Bed tax system and sewer improvements top agenda at Council’s February 13 meeting

*Note: Because of the length of items covered, we've split this into two parts. The Bed Tax #6A is covered in part two. 

Members of the Globe City Council: Mayor Al Gameros, Vice Mayor Mike Stapleton (District 4), and Council members Freddy Rios (District 1), Mike Pastor (District 2), Jesse Leetham (District 3), Mariano Gonzalez (District 5), and Fernando Shipley (District 6). All members were in attendance at this meeting except Councilman Shipley.

Community discusses proposed bed tax system changes

In response to a City proposal to modify the bed tax system – a program by which the City collects a tax on hotel and motel rooms and then distributes it to local nonprofit organizations that promote tourism – members of the community stepped up to make passionate comments about the importance of these organizations and the hard work they do on very limited budgets.

Please see the article LINK for a complete, separate write-up of the discussion on this issue.

Sewer improvements inch forward with NE Corridor study

Council heard a presentation from consultant Kimley-Horn regarding a study of the Northeast Corridor Sewer project.

As background, Public Works Director John Angulo explained that about 20 years ago the City extended a sewer line to the Maple/South Street area and as far as the drive-in. That area is what is known as the northeast corridor, where the City has often looked for growth and expansion possibilities.

Jeffrey Kellner, from Kimley-Horn, gave a careful explanation of the project and responded to questions from Council. Kellner explained that the study looked at the entire area north and east of Highway 60, from the southern portion of the city out past the fairgrounds.

The study also looked at the existing wastewater collection and treatment system and the potential impacts to the system if it is expanded. The study also identified necessary improvements to the existing wastewater treatment facility.

“I don’t know how much growth is going to be in the Northeast Corridor, but I know there won’t be much if we don’t have sewer ready for that. That is the obvious area for growth.” City Manager Paul Jepson

About the collection system, Kellner said the options are either a) to serve the northeast area with a new treatment plant or b) to extend a pipe that will connect to the existing system. He said the second option is preferable because creating a new treatment plant would mean any new development other than the fairground area would have no infrastructure. By extending pipe instead, service could be provided to the entire northeast area. The fairgrounds area would need its own lift station due to the topography of the area, Kellner said.

Kimley-Horn’s study also identified some choke points within the existing collection system that would need to be upgraded to be able to accommodate flows from the northeast area.

About improvements to the existing treatment system, Keller said the current system has a permitted capacity of 1.2 million gallons per day and it has a Class B permit, which means upgrades will be required if the City wishes to produce Class A+ effluent. Upgrades are also recommended to address aging equipment, including, for example, the headwork.

Kimley-Horn has created a project list for components of the system that have been completed and those that need additional analysis.

Kellner noted that the City is already in talks with a private stakeholder to potentially cost-share improvements to the existing wastewater treatment facility. Kellner said the City and the private entity need to collaborate to create the groundwork for a design approach.

Mariscal pointed out that the current system does have some capacity to expand. Currently, it is handling 500,000 to 600,000 gallons per day, and it could handle a maximum of 1.5 million gallons per day.

“We want to get sewer for the existing customers, but we want to know how to plan ahead, and plan for future growth.” City Manager Paul Jepson

Kellner provided specific numbers as to flow projections. The need for improvements would be triggered by certain amounts of development that translate into higher flow levels. The study shows 14% of potential flows would come from the fairgrounds area and 86% of potential future flows would be generated outside the fairgrounds area. As the peak potential flow for the system, Kimley-Horn aimed at 2 million gallons per day.

Kimley-Horn also looked at possible opportunities for funding to pay for any expansion. For the collection system, the USDA would be a primary source of funds. USDA requires a very specific and concise preliminary engineering report before they will grant funding, Kellner said. The City would have to complete many pieces of that report, including, for example, an environmental impact analysis and an economic impact analysis.

City Engineer Luis Chavez pointed out that the City needs to determine the actual capacity of the system coming from the northeast corridor. This is a complicated problem due to the many connections to the system. Many measurements need to be taken to determine the diameters of the pipes, and meters need to be installed in order to determine flows.

