Council Regular/Special Meeting

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT TOWN COUNCIL IN SPECIAL MEETING OF MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018 AT 10:30 AM THROUGH TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 AT 7:30 AM, UNIVERSITY BUILDING, ASSEMBLY HALL, 92 WEST VAUGHN AVENUE, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Jenn Daniels, Vice Mayor Brigette Peterson, Councilmembers Scott Anderson, Eddie Cook, Victor Petersen, Jordan Ray and Jared Taylor COUNCIL ABSENT: none STAFF PRESENT: Manager Patrick Banger, Clerk Lisa Maxwell, Town Attorney Christopher Payne PRIOR TO MEETING ON OCTOBER 22 COUNCIL WILL PARTICIPATE IN A SERVICE PROJECT CALL TO ORDER Mayor Jenn Daniels called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. AGENDA ITEM There will be presentations, discussion and possible direction on the following topics. 1. Moonshot Goal Town Manager Patrick Banger discussed the rise and fall cycle that cities always go through. He would like to see Gilbert break that cycle and remain sustainable after the Town has reached buildout. He went on to talk about the importance of everyone knowing the why, how and what an organization does. Everyone knows what they do and most know how they do what they do. Very few people know why they do something and knowing why is what makes a successful organization. Town Manager Patrick Banger then discussed the history of the rise and fall of cities over the past several decades. Gilbert is in currently in the growth phase and the decisions made now will determine whether or not Gilbert will begin to fall. He showed a chart with population projections. Gilbert’s goal will be to break the cycle of rising and falling. Next, Town Manager Patrick Banger gave an overview of the five day retreat attended by the Executive Team and some Second-in-Command members. He listed the deliverables that were identified at the retreat. He then went through the process the team went 1 through to identify the three key areas that are needed to have a sustainable Gilbert: 1) a thriving economy, 2) a prosperous community, and 3) infrastructure and environment. These three things are the “why” of what we do. The “how” of the Town breaking the cycle will be the Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) that will be identified that will help the Town move towards its goal of being sustainable. An important point to consider is that roughly half of the Town’s infrastructure was installed in a relatively short period of time. This means it will need to all be replaced around the same time. Even with regular maintenance the infrastructure will need a major re- investment at some point in the future. The “what” were identified as responsible financial management, using data analytics, an engaged workforce, and organization and community connectedness. Councilmember Victor Petersen said he believes this goal is fantastic. Currently growth is powering the town and there needs to be preparation completed before the Town reaches buildout. He is passionate about developing sustainable policies. Town Manager Patrick Banger said apathy will be a problem. Since everything is going well now people do not see a problem that needs to be addressed. Councilmember Scott Anderson asked about coordination with other governmental entities such as schools. Town Manager Patrick Banger said that will be included in the digital state of the Town message that will go out to the community. He sees the formation of a Council subcommittee on preventing urban decay or maintaining sustainability. Town Manager Patrick Banger said he has reached out to Arizona State University and they want to get involved. 2. Smart Cities Shawn VanDiver from Deloitte gave his definition of smart cities. He sees them as anything that connects government to its citizens and helps government react better to its citizens. Growth of the world’s population is forcing government to be faster, better and smarter. Key drivers of smart cities include transparent government, safety and security, trending green, exponential innovation and unprecedented urbanization. As Deloitte looks at how governments interact with citizens there are three goals: 1) economic competiveness, 2) sustainability and 3) quality of life. To meet these three goals there are six areas or domains of interest: 1) economy, 2) environment, 3) education, 4) living, 5) security and 6) mobility. Infrastructure is needed to gather the data needed to support a smart city. Whatever the government does with the data must be done to benefit the constituents. With all the new data a strategic roadmap is needed to guide the analyzation of the data. There are several models for paying for this service including bonding, setting in the budget, and end-user pay. Shawn VanDiver gave an overview of projects Deloitte has been working on with other cities. Councilmember Eddie Cook asked if any of these cities had a comprehensive plan that encompassed all six domains. Shawn VanDiver replied no one has done that yet, 2 most people have projects that look at one of the domains. Councilmember Victor Petersen said he is excited about using technology to maintain infrastructure. Shawn VanDiver said different measures can to taken to help determine when something is about to break. There are costs on the front end but it means more costly repairs and down-time of streets can be avoided. Shawn VanDiver said the Town does not operate in a vacuum and a lot these things are dependent on several jurisdictions that interact with each other. Often new ideas can be tried in a city before it is scaled out. Mayor Jenn Daniels said she receives complaints about how long it takes to get around Town and this is a good project to help find out why. Data can be used to help correct that problem. 3. Removal of Conditional Use Permits Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer covered the merits and options for removing Conditional Use Permits (CUP) for having multi-family construction on a site zoned for Regional Commercial. If removed only lofts above which are permitted by right in most regional commercial zoning districts would be allowed. That was added as a way to add flexibility and encourage mixed-use developments. Currently only two percent of the land in Town is zoned for multi-family developments. One-third of regional commercial lands are currently vacant. Mayor Jenn Daniels said a spreadsheet showing the total