City Council - Regular Meeting

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Yes, it is. Welcome to the city of Maricopa's city council meeting. We're glad you're here because your [music] voice matters. If you'd like to speak tonight, please start by filling out a speaker card at the council chambers entrance and turning it [music] in to the city clerk before the meeting begins. On that card, you can let us know if you want to speak on a planned agenda item or during the general call to the public. Please keep in mind that all comments are limited to 3 minutes or less depending on the number of people requesting to speak. Personal attacks and political speeches or threats are inappropriate in this forum and will be grounds for ending a speaker's time at the podium at the discretion of the mayor. We also ask that audience members refrain from applauding or showing disapproval of comments [music] shared by fellow community members. As every person who addresses council has the right to speak and not be intimidated, it's important to note that due to Arizona's open meeting law, council members cannot respond or take action on topics not listed on the agenda, but

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Thank you. I'm going to call this meeting of March 3rd, 2026, Regular City Council meeting to order. At this point, I would like to invite up Pastor Rusty Acres from Community of Hope Church for the invocation. And we have Council Member Lerman online for the pledge of allegiance. Please rise if you're able. Will you pray with me? Father God, we just want to first of all just acknowledge you as the source of wisdom and peace in our world. God, we just pray for wise decisions as we plan and look forward to the future of our city. And God, we uh we also just want to lift up the men and women that are standing on the wall of freedom for our country around the world as we once again encounter violence and war. God, we pray for those families that may not know where their their loved ones are. God, we just pray for peace that you would bring a peaceful end to this. Just ask this in your name. Amen.

Amen. Please join me in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands nation. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Pastor Rusty Acres and Council Member Lerman. That'll take us to roll call, please. Vanessa, Council Member Ghetto, present. Council member No, present. Council member Leman here. Council member Marsh here. Council member Wade here. Vice Mayor Man Freddy here. Mayor Smith here.

Madame Mayor, we have a quorum. Thank you very much, Vanessa. That takes us to item 3.1, which is proclamations, acknowledgements, awards, and presentations, of which this evening we have none. So, we will move along to our report from the mayor. Council members, I turn it over to you. Yes, Council Member Marsh.

Good evening. On February 19th, we had a budget workshop here uh figuring out the budget for the next fiscal year. And instead of a three or four person budget committee as in past years, this year we had a budget committee of the whole, the whole city council participated, bringing our whole council's diverse expertises and life experiences. Um, this year all our divergent constituent groups were represented. I feel we did a good job. Props to council member Noir for bringing her vast business experience to the table. And props to council member GTH for bringing his wisdom and judgment to the committee and props to the rest of the council for bringing their knowledge and f focus to this work. They were really representative of their constituents. On Saturday the 21st, uh a lot of us attended the fire and medical annual awards dinner along with um many citizens. It was an important event chaired by Chief Patassie. He rocked it. I was very impressed with the record of 2025 work done by our very special fire and medical teams. and I certainly thanked them for rescuing me in November when I fell and broke my hip. On the 24th, participated along with other council members in the ribbon cutting for the Mike Ingram Heritage Park. It was very well attended and the kids quickly figured out how to use the railroad themed toys in the park. On the 26th, I participated in the Panal County Board of Adjustments in Florence. The the good news is we only had two cases to handle. The bad

news is the county has made little or no progress in their multi-year project to update their prehistoric zoning code. I feel this multi-year delay is delaying progress in the growth and development of Panel County. It needs increased priority from staff and supervisors. And I have a a story. Um, in the last couple weeks, I was commuting from my home to this building um going west going east on Honeyut and there were two little boys 8 to 10 years old going the other way going westbound. One was on an ebike on the sidewalk and that's illegal. He didn't have a helmet on. That's not controlled yet. Um the other one, the younger one was in the bike lane going westbound in the eastbound lane and that's illegal. Um we're going to have some discussion on this tonight. Something needs to be done on the local level or we're going to have more dead kids. And I'm sure that's not a goal of anyone here to have more dead kids. That's about it, Mayor. Thanks.

Thank you very much, Council Member Wade.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Just have one comment in reference to the uh Mike Ingram Park and the opening ceremony. Oh, it was awesome. It was awesome. It was a beautiful day. It was gorgeous. a number of people there. Uh the workers uh were there as well, people that have done the done the work on the park as well as our community services person. And I I can never say enough about community services. They're just great at putting things together. Um later on that evening, my wife and I were having dinner and there was a lady there with her daughter. Daughter looked to be about three, maybe four years old and she was all over the place. She was over here, she was over there. She was all over the place. So, I I looked at the lady. I said, "You know, we just opened a brand new park over near uh the school district that you might want to take her over and let her see what it looks like." She says, "Oh, thank you so much for mentioning it to me." And I went over there myself later on to to just to show actually to show my wife. She wasn't there for the grand opening. And it was packed. And my understanding is it has been packed the entire time. So, that was That was a good one. We did a good one. That was that was very much very nice to be able to introduce the part to maybe one of his younger visitors as well. It was great.

Thank you, Council Member Wade. Council member Ghetto.

Thank you, Mayor, for the time. Excuse me. Um, also, uh, in connection with uh, Council Member Marsh, uh, we had our budget work as he mentioned here. And, uh, I just want to again express my gratitude to staff. they've done a wonderful job in uh presenting that budget. And just to remind all of us too that we have the next several months uh to re review that proposal as we begin to shape up and firm up a lot of those projects that will be in that CIP for this upcoming year. Um, so if there are questions or concerns, I would like to invite the the public to reach out to me and any of my colleagues honestly uh to be able to answer some of those questions and to hear what's on your mind and maybe to clarify some of the things that are are or are not found in that CIP for this upcoming year. Uh we do have a few weeks left to kind of massage that and to make sure that our priorities are represented in that CIP. So, I'm excited to continue that ball down the road. In a also connection with uh council member Marsh's report, the annual fire and medical awards banquet was just a wonderful evening as many of our well-deserving firefighters and and professionals were recognized for the tremendous work that they've provided and service that they've provided to our community over this previous year. It was a pleasure to be there. Um on February 25th, I had the uh privilege with Council Member Wade uh to join a joint committee meeting with the um Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and our youth council where the results of our youth survey were presented to the youth council and they were given an opportunity to augment um the data that we had received and to clarify maybe some of the thoughts and feelings that they had about um the various needs for supporting the teen population in our in our city and they had some phenomenal ideas and some great feedback to offer the city. It was a a meeting that I I I cherished honestly this last couple of weeks and being able to be a part of that. Um just to show you again the

caliber the the caliber of the type of youth that we have here in our city. Their number one request was to have more opportunities here in the city for job training skills, life skills, and more opportunities to volunteer. I don't remember ever having that on my top three as a kid. I love it. Um but just to hear that from them and their desire to to excel was uh was was refreshing and remarkable.

Um there's a couple events that I'd like to put on your calendar if you would uh like to be a part of these. First, on the third Wednesday of every month, there is a support group here in Maricopa for caregivers of those with dementia. Um, if you are familiar with um that wonderful opportunity to serve your loved one, it can be a challenge. Um, it could be isolating. It could be very lonely. There's unique challenges that come with that particular disease. Having that support group has been a lifeline to so many here in our community. So that is the third Wednesday of every month from 10 o'clock in the morning to 11:30 and it's held here in our Maricopa Community Center, the Senior Center on Smith, Inc. If you'd like more information, the phone number you can reach out to is 520-8362758 and they will answer your questions. And in connection with that, another resource we have for those caregivers is uh here in in our city on March 13th, we have a memory cafe. And the idea of the memory cafe is to bring your loved one who's struggling with dementia into a welcoming environment. There's usually some food, there's some entertainment, some music, opportunity for them to socialize, an opportunity for you as a caregiver to socialize with individuals who understand considerably um the challenges that you're facing as well. It's another great way to reach out, connect, and support. Um RSVPs are required March 13th, 9:30 to 11:30, and that's held um in the global water uh council room there. phone number is 520 8362758 if you'd like to RSVP for that event and they happen once a quarter here in our city so this won't be the only time to

participate but there'll be more in the future uh mayor I believe that is all that I have for this evening thank you thank you council member ghetto council member no

thank you mayor I also attended quite a few of the events that our council members have reported on Copa Cultural and the Heritage Park ribbon cutting, which if you haven't been out there, it's really that new park has transformed that area. I drove to the school district twice a month when I was on the schoolboard for 12 years and so very familiar with that area. And when I pulled around to attend that ribbon cutting and saw the new park, I mean, it was like it was a different space. It really is impressive what uh has been done in that area and kudos to the staff that made that possible. It's a beautiful park. Uh I also wanted to comment on the annual fire department awards banquet. Um it was so great to be there to help celebrate our amazing fire department and our staff. Um we celebrated the firefighter of the year, celebrated some retirees. It was a really great event. Uh we also celebrated our own Ron Smith who received the citizens award from the fire department for all of his work with the yellow dot program and it was much deserved. And so I just wanted to make sure that we [applause] mentioned that tonight. Uh I was also able to attend uh the Lions Club meeting. Um those are the Tuesdays we're not in council meetings. Uh and but it was great to see uh our local Lions. They really do raise a lot of money to give back to the community. They sponsor a lot of nonprofits here in the community. All of their money goes back into the community. They don't keep any of it for administration. and they're all volunteers and so um it was great to be there with them. And then just want to remind everybody that the uh Boys and Girls Club Dancing for Our Stars event is coming up on Saturday, March 28th. And I think you can still buy tickets and uh that's always a great event to see our local talent dancing and also to support our Boys and Girls Clubs which are so vital for the kids here in

Maricopa. Thank you, Council Member No, Vice Mayor Manf Freddy. Thank you for the time. Um, oh, excuse me. Let me go online for Council Member Lman. Council Member Lurman, do you have any items to share?