Paul Hendricks, from the consultant EUSI, pointed out that the City already has a WIFA loan that still has $400,000 available that could be used for flow assessment and analysis.

With regard to effluent improvements to the existing system, Wastewater Facilities Manager Vince Mariscal said the next step will be to meet with stakeholders, then develop a scope, timeline and budget, and finally send the project out to bid and find a contractor.

“The wisdom that the City fathers had over the years of making an agreement with our local industry to make beneficial use of the water for the environment and for business puts you in an excellent position to upgrade this water quality.” Paul Hendricks, EUSI

Jepson said the Kimley-Horn study will put the City is a good position to be prepared with all the information needed when a developer asks about the feasibility of a project.

Employee recognitions

Council recognized three City employees for their service upon their retirement. Chief Gary Robinson said both men have provided “a great amount of service to the community” and will be sorely missed in terms of experience and leadership.

• Firefighter Michael Peterson was recognized for 25 years of service. He started work for the City on August 23, 1998, and is retiring from the Fire Department. He started as a volunteer with the Fire Department at age 14 and then joined the ranks of the FD at age 19, as the youngest to join in a full-time capacity. Chief David Bejarano praised Firefighter Peterson for his professionalism, dignity, and knowledge, and for his composure and leadership under challenging conditions.

• Captain Daniel "DJ" Bolinger, Fire Department, was recognized for 20 years of service. He started work for the City on February 2, 2004 and is retiring. He served as a volunteer and then as a reserve firefighter prior to becoming a career firefighter. He has served as Captain since 2016. Chief Bejarano praised Captain Bolinger for his rapport with the public, for his leadership even before he held a formal leadership position, and for his amazing cooking.

• Captain Daniel "DJ" Bolinger, Fire Department, was recognized for 20 years of service. Photo by LCGross

Chief Robinson also recognized the officers’ families for their sacrifices - in terms of time away from their spouse and parent, worry and lost sleep – to allow their family member to provide the level of service to the community. “We appreciate them, we appreciate their sacrifice,” Chief Robinson said.

Frank Ogden, Senior Center, was recognized for 11 years of service. He started work for the City on June 21, 2012, and is retiring. Frank is known as the Meals on Wheels guy and is known for being Santa at Christmastime. Paul Jepson praised him for his dedication on the Meals on Wheels route

Mayor Gameros recognizes CTE Month and School Counseling Week

Mayor Gameros read proclamations honoring February as Career and Technical Education Month and this week as National School Counseling Week. CVIT Central Campus Counselor Aja deZeeuw commented on the importance of CTE for preparing students for the workforce, and the role of student counselors in helping students succeed in their future jobs.

Motions approved

Council also approved motions for the following:

• Accounts payable in the amount of $1,213,954.88. Jepson explained that the figure was high this month because of a significant payment related to a significant project.
• Approving a move by the Globe Police Department of its public safety communication platform from Verizon Cellular to AT&T FirstNet.
• Approving an invitation for bid for the 4th Street and Daybreak waterline replacement project, and moving forward with an advertisement. The projects will come back before Council once the City selects a successful bid.
• Approving a professional services contract for on-call engineering and professional support services with Barnes Engineering LLC in an amount not to exceed $80,000, of which $40,375 has already been billed and paid. Jepson noted that the City’s former Public Works Director, Jerry Barnes, who recently retired, continued to work on ongoing projects for three months on site and an additional six months on contract. This motion ratifies his on-call contract. Jepseon noted the City intends to contract with Barnes for floodplain management work. 

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To view documents related to this meeting, click here. 

Full minutes can be found by going to the City Hall website.

The Globe City Council meets every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The meetings are currently open to the public at 50% capacity. Members of the public are requested to wear a mask except when seated. Seating is limited to allow for social distancing.

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To speak to agenda items before or during the meeting, call or text (928) 200-0154 or email council@globeaz.gov. If you desire to speak to the Council during an agenda item.