City Council - Regular Meeting

Let me tell you. feeling. Hey

[music]

I feel a good feel.

[music]

I'll see you there. [music] Welcome to the city of Maricopa's city council meeting. We're glad you're here because your voice matters. If you'd like to speak [music] tonight, please start by filling out a speaker card at the council chambers entrance and turning it in to [music] 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 [music] depending on the number of people requesting to speak. Personal attacks and political speeches or threats are inappropriate in this [music] 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 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 [music] due to Arizona's open meeting law, council members cannot respond or take action on topics not listed on the agenda, but your comments will be heard and entered into the public record. Can't stick around for the full meeting? You can always catch the replay on Facebook or YouTube where this meeting is currently being livereamed. Want more details about tonight's agenda items? Scan the QR code on your screen or visit www.mmaricopa-az.gov/aggenda. Thank you for joining us and getting involved. As a final reminder, please silence your cell phones and electronic devices. The city council meeting will begin shortly. Hello and good evening. We're glad that you're here tonight. I will call to order the regular city council meeting of May 4th. May the fourth be with you. Um, and uh I

Oh. Oh. Oh, I missed it. Oh, it's taco Tuesday. May the 5th. I have May the 4th on my notes. Um, thank you. May the 5th. All right, we'll start that over. No, I'd like to invite up Bishop Bishop Dion. I was looking through the room and I don't see him for the invocation. That's okay. Okay, we'll stand and we'll do a moment of silence and then I'll have Council Member Marsh do the pledge of allegiance. Please stand if you're able and we'll do a moment of silence.

Thank you to the flag of the United States of America and to the for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Very good. Thank you, Council Member Marsh. I appreciate that. That'll take us to roll call. Vanessa, please. Council member Gtle, 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, Vanessa. That takes us to proclamations, acknowledgements, awards, and presentations. Tonight we have two proclamations and a celebration of graduation from Maricopa Citizen Leadership Academy. Council, if you would like to join me down for the proclamations and the graduation, I would love for you to do that. For the first one, I'm going to call up uh John Corwin and Global Water. Anyone who would like to join, that'd be great. All right. Whereas water is one of the most essential resources in our daily lives, and whereas clean and reliable drinking water is vital to our well-being, providing public health protections, supporting fire safety, strengthening our local economy, enhancing enhancing the quality of life for all residents. And whereas our water system depends on the dedication of skilled professionals, engineers, operators, technicians, and maintenance crews who work tirelessly to ensure that safe, high quality water is delivered from its source to customers taps. And whereas their service is essential, often unseen, and valued by the community they support. And whereas we all share a responsibility to protect this vital resource by preventing pollution, using water wisely, and learning more about how our drinking water is treated, delivered, and

safeguarded for future generations. And whereas water drinking water week provides an opportunity for residents to reflect on the importance of reliable water service acknowledge the professionals who make it possible and renew our shared commitment to responsib responsible stewardship. Now therefore, I Nancy Smith, mayor of the city of Maricopa, do hereby proclaim the week of May 3rd through May 9th, 2026 as drinking water week and encourage all residents to Join me in recognizing the value of clean, dependable drinking water and the dedicated individuals who protect it each day. Thank you. Blow the water. [applause] So, I'm looking for Chief Goodman. Oh, you're okay. Would you please come forward? I'd appreciate that. And anyone else who is associated with our police officers, that would be great as well. Thank you for being here. Whereas we honor our brave officers who serve on the front lines to protect our families, safeguard our communities, and shoulder a burden of responsibility that most Americans cannot fathom. And

whereas we honor the courageous men and women serving in law enforcement and me memorialize those who sacrificed their lives defending the thin blue line. And whereas we will utilize every available means to equip and train law enforcement, retain qualified officers, and recruit on the basis of meritocracy. And whereas the oath to serve and protect comes with extraordinary risk and sacrifice. and we are indebted to those who choose this righteous profession. And whereas I stand in steadfast solidarity with those who defend our freedoms and the families who love and support them, we pray for those who grieve the fallen and pledge that their lives, legacies, and sacrifices will forever be remembered by our grateful nation. And whereas May 15th of each area has been designated as peace officers memorial day and the week in which it falls as police week. Now therefore I Nancy Smith, mayor of the city of Maricopa, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2026 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 10th through the 16th, 2026 as Police Week. I call upon the citizens of Maricopa to observe this week and in accordance with any declaration from the president and governor of Arizona that the flags be flown at half staff on peace officer memorial day. Thank you. [applause]

All right, I'm going to turn it over to Luis. Okay, very good. Good evening, Mayor and Council. I am excited to announce we have just completed the 27th session of the Maricopa Citizen Leadership Academy. [applause] This is also one of our higher graduating class in terms of numbers. We had 27 individuals complete the academy. They are joining over 450 others who took the initiative to want to learn more about their local government. And if anyone else is interested learning more about their government and joining the Maroba Citizen Leadership Academy, we'll be hosting another session in the fall with registration opening in September. Please check out our website maricopa-az.gov/m. GV/MCLA for more information. And students, if you wish to earn your seal of civics literacy, you can do that by attending the Maropa Citizen Leadership Academy. All the information is on the website. So, please check it out and learn more. Uh now, without further ado, I will be calling up all the names of those who uh completed the academy this session. When you got called up, please visit L. She has your certificate. And then when you guys are all done, I'd like to invite you to stand up with our mayor and council for a photograph. Right. Lisa Anderson, Chelsea Andrews, Chris Appleton, Akila Bell, [sighs] Suzanne Bennettz, Sigler, Maria Berio, Selby, John Badler, Margaret Bush, Dory Carpenter, Jennifer Gutsis, Amy Hogan, Nick Hogan,

Susette Licari, Don Martin, Julie Martin, Gregory Morrow, Kathy Noble, Meera Nolan, Tony Nunez, Jason Saranka, Yolanda Smith, Ivan Valdez, Richard Vincent, Denise Williams, Greg Williams, Latinda Williams, and Nicholas Yandresky.