Yes, thank you for the time, Mayor. I also wanted to just um congratulate the Kermit for putting on an amazing award banquet. Congratulations to all the recipients. me the most about that banquet was how the fire department always seemed to bridge the past with the future and I really got a sense of them being very forward thinking this year in their banquet. So um that was a beautiful evening. Um and then the Mike Ingram um park railroad themed park was just a beautiful morning like everyone's saying and I've been in that area several times since then and the park has been packed that has been referenced um seeing kids all around that area. I know it makes the district staff very happy and the historical society staff have also said they're really excited about welcoming um new visitors to a coffee on the porch and having lots more kids inside the museum. So, it's a very exciting addition to our community. Um I attended the veteran business expo on Saturday at Central Arizona College and it was so nice to see our veterans um their businesses and also just serving our community in lots of different ways. There was one veteran there who has a gardening business and selling vegetables and just a lot of people um serving our community and and it was a great event. Um and then we had the statue unveiling at Pakana Park on Saturday and that also was a beautiful morning and a beautiful event and I want to thank our staff um for putting on such great events for our community. They're very meaningful and bring a lot of um joy and purpose to our community. And it's a beautiful statue. I encourage everyone to go to Pakana Park and check out the new statue. It's just right across from the snack bar. And then

lastly, I attended the Greater Maricopa Business Alliance banquet on Saturday night. And what a great event. They did such a great job putting on um an amazing event. And I wanted to congratulate all the award recipients. Um thank you, Mayor Thank you very much, Vice Mayor Manfrey.

Thank you for the time, mayor. Um, there's a lot of stuff that's happened in the last two weeks. It's it's been been a crazy two weeks. Actually, back in on the 18th, we had the transportation policy committee for MAG, which is always fun because that's where hopefully we're going to be able to move up some money for the 347 and that transportation tax that they have in Maricopa County. Um we're going to be talking a little bit about that stuff tonight for the city of Maricopa, but this is Maropa County we're talking about. Then of course we had that work session for the CIP that happened. Um I had a really cool meeting back on the 23rd with um the city manager and a couple council members and we're talking about a couple new not new things but bringing back some things that we used to do here in the city of Maricopa. Stay tuned for that. It's going to be fun to learn a little bit about that stuff. We all attended the Mike Ingram Heritage Park. Um, and it's a great park actually. I I mean, I wish my my daughters would get some grandchildren going or something because I don't have anybody to go with anymore. My kids are in their 20s now. It's like, what? Come on. Um, but I might go grab my nephew, but he's 10, so that's even I don't know. I need some younger ones to play in that park. But anyway, good news is I saw this really cool thing on Facebook today. the moms of Maricopa or Maricopa moms. It's a Facebook group and I was scrolling and I seen it and they are having an event there tomorrow. Not an event, but a meet and greet type of thing to bring your kids at noon tomorrow. So, I just think it's really cool to have places like that where people can congregate, come together, and just become that community that we want to be. I think it's cool. Um, also on the 24th I had the MPPA meeting. If nobody knows what that is, I don't even know. Um, but I'm joking. I know what it is. But, uh, basically what we do is we come together and we talk about, um, economic development things happening in the city of Maricopa. A lot of it stuff

that, you know, you you don't um, we don't go out and scream at the top of the rooftops of, you know, what might be coming and things like that. But the the future of the city of Maricopa is so bright and we're here at a perfect time. On the 25th, I spoke at a career day for Maricopa Wells Middle School. Um, I was a guest speaker there and I spoke about um the publishing industry as well as um being on council. They cared more about the council stuff. I don't know why, but it was funny hearing questions and and they understood the 347 and things. These are middle school kids. When I was in middle school, well, we didn't have middle school. I went to eighth grade and then to high school, right? We didn't have the separate school. But when I was in eighth grade, that was probably the last thing in my mind was transportation. But they think about it here. It's it's just crazy because it's it's on the top of their parents' minds. On the 27th, I had a really cool time because I got to judge a middle school debate. And the middle school debate was between do we use traditional water conservation or do we lean more on technology for our water water in the city of Maricopa? That was my New Jersey accent just came. Did you hear that? Um, and it was great to hear these uh, sixth grade students debating water technology versus traditional conservation. And they played the roles of two law firms fighting over a bill. And uh, so it was really cool. Um, and I when I was done listening to it, I'm like, you both made great points and everything should come together, technology along with traditional conservation and find a way to merge them, which is really good. Um that same day we had this really cool program here right here in this um chambers. We had our attorney general come down um and she spoke about the senior scams that are prevalent in our communities. Not

only our community but all communities. And the most surprising thing from it is how many people have been scammed. and they would tell their stories about it's a phone call, it's a computer thing, it's it's an email they got. And what she was able to um what Attorney General Maize was able to bring across was it's not something you should be ashamed of it. If it happens, reach out, talk to your police department, talk to the um the attorney general and try and get some resolution to it. But it was I was just amazed at how many people are being scammed on a daily basis. So, I told her I'd like her to come back again and do it again maybe in a couple months so we can get new people in here. I think we had about 80 people that showed up for it, which is really nice. Of course, we went to the Veterans Business Expo on Saturday, which was really cool. Um, my my biggest takeaway from it was we need more people to show up. It was sort of um when I got there, I was there for about about half an hour, maybe 45 minutes. It was kind of slow. I would like to see that packed with stuff. So, I promised them that when they do it again next year that I'll be screaming from the top of the rooftops about it that they people should come. And I forgot who mentioned I think it was Amber. There was a somebody with the vegetables. And so it was hilarious that people were telling him, "Hey, I need you to call up Copa Farmers Market. You guys should be working together." Because he was growing vegetables locally and selling them at this event. So, it just made sense that he would work with Copa Farmers Market. We went to the Tommy Fitzgerald um unveiling which to me was one of the coolest events that we have had in the city of Maricopa because it brought I don't want to say closure but closure to um a time where um

people were talking about this memorial and statue for 12 years and trying to figure it out. Before I was on council this was a topic of discussion. So, bringing it together and Amber at our futures meeting, I think it was, she um heard something and talked to someone and then called Tommy's mother, started talking to the city, worked with our city manager, worked with our worked with Quinn and and um and Rocky and the parks and this got done pretty fast. And it's amazing what I can get done pretty fast when everybody goes, "Yeah, that makes sense. Let's just get it done." And we were able to get it done. So, that's a really cool thing. Um, today I did Read Across America. I don't know if you've done it yet, but if you haven't, make your way to the school system and read to children. It is the fun event. You get to sit there with a bunch of kindergarten students. Today I did kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade. It's great because they just they're just totally different and the way they the way they just are honest and fun. So, we we did Read Across America. It's where you show up and you read books. So, I'm doing it again tomorrow for a couple hours. Um, but it's this whole week they're doing it in all the schools in Maricopa. So, if you want to do it, call your local principal up and say, "I'd like to come in and read to some kids." And you go in, you read, and you leave. And it's just fun. And they enjoy it. I I' I've never been hugged so much in my life than when you go to a kindergarten class and they're all running up to you. And again, fun and exciting stuff to do. Next week coming up is a a ribbon cutting for a law firm coming to the city of Maricopa, as well as a ribbon cutting for a new um um insurance company that opened up over by Walmart. So, there's so much going on. Just get involved. It's fun and

exciting. Thanks. Thank you, Vice Mayor Man Freddy. All right. So, as you see on my name tag up there, we have a visitor today. That is This is my first experience with Flat Stanley. He comes from my granddaughter who's all the way in Winter Park, Florida. And he decided he needed to come to Maricopa and experience something. And I'm like, what better than a city council meeting? So, this is Flatt Stanley from Winter Park, Illinois. Um, I first want to say thank you. I wasn't able to attend, but thank you for bringing this scamming event. Uh, Vice Mayor Man Freddy and the attorney general. I was impressed the attorney general was here because we thought maybe it would be somebody under her staff.

Yeah, pretty cool. Thank you. I love seeing the picture. The room was packed. Yes, I agree. Bring another one back. Maybe at a senior lunch and learn.

