Common Council - Regular Meeting

Exive session the town of Parker common council to order. Please silence electronic devices. We have a roll call of council. Mayor Hartless here. Vice Mayor Jent present. Council member Sh here. Council member Daniels present. Council member Deleó here. Council member Madineski here. And council member Grimwalt here. Okay. Please join me for the pledge of allegiance and remain standing for the invocation by Pastor Louie.

I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Heavenly Father, we thank you that u you have brought us here once again. our leaders coming together to help make this a better place to live and a better place to work. We ask that you'll give them wisdom and insight, help them to know what should be done and that we can all work together to make this to make Parker and our surrounding area a better place to live. And we thank you for this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Thanks, Louie. Okay, now it's time for call to the public. We have two requests. Our first one is Grace Hec. Am I saying that right?

Good evening, mayor, council. My name is Grace Hect. I'm running for the House of Representatives for LD30, which is our district. And so, I wanted to come here and introduce myself. I served on the city council for three years in Bullhead City. And so, I understand that the decisions that all of you make here at this local level is really what affects our communities. And the best form of government in my opinion are the ones where you can bump into your leaders at the grocery store. And so I have my contact information and I'll be staying after. I would love to meet with all of you individually and get to know your community as best as I can to be the best representative for Parker. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next one is Zach Calm. Good afternoon council. Feels very strange standing on this side of the podium. Um, I would just like to formally invite you all to the youth off-road experience that Pace is hosting tomorrow afternoon from 3:30 to 5:30. Um, it's an annual event as Mayor Hartless probably knows, haven't been a part of PACE. Um, it's a great opportunity for all of the kids to meet the local racers and any other racers. We're actually going to have probably about 20 vehicles there this year, as well as our um, RC track that all the kids race and we give away a bunch of prizes and raffles. So, just want to invite you all to that. It's a really fun event. Um hopefully see you all there. Thank you. Thank you.

Okay, our next item is chamber director's report, Erica Daniels. Good evening, mayor and council. I'm Erikica Daniels with the Parker Regional Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. Yesterday, the town of Parker hosted the picnic in the park for President's Day. I want to give a big shout out to Megan. Thank you for putting on such a wonderful event. [applause]

The chamber was able to host the ribbon cutting for the traveling museum and I just got word that there was about 400 people that visited. So that's really good turnout. This week is the Parker Dam 500. It is race week. I hope to see all of you guys there Thursday evening on Joshua and Arizona. It starts at noon. It's until 8:00 p.m. We are still accepting vendors. We've got several phone calls today. Yes, you can still sign up. We do have about 37 to 40 vendors right now. So, the more the merrier. The next month is the LeaZ County Fair. I also want to invite you guys personally out to that. This year they are dedicating the fair to Mr. the late Mr. Miguel Torres and we are going to do a ribbon cutting and grand opening and that'll be on Thursday of the fair. I believe off the top of my head that's March 12th and Thursday at noon. So if you guys could come out, enjoy that, do the ribbon cutting with us and the dedication and then tube float. Although to us it seems like months away, to me it seems like it is tomorrow. That opens live on March 2nd. Thank you.

Thank you, Erica. All right. Our next item is the consent agenda, which we can approve as one motion. There's two items. Town of Parker regular meeting minutes from February 3rd, 2026 and Parker PD grant award of 2193 for a new automated external defiill from the BO Elks 1929. I'm guessing the local Elks. All right. Motion to approve consent agenda as presented. Second. Okay. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor? I Ray. Hi.

There we go. [laughter] Uh, thank you, Joan. On on behalf of the town, thank the Elks for us. It's greatly appreciated.

