Council Regular/Special Meeting

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT TOWN COUNCIL IN SPECIAL MEETING OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2018 AT 7:00 AM, MUNICIPAL CENTER 1, ROOM 300, 50 EAST CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Jenn Daniels, Councilmembers Scott Anderson, Eddie Cook, Brigette Peterson and Jordan Ray COUNCIL ABSENT: Vice Mayor Victor Petersen and Councilmember Jared Taylor STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Patrick Banger, Deputy Town Manager Leah Hubbard Rhineheimer, Deputy Clerk Kris Kingsmore, Assistant Town Engineer Susanna Struble, Planning Manager Linda Edwards AGENDA ITEM CALL TO ORDER Mayor Jenn Daniels called the meeting to order at 7:32 a.m. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS 1 Welcome and Introductions. Stephanie Navarro, with Salt River Project (SRP), welcomed the Council and attendees and had everyone introduce themselves. 2 Presentation and discussion of FY 2019 road projects. Assistant Town Engineer Susanna Struble provided an update on the Town’s road and traffic control projects for fiscal years 2018 – 2019. She gave an update on the proposed Lindsay Road/Santan 202 Freeway Interchange and said the Town will design the interchange while the Arizona Department of Transportation will handle construction. She walked through the process for initiating and completing road projects, how the Town prioritizes them, the criteria used for prioritization, and the stakeholders involved. Assistant Town Engineer Susanna Struble reminded attendees that as the Town nears build-out, new road construction will dwindle and reconstruction of existing roads will become the focus. With less new road construction, and more road reconstruction, the Town will be faced with new funding challenges. Town Manager Patrick Banger reminded attendees that information about road and traffic control projects can be found on the Town of Gilbert’s website. He also shared information about the Town’s efforts on transportation planning led by Transportation Planning Manager Kristin Myers. 1 3 Presentation and discussion of Development Services statistics. Planning Manager Linda Edwards provided an overview of the Development Services department’s performance statistics and their commitment to providing “exceptional customer service.” Development Services has five divisions: Planning Services, Transportation Planning, Development Engineering, Plan Review and Inspection, and the One Stop Shop – Customer Service Center. Planning Services handles over 540 projects each year or approximately 45 projects per month. These may vary from single-family construction projects to more complicated commercial construction. According to Planning Manager Linda Edwards, this past year the department was 100% in meeting its standards for quality review and first review of plans. Last year, the Town Council combined the Design Review Board and the Planning Commission. This consolidation, coupled with a new design review practice and new procedures for concurrent reviews of construction drawings, has shaved from 30 to 60 days off certain processes, she said. The Development Services office is committed to and offers assistance to small businesses through their Taking Care of Small Business (TCSB) team. TCSB can help new businesses navigate the Town’s application process from permitting through obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy. The TCSB team assists between two and four small businesses each week. Planning Manager Linda Edwards shared statistics on plan review and inspection turnaround times for residential plan reviews, commercial plan reviews, and sign permit plan reviews. Town Manager Patrick Banger commended the Development Services team for achieving such high performance levels this past year and reminded attendees that these statistics will grow even higher as vacant staff positions are filled. 4 Presentation and discussion on a focus and strategies for a Sustainable and Vibrant Gilbert. Town Manager Patrick Banger gave a presentation on the Town’s focus and strategies for a sustainable and vibrant Gilbert. Since Gilbert will reach build-out in 2030, he said it is critical for the Town to think through each decision and the impact each decision will have on the Town in the future. Gilbert has received many accolades in recent years and is considered one of the safest cities in the nation. Residents have come to expect a high standard for living and service from the Town. Maintaining that standard will be challenging, but the Town can be successful if it stays focused and doesn’t let apathy settle in, he said. Town Manager Patrick Banger said the organization should focus on goals that will help attract good companies to the Town and keep money flowing through the 2  community. He said the Town will need to consider infrastructure needs and what measures will need to be taken to maintain existing infrastructure. He explained how Gilbert received a AAA Bond rating, one of