Tempe approves 818-unit Seventh Street project; rejects golf course rezoning amid developer pressure tactics

Good evening everyone. Welcome to the Tempe City Council regular council meeting. Item number one, call to order. Council meetings can be watched in real time via Coxcable Channel 11 and at tempe.gov/temple. Members of the public may also attend the meeting virtually through Microsoft Teams. Also want to note that council member Adams is also attending virtually this evening.

Also, if you've signed up to speak on items later on in the agenda, please know that as the presiding officer, I have the discretion to introduce items out of their regular order as listed on the agenda. I may change the order of items from time to time to accommodate scheduling to allow us to address items with a large number of speaker cards. So, those wishing to speak on those items don't have to wait until later in the meeting or to otherwise expedite the business of the meeting.

If you wish to speak on an agenda item and you haven't filled out a speaker card yet, please make sure to fill out and submit your completed card to the city clerk prior to the item coming forward for council discussion, I will call your name when it is your turn for public comment.

Also, for those who may be here regarding the appeal hearing for the College Avenue ADU project, which is listed this evening as item 8A1 on this evening's agenda, please note that the original applicants have submitted a formal request to withdraw their application. As a result, while the hearing is being continued, no public testimony will be taken this evening as the public comment portion of the hearing was previously closed.

So, I'd now like to invite everyone who's able and willing to stand to join me in a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance. Thank you. 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. Tonight's agenda has a number of items that the city council must consider in order to conduct city business.

Guidelines for conduct at city council meetings are on the table near the entrance for those in attendance at tonight's meeting. We will now play a video with the proper protocol for ensuring the appropriate conduct at city council meetings. The city of Tempe welcomes public comment at this time. Disruptive behavior will not be allowed. Continued disruptive behavior will lead to removal from the council chambers. We need to be able to hear everyone in the room.

Behavior that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of any city council meeting is not helpful and is not permitted. This includes behavior both inside and outside of the council chambers. Should individuals inside the council chambers become disruptive so that city business is not able to be conducted, the mayor will first ask that the individuals allow city business to be completed.

There will be time for public comment during the call to the audience portion of the meeting. If no cooperation, the mayor will issue a verbal warning and let them know that the continued disruptive behavior will lead to removal from the council chambers. If there is still no cooperation, the mayor will issue a second verbal warning and let them know that the continued disruptive behavior will lead to removal from the council chambers.

If there is no cooperation after asking and two verbal warnings, then the mayor will ask security officers to remove only those individuals who are causing the disruption. Security personnel should not engage in any way, but only escort them from the council chambers. If individuals refuse to leave, security personnel shall warn them that they are trespassing and that the next step will be arrest by a Tempe police officer. Tempe officers may have to arrest if individuals refuse to leave.

Charges for trespass and disorderly conduct may apply, as well as other charges. Should anyone be asked to be removed, the mayor will recess the meeting. Thank you very much. We're now going to play a video conveying the city of Tempee's native land acknowledgement statement. We wish to acknowledge that Tempe is the homeland of the native people who have inhabited this landscape since time immemorial.

These ancestral lands of the Aam known as Puma Peiposh known as the Maricopa and their ancestors extend far beyond our city. This land continues to be spiritually connected to the aam of the Salt River Puma Maricopa Indian Community and Hila River Indian Community. We accept the responsibility of stewarding those places and solemnly pledge to consider this commitment in every action. All right. Thank you. This evening, we're going to go to item number four, which are our meeting minutes.

And tonight, I will be assisted by Council Member Chin. Council member Chin. Thank you, Mayor. I move to accept the board commission and committee meeting minutes and items 4B1 through 4B6. Okay. Uh actually is it um there are there is no 4 A there's no so it's 4 B1. No is is I have 4B8 as well. 4 is 4 B6. I have 4 B7 or 4 B8. You only have up to six. Oh, I must have a very different agenda here. So all right. Well, that's interesting. All right.

Um, so, uh, Council Member, uh, Chin's motion stand. You said it's a move to approve items 4 B1 through 4B6. Uh, do I have a second? Second. Seconded by Council Member Keading. Uh, any comments or questions? Okay. Please vote. I And that item passes seven to zero. Thank you, Council Member Chin. All right. Next up, item five, reports and announcements. Uh, first of all, item 5A1, Tempy Professional Development Network, James L. Alexander Scholarship for Excellence presentation.

Uh, and is Aaron here this evening to come forward to accept this? There we go. I'm going to come on [Applause] down. All right. So, the Tempy Professional Development Network is an employee club dedicated to promoting professional excellence with a mission to support employee learning and success in our organization.

In recognition of former city manager James Alexander's service to Tempe and his commitment to excellence, the Tempe Professional Development Network awards four scholarships in the amount of $500 each to graduating high school seniors and current higher education students who are a child of a city of Tempe employee. All of the scholarship recipients demonstrated service and excellence throughout their school years.

First, we have our graduating high school recipients who also both happen to be Tempe residents. Uh first of all we have Andres Petraita who's graduating from Karota dels Soul High [Applause] School. So Andreas is the child of Herman Petraita in public works. Andreas will be attending Northern Arizona University and studying mechanical engineering. [Applause] Go ahead and open up. Congratulations. All right, the next recipient here is Connor Clemens.

Connor is graduating from Mcccleintoch High School and is the child of Shauna Warner in neighborhood services. Why? I heard Did you hear that? Like big shock, Sean. It's because we've all known him since he was up to here. So, once again, Conor's going to be attending Arizona State University. Go Devils. And studying environmental engineering. Congratulations, Connor. All right. Unable to be with us this evening are two of the higher education recipients.

Marzuk Hassan is currently attending Arizona State University, majoring in aerospace engineering and is the child of Nasin Hassan in community development. Also, Maya Taylor is currently attending Northern Arizona University, majoring in exercise physiology, and is the child of Kelly Taylor, who I see right there in also in community services. So, congratulations to the winners and of course, thank you to everyone who applied for this scholarship.

Next up here, item 5 A2, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Proclamation. Uh, let's see. Is Ashton Iser? There she right in the front. Come on down. Council, do you want to come join me for this one down here? How are you? All right.

So this proclamation reads, "Whereas the month of May is nationally recognized as Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to honor the generations of A&HPI individuals who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its continued success." And whereas from early pioneers and laborers to today's entrepreneurs, artists, and advocates, AANHPI communities have shown unwavering perseverance, strengthening our society through innovation, community leadership, and civic engagement.

And whereas Tempe proudly embraces the vibrant presence and diverse cultural heritage of its AAHPI residents whose continued contributions reflect the values of belonging that define our city. And whereas this month also offers an opportunity to confront the history of discrimination and inequity faced by AAHPI communities and to recommmit ourselves to building a more inclusive and equitable future for all.

Now therefore, I, Corey Woods, mayor of the city of Tempe, Arizona, do hereby declare May 2025 as Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Tempe, Arizona. No reflection. You say that. I want All right. Council, if you want to stay with me just for one more here, I'd love to have you down here. Uh, is Arnold get back here? There he is. Right in front. I didn't see you there. Arnold, why don't you come come and join me here in the front?

So, uh, Arnold actually also, uh, we he and I are good friends. He is the board president, uh, at Temple Emanuel in South Temp. So, thank you for being here this evening to accept this proclamation. So, this proclamation reads, "Whereas Jewish American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the significant contributions of Jewish Americans to the history, culture, and advancement of the United States.

And whereas Jewish Americans have played a vital role in shaping the social, economic, and political landscape of our country, serving as leaders, innovators, educators, and advocates for justice and equality. And whereas the Jewish community has overcome great challenges and adversity throughout history, and their resilience continues to inspire future generations to stand up for freedom, tolerance, and equality for all people.

And whereas Jewish American Heritage Month provides an opportunity to honor the cultural heritage, history, and traditions of Jewish Americans while also fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Jewish community's significant contributions to the world. Now therefore, I, Corey Woods, mayor of the city of Tempe, Arizona, do hereby declare May 2025 as Jewish American Heritage Month in Tempe, Arizona. [Music] And thank you. All right.

Uh, next up here, I do see Tim Burch in that beautiful jacket. So, come on up. All right. This proclamation is for affordable housing month and this reads whereas the city of Tempe has pioneered creative housing solutions in Arizona through the hometown for all initiative to accelerate the growth of affordable and workforce housing in Tempe.

And whereas the city of Tempee seeks to encourage the development and preservation of affordable housing to create a vibrant and healthy community with a diversity of residents and balanced mix of housing options. And whereas having an affordable place to call home is essential to allow for all generations of Tempe residents to continue to live in a community that provides a high quality of life, outstanding livability, community prosperity, and distinctive character.

And whereas the city of Tempe recognizes and understands the value affordable housing options bring to communities, families, and the workforce, staying committed to investing in affordable and permanent housing opportunities for all wanting to call Tempee home.

And whereas May is designated nationally as affordable housing month and that together as a community and neighbors, renters and homeowners, we have the power to shape the future and build a temp where we value equity, inclusiveness, economic and social diversity, and where everyone belongs because they have an affordable place to call home. That's right. Now therefore, I, Corey Woods, mayor of the city of Tempe, Arizona, do hereby declare May 2025 as affordable housing month in Tempe Arizona.

[Applause] All right. I'm going to first go to uh the next item here, which is 5B, city manager reports and announcements. Madam City Manager. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. No announcements this evening. Okay. Thank you. Now, going to go back to uh Council Member Chin. There's an addendum we need to make to the agenda. Council Chin. Thank you, Mayor.

Uh, in order to reflect the most recent agenda, I'd like to amend my previous motion to accept the board commission and committee meeting minutes and items 4B1 through 4B8. Second. Okay. It's been moved by council member Chin and seconded by council member Keating. All those in favor, let's see. Is the screen up here? Oh, there we go. Oh, it's already there. There it is. Oh, they're all clearing. And now they're back up. Uh, Council Member Adams. Oh, Council Member Adams. Okay.

And that vote passes six to zero with Council Member Adams absent. All right. Next up here, item number six, public appearances. Before we move into public appearances this evening, I want to now take a moment to address any kind of campaign related activity, especially as we are now in the 2026 election season. City council meetings are open to the public and are a vital forum for our civic engagement.

