Town Council - Regular Meeting

council meeting council please sign in i think you might need to refresh can you just please show that we have a full council Present.

We have a quorum, Mayor.

Thank you, ma'am. Now I'd like to invite everyone to stand if they can and invite Cheetah Olson, Pennsylvania Police Department chaplain. Is she here? Here she is. For our invocation and to lead us in the pledge.

Just click the button right now.

Thank you. If we could all just bow our heads, please. Just an opening prayer for tonight. Father, we thank you for the privilege of serving this community. We ask for your presence, your favor, and your care over our town council, staff, and residents tonight. Lord, we ask for wisdom and guidance to make righteous decisions. Your word promises in James 1.5 that if we lack wisdom, we should ask, and it will be given to us generously. We ask that we would not lean on our own understanding, but make our past straights this evening. We pray for unity and peace in our discussions, and I pray for hearts that will work together for the common good. May conversations and discussions held here tonight strengthen and uplift our town. Finally, we ask for your protection over our community, our state, our nation, and our first responders, especially in light of the 25th anniversary of 9-11. As declared in Psalm 121.8, watch over our coming and our going. both now and forevermore. In your holy name we pray.

I pledge allegiance 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.

Thank you, ma'am. And now can I get a motion to approve the agenda as presented minus item 8D, which will be removed and brought back at a later date?

I'll make a motion.

I'll second.

Clerk, please hold up.

Mayor, that passes.

Thank you, ma'am. Next up, proclamations, Constitution Week.

Whereas September 17, 2026 marks the 239th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention, and whereas it is fitting and proper to read, study, and preach the greatest document of human liberty and to protect the freedoms set forth in the Bill of Rights, And whereas it is fitting and proper to officially recognize this magnificent document and the anniversary of its creation. And whereas it is fitting and proper to officially recognize the patriotic celebrations which will commemorate the occasion. And whereas public law 915 guarantees the issuing of a proclamation each year by the President of the United States of America, designated September 17th through the 23rd as Constitution Week. Now, therefore, I, Kelpa Laguna, Mayor of the Town of Prescott Valley, Arizona, do hereby proclaim September 17th through the 23rd to be Constitution Week. and ask our citizens to reaffirm the ideals the framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by diligently protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through his guardian of liberties. Thank you.

Mayor Palguta and members of the Town Council, on behalf of the Yavapai Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, it is my honor to accept this proclamation recognizing September 17th through the 23rd, 2026 as Constitution Week. We sincerely appreciate Prescott Valley's support in helping us honor the U.S. Constitution and reminding our community of the freedoms, rights, and responsibilities it represents. Thank you for joining the Daughters of the American Revolution in celebrating this important week in our nation's history. Thank you.

Next up call the public at this time members of the public may comment on matters listed on the agenda or solely on matters within the jurisdiction of the town. Any person's wishing to address the council must register their name with the town clerk prior to the commencement of the meeting. At the conclusion of call to the public, council may respond to criticism, ask staff to review a matter commented upon, or ask that a matter be put on a future agenda. Such remarks shall be limited to three minutes unless additional time is granted by the mayor. Clerk will call four names, and I believe we have a good list if we can just try to work our way down to the front.

Thank you, Mayor. There's currently 15 people registered. So the first four names, Bruce Evans, Dave Larner, Ashley Garth Dickens, and Mary Maria Genter.

Welcome, sir. Thank you. Bruce Evans, speaking as a private resident, live in Quillwood, have been here for about seven years. Wanted to talk about this thing that is titled Code of Conduct, but it's really a code of control. And it's indicative I think of the abusive process that's been undertaken by several PACs over the last four or five years in our town. Some of the abuses have included enough FOIA requests that I believe I'm correct a whole new position had to be created to dig out the information for what are basically fishing trips and and an abusive process, a waste of town resources. The never-ending string of referenda, the example one which was pushed back on, which I sued, was the Amazon petition. And we won three times so far, once in court, two appeals. Spurious PD complaints, wasting resources for personal vendettas, not a good code of conduct practice It's all designed to throw sand in the gears of the town of Prescott Valley. Why do I call it a code of control? If you look at the enforcement section, it uses the word shall over and over and over again. I've looked at codes of conduct for several other towns and cities in Arizona almost without fail to use the word may so that there's discretion on the part of the officers reviewing these complaints to decide if they're spurious, serious, or need to be pursued or not. Those other towns are, again, more general, much shorter codes of conduct. It's designed to be abused. I guarantee that if we had a code of control, like the ones that is being proposed here by several people at the behest of, I presume, their pack masters, There would be complaints after every council meeting. They would be spurious for the most part, but they would all have to be investigated because of that shall word. The gears of government in Prescott Valley would grind to a halt. We'd have public shaming and we'd have a town that would be the laughing stock of Arizona. Please do the proper thing with this proposal. Toss it in the round file, put it in the trash. Thank you very much.

you sir dave larner welcome i'm going to stay with the same same subject mayor vice mayor members of the town council town manager my name is dave larner i live in prescott valley and i want to talk about the issue that actually is on the agenda which is the ethics and standards policy. I find it ironic that this policy is being resurrected by three council members, two of which have been current violators of the so-called policy. Anybody that knows the underlying reason this has been resurrected, it's because they want to get rid of two P&Z commissioners because those commissioners continue to point out the truth and council members and their handlers can't handle the truth. So it's time to muzzle them. They also wanna go after the other four council members, especially the mayor. Some might consider this a move as a political coup. Here's a primary example of the duplicity. Section 3, titled Expectations of Public Officials. Under subparagraph C, collaboration and teamwork, it states, a positive work environment is built on collaboration and teamwork. Public officials must foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation, working together toward common goals. At the last town council meeting, we all witnessed the most egregious violation of this tenant by a council member who stepped off the desk and publicly berated the mayor. If that's their idea of mutual respect and teamwork, none of us would want them on our team. That's just one example of this hypocrisy. Of these individuals, there's plenty more. In closing, I'd like to say to those 3 council members. Be careful what you wish for. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. Actually. Welcome ma'am.