I don't know. I just think that would be perfect. Yeah. But thank you very much for that. Um, regarding the CIP, a lot has been said. The CIP meeting that we had, that's capital improvement project. I just want to make sure everyone understands this is a document that's available online for all of public to review. And as council member ghetto indicated, please talk to any one of us about does this meet your priority? What what priority would you have? Um if you have any questions on specific uh elements that are part of it, but I think staff did a fantastic job putting this introductory meeting together, which that's what it was intended to be. that gives us two months to actually dig into the details. So, I thought it was a great meeting, but it's important for the public to know you have a voice as well. Um, last uh second to last, I went to the AOT state transportation board meeting as I think they thought they were going to get rid of me when they put 347 on the five-year plan, but uh that's not happening. um they had a discussion on various elements of what's happening uh at AOT but my point and purpose for being there was that I had watched a work session that they had regarding their P2P process and that's the process that identifies which projects get moved up to the five-year plan and the city of Maricopa has done a great job over the last two three years identifying what the weaknesses are in that P2P process. process. So I reminded them of what I consider the two important weaknesses of this process to be is primarily growth. Nowhere in the P2P process for AOT projects do they talk about communities that are growing at the speed of Maricopa. That's important for them to get in there some way somehow. And then safety. Obviously, we all know the safety factors on 347 being one of the

top 10 most um challenged difficult life um experiences that you can have in the western United States. It's one of the top 10 uh roads that fall into that category. So, I pushed that a little bit more. I had a lot of fun with that. Um some of the board members asked me, "Please come back in May when we talk specifically about that." I'm like, I'll be back. Don't you're not getting rid of me. Um, and then lastly, uh, I want the Heritage Park. Everyone has mentioned it. I sadly wasn't able to go because I was out of the country. Um, but I saw some wonderful pictures and I think my favorite was all of the kids lined up to run to the playground as soon as that ribbon was cut. And I would have loved to have seen that, but fantastic. If you haven't been there and you want to go check it out this Sunday at 5:00 pm, bring a chair and you have access to a free concert, outdoor concert and Sedona Red will be playing. I think I'm looking forward to that and I think that'll be an outstanding opportunity to experience the park and bring your kids as well. Or you could do what Mike Ingram did and go down the slide. Pretty cool. Um, all right. That finishes our mayor's message and city council message. Turn it over to you, city manager.

Thank you, madame mayor, members of the council. We'll have a a few slides here today. First, obviously is uh is going into the um Mike Ingram Heritage Park again and and mayor, what you just mentioned, uh we'll go to the first slide here. Here we go. Uh just a a note, Sedona Red. Sometimes the visual helps. So 5 to 7 pm on Sunday, March 8th at Heritage Park. A second uh since our next council meeting isn't until the start of April, just a reminder, Wild West Music Fest is March 27th through the 29th at Copper Sky. So we have uh these as the headliners on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So invite the public out to that and certainly encourage uh anyone within, you know, reasonable driving distance or or fly, it doesn't matter. We're happy to to have a tourism event here where we can get people from across the the region and the country and and hopefully get a big turnout there. So excited for that. Um the other thing we wanted to mention is a little bit about Small Cell Wireless. We saw a little bit of of information about this pop up on social media. We certainly uh published some information and so just wanted to point out this is a great uh private development that is investing within our community. about 91 of these uh small cell wireless nodes will be going in across the across the city and ultimately it enhances the connectivity with cell phone signals and with wireless internet and those kind of things and so uh great opportunity for our community. Um there has been some question about uh the health benefits or the health detriments and so just wanted to provide a little bit of of context. If you see kind of towards the left third, you see 4G and 5G. That's really what we're looking at with these small cell wireless on the electromagnetic spectrum, that's less than a microwave, a toaster, or even a light bulb in terms of exposure to what might some might

refer to as radiation. And then you see all the way on the right of this is X-rays and then radiation itself. And so certainly a very safe technology. it's been well established throughout uh obviously the country, but even hundreds of thousands of these nodes across the Phoenix metro area as well. And so certainly we just wanted to provide some additional context there in terms of of uh the benefits and and perceived negative points uh that that may or may not be true. So hit that. And then the the final thing I just wanted to bring up is an update on in terms of our development activity in Maricopa. uh we are constantly striving to uh ensure that our infrastructure is in place and that we are keeping up in terms of of growth. And so one of the ways that we do that when we have new growth coming in, they all pay, as you know, development impact fees. Those development impact fees go and and pay for new roads, new fire stations, new parks, and all of those different things. And so it's important that as we get growth, we're we're making sure that we're collecting those fees and that we um are able to to put that into our capital improvement plan and pay for those projects. And so just an update in terms of where we are today, have had about 278 new permits this year, whether for single family or multifamily. Um and so about 278 so far this calendar year. So that's all I have. Any happy to answer any questions you may have.

Council, any questions? Very good. Thank you, city manager Bidder. All right, that'll take us to the call to the public this evening. I do have two speaker cards. I will call them up first. And the first is Tina Dugan.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Thank you for allowing me to speak. I'm here tonight because we've had numerous pedestrian and bicycle versus vehicle incidents in just a few short weeks and one of them was fatal. This is not a traffic problem. This is a community safety problem and it deserves more than a quick mention and a shrug. I know Chief Mark Goodman will be sharing information tonight on bicycle and pedestrian concerns and I appreciate that. What I want to add is this. A lot of these incidents are happening in the same general area near Walmart and the Glenn Wild area where we have a high concentration of multifamily housing, retail, schools, families walking, kids biking, and people trying to get from point A to point B without getting hit by a car. When many of these developments came before planning and zoning in this council, people spoke up. They raised concerns about traffic, pedestrian safety, crossings, and speed. Those concerns were real then and they're even more real now. And to be blunt, they're not coming to fruition the way residents were told they would. So, what can be done? Some of it's simple, some of it's hard, but none of it's optional. First, we've heard it before and we need to lower the speed limit on Porter Road near the schools where the incidents are clustering. Will it stop the speeding? No. But people speed in school zones, too, which tells you everything you need to know about the human species. But a lower speed limit does help because it will cause some people to slow down. And even one or two% slowing down is better than what we have now. And it can be the difference between a near miss and a tragedy. Second, targeted enforcement during peak hours, especially around school start and dismissal times. Not random enforcement, not once a month we tried. Real consistent presence where we know the risk is highest. Education and accountability starting at home. Parents need to talk to their kids about crossing safely, bike safety, and being

predictable near roads. Council member Marsh, was it you that mentioned about the kids going the wrong way and in the roadway distraction. Drivers need to remember they're operating a two-tonon piece of machinery in the middle of a neighborhood with schools and families. And I want to make this clear. Distraction takes many forms. Phones, stress, rushing, daydreaming, tunnel vision. But the result is the same. A driver not paying attention. A pedestrian assuming they were seen. A kid doing what kids do. And then everyone's life changes in just a second. So my ask tonight is straightforward. I'm asking the city to take steps where the city has the ability to act. Start with speed limits and focused enforcement and keep the public informed on what changes are being evaluated. What can be implemented now and what's going to take time because a large number of incidents in a few weeks with a fatality is not normal. It's not acceptable and it shouldn't take another death for us to treat this like the emergency it is. Thank you.

Perfect timing. All right, our next speaker card is Brandon Castro. Thank you. I I hear the word child and children uh being used repeatedly in by council and uh rightfully so as our future depends on our children. Um I hear the word traffic and I naturally um want to defend our most vulnerable from the most horrendous crimes. This is uh the second time I'm going to uh bring up uh one important law to me and should be to you and that's to raise the age uh in which people adults can participate in the creation of adult content. 21 should be the minimum. There should not be children from high school being recruited into one of the most dangerous professions known to man. When I brought up 21 plus on an opinion group and Facebook in Maricopa, it was an op-ed. Most people compared that profession to the other other profession in military.

Why is it that we're comparing those two occupations? We all went to high school. We all know that kids are influential. They can be influenced for one purpose or the other. And it's nice to hear that they can be influenced in a positive direction in which they care about technology. They care about our society. And I give them more credit every day because they are suffering through so much and yet keep their positivity alive. I'm asking that we do them a favor. I'm asking that this city start something that no other city has done in this nation. You want money, you want art, then care. That's it. A little bit of compassion goes a long way. Please. Thank you.

All right, that concludes the speaker cards that I have. Would anyone else like to approach the podium? Yes, please state your name or names.

Hi, my name is Crystal Ojan. Uh so happy to be here and thank you for letting me come up. Uh mayor and city council members. I am super super excited to announce the Maricopa Desert Music and Artsfest presented by AARP Arizona. They're trying to get a relationship here in Maricopa and build their multicultural and multi-generational uh activities. And so they jumped on board along with Arizona Commission of the Arts sponsored uh partially well in part sponsored some of the money for the event. And so it's going to be two days featuring jazz artist Brian Simpson. I'm going to use my recording voice and Vicky Wynens who's a major gospel artist. We're expecting about maybe 400 500 a night and uh we are taking some of the proceeds and we're giving it back to the high school for their arts and theater department. And that's what from my in my personal experience that is so encouraging and helpful to the the youth in the in the city because we know sometimes there's a uh in a situation where there's a high suicide rate and a lot of times because art and theater and all of those things have been taken out. They need something to do. So, we want to give that money back to Maropa High School through uh AP Arizona and we hope that you all can make it. Again, it's March 6th and 7th. It's at Maricopa High School Performing Arts Center. Friday, March 6th is the jazz from 6:00 to 9:00 and on Saturday it's Gospel Soul Saturday from 4 to 9:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you all. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Would anyone else like to approach the podium at this time? Seeing none, I will close the call to the public. That'll take us to consent agenda item this evening. We have consent agenda item 71 through 7.4. I've been asked by council member no to pull item 7.2. And I think council member No, it's okay to pull and discuss because um well, let's just see. Let's pull it now. 72 and discuss it. So, I'll turn it over to you. Item 7.2.

Sure. Thank you, mayor. U 7.2 has to deal with the um Wild West Music Fest and the liquor license pertaining to it or the special event liquor license pertaining to it. And as I was reading that item and the supporting documents, I just had a question about why um we're not using a local restaurant or a local vendor to provide the bar services for the Wild West Music Vest. um because I really think that that would be ideal to use a local business to provide those services. So yeah.