All right. And our item number one is discussion and possible action to approve deny staff to purchase a Toro mower from Sitt Simpson Norton through a Mojave Cooperative contract for $31,588. Steve, good evening, Mayor and Council. Um, in February 2025, public works staff sold the 12-year-old Kabota mower that was at the end of its service life. Uh public works staff reached out to Simpson Norton Corporation to provide a proposal for a Toro Toro groundmaster 3200 two- wheelel drive mower with a 72 inch rear discharge deck. Simpson Norton Corporation is a member of the Mojave Cooperative and this purchase saves the town 22% off the list price. Uh the fiscal impact uh the fund funding for this purchase will come from the general fund and the council approved FY2526 capital budget. Staff budgeted 30,000 for this purchase of the the Toro MO mower. Um steps following this would be to execute if approved uh execute the purchase agreement with Simpson Norton and issue purchase order for the mower. Um, my suggested motion is to move to approve public works staff to purchase a Tora mower from Norton Simpson using their Mojave Cooperative contract number 25D SN 0826 for $31,588.93. Okay, I'm sure you all read through the 150 pages of

[laughter] uh stuff on this lawn mower. Oh, any questions, comments? For the reason uh not multiple bids on this is because it was part of the Mojave uh compact con uh correct cooperative uh contract portion. So that's where uh through that with the items we don't necessarily need to get the additional bids for that. Is that correct? Correct.

So the way the cooperives work they already did the bidding process. So they solicited the bids from all the manufacturers and all the dealers and they essentially took the lowest prices that were offered in the bidding process and they accepted those and they have a contract with Simpson Norton for those low prices. That's how all that works. Thank you. Anybody else? Anything? Okay, I'd entertain a motion. Motion to approve uh the Toro mower from Simpson Norton uh for the list amount as listed. I'll second. All right, it's been moved and seconded. All those in favor? I

I Ray wants to write on it when he get All right, you heard it there first. Thank you, Steve. Um item two, discussion and action to approve deny the recommendation to dissolve the Parker Community Center Advisory Board. Nora,

correct? So, the Parker Community Center Advisory Board was established in 2019, was initially intended to inform the town administration and council about the cent's needs and requirements support um uh due to a high staff turnover. However, the board has recently encountered difficulties in maintaining a quorum for meetings and seating new members. In contrast, the friends of the Parker Senior Committee has a highly is highly active organization um doing various fundraisers and supporting programs like the the congregates and the home delivery meals and they also have provided some equipment monies for equipment in the kitchen. Um the friends group has experienced a desire for the council to have a representative to maintain um and be put on that board. Um so I know that um Mr. Hartless tends to go to those meetings for the friends and is very active. Um, but we're we're finding that the the friends group is is just like really really active and the other group is just kind of not at this point. Um, this doesn't mean that we can't bring this back if at some point we feel like we need that second group of people to um to come before us and do some recommendations. But um the friends do a really great job in all their fundraising efforts and they're always there to help um any of the staff over at the community center as well.

Yeah. And and honestly um you guys that have been around for a few years may understand that this this was a political um creation. There was no logical reason for it. It was done for um political purposes to take control of of the job that's already being done by the friends of the senior center to be honest with in my opinion. Um and there's no advising happening. There hasn't been for a long time. So the fact that it's an advisory board, there is no advising going on. So um this is something I've been trying to get done for a while. Um I just think it's it's something we don't need. It's just bureaucracy on top of bureaucracy. So, it's my feeling.

Had a question. Sure.

Or statement or or even point of clarification. um the monies that are being raised, the town, will they have any uh any accountability uh for those monies or will there be any issues with like uh you know money's going back and forth between the town and uh the uh the group that's in place now uh the friends uh group and if if there are monies that are transferred back and forth, how will that be monitored or even uh you know because I take it that that was one of the reasons that the advisory board was implemented mainly for accountability. So

well I would disagree. I don't think it was for accountability. I think it was to take control of those activities. But the the friends of the senior center um they have a a board and they have a 501c3. So the funds they can do what they want with the funds as far as when they donate the funds.