Thank you, Mayor, Council. My name is Ashley Gardekas, and I live here in Prescott Valley. And I'm here asking you to keep building on the housing reforms that you already started. There's a lot of people here tonight, a lot. But I want to tell you about someone who isn't in this room. There's a woman who sits with your mother at 3 in the morning. She's the aide at the care center, at the care home, the one who's there when the family can't be. She makes about $36,000 a year. and can't afford to live in the town where she does that work. She may even drive from somewhere cheaper and drive back out again when her shift ends. She's not here tonight. She's on a swing shift, or she has kids at home, or she doesn't live here yet and can't. That's usually how it goes. The retired couple three streets from a new subdivision has a free evening and a good reason to spend it here. The aide doesn't. Run that pattern for 20 years, and you get a town shaped almost entirely by whoever had the night off. But look behind me for a second. These are the people, your neighbors, sitting right here among you. And they're the ones who had the night off and chose to spend it here anyway? Most of them have come back to this room the second and fourth Thursday of the month over and over again for a long time now. Nobody made them, and they keep showing up. And now we want to speak for the people who can't, for the woman at 3 in the morning who never gets a weeknight free. So tonight, she gets her say after all. And she isn't the only one we're showing up for. There's a widow who wants to sell a big house and stay near her grandkids. and she can't find anything smaller to move into. There's the 26 year old the school district is trying to hire and can't because he can't find anywhere to rent. There is also the kids who have grown up here and live here and want to raise their family here too, like me, and can't. I want to be fair to you because you have already started this. You cut the minimum lot size in half. That was the right call. And it wasn't an easy one. I'm not asking you to reverse a single thing. I'm asking you to keep going past the easy part where the real work is. Because the town can bring in people who need care and price out the people who give it. It just can't do that forever and expect it to hold. Let's make Prescott Valley a place where the aid with your mother at 3 in the morning can live where she works. That's what the people behind me keep showing up for. That's the whole ask. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. Next up, Maria Ginter. Welcome, ma'am.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council Members. My name is Maria Ginter, and I live in Prescott Valley. Public discourse should be guided by three principles, ethics, respect, and maturity. Those principles should guide every issue before us, development, water, traffic, elections, and Prescott Valley's future. I also want to acknowledge that I am speaking for myself and to myself. I haven't always lived up to these standards and I apologize for that. In the past, I have sometimes responded emotionally. I've focused more on proving I was right than on presenting the facts. But we are all capable of change, and while even writing this speech, it prompted me to reevaluate my own behavior. In social media discussions, I am trying to stick to the facts, rely on documentation, and avoid argumentative language. People should be able to state and defend their positions with respectful conviction and without fearing hostile backlash, having their comments removed, or being completely removed from the discussion. Everyone has the right to civilly challenge another person's position. and the person being challenged should respond in kind. That standard applies to everyone, including me, and especially those who hold public office. Public servants carry an even greater responsibility. People watch what elected officials say from the dais, but also how they conduct themselves on social media, on the radio, in public. Leadership requires restraint and discipline. It means accepting criticism and opposing viewpoints without responding with insults or dismissiveness. It means not allowing disagreement to escalate into physical confrontation. When we disagree, state the case, present the facts. When possible, support them with documentation. Importantly, when starting a position, Don't begin by mocking, labeling, or belittling the person you disagree with, and then expect the discussion to be productive. Once you make the person the target instead of the issue, you have already lowered the level of the conversation. If we do not keep learning and improving ourselves, we are a disservice to our community. So I'm asking everyone, including myself, stick to the issues, stick to the facts, challenge ideas vigorously, but treat people with basic dignity. Apologize when appropriate. We don't have to agree. We don't have to like each other. But we should be mature, ethical, and respectful enough to disagree without becoming enemies. Prescott Valley residents deserve that. Thank you.

That's Ron Anderson.

Ron?

I'll wait.

Oh, I'm sorry. No, I'm sorry. Joe Colosimo.

It's okay.

Is there a Ron Anderson here?

Welcome, sir.

He just waved it off.

Oh, okay. Thank you. No problem. Okay, a couple things. This is going to destroy your chief wherever he is.

Can you adjust your microphone?

This is going to kind of destroy the chief's argument here about these flock cameras creating such a safe thing. The people that were here last meeting know that I talked about a guy breaking my side mirror on my truck because he wanted to be first in line on a motorcycle. Well, I have pictures of his license plate. I have pictures of him. I have pictures of his motorcycle at the scene, yet nobody's able to locate him. So how are these flock cameras helping me? We have the information you requested. Flock is a joke. You need to get rid of them. Follow what all the other towns are doing. Dump it. Let's see here. Second to that, there was an incident, and I believe it's related to the motorcycle thing because it went online. It went on Facebook. And this guy started harassing me. severely harassing and threatening me in Guidos, by the way, love. Guidos is a great restaurant. Hardworking people there. And I was contacted somehow by your police department saying, yeah, what happened? I explained what happened. This guy came in, starts yelling at me, was asked by staff to leave several times. He wouldn't leave. So Um, yeah, there's been nothing else on that investigation. Like the guy came in and threatened me. Okay. I have asthma. Uh, I've been hospitalized, uh, once last week for it. I, I, you know, I used to be able to fight. I was in the army, but, uh, anymore. Yeah. This guy came in, he threatened me. Your, your department won't do the investigation to seal that. They have his testimony. They have the, the staff's, uh, testimony, Laura and, um, uh, forgetting the other lady's name, Ashley, you have their testimony saying this guy came in and threatened me. So where is your department? It's a joke. I really am thinking about litigating against your town because you guys don't know how to operate these things. Speaking of which, let's go down one more. Sorry, I've got to use my Palm Pilot. I left my other documentation in the truck. So I better not wash my hand, otherwise I'll erase all the information. Fake service animals. Yeah, like I said, I was hospitalized for my asthma. I have a picture that if you want, I will share with you. It's Cherry. This guy in Safeway has his black service cat on his shoulder. You need to do something to rein in these. By the way, one quick question. My wife and I were planning on going over to the palace this weekend. Are you going to be there?

I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED, SIR. NEXT UP, LAWRENCE NIGEL. BEFORE YOU START, SIR, IF YOU COULD JUST SPEAK WITH THE CHIEF OR I'D LEAVE THE LIEUTENANT IN THE BACK AND HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP ANSWER SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAD. THANK YOU, SIR.

NEW SPEAKERS.

GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF.

public in attendance tonight. I'm here to commemorate the one year anniversary of a man who knew how to communicate and encourage people to communicate honestly, openly with respect and dignity. This is the one year anniversary of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I thank God for Charlie and I thank God for everything that he did while he was here on Earth. We should be so representative of that kind of philosophy. In light of some of the comments already made tonight, I wish they would understand how to practice that so that their message can get through and they can allow others to speak as well. There was an incident at Stone Ridge where the president of the Stone Ridge community Property Owners Association approached two workers who were exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech and free assembly and political activism. They were distributing flyers on the upcoming election on the propositions. They were approached by the president of their association and berated, called liars. I mean, this kind of action should not ever take place in a free society. They're associated with others who are associated with certain members on the dais. I only bring it up to make sure that those who have affiliation with these folks will try. And I believe that the words shall, should be in the policy and not may. It leaves too much wide open interpretation of what can and can't be said. One comment I'll make tonight on the flock cameras or any kind of surveillance equipment in our town. When a man sees something wrong and from his police experience, tries to correct it by contacting a city police officer, town police officer, makes it well known to him, the reaction he got was non-cooperation, sarcasm, and a photograph sent to the mayor, who then sent it on to another member who's a member of the P&Z Commission, who put it on Facebook and absolute lies. Every line was a lie. Well, this is a sterling example of why we need to control these observation equipment, these recording equipment. Good, good example done right here in the town of Prescott Valley. Thank you, sir. That's up with Mike.

Welcome, sir.

Good evening. Good evening here in town council. Ethics in public service is defined as the application of moral values, rules, professional standards that guide the government employees to prioritize the public interest over personal gain. Residents should not have to wonder whether decisions are being influenced by personal relationship, private interests, political considerations, or outside pressures. They should be able to expect the decisions that are made in the best interest of Prescott Valley. An ethics statement will not make every disagreement disappear, and it will not guarantee that everyone will agree with the council's decisions. That's part of our democracy. Its purpose is simpler and more fundamental, to establish the standard of conduct that our community should expect from those entrusted in public office. As Prescott Valley continues to grow, strong governance becomes increasingly important. Clear ethical standards can help preserve public confidence and ensure, demonstrate that our elected officials understand the responsibility THAT COMES WITH SERVING THE COMMUNITY. SO I RESPECTFULLY ASK THE TOWN COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ADOPTING A CLEAR, MEANINGFUL ETHIC STATEMENT NOT BECAUSE WE ASSUME SOMETHING IS WRONG, BECAUSE WE DO THE RIGHT THING SHOULD BE CLEARLY DEFINED BEFORE WE ARE FACED WITH ANY DIFFICULT CHOICES. I THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR.

JOANNA?

welcome ma'am hello mayor vice mayor council my name is joanne webker and i'm here tonight because our city does need a clear meaningful ethic ethics policy and a commitment from every elected official to follow it elected officials are entrusted with representing our community that responsibility requires respectful professional and a responsible conduct both in office and in the public an effective ethics policy should clearly define expected standards address conflicts of interest protect public resources provide a fair and transparent process for reviewing complaints and establish appropriate consequences when a violation occurs. I'm asking the council to work with the community to adopt a strong, enforceable policy that applies equally to every elected official, regardless of position and or political affiliation. The policy should include independent oversight, clear reporting requirements, protection against retaliation, and regular public review. The rules should not exist merely on paper. They should be followed and consistently enforced. Our residents deserve leadership that demonstrates maturity, respect, accountability, and integrity. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. Robert. Welcome, sir.

Good evening. I'm Robert Vree, and I live over on Etheridge Drive. And I was wondering if the city is going to resurface, put a new coating on the streets that the T-Mobile subsidiaries are trenching up and kind of ruining. There's a lot of broken blacktop, a lot of non-flush sections. Probably five or six different colors of paint all over the road. Are we going to leave it like that or are we going to get some spray, new surfacing or something like that? In front of my house, there is a really bad section. And Mr. Marshall, I think Marshall is his name, the project manager, came to my house and talked about the section in front of my street. And he was kind of, oh, I don't think we could have done this, blah, blah, blah. But then he took his before picture, before work, and then after picture and says, well, okay, maybe I'll put in a work order to have the road repaired. If you think that's really going to happen, you're more optimistic than me. So streets look terrible, I think. A lot of the circular drilling, it's not flush after they got finished. A lot of depressions, extra cracking. I'm just wondering what we're going to do about it. That's it.

Sir, what I would like you to do is, there's a woman right behind you, you can give her your information and she'll be able to follow up directly or have someone follow up directly with you for your specific reason. Thank you, sir. Are we clear on this? There we go. Carolyn Zern? Is there a Carolyn Zern? Welcome, ma'am.

My name is Carolyn Zurn. I live in Prescott Valley. I'd like to go on the record regarding a few Prescott Valley issues. First, I am against any and all license plate readers and surveillance cameras. There are just too many documented errors and abuses with these systems. I encourage council to seriously reconsider a meaningful code of ethics, code of conduct policy, which should apply to not only commissions and committees, but also to the council itself. I'd like to make a couple of statements regarding Proposition 404, no new mines near homes. The property, I'm sorry, the property being discussed is approximately 40 acres out of a larger 1,700 acre parcel owned by the same property owner. This property was originally zoned rural residential. It's in the general plan in the country tier of the town. And I just think it's abhorrent to be turning this whole area into an industrial zone. People who live in the area have relied on the fact of the the general plan which was voted upon by the residents and passed i think it was three years ago um in in planning where where to move to and so forth i i think we i think the council owes it to the residents of the area to stand behind the um the provisions of of the general plan um the um i've seen some arguments on on um line stating that they don't even think there will be any blasting. But the fact is that the type of mining that's going to be taking place down there at the government tank.

Thank you, ma'am, so much. I'm sure we'll see you next time. Moving on, Andrea Tanson. Welcome, ma'am.

