Strategic Action Plan presented at Council’s April 25 meeting

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 Mayor Gameros and Councilman Shipley.

Council hears Strategic Action Plan for 2023

Community and Economic Development Director Linda Oddonetto presented the City’s Strategic Action Plan for 2023. Final approval of the plan was delayed to the May 23 meeting so Mayor Gameros and Councilman Shipley could comment.

The plan includes the following priorities:

Community and Economic Development

• Downtown redevelopment plan
• Housing
• Tourism marketing
• Michaelson Business Incubator
• Wayfinding
•  

Infrastructure

• Northeast Corridor sewer expansion
• Northeast Corridor water line replacement
• Downtown parking redesign

Quality of Life and Recreational Development

• Plan for Parks and Recreation development
• Recreational master plan in partnership with the Tonto National Forest Service
• Optimize transit opportunities

Public Safety

• New fire station and ladder truck
• Training/training center
• Community involvement and public relations
• City emergency plan

Financial Sustainability

• Review of the bed tax system
• Long-term organizational staffing
• Optimization of revenue sources
• Development fee schedule update
• Water/wastewater fee and capacity study

Community pool to open soon,City takes on final approvals

City Manager Paul Jepson would not commit to a specific date, but he said the community pool would open soon, at a time that “will make everyone happy.”

Council approved an agreement between the Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center and the City of Globe assigning control to the City of the hospital’s Structural Grounds Improvement Agreement, which applies to completing the bathhouse and site improvements for the pool. Jepson explained that CVRMC had been an equal partner in the community pool since the beginning of the rehab project, and the City of Globe and the hospital have had two parallel contracts with the structural engineer.

As the project winds up, Jepson said it became clear that it would be better to oversee both contracts by a single group of people. As a result, the CVRMC contract is being assigned to the City, and in particular, approval of the work in terms of quality and approval of billing that remains will be handled by the City. This should streamline the rest of the project. 

Jepson noted that the hospital would like to see a shade structure beside the splash pad, so the agreement being approved today includes a provision that the hospital will generously provide funds - around $23,000 - to pay for the shade structure now. The City will repay the hospital at some point in the future. The shade structure will be about 26 feet by 26 feet in size and include seating.

Sewer service coming to the area between Globe and Miami in 2024

In an important step toward bringing sewer services to this area, Council approved signing a letter of support for a request by Tri-City Regional Sanitary District to revise its Water Quality Management Plan and amend its Designated Management Area (DMA) boundary to include a new wastewater treatment plant location. 

Jepson explained that this item is one of the last pieces of the puzzle in Tri-City’s efforts to bring sewer services to the area between Globe and Miami. A contractor has been selected and will start construction in the fourth quarter of 2023. Tri-City expects to start hooking people up in the fourth quarter of 2024. 

Jepson said the location of the wastewater treatment plant is a crucial piece. It will be located at the edge of the DMA, and the DMA will have to be expanded to include the property. He said that having all the surrounding members sign a letter of support will streamline and speed up the process. 

A USDA loan will pay for the majority of the project. Jepson said Senator Sinema has put a $7.1 million item in the Senate budget to provide for unexpected increases in supply-side costs.

Public comment on loose animals and speeding

Two residents complained of loose dogs running around in their neighborhood during public comment. The loose dogs killed one woman’s dog. Jepson said City staff would follow up. Also, Gregory Shoemaker described a problem with speeding on the street where he lives and urged the City to take action. Jepson said the City is already aware of the problem at this location and is considering actions.

Motions approved

Council also approved motions for the following:

• Accounts payable in the amount of $1,108,186.74
• Approving a new exterior paint scheme and windows for the Upton’s Building and adjacent home located at 233 and 253 S. Broad Street. 
• Approving a new exterior paint scheme, awning, and signage for the High Desert Humane Society Building at 395 N. Broad Street.  
• Approving a new exterior paint color and signage for the BMO Harris Bank Building located at 101. S. Broad Street. Council discussed the use of corporate colors for signage, and Zoning Administrator Dana Burkhardt explained that corporate colors are considered in the context of the location and adjacent buildings.
• Accepting an award to the City of Globe from the National Children’s Alliance for $25,000, to be utilized by Globe Police Department Copper Hills Family Advocacy Center. Jepson explained that this item is part of a larger agenda item approved two weeks ago and was inadvertently placed on today’s agenda. It was already approved, so Council tabled it at this meeting.
• Approving an application by the City of Globe to the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (AZDEMA) for a grant for a border security fund for anti-human trafficking, in the amount of $333,320, to be utilized by the City of Globe Police Department. Lt. Steve Williams explained that AZDEMA offers various grants to support the investigation and prevention of human sex trafficking. Money would be used for training, and some would be allocated to the City’s forensic interviewer. It would also contribute to the City’s new victim advocate, discussed at the last meeting, and pay for additional license plate reader cameras. It would also be applied to a portion of a detective’s salary to investigate these crimes. Globe will come back before Council for acceptance if it wins a grant. Lt. Williams said the PD has seen an increase in this type of crime, although that might result from having more officers on the road.
• Approving the submission of projects for consideration for the Arizona 2024 Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Plan Grant. The resolution also appoints Chief Walters as the City’s agent to represent the City’s interest in processing related grants. Lt. Williams the funds would be used for OT for officers to work traffic details, a speed display sign, and a messaging trailer for special events and emergencies. This is a no-match grant.
• A change order to a contract with HT4 for the Dickison Waterline project for $2,815.59. Vince Mariscal explained that a four-inch valve and a stub had been added to allow for future expansion.
• A change order to a contract with Apache Underground and Excavating for the Tebbs Emergency Sewer Line Repair project for $20,748. Mariscal explained that this contract is for emergency repairs and there has been a situation with the common line and issues pertaining to property lines. The work is now complete and everything is working correctly, Mariscal said.

Items moved forward

Council moved forward the following items to the next meeting for final approval:

• Distribution of bed tax to the Gila County Historical Museum request in the amount of $8,960.58 for the third quarter of FY 2022-23 and in the amount of $9,591.32 for the fourth quarter of FY 2022-2023.
• Distribution of bed tax to the Globe-Miami Regional Chamber of Commerce in the amount of $13,440.88 for the third quarter of FY 2022-23 and in the amount of $14,386.99 for the fourth quarter of FY 2022-23.
• Distribution of bed tax to the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts in the amount of $11,947.45 for the third quarter of FY 2022-23 and in the amount of $12,788.43 for the fourth quarter of FY 2022-23.
• Distribution of bed tax to the Downtown Association in the amounts of $14,970.28 for the first quarter of FY 2022-23, $11,447.56 for the second quarter of FY 2022-23, $11,947.45 for the third quarter of FY 2022-23, and $12,788.43 for the fourth quarter of FY 2022-23. This item was moved forward with a stipulation that a member of the Downtown Association come before Council to present about its activities and the use of bed tax funds.

Jepson explained the way the fourth-quarter amounts were calculated. He said when the bed tax system was set up, it created a conundrum for the fourth quarter of every year because the fourth-quarter amounts can’t be determined until the following July or August, which causes problems for the City’s auditors. In essence, money from the prior budget year ends up being distributed in the following year. This year, to avoid that issue, the City averaged the first three distributions and used that amount for the fourth-quarter distributions. The amounts will be adjusted in the future to make them accurate. City staff are continuing to look for a better solution, Jepson said.

Jepson pointed out that the bed tax system was put in place by Council many years ago, and was a not created by the voters. Therefore, Council has responsibility to do due diligence to ensure the monies are being spent properly. The topic is revisited every year as part of the budget process. Council members expressed a desire to have a standalone discussion about the bed tax system, with all parties involved present.

The bed tax items were moved forward to reduce the need to waive the prior discussion rule.

• Approving a library service agreement for FY 2023-2024 with Gila County Library District in the amount of $126,800, plus $1,200 for telephone expenses, for a total of $128,000. This is an annual agreement, and Library Director Rayel Starling pointed out that the library is receiving $4,900 more than last year. The item is being moved forward to allow the agreement to be tweaked for a legal technicality. Starling read the Library Bill of Rights into the session, which the library is required to follow as part of the agreement.

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