We welcome all individuals, including candidates, to speak on matters of public concern during the public comment portion of the meeting. However, because this is an official city council meeting that is both televised and livereamed using city resources, we ask all candidates, including any current council members, to refrain from electioneering or campaign related activity while participating in this meeting.

That means no discussing your candidacy, asking for votes or signatures, or displaying campaign materials such as signs, t-shirts, or literature while speaking. and thank you very much for helping us maintain the integrity and neutrality of our public meetings. Which brings me then once again to item number six, public appearances.

According to the Arizona Open Meeting Law, the city council may only discuss matters listed or discuss, respond to, or take action on matters listed elsewhere on this agenda for discussion and legal action. The purpose of the open call to the public is to allow individuals to address the city council on any issue within the jurisdiction of the city council. No person shall speak more than once and there was a limit of three minutes per speaker. No.

Uh in the interest of allowing all members of the public to have an opportunity to speak in the case that there were such a large number of persons intending to speak during the meeting that it may deprive other members of the public from the reasonable opportunity to speak. The mayor may limit each speaker to less than three minutes.

Speakers present at the podium must refrain shall refrain from making personal, impertinent or slanderous remarks and from becoming boisterous while addressing the city council or while attending the meeting. Speakers will be taken first come first serve in the order in which the cards are received. Speakers visual aids and appearances by phone or recordings are not allowed.

The city council was prohibited by state law from discussing, responding to, or taking action on legal matters raised during the call to the public, even if asked to do so by a member of the public, so long as the subject discussed by the speaker is not listed as a specific agenda item for council's consideration for discussion and legal action.

Individual members of the council may respond to criticism made by speakers, ask staff to review a matter, or request a matter be placed on a future agenda. With that said, um we have several speakers this evening. Um once again, I'm going to read these in the order in which I received the cards. And the first speaker this evening is Mario Martinez. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. My name is Mario Martinez. I live in Tempee.

The Tempe driving under the influence enforcement situation relates to Tempe as a whole and to the horrific case of a woman who was injured by an award-winning Tempe DUI officer. Years ago, I sustained lifelong damages and medical costs due to a DUI driver. I have photographic evidence and medical records to support this. In this incident, two angled males yelling from a passing car referred to me as a fornicating Mexican who should stop speaking Spanish.

We had a bloody street fight in which all, including myself, were injured. I sustained one broken tooth. The neighbors called the Tempe police who arrested both punks for this assault. The punk who was driving the vehicle was arrested for DUI alcohol. Also, if it wasn't for DUI driving, they would not have even been there. About 10 years after that incident, I was working in an IT department and the tooth directly above my previously broken tooth suddenly broke apart.

I didn't even know that was medically possible. My dentist told me that when a tooth was surgically repaired, it can damage a surrounding tooth, which is what happened. Professional DUI enforcement is important. Tempe DUI officer Zachary Hail was presented with an award by police chief Kenneth McCoy and officer Hyde was subsequently arrested for extreme DUI. This was a familiar lack of tempe police competence.

Right upstairs here is where McCoy himself told me that his department had a relatively recent great DUI case against me. His case was completely rejected. His department's case was completely rejected by the deciding Arizona administrative law judge at the Arizona Department of Transportation. McCoyy's police and the city's attorney office even failed to bring these uh charges to criminal court after Tempe DUI officer Hyde was arrested for extreme DUI.

It was publicly disclosed that he used a police vehicle and he hit a woman and caused her severe injuries, including killing her unborn baby. Now, the city is facing lawsuits for millions of dollars. Professional DUI import enforcement is important. The DUI problem will not re resolve while our corrupt mayor Corey Woods sits here and effectively doesn't do anything about this blatant lack of law enforcement competence. Are you are you done or are you still Well, yeah. I got three minutes here.

Oh, no. Keep going. Okay. Okay. Okay. No worries. Are you done? Have you started working yet? I just asked. Thanks. I'm clearly working right now. Oh, you are? That's what it appears to be. All right, let's go to the next speaker here. Uh, William Fox, please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. My name is Bill Fox. My wife Trish and I have lived in Tempee for 30 years and in the Sha Moore neighborhood for 20.

Uh, good evening, Mayor Woods and the council members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm here tonight to express my profound concerns and strong opposition to the proposed resoning of the Shalomar golf course property. We were thrilled to buy our house in the Shalomar neighborhood. We love Tempe. We love our beautiful Shalomar neighborhood and we love our neighbors. What a great place to raise our family.

We have cherished every moment in this neighborhood, its charm, its sense of community, and its natural beauty. That's why I'm deeply concerned about the proposed resoning. I greatly appreciate the new Heisle's family stewardship of the Shalomar Golf Course over the years. Dick and Jane were true leaders in Tempee and their family deserves to reasonably profit from their investment.

The currently proposed development, however, is the wrong plan for a Shalomar neighborhood and the wrong plan for Tempe. Approximately 88% of the homes in Shalomar are currently owner occupied. At best, only 27% of the 244 proposed new units would be owner occupied. This drastic shift threatens the stability and close-knit character of our community. Shamar Golf Course has long been a refuge for local wildlife.

The proposed development includes a token amount of green space and will destroy wildlife habitat and hundreds of trees. The proposed plan will create significant traffic congestion with well over 500 cars entering and exiting daily onto the small arterial roads of Golf Avenue and Country Club Way. This is not only inconvenient, but also proposes a serious obstacle to emergency responders. The level of traffic is unsustainable and would severely impact traffic flow in the neighborhood.

Shalomar is one of quite a few unique and historic neighborhoods that make Tempe a great place to live. Any development of the 42 acres, in my opinion, should preserve the character of the surrounding neighborhood. The proposed development clearly does not reflect Shalomar's distinctive character. Zoning ordinances exist to preserve both neighborhood integrity and property values.

Instead of approving a plan that disrupts the heart of our community, let's work together to find solutions that preserve Shalomar's heritage while ensuring smart, sustainable growth for Tempe. When the resoning request is up for vote by the council, I urge you all to vote no. Thank you for your kind attention. Thank you. The next speaker this evening is David Sokalowski, who I know is virtual. Mr. Solowski, can you hear me? Yeah. Can you hear me?

Yes, please state your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. My name is David Sokoski. I live in Tempe. I have never seen a density bonus program that didn't have a density bonus until Tempe proposed the first. It's very different from other cities. Tempe has the second worst housing shortage in the state. And that's why we're not in a position to deny a project that conforms to the general plan. It might violate the law on inclusionary zoning.

and you would probably have to explain to the state why projects are being denied with a housing shortage. It's easier to go through a routine public hearing than to get millions of dollars to spend on affordable housing. A public hearing is not worth 7 million over 30 years. Many of these properties will still need changes to setbacks or parking. It's always one thing or another, but is business as usual. Many of the locations are probably not suitable for development.

Are there plans to demolish Grace Community Church? Some properties already had developments approved like Habana. Some would risk displacing homeowners and replacing them with renters like Harbor Village. New construction is 30% more expensive. And Tempe would replace older and more affordable workforce housing with newer and more expensive market rate apartments. This plan would eliminate part of Tempee's workforce housing and create a different kind of housing shortage.

Many of the properties would displace more people than we're helping. Denial is a big problem. The city isn't planning for new jobs below 80% or people aging into retirement or the growing student population. We need to build 30,000 to 50,000 low-income units. The city is planning for 31,000 and that means we would need to build 100% low-income housing for three decades. That's what I call city math. But in reality, we need to plan for at least 130,000 units.

There are places like Priest and Elliot where we can plan for new development and without displacement. It's the path of least resistance because there aren't any single family homes. I've been carfree in Tempe for a decade and four years on the transportation commission. I know how to identify good location. The density bonus program shows that Tempe is trying to do as little as possible to solve the housing crisis while trying to gaslight the public into thinking it's leading the way.

It would literally take hundreds of years for Tempe to solve its housing crisis and the city is capable of doing more. Thank you for listening. Thank you. The next speaker I have is Corey Pectal. Is Corey Pectal here? Virtual. Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. I should have read that. Mr. Pect, can you hear about that? Yes, please. Uh, state your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Perfect. Thank you. My name is Corey Pectal. I live in the city of Tempe.

Um, I'm a member of the uh Tempe Parks, Recreation, Golf, Double Boot Cemetery Advisory Board. Um, and we wanted to uh just make a quick statement uh to the council. Um, we have a little prepared statement that we read, so I asked if I could come and read it to you guys. Um, as members of the Tempe Parks Recreation, golf, and double bees cemetery advisory board. We want to express our gratitude uh to the city of Tempe employees uh for their important service to the residents of Tempe.

Your contributions to the quality of life in Tempe do not go unnoticed. From swim lessons to children for children to meals for seniors and everything between. Your work truly makes Tempe the best city to live in Arizona. We value your dedication to the community. We are grateful that you've chosen to serve the city of Tempe. Sincerely, the Tempe Parks, Recreation, Golf Double Beard Advisory Board.

Um I won't read through all them the names on there but uh we just wanted to thank the city of Tempe employees especially the uh employees in the parks recreation golf and double be cemetery folks. So thanks for the time. Thank you. Really appreciate it. All right. Next up is Dr. Maria Herz. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Hello everybody. Hi, my name is Dr. Maria Herz and I good evening mayor and council members.

We're here today as residents of Shelomar and first and foremost we want to thank you for hearing us. We deeply appreciate your willingness to listen to our concerns regarding the proposed resoning of Shelomar golf course property. My family Joe, who's back there, 12 years old, it's his first city council meeting. Um and so and I um have been here in Shalomar since 2005 when we bought our house in 2011.

Like all homeowners in the community, we purchased our property with a clear understanding of the existing zoning as one house per acre. This wasn't just a detail. It was a fundamental aspect of what drew us to Shalomar and what makes it a special place to live. We are here today to respectfully ask you to keep our community zoned as it is now. The homeowners in Shalomar are overwhelmingly opposed to the resoning.

We believe that this area does not need nor it should be reszoned to a higher density. We elected you to represent our interests and we believe our voices as voters and residents have been made made it abundantly clear on these issues. What is deeply concerning to us and quite frankly quite alarming are the tactics being employed by the property owners and the developers BB living and Cache Homes.