All right. Now that we have All right.

[applause]

All right, that'll take us to the report from the mayor and council. Yes, Council Member Marsh. Well, it's been two weeks since our last council meeting on the 21st of April. Um, okay. Uh, would you please raise your hand if you're running for office? Oh, I am. Yeah, you are.

Thank you. It's been a busy couple of weeks. Um on on the 22nd uh of April, that was administrative professionals day and council honored our administration, our administr our admin, Marlene Pierce. She's our council's strong right arm. We appreciate all the hard work and uh smart thinking she does for us. I understand that supporting an active city council like ours is like hurting cats and she's a great cat herder. Thanks, Marlene. On the 23rd of April, I attended the board of adjustments and appeals meeting in Florence. Now, I know the county planning department is smart and hardworking, but their rewrite of the county zoning code is just taking way too long. We did such a good job on our city's zoning code uh rewrite 10 years ago. Uh, I feel they should just copy and paste ours and maybe tweak it a little bit to fit unique county issues, but that's just my opinion. Also, on the 23rd, council and staff participated in a lengthy budget work session. I'm really impressed by the volume of work staff put into this 2026 20 27 budget. 2627. That's that's another 67. Um, on the 27th, we hosted a general plan update draft public review here in city hall. I was involved in the 10-year-old current version, and I feel the team preserved the good stuff from the old version and effectively updated it, making it a good good start for the next 10 years of Maricopa's growth. On the 28th, the panel partnership government relations committee met featuring Senator TJ Schop's update update on the

current legislative session. He told us the Senate got their Republicans skinny budget to the House where it will get approved and passed to the governor for for expected veto. Then they'll go at it again, probably adding some more of the governor's asks and try again. the state has by law until June 30th to pass a final budget. Um TJ TJ said there were no state route 347 project clawbacks in their budget proposal. So that's a win for us. Also on the 28th uh the Panal County Water Augmentation Authority Board held a working session to review the new water management model. The computer model gets updated probably every 10 or 15 years. Uh we gave it a generally favorable review. On May 1st um two of us had birthdays. Um the panel partnership breakfast uh had a panel discussing discussing all of the mines in panel county. It was a fascinating panel discussion. On the fourth, the panel partnership water committee uh featured Patrick Dent from the central Arizona project. Patrick announced that the lower basin states had agreed on a proposal for 2829 um involving uh a cut in Arizona's allocation from the Colorado River of 760,000 acre feet. They also created a tribal basin covering brick, etc. They might need additional reductions, but I'm hopeful that climate change and it's uh rainbomb super soaker rainstorms might might help us get through this Colorado River drought. This morning,

council participated in the floor signing ceremony at the new fieldhouse at Copper Sky. The fieldhouse is nearing completion. It's going to be an awesome addition to Copper Sky for sports and as an emergency cooling center. And that's it, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you very much. Would others like to share anything? Yes, Council Member Noir.

Thank you, Mayor. Just a couple things I want to share. The Maricopa Water Safety Coalition is meeting again to um bring awareness to the community about drowning prevention to celebrate National Drowning Prevention Day in July. So, if that's something you'd like to be a part of, please reach out. Um we'd be happy to include you in those meetings, but it's a great opportunity to get the word out to our community about how we can save lives through uh ensuring that our kids and our adults are safe around water. I was able to participate in the Blaze Ministries uh council meet and greet on Sunday and that was a great opportunity to talk to community members and answer their questions about uh the future of Maricopa. I was also at the fieldhouse floor signing this morning with the rest of council and that was a great opportunity to see all the progress that's being made on the fieldhouse. Uh it's almost done. They're going to put the floor in the big gym. That's why we had to be there to sign it before they cover it up. And I'm really excited about that opening uh sometime soon in the next couple of months and it being filled with our community. Um and I'm can't wait for the rest of the community to be able to see the um amazing fieldhouse uh that that's being built there. Uh, I was also able to attend the Maricopa Fire Foundation charity golf tournament this morning and it was their first uh time holding a charity golf tournament and the response from the community and the support was tremendous and there was tons of local businesses there to support uh the Fire Foundation charity and golfers of course golfing in the tournament. The weather was perfect. You couldn't have asked for better weather. Um, but I just do think it's a testament to our community and how we always come together to support one another. And it was great for their first tournament to see so much support. And then finally, I just want to thank the community for all of the amazing

responses I've received on your ideas for a new park. Uh, it's truly tremendous to see the community so engaged. I have over 40 emails uh that I've received personally and I plan and I hope to get more. I plan to take all of those emails and put them together into a um just a document. I'm not going to opine on any of it, but just a document so that uh the rest of council, the mayor and city staff can see all of the wonderful ideas that the community has. I mean, I have people designing parks and submitting submissions and I just think it's so wonderful that everyone's so engaged. So, I just want to thank you for that. That's all I have. Thank you, Council Member Noir. Council Member Ghetto.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um we [clears throat] have uh the wonderful privilege in our communities to be able to kind of set our own course. Um part of that course is set and determined by the general plan. And I know this isn't the first time we've we've talked about this general plan. Um we have another opportunity to engage in the general plan which will need to be ratified by by our voters here in the city of Maricopa. And that's coming up at our next council meeting. And so I wanted to make sure that that was on your calendars. If you haven't had an opportunity yet to review what's being proposed and what that looks like, I would like to direct you to the website maricopa gp forgeneral plan.com and there you can see the draft that is being proposed. Um you have an opportunity yet to still address council uh our next council meeting on some things that you'd like to see in that plan or questions that you you would like to ask regarding it. Um, this is important for us to be able to to get out and to make sure that we understand what we'll be voting on here shortly, making sure that uh all of the questions are asked. And so that'll be next uh meeting on May 19th, you'll have that opportunity to engage again on uh tomorrow evening, May 6th. Also, if you wanted to put this on your calendars, we have a candidate public safety forum. It'll be at Leading Edge and I believe the time of that is 7 o'clock where all the candidates who are running for city council will have an opportunity to field questions from our public safety groups. Um it's a great uh it will be a great event and and it will help you to understand what the issues are and where the um the candidates stand on those various issues. So that'll be a great event to to attend as you prepare to vote here soon. It's hard to believe that we're nearing the end of May, which also means graduation season for our high schools. Uh we would like to just congratulate all of our our seniors. You're almost done. We just have a couple more weeks in there. Hang in there. I know several