Thank you. Good evening, Mayor, Council. My name is Andrea Sansone. I'm reading a statement on behalf of Walt Hutton, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a resident of Prescott Valley as well as I am. His statement is such. My name is Walt Hutton. I'm a resident of Prescott Valley, and I'm here about the Code of Conduct for Elected Leaders and Officials, Resolution 2025-2404. I reviewed it and found a gap. The current code says it establishes procedures for addressing ethics violations, quote, promptly and transparently, unquote. but it does not actually contain a complaint or review procedure. There is no mechanism. The code also names honesty as a core value but has no standard for what happens when an official knowingly makes a false statement of fact in an official capacity and later refuses to correct it. There is also no standard for off-duty conduct that affects fitness for office. On August 31st, 2026, I submitted a citizen report draft amendment to close these gaps it does two things narrowly first it sets an accuracy standard officials who make factual misstatements in their official capacity with actual knowledge of falsity not honest mistakes should correct the record this applies only to official communications not personal social media opinions or political speech which remain expressly protected second it creates a complaint and independent review procedure So residents have a real path to raise these issues instead of no path at all. Any complaint against the mayor or a council member goes to an independent outside reviewer, requires clear and convincing evidence, and needs five affirmative council votes before any finding. There is no fine and no removal, only correction, reprimand, or censure. This proposal is prospective and neutral. It does not target any current official statement or controversy. That applies to anyone who holds office regardless of party or position. I'm asking the council to take up this amendment, refer to it to staff or legal counsel for drafting, place it on future agenda for formal discussion and a vote, and direct the town attorney to review it for form and legal sufficiency. I'm happy to work with the town's attorney's office on the language. I would also like to address agenda item 11B. The staff report proposing to restore section for reporting to the code that attachment is unmodified February 13, 2025 ethics and standards policy language. It does not incorporate the citizen draft I submitted on August 31st. It contains no accuracy standard interiorly false official factual statements, representations that limits who may file a complaint to public officials and directly agree staff rather than any person. It routes review through the town attorney's office in the first instance rather than independent outside counsel from the start. It uses a four vote threshold rather than five. Thank you.

Thank you. And Mr. Hutton, just so you know, we've Mr. Hunt, just so you know, I believe we've all received about 30 of your emails, and that's confirmation. I just want to let you know that. So I know you had some questions before, but yes, we have received them. Moving on, Sharon Freed. Welcome, ma'am.

Sharon Freed, Prescott Valley. I'd like to remind you of what the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution says. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated and no warrant shall issue but upon probable cause supported by oath or affirmation and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. This would include our vehicles because law enforcement must provide a warrant to search our vehicles. So, when can police search your car without a warrant? They can do so under any of the following circumstances. You have given the officer consent. The officer has probable cause to believe there is evidence of a crime in your vehicle. The officer reasonably believes a search is necessary for their protection, such as for a hidden weapon. Police made an arrest and the search is related to that arrest, such as the search for illegal drugs. The citizens of Prescott Valley object to the use of flock cameras and other similar current or future digital technology surveillance equipment like Axon and Econ. By allowing flock cameras to be installed in our town, surveilling citizens without a warrant is clearly a breach of the Fourth Amendment, which in turn raises the question of malfeasance. Malfeasance is the commission by a public official of an act that is clearly illegal, completely wrongful, and with nefarious intent. Every public official is covered by a surety bond, which is required by statute to protect the public from malfeasance by an official or from an official's failure to faithfully perform duties or fraud. And if an official breaches their obligations, the bond allows the state and its citizens to file a claim for compensation. Any official in Arizona breaching any amendment of our constitution is opening themselves up to litigation against their bond at a minimum. The citizens of Prescott Valley stress that privacy is not illegal. And speaking of flock, The one on Lakeshore Drive near Badger Road suddenly disappeared around the time the illegal, oversized and prematurely erected yes signs were put up there. Around that same time, one of the illegal signs was spray painted by someone. Obviously, only someone with influence could have made the flock cameras disappear in such a timely manner. And to conclude, a town code of conduct with full accountability for all is a must and must be approved by the residents of Prescott Valley, who you work for. Gee, what a concept.

Steps up, Jennifer.

Welcome, ma'am.

Thank you hello mayor, vice mayor, council members and staff. My name is Jennifer Pratt, a resident here in Prescott Valley since 2004. I am here to place concerns on the public record. I want it clear. I do not align myself with any 1 person group entity side forum or otherwise. When I share an opinion with any of those or reach the same conclusion as others, it is only after conducting my own thorough investigation to the best of my ability based on what I can find available. I remain willing to meet with anyone from any perspective to listen, learn, and share information. It is disheartening and deeply frustrating when statements are dismissed and even bashed based on an assumed affiliation rather than considered on their own merits. Over the years, Division has been promoted and has grown deeply within our community. The town I moved to is now where assumptions are repeated as facts, opinions are accepted without verification, and confirmation bias prevents people from considering information that challenges what they already believe. I actually teach lessons on this for how this happens, why it happens, how to avoid it, and how to correct it in my place of business. I am especially concerned when council members make social media posts containing slanted, misleading, or incorrect information, and then fail to engage when residents respectfully ask for clarification or provide factual corrections. Public statements made by elected officials carry weight. When those statements are inaccurate, they should be acknowledged and corrected. Code of ethics. You were elected to serve this community, to represent our interests and make decisions on our behalf. That responsibility requires listening to disagreements, listening to those who question you, listening to those all as residents. At this time, I do not feel the majority of our residents feel heard or adequately represented. Whether I agree with a PAC or not, it is happening, I believe, because people do not feel represented. Regarding the code of conduct, a council member made a mistake. I spoke directly to that council member here. He explained what he learned, the restitution he made, offered a public apology. To me, accepting responsibility and making meaningful changes demonstrates a level of integrity worth acknowledging. I have not seen that personally from any other member currently. I am open to, if I'm wrong, please correct me. I am always open to correction where I have made a mistake. And we'll acknowledge that, especially when I have seen conduct that I consider far more egregious. Instead, I have watched certain behavior be dismissed, excused, or even perpetuated. As one of your constituents and as a grandmother who praised her grandchildren will inherit a beautiful, safe, and thriving community, should they choose to stay here as adults, I'm asking you, promote unity. Please do better. Thank you.