They did threaten to neglect the property and have now shut off the water taking what they call a scorched earth action that now they are not now that they are not residents or profiting from the community. The animals are attempting to flee. I see the little foxes and the coyotes wandering my neighborhood on a daily basis. Now, the trees are showing stress as the heat increases as well. This kind of behavior is absolutely not consistent with the kind, loving community we have built in Shalomar.

It is inappropriate and frankly it's an attempt to coersse us into agreeing with their plans. The scorch earth decision is an attempt to leverage action via fear, intimidation, and deliberate destruction of a delicate ecosystem for all all for a reasonzoning that they are not entitled to. The owners have every right to sell their property at its current zoning of one house per acre. That is the agreement we all bought into and that is the standard they should adhere to.

We understand that the mayor and our city council, especially those that are coming up for reelection, um are have 100% control over zoning approval. That's precisely what we're here today to remind you that the community has spoken and we ask that you stand with us, the voters of Shalomar, and reject this resoning proposal. the scorched earth actions by the owners and development are not what we the residents or our commissioner are here to support. Thank you. Thank you. No, appreciate.

Well, no. Well done. Um the Okay, sorry. Now, the next speaker I have is Philip Amarosce. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Phil Amarosi, 50-year resident of Tempe. I can't even leave for one week to celebrate my mom's 90th birthday without some developer getting a totally inappropriate sevenstory student housing project on Spence Street approved by your development department and the development review commission. Why am I pissed?

It's a 105 unit, 271bedroom apartment building with 89 parking spots. It's replacing a 40-bedroom, threestory apartment building with 40 parking spots, almost seven times the density, only twice the parking. This small street only has three and fourstory apartments along it because it also has to service seven other feeder streets that have to dump their traffic on it because they are blocked by the railroad tracks. Also, the adjoining neighborhood has to get by there to get to your rural.

This building will be 85 feet high. Parkplace at Apache and Terrace is 67 feet. Next set Apache and Dorsy 65 ft and the district's 58 feet and they all face Apache not Spence. The developer says they're following the general plan. Well, the general plan specifies that uh they can build greater than 65 units an acre. Since the plot of land is less than an acre, they could build 66 units instead of 105 units and they would still be following the general plan without going seven stories high.

Even your own fire department told them that if it was this high, they need to have a bigger front yard so that they could get their big ladder trucks in to rescue people in case of an emergency. My logic says then don't allow seven stories. That would solve the problem, but the development department says the sky's is the limit. The developer is also going to show you a drone video that shows Spences totally empty with no vehicles or construction traffic.

That was probably filmed on a Sunday morning. Well, I got some numbers from the city of Tempee. The latest numbers they had was January 16th of 2024. There were 4,83 day trips on Spence. The next day, there were 4,923 trips on this little street. Given all this congestion, I don't see why you're allowing one developer to have so much.

When another developer showed me he bought three adjoining properties on Bernardan, there were three single family homes and without getting any variances, he's allowed to build eight single family homes there. And that's fine, but it shows that there's going to be instead of six cars, 16 cars because every property gets two parking spaces. With this high density, the streets don't get wider. The railroad isn't moving. It just gets worse.

And you say you care for neighborhoods at election time, and I'm sure you personally do, but the policies of your development department and the DRC don't reflect this. And I don't see you proposing any rules that would prevent this type of destruction of neighborhoods from overdevelopment. I should have faith that my city planning department's going to protect me in my neighborhood, but I don't. I have to fight every time and I'm getting tired of it. Okay. Thank you.

The next speaker I have this evening is Steve Bartell. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Hello. Um, I'm here to talk about Shalomar and that I support I'm in support of what Shalomar, the residents there are trying to do. But I'm going to give you a little something. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, there we go.

little something that um maybe a little bit different angle on this and because I believe looking at this board here that nobody was around when Senator Carl Hayden was around. He lived on that first house. He lived there for about seven or eight years. And I went to Mcccleintoch. I lived south of Shalomar a couple blocks. Shalomar was built on ready in 1961. It's one of three courses in the whole valley. That's a singular nine-hole course.

They don't have them anymore except one in Phoenix and they're protecting that course surrounded by homes. One in Scottdale, they're protecting it's surrounded by homes just like Shalomar. Um there's a little bit more history just to just to go along with the Carl Hayden thing. He bought his condo there, right? The first condo on the first hole in 1966 and lived there until close to his death in 1972. Um I was on the golf team. He'd come out, watch us, cheer us on. 1968, 1969, 1970 and 71.

He didn't make it though. uh because he passed in 72 when we finally beat the state champions Coronado dogs. Anyway, um so getting to bringing it up to today. Um the these individuals here and not only the history and all the events and all the things that you could use that for. It's it's like a large park. It just needs some maintenance.

It has a lot of history and history that people know about like myself and um today I'm just asking for the other people that live there and bought that and lived there for years and years. Bought that because it was a golf course. It was on the edge of a golf course. That's why they bought it. Um, I hope that you'll take the same consideration that Scottsdale has for their one and only public 9-hole course. Very similar, has a driving range.

Phoenix in the center of Phoenix, their one and only by itself. It's not connected to 18 holes. It's not a big old resort. Um, and keep that for the community. There's a lot of activities that go there. Um, yeah, maybe there's a way to market it. I don't know, but I know that the city of Phoenix owns that one and the Scottdale still owns that and I'd appreciate if you'd do the same and respect the the residents there. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it.

All right, that's all the cards I have this evening. Uh do I have any other cards uh from anyone in the audience or anyone else wishing to speak at this time? If so, please get my attention. All right, seeing none, I will close that portion of the meeting and I'm going to move forward here to item number seven, which is the consent agenda.

All items listed on the consent agenda will be considered as a group and will be enacted with one motion by the city council unless an item is removed for separate consideration. Members of the public may remove public hearing items for a separate consideration. Public hearing items are designated as public hearing item at the beginning of the item title. Council members may remove any item for separate consideration or to declare a conflict of interest.

If a council member would like to declare a conflict at this time, the city clerk will provide the council member with a disclosure form. If you wish to speak on a public hearing item, please fill out a speaker card and submit your completed card to the city clerk prior to the agenda item coming forward for council discussion. I will call your name when it is your turn for public comment this evening.

The consent agenda is listed as miscellaneous items 7A1 through 7 A4, awards of bids and contracts, items 7B1 through 7B7 and items 7B9 through 7 through 7B11 and resolutions items 7C1 through 7C4 with the exception of item 7B8, which is being removed from tonight's consent agenda at the request of staff and will not be considered this evening. Once again, any agenda item designated as public hearing item can be removed by a member of the public for separate consideration.

If anyone would like to have a public hearing item removed, please get my attention now. All right, seeing none, I will close that portion of the meeting. Council, are there any agenda items that you'd like to have removed from the consent agenda for separate consideration? Yes, mayor. Uh, yes, Council McKini. Thank you very much, Mayor. I'd like to remove item 7B9. 7B9. Thank you. Uh, anyone else on council?

Any other items you'd like to have removed from the consent agenda for separate consideration? motion. I second. Okay. 7B. Okay. So, it's been uh moved to uh move forward the consent agenda uh by Vice Mayor Garland and seconded by Council Member Hajj with the exclusion of 7B9 which is being removed for separate consideration. Any further comments or questions? Hearing none. All those in favor, please vote. I council Adams. Council member Adams. Yes, I apologize. Nope, I couldn't get it off mute.

No worries. That item passes unanimously, 7 to zero. That brings me to item 79, which is to authorize the mayor to execute a wired telecommunications license and right-of-way use agreement with Cable Vision Light Path LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. Council Kitty. Thank you, mayor. I just wanted to pull this and and highlight it to um because we received an email uh earlier this week from a gentleman, you know, kind of asking for a status update on Tempe fiber.

And what this represents is the proverbial shovel in the ground to bringing fiber to the city of Tempe. So, I wanted to pull it, highlight it for the public and for members of the council, thank our staff, our city manager who did who did a ton of work on making this moment right here possible. and I'm looking forward to completing temp fiber over the coming years and providing that service to the city. So, mayor, with that, I move we approve item 7B9.

It's been moved by council Heading to approve item 7B9 and seconded by council member Hajj. Please vote. Could we have just could I just make a comment? Um, sure. No, but I'm just really happy about this finally being done and um I really appreciate staff stepping up and and it's going to be a huge benefit for our residents. So, I just wanted to um say that, Mr. Mayor. Thank you very much. And uh what is your vote, Council Member Adams? Uh yes. Okay. And that item passes 70.

Next up is item eight, non-consent agenda. All items listed on the non-consent agenda will be considered separately. Agenda items scheduled for introduction and first public hearing will be heard but will not be voted upon at this meeting. Agenda items scheduled for second public hearing and final adoption will be voted upon tonight.

Council members who may have a conflict of interest may abstain from voting on a matter and the city clerk will provide the council members with a disclosure form at this time. So first up 8A miscellaneous items, bids, contracts, and resolutions.

First item here, 8A1, which is to hold a public hearing for an appeal of the development review commission's decision to approve a use permit to allow a second story edition in a use permit to increase the allowed height for an accessory building from 15 ft to 24 ft for College Avenue ADU located at 2021 South College Avenue. The the appellent is Michael Zamora. The original applicant is Hickory Wind Construction LLC. I should also note this is a quasi judicial item.

Just want to note for the record here too, the original applicants, Ed Cox and Hickory Wind Construction LLC, have formally withdrawn their application for permitting of an ADU as proposed. While the hearing was being continued from the May 1st, 2025 regular council meeting, no public testimony will be taken this evening as the public comment portion of the hearing was previously closed following the conclusion of the public speaker testimony at the May 1st hearing.

Uh, let me first move to our community development staff. Uh, Mr. Tammy Levage, Mr. Le, do you want to come forward here and uh speak for a second about the withdrawn application? Just sort of confirming that it was indeed withdrawn. Yes. Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor, council members. Uh I I I will confirm that we did receive an application or excuse me, a withdrawal uh that was received from the property owner.