of them are taking AP tests and and and completing their finals exams over the next 10 or so days. And so the stress level is high. Um but we get to celebrate here shortly with them. Um, if you haven't taken the opportunity to come to any of the awards ceremonies that are offered by our high schools, I would highly recommend that you do that. It is a phenomenal event to be able just to celebrate the accomplishments of these wonderful young people. Um, you'll hear some amazing numbers as far as uh dollars in scholarships earned. You'll hear a lot of the different colleges and universities that that these great academics are going to to graduate and move into. uh the numbers of u individuals who who signed into our our armed services. Um it is just a great evening to be able to celebrate their their achievements over their last four years of high school. Uh Desert Sunris's um ceremony is May 7th and I don't have on my calendar when Maricopa High Schools is and I don't know if anybody here on the dasis. Is it tomorrow night? Fabulous. Those will be wonderful events to go go check out if you can. Lastly, for your calendar, also Memorial Day, May 25th, um there will be kind of a a special opportunity. We the city has has now created a veterans memorial um place. I don't know if you know where that would be. It's right outside of the the current fieldhouse across the street from Copper Sky that was dedicated this last year. And so this year will be kind of our first opportunity to have a Memorial Day um event there in that location. Um it'll be at 9:00 in the morning. We'd like to invite the public to attend and and pay respects to those that have given the ultimate price for those freedoms that you and I currently enjoy. Um Mayor, I believe that is all that I have for today. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Council Member Gettle. Council Member Lurman,

thank you for the time, Mayor. I appreciate it. [clears throat] I wanted to give a positive shout out to our librarian and our library staff. April 19th through the 25th is National Library Week. And gosh, we have an amazing library here in Maricopa. First of all, it's beautiful. Secondly, it's paid off. And third, they offer amazing programming and activities for our young ones, our tween, our teens, our families, our adults. They really do. And so, and they offer it at at an excellent level. And so I just want to thank our librarian and our library staff for just offering an amazing programming for our community. And then on April 25th, Panell County hosted 110 youth ages 16 through 18 who interviewed for 35 paid intern positions. This is a 7-week internship um running May 28th through July 9th. They get paid $15.15 an hour and they're connected with departments with the county such as IT, elections, HR, and some other departments as well. I did call the county today to see how many out of the 110 applicants were from Maricopa. They didn't call me back. It's my fault. I didn't call them till this morning. And then I'm also curious how many of the 35 interns that were chosen are from Maricopa. So, I will find that information out and share that with you. Um, but I'm really excited about that opportunity for our youth. I also want to share that May is Asian-American Pacific Islander Month, and this declaration is to honor the history, culture, and achievements of Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and the contributions they make to our community. I had the honor of presenting a proclamation to Janelle Gomez and her husband, their business owners, with Learn with Aloha

on April 22nd on Earth Day at Ochen Circle um in front of an amazing group of people. And they did uh five different dance numbers that day. And so it was a honor to be able to recognize her commitment and dedication to bringing her strength, beauty, culture to Maricopa and our community members. And I will be presenting a proclamation on May 10th to farmers market Kevin Okuma um for his dedication to Maricopa and his service to our community as well. May 8th is Military Spouse Appreciation Day and this day honors the contributions, support, and sacrifices of military spouses to the armed services and national security. And if you will indulge me, are there any military spouses here this evening? Would you please stand so we can recognize you with a round of applause? [applause] We have lots of military spouses in my family and I am very aware of the sacrifice that spouses make for their um spouses to serve in the military. So, thank you so much. I want to recognize and show gratitude for those who organized and worked hard to bring a pow-wow to Maropa Elementary School on May 2nd. I was out of state and not able to attend, but I was really excited about this event. There were vendors and lots of different traditional dances that were performed. Um, I saw pictures and read articles and I'm I hope that we can continue to do um those types of events here in our community as well. On May 18th, I want to thank Global Water for offering a opportunity from 5 to 7 PM at Global Water. Um, you have an opportunity to [clears throat] get $100 for participating in a rebate program

with their smart irrigation controller uh when you upgrade to a water sense labeled smart irrigation controller. And you can earn up to $2,000 through the residential turf removal incentive program by receiving a dollar per square foot of live grass removal. You can also join their Smartscape workshop to learn how to optimize your irrigation system and learn to improve outdoor water use. So, thank you to Global Water and you do need to register for that event. And then lastly, I just wanted to share um a heartfelt moment for me just in the last couple months. And both gentlemen are here this evening. I won't say our names, but they're both I'm looking out at them now. Um, two young men in our community, both recently moved here in the last year or two, shared with me that after living in different communities, cities, and even countries, um, they have decided to live in Maricopa and raise their family here. Um, one of them is expecting their first child and the other is planning for their first child. And as a council member, there's no higher compliment than that. To say that someone has chosen Maricopa to live the best years of their life and to choose to raise their family here after living in other cities and communities and could live anywhere in the world. To choose Maricopa to do that is just really moving to me and I just want to show gratitude for people who trust us um to raise their families here. Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Council Member Lairman. Vice Mayor Man Freddy,