So typically what happens is the town doesn't donate to the friends. Um the friends actually donate to the town. Um so they they have their meetings and they're once a month. Um I think they go dark for a month or two months in the the summertime. it. Um so they raise the money and then they typically here in the last couple of years have given us um [snorts] certain amount of money each month um to go towards the congregate meals or the home delivered meals and they kind of decide on their their own what which what they want it to be. And then if there's a purchase that needs to be that the senior center needs or would like to have and they feel like they can afford to do that then they typically will donate the money to the town um for that particular project and it goes into whichever fund that they are wanting to donate to at that time. Um but the town doesn't typically donate to them at all. Yeah. The other the other thing is the this group um because they're a 501c3, they get a lot of grants. Honestly, they got some substantial grants. They have one right now in the works for a new vehicle for a new van over there. So,

the advisory board's not a 501c3. They couldn't they couldn't get any grants. So,

and they have donated they have um helped with um getting bans um before. Um, I know that they just um purchased the ovens that they needed. Um, we do have um a agreement with the friends that we started several years ago. um that kind of covers all of the the things that they do and that um they expect from us so that there's not any ill will I guess um and we know what they're doing, they know what we're doing, what what the expectations are.

Mayor. Yes. Yeah. And I think uh you point out a big distinction between those uh particular portions that is being a 501c3 versus uh this particular one is a basically a subcommittee of you know the town with that. So really can only enact

you know advisory and within that capacity really whoever's directing that department also has you know should have similar insight to be able to provide that direction overall with that. So [clears throat] that's where uniquely the friends have that unique benefit of having that fundraising ability, being able to put those particular funds. Uh now they are independent with what they do and dictate with their funds even though their mission is to uh you know help with the community center. But that one does make sense being that unique and independent compared to I do think that this advisory board does you know ultimately fall similar responsibilities to what the director of that department should have given that dictation for that area.

Any comments concerns? I would entertain a motion. Uh, I will make a motion to approve the recommendation to dissolve the Parker Community Center advisory board. [laughter] All second. Any further discussion? All those in favor? I opposed.

Okay, motion carries. Item two. Um, I'm sorry. Okay. Item three, discussion, action to approve, deny the recommendation from the library advisory board members to dissolve the Parker Public Library Advisory Board. Similar situation, but a little bit different in the fact that there is no 501c3 involved, although the the friends of the library have a 501c3. Correct. But I think it's a similar situation. It was created to put a layer on top of what was already being done. Um, and if it's acceptable, I would love to hear. Sarah, you're you're on that. Do you have any comment? Any all three of them? I think

come up to the mic, please. I know it's not a public hearing, but I I see you guys are here, so I'm interested in

Yeah. Well, we just wanted if you guys had any questions or point of clarification just to be here for that. Um, so I will provide that. We had all essentially just decided that it was a bit redundant. um everything that we do like we just advise but as far as it goes the library presents to us everything that they're doing. There's no us saying, "Oh, no, you can't do that." You know, there's none of that. It's mostly just going, "Okay, great." Um, that's you guys are doing good work. And there's really no I guess there really is no advising going on. Not because they they just pretty much just because they don't need it essentially. Um, so we figured everything kind of similar situation. Um, everything that the friends do, um, it kind of just rendered us useless at that point. Um, for lack of a better term. Um, so I don't know if you guys had anything else that you want to say if that kind of says it. Um, we just all figured that our time could be better spent somewhere else and that the library is doing a fantastic job and they don't necessarily need us to advise

the park and rec committee may I suggest. What's that? There's a few openings. Oh yeah, that too. But that's that's a different thing. Um, [laughter] that's on but there's some openings since you're all here. Thank you. Thank you for your service on this board. It is appreciated. Yeah, absolutely. And thank you guys for, you know, entertaining this. Sorry we felt like I had to come to this, but also at the same time, it just doesn't really feel like it's a necessary thing at this point. So, thank you. Thank you, Zach. Hey, any comments, questions?