Um, so at this point, staff is recommending uh that council vote to vacate the DRC decision uh which granted the use permit originally and then also dismiss the appeal uh this current appeal as moot uh in light of the applicant's withdrawal. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Anyone have any comments or questions for staff on this item? Okay, hear it in. Thank you, Jeff. Thank you, Ryan. Appreciate it. All right.

Um, let me see if the appellant or the appellent's attorney would like to comment on this. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council. We support the staff recommendation. Great. Thank you, Mr. Lotto. Appreciate it. Thank you. All right. Let me now move next to uh do the original applicants have any comments on the proposed uh action? None. Okay. Um, council members, any additional comments or discussion. I just wanted to say before we close this item out, I just wanted to thank uh Mr.

Cox and Hickory Wind Construction. Uh, I know that after the last hearing, there was obviously a lot of concern from a lot of the residents in the Broadmore neighborhood. I I think he very much listened to the concerns of a lot of the residents who had not only signed the petition, but also the folks who showed up here to speak on that item. Uh and I really appreciate the fact that he heard the folks there.

I know he very much, you know, is a long-standing member of the community, wants to continue to live here, uh and wanted to make sure that what was happening with the proposal of the ADU that it wasn't sewing any division in the neighborhood.

Uh and so I appreciate the fact that you know after the uh really big outpouring from folks in that neighborhood that he decided to uh make a motion to withdraw this uh just obviously because he wants to continue to live here and he wants to continue to live in harmony uh not only with the frankly the people in the Broadmore neighborhood but obviously people throughout this entire city.

So I think it's once again uh a testament to this process and the ability for people to propose something but also make sure that they are really uh keeping an open mind and listening to other residents in their neighborhood and other folks who would be affected. So I just wanted to thank Mr. Cox and Hickory Wind Construction uh for listening and uh and frankly for you know coming to staff and actually uh say that they would actually like to withdraw their previous request.

With that said uh is there second? Oh. Um, I need a motion for So, Council Member Adams, uh, that's a motion from her. And let me do a second by Council Member Keating. Uh, any further comments or questions? And once again, the motion is to vacate the development review commission's decision granting the use permits, and dismiss the appeal as being moot. So, once again, it was moved by Council Member Adams, seconded by Council Member Keating. Any further comments or discussion by council? Mr.

Mayor, I just want to I just want to also thank um the the neighborhoods uh coming out and giving telling us what they would like to see. It's really important. Uh the neighborhood inclusion is something that's extremely important and and uh they listen to their neighbors and I'm just really happy about uh this ending. So, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Council Brad. Yeah, we always appreciate everyone who participates in this process.

So, we know these aren't always the most exciting meetings, but we appreciate you taking the time to either come down or call in if you need to. So, with that said, any uh last comments or questions from council hearing? None. Please vote. Council Kitty. Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I had voted. Uh, council member Adams. Uh, uh, yes. And that item passes 7 to zero.

The next item under the section is 8A2 which is to hold a public hearing to adopt a resolution levying the fiscal year 2025 2026 annual assessment for the city of Tempe downtown Tempe enhanced services improvement district ruling on objections making corrections approving a new district map and approving modified assessments. Once again this is a public hearing item. So if there's any public testimony uh please get my attention now. Okay.

Seeing that, I'll close the public testimony portion of the public hearing. Council members, any comments or discussion? All right. Uh, do I have a motion on item 82? Second. Moved by Council Member Keating and seconded by Council Member Hajj. Please vote. Council member Adams. Yes. Thank you very much. That item passes seven to zero.

The next item under the section is 8A3, which is to approve a one-year contract renewal with Express Scripts Incorporated, who will provide pharmacy benefits management services for eligible city employees and their dependents. Council member, any comments or discussion? Move to approve. Okay, it's been moved by Council Member Keing. Do I have a second? Second. Seconded by Council Member Hajj. Please vote. Yes. Yes. And that item passes 7 to zero.

Next item under the section is 8A4, which is to approve a one-year contract renewal with Sunlife Insurance to provide stop-loss insurance for the city's self-funded medical plan. Council members, any comments or discussion? It's been moved by council member Hajj and seconded by council member Keading. Please vote. Council. Yes. And that item is approved seven to zero.

The next item under the section is 8A5, which is to adopt a resolution authorizing a maximum dollar amount for an individual job order of up to 3.3 million for the purpose of procuring construction services for the asset maintenance 2023 South Tempi water treatment plant project number 3208023A. Council members, any comments to approve? Uh, it's been moved by council. It's been moved by council member Adams. Do I have a second? Seconded by council member Amberg. Please vote. I love clean water.

Is that an I? Yes. Then that passes 7 to zero. The next item under the section is 8A6 which is to award a professional services contract to Corollo Engineers Incorporated for project number 3208023A asset maintenance 2023 South Tempi water treatment plant. Council members, any comments or discussion? It's been moved by council member Hajj. Do I have a second? Seconded by Council Member Anberg. Please vote. Yes. And that item passes 7 to zero.

The next item under the section is 8A7 which is to award a construction contract to Colm's Construction Company Incorporated for project number 6009741 bike lane and pedestrian improvements on Scottsdale Road from Curry Road to Continental Drive. Council members, any comments or discussion? It's been moved by Vice Mayor Garland. I have a second. Seconded by Council Member Keing. Please vote. Yes. And that item passes 7 to zero.

The next item under the section is 888 which is to award a construction contract to PCL construction incorporated for project number [Music] 322418A Kyne Water Reclamation Facility Reactivation GMP3 located at 311 West Guadalupe Road. Council members, any comments or discussion? It's been moved by council, seconded by council member Adams. Please vote. Yes. And that item passes 7 to zero.

The next item under the section is 8A9, which is to award job order number one with FPS Civil LLC for project number 3208023A, asset maintenance 2023, South Tempe Water Treatment Plant. It's been moved by Vice Mayor Garland. I have a second. Seconded by Council Member Chin. Please vote. Yes. And that item passes 7 to zero.

The last item under the section is 8A10 which is to award a change order to Aken Gardner Construction LLC for project number 5410441A infrastructure improvements Smith Road Apache Boulevard to University Drive. Council members, any comments or discussion? It's been moved by Vice Mayor Garland and seconded by Council Member Keading. Please vote. Yes. And that item passes seven to zero. The next section on the non-consent agenda is ordinances and items for introduction and first hearing.

The items under the section will be read and introduced tonight, but no substantive votes will be taken. The second hearings and votes for item 8b1 are scheduled, actually I should say this, the second hearing and vote on item 81 is scheduled for July 1st, 2025. The second hearings and votes for items 8B2 through 8B4 are scheduled for June 5th, 2025.

So, first up here, item 8B1, introduce and hold the first public hearing to adopt an ordinance amending the Tempe city code by adding a new section to chapter 16A creating a requirement for a general business license for the city of Tempe. Uh before we get started with the uh public hearing portion, council members, any questions from for staff regarding item 8B1? All right, seeing none, I'm going to go ahead then and open up the public testimony portion here of this public hearing.

And let me see what I have here. Uh, let's see. All right, I've got seven speakers. Well, once again, I'm going to start in the order in which the cars were received. That means I'm going to begin with Gabe Hagen. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Good evening, city council members. Uh, thank you for having me. Uh, Gabe Hagen. There we go. Uh, Gabe Hagen, uh, resident city of Tempee. I'm also a business owner here in the city of Tempee.

Um, I also now own two businesses in the city of Mesa, uh, which does already have a general business license requirement. It is new. It's, it was established, I think three or four years ago. they're in the adoption phase and I just wanted to share some of my experience to share how I do think there's positive aspects to a general business license for Tempe.

First of all, when I started my businesses here in Tempe, it was 2021, it was COVID, it was very hard um to navigate everything that was going on. I'm lucky that I had a brick and mortar, so the city of Tempe could just mass mail to every address in Tempe and hit the information. um it would be so much more beneficial if there was targeted information to the appropriate businesses. And I think that's one of the things that this business license can accomplish for the city.

Um additional things that this this business license can do is the city of Mesa, as an example, I just started a new business over there a few months ago, registered for a business license. They actually have it right now. a $10 introductory period for the first few years as they gain adoption because anytime you implement a new business license, you're not going to go from no business license to 100% adoption.

So, they had to take an approach that is inclusive of the community and not punishing the businesses. And I see that with how you've structured your business license. So, I appreciate that. I want to call that out. Um, the other things that I've I've experienced with Mesa business license in particular is the benefits that the city has decided to enact behind it.

They have directed their economic development team to put together a really beneficial program with the Mesa business builder program and they are also allocating resources and they are connecting with partners like the Chamber of Commerce's local first uh all of these organizations that have these really tangible benefits are connected with the businesses. uh myself included, opening a new business, I applied for their Mesa business builder program.

I was able to get business consulting hours through local first at no charge to me through that benefit. That's a connection that was a tangible net benefit to my business. Um so I just wanted to come share those experiences just generally speak in support of it. I really encourage the city to be thoughtful about what the adoption period looks like.

I know we talked about that it's proposed to have a slower fee roll out or uh no fee if you register within certain times, but just be cognizant of the adoption rate that it'll be and making sure that we're being strategic about how we may structure our fee programs so we can really encourage businesses to sign up and really educate them on the benefits of the license for the city. So, thank you so much for what you guys do. I really appreciate the support that I already feel.

Um, and I think there's so many more businesses that maybe don't have brick and mortars that are going to see some tangible benefits. So, thank you. Thank you. The next speaker this evening is Joe Forte. Please come forward. State your name and city of residents. You have three minutes. Thank you. Good evening. Mayor Woods, city council members and Tempi residents. My name is Joe Forte, a small business owner, nonprofit board member, and proud Tempi resident.

I'm here to respectfully urge you to reject the proposed business license program as it places an unnecessary burden on Tempe small businesses and offers little value to our community. As a small business owner, this licenses paperwork would divert time from serving my clients. As a board member for Tempe, Keep Tempe Beautiful, Kuanas Club of Tempe, Tempe Sister Cities, and a member of the Tempe Diablo, all volunteer-driven nonprofits.

I see how this mandate would drain our energy from enhancing Tempi. This program projected to generate just $150,000 annually at a 20% registration rate risks becoming a financial drain. The cost of issuing licenses, ensuring compliance, and hiring additional staff could easily outweigh this revenue, straining our city's budget. More importantly, it shifts focus to enforcement rather than supporting small businesses like mine.

