NOTE:

IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS OF THE ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES AND THE FLAGSTAFF CITY CHARTER THE SUMMARIZED MINUTES OF CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE NOT VERBATIM TRANSCRIPTS.  ONLY THE ACTIONS TAKEN AND DISCUSSION APPEARING WITH QUOTATION MARKS ARE VERBATIM.  AUDIO RECORDINGS OF CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE ON FILE IN THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE.

SUMMARIZED MINUTES

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING

February 9, 2010

5:30 p.m.

A meeting of the Flagstaff City Council was held on February 9, 2010, convening at 5:40 p.m., in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 211 West Aspen Avenue, Flagstaff, Arizona.

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Presler.

1.      PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, READING OF THE VISION STATEMENT, AND INVOCATION

Mayor Presler asked those present to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, the reading of the Vision Statement, and the Invocation.

2.      ROLL CALL

On roll call, the following were present:

Mayor Presler

Vice Mayor White

Councilmember Brewster

Councilmember Evans

Councilmember Haughey

Councilmember Overton

Councilmember Swanson

Also present were:

City Manager, Kevin Burke

City Attorney, Patricia Boomsma

3.

Consideration of Ordinance No. 2010-10:  An ordinance repealing Ordinance No. 2009-36 amending the City of Flagstaff Personnel Policies, adding Section 1-10-060., “Meet and Confer”, implementing a process for management and employees to meet and confer in good faith with respect to certain topics such as wages, hours and other terms of employment.

RECOMMENDED ACTION

(1)

Read Ordinance No. 2010-10 for the first time by title only.

Or, in the alternative:

(1)

Read Ordinance No. 2009-10 for the first time by title only

(2)

Move to vote on the final reading of Ordinance No. 2009-10. (Requires unanimous vote of Councilmembers present.)

(3)

Move to Read Ordinance No. 2009-10 for the final time by title only.

(4)

Adopt Ordinance No. 2009-10.

As Mayor Presler began reading a prepared statement regarding the repeal of Ordinance No. 2009-36, Vice Mayor White moved to recess into executive session for legal advice.  The motion was seconded by Councilmember Overton and passed on unanimous vote.

The meeting resumed at 5:49 p.m.

Mayor Presler finished reading her statement asking that the ordinance be repealed.

Mayor Presler then moved to read Ordinance 2010-10 for the first time by title only.  The motion died for lack of a second.

Jen Brown, Employee Advisory Committee, explained that the EAC did not have time to solicit feedback from the employees on this issue; and, therefore, would not be submitting a recommendation.

4.

Consideration of Council Discussion:  Continuation of “Add-Back” discussion from thee February 4-5, 2010 City Council Budget Retreat.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Provide direction on add-backs to the draft City budget.

City Manager Kevin Burke presented $1,904,500.00 in proposed add-back items to the draft City budget as follows:

·          

$35,000.00

Restore funding to the Arizona Science Foundation and the Sustainable Economic Development Initiative.

·          

$540,000.00

Restore Fire Stations No. 4 and No. 7 to rescue level stations.

·          

$180,000.00

Restore Fire Station No. 7 to full operations.

·          

$235,000.00

Restore Animal Control Officer and Humane Society Contract.

·          

$327,500.00

Restore funding for U.S. Marshal and FBI Agent for Flagstaff, 1 ½ full-time equivalent to the Gang Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission, and one Municipal Court assigned officer.

·          

$144,000.00

Restore two DARE Officers.

·          

$50,000.00

Restore increased funding for Public Defender.

·          

$200,000.00

Restore Coconino County partnership for service of warrants.

·          

$193,000.00

Restore three Sr. Police Records Coordinators.

Sources for $1.2 million of the add-back funding come from a combination of:  (1) increased recovery costs for lab services; (2) Community Development cuts; (3) Housing Section cuts; (4) increased recovery costs for Fire Department contracts; (5) decreased contractual items; (6) a Public Works reorganization; and (7) a partial freeze of the Community Investment Director unfilled position.

With $1,904,500.00 in proposed add-backs, and $1,200,000.00 in proposed sources for the add-backs, there is still a $700,000.00 shortfall to fund the above listed add-backs.

A proposal for a 1/10^th of 1% increase to sales tax, the equivalent to one cent on every $10.00 purchase, was presented to the Council.  The increase would represent $1.3 million in new revenues and would cost the average family of four approximately 52 cents per month.  The sales tax question can only be considered during a general election on even-numbered years.

Other proposed funding sources included $500,000.00 in savings from the fire station relocation program, and the redirect of up to $300,000.00 in Lodging, Restaurant, and Lounge Tax (BBB) revenues from recreation capital to recreation operations.

Deferring the sales tax discussion to Item 5, there was Council accord to move forward with the add-backs and sources to fund the add-backs as proposed.

Terrence Milligan, resident, supported the proposed tax increase.  He also stated that development fees have made Flagstaff a builder-unfriendly community.

John McCulloch, resident, objected to:  (1) BBB revenues going into the general fund; and (2) Council direction being given to the City Manager on agenda items before taking public comment.

Brett Mierendorf, Flagstaff Fire Fighter, supported the proposed tax increase and asserted that Fire Department services would suffer if the number of Fire Fighters were to decrease.

5.

Consideration of Resolution No. 2010-09:  A resolution of the City Council of the City of Flagstaff, Arizona adopting the text of a ballot question (Proposition 404) relating to a temporary .1% ($.001) increase in the City transaction privilege (sales) tax beginning July 1, 2010 and ending June 30, 2012.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Read Resolution No. 2010-09 by title only.

Adopt Resolution No. 2010-09.

Councilmember Swanson moved to read Resolution No. 2010-09 by title only, adding the ending date of June 30, 2012 to the resolution language.  The motion was seconded by Councilmember Brewster.

Stephen Knutson, resident, and Joe Galli, Chamber of Commerce, spoke in opposition to Resolution No. 2010-09.

The Special Council Meeting recessed at 7:04 p.m., and reconvened at 8:28 p.m.

The motion failed on majority roll-call vote as follows:

Mayor Presler

Aye

Vice Mayor White

Nay

Councilmember Brewster

Aye

Councilmember Evans

Nay

Councilmember Haughey

Nay

Councilmember Overton

Nay

Councilmember Swanson

Aye

6.

Adjournment of Special Council Meeting.

There being no further business to come before the Council, the Special Meeting was adjourned at 9:02 p.m.

MAYOR

ATTEST:

CITY

CLERK

CERTIFICATION

STATE OF ARIZONA,

Coconino County.

)

)

)

ss.

I, MARGIE BROWN, do hereby certify that I am the City Clerk of the City of Flagstaff, County of Coconino, State of Arizona, and that the above Minutes are a true and correct summary of the Special Meeting of the Council of the City of Flagstaff held on February 9, 2010.  I further certify that the Special Meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present.

DATED this 3rd day of March, 2010.

CITY CLERK