So Quinn, I believe that you might have the answer for that or an explanation which actually they could be the same thing.

Thank you mayor and council council. Uh yes, it's an excellent question. Certainly we do at every opportunity we can and express our appreciation for that question of when we can use our local vendors. Uh the answer to the question could a local vendor be used for this is uh not likely because of the scale of the event. There's about 35 bartenders over three nights uh that need to be licensed, permitted uh and all that done correctly. So our event producer um that we partner with they uh they assume the liability for that. So, they work with a largecale event uh produc or excuse me, bartending staffing agency to secure this uh this level of staffing. They need to make sure that they have their that proper requirements for uh all of those things required. So, in theory, could a local company grow to that size and have that? Yes. Uh would they? It's probably unlikely. And in this case, uh, no, they they've been using an event producer that they have for a variety of events, excuse me, a liquor provider. Um, but they have been very receptive to our invitation to use local vendors where possible. Um, last year following the first year, there was a lot of interest in seeing uh from the vendors that were participating there. Uh, they were at the time using a sale percentage. So they got a sale percentage and the vendors um weren't used to that in our community. We typically do a flat rate and they responded to that and started doing it really changed their entire model for us. Uh this year they're also including Nando in on the party. They're going to be doing a uh taco eating contest and they've partnered with a local tequila brand that's going to be doing specialty margaritas that night. So yes, again that uh we certainly encourage them to look for that at every opportunity. In

this particular case, because of the scale of it, uh they're using an event or a uh bartending staffing agency that can handle that volume. That's a wonderful question. Thank you. I appreciate that. I would like to in the future at least ask our local folks, our local restaurants, our local bars if they can do it before we go outside. But I do understand that that is a large scale thing. But I I think the businesses of Maricopa can rise to the occasion.

Very good. So, Council Member Nor, is it okay to put that back into the consent agenda? All right. So, we have agenda item 7.1 through 7.4. Do I have any additional comments, questions? Seeing none, do I have a motion? So, moved by Council Member Wade. Do I have a second? Seconded by Council Member Marsh. Thank you, Council Member Lman. Any additional comments, questions? Seeing none, please vote. I was ready to say I vote yes.

Yeah. Oops. I vote yes as well. My machine doesn't want to pop up the button. There you go. There you go. That motion passes. All right. Thank you. All right. That'll take us to our regular agenda item 8.1. First one is 8.1, a resolution discussing AOT funding. So, Matthew, please take it away. Can everybody hear me clearly? Yes.

Okay. I'm tall, so sometimes I got to get the microphone height proper. So, my apologies up. Mayor Smith, Vice Mayor Man Freddy, members of council, I recognize that resolution 26.06 has a lot of legal documentation and a lot of legal language attached to it. I want to go ahead and try and boil it down to the simplest brass tax that we can. This is the obtaining of $30 million of funding to make a payment to ADOT for the fixing and widening of the 347. So, let's dive into some of those details and I'll give you guys a little I thought you were going to stop there. I'm like, "Yep, that's pretty simple." Awesome. I'll go ahead and stop now. [laughter] Okay, please continue. Of course.

There we go. Uh, so the first two slides in the presentation are actually a quick call back to futures planning when we discussed the 347 widening project and all the things that are going to take place. Uh, this image is representative of really the five separate projects that will be combined into the one fixing of the 347 project. Uh, and as we all know, last year during the budget cycle, uh, city council approved a half cent commuting corridors fund that would help obtain the $30 million necessary, uh, to bring to the table to fund our portion of this project with ADOT. So, I'm going to break down exactly how we're going to go ahead and do that. Uh, during futures planning as well, we presented you guys with this uh, pending schedule of going ahead and obtaining these funds. You can see right there uh sort of the top middle March 3rd this council meeting we let you guys know that we were going to bring you guys all of the authorizing resolutions to go ahead and approve this. Uh you'll actually see right above that February 26th 27th and in meet uh an in-person meeting with the ratings agency. We actually had standard and pores or more commonly known as S&P here in the city of Maricopa last Thursday. They actually flew in to meet with us in person. Uh and it was a great meeting. We took them on a little tour of the city after we did our ratings presentation sharing all of our financial and economic development information with them and they walked away incredibly impressed with what's happening in the city of Maricopa. It was a great meeting. Uh city manager bidder myself and u chief strategy officer Josh Bowman all had a chance to speak with them and meet with them and it was a wonderful meeting. So real quick before we move on I do want to thank some of our partners in this process. This isn't done just alone. uh LRB uh public finance advisory uh firm is our financial advisor on this transaction. Stiffel is our underwriting agency on this transaction and Greenberg TRIG is actually our bond council on this transaction. Um a couple of those partners are here in the room tonight. I just want to thank them for all of the work goes into this. They are the ones

who help us prepare and review and tighten up all of those documents you had such a pleasure reviewing over the past few days. So, Um, okay. Before we dive into the details of the transaction, what I do want to do real quick is call out the ability for our public to see this. Uh, the building better roads website on the city website allows them to track everything that is taking place with the commuting corridors fund. We can actually see on a monthly basis that halfsent sales tax revenue coming in, any interest earnings that are taking place on it, and any transactions that will take place in the future. Okay. So Matt, just to stop you. Yes. Just to make it fun,

when we pay this $30 million, that'll show up on the expense side. Correct. It will. We're actually And when we receive the $30 million, we're going to play a little game with this tracker here in a second. I'm sorry. I stole my thunder. Okay. All right. I love it.

So, how is this tracker about to change? Well, there's actually a couple of things that are going to happen. Uh Panal County actually recently approved the IGA between the city of Maricopa and Panal County to send, if you look at the very bottom of this document, the county shall contribute a single payment of $20 million to the project and remit payment to the city therefore by May 1st of 2026. My favorite part is actually the first sentence at the top. Whereas the inadequate infrastructure on SR 347 has increasingly affected the region negatively. I love that that's actually in their documentation. They point I love it too.

Right. Uh but Panal County is going to go ahead and send us a $20 million check and then when we obtain this revenue bond transaction in your documentation it lists $27.1 million. I will explain how that turns into $30 million in a second. But really what is going to happen and how this tracker is going to change is we are going to see plus $20 million come in from Panal County. We're going to see plus 30 million come in from the half cent sales tax revenue bond. And then the real fun one, we're going to see a $50 million payment to ADOT for the 347 project. So there is, I'll be very brief, some accounting weirdness that goes along with this because there are debt service payments related to the bond on an annual basis that will have to be recorded. We'll figure all of that noise on the back end, but we'll want the public to see this has happened. Okay, real quick. What is a revenue bond and why are we using this? A revenue bond is an instrument allowing a city to pledge future sales tax revenues towards annual payments against the bond. We saw a couple slides ago, right now we've only collected about seven or $800,000 a month for a few months now. So we don't have $30 million in the bank from the community corridors fund yet to pay ADOT our portion. So what we can do is pledge those future collections which are anticipated to be somewhere around seven or eight million a year. We can pledge them now and go ahead and obtain a $30 million bond from the market and then pay that bond down with those annual collections accordingly. So in this instance that's exactly what we're doing. We're pledging the funds from the community corridors to obtain the $30 million, pay AOT in full, and then annual payments will be made against the bond via the funds collected. We do have the ability to use this instrument again in the future for other commuting corridors projects. It is not a one-time or only time transaction. So, we can do this for other projects as they come

about. Okay. The document on the right is just a snippet from the pledged revenue obligations. That's just a really fancy term for revenue bond. Okay. Yes, we are receiving $30 million. I recognize that uh the preliminary documents indicate 27 million. I am not Mr. Wall Street, so I'm going to try and explain this very simply. The difference between the 30 million and the 27 million you see listed in front of you is something called a reoffering premium. Basically, when we go out to market with this bond offering with our investment bank, uh the investors want to see a certain rate of return on their investment, uh typically about 5%. So, in order to obtain that, they will pay a premium on top of the original offer for the bonds. That will equ that will be the equivalent of about $3.1 million that will allow us to receive a $30 million deposit to the project construction fund and cover the costs of issuance as well. the the best layman's term way that I can explain this after speaking with our financial adviserss was it's the market version of somebody buying down their mortgage rate and bringing cash to the table. This is the investors bringing cash to the table to be able to invest in this specific series of bonds and obtain a certain amount of rate of return in order to invest in it. I believe I've shared with you guys in the past that when we've gone to market for other things like refinancing or we did the revenue bond a few years ago for some of the infrastructure projects, uh we are usually three times to five times subscribed by the market. That means if we're going to market for 30 million, we may see 90 or hundred million of requests potentially in wanting to buy this bond from the city of Maricopa because we have attractive ratings, we pay on time, they want to be a partner of ours. So, we'll see how this one goes, but is anticipated that it will not be a problem and it should be a pretty attractive market for us. And then I highlight there $30 million to the construction fund. Okay. Now, how

are we going to pay this? The initial debt service schedule that we received from LRB is attached right here. That at the end of the day, the principal and interest payments that we'll make over a 20-year period. And we decided to use a 20-year revenue bond to match the revenue stream timing of the convening corridors fund because it was supposed to sunset after 20 years. So that timing actually works out pretty well. Now that total amount of principle and interest in the initial calculation was about $43.39 million of payment. Well, uh we decided since we are collecting these funds to be a little more aggressive with the annual principal payments that we want to make. So, the intention is actually to go ahead and turn that $43.39 million into only 38.28 million for total principal and interest payments by being more aggressive in our payment schedule. That will save $5.1 million plus interest for future projects from the commuting corridors fund. This is about as aggressive as we can get. It also comes with what they call a nine-year PAR call, which is basically an option to pay it down early after nine years because we will be paying with aggressive payment schedules. This is an option that when we arrive at that point, we may go ahead and make that choice. We don't have to, but we have the option to do so and potentially save even more money. But the real savings is here up front. By getting more aggressive and paying down upfront, we save $5 million plus interest in doing so. So Matt, the important point I think is that the half cent sales tax covers both the principal and the interest and there is no additional cost to our residents taxpayers.