everybody covered everything already. You know, you're like, I did that, too. Um, there was so much stuff going on and it's the greatest time that be um in Arizona and of course Maricopa. The weather is beautiful. I took a ride on my ebike earlier today and it was a great time. Um, everybody asked me why I don't wear a helmet. I'm like my I have a hard head anyway. It's all right. That's a joke. People can laugh. Um, so, um, what I wanted to say today is there's, um, how many people were in that class today? A hundred or something like that. By the time everybody got up here, it wasn't 100. But the, um, the the leadership academy, it's it's what sets us, I think, apart as a city from many others. It's because so many people want to get involved. It actually has a cuto off. I mean, we we we get so many people trying to sign up for it. And then you guys go to a class and and you learn so much about the city and you come out of that class and you want to get involved and do things. Talk to your council members, talk to um staff. There's so much for you to do. Our our communication staff will be coming out with an ambassador type program which will allow you all to continue um your service to the city of Maricopa. We used to have it. It was called the Maricopa Advocate Program. So, it's a new program, but it's going to allow you to continue um volunteering, connecting you with people and places in the city of Maricopa with things to do. Um it's just going to give you ability to connect and really network and and get together because you guys are the future of this city that are going through that program. Uh everybody up here, I believe, has gone through that program. The mayor was in the first one. Henry was in the first one, I believe it was. I think I was in the third one or something like that. But we've all been in through the program and it leads to just more and more community involvement. And one day you'll be you'll be running for office and you'll you'll be like, "How'd I get here?" It

started right there in the in the um in the um citizen leadership program. I was also at the fieldhouse signing today and I didn't care. I liked the cool part. We got to sign the ground, but I liked more importantly, I got to look around this place that's being built. It's two times the size or more than two times the the size of Copper Sky gym. So, if you've been in the gym in Copper Sky, this new fieldhouse is more than double that size. It's going to give us as a community so much that can happen. We already have people trying to plan events there like a karate or taekwond do um tournament and and different tournaments and so much stuff that's going to be happening there. It seats what was it 990 people or something like that. So you can actually put an event in there for 900 people. That's nuts. I told the mayor that it would be a great place for the next state of the city and we can make it pickle ball based.

Oh boy. There you go. Um that would be fun. And anyway, there's going to be so much going on in the community over the next couple days and weeks leading up to the hot summer months. But get out and do stuff. Get involved. just walk through the parks and see what's happening. There's so much going on in Maricopa and it's a great place to live as um Council Member Leman just mentioned. Thank you.

Thank you, Vice Mayor. All right, so I had the opportunity just last week to attend a wonderful event in DC with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. And that council is made up of all of the 20-ish cities that are in the East Valley, West Valley, in that metropolitan area. and obviously the city of Maricopa gets to join in with them. [clears throat] It was a wonderful opportunity. Let me tell you just a couple things that happened during this visit. We had discussions with Senator Gagos and Congressman Stanton on water and what they're doing to ensure water availability in the state of Arizona. And then we also got to hear from them their chips to act and how they want to bring money back to the state of Arizona for manufacturing industrial based on the chips to act. So we're excited about that. I also got to participate with a semiconductor panel and then also visit at LG with the LG executives. And as you may or may not know, LG is opening a facility in Queen Creek. And when I introduced myself to them, I said, "I'm the mayor of the city of Maricopa, your next home for your next adventure." And they just smiled and said, "Okay, well, we'll come talk to you." So, it was a great conversation. They talked about their company and their aspects, which are all electronic. Um then we got to meet with the Department of Energy and talk about how energy, especially with data centers, is going to continue to be available, continue to grow and still be economical. And nuclear energy was the center of all of those conversations. So some interesting information to bring home there. And then one of the most interesting pieces of information that I picked up that I'm going to be sharing

with our staff is on data centers. I never quite knew exactly where I stood on data centers, but when I heard some folks talking about data centers and how it helped bring things in addition to data centers to their community, it started to click in terms of it's not just about data centers, it's about much more than that. So, I'll be sharing that with our staff as well. And I think that'll help us start to understand and think out of the box in regards to data centers and how that begins to open doors for us from an economic development perspective. So some great ideas and takeaways that I'll be sharing with our staff. And then on Friday, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make this because of coming back from GPEC, but our Southbridge Marketplace offered up a tour and asked me if I would speak. And I enjoyed speaking there because that's the area just south of the bridge where Lowe's is and all of the new buildings are going in. And I spoke about just a couple years ago envision what that was. The land was owned by the city. It was dirt, nothing but dirt with no promises of anything coming. And so the city created a vision. They created a plan to bring some infrastructure there. And voila, because of that vision, that plan, that partnership with Global Water, we now have what's flourishing and almost ready to open in phase one at Southbridge Marketplace. So, some really cool things. Um, and just for the record, they still have spaces available if you're a business and you want to lease. And then they also have one that they're considering actually selling to an organization. So, you know, they they have some options there. there. So, I felt like that was really good takeaway. Um, and then I just want to speak a little bit about the Blaze Church City

Council meet and greet. I've started to after I experienced this on Sunday, I started contacting other pastors, other churches because it was such a beautiful opportunity to meet with this congregation and listen to their questions and hear them out in regards to what they feel like the challenges are, what they feel like the successes are, what they're excited about. Just a really great opportunity to share information. And then I followed up with a like a two-page email. They wanted to know, hey, do you have a link to this? Do you have a link to that? So, I filled it up with a whole bunch of links of city information. There are so many resources that we have and I'll probably actually do on my mayor Facebook page a copy of that so that our other residents have that as well. Um, and so that touches on the Blaze Church experience which was delightful. And then yeah, the fieldhouse. So amazing. And you guys are the they talked about um soon, couple weeks, few weeks, maybe a month from now, they'll have another opportunity for the public to come in and see what it looks like. And they talked about, you know, like a horse or a pig challenge. I'm not sure exactly, but I told them I've been pra well I played pig with my grandson because with with a seven-year-old, you know, you don't want it to go on all day. So anyway, um anyway, that should be a lot of fun and an introduction into seeing what's going on at the fieldhouse. Really exciting. So that's the end of our mayor's message. It'll take us to our city manager message.