Thank you, Nancy. Next up, Isabel Saracenas. Welcome, ma'am.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Our community deserves something very simple, a clear, updated, and enforceable code of conduct policy for everyone who serves this town, including yourselves. In a democracy, disagreement is not the problem, but personal attacks, humiliation, and intimidation by leaders is problematic. For my views, I have been publicly called the worst type of cancer on the community, a pathological liar, a flat-out liar, a dirtbag, a keyboard warrior, and a psycho. No, I do not have a mental disorder. I simply have a different vision for our town. I see social media posts by council that falsely label others as communist, unchristian, and left-wing radicals. We see commissioners who encourage that people pay for their opposing views. Another commissioner harasses petition gatherers and announces that I have authority to de-platform next-door members. That's false and that's defamation. Similar provoking attacks have been directed towards others, including Councilman Frond and Keel. You have in front of you evidence of what I'm talking about, and I'm asking the town clerk to please enter it into the minutes. Retaliation targeting those who disagree with decisions is wrong. That's not leadership. That's chilling public speech and participation. I looked at the candidate responses to ethics concerns on Vote411, which is a voter decision guide. Vice Mayor Zurcher, you answered by saying, and I quote, the town needs a clear, updated policy for all town officials, including elected, appointed, and employees. Mayor Palguta, you recently answered and I quote, I am proud to have adopted the first ethics and integrity policy for elected officials that established clear expectations and accountability. I believe elected officials should be held to the highest standard." Well, I hope that you both stand by your words because we currently do not have integrity and we do not have accountability. Tonight, I ask you to put your words into practice and adopt Section 4 of the Code of Conduct. Make it applicable to yourselves as well as appointed officials. include a fair reporting process, an independent hearing officer to review complaints, and meaningful disciplinary measures. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. Moving on, I'll start from my right. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize we had one last. Was he pulled off the list? You're pulled off, sir. Okay, thank you. Moving on. Council Communications, I'll start on my right. Councilman Councilman communications.

Mr. Davidson, I'm sorry. Mr. Davidson, Mr. Mayor members of the council members of our community that we have several events that are coming up of interest. We have a volunteer fair next Wednesday. This is open to all Prescott Valley residents that would like to come and learn about a number of different great community organizations that are looking for people that would like to volunteer. There's town opportunities and then many, many different nonprofits. So that's next Wednesday, the 16th from 11 to 2 on this campus up in the front part near the parking lot. um on saturday october 3rd from 11 to 4 we have our fall festival if you have family uh or people coming into town this is a wonderful event it's mostly free so if you want to eat something or drink something that's going to have a cost but everything else is free to uh you know the kids and others that are that are attending and it's a great family event And then finally, tomorrow evening, here on this campus is the healing field ceremony and the blessing of the field for the 25th anniversary for 9-11. And that's from 6 o'clock to 8 o'clock. And it's right out here at the amphitheater area.

Thank you. you sir next up consent agenda all matters listed under consent agenda are considered routine by the town council it will be enacted by one motion there will be no separate discussion of these items the discussion is desired that item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered separately so right now we're going to remove 8e and 8f and i need a motion to approve items 8a and 8b and 8c right no oh and 8c i'm sorry yes mr mayor i make a motion that we approve the consent agenda

Eight items, 8A, 8B, and 8C, and we'll...

I'll second.

Clerk, please call the vote.

Mayor, that passes.

Thank you, ma'am. Item 8E, Councilman Point, you want the item removed? It's all yours.

Thank you. The reason I asked for this to be removed from the consent agenda is that I feel like when we're doing large, expensive projects on behalf of the townspeople, that we should explain what we're doing, why we're doing it, and how we're doing it. And so that's basically it. I think Mr. Davidson gave you a heads up on that. And it looks like you're ready to present. So go ahead, please.

I'm ready. Heather Ruder, Public Works Director, Mayor and Council. Item 8E is a contract to move to full design for the viewpoint multi-use path. I just want to give you a little bit of background just to... just to recall our memories on this. So if you recall back in 2026, we didn't have the funding. So staff was seeking out alternative funding sources. We applied for a transportation alternative grant through ADOT in May of, and that was in May of 2025. Fast forward in February of 2026, the town was awarded that grant. In April of 2026, the town council approved an IGA with ADOT for that TA grant. From April through August, I had been working with ADOT's project manager to try to find out a schedule on when we can move this forward. I spoke to them finally in August and they said another 18 months, it could take just for the scoping. And that only gets us to 15% plans. Fast forward, This current adopted budget did include, through approval of mayor and council, 1.8 million to expedite this project. So staff is requesting to forego the 58,000 for the TA grant and expedite this project into full design and construction starting in the end of this fiscal year, rolling over to next fiscal year. And I just want to remind everyone, this is a key area of concern for residents, bicyclists, walkers. We really want to expedite this project. So what I am requesting tonight is approval of the design contract. I do have line engineering here represented by Brian Buchholz. If you have any specific questions on the scope of services, I'm more than happy to answer those or Brian can come up and answer.

Any other questions? Thank you for your explanation. I would like to ask him a question, or you, so I'll wait for him to come up.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council. I'm Brian Buchholz with Lion Engineering, and I'm here to answer any questions.

Thank you, Brian. First of all, I want to say that this is a wonderful project. I've wanted this for a long time. It's a shame that it didn't happen sooner, that there's been a tragic accident that occurred maybe because that path wasn't there. So I'm 100% behind doing this. It just seems to me, I've gone out and looked at the terrain and it's fairly, It's kind of like prairie. It's basically fairly flat terrain, not challenging. There's no bridges needing to be built, it appears. It's just a fairly straight, just a slightly downhill curved run. And it just seems a little bit striking to me that it would be almost a quarter million dollars just to design a path. So anyway, I turn it over to you, sir.

Thank you, I understand. A large majority of it is an allowance for FEMA, CLOMAR, and LOMAR. So this is revising the floodplain through FEMA, remapping it, and that was put as an allowance only as needed. With preliminary discussions with town staff, it does not look like we will need it. this time but Town staff requested that it go in there just in case it's needed that we can proceed with that so that's ninety three thousand fifty dollars of it so that's a majority a large chunk okay thank you I think it's important to discuss these things and out in the open

rather than slip them in on a consent agenda. And I think that the town is better off for doing that. And I'm not doing this to be an obstructionist. I'm doing this to look out for the best interests of the taxpayers. And again, like I say, I'm for the project itself. So thank you for your time. Thank you. Any other questions?

I got a motion to approve, please. Mayor, I'll make a motion to approve professional services agreement with Lion Engineering and Surveying Incorporated in the amount of $243,650 per design services for the viewpoint MEP extension CIP number CP2604 by electronic vote. Second, please. Second. Clerk, please call the vote.

Mayor, that passes.

Next up, item 8F. Councilman, did you have the same concerns on this item?

Yes, sir. I was over there and I walked the whole area and took some pictures and again, I totally agree that it's necessary. I'm really happy to see that the town is actively trying to protect its assets and to you know, going forward and to keep an eye on things. Again, I looked at it and it needs work, but it seems like a quarter million dollars to simply design the rocks and the abutment or whatever that goes in there. Again, it just seems like a lot of money. Thank you. Anything you wish to add on that, sir?