The city claims the license will create a business database, but the proposed public database threatens privacy for homebased and minority owned businesses. The Tempe Chamber of Commerce, which claims to support this, only sent one email to public comment. No survey or discussion. Public comments are 4 to one against this plan. And I've launched a change.org or petition with close to 100 signatures to amplify this opposition.

A better solution is a voluntary nocost online database where businesses and nonprofits can opt in preserving privacy and avoiding avoiding red tape. Tempe has a unique opportunity to stand out as a businessfriendly city unlike Mesa, Scottsdale or Chandler which imposes such licenses. I respectfully ask you to listen to the business community, prioritize our needs, and explore alternatives that truly benefit Tempe.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and look forward to continuing this dialogue at the June 5th meeting. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker I have here is Melissa Harland. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Um, good evening, Mayor Woods and council members. My name is Melissa Harland. I'm the owner of Drink Me Tea Room and Drink Me Tea and Treats, both here in Tempe.

I'm here tonight as a small business owner and advocate for local entrepreneurship, speaking in support of implementing the city business license, not as a barrier, but as a foundational tool to better support our business community. I launched my business five years ago in the middle of COVID and spent countless hours searching for resources, digging through scattered websites, and piecing together information on my own.

Uh, right now, the city has no clear way to know who we are, what we do, or how to support us. A business license would change that. It would give the city much needed visibility, showing where businesses are operating, what industries are growing, and where to the support could be most impactful. It would also create a stronger data foundation for understanding the small business landscape in Tempe. Who's open, who's growing, and what challenges we're facing.

With that kind of insight, the city can focus its resources more effectively and develop programs that truly meet the needs of small local businesses. I understand some may see this as added bureaucracy or a new fee, but as a business license can be simple and low cost, and it can also focus on inclusion and not penalties. Others may argue that the chamber or the state already fill this role.

Um, but those organizations aren't accountable to our city's specific goals and they don't serve all the businesses equally. If we're serious about building a thriving local economy, this needs to be a city-led effort. Ultimately, you can't support what you can't see. A business license isn't just paperwork. It's a step toward building real lasting relationships between the city and its entrepreneurs. Thank you for your time. Thank you.

The next speaker and I should let me ask our city attorney really quickly. The next speakers I have here are listed as two people uh for one. So is it then three minutes combined for those two people or do they have to speak separately? Uh mayor and normally under rules it's three minutes per person. So I'm not clear if if both of them are speaking at the same time or we're well I guess we're I guess we're going to find out here in a couple of seconds here.

So, well, the next speakers who are listed here are Robert Eridando Savage and Tom Bingy representing the Tempe Chamber of Commerce. I'm keep it simple and just make it. All right. Well, is locked in the garage somewhere. You can't get out. I think I see him. Oh, hello, mayor, honorable mayor, uh, council members. It's very nice to see you all here tonight. Thank you for what you do. I really do appreciate it. And city manager in Chowy.

Um on behalf of the uh Tempe Chamber of Commerce, I am very excited to be here to talk to you a little bit about our support and the positive feedback that we have received from our membership in the business community in regards to the general business license. And I do want to thank uh Lette Kamacho and her team for including us in the in the conversation very early. She was able to take our feedback, some of our concerns and our thoughts and incorporate that in the process moving forward.

So we are very um excited to do that and very appreciative of that partnership. We have had the opportunity to talk not only with our board of directors several times, we've actually brought this up in our public policy committee meeting, which happens every single month, and able to be able to send that information back out. So, thank you for Jonathan Sheffield, who has always kept us in the know. We definitely do appreciate him being part of our public policy on a regular basis um every month.

So, that's been really helpful, too. And uh we have not really seen any um concerns from our members or from the business community, but just a lot of positive support. I think this will go a long way when we talk about targeting resources, really understanding who is in our community, what our business community looks like, what those industries are, and how we can actually target the resources that they need.

So I feel very confident that we're able to work with the city, the economic development team, and be able to provide those targeted resources. I mean, God forbid if there was another emergency or some type of pandemic, this would be a very effective communication tool and it should be used that way. If we need to quickly communicate with our business community, this would be a fantastic way to activate and get that information out. So, we are very excited to partner with the city.

Uh we look forward to a great program and everything that we can do to help implement that, you can count on us. Thank you. Excellent. Thank you so much. The next speaker is Jesse Shank. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. By the way, before I just want to note I should have said the honorable Robert Aridondo Savage, my apologies. So, um, Mr. Shank. Yes. Hi, I'm Jesse Shank. I'm a resident and business owner here in Tempe.

Uh, I have a couple of Tempe based businesses. I'm also uh the president of a small artistbased nonprofit uh here in Tempe uh with $1,000 in the bank. Uh my businesses are members of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Phoenix Equality Chamber of Commerce, and Local First Arizona. Uh so you may guess from that that I'm a fan of structure and support built up around the small business community. And to that end, I am here to speak in support of the business license.

Um, I want to start by expressing my uh my gratitude to the city staff. Uh, they've coordinated community stakeholders and provided opportunities for citizens to weigh in as you work to develop this proposal. Um, some of you may know that my husband and I co-ounded a coffee shop in 2021. Um, what a lot of you don't know is that we started our first Tempe based business in November of 2019.

Uh, and the reason that you don't know that is that ill- fated travel agency was quickly decimated by the CO 19 pandemic. Um, that's just one one business that had struggles at that time, but that's a casualty that was invisible to the city of Tempee um and to those other organizations that I spoke about. Uh, the city did do a remarkable job of weathering the pandemic. We were, I believe, even recognized nationally for our innovation and collecting data.

We won't talk about where that data came from. Um, well, you all know. Um, so I I'm I'm here in support of arming the city with more data. Think about how much better a job we could have done coming out of the pandemic if we had more data about what businesses, what industries were impacted. Um what holes we needed to fill in our loc local local business community coming out of that.

Uh what types of new businesses were cropping up as people pivoted from being employer employees to being self-employed. Um so you know a pandemic is an extreme example. Uh, but local economies need to be managed in the best of times and I think we do a good job here in the city doing that. But the data we're going to get registering businesses will enhance metrics for our economic development teams.

Um, it'll aid in communication regarding opportunities, interruptions, rural road um, and uh, opportunities uh, for grants. and and maybe most importantly, it will facilitate surveys from the city that will allow small businesses like mine to have more of a voice in the city. So, I want to thank you again um for your time, for your consideration. Thank you. Appreciate it. The next speaker I have is Eric Fer. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes.

Hi, I'm Eric Fowler. I'm a resident of Chandler. Thanks. Uh, good evening, Mayor Woods and Council members. This is my first time speaking before a council. Um, and I'm here to represent the uh, Maricopa County Libertarian Party as its chair. Uh, I'm here to express my strong opposition to this proposed uh, establishment of a general business license as it goes against individual liberty and free market practices.

After reviewing the actual ordinant text, it's clear that this isn't about public safety. It's about punishment and revenue generation. When nearly half of the text deals with how to punish businesses rather than how to help them, it's clearly uh designated as as punitive, especially when looking at sections A5 and A7. Both of these purposes stated deal with assessing fines and taxation. Small business ownerships, small businesses are already drowning in compliance costs and paperwork.

The Tempe uh Chamber of Commerce Commerce has already spoken in favor of this ordinance since larger businesses have uh the resources to comply with these type of extra burdensome relations uh regulations. Every hour spent on unnecessary administrative task is time taken away from serving customers, growing their business or contributing to our local economy.

Uh as as we all know extra taxes placed on businesses are passed through to consumers as has been made known with the recent tariff situation. The extensive sections of violation fines and enforcement enforcement procedures reveal the true intent creating a new revenue stream by penalizing local businesses.

This administrative burden creates a completely unnecessary and duplicative uh structure since over 30,000 businesses and nonprofits are already properly registered with the Arizona Corporate Commission, which maintains appropriate oversight. Phoenix, Arizona's largest city with over 1.6 million residents, operates perfectly well without requiring a business license. This shows that Tempe could follow Phoenix's successful businessfriendly model.

This proposal also violates privacy rights and property rights through its mandatory public registration database. Homebased business owners would be forced to expose the residential addresses into a a directory, turning their private homes into public information against their consent. This government mandated doxing puts family at risk and is particularly dangerous to women entrepreneurs and solo entrepreneur uh operators as well.

The state has no right to force citizens to publicize their private residents information in this manner. Council members, this is a revenue grab disguised as public safety. This $25 fee will inevitably grow and the extensive enforcement mechanisms ensure maximum penalty in revenue collection. Ask yourselves, what public safety issue does this solve that the existing state registration doesn't already address?

Ask yourself again, if there's so many benefits to this, why aren't they listed in the ordinance? I urge you to reject this unnecessary, privacy, invasive, and punitive, and economically harmful proposal. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker I have is Jason Turnquist. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Awesome. Thank you, council. Jason Turnquist. Uh, I am a a resident of Tempe, Arizona. I've been here for 15 years now.

Uh started a business right out of college. Uh right from ASU here, bootstrapped out of an apartment here in Tempe. Now we have an office over here on Mill Avenue. We build software, we do web, a lot of stuff like that. Um I came here tonight because I wanted to oppose the business license. I think that it's a uh a gross overstep of government oversight. I don't think it's necessary at all.

As a business owner myself, uh, involved in the State 48 Foundation, helping entrepreneurs to start their businesses, it it just adds friction and it's unnecessary. I actually don't see really any benefit to uh getting that data that everyone else has mentioned on here when there's already public areas where you can get that data such as Google, Yelp, things like that. So, um I think it would be better as some kind of sign up directory versus a forced pay $25 uh a year, which who knows?

It maybe starts $25 now, maybe it goes up to 50 a few years from now. But the the point is that it's it's really unnecessary. There are far better ways to get the data that you you're looking for than forcing businesses to pay $25 to uh to to sign up for this yearly tax. So, um, I yield. That's all I got. So, thank you. Thank you. All right. Next up here, um, I got to make sure we we can't have any constant clapping. It sort of slows down the meeting.

