, you know, what's sharable,

6:45:18what's not, you know, not to push back

6:45:20on any of it until we know the details

6:45:22of the specifics of it. But I I think

6:45:25the spirit as written and as explained

6:45:26with the six and 12 month report is

6:45:29something we can comply with.

6:45:30>> Okay. Great.

6:45:31>> Second.

6:45:31>> Okay. So there's a motion and a second

6:45:33and further discussion. We had this

6:45:36conversation at study session and and we

6:45:40talked about

6:45:42concerns that people have with data

6:45:44sharing. it, you know, it it's um

6:45:48concerning to some that the data will be

6:45:52shared

6:45:53um with other uh federal agencies or

6:45:58others uh other agencies that will uh

6:46:02weaponize that information. So, I

6:46:05absolutely understand where that uh

6:46:07feeling is coming from. And so it just

6:46:10wanted to make sure that we were not

6:46:13just piling on additional

6:46:15responsibilities

6:46:17um that would take away from the focus

6:46:20of the work that we're doing day in day

6:46:24out. Um Mr. Lusk, you had a comment.

6:46:26>> Thank you, members of council. Um

6:46:29council member Shou, I just want to

6:46:30clarify you're asking for that

6:46:32information related to AVTTF only.

6:46:35Correct. Thank you. I just wanted to

6:46:37clarify that for the motion. Thank you.

6:46:40>> I like the idea of hotspots just to know

6:46:43like where it's happening and what we

6:46:45can do to prevent.

6:46:49>> Council member Vakas.

6:46:50>> Sorry. And do we currently I thought I

6:46:52remember seeing a map already with the

6:46:54hotspot area. We have that already,

6:46:56right? Yeah.

6:47:00>> Assistant Chief Duffy, please, if you

6:47:02wouldn't mind. We do track hotspots on a

6:47:06number of different uh enforcement

6:47:08activities, but specific to this program

6:47:12um

6:47:13>> no not to this program. We track um

6:47:16autothefts and recoveries overall

6:47:20um but Sergeant Gutierrez tracks them um

6:47:24for this program. So that's how I was

6:47:26able to provide you the data here

6:47:27tonight. But the hot spots in terms of

6:47:30like where autothefts are happening

6:47:33within the city of Tucson, I I thought

6:47:35we had that.

6:47:36>> We do. We do have that for overall for

6:47:38the hotspots.

6:47:38>> Okay, perfect. Okay, I think that was

6:47:40the question. Uh any other questions?

6:47:43All righty. Thank you so much. Um

6:47:46Assistant Chief Duffy, any any other

6:47:48questions? If not, I think we need to go

6:47:50to roll call. There is a motion and a

6:47:54second.

6:47:54>> I have one other question. Sorry,

6:47:56>> Council Member K.

6:47:57>> Here's my issue. is that we're asking

6:47:59them to report on this and sometimes

6:48:02when we release information to the

6:48:03public it can jeopardize an

6:48:04investigation

6:48:06and I don't want to do that. So I want

6:48:08to make sure that's not going to happen

6:48:10here. That's all.

6:48:14>> Go ahead.

6:48:19>> Yes. Uh, honorable mayor and council

6:48:21member Cunningham, I I do not think that

6:48:24we would um by giving overall stats

6:48:27jeopardize any specific investigation.

6:48:29Um, but if we did, we would of course uh

6:48:31say that when we when we came back that

6:48:34we wouldn't be able to do that. So, I

6:48:36think we should be good and we already

6:48:39track that data. All

6:48:40>> righty. We wouldn't want to do that.

6:48:42Councilwoman Lee,

6:48:45>> thank you, Mayor. I just want to confirm

6:48:46the intention of the return at six month

6:48:49and 12 month. Can that be an offag

6:48:51agenda memo? Because assistant chief

6:48:53Jeffy just mentioned coming back and um

6:48:55I would hate for extra overhead if this

6:48:57could be a report that's sent out to us

6:48:58versus an an additional conversation at

6:49:01the table twice a year.

6:49:05>> I don't members of the council that

6:49:07would be our preference. Um but we can

6:49:10always be asked to bring it back in a

6:49:12study session item. We also could be if

6:49:15there's interest, we can layer it into

6:49:17the safe city updates that happen on a

6:49:19monthly basis. So there's a lot of

6:49:21vehicles we could use, but an off agenda

6:49:22memo is a great place to start.