Yes. Yeah. The the 38.28 million is the total cost of this revenue bond when we make this these payment schedules. So it would have been 43 if we had done a more traditional 20 years. So that's why we decided to go ahead and get more aggressive because we are collecting these funs. let's go ahead and use them. If we had tried to get any more aggressive, we actually would have looked needed to look towards a shorter term bond would have been less attractive in the market or we would have had to actually bring cash to the transaction to try and buy say a five-year payown as opposed to a 9-year payown. So, at that point, it actually became less advantageous to consider an even more aggressive pay structure. Plus, this allows some of that excess cash, if it's seven or eight million a year in collections, we're making about three to four million dollars a year in annual payments, that allows a cash balance to build for other projects. So, we don't need to consider bonds or at least not bond for as much for when that next project comes up. So, when we talked about that at futures planning, we said we'll find that right balance between aggressive payments and saving cash for other projects. And I think this strikes the perfect chord. So, what's next? Well, an approved resolution from council tonight will allow staff and partners to move forward with all due diligence and all market meetings necessary to close the transaction. While the initial schedule did list April 15th as a closing and delivery date, we think it'll be more like a late April or early May transaction. And that really comes down to the timing necessary. The funds received from the revenue bond and from Panal County are due to ADOT by June 1st of 26 per the IGA we signed with them last May. So, we want to make sure that we receive those funds as close to that June 1st date as possible to still meet it, but not obtain the funds too early and kick in the payments earlier than necessary. So, that's why we're saying late April, early May gives us that that cushion to be safe and make our payment to ADON on time. So, um I'm not sure that you'll ever see me more excited to

cut a $50 million check than I will be with this one right here. Um, but this is exactly the results we're going to see from obtaining this $30 million revenue bond. So, if you have any questions, please let me know. Otherwise, that's all I can say. Very good. Thank you, Matt. Council, any questions? Yes, Council Member Marsh. Matt, I'm really glad you're on our team. The complexity of your business is why I went into engineering at MIT. I just wanted to congratulate you on doing a great job. Thank you. and and your team

please. My my team deserves much of the kudos. It's a very busy time in finance right now with everything we have going on and um we run lean and mean over there and I can't say enough good things about the staff we have and I'll put them up against any staff I've worked with in my career, private sector or public sector. Very good. Additional comments, questions? Seeing none, do I have a motion? So moved. So moved by council member ghetto to approve. Seconded by council member Marsh. One last chance for conversation. Yeah. Did you get one of those big checks to bring to the ADOT meeting? [laughter] Matt, I need a big check. All right. Thanks.

Uh any additional comments, questions? All right. Seeing none, please vote. I vote yes.

Thank you, Council Member Lairman. Perfect. That motion passes. That'll take us on to agenda item 8.2, which is regarding revenue bonds for fire trucks. U, so this is actually a little bit different than a revenue bond. Oh, thank you.

Yes. So resolution 26-04 is actually a fire apparatus financing agreement. Uh and this is something that I will hearken back in the first slide back to futures plannings. I believe I mentioned this uh conversation as well during my futures planning presentation. Uh as we recall we talked about the fact that the city of Maricopa on an annual basis is experiencing a change in revenues, a reduction in revenues of about $10 million annually um from the switching of the uh state income tax to a flat tax. uh the elimination of things such as a rental sales tax and then the incorporation of Santan Valley also reduces our state shared revenues that we receive for being a panel county city. So given that we talked about at futures planning the need to consider some new ways of approaching things or new ways of thinking in order to offset some of these new financial and revenue realities that we're facing. And two of the things we talked about were CIP prioritization and a discussion on revenue alternatives. In this case, the revenue alternative that is being discussed uh took place in talks between myself and Chief Patassie in approaching some CIP items that have already been approved as a part of this fiscal year's budget by council. And that is uh the purchase of three fire apparatus and three firet trucks um in projects 40117, 443, and 4463 in our CIP. Um, council has already approved these projects, but our partners that we're working with on this transaction actually need an approved resolution from council to proceed with a financing agreement. The reason we're looking to do something like this is the total purchase of these trucks comes to about $4 million. When I spoke with Chief Matassy about trying to find creative ways to go about a purchase that large for apparatus, uh, one of the things that became apparent is the timing of ordering these fire trucks is incredibly problematic. Uh, with a 3 to fouryear lead time for some of these

vehicles to arrive, we have to be able to get ahead of these things as soon as possible and not find ourselves behind the eightball in these purchases. So, in that instance, how do we find a way to get $4 million managed? appropriately from a cash flow perspective. When if you have $4 million in cash going out the door for an asset that's not going to arrive for three to four years, from a cash flow perspective, that becomes an incredibly challenging cash management consideration. Um, it became very obvious that we needed to get these ordered soon. Uh, and we needed to find an instrument that would make sense in doing so. So when I spoke with Chief Patassi, we got on the phone with the uh the people who will build these trucks and there were a couple of things that became very important uh when having those conversations with them. So before I go any further in those conversations, I want to highlight that each of these trucks have different funding sources in the CIP. The first one, project 40117, that fire truck can be purchased with fire diff development impact fees. Okay. The second one, project 44043, lists fund 350 or our general capital improvement fund as the funding source. Uh the reality is that truck is also a new truck, so it can use development impact fees to purchase it. The reason we don't have that listed in our capital improvement plan right now is because we are still waiting for where the location of that station will be. If you read our uh impact fee study, we have a north service area and a south service area until we know where that truck will be placed. We have to understand which service area it will be so we can use the right portion of our diff to identify that funding source. So this will change to diff at some point and this is where we talked about the preliminary nature of a CIP in February and March. Uh we will change that when we have a better idea of exactly which fire diff we need to use. The last one, project 44063,

lists the asset replacement fund as the funding source for these trucks. That is the fund that we use when we sell old assets, old vehicles, things of that nature. We obtain cash funding from those sales. Uh we are using those sales to purchase this fire truck. It does also have transfers from the 350 fund, but because this vehicle is a replacement vehicle, we cannot use development impact fees for replacement vehicles. It can only be used for net new purchases. So, I just wanted to call out the funding sources on these vehicles real quick and then go into exactly what we're looking to do. So, I mentioned the reason we're here for something that you have already approved in the budget is because the vendor we're working with needs this resolution in order to execute the agreement. So, what is the agreement that we are talking about? Well, there's the reality of diff when it comes to how we pay for these things. Why are we talking about financing fire apparatus when diff can pay for two of these vehicles? Well, an impact fee is established to be collected over a 10-year period on average. So, while we are collecting these impact fees for the firet trucks, we don't have anywhere near the full cash balance or cash value for the purchase of the vehicle right now because we've only been collecting from this impact fee study for a couple of years. So, we need to find a creative way to sort of bridge that gap between when we're going to collect those impact fees and when the cash needs to go out the door for this transaction. So when I was talking with Chief Patassi, one of the things that became incredibly apparent was in our negotiations with the builder, they had negotiated a prepayment discount for the vehicles. So basically, if we were to pay that cash upfront, we were going to save about $100,000 per vehicle for paying that cash up front, which is a significant amount of savings that we didn't want to lose. So, when the builder of those vehicles uh connected us with a company that offers financing options, uh that company is actually willing to buy the

vehicles in cash, obtain those prepayment discounts, and then set up a lease agreement with us where we can pay that down over a seven-year period as opposed to having to bring all the cash up front. So, we get the prepayment discount that we still had negotiated and we can save immediate upfront cash flow with the leasing and and financing of these trucks. So, uh in front of you is exactly what the agreement with the vendor looks like in terms of total cost, which is $3.8 8 million for the three vehicles and the annual payments over a 7-year period that will take place at about uh $642,000 or $643,000 a year in payments. So, in paying that down over seven years, the effective interest rate on this agreement is 4.19%. Now, here's the benefit of what we're doing with a cash flow management perspective. If we think about what we are earning right now on our long-term investment portfolio with one of our our uh investment banks in December 2025, the yield on those investments was about 3.78%. I use yield instead of return because when you have a long-term investment, you have to see that investment through the entire period. If you try to pull the cash out too soon, you're not guaranteed to get the yield that you're earning because you actually have to pay down some of the premium from pulling too early. We don't anticipate any need to do that, but that's why I use the term yield instead of return. But even on our short-term investments in December 2025, those investments were earning 3.2% and that's just the cash sitting in the LG LGIP account with the state of Arizona. So while the trucks are financed at 4.19% by retaining that cash flow in the city of Maricopa, our actual effective rate of borrowing is actually anywhere from about 04% to.99% for the fire trucks. So, as a CFO, if I

have the opportunity to finance $4 million in purchases at an effective rate of 1% and save that cash flow, that's a pretty darn good deal that you're not going to be able to find anywhere else. So, this opportunity became very intriguing to increase our cash flows, get the trucks bought, and make sure that we are achieving all the same goals that we promised we would. So, what is the benefit of this agreement? an opportunity to finance nearly four million of capital asset purchase as an effective rate of less than 1% freeing up that cash flow to go into other investments in the city. Uh the goal there would be other capital projects that have some sort of of economic ROI or or benefit to the community uh as opposed to just sitting on it forever and investing in a bank. We do want to see that return from a project as well and we'll determine what project that might be at the time that that makes sense. But in the meantime, if it sits in the bank, we know that we're only an effective rate of 1%. Okay, we're continuing dedication to public safety investments within the same planned and promised time frames that we presented to council in the budget last year and this is at the end of the day appropriate conservative fiscal management. We are not putting large burdensome debt commitments on the city or on the taxpayer. Uh we are simply getting a little more creative with our cash flow management uh to go ahead and get a few more things done around the city. So um that's all I have for the presentation. Please know if you have any questions.