Thank you, Madame Mayor, members of the council. Uh just two things tonight. First of all, as as uh council member Marsh mentioned, uh there's likely a veto. That actually did happen about an hour ago that the governor vetoed the the budget. So, uh, we've seen the House adjourn until June 1st. And so, uh, we likely will see a budget that, uh, comes out at the end of June and and, uh, go through the legislative session this year. So, that's where we are with that. But, uh, the more important thing for us tonight, I think, is, uh, want to introduce El Ortega, who's our multimedia coordinator. El's going to talk a little bit about the advancing or the Ambassadors of Maricopa program, which uh, Vice Mayor Man Freddy mentioned a little bit earlier. I know. Let's have uh Man Freddy present it. He did such a great job. Take it away, Man Freddy.

All right. I think there's, like you said, there's so many amazing things happening within the city of Maricopa and even things that weren't mentioned like the bike safety rodeo, which I'm sure some of you attended as well. From the fieldhouse floor signing to the general plan happening in May 19th, there's so much happening within the city and I can guarantee there's at least a handful of people who have no idea about any anything. So, wouldn't it be nice to have ambassadors and advocates and representatives of the city help spread this message and advance the connection that we have and bridge the gap between the city and residents? Well, we're bringing the Ambassadors of Maricopa program or AMP. And just like everything within the city, it has to tie back to our strategic priority focuses. This one is more specifically on the quality of life. By having this program in action, it's going to build stronger relationships between our residents, city leadership program, as well as continue the engagement that we love happening through in the city. Additionally, it's going to expand that access to information and opportunities for citizens who want to be involved. Do that and explore those opportunities. So, here's here's AMP. Essentially, the participants will be ambassadors for Maricopa. They'll receive meetings and get up-to-date um information and tools of what's happening within that city. And from there, they'll take that information and spread it to other backgrounds, whatever means fit. Whether it's attending the high school awards ceremony, spreading that information with their pickle ball players, attending city council meetings, and speaking at public hearings, they're essentially acting as representatives for the city of Maricopa and help spreading that information. What they can expect if they choose to become an ambassador is quarterly

meetings. And at these quarterly meetings, they'll have presentations given by city staff and experts on the latest hot topics happening within the city. So, for example, it might be an update on the 347 project and it'll they'll have that accessibility to get Q&A and find out that knowledge firsthand and give them accurate information of what's happening in the city. From there, they can choose how they want to be involved. It's a flexible program designed to make anybody be a part of it whether they have a lot of room for involvement or no time at all. They could um they'll be recognized through a tiered system where the standard level is bronze and that might just be staying in informed going to the quarterly meetings and maybe an volunteer event or two. However, we also want to recognize the ambassadors that go above and beyond. Those who attend every every single city council meeting that you see them at every single event. They they're always in tune to know what's happening within the city and they're spreading that information. Those ambassadors might level up to the silver and bron and gold tiers as well. As far as eligibility goes, we want to make sure this is accessible. Anybody can join 16 or older requirement. live in Maricopa, be a Maricopa Citizen Leadership Academy graduate. These graduates are people who are already interested in being a part of the city of Maricopa learning and they have that foundation and that knowledge of how the city works and what goes on in the community. So, this is going to be an extension of that program to keep it on an ongoing basis. And then, of course, since it's a volunteer program within the city of Maricopa, they must complete a standard volunteer screening. And with that, we're excited to bring it into action this week. Applications will open on Thursday. We have we sent out an email to the graduates about the awareness. It's going to be 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. For those who might not

have gotten the email if they've blocked city events, they could find all this information on maricopa-az.govamp. And that link will be again available at 10:00 a.m. on May 7th. From there, next month, we'll have our first quarterly meeting and give them theformational tools that they need to take their ambassador opportunity onto the road for July 4th event. And I'm really excited to bring this into action. I think knowledge is power. We're always looking for ways to find um engagement within the city and as well as get feedback and explore different opportunities to help spread the information of what's happening within our city. Any questions?

Oh, this is an easy [clears throat] one. This is a fun one. But but yeah, I was just gonna say I really liked when we called it MAP Maricopa Advocate Program. However, I really like AMP like amp it up. We like to amplify the message of what's happening. We want people to be excited and encouraged.

I think it's a great new name. And for those that aren't familiar with the older program, such a wonderful opportunity. I would find advocates out sharing their correct knowledge in a lot of different groups and helping to fight off the social media misinformation and providing real information. I almost think we need to have a stamp like where they can if they if they put a comment, they get a stamp that says I'm part of the AMP program.

Yes. And that's the that's the whole point of the the tiered and the point system. We want people to be excited about getting involved. Whether it's, oh, I can't attend city council meetings, but I'm a powerhouse at responding to those trolls. We want to give them the empowerment to be ambassadors of Maricopa. Even if they can't, if they're stuck on the 347, they could still advocate for us. I And I don't remember what our ending list number of people. Do you guys have any idea? It was in the hundred 100 200 people were performing and and doing that when we had map but this is going to be even bigger and better. Yeah. Anything else? Perfect. Thank you. Thank you.