6:49:24>> Yeah, I think that's acceptable for all

6:49:26of us. All righty. Um, everything good.

6:49:29Good. Okay, let's go to roll call.

6:49:34>> Council member Schubert.

6:49:36>> Hi.

6:49:37>> Council member Dah.

6:49:38>> I. Councilwoman Lee,

6:49:42>> I.

6:49:43>> Council member Barahas,

6:49:44>> I.

6:49:45>> Council member Cunningham,

6:49:46>> I.

6:49:47>> Mayor Romero,

6:49:48>> I. The item on the consent agenda is

6:49:51approved by a vote of 6. Thank you all.

6:49:54Item eight,

6:49:55>> reconsideration. Motion to reconsider

6:49:57recommendation of denial of a new series

6:50:0012 liquor license adopted August 5th,

6:50:022026 relating to applicant Tortillas Gas

6:50:05located at 914 North Grande Avenue. All

6:50:09righty. I'm going to read the

6:50:12communication number and then ask our um

6:50:16city clerk to walk us through what we

6:50:18need to do because this is a

6:50:19consideration. So, it's a two-step

6:50:22process. So, bear with me. City

6:50:24manager's communication number 293 dated

6:50:27October 20th is received into and made

6:50:30part of the record. Time has been set

6:50:32aside to reconsider the recommendation

6:50:34of denial of a new series 12 liquor

6:50:37license adopted August 5th, 2026

6:50:40relating to applicant Tortillas Giwwest

6:50:43located at 914 North Grande Avenue in

6:50:47Ward 1. So, um, Miss Clerk, please help

6:50:51us uh with the first step of

6:50:53reconsideration.

6:50:55and vice mayor was really sad that she

6:50:58couldn't be here today uh because she's

6:51:01very very excited to welcome tortilla

6:51:04chias to what used to be grande tortilla

6:51:07factory which is a very historic space

6:51:11in ward one and in the west side. So, um

6:51:15she wants to make sure that the series

6:51:1712 liquor license is adopted tonight

6:51:21with um motion to approve, but help me

6:51:26through this.

6:51:26>> Uh so, yes, I'm happy to provide any

6:51:28background um if anyone needs it, but uh

6:51:30what we're looking for at the moment is

6:51:32a motion to reconsider this item, which

6:51:34was previously denied um because at the

6:51:36time they did not have uh a couple of

6:51:39the approvals. They have since now fixed

6:51:41those problems and got an extension from

6:51:43the state which allows us to reconsider

6:51:46it so that we can give um an approval to

6:51:49the state if that's what's desired by

6:51:50mayor and council. So um all of you

6:51:52voted on the prevailing side. So anyone

6:51:55could make a motion to reconsider this

6:51:57item and vote to reconsider.

6:51:58>> I'm going to move to reconsider.

6:52:00>> I second the motion.

6:52:02>> So there's a motion and a second to

6:52:04reconsider. We're going to vote on the

6:52:06reconsideration and then go on to

6:52:09>> that can be a um voice vote.

6:52:12>> Okay. So, all those in favor of

6:52:15reconsidering, please indicate by saying

6:52:17I

6:52:18>> I

6:52:18>> I.

6:52:20>> Anyone against? Motion carries. Second

6:52:23step

6:52:24>> would be a motion to approve the

6:52:26license. Your

6:52:27>> honor, I'd like to make the motion. Your

6:52:29honor, I'd like to make the motion to

6:52:30approve the liquor license that now is

6:52:32in compliance that wasn't in compliance

6:52:34before when we voted.

6:52:35>> Second. There's a motion and a second.

6:52:38It is a voice vote. All righty. There's

6:52:40a motion, a second. Any further

6:52:42discussion? Hearing none. All those in

6:52:44favor of approving the liquor license to

6:52:48tortillas cha signify by saying

6:52:49>> I I.

6:52:51>> Anyone against? Motion carries. Thank

6:52:54you so much. Item nine, adjournment.

6:52:57Council will stand adjourned. The next

6:52:59regularly scheduled meeting will be on

6:53:01Wednesday, November 4th at or after 5:30

6:53:04p.m. Thank you all so very much. Really

6:53:07appreciate it.