So, um, do we have anyone else in the audience? That's all the cards I have on that item who wished to speak on item 8B1, our general business license. Anyone else? Please get my attention now. All right. Seeing none, I will close the public testimony portion of the public hearing. Um, council members, any comments or discussion? Once again, just want to reiterate the second and final public hearing on this item is actually scheduled for July 1st, 2025.

Um, but anyone have any comments or questions right now? Okay. And just a note here on that actually on that date. Uh, Madame Clerk, yeah, it is it is uh you're right. It is I was checking my phone to make sure it is July 1st. I wanted to double check cuz I in my head I had July 2nd for whatever reason. Okay, so there are no comments. Once again, there's no vote this evening. The second and final public hearing where the vote will take place will be on July 1st, 2025.

All right, the next item under the section is 8B2, which is to introduce and hold the first public hearing to adopt an ordinance addressing public health, safety, and and welfare by amending the Tempe City Code Chapter 13A by adding a new article 4 heat safety standards for outdoor workers. Council members, any questions for city staff at this time? All right, seeing none, this is also a public hearing item, so we're going to go ahead and open up the public testimony for this item.

Um, I only have one card this evening, and that card is from Melissa Harland. Please come forward, state your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. I'm Melissa Harland. I'm Tempe resident again. Hello again, mayor and council. Um, I serve on the Tempee Sustainability and Resilience Commission and I'm here to express my strong support for the heat safety ordinance.

Extreme heat is one of the most urgent climate threats we face and this ordinance is critical step to protect outdoor workers and residents without reliable access to cooling. By requiring water, shade, rest breaks, and training. Tempe is prioritizing public health and climate resilience. This policy aligns with our climate action plan and complements the city's efforts around urban cooling and heat ready infrastructure.

I want to thank council members Keading, Haj, and Amber for their leadership. And I urge the council to adopt this ordinance and continue taking Tempe, continue making Tempe a leader in climate action. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Once again, that was all the cards I have on that item this evening. Does anyone else want to speak on item 8B2 of Yes, please come forward. State your name in city of residence. You have three minutes. Hello, city council. My name is Alana Billingsley.

I live here in Tempe, Arizona. And I just wanted to also express my support for this ordinance. I'm an Arizona native. And you actually don't have to be an Arizona native to know just how urgent this issue is. you actually just had to show up to Phoenix, Arizona today to see how alarming the heat is and that it can go um in a direction that is very deadly. Um in fact, heat related illness and heat heat related deaths is the number one weather related deaths in the United States.

Um you know, it's important that our communities are stepping in front of this although, you know, it has been a little late coming, better late than never. Um, I just want to urge everybody here to please vote to um put put this ordinate together and put it in as fast as you can because the workers out there, they need they need the help. They need to have a safe working environment and I as a Tempe resident would love to see where I live uh treat their workers well. So, thank you. Thank you.

Is there anyone else in the audience this evening wishing to address the council on item 8B2? If so, please get my attention. All right, seeing none, I'll close the public testimony portion of the public hearing. Uh, council members, any comments or discussion? All right, seeing none, the second and final public hearing on this item is scheduled for June 5th, 2025.

The next item under the section is 8B3, which is to introduce and hold the first public hearing to adopt an ordinance off approving the conveyance of certain city-owned properties located at 904 West Tain Drive, 2543 East Manhattan Drive, and 3706 South Dennis Drive to the Tempe Coalition for Affordable Housing Incorporated in Arizona Nonprofit Corporation and authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement to convey property, covenants, deeds, and all other related documents necessary to affect such conveyances and related transactions.

Council members, any questions for staff on item 83. All right. This is also a public hearing. Uh if there's any public testimony on this item, please get my attention now. Okay. Seeing none, I'll close the public testimony portion of the public hearing. Uh council members, any comments or discussion? All right. Hearing none, the second and final public hearing on this item is scheduled for June 5th, 2025.

The last item under the section is 8B4, which is to introduce and hold the first public hearing to adopt an ordinance abandoning a portion of the alley on property located at 1328 East Apache Boulevard. This is also a public hearing item. Uh, if anyone in the audience would like to speak on this item, uh, please get my attention now. All right, seeing none, I'll close the public testimony portion of the public hearing. Uh, council members, any comments or discussion?

All right, seeing none, the second and final public hearing on this item is scheduled for June 5th, 2025. Next up, the last section on the non-consent agenda is ordinances and items for second hearing and final adoption. So, votes on these items will be taken tonight.

The first item under the section is 8C1, which is to hold the second and final public hearing to adopt an ordinance for a zoning map amendment to remove 6.76 acres from the historic overlay district, a planned area development overlay to modify development standards for building height, parking and maneuvering setbacks and parking ratios, and a development plan review for a new 29story mixeduse development consisting of 818 dwelling units and commercial use on 1.53 acres for seventh street residential located at 108 East 7th Street.

The applicant is Cinder Associates Chartered. Let's see any comments from city staff on this item or do council members have any questions of staff at this time? No. Okay. Uh council members, uh quick question. Would you like another presentation from Darren Cinder, the question. Um, Council Member Chin has a question, it sounds like. Um, Miss Sander, would you like to join us down here? All right. Thank you, Mr.

Mayor, members of council, Darren Cinder, Sender Associates, uh, 464 South Farmer Temp. Um, actually, I have, uh, Sam Gordon here from Wexford Developments and, uh, Doug Tishner from Core Spaces, too. And if they could have one second to thank everyone and to kind of talk about how important this is for them tonight. It's a momentous evening for us to be here. Yes. Uh council member Ch would like to ask your question. Would you like to wait? I can wait. Okay, sounds good. All right.

Would you like a presentation or would you like to just hear from us generally? Not a full presentation. I just want to hear what updates or changes there are from the first time. Sure. Absolutely. Um let's have Doug uh Tishner from CORE say a few words and then uh Sam and then we can get into the changes. Um good evening. Uh I'll keep it brief.

I just wanted to say I'm grateful and very appreciative of your time tonight and um it's been a long time to get to where we are today and uh we're very excited to move forward with this process and look forward to your vote and just want to thank staff um immensely for all the hard work and all the stakeholders involved to kind of get us to where we are today.

uh we've, you know, worked very hard with staff and it's been a great outcome that we're very excited about and that also goes with all the stakeholders uh that we met with all the neighbors and just appreciative all the the coordination that got us here today. So, thank you all and thank you uh to everyone. Thank you. Appreciate it. Um Sam Gordon from Wexford.

Uh I wanted to thank everyone dating back to 2018 when we first purchased the first congressional church uh from the congregation who had vacated. Um so I want I sincerely want to thank the city councils dating back to that time because we had started designing projects uh on that site when neighboring parcels became available for sale and we expanded the property.

we felt it was best for the the city, the area to actually combine everything into one project and that actually delayed the the project um you know seven years to to where we are today. Uh so I sincerely want to thank uh city council today, the city councils dating back to 2018, the city staff today, Ryan, Jeff, their teams, and the prior city staffs because we had been working on projects uh like I said that kind of got halted and canled as the site grew. Uh Tempe is deeply important to us.

I think you know each of you know our commitment to the city uh not only for residential housing but uh for for restaurants for for food and beverage uh we have a a very big focus on enhancing the streetscape that'll be a huge focus here for seventh street a little bit on Sixth Street we have space for uh a beautiful restaurant uh on Seventh Street trying to pay homage to House of Tricks as best we can um uh we are you know also as you know, preserving two historic buildings as part of this project.

Uh, including one which will remain on the site and one we're relocating to another city-owned site. Uh, so it's a seven-year process to get to here. I I just want to thank everyone again. Uh, we're happy to hand any questions. Thank you. Sounds good. Thank you, Mr. Gordon. Um, Council Member Chin, thank you, Mayor.

um you were kind enough to answer some questions for me and I think it's worthwhile to address these questions publicly because uh the concerns I I had and expressed to you were shared by some other residents and stakeholders about the uh retail space and frankly we're tired of seeing empty retail space on the bottom floor of buildings. So, uh, I I was satisfied by your answer and if you could share with us the intention of how you're going to activate that.

Yeah, I can start and uh Doug can chime in. Um, but uh the the re restaurants has been a massive focus for us. We own a lot of uh retail space on Mill Avenue as many of you know. We've been working very hard over the last several years to bring new restaurants to the area that hadn't uh really considered coming here before or been here before. Uh obviously one just opened at Milan University that most of you are familiar with.

Um seeing their early success honestly we are getting phone calls from similar type restaurants that want to be in this area. uh it kind of you know took took one to to to start that process and uh there will be a massive uh focus on uh bringing the right restaurant concept to this spot. We we are very focused on enhancing the streetscape as I mentioned landscaping lighting. Uh it's such a important connector street between Mill Avenue eastward.

Uh and so um you know Doug and and our architect Mike Duffy can speak a little bit more about just specifics on design and what we're doing there. Uh but we have developed some incredible relationships with uh restaurants around the valley. Uh and me personally have developed relations with many of them and that want to uh come here. Uh and so that's what we plan to do here. Yeah, I'd add that um the last thing we'd want in any building is a vacant space at the ground floor.

And you know, something that that we do is we make the capital investment into that into that space immediately. So, we don't put it on the tenant and make it a burden on them from a tenant improvement perspective. Um, and by that I mean specifically black iron ducting as it relates to restaurants, um, grease grease interceptors, things that sometimes get passed on to the tenant.

And from our perspective, that levels the playing field for a number of different operators, whether that's food and beverage or otherwise. Um, we don't want to put that burden on a tenant that may want to occupy that space. And in addition, the way we look at it is overly depending, you know, our revenue stream on restaurant space is not not the intent here. The intent is to fill that space and activate it to Sam's head and really kind of bring life to that that area.

So, that's that's our goal. Sounds good. Um, Council Member Adams. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, Sam and Doug, you did a great job with this project. I'm so excited. I'm excited that we're also preserving our historic buildings and uh that I really appreciate that. I just couldn't envision that cute little white church going down. So, uh, thanks for that. Of course, Trixs is has been a an amazing restaurant for many decades.