Yes, sir. Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the Council, I'd like to just give a brief overview. So this is the Bradshaw Mountain Road Bridge Erosion Mitigation Project. The Bradshaw Road Bridge serves approximately 2,800 residents over in the Quailwood subdivision, and it is the sole public access point in and out of the community. This bridge was built around 2004, and the channel confluence funnels flow from the Lynx Creek Clipper Wash and the Agua Fria River, causing significant erosion in the past five plus years. The ADOT inspection report and follow-up site reviews by the town stormwater coordinator identified active washouts, channel erosion, displaced riprap, and severe undermining of the west concrete slope paving that protects the bridge abutment. The objective is to complete a full hydraulic modeling and engineering analysis to design a comprehensive mitigation strategy that protects the bridge piers, the slope paving and abutments, and as well as redoing the West Bank slopes. The town lacks an internal hydraulic design engineer and the specialized modeling software such as HEC-RAS required to analyze the complex multi-wash confluence. Per town code 3-04080, direct selection was used after reaching out to a local firm, Ardura Group Incorporated. Under that same town code, a professional service is selected based on qualifications rather than a low-bid application. PROCEDURE. ONCE FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN WITH A QUALIFIED CONSULTANT IN GOOD FAITH, THE PROCUREMENT RULES PROHIBIT SHOPPING THAT NEGOTIATED SCOPE AROUND TO COMPETING FIRMS OR RESTARTING THE PROCESS ELSEWHERE WITHOUT PROPER LEGAL CAUSE. THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO PROPOSE TO DO A PHASE SOLUTION OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. The phase one, it would be an interim approach to take care of the immediate needs, immediate temporary stabilization, proposing to use rock gabion baskets and soil cement measures at the critically eroded areas to prevent a short-term failure. This would then be incorporated into the full design in the full wash and confluence area. The permanent solution at this time is currently expected to be approximately 500 feet up in the wash along the West Bank, fully integrating the phase one fix to ensure no wasted investment from the phase one. The professional service agreement totaling $251,110 covers topographic survey, geotechnical site work and investigation, hydraulic modeling, the final construction drawings and plan set so that a contractor can bid on this, as well as post-design services gaining as-builts and that data. The project is fully funded in fiscal year 27 under the stormwater fund for the budget allocation of 379,000 and is within that amount. The final design through this fiscal year that will establish a construction cost estimate, which will be budgeted likely for fiscal year 28. Similar to the multi-use path One of the largest costs is performing that hydraulic modeling within the staff report and the proposal from Ardura. The largest amount is $86,000 on the hydraulic modeling and the drainage report and memo to analyze this complex confluence.

Go ahead. Thank you, sir. I think it's wonderful to discuss this in front of the townspeople, explain where their money's going and how it's being used. and what we're up against. And Mr. Davidson gave me a brief, a good explanation about what we're up against and what we're required to do as a town with ADOT. Would you care to just explain that briefly, sir?

Mr. Libby, you know, mentioned at the very beginning ADOT we contract and ADOT provides review services for bridges across the entire state of Arizona we have no one in-house that has the capability to look at the you know design elements and the impacts from flood you know in flood flow on the abutments So, a dot goes around, they make assessments of bridges. They provided us a full report and in that report, it indicated some concern that we needed to address and that's what prompted. This particular project, I did want to also mention. We had a question about why did the town just select an engineer? We and why didn't we negotiate a lower cost? We are prohibited by state law. We can't go for professional services. And shop around, so you can't go to 1 engineer and say, hey. Give us your best price and then go to another engineer and say, you know, hey, that one said this price. Can you beat that price? State law specifically prohibits municipalities and state agencies from being able to do that. And it's called out under professional services. When we get into the contracting portion, as Mr. Labor just described, it will all be bid out and competitively bid.

Thank you, gentlemen, both for your answers and explanations. They're very good. Thank you. I have a motion. Can I have a second, please?

Mr. May, I'll make a motion to approve professional services agreement with Ardura Group, incorporated in the amount of $251,110 for design services for the Bradshaw Mountain Road Ridge Erosion Mitigation Project, CIP C22702 by electronic vote.

I'll second.

Clerk, please call the vote.

Second.

Mayor, that passes.

Thank you, ma'am. Next up, item 9A, recommendation to appoint Carolyn Coons to the Library Board of Trustees to partial term with renewal date of June 30th, 2029. Ms. Manna-Heron's in the house. Welcome, ma'am.

Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council. Just a reminder, it's National Library Card Sign-Up Month. So if you don't have your library card, come and get it. A well-educated society is stronger, healthier, and more prosperous. So get your library cards, everyone. But while we're here, we have a recommendation for our newest library board trustee, Carolyn Koontz. My recommendation is to say yes. Any questions?

Any questions for staff? Go ahead, sir. I guess it's not a question, but I just want to reinforce how important it is, what an effect the library and the library staff have on our young people and the learning process. And always keep that in mind and always realize that you're changing lives. Thank you.

Any other questions, comments for staff? Thank you, ma'am, for wanting to volunteer. I'll take a motion.

Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to appoint Carolyn Coons to the Library Board of Trustees for the remainder of the term with the renewal date of June 30th, 2029 by electronic vote.

Second.

Mayor, that passes.

Thank you, Mayor. Next up, Item 10A, updates to the Prescott Valley Tax Code in coordination with League of Arizona Cities and Towns. Mr. Legler talked about this last time. Do we have any additional questions for him? Seeing none, hearing none, clerk.

Ordinance number 2026, 983. An ordinance of the Mayor and Common Council of the Town of Prescott Valley, a municipal corporation of Arizona, updating the town's transaction privilege tax code, adopting by reference the 2015 through 2025 amendments to the tax code of the Town of Prescott Valley, establishing effective dates, providing for... Severability and providing penalties for violations and providing that the sordid and shall be effective 30 days after its passage and approved according to law.

Thank you, ma'am. Shall this pass?

Mayor, that passes.

Thank you, ma'am. Next up. 11 a fiscal year 2025 U.S. Department of Justice Jack Grant chief. It's a whopping amount here we're talking about.