Oh, that's it. Okay. Perfect. That's going to take us next to the call to the public. I do have a few speaker cards. It looks like a total of five. So I'll start with first Mike Buscoll. Hopefully I said that name correctly. Please come forward. You'll see the timer on the dis and you'll have three minutes. Oh, perfect.

Good evening, mayor, members of the council, city staff. My name is Mike Busone. I'm a resident of Maricopa. I'm standing before you tonight to celebrate the incredible initiative and academic excellent being fostered right here in our community at Desert Sunrise High School. That's right.

Okay. I would like to bring to your attention the outstanding achievements of two of our local students, Natalie Flores and Carile Stanley. These two young leaders recently represented Maricopa in a highstakes HOSA Health Occupation Students of America, Future Health Professionals competition focused on disaster preparedness. This is a rigorous field that required not just medical knowledge but critical thinking, rapid problem solving, and the ability to remain calm under extreme pressure. Skills that are vital to the safety and resilience of any city. They competed against some of the brightest students in the region. Natalie and Carlile placed sixth out of 30. In a world where emergency readiness is more important than ever, seeing our youth take such an active interest in public safety is inspiring. They aren't just winning awards. They are training to be the first responders, healthc care providers, and emergency managers of our future. I'm here tonight to ask the city of Maricopa to recognize Natalie and Carlile for their hard work and success. Acknowledging their dedication shows our students that this council values excellence and the safety of our citizens. Thank you for your time and all that you do to support the next generation of Maricopa's leaders. [applause] Congratulations. [applause] That's very exciting.

All right. Our next speaker is Crystal Ojan. [clears throat] Good evening, mayor, city council members, and fellow Maroba residents. My name is Crystal Ojan, and I've lived in this city for 14 years. And tonight, I'm standing before you not as just a candidate that's running for city council, but as a community member who has been doing the work long before I ever decided to run for anything. I am a mother, a grandmother, a primary caregiver for my husband, who is a 33-year retired military veteran, Kent Ojan. I'm the founder of Maricopa Veteran Care Center, which hopefully we have a project in the works. Uh we're working on a multi-story uh facility where we will continue to fund free emergency therapy for veterans in crisis. I am also the co-founder of the Black Maricopa Chamber of Commerce, which was created to create a bridge for local entrepreneurs to have real access to tools and real connections. I published Maricopa Lifestyle Magazine because every community deserves to see itself reflected with dignity. I co-produce the Maricopa Desert Music and Arts Festival because the art is how the city finds its soul. 30 years of service, not 30 years of politics, 30 years of just showing up. Maricopa is growing fast. Over 48 80,000 residents and there are three council seats open. The question before this community is simple. Do you want someone who knows how to operate inside a closed room or someone who has spent three decades opening up the doors? I believe city council member is not a boss. We are teammates. We should be teammates. The community leads, they serve. Every vote I cast will be explainable to every resident who asks.

I am committed to a two-term limit. And I will fight every day for smart growth, public safety, veteran support, economic opportunity, and the arts. Speaking of the arts, tonight I have the honor of making an announcement. Today is red dress day, the national day awareness of awareness of missing murdered indigenous women and relatives. So with that said, the city along sits alongside of the indigenous communities um that have called us home that for thousands of years. So we owe them an awareness and action. So, Maropa Lifestyle Magazine is pr is proud to announce Maricopa Fashion Week May 2027 is going to be woven in strength, a celebration of indigenous design, a first of its kind right here in Maricopa, featuring designs by local indigenous artisans, modeled by our own high school and college students right here in Maricopa with a community market and a red dress installation. Proceeds will benefit the Turquoise Indigenous Foundation and more. This is what a bridge builder looks like and this is what I plan on being as a city council member. It's not a press release. It's not a policy position. It's not a runway. It's a community and a city that sees all of its people. So, Maricopa, I am not asking for you just to believe in me, but I'm asking you to believe in what we can build together. Thank you for your time. [applause] Our next speaker is Tori Anderson. [snorts] Mayor Smith and Council, um I have the amazing honor to be here before you representing Open Arms Vocational Living Center. Did you know that we have approximately 20 young men who are homeless in our city for various reasons? The majority of them is because

they've aged out of the foster care system. So, Open Arms Vocational Living Center is addressing this issue. Our goal is to build a home that is based on levels that these young men will be enrolled in vocational classes. We've already got businesses who have signed on to help us with internships for these young men, but they will learn to build, construct, and live in their own tiny homes. So, it's an ultimate goal. It's a big goal, but I know we can do it because the turtle always wins. So, with that, our first event is going to be June 27th at 6 PM at Duke's Roadhouse upstairs. Tickets are $100 a person. However, you can get a sponsorship for $1,000, advertise your business, advertise your family. You can also do a sponsorship for $500. So, this is an opportunity for you to find your favorite jeans, get your dirty boots on, and come and join us at Duke's Roadhouse for Dirty Boots and Dollars, June 27th, 6 PM. If you want to text me at 520-5603665, I can send you the QR code so that you can get tickets, you can get sponsorships, and it goes right into our foundation and our home for these young men who need a place to thrive and become amazing citizens of the city of Maricopa. So, I hope you'll join me. It's going to be fun. We're going to have some cowboy grub. So, saddle up, giddy up, and I'll see you at Duke's Roadhouse on the 27th. Um, I've only got 45 tickets left, so make sure you get your tickets as soon as you can. Uh, and again, text me at that number and I will certainly send you the QR code so that you can spend some money and it all stays right here going right back to your youth in Maricopa. So, thank you for your support and your time and I'll see you on the 27th. [applause]

Our next speaker is Josh Eids and Colt Hman, Mayor Smith, Council members, City Manager, City Staff. Uh, as you know, my name is Josh Eids. I represent the firefighters of Maricopa. I have my brothers in arms here with me today. I'd like introduce himself. Colt Hman, president Fraternal Order Police Local Lodge 78.