So, I'm excited we're saving saving that building and just with the project you put through this and and how you you stayed with it. I mean, after seven years, I mean, I remember when I was first elected to council in 2018, this came up then. So, my gosh, it's been it's been a long time, but you've, you know, hung in there and uh just can't can't thank you enough for being supportive of of developing this area and the beautiful development that I look forward to seeing right away. Thanks, guys.

Thank you, Council Adams. Uh, Council Brand. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, thank you, guys. Uh, I'm a little heartened after listening to that and I will say I'm looking forward to learning more a little bit about the sincere efforts you guys have to make sure that we don't continue to have the empty spaces along Mil Avenue and the exterior of Mil Avenue as well. Uh, so yeah, I'm looking forward to that. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else on council? Any uh Vice Mayor Garland?

I I love the partnerships that you've made with the city of Tempee and how this is working. Um, we just had a National League of Cities meeting um, here in Tempee at the Butes and there were 65 people from across the country here who loved going down on Tamil Mill Avenue and being at the Filthy Animal. They asked me if I'd ever been there. They're like, "Oh, it's the greatest place to go." So, it was nice to hear that these that the hotel is telling them to go there.

So, the West Co were doing that. I also want to say thank you so much for the work that you have done um, in partnership with the mosque and really listening to them. There'll be your immediate nextdoor neighbors and I thought that that was a very respectful and the way way you handle that and the way you worked with your relationship with them um and the neighbors also that'll be around there. I'm just really impressed with that. The density in the city of Tempee.

This is where it should be is right in downtown core of the city of Tempee. So this is the right spot, right thing in the right spot. I love the fact that we are still going to be figuring out I can't wait. Yeah. tell me when you're going to be moving the um the Harry Walker house because that will be a sight to see going down the road wherever it's going to be to be preserved forever. So, I appreciate you guys doing that.

And the church, I can't wait to be able to get into the church and see what that looks like and thank you so much for preserving that. That's a great piece of history for the city of Tempe and I appreciate it. And I will be voting to approve. Thank you, Vice Mayor Garwood. Council member Hodge, thank you so much. Um I I echo what all my colleagues have said. They took kind of all the words out of my mouth that I wanted to say, but um my thing is request is I want a steakhouse.

So if you think about I I think I've told you that before, but um and the fact that we are preserving and that's one of the things that we hear a lot in our city is that we preserve some of the history there and this what you what you actually work with the city to do is going to give that back to us. So, thank you so much for all the work, hard work you did. And I want to thank our city staff because I know that this was a long process for them also to get to the point where they're at.

So, thank you so much for that. And as that, I am voting yes also on that. So, thank you. Sounds good. Thank you. Uh any other comments from council? All right. Once again, this is also a public hearing. I do have one comment. I apologize. We last time I mentioned we were talking with staff about parking and we added the uh floor of parking. Um I just need to get on the record I just talked to Ryan and Jeff about it.

We just want to get on the record that there are minor changes to the project data site data table. So that's what parts of what you're approving tonight is the PD and on the PD the building height because we added a floor um is now 325 instead of 315. Um and then our parking ratio has changed to the ratio the city uh asked us to um uh 195 per bed and ultimately there are some floor area changes because we added a floor of parking.

Um so I just had to get that on the record because that was not what was in front of you. So that was a reflection of what happened when we when we met uh uh the city's request. So that is it and we thank you so much. I I know I didn't thank Rosa last time and and actually thank the members of council. I thanked all the staff people, but uh it's been a long road and it's just been amazing. Um very very very good to work with everyone here. So, thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. All right.

This is also a public hearing item, so I want to make sure to open up the public testimony portion of the public hearing. Uh I only have one card uh and the speaker is virtual. It's Omar Omar Abdullah and Madam Clerk is Mr. Abdullah in the virtual audience. Yes, he is. He should be able to unmute his mic. Good evening, Mayor Woods, uh, Vice Mayor and Council. My name is Omar Abdala. I'm an attorney representing the Islamic Community Center of Tempee, the applicant's neighbor.

I don't have too much to say tonight. I just wanted to thank city staff, uh, Darren and the applicant. and we worked very well together uh and really appreciate the applicant and making the modifications that they did uh to accommodate our concerns. That's all I have and we're looking forward to working together uh throughout the construction. Thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Uh is there anyone else in the audience this evening wishing to address the council?

If so, please get my attention now. Yes, Mr. Bastion. Please, please come down. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name is Nick Bastion. I'm a resident of Tempe, Arizona. I didn't come here this evening to speak on this topic, but this little church means a lot to me, and I I really appreciate the fact that they're going to be preserving a lot of that.

Um, I went to that church in the 1970s with my family and my brother was married there more than 25 years ago. My father's funeral was at that church. The day they closed that church, I went to the last service and I took photos of that old stained glass that was in there.

So, just to hear this, I thought I'd at least come and say thank you to these people that will be preserving some of that because I know we need quality development in our city, but I also know that we need quality history being preserved and I'm appreciative of the fact that people pay attention to that. So, that's all I have to say about it. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Is there anyone else in the audience wishing to address the council on this item? If so, please get my attention now.

All right, seeing none, I will close the public testimony portion of the public hearing. Uh, just one quick comment for me. I just want to say basically everything that's already been said by people in the audience and folks up here. I just really appreciate the development team and all the work that you've done. And as Mr. Gordon mentioned, uh, they purchased the site back in 2018. I I actually came on council again in 2020.

So, you were already two years into this project at the point that I actually became mayor. Uh, but I've always had a great time working with you. Uh, and I've always found you and the entire team here very receptive uh to trying to find ways to make changes to make sure that you were satisfying some of the early kind of concerns or questions that the ICC had when a member from the Orchid House came up to the last meeting and said, "Hey, we would just like to we're not opposed.

We just want to have a conversation." you know, Darren, you immediately ran over and had the conversation with her and really always appreciate that openness and willingness to have a conversation and try to accommodate needs. And I just remember one of the early conversations I had with Mr. Gordon probably in my second or third month of being mayor uh where we talked about some of the preservation of that church. And I actually want to say this uh because Mr.

Bastion brought up a very interesting comment. Uh Mr. word knows when that church was actually initially vacated, uh there was actually a request to actually tear the church down by the folks who occupied the church at one point and I think there was a concern about will this be used for a use that we frankly don't like at the point that this congregation is no longer utilizing this building. Uh but it was so important to Mr. Gordon to frankly save that history.

He very much understood how meaningful it was to so many people in this community like Mr. Bastion, how important the stained glass windows are. How many people we know who got married in that church, attended funerals in that church, and just frankly attended services in that church, but also to, you know, the commitment to the Harry Walker house that Vice Mayor Garland talked about.

The fact that you're spending quite a bit of money to relocate that house to a piece of city property so that could also be preserved because there were a lot of us here. I know I was at the very last evening uh at House of Tricks until we shut the place down around probably 10:30 or 11:00 and everyone was there just telling stories about how important that building was and how important that restaurant was.

But the fact that you're trying to pay homage to the tricks and all that they did at that site and preserving a over 100-year-old home really is critically important. And I think that this really is the epitome, as Mr. Bastion referenced, of responsible development. It's finding ways to add muchneeded units to our community and to our downtown, but also making sure that we can preserve the very important history that makes Tempe what it was and what it's always been.

So, I just wanted to thank Mr. Gordon and Wexford for all the work and the entire team here from CORE and from Center Associates for all the work that you've done and not only working with council and staff, but working frankly with the community first and foremost. Yes, Council Hodgej. I I just want to say that I actually was with the tricks about three weeks ago and they're very excited about the the development that's coming in and what is going to be done.

So, um they they did tell me to give that information to us. So, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yes, Council Member Adams. Yes, I would like to make a motion to approve. Okay. It's been moved by Council Member Adams and seconded by Council Member Chin. Any further comments or questions? Hearing none. All those in favor, please vote. Yes. And that item passes 7 to zero. Congratulations.

The last item under the section is 8C2, which is to hold the second and final public hearing to adopt an ordinance abandoning an existing non-exclusive access easement on property located at 1125 East Rio Salado Parkway and authorizing the mayor or his designate to execute an easement agreement and related documents. This is also a public hearing item. So, if there's any public testimony on item 8C2 from anyone in the audience, please get my attention now.

Seeing none, I'll close the public testimony portion of the public hearing. Council members, any comments or discussion? Uh, it's been moved by council member Hodgej. Do I have a second? Second by council member Keading. Please vote. Yes. And that item is approved. 720. That brings me to item number nine, current events, council announcements, and future agenda items.

Once again, during item number nine, council members may request that an agenda item be added to a future council meeting during their aotted time, but in accordance with the open meeting law, there should be no discussion on the item other than to clarify the request. Uh, I'm going to go ahead and call upon council members, and I'm actually going to start with the person who's virtual this evening, council member Adams. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I will look forward to seeing you in person.

Uh, so I just want to I just want to tell everybody that I'm in Nebraska right now visiting my parents and last night my mom turned 93 years old. So, happy birthday, Mom. It's been a great trip and my mom and dad are still going strong. So, um, I'll be I'll be back real soon and and can't wait to see the residents of Tempi. Thank you. Thank you, Council Brad. Appreciate it. Uh, next up, Council Member Chin. No announcements. Um, next up, thank you, Council Member Hajj.

Yes, I want to start off by saying congratulation to all the graduates. Um, my high schools are graduating in another week and but all to ASU and all the community, all the colleges around. Congratulations to everyone. And uh, second, tonight, this is a special thing for me. It's called beat the odds. That's one of our the reason why this is important. I missed it tonight because we're at council.

This is our teenage um pregnancy parents and um there we only have two in the state and Tempe Union has one and I just want to congratulate them on beating the odds and graduating from high school. And last but not least, um please save the date. We have I have a Sandy Hook Promise coming out. We have a speech on that on May 31st and that with myself and Chief McCoy will be keynoting that speech together about Standing Hook Promise. So it's May it's May 31st from 1 to 3.

It's a free event at the Pile Center. And that's it. Thank you, Council Member Hajj. Next up, Council Member Amber. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh for my first one, today is Harvey Milk Day. Today we honor Harvey Mil, California's first openly gay elected official and a trailblazer for the LGBTQ plus rights community in the United States. He's a visionary leader. He championed equality, dignity, and justice for all through his life. He was tragically taken in 1978.