Thank you, Mayor and Vice Mayor, Counsel, Bob Ticer, Chief of Police. What you have before you is consideration of possible action to authorize signature certifications and assurances. This is an $11,524 grant. grant that we've obtained through the US Department of Justice that will go to officer safety and personal protective equipment to include rifle rated ballistic shields and other protective equipment for our officers. We asked for a little bit more than grant, but we got about half of it. We're appreciative of that. Thank you, sir. Any questions for chief?

Take a motion. Mayor, make a motion to authorize signature by the town manager of the required certification and assurances related to fiscal year 2025 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grand Jag Program application following governing body review for 30-day review period by electronic code. Second. Court, please hold up.

Thanks, Chief.

Mayor, that passes.

Next up, Item 11C, Proposed Revision to Code of Contact and Statement of Values. This, as a reminder, will be a discussion only, and there will be no vote. This was brought forward by Councilmembers Freund, Keel, and Thornton. I'll start to my left. Councilman Thornton, would you like to lead us off? I said Councilman Thornton. You were one of the councilmembers that brought this forward. I'm asking you, would you like to lead off the discussion this evening?

I'm happy to do that. I'm actually the one that brought it forward.

Hang on a second, ma'am. Actually. Councilman Thornton, anything to add on this? So your opinion, you have no opinion on this at this time? You were one of the council members, sir, that brought this forward. And I was told that I would read this. You are not being recognized. Councilman Thornton, go ahead.

Yes, I would definitely like a code of conduct in our council. I really would. I mean, we're all human beings. We need a little bit more respect for each other in everything we do and decide. Absolutely. It's a positive thing, you know, that should be done. So we can respect each other in everything that we do every day.

Perfect. Thank you, sir. Councilman, go ahead.

I actually wanted to bring this to council. We do currently have a code of ethics, but we are unable to enforce it. So I wrote up a little something so that I could present this to you. And I see all of you and I hear you, which is why I requested that enforceable ethics policy be placed on the agenda. I voted to approve the code of conduct and the statement of values policy because I believe in the standards it represents. However, I believe the events described here today have demonstrated that those standards without a meaningful mechanism for accountability are not enough. I respectfully ask each of you to consider supporting the development and adoption of an enforceable ethics policy and code of conduct applicable to both elected officials and appointed commissioners. This should not be about targeting any individual or restricting anyone's right to free speech. However, leadership comes with a responsibility to understand how our words affect the people we lead and the community we serve. There is a difference between speaking freely and speaking carelessly. We can be direct without being demeaning. honest without being insulting, and assertive without being disrespectful. Having the right to say something does not mean that every way of saying it is appropriate. Good leadership means being willing to use your voice while still demonstrating respect for the people around you. The standard should not simply be whether something can be said, but whether it reflects the professionalism and judgment we should expect from those entrusted with public office. An enforceable ethics policy should establish clear, consistent standards for professional conduct, accountability, and the appropriate use of social media when disagreements or concerns arise among colleagues, staff, or members of the community. A code of conduct that cannot be meaningfully enforced risk becoming simply a statement of good intentions. Our residents deserve more than that. They deserve to know that the people entrusted with public office are held to clear standards and that those standards apply consistently regardless of position or personality. I believe a thoughtful and enforceable policy would benefit everyone involved. It would provide a common framework for addressing difficult situations, create greater clarity about expectations, encourage respectful and constructive dialogue, and help ensure that our local government conducts its business with professionalism, transparency, and mutual respect. Most importantly, I believe we share the same fundamental goal, serving the residents of Prescott Valley to the best of our ability. When public disagreements become personal or undermine confidence in local government, we lose sight of that responsibility. Establishing clear and enforceable standards would help us to navigate disagreements more effectively, strengthen public confidence, and allow us to get back to the issues and priorities that residents elected us to address. This is not about winning an argument or taking sides. It is about the kind of local government we want to have and the standards we are willing to hold ourselves to as public servants. If we expect our residents to have confidence in their elected and appointed officials, we must be willing to hold ourselves to a higher standard. I appreciate your consideration and your willingness to work toward a constructive path forward. I hope we can use this opportunity to strengthen our working relationships, rebuild public trust, and establish a clear standard of accountability that will serve Prescott Valley well, not only during the current situation, but for years to come. I would like to be prepared to vote on this in October. I believe this is something we can and should do together in the best interest of Prescott Valley and its residents.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you, Councilwoman Keele. What you just said is what I 100% agree with. Just a little history. I'm not going to repeat everything you said. A little history. When we originally, I believe it was February 2025, when we approved the Code of Ethics, At the last minute, it was gutted of basically an enforcement section. And I only went along with it because I felt that what was there was better than having absolutely nothing. And I still feel that way. I still feel that it needs improvement and it needs these changes. And I think that generally the townspeople are in agreement with that. I think that the consensus, the wide consensus is that we need to do that. So that's it. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Vice Mayor, do you have anything to add? Or Councilwoman, I'm sorry. Councilman?

Vice Mayor. I've been really thinking about this and two conversations I had in the last week are really resonating with me. Last Thursday, I was in Cottonwood and I stopped by their city hall. In January of last year, they approved a code of conduct. Six pages long, but I thought very well written, very good code of conduct. One of the things that they said in the clerk's office really just, it's sticking with me and it's like, and she said this, Matt, we didn't do certain things, but one of the things that we didn't do is this, is that electeds really can't do anything about a fellow elected officials. Ultimately, they're accountable to the voters. Then I had another conversation with someone from Yoplait County earlier this week, and they said, Council members shouldn't be policing other council members. That's the job of the voters. State law is very clear what we can and cannot do. And I'll start with we can't do. I've seen some emails and communication that people want has to remove council members. There is no provision in state law that allows us to permanently remove anybody from this body. That is the job of the voters. Second of all, state law allows basically three things. Censure, a fine of $25, no more, no less. And yes, I guess a vote of no confidence, for lack of a better word. Tools, yes, that we have, but tools that I would argue lead to public shaming. And I don't think that's the business of council and where we need to be as a town. I believe it's going to sow more division in our community, and I just can't support anything that would do that. You know, I wanted to say this as well. Today's September 10th, 25 years ago. A lot of us went to bed. This country, yes, was divided. Then the attacks occurred. And out of that attack, what happened? We saw people on both sides of the aisle, people, perfect strangers praying together, people holding hands and singing God Bless America. Really what I want to say is this, whether we're on this dais, you're a member of staff, you're a volunteer, we need to be, and another great American, Dolly Parton, said this, we need to all be responsible for everything we say and do. We need to be, we may not all agree, and that's okay. Heck, we may not even like each other, and that's okay. I would just ask that we be respectful. We put down the swords, we stop attacking, because I know as a town we can do better. And then real quick, just on this whole code of conduct thing, we made a mistake last year. We passed the code of conduct, but we never actually had anybody sign and acknowledge that we passed the code of conduct. So it's one of my recommendations is that we clean it up a little bit, make it, you know, maybe do some revisions if necessary. But we need to have all our volunteers, appointed or otherwise, sign the code of conduct. If they refuse to sign the code of conduct, they're no longer a volunteer with the town. We can also then have council members sign it as well. Thank you.