Just talking about also definitely seeing what the friends of the library uh does. Uh, you know, I try to attend most of their meetings. They definitely do go above and beyond on a consistent basis. So, very impressed, but similar situation. I personally get a air full about 20 hours a day I feel like with [laughter] anything to do with the library. So, all right. Well, I'll make a motion to um approve the dissolution of the uh Parker Library Advisory Board. Second. Okay, it's been moved and seconded. All those in favor?

I. Motion carries. Again, thank you guys. Appreciate it. Um, all right. Item four, discussion and action to approve deny the IGA with Le Paz County for the 2026 election services. Nora. So, um, as we know, every four years or every two years, I guess it's every two years, [clears throat]

um, we enter into an IG with the county, um, to provide election services for the town, um, this year. It's for the 2026, um, electoral events. Um, specifically, this includes the primary election scheduled for July 21st, which is two weeks earlier than normal. um and the general election on November 3rd of 26 as mandated by state law in addition to any special elections that may occur. The town is responsible for reimbursing the county for the actual cost incurred for this election service due to various factors such as the current it's also based on the current um voter registration number and the number of other jurisdictions um holding elections um precise costs vary and are not currently available. Um, typically the estimate cost for the primary election is about $2,000 and for the general it's about 14. Um, historically though we haven't 14,000. Um, historically we don't usually go to the general um when it's just the um board here. um the following steps. If you guys approve this, we'll get it executed as quickly as we can. We're running a bit behind because our lawmakers

are up for the election. I know three. Well, it's not like we have an option here to go with some other election service, right? I mean, correct. [laughter] It is what it is. We can't afford to do one on our own. Okay. All right. Any question, comments? Sorry. Dropped on the ground. [laughter] I'll make the motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement with Leaz County for the 2026 election services. I'll second. Okay. It's been moved and seconded. Any further discussion? All those in favor

I I opposed. Motion carries. Item five, presentation regarding legal services update with discussion by council Justin Pierce. Yay. Oh, I got a Y. [laughter] I I just wanted to start by saying I it's fun to be out here. I can't. It doesn't feel like it's been a couple of years, but I Some of you I've known for over 20 years. I'm looking at you, Marian. I think I know.

And some of you I've known for 20 minutes. So, it's good to meet you. My name is Justin Pierce. [clears throat] Worked with the town in one capacity or another for again more than 20 years. And um I just grew up down river. I'm I'm a Yuma boy. and uh went to uh uh ASU for for my undergraduate and then I think we have some other suddevils around here if I'm remembering right and uh Jack

I I like that too and uh went to Georgetown for for law school where um another another Arizona boy Steve Coleman was uh was in law school. We met in an employment discrimination class and fast forward, you know, we primarily started our firm doing employment law related stuff. I'll give you one guess who got the top score in that employment discrimination class.

It was Steve. It was not me. [laughter] But uh we um we both came back to Arizona. We we practiced at big firms for for several years and had um you know all that experience. And then about 11 years ago, we decided we didn't we didn't need the big firm platform anymore because of the the local clients that we were servicing and we were able to do that on a much more cost-effective basis, managing our overhead better. So we did that. I can't believe it's been almost 11 years now that we did that and we are now at a firm with 20 lawyer 19 lawyers with a couple more yet to join. And um some of the things about our firm for those of you that aren't as familiar with us because again we pro we've been providing your legal services as as your contracted town attorneys now for I think six years seven like that. Um and uh we've we've been ranked our firm's been ranked as as a tier one best law firm US News and World Report. Next, uh we're many lawyers in the firm recognized as either super lawyers or best lawyers in America or both. Um we are the city or town attorneys for 24 Arizona municipalities. And if you do the count on that, that's I think almost a third of the cities and towns. And then for all the rest, we we do contracted work on a project by project basis or on employment law matters or whatever it might be. I think uh by last count there's not there's not an air not there is not an Arizona municipality that that we have not had some sort of work with over the last few years. So um and then the last point there is that many of our municipalities have have had a return of premium through their risk pool. Um and I I only put that up there to show that I think we're doing a pretty good job when when claims are are down. So next slide if you would real just wanted to give you a small sampling