We're here to simply remind the community about our public safety forum tomorrow. Thank you for your support, Council Member Ghetto, um in getting information out. You stole our thunder a little bit, but um we'd like to remind everybody that our public safety forums tomorrow at Leading Edge starts at 7 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30. It's going to be a jam-packed night, so we're going to try and get started right at 7. I'm happy to report all seven candidates have agreed to attend which is a testament to their support for public safety in this community. And this event is not for us or the members that we serve. It's for the community to hear directly from the count the candidates on their uh on possible public uh related issues. So, thank you again. The event is at Leading Edge 700 p.m. It'll go approximately 2 hours. We hope to see everybody there and thank you for your time.

Thank you. [applause] All right. Would anyone else like to approach the podium? Seeing none, I will close the call to the public. Do you have one more? I do not. I do.

Oh, I do. Yep. I would like to call to the podium Tom Nunes. Tim. It says Tom. Sorry. Does it?

All right. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and City Council members. Uh, my name is Tim Nuanis. I'm here tonight to inform the city of Maricopa that I am running for the council position for the Panal County Precinct 4. It's about 85 to 90% of the work from the constible will come from the city here. That'll be and then I'll deal with Stanfield Hidden Valley. But probably 85% of the population that I would [clears throat] deal with if I was elective constipal, it would be in this in this area. I believe this row is a more about not serving paperworks to the people, but it's serving the people. Um, over the past few years of living here, I truly come to appreciate what makes this what makes this community special. The people, the growth, the strong sense of pride that so many residents share. I care about this community and that's why I'm running for Constible. I believe I could be a good good asset for this community working helping the vents, working with the community. Since I've been running, I've been to a lot of events and I met so many wonderful, great people. And uh it's and I didn't realize how much is going on in here with the city. It's been great. And um with that said, if you guys have any questions, you guys can feel free to reach me. I have a Facebook. It's Tim Nanis for Constible. And uh I appreciate your time.

Thank you. Thank you. [applause] All right. One last chance to approach the podium if you'd like to speak. Seeing none, I will close the call to the public. That'll take us on to the consent agenda item this evening. We have items 71 uh 7.1 through 7.5. I have no speaker cards. Council members, are there any questions, comments, or do I have a motion? So moved by Council Member Lman. Do I have a second? Second. Seconded by Council Member No. One last chance for comments, questions. Hearing none, please vote.

Oh, assisting. I voted. Yeah. Um, Council Member Wade's going to do a voice vote. I vote. Oh, me too. Yes. Oh, and Council Member, if you want to Amber's got it.

Okay. All right. Oh, everybody's in. Now, everyone's in. Perfect. So, that passes unanimously. Obviously, we still have some work on this new system. Um, it's kind of a challenge when I can easily say all in favor say I. [laughter] Okay. Uh, that'll take us to agenda item 8.1, which is resolution. And we have a presenter, Jennifer Brown, and I have no speaker cards. Please, Jennifer.

Thank you, mayor, council members. um here tonight to bring to you the special community designation request policy. Um so what I have in the presentation is really the highlights of the policy to go over. Uh the full policy was attached in your packet and so we can refer to any of those details if you want um as I go through this this evening. So uh really and one thing important as we're looking at policy to always keep in mind is these are living documents. is, you know, we approve something, we're always analyzing these to make sure it still makes sense for what we're doing. If we start a program and it's like, gosh, it would really be nice to have this addition or this change, we would bring that back before you to discuss um again. So something that can always be changed if it needs to be. But want to just go back in time a little bit uh to our futures planning in January. And this was one of the council requests to bring back a policy on the um community designations and and how folks can request those. And so when we discussed it at futures planning, there were four main items that um was requested to be in the policy. The first was requiring nonprofit leadership rather than city management. Uh the requesting organization is responsible for any required funding, establishing community standards that align with organizational and community values and determining signage policies to avoid excessive entrance signage. So all of those have been addressed within the policy and we'll go over that um through this presentation. So first is the the overall policy statement. So it reads, "The city of Maricopa supports communitydriven initiatives that enhance quality of life and civic pride. Special designations must be community initiated, community-led and community funded. The city may provide recognition when a designation one demonstrates clear community benefit. Two, meets recognized external standards. Three, aligns with city priorities and values.

Four does not create ongoing fiscal or operational obligations. Five has sustainable local leadership and um final approval of any special designation rests with you the city council. There are community eligibility standards that we've put in this or community standards for eligibility. So that's recognized framework administered by a credible national, state or widely recognized organization with an established criteria meaningful community impact. So it provides tangible benefits such as awareness, services, engagement or quality of life improvements, achievable and sustainable requirements. Um standards are clearly defined, realistic for Maricopa and maintainable by the sponsoring organization. Community support, so evidence of support from stakeholders such as affected populations, nonprofit civots groups, businesses, or residents, and alignment with city values consistent with Maricopa's commitment to being a welcoming, safe, and thriving community. So then we have the responsibilities of all the different groups involved with this. So first is the responsibilities of the sponsoring organization. Um so we have the sponsoring organization shall lead all designation activities and community engagement. Meet and maintain program requirements, fund all fees, materials, signage and related costs, provide ongoing leadership and status updates as requested, and that the city is not responsible for securing or providing funding. Next are the responsibilities of city staff. So, city staff may provide procedural guidance, evaluate alignment with this policy, assess fiscal, operational or branding impacts, coordinate council consideration, promote the designation as deemed appropriate by staff and staff are not responsible for implementing designation requirements. And then finally, city council um's responsibilities is formally recognize or adopt a designation, authorize use of

the city name or logo, and decline requests that you are not in agreement with. And then if this if a designation was approved, this these are the ways that we would recognize it. And one would be the city website. So listing it on the city website with designation name, description, sponsoring organization, and recognition date. City hall recognition. So standardized signage or display at city hall or within city hall um as determined by the city and then city communications. So acknowledging through official channels like press releases, social media, newsletters and proclamations. So that covers the main highlights and I open up to you for questions, comments and discussion. Great. Thanks Jennifer. Questions, comments, council.