Very good. Thank you, Matt. Council, any questions, comments? Yes, Council Member Gettle. Yeah, no questions, but just a comment on both of these proposals that we've heard here tonight. Uh just underlines again our commitment as a council to be as conservative as we can and to maximize the the impact that each one of our tax dollars has in the building of our city. Um so, Matt, again, thank you, you and your team, to be able to put these these vehicles these pun intended, but the the the financing vehicles together to be able to make these projects happen in a very responsible way in my opinion. So, I'm excited to be able to vote for these uh tonight. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member GT. Any additional comments, questions, seeing none, do I have a motion? Motion to approve. Uh yes, Council Member Lerman. Thank you. Um Matt, thank you for your presentation. And I just want to echo um council member Marsh and GTO that we are so lucky to have you in our city and your team and it is so nice to see someone doing what they were made to do in this life. Um your presentations are clear and concise and informative and helpful and so I just want to thank you so much. Thank you very much. We appreciate those kind words.

Thank you, Council Member Lairman. Do I have a motion? Motion to approve. Motion by Council Member No, seconded by Vice Mayor Manf Freddy. Any additional comments, questions? All in favor? Oh, sorry. Please vote. I vote yes. Thank you, Council Member Luren. Give us just a second. We're waiting for our buttons to appear.

Voice vote, madame mayor. All in favor say I. Any opposed? That motion carries. That'll take us on to agenda item 8.3. where Chief Goodman will be giving us the presentation.

Good evening. Thank you, Madame Mayor and members of the council. Here to talk about a topic that uh has already gotten a little bit of discussion today. Proposed city code amendments for sidewalk and pedestrian safety. Tonight's presentation for council discussion outlines proposed amendments to modernize our code framework to reflect current transportation modalities while prioritizing safety and enforcability. These proposed amendments update appropriate sections of the city code to improve sidewalk use, pedestrian crossings, and pedestrian presence in roadways. The goal is to improve safety, create clearer expectations for residents, and give officers a practical framework for enforcement. I would like to take a moment to thank the police department's traffic unit, some of whom are in attendance this evening at the meeting, for their role in developing the proposed amendments. Traffic unit personnel saw what they felt was a developing community issue and were proactive in bringing their suggestions forward. What you see here this evening is a reflection of that effort and a traffic unit's commitment to safety and community policing. As we've discussed already, we are seeing a significant increase in ebikes, electric scooters, and similar devices, especially among youth and commuters. Many cyclists and scooter users choose sidewalks on high-speed arterials and other streets throughout the city because the roadway feels unsafe. Federal Highway Administration and National Cooperative Highway Research Program studies show that 70 to 90% of cyclists use sidewalks on arterial roadways regardless of legality and that legal restrictions do not significantly

deter the behavior. The perceived risk from vehicles outweighs compliance. Sidewalk riding is strongly correlated with perceived risk from motor vehicles, especially among casual recreational and younger riders. These behaviors are often driven by env environmental realities and not necessarily carelessness. Factors such as vehicle speed and volume, wide intersections, and lack of dedicated bike infrastructure push people towards safer feeling options. Pedestrian behavior has also changed. We see more midblock crossings, people stopping in medians, and pedestrians navigating environments not originally designed for pedestrians. The current code does not align with these factors, which creates friction between the law and behavior that can feel safer based on traffic patterns and the physical environment. So, here are some of our current code challenges. Our current code does not distinguish between safe behavior and dangerous conduct, which limits officer discretion. The current code limits officer discretion via its blanket prohibition regarding the use of sidewalks by bicyclists and people using other mobility devices such as scooters. Council member Marsh alluded to this earlier in the meeting. Consistent enforcement of a law or code section is one of the core factors in giving that rule legitimacy in the eyes of the public. Behavior-based rules improve officer discretion and fairness. For example, officers can focus on dangerous conduct such as riding recklessly or forcing a pedestrian to move rather than locationbased violations. This aligns

with the traffic enforcement our personnel do every day. The enforcement of traffic laws focuses on dangerous behavior, but not necessarily on location. Behavior-based rules are easier to understand. We intuitively understand riding safely and giving way to pedestrians while challenges can arise due to enforcement that is solely location-based as we have currently. So, we're going to propose some amendments to our current city code. We have three total amendments uh to be proposed. The first proposed amendment addresses sidewalk use standards. This shifts from a location-based prohibition to behavior-based safety standards while preserving pedestrian priority. This proposed amendment modernizes our city code by allowing bicycles, electric bicycles, e- scooters, eass assisted devices, and motorized skateboards to lawfully use sidewalks. The proposed amendment will include definitions of these items, and electric bicycles will be required to be equipped with fully operable pedals under the new code. You have probably seen electric bicycles, quote unquote, that are not equipped with pedals. Those are not electric bicycles. Those are small electric motorcycles and cannot be and should not be ridden on sidewalks. Operators must ride at a reasonable and prudent speed, adjusting for pedestrian traffic, sidewalk width, and visibility. Pedestrians retain absolute priority. device users must slow and yield when approaching or passing. This amendment expressly prohibits all gas powered vehicles on sidewalks. This

framework focuses on how people ride, not just where, balancing mobility needs with safety. Amendment two, the second proposed amendment addresses pedestrians crossing the roadway. This improves predictability and reduces sudden vehicle conflicts, lowering collision risk. The proposed language establishes clear rules requiring pedestrians use marked crosswalks or signalized intersections where available. Crossing between adjacent signalized intersections is prohibited, which is a major cause of driver surprise and collision risk. The new section allows midblock crossings only when no reasonable alternative exists and only in the shortest perpendicular route. It also prohibits crossings where signage or traffic control devices indicate it is unsafe or unlawful. These standards reinforce predictable behavior which the Federal Highway Administrator administration identifies as a key factor in reducing vehicle pedestrian conflicts. And lastly, amendment three, pedestrian roadway and medians. The third proposed amendment addresses pedestrian standing in roadway medians. This reduces exposure to high-speed traffic conflicts while preserving reasonable pedestrian access. The new code section prohibits pedestrians from standing, stopping, or lingering in the vehicular traffic lanes except when actively crossing. It also restricts standing in painted or raised medians unless waiting at a pedestrian signal or waiting safely to cross where no signal exists. So crossing halfway, waiting until cross traffic is safe, and

then proceeding to the other side. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, pedestrian fatalities are overwhelmingly roadway based, meaning pedestrians aren't being struck on sidewalks. They're being struck in the roadway and concentrated in arterials between intersections. This proposed amendment reduces pedestrian exposure to high-speed vehicle traffic. Benefits to the city and the community. The proposed modification city code improves safety outcomes by reducing conflicts between pedestrians, vehicles, and a variety of mobility devices. They provide officers with clear behavior-based standards that reduce ambiguity and enhance legitimacy. The modifications align with code align the code with modern mobility trends, including the rapid growth of ebikes and electric devices. They also reduce community frustration by allowing safe, common sense behaviors while still prohibiting dangerous conduct. Voluntary compliance will be enhanced because residents understand and support rules that are logical, consistent, safety focused, and aligned with the type of enforcement our officers do every day. Violations of the code will be traded in the same manner as civil traffic violations, consistent with the police department's current practices. And with that, I'm happy to take any questions.

Thank you very much, Chief. Council, what questions, comments do you have? Yes, Council Member Marsh. Chief, does this mean that uh e vehicles can use bike lanes as well in the right direction uh giving priority to people powered bikes. That's correct. They will be still have they will still be able to access our bicycle lanes that are currently in existence in the city as long as they're [clears throat] traveling with the flow of traffic as required by ARS. Okay. And um a follow-on activity is going to need to be uh educating these eight-year-olds.

Indeed. So I spoke this morning with my traffic unit uh supervision team and uh we will be working on a two-pronged approach. not only for the proposed code amendments, but also to help address some of the incidents that we've talked about at this very meeting. We'll need to do a robust public safety announcement or public safety campaign for our adults who operate vehicles and who also operate these electronic bikes, but also our children to make it clear to them that these are the activities that we expect. And my suggestion to Sergeant Ker was that we partner with the schools to try to develop catchy posters or classroom campaigns. We can also leverage our school resource officers that are already in the schools to conduct some of this education. And then we're going to leverage our uh ever popular and very successful Motor Monday uh series by stressing some of the dangers associated with ebikes and pedestrian safety and I anticipate it will be both informative and entertaining. It's also my my understanding that the federal government and state governments are all working on solving this problem as well. Um so we might want to keep our eyes open using AI to find out uh what is going on in other states and also be ready for some top down uh stuff coming from Phoenix and Washington DC.