of our team. Um, we have four uh former in-house or city or town attorneys. So that that's attorneys that have actually been in in you know either you know the uh city of Prescuit uh I'm going to get this wrong city of Yuma Page can't remember all the others but have actually worked inside and and not not just on a contracted basis. So, their their experience has always been very helpful to know the the ins and outs of from the from the inside as well. Uh, next point, uh, former in-house deputy county attorneys. We've had three of those. Next, um, former in-house prosecutors, municipal and county, so both misdemeanor and high level felonies, four of those. Um, military veterans, two of those. Uh, former state chief elections officers and clean elections commissioners, two of those. And that's uh Amy and Christina who is the primary point of contact for uh for Parker, a former certified law enforcement officer. He spent eight years of his life I don't know if you knew this to you. Have we talked about this before? Rodney, one of the lawyers in my firm. He uh he was a law enforcement officer for about eight years. Decided to go to law school and he's been practicing now for I think about eight years as well. So next uh bullet uh former general counsel of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. Guess what? That's also Christina. She's she was uh there for several years before I actually recruited her from that from that position. Next uh yeah, and then general counsel to the Secretary of State's office was Amy. Next one. And former general counsel of the DPS. She just joined us uh a couple of weeks ago, Lisa Wallen. And in fact, I think in a two slides I I'll give you a little bit more on on her. Next slide. So by by the count I think we are at is it going to the next slide? Oh former superior court

judge. That's her as well. And next slide. I I think I actually I think we're closer to 300 years now. I haven't done the count recently but 300 years of combined municipal law experience. There's not a more experienced uh firm in the state in terms of of municipal law. So we're very proud of that. Um, next slide. Here's here's what just joined us fairly recently. So Jessica Silva Jessica Yeah, you I that's fine. You can keep that there. Jessica was a de an in-house deputy city attorney. Then went and became the HR director for that municipality for five years because the city manager said, "Hey, will you please come and do this for me?" And then a few months ago, she reached out and said, "Hey, I'm ready to get back into the practice of law." So, we brought her on board, which now she brings extensive experience in HR law and in HR uh administration experience, which has been really helpful to us already. Lisa Wallen, I put the honorable up there just because, you know, she she did just retire from the Maricopa County Superior Court bench. I saw the notice that they were soliciting uh you know applications for new superior court judges because of the retirements of a couple judges and her name was up there and I've known her for years and I thought why is she she's not old enough to retire. Are you got to be kidding me? So I reached out and she said, "Yeah, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do next." And I said, "Well, let's talk." So having a former superior court judge as a part of our team has been awesome. And again, she was also the deputy uh or she was the general counsel to DPS uh during the Ducy administration and um has also been an in-house uh deputy city attorney previous to to that as well. She has a lot of experience. And then one more person that Matt Padrachi starts with us here. Uh, so I didn't even put him on that first list of of experienced folks. But Matt is he just retired. Again, too

too young to retire, but retired out of the system because he had enough points um to retire as the deputy city attorney in Prescuit. And he re he actually reached out to me and said, "Hey, I'm not I'm not ready to be retired." And I said, "Well, we we I've got great news because there's a lot of work to be done." So he's just joined us or is joining us uh in I think three weeks I think is his start date. So um again just an extensive exper I I what I'm so proud about here by the way on all of this is I look at I I think I think a good leader puts a lot of really smart people around them even smarter than so when I'm in the room I feel like I am the dumbest one in this room. I'm like, I got I got all these incredible people all around me and um and it just it's been it's been an amazing thing, an amazing ride. If you'd have told me 11 years ago that we were Yeah. Yeah. You guys are I see what you I see what you did. [laughter] If you'd have told me 11 years ago that, hey, when you and Steve start this firm, you know, 11 years from now, you're going to have 20 plus lawyers. I would have said, nah, that's not that's not in the works. But we've built something that I think has a lot of demand because of what we're able to offer, the expertise and and the and the cost structure that we've been able to to manage over those years. So, next uh bullet. So, we we use a very collaborative approach in everything that we do. As you've probably noticed, if if you have a a a land use issue, Christina doesn't necessarily say, "Well, I'm going to jump on that and take that on herself." she's going to involve John or Allen or one of the others who've done a lot like done big-time development agreements or other things like that or or again land use sort of issues. If it's an elections issue in some other city that that Christina doesn't have an involvement with or Amy it's like hey Amy Christina come over here because we can oftentimes they'll know those things off the top of their head as opposed to us spending hours and hours you know spinning our wheels and researching. So we try to use the expertise all across the spectrum to