Yes, Council Member Lurman.

Thank you so much for the presentation. And I'm excited about this opportunity and um I know we talked about it at futures planning like you said so this is um great to see the presentation. I'd like to share just an example. I was at the dog park and I met a young lady there and she shared with me how much she enjoys our community events such as the 4th of July marry copa culpaultural things like that although her husband does not enjoy them as much because he can become overstimulated and overwhelmed. And so it's kind of an issue in their family that she really wants to go and he doesn't want to go as much. And the reason that came up is because she brought up the designation city opportunity. She had heard about it and she was telling me how important it is to her family and that she's hoping that something like this could make it a lot more feasible and easy for her husband to be able to attend the events with her, feel more comfortable, included. Um, and so that was a really helpful conversation for me to have that these types of decisions can positively impact our community members and improve the quality of their life. And I also just wanted to share just some little examples of how these um partnerships with agencies to help the um designations become possible. So, the Autism Society of Southern Arizona could be someone who could help the city um implement a designation. They offer free training for schools, businesses, agencies, and hotels to create supportive spaces. Um employee and customer awareness and deescalation, sensory friendly practices. Um they in they promote inclusive event planning, parks and public spaces and community programming. And there's another agency called Hidden Disability Sunflower. And they provide training designed for

hospitality, public safety, parks, libraries, and tourism. So they focus on those areas in helping all people of all ages, ability levels, and needs to be included, welcomed, and feel comfortable in those environments. And then there's another agency called Dementia Friends of Arizona, and Surprise, Gilbert, and Chandler have all chosen them to help them become a dementia friendly city. and they offer free training for businesses and employers to learn how to provide safe and um inclusive environments for dementia. And um for those of you who have family members who have someone in your family that has dementia, this is what it sounds like for us to become possibly a dementia friendly community. It means living in a city where a person living with dementia feels safe, active, connected, understood, respected, and supported by providing training for businesses, employees, faith groups, and the public. They provide memory cafes, caregiver support groups, interactive activities, providing inclusive spaces, for example, wide corridors, ramps, uncluttered spaces, adjustable chairs and desks, quiet areas, varied lighting, flex seating, diverse representation of art and materials, fostering respect for people with dementia, connecting communities with vital information and services. Um and areas that are considered for improvement would be housing, transportation, social life, outdoor spaces, health services, and civic inclusion. Um so if anyone's wondering like what does this look like? Why are we doing this? What is the value? Those are some of the examples of the value that this um policy can bring to our community. Um so I'm really excited about it. One suggestion that I have for

the actual policy, um, under community standards, it says realistic for Maricopa, and I would like to propose that we remove that phrase. I think we're talking about Maricopa, and I think that is not an appropriate phrase to have in our policy. Um, so I'd like to remove that phrase from the policy that is on this page. No. or it's in the policy. Oh, okay. It's on this page as well. Right here under number three. Number three,

achievable and sustainable requirement. It says standards are clearly defined, realistic for Maricopa, and maintainable by the sponsoring organization. I think that phrase needs to be removed from the policy. Oh, I like I like that phrase. Um, we're already we're already talking about Maricopa and I don't know what realistic for Maricopa means. It sounds limiting and demeaning. I think we can I don't know what it means to you. The word realistic is that Oh, okay. Sounds limiting to me. I can understand the word realistic being a concern. Yeah. Okay. So, removing that word just that phrase realistic from Maricopa.

Okay. All right. Any additional comments, questions? Yes, Council Member No. Thank you, Mayor. Can you go to the page where it talks about what the city will do or how the city will this one? Yes. Yep. Perfect. Okay. Yeah. I my question in terms of the policy was going to be about it says the polic in the policy that the entity would have to adhere to the branding guidelines. Yes.

And I and I mean I'm on council and I'm like what are those? Right. And so I was like how do they know what that is? But I appreciate that here it says that city staff will help the uh applying organizations to assess the branding impacts and so you'll help align that with them. They don't have to figure that out. Yeah. And we have we have branding guidelines that we can hand them but we'll also work with them so that we can make sure we're all on the same page of how that looks before they put anything out. So we'll absolutely work with them to do that. Okay. Yeah. Fantastic. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Nar. additional comments, questions. I would just add that the community standards page, I think you captured everything we talked about in regards to um what we see these endorsements looking like. And so I think you did a really good job as well as all of the criteria for becoming. You really nailed it because we had it was maybe a 20 minute 30 minute conversation, but that's a quick conversation for you to do. do so well putting this in place. I think you really did a good job. Any additional comments, questions to make a motion unless there's other comments. Oh, nope. Okay.

I'd like to make a motion that we um pass the code, approve the code as written, uh with the exception of the phrase realistic for Maricopa um under community standards. Do I have a second? Second.

Council member Wade. Thank you very much. I have a motion and a second. Any additional comments, questions? Seeing none, please vote. Go ahead and voice mayor. Yes. All in favor say I. I. Any opposed? That motion carries. Thank you all. That brings us to the end of the agenda. We are adjourned. [clears throat]