I think those are great suggestions. uh Council Member Marsh. And in fact, the suggestions for the amendments that you have before you tonight for discussion, many of them were gathered or brought together through our research using data that's available nationwide. We are not the only community that is trying to wrestle uh so to speak with these issues and uh there's no perfect solution, not yet at least. And so in the meantime, we're going to try to come up with a solution that's most workable for the city of Maricopa. Excellent. Thank you for doing this, Chief. Our pleasure. Thank you, Council Member Wade.

Thank you, ma'am. Uh thank you, Chief. Appreciate your presentation. Uh one quick question, you made a comment or on that slide. Voluntary compliance. That's on the last page. What does that mean? enhances voluntary compliance. Correct. Did you have a question? So, we're allowing the kids to decide whether or not they're going to volunteer or comply with the the guidelines that we may be setting forth.

Well, we'd like to really encourage our young people to comply. You know, there are instances where we'll have to do some uh roadside education with our uh young people as well as perhaps some roadside followed by some home education with our parents. But the goal is always voluntary compliance, whether it be for escooters or pedestrians or our motorists on our roadways. you know, we all when we took our driving tests, we all agreed to voluntarily comply with the Arizona revised statutes pertaining to motor vehicle operations. So, I think to answer your question, a good balance between education and enforcement will be key in establishing voluntary compliance.

You know, anticipating this conversation was going to come forth u here. I had a conversation with my 17-year-old grandson about maybe now the time they could riding using a helmet or other enhanced safety equipment, knee pads, arm pads, whatever it might be determined. I don't think I would receive a lot of voluntary complaints.

You're probably not wrong, although it has been a long time since I had a 17-year-old in my household. Um, Council Member Marsh and I exchanged a little bit of data on this and um, less than 5% of the incidents in which one of these vehicles is involved in an incident and only 5% is a helmet involved. And so I think that what we're perhaps moving towards is adding a line in the proposed code perhaps if the council would prefer and just to add a line perhaps people under the age of 17 should be required to use a helmet.

That's that's a great discussion point. I think something for the council to decide and then of course u if directed to do so I'm happy to place that into the code. That was going to be my next question is do we have some age differential here where simp perhaps u if you're between the ages of whatever it might be your compliance requirements is this as opposed to if you're a little younger or a little old. Yep. Happy to discuss that and happy to put that that item into the code. I think it's a great suggestion uh council member Wade. So thank you for bringing it forward. Thank you chief. Appreciate your time.

Thank you. Thank you council member Wade. Council member ghetto. Thank you. This question might be a little bit more for legal than you, Chief, but thank you again for presenting the the proposal. A lot of our community codes um have to comply with state regulations and also with federal regulations. Um is there anything in this proposal that should be concerning at all when it comes to state regulations or federal? I'm considering the ADA, for example. Our sidewalks are predominantly designated as ADA pathways having additional motorbike activity on those pathways. Does that seem to be in conflict? Are we okay there? That's maybe a very specific question. Some research, but

and I think you started it off by saying that pedestrians will always have the walkers ADA will always have the rightway. So, it will be up to those motorized to yield to them and give them the space they need. Very good. Thank you. That's all my questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Kettle. Council member Noir. Thank you, Chief. I really appreciate you bringing this to us tonight. I think this is a very important topic and something that the community has really been asking for. So, I thank you and your team and uh your traffic crew for coming up with such great ideas to help increase the safety of our residents in Maricopa. I I think it's important, but I really think the important thing is making sure people are educated about this because, you know, we we all sit in this room and at least twice a month and we have our same trusty people who come and join us, which is wonderful, but like outside of here, most people don't know what we're doing and what's happening. And I think sometimes we think, oh, everybody knows this because we know it. And so, um, I I love that you're saying voluntary compliance because I think we need to educate people about, uh, what we're doing and why it's important and really try and focus on on that, at least initially because, um, you know, I I wouldn't want some poor kid to get in trouble or their parents when they just didn't know, you know. Um, I did. My daughter was going to go out on her scooter, her electric scooter the other day and I said, "Hey, you know, we're about to make it, so you have to wear a helmet [laughter] with that." And she's like, "Okay." And I was like, "Great. I'm glad you're going to voluntarily comply."

But I do think it does help parents. I do think it does help parents. If we require helmets, it's easier for them. There's no argument with the kid. It's like, "It's the law. you have to do it. Um, so I'm I'm definitely not against that. Yeah, I think this opportunity in amending the city code really segus well into the ability to do some really meaningful public education both with our adults and our young people. Council member Wade,

this is very this is very important to me. That's my disturbing your presentation if you will, you know. I'm hopeful and and one of the one of the attendees made a comment that I'm I'm attached to this that I'm hopeful that the community will allow us to make a decision that is beneficial to the community and to his children as opposed to what may be popular or what may be suggested through social media. That is the thing that concerns me the most. That's why we have clear definitive guidelines. It does help parents. It does give parents an opportunity to say it's not me. It's that city council that did that.

You know, I agree with you wholeheartedly. We get blamed for everything else. So why not tell us? So I'm I'm hopeful that we will be able to encourage participation from the community in a positive way as opposed to having dialogue in other places that don't. It was said very succinctly earlier, I believe. that um no more injuries or deaths to our children and uh that is a priority for us. Uh it is unacceptable in my mind that we would have a child killed as a result of a collision with a vehicle while riding a scooter or an ebike. Okay.

Councilor,

thanks Mayor. I just wanted to follow up on that because I do think it's important for our community to understand that when these things happen, it's tragic, but that our officers and our uh first responders think it's awful, too. And the last thing they want to do is is pull up on an injured member of our community, especially a child. And that our officers and our first responders are out there every day trying to prevent that as much as they can. and that nobody wants it to happen. And and honestly, you and in your department see the worst of it. We see articles. You see the real thing. And um and you guys are facing it much more than the rest of us. And so I thank you for your dedication and your service and and all you're doing to try and prevent that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member. No, Vice Mayor Man Freddy get to say something. All right. Great job. Um, you know, I've been talking about this for a long time, but probably not publicly yelling about it or anything, but when I see these guys on the on the scooters and stuff and pulling the wheelies and those are the ones without the pedals. Those are Sauron B bikes and but I'm like, you know, I feel like Homer Simpson's dad. You're son of um, right? Because you see them and you're like, but I would have been doing the same thing at 17 and 15 and stuff like that, you know? Um, I a matter of fact, when I was in my 30s, I rode a bike back and forth to work on Baseline Road in Tempe. And one day I was riding down Baseline and I saw all these lights and I was like, "What the heck?" And I'm like trying to wave the officer around me and he's like, "Pull over." on the machine on the thing and I was like, "What? What?" And like and he's like, "Yeah, you." So I pulled over and I got a citation, not a citation, a warning that I didn't have a light on the back of my bicycle. It was a bicycle. It wasn't a motorized thing. It was a bicycle. And I didn't have a light on it. And I was like, "Oh, okay. Thanks." And he goes, "And he took my ID because he wanted to make sure I was over 18," which I smiled because that's a nice thing. I was in my 30s. Um, but anyway, u because you had to be a helmet. You had to wear a helmet and you had a light. And then of course he asked me if I had anything to drink and I said no. Um, because I just came out of the restaurant. So I think that was why he was stopping me because you can get a DUI on a bicycle in case you didn't know. How crazy is that? But anyway, I got a I got a warning. So then I bought a um um a generator that clamped to the side of my bike and when the wheels spun, it would turn a light on. This is before LED lights. Okay, this is like 20 years ago. I'm an old guy, I guess. But what I'm what I'm bringing to that is I think we should have a little bit more safety protocols here in the city. I'm

I'm 100% for if you're under 18, wearing the helmet. And um and on some of these bikes, you should be having to have the reflectors and the lights. And we don't have all of that in there right now. And cities like Tempe have it, but of course they're 100 years old and we're 20 and we're still catching up. But the reality is um I understand these things because my my um my wife and I were in Rome, right? And we got the scooters. Now imagine me on a scooter. Those were fun, by the way. Um but my wife almost got plowed under by a bus on her birthday. It was crazy. Um because the bus was coming, she hit the thing and she didn't understand it and she ran into the side of the bus. But the reality is these things can go very quick. They can dart out of traffic very fast. So they could be just cruising along in the bike lane and then boom and they come quick because the throttle is very quick. So, I think when when when we look at it, we have to look at not only what um bicycles and what we have today, but what's coming in the future and all that stuff. And and when Henry mentioned um when Vice Mayor Wade um Council Member Wade mentioned the voluntary compliance, all of this stuff, when we put it out there, we make it clear to kids and to adults what is expected because I'm I'm pretty sure a lot of parents don't know how crazy their kids are writing these things, right? And I'm pretty sure they don't know the laws about it, but when we put it out there, it can enhance the the voluntary compliance. Kind of like when we have motor motorcycle Monday or what's it called?

Motor Monday. Motor Monday. Motor Monday.