I think one of the things that gets confusing or that's kind of a blurry line is a code of conduct for an employee that works at a business or works at the town. If they violate the code of conduct, they can go all the way up to being fired, right? Here, with elected officials, or I should say commissioners, commissioners do something that violates. They always serve at the pleasure of the council. If the council deems necessary, they can remove any commissioner for any reason. But when it comes to electeds, I mean, you can censor someone. I mean, censorship or censoring someone is probably no different than what we hear during call to public. When someone comes up and talks for three minutes about why someone did something bad and they don't like them. So you can do that every week or we can do it from the dais. It won't change much. We could read a very sternly written letter about why we think someone is not performing very well. Sure, I guess that's good. But then at the end of the day, if you want to listen to the townspeople, we hear townspeople all the time, right? Well, guess what, folks? townspeople showed up and they voted and they picked who sits on the status so those are the people that we serve are those that are out there in our residents in our community they're making a decision on who sits up here not one of us we don't get to decide that it's up to the voters to decide who sits here so like i said you want to create a bunch of letters and censorship sure They won't accomplish much. What we need to do is just focus, like the vice mayor said, on business and what we do as a town. That's important. Because if we go out to Mountain Valley Park right now, we go out to Bob Edwards Park right now, you're going to find 200, 300 families out there who are focused on their families and kids. And if you ask them to give us a top maybe 10 things you want to see happen at the town, I guarantee you, you're not going to get many that come up with this. or say this is an issue they're going to say hey an issue is parks streets police my school medical those are the important things and that's what staff should be focusing on so like I said councilman brought up that we should bring it up in October I feel like we can discuss more and give us something to discuss at a retreat in January and then uh in a more open environment to discuss give staff some options to present for us and then we can talk about that anything else

I do have one thing to say. We are held to a higher standard, and we should be. We're elected. But also in that, we are also known as the honorable. So we actually have a title that should be used when addressing us technically, just like you would address the president or the vice president of the United States. You can laugh. I see you laughing. That's fine. But we're known as the honorable council member of all of us that are up here. That doesn't happen in social media. And social media is probably what's brought a lot of this about. The problem with the prior policy that was presented to us, in my opinion, and this is my opinion, was that it didn't protect a council member in any form whatsoever. It meant that one council member can now go after and attack another council member. And I don't think that that should be correct. If we do something wrong out in society, we can get arrested. We can get a ticket. We can be upheld just by who our police authorizations are. We make those authorizations. We watch over those authorizations. And we try to make sure that they don't get out of control. So a lot of this is about control and trying to make us act a certain way. And I just I didn't support it before because there was too much punishment in it. Punishment beyond what the law states. Robert's rules of law apply to the meetings that we hold. We have open meeting laws. We have so many things we have to think about that. We do have to abide by, and we do try to have a decorum in this council chamber. We're not like other councils. We don't argue among us. But when somebody has a difference of opinion and they get angry and they yell or cuss at somebody who's doing a presentation and walk out, that's not correct. Now, if you're giving me this power of an ethics policy, that would mean I could go to other council members and say, we need to take this person out. And that's not correct either. They're voted in. And that's just what I had to say tonight. Thank you.

Councilman concur? Thank you. Anything else for the good of the order, Councilman?

It appears that we're afraid to change this, update this policy and enforce it. because of these grave punishments. Let's look at what our vice mayor just outlined. Basically, those grave punishments, it's actually a $20 fine. It's a censure or a vote of no confidence. There's no public hangings, nothing like that. Why are we so afraid to try that? Other towns have it, other communities have it. Why should we be afraid of doing that? Where the worst possibility is a $20 fine. Thank you.

I also, when I was down at the League of Cities and Towns, I took a moment to meet with other councillors and mayors and discuss ethics policies. And they have found that it has really served their community well, that they no longer have some of the problems that they were dealing with, one of them being in Cottonwood. So they actually scratched their head and wonder why we don't have one. And again, someone came up talking about vote 411, and the mayor and vice mayor are both that really supported an ethics policy. And I really question why we're not going to move forward. Or hopefully we are, maybe I misunderstood. Maybe we're all ready to hold ourselves accountable and we'll bring something up in the near future so that we can vote.

Vice Mayor. I want to be clear. I'm not for semantics. I did approve a ethical code of conduct statement of values. It was, I guess for some, it wasn't what you wanted, but I did support something that we didn't have in this town and I approved it and I support it. I still support it. I still think it needs, you know, we need, you know, some clarification and some, you know, of course it needs to be signed and acknowledged by everybody.

Anything else added?

So just to be clear, what is that being instructed to do?

Hang on a second. Mr. Thornton, did you have something? Okay, go ahead.

I'm just wondering, Gilbert, do you have the information that you need to move forward so that we're prepared in October or November for a vote?

Actually, it appears that There's no reason to be heading into a vote by consensus from the dais, or at least from the majority. I know we can't vote right now. It's not a voting item, but that'd be the direction I'd have. The only thing we can probably talk about maybe a little bit more at the January retreat.

Okay. So we're going to have no action. Is that my understanding?

As of this time.

Okay, so we could have council put it back on the next agenda, or if we have three council members willing to do this, and we can put it on the agenda until we find a consensus. Is that correct?

If you want to put it on as a voting item, we can vote next time. Or we can actually talk about it then in January at a retreat and see if you can gather consensus. Because right now, if it goes to a vote, I will bet my house right now it ain't passing. So if you want to waste more time doing that, we can do that. Or we can try to be constructive and put it at a retreat in January to have more discussion.

Thank you for clearing that up.

OK. Seeing anything else? All right. Moving forward. Good to the order. Have a good night.