provide our clients the best best service and the be most reliable and most cost-effective service. So I say 24 Arizona municipal new municipalities and the AMRP can't be wrong. We are the exclusive provider to the AMRP of all their employment law services. Uh again we've been the Parker town attorneys since 2018 with Christine Estus Worerther being the primary point of contact. I said so many jealous municipalities because you you wouldn't I think Nora knows this because at the league sometimes people will come and they'll be like will you guys let us have Christina because there several of the others would love to have Christina as their primary point of contact. She just she's able to to work really well with a lot of councils and she's got an expertise that is that that's just really incredible to me. Uh final. Okay. Yeah. So this I'm also proud of. Those are our inflation numbers in the United States since 2022. 6.5 3.4 2.9 2.7%. I I think uh now to get a combined inflation number, you know, you don't add those up, right? So, because that would be something like, you know, 15 or something percent. But but a cumulative inflation from from 2022 to today, I think based on the the statistics are like it's like 11%. Your your dollar in 2022. Um or or would be it would it would take you a $111 cents today to replace us. So 11%. Next slide. Since 2022, 0% for Parker. We have not raised your we have not raised your fee in since 2022. And guess what? I'm here to announce today great news for the next year. We will not be raising it again.

So we've been able to work in a very efficient collaborative way where we've been able to do that. And as as some of you know, there was a time well I remember Randy we going back there there was a time when things were really hectic and that wasn't that was not able to be the case pre pre2022. But since then we've been able to to make that I think a very good benefit for the town to be able to budget and not worry about oh my gosh is something huge going to hit and we're going to have a big a big legal uh hit to us. So, uh, with that, I think that's my last slide. Happy to answer any questions or concerns that any of you might have. And again, it's great to be here with you. It's been too long. Ray, I missed you, bud.

Oh, I missed you, too. But I'm I'm definitely uh there in spirit. [clears throat] [clears throat] I mean, I'm I'm happy. You're right. We had a a rough patch there and you guys were pretty busy and uh somehow Christina came out on top on that and I'm pretty happy with Christina. I think she's she does a good job. She's had to re me in a few times when I thought I had something like the bed tax. She goes, "Oh, no, no, that's not how it works." So, I appreciate you guys.

I haven't been on town council very long, but I've really appreciated the services that I've seen you guys provide. And there's no item a few bumps and bruises from Christina as well. [laughter] Look, if you don't if you're not getting at least a bump or bruise here and there from the city of your town attorney, then something's not I mean, we we got to give it to you a little bit, right? Thanks, Mr. Mayor. Okay. No action on this, just presentation. Okay. Item six is a discussion action to review the application submitted

for the town clerk position. uh including possible interview of the applicant. The council may vote to discuss this matter in executive session pursuant to ARS 38-43103A1 and three. And since it's a personnel matter, I would recommend that we do go into executive session or I would make a motion to go into executive session. I'll second. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor? I. Will I be able to join in on that executive session? What did we decide on that? Did we ever Did we never make a decision on that? We just talked about it. Yeah, we just talked about it.

Have a rule against it. Okay. All right. I'm gonna say yes to to Ray on that then. All right. Thank you. I appreciate it. It's fine. All