only 196 municipalities in the country to achieve that status, and how, moving forward, our community’s stability will be measured against many factors. He stated that by planning correctly we should be able to maintain the AAA Bond rating and that, by having these conversations now, we can ensure that “the Gilbert of today is the Gilbert of tomorrow.” Mayor Jenn Daniels said we are very fortunate to have Patrick Banger serving as Town Manager as we plan for the future of Gilbert. She commended the Town’s Executive Team on the “cautious approach” and countless hours spent working on a collaborative budget for FY2019. She discussed the Town’s recent work to install 5G capable, small cell facilities in the community and said this technology will help draw companies to the Town. Mayor Jenn Daniels and Councilmember Jordan Ray shared their enthusiasm for the Gilbert 311 system that was rolled out in 2017. This new program allows residents to report issues (like streetlight outages) to the Town using a smart phone application. They appreciate the convenience the system provides residents and that it allows the submitter to track a project; thus creating more accountability while also providing more opportunity to see success. 5 Presentation and discussion of 2018 Business Community Priorities. Kathy Tilque, President/CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce (Chamber), briefly explained the role of the Chamber and the efforts of the Gilbert Chamber Foundation and their programs: Gilbert Leadership, Chamber for Good, and Partners in Progress. She highlighted efforts of the East Valley Chambers of Commerce Alliance (EVCCA) related to advocacy at the federal, state and local level on topics including: workplace environment, education funding and accountability, government processes, initiative reform, and transportation. She mentioned that EVCCA has held a series of East Valley Mayors’ luncheons to discuss common issues at the Legislature, education and transportation. Chamber President Kathy Tilque shared the Chamber’s business priorities for Council’s consideration: 1) providing an environment for business growth, 2) producing a well-educated workforce, 3) engaging in long-term planning focused on a healthy, vibrant, and well-balanced community, and 4) supporting and enhancing Gilbert’s infrastructure. She thanked the Council for being business friendly, reminded Council how important it was for a business to manage its workplace and workforce without excessive local government intrusion, and asked Council to ensure new fees and regulations are predictable, fair, reasonable, and will not place an undue burden on the business owner. She asked that when Council begins discussing fees, that they differentiate cost recovery ratios between support requested by a business and those costs mandated by the Town. 3  Chamber President Kathy Tilque expressed the need for Town departments to work together to streamline processes for businesses. She asked the Town to provide local businesses the opportunity to earn the Town’s business and to include education on how to do business with the Town, how to respond correctly to a bid situation, and how to establish themselves as a credible vendor. The Chamber would like to see more local businesses benefit from Town resources, she said. Chamber President Kathy Tilque touted the benefits received when the Town and Chamber partner on efforts to produce a well-educated workforce. She shared successful efforts such as: Partners in Progress, roundtable discussions, career shadowing with Town departments, “Biz Walks” and business visits. She said the Chamber would like to work with the Town on long-term planning, especially on collaborative efforts with non-profit organizations to serve the most vulnerable populations within our community. Councilmember Eddie Cook talked about Gilbert’s new sign code and Councilmember Scott Anderson reminded Chamber members that the Town needs local businesses to track their sign usage and then provide feedback to the Town. Kathy Tilque said Chamber members are actively tracking that information. 6 Wrap-up. Mayor Jenn Daniels fielded questions from the attendees. Questions ranged from plans about the Heritage District to the impact the Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport will have on the Town moving forward. Mayor Jenn Daniels invited the community to the Digital State of the Town on January 23, 2018 at 5 p.m. and reminded everyone that plans will soon be getting underway for Gilbert’s Centennial in 2020. Councilmember Scott Anderson left the meeting at 8:08 a.m. ADJOURN Mayor Jenn Daniels adjourned the meeting at 8:46 a.m. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Jenn Daniels, Mayor Kris Kingsmore, Deputy Town Clerk 4 CERTIFICATION 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 9th day of January, 2018. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this ____ day of ____________________. ___________________________________ Kris Kingsmore, Deputy Town Clerk 5