Council Regular/Special Meeting

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT TOWN COUNCIL IN SPECIAL MEETING, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2017 AT 8:00 A.M., BARNONE, 3000 E. RAY ROAD, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Jenn Daniels; Vice Mayor Victor Petersen; and Councilmembers Scott Anderson, Eddie Cook, Brigette Peterson, Jordan Ray and Jared Taylor STAFF PRESENT: Patrick Banger, Town Manager; Leah Hubbard Rhineheimer, Assistant Town Manager; Mary Goodman, Interim Assistant Town Manager; Jacob Ellis, Assistant Town Manager; and Assistant Town Attorney Nancy L. Davidson. OTHER: Speaker J.D. Mesnard Senator Warren Petersen Representative Eddie Farnsworth Representative Jeff Weninger Representative Travis Grantham CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Mayor Daniels called the meeting to order at 8:20 a.m. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS Mayor Daniels welcomed the State Legislative Delegation and introduced the members of the Town Council and Town staff. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS 1. Town Update Presentation Town Manager Patrick Banger gave an overview of Town services, demographics, financial health, achievements, and future plans. He highlighted the Town’s adoption of the new Sign Code and the Town being one of the first municipalities in the country to adopt ordinances related to the deployment of small cells in the community. 2. Town of Gilbert’s Local and Legislative Priorities Mayor Jenn Daniels provided an overview of the Town’s legislative issues, priorities, and current projects, including the recent launch of Alex and the Open Data Portal, construction of the four-story and parking garage in the Heritage District, work related to the Lindsay/202 San Tan Interchange project, plans related to the Gilbert Regional Park, and repairs of Elliott District Park to address safety issues. She highlighted the new Gilbert 311 mobile app and indicated that 469 of the 552 citizen entries received through this app were resolved within three days. She emphasized the importance of the Town’s partnership with the San Carlos Apache Tribe and the  Special Council Meeting 12/14/2017 Page 2 of 4 proposed long-term water lease, which is in the hands of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Counselor Vincent DeVito. She thanked the new administration for making this lease possible. 3. Discussion with State Legislative Delegation that may include but is not limited to questions and answers related to the budget and priorities for the upcoming legislative session, opportunities for legislative support and partnership, and potential proposals relating to legislation. Councilmember Brigette Peterson discussed the Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF) transportation funding. Councilmember Taylor said he is proud of the Town’s sound approach to Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) and Council’s three-point policy to pay down unfunded liabilities on a schedule that is more aggressive that what is used by PSPRS. Representative Farnsworth indicated that the state legislature’s hands are tied when it comes to PSPRS reform because of constitutional issues. Senator Petersen stated he is working with the Reason Foundation on a proposal to address PSPRS issues that withstands constitutional challenges. Councilmember Jared Taylor asked the State Legislative Delegation to consider changes in state law to address poorly run group homes. He said his goal is to maintain maximum individual freedoms, but he understands the struggle of balancing private property rights with the needs of residents. He said Gilbert residents have a right to enjoy their private properties without interference from poorly run group homes. Mayor Jenn Daniels added that well-run group homes are not the problem and there are possible solutions at the state level to deal with bad players. She said she hopes the state will work on solutions because local jurisdictions have limited authority in this area. Representative Farnsworth said he has not heard any good ideas to address issues with group homes. Representative Weninger said he is familiar with local issues caused by group homes, such as the clustering issues in the City of Chandler. Councilmember Ray discussed Streetlight Improvement Districts and a proposal to improve efficiency and uniformity by allowing of the consolidation of accounts. Councilmember Cook said Gilbert residents identified domestic violence as a critical issue. He said the Town is exploring two ideas to address the issue: “violence under the influence” and acts of domestic violence in the presence of a child.  Special Council Meeting 12/14/2017 Page 3 of 4 Councilmember Anderson discussed a manufacturer’s apprenticeship program and a proposal to remove some of the state law restrictions on the types of work an individual under the age 18 is authorized to perform in a manufacturing employment setting. He said changes to state law in this area will be a priority for the East Valley Chamber of Commerce Alliance in 2018. Representative Farnsworth said that he is not necessarily opposing changes to state law in this area, but he thinks all the issues should be thought through before proposing blanket rules. Senate President Yarbrough said he has been dealing with the recent issues related to Trent Franks stepping down. He said there is an existing sexual harassment policy that has been in place for 12 years. He said two sexual harassment trainings have been scheduled and a revised sexual harassment policy will be released in the next few days. He said he informed the minority that gender identity will not be protected under the revised policy. He said he anticipated that the focus of the new budget will be on funding K-12 schools. He said he expects good legislation related to the taxation of digital goods and services. He said there are indications that the Governor may make changes to the state’s water policy. Senator Petersen discussed the “recess bill” that would provide greater flexibility to school districts, a pension reform bill that would require better accountability, and a proposed bill to improve the practices related to advertising and processing unclaimed property. Representative Farnsworth said that, as Chair of the Ethics Committee, the biggest concern has been over the recent sexual harassment claims. As Chair of the Judiciary Committee, he said the focus has been on reducing recidivism. Representative Weninger said he has been working on bills relating to home-based businesses, telepharmarcies, and fintech spaces. Representative Grantham stated he is working on reforming the record keeping and disclosure obligations of licensing boards. ADJOURN Mayor Jenn Daniels adjourned the meeting. Comments from Joe Johnston and Optional Tor of Barnone/Agritopia ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Jenn Daniels, Mayor Lisa Maxwell, CMC, Deputy Town Clerk CERTIFICATION  Special Council Meeting 12/14/2017 Page 4 of 4 I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the special meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Gilbert held on the 14th day of December 2017. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this ____ day of ____________________. ___________________________________ Lisa Maxwell, CMC, Deputy Town Clerk