Um and I see a bunch of motorcycles at Maricopa Wells Middle School and it's it's a scary thing because you're like, am I going right? Am I doing right? You know, you got to make sure everything is correct because you don't want to go over 15 in those places and all that stuff. So, it works when you have that kind of enforcement and just the the sight of it seeing and and we don't want to see kids pulled over, but when you see a kid pulled over on the side of the road, other kids are going to be like, "Oh, oh, wait." And they they comply. So, it enhances that voluntary compliance to understand that there are laws, there are rules in place, and you have to follow them. I'd like to also see the helmet thing go. like um and we're not going to do that today, but over the course of time, let's enhance and make sure we're looking at what's working, what's not working, and how to fix it because the number one goal here, of course, is safety of our um young adults and our children that are riding these not only motorized bikes, but the regular bikes, too. Thank you.

Thank you. All right, Chief. I have about three. Oops. Yes. Go ahead, Council Member Marsh. So, um, we're going to be welcoming these micro motorized vehicles with micro drivers to our roads, um, to our bike lanes, bike lane that often transition to no bike lanes, uh, in competition with semis and buses and construction vehicles. Um, I'm still a little scared. Um, I think we need to consider um, driver training, rules of the road. Uh, I don't think eight-y olds understand the rules of the road. Um, right now it's limited to 14 year olds, I guess, who get their uh, learning permits and stuff. Um, but I think we need testing and licensing maybe for these kids if we're if we're going to let them drive a 20 mile per hour motorized vehicle on our roads and sidewalks. Just something to consider.

Thanks, Council Member Marsh. And I think one of the things we're considering is perhaps what we used to know as a bicycle rodeo. It's really just a time for us to have our police officers, probably our traffic unit, come together with young people who are interested to learn about bicycle safety and and how to really ride their bikes. Well, you know, the same concept is popular with motorcyclists where they can come together and get instruction from police officers or professional riders and really be shown the intricacies of operating those vehicles in a public space. And this is a a new gray area vehicle in between pedal powered bikes and motorcycles. Gray area not covered by laws or traditions or certifications or licensing right now. We're plowing some new ground along with 1,800 other cities and towns.

Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Lman. Do you have any questions, comments for Chief Goodman?

I do. Thank you. Um, I also would agree that I would want to add a helmet um, element as well because I think we need to do everything we possibly can to ensure the safety of our community members. Um, and then chief, I did have two questions for you. One was if you could talk about the mile per hour. Um, if there's I I'm thinking of parents at home who are listening to this conversation and their children in elementary, middle, or high school have scooters. Um, can you give them some guidance or um help in what should they do as a parent when their youngster um has one of these at home and and addressing the miles per hour, too? I think it's important that parents realize that some of these electric bicycles and scooters do have the ability to travel at speeds that may exceed the skill level or age appropriateness of the child. And so, uh, Officer Horst, in fact, did a public, uh, service announcement last Christmas encouraging parents to do some research prior to gifting their children with these electric scooters and bicycles. And I thought it was very well done and very wellreceived. And I encourage any member of our community that has a question about the appropriateness of a particular scooter, ebike, skateboard, or any other mobility device to reach out to our traffic unit. We provide a very high level of service and we are glad to have discussion, one-on-one discussions with parents either at the station or at their place of residence so we can take a look at what they're perhaps going to purchase and then to make sure that they're happy with that purchase because it's appropriate for the skill level or the age of the child that's going to be using the item.

Thank you, Chief. And then I just had another question. Um, Is this recent um uptick in these incidents um just recent or is this an overall trend in Maricopa and across the country?

So it has been a trend over the last few weeks uh here in town. Other cities throughout the United States are also struggling with the same issue. I did do a quick review of collisions from 2025 and from 2024 and collision in 2025 collisions involving pedestrians our overall percentage of collisions involving pedestrians was only 2% 2.03%. So, you know, I wanted to kind of give a broader higher level perspective of um of the reality really of the number of collisions we have overall in the city versus the ones that are involving pedestrians. Now, if you're a family member of one of those people who's involved been involved in that collision, it doesn't matter that we only had 2%. Um our goal is to try to reduce these as much as possible. And so we do uh targeted enforcement or directed enforcement. And you know, we really try to pay attention to educating the public about the dangers of crossing the street inappropriately or riding these vehicles in an inappropriate manner.

Thank you, Council Member Lairman. Chief Goodman. Um first of all, thank you to the in the back for helping do all of the research on this. I was really impressed when I just saw the presentation before even seeing it tonight. Um, and let me tell you a few little bit about why it was impressive. Um, first of all, it looks like you're aimed at keeping the code changes simple so that police and residents and parents can clearly understand it and easily identify when they need to stop somebody. So that seems as though it's going to be an easier um way to identify when there's a serious problem. Um so and I encourage you as we write this code to head in that direction as simple as possible. Uh I was at an event um recently and someone stopped me and said, "Hey, mayor, how you doing?" Blah blah blah. And then said, "Hey, I saw you riding your bike the other day. Good for you. Did you know that it's illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk? And I'm like, actually, I didn't know that. Thank you very much. I knew there was, in talking with Chief Goodman, I knew there was something about 28 miles per hour and above, but I wasn't going that fast. And so as I started to dig into the details um and started to pay attention about if we keep the code the way that it is and I'm not allowed to use the sidewalk, I started to notice how many of our roads don't have bike lanes and the major roads and I'm like, well, that's a concern for me. So I really appreciate that the work and research that you've done will allow me to continue using the sidewalks. I really appreciate that. I think it's important and I do have a pedal assist ebike. Um, but I don't know that it goes over 28 miles per hour. I better check

that part out. Um, my concern is or question as we begin to put this code in place and knowing the challenge of how many people we have out that are pedestrians and how many different types of units we have that are um electric and are allowed going to be allowed with the new code onto the sidewalks. Do we need to change the code for new sidewalks that are being built to allow for a possible bike lane on the sidewalk or just expanding it so that um there's room for everybody because some of those sidewalks do get really tight. So, looking to the future, that would be something that I'd want to consider.

Yeah, Madame Mayor, thanks for the question. Many of our uh developments actually do have 10 foot wide Yes. We call them multi-use paths.

Yes. But uh the concept really is to widen that sidewalk and get the multi-use path on one side of the road so that there's a more effective um mode of communic or mode of transportation for um for the the motorized public or for the walking public whatever it may be. But ultimately, you know, just as there are bills at the legislature this year, just as other cities have come back and and made new recommendations, you know, Glendale or Mesa may have have made some code changes this year. All of these things are going to constantly be updated. And when new technology comes on board, we'll have to come back and look at it again. But I think really this is a kickoff for a discussion for our community and a good opportunity for us to say, "Okay, we understand that there is a problem here. Here's some recommendations. give us all that you got. If you've got some better ideas, if you've got some different ideas, let's take those and see if we can add to the to the solution to come up with something that's truly going to work for us today and then tomorrow or next month or new year when a new development or a new project comes about, we'll probably have to adjust again, but let's at least get something in place where we can have a good starting point and then improve and and just continue to make the community better. Yeah, certainly I bring it up just as something to consider in the future, not as maybe part of this starter package of code changes, but definitely something in the future. And then also in the future, and I don't know how it would possibly fit into our CIP, but possibly even taking on some expansions where on one side of the major road there's not a 10-foot and being able to expand that at some point in the future as well.

Yeah. And mayor, to that point, that's really part of the concept of our trail network is to start to develop some of those trails. We say trails, but that can take on a variety of of looks and feels. And so certainly that would accommodate uh the use of electric bikes, e- scooters, and those type of things. So certainly included in that plan. Very good. And then um regarding the term low power electric vehicles, is that 28 miles per hour and under? Is that what we're calling that? And will how to keep the code simple, how will a police officer identify when something's going uh much faster than that?

That's a great question. And so rather than be mile per hour driven, it's the size of the motor of the They can look at the size of the motors.

Correct. So I believe it's 740 or 50 kilowatts or what however the the the measurement of electricity is done on those motors. They're clearly labeled and they have to be clearly labeled. Uh, and so it's it'll be very easy for our officers to flip the bike over, take a look at the motor, and say, "Yep, this is a 1,00 kilowatt uh motor, and therefore doesn't it really doesn't apply as an ebike." So, there are very subtle differences, but of course, we'll train our officers in what they look for. So, that is a good way to keep it simple. I'll bet my ebike doesn't go over 20. I'll bet you it doesn't.

I was not. I was on level one. Um anyway, and then lastly, yes, I think you're hearing a lot of us wanting to support the helmet for 17 and under. I'll take the blame. I'm happy to do that. Um you know, any one of us are happy to do that. I will too. I'm happy to put it in the code. Perfect. Perfect. All right. Any additional comments? Yeah. I've been telling my kids that the whole time they grew up. Yeah. Yeah.

Will that include riders? Like I have shared before. I saw this what might have been an eight-year-old on a scooter that had a long enough board that they also had maybe a fouryear-old on the back side of it. Will helmets include them as well, the riders. Anybody on the vehicle? I love it. Under 18. Love it. Love it. All right. Any additional comments, questions? Yes, Council Member Wade. task force. I Well, I think what we probably want to do is wait for um Chief Goodman and team staff to put together a code proposal. Would that be Yes.

Okay. Perfect. Perfect. [clears throat] Any other additional comments, questions? All right. Thank you very much. Thank you for the discussion. I'll work with the city attorney's office on moving forward. Very good. Very good. All right. That brings us to the end of our agenda. Thank you all for participating. I call this meeting