Uh his legacy lives on through the laws, movements, and generations inspired by advocates. And as we remember him, uh, let's speak up. Let's stand together and never forget hope is never silent. My next one is very, uh, special to me. As you can see, I want to congratulate, like, uh, Council Member Hajj, all of our grads. Uh, these three that you see on TV and on your crowds are very, very important to me. Of course, the one in the middle is my daughter Jessica. She is graduating from Corona.

Uh she is going to head up to Colorado because she wants to beat the heat. She's going to go to Colorado in Boulder. She's going to graduate in psychology. She wants to help uh teenage girls. And um I'm going to miss her. She is the last of my four. So as of August, I'm going to be an empty neester. So, you know, I'm going to be asking a lot of people to go do things to get me out of my house from now on. Um the one on the right who is also going to be graduating from Corona is my niece Jillian.

Um Council Member Chen. She is going to be going to ASU in the fall. She's uh at Barrett's Honors College. So, yes, uh she and Jessica have grown up together and um basically cradle to um hopefully grave. The one on the left, although you know, I'm sorry, she's going to UVA or she went to UVA. She uh graduated in May, that's my daughter's girlfriend, Camila. Uh she is a poke tattoo artist, which is very cool. Um and she also got a degree in graphic arts.

And if anybody, you know, remembers during my last election, she is actually the one that designed my uh logo. So, it was fantastic. So, I've got one more and I've got a special assist from council member Chin. Uh she's got a visual going on here. I want to congratulate the Corona baseball team. Uh they won last night the 6A championship. And I have to say, you know how competitive I am. I mean, everybody knows, especially when it comes to sports.

Not only did they win, but they mercy ruled Castile within five innings. So 10 to zero in five innings and they had to call the game. That's how fantastic they were. Uh it this this team actually has a little bit of a connection with the city of Tempee because my former council assistant uh Anelica Gonzalez, her son as a junior, he is a pitcher for uh the Corona varsity team.

So, this is what a state champion and Ty, I'm I'm supposed to tell you this is what a state championship logo looks uh patch looks like. That is it. Thank you. And congratulations again. Thank you, Council Member Amber. And thank you, Council Member Chin for the assist. Mayor Mayor, can I say one thing to Council Amber? She's actually going to be handing her daughter her diploma in a few weeks. So, that's going to be something exciting. Yes. But next up, Vice Mayor Garland. Thank you, Mayor.

I just have one. Together, Tempe initiative aims to raise additional $25,000 to support local nonprofits. Tempe Community Council in partnership with the city of Tempe is calling on local residents and businesses to rally behind the 25,000 in 2025. It's a challenge, a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $25,000 this year through the Tempe Together initiative.

Tempe temp together tempee is a simple and effective way to support our local nonprofits providing essential human services supporting families in crisis seniors individuals and with disabilities people experiencing homelessness and others right here in our own community. 100% of the donations go directly to these organizations.

Residents can contribute through easy ongoing giving either by calling 48-350-8361 to add a monthly donation to their Tempe water bill or by donating directly to get to um together tempe at togethermpe.org. Every dollar every single dollar whether $1, $5 or $10 a month helps to create a lasting change. Local businesses are invited to join the challenge as they are partners who play a vital role in building a stronger community.

Um contra contributions from businesses can be made online at www.to togethertempe.org and together we can make a real difference at the city of Tempee. Thank you, mayor. Thank you so much. Next up, Council Biting. Uh thank you, mayor. You know, I can't remember if I mentioned it at our last meeting, so I'm going to mention it again.

Uh last Friday was my brother's 40th birthday, and as you know, Mayor, I was on a cruise, my first cruise, and I can tell you they're they're a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. Um, but this was a special vacation for me because not only did I I went and came back without suffering a traumatic injury. So, [Music] [Applause] y happy birthday, Matt. Thank you, Council Mckin.

Uh, I don't have any comments other than the fact that I get to work with the greatest people that a guy could ever work with. So, I wanted to say that to each and every one of you. So, I love you all. Next up, item number 10, public appearances. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to address the council at this time? If so, please come forward and state your name and city of residence for the record. Anyone? All right. Seeing none, that brings me to item number 11, which is adjournment.

The next scheduled regular city council meeting will be on June 5th, 2025. Just a note, council, before we adjourn, we have two more meetings we have to finish down here before an executive session upstairs. So, we're going to give things about a minute for Jason to turn everything around and we will continue. But with that, our regular council meeting is adjourned. Thank you everyone. Good evening everyone. Welcome to the Tempe City Council special budget meeting.

Item number one, call to order. Council meetings can be watched in real time via Cox Cable Channel 11 and at temp.govtemp1. Members of the public may also attend the meeting virtually through Microsoft Teams. Also, as a note once again, Council Member Adams is attending virtually this evening. Uh also the statement played during the video early at the regular council meeting regarding the proper conduct of city council meetings still applies to this special meeting as well.

So first of all item 2 a uh hold a public hearing to adopt a resolution adopting the fiscal year 202526 ten of the budget and setting public hearings for June 5th 2025 for the following. One adopting the fiscal year's 202526 through 202930 capital improvements program. two, holding a truth and taxation hearing. Three, approving the fiscal year 202526 property tax levy. And four, adopting the fiscal year 202526 final budget.

Also, setting a public hearing for the final adoption of the property tax levy rate at a meeting scheduled for July 1st, 2025. Any comments from our chief deputy city manager, uh, our CFO here, Lette Kamacho. Any comments? No, she's all good. Great. All right. This is also a public hearing item. Uh so if there's any public testimony on this item, please get my attention now. All right. Seeing that, I'll close the public testimony portion of the public here. Sir. Yes. Oh, sorry. Yes. Yes.

Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Yes. Yes. My name is Mario Martinez and I live in Tempee. I have some severe concerns about the budgetary priorities of Tempee right now. What I've seen repeatedly un and unfortunately is the money that we are providing the city of Tempee is not being spent appropriately. That's just not right. And we saw that with the Coyotes deal.

We we saw that with the Coyotes deal where supposedly we got this great election that proved that democracy worked. We wasted uh uh uh $225,000 approximately that amount on an election that wasn't even necessary. It could have gone to the next uh uh next uh uh next general election, regular election at no cost. We had to uh Hugh Hullman, he had his uh uh he offered $160,000 worth of free legal services.

We ended up getting in a law uh in a lawsuit over this where we had to fork out over uh 350k uh in a lawsuit to uh city of uh Phoenix that would have not have been needed. Where are our priorities? We had these Corey had these three illegal meetings. I still have not gotten the the social media dashboard. They say it doesn't exist. I have to make other requests. We we got this lawsuit uh uh uh pending against the Tempe City of Tempee.

Uh amongst other things, a woman, an award-winning DUI uh uh uh uh Tempe uh officer uh hit a lady and and severely injured her uh let's see, killed her unborn child and now we're facing millions of dollars. Where where are the priorities? There's a lot of lip service about uh there's a lot of lip service about reimagining police making elections proving that they work and I don't really see the true commitment on behind but you know she's worth she's getting over 330k a year.

Hey, the the uh clearly no one is worth that money. That's more than the pres the Federal Reserve governor makes. Where why do we have to spend this money and get such little in return? And I if this entails a a property tax increase, which I'm not sure it does. There's property taxes, I'm definitely against it.

And this is is I know it's going to pass anyway, but I think that you know the council has to be held accountable for and the the high level uh paid staff for not doing an effective job with our tax dollars. It's just not fair. Thank you. All right. This is also I so we'll get a public hearing. If there's anyone who wishes to give any public testimony, please get my attention now. All right. Seeing none, I'll close the public testimony portion of the public hearing.

Uh, council members, any comments or discussion? All right. Hearing none. Uh, do I have a motion on item 2A? It's been moved by Vice Mayor Garland and seconded by Council Member Hajj. Please vote. Um, I have to say I Okay. Okay. So, I Okay. Thank you. Yes. All right. And that item passes unanimously, seven to zero. Next item. Uh, number three, adjournment. The next scheduled city council special budget meeting is on June 5th, 2025. We are adjourned once again.

We have got one more meeting, but we're adjourned on this meeting. Good evening everyone. Welcome to the Rio Salado Community Facilities District Board meeting. Item number one is call to order. Council meetings can be watched in real time via Coxcable Channel 11 and at temp.gov/temple11. Members of the public may also attend the meeting virtually through Microsoft Teams. Once again, just a note that board member Adams is attending the meeting virtually.

The statement that we played during the video uh statement video that we play during the regular council meeting regarding the proper conduct of city council meeting still applies for this board meeting as well. Let's go to item 2A which is the approval of Rio Salado Community Facilities District board meeting minutes for October 1st, 2024. Do I have a motion? So moved. Moved by Vice Mayor Garland and seconded by council member Kading. Please vote. I yes and that item passes seven to zero.

Next up item three which are our public hearing items.

The only item under the section is 3A, which is to hold a public hearing to adopt a resolution levying the annual assessment for the Rio Salado Community Facilities District improvement project number one consisting of the acquisition, construction, and annual maintenance of certain improvements within the district, approving the tenative budget of the district for the fiscal year 2025 2026 and setting the date for and ordering the giving of notice of a public hearing to receive objections of the assessments and tenative budget.

Look at that. All right. Uh 30 comments uh from community development on this item. I'm looking right at Ryan and Jeff. It doesn't look like they want to say anything. That's what I I was right. Okay. All right. This is also a public hearing item, though. So, if there's anyone wishing to give any public testimony on item 3A, please get my attention now. All right. Seeing none, I'll close the public testimony portion. The public's dead. Board member Keing. My goodness.

Um uh board members, any comments or discussion? It's been moved by board member Kading, seconded by board member Hajj. Uh any further discussion? I Okay. Yes. Um let's see. Uh board member Chin. She's thinking uh and that item, she was weighing her options. Uh that item passes seven to zero. Was it? I think she did, didn't she? She did. I think she did. Um, just for the record. Yes. See? Yep. There we go. All right. Uh, next up then, item number four, which is adjournment.

The next scheduled Rio Salado Community Facilities District Board meeting is going to be on June 5th, 2025. We are adjourned. Council, we need to finish an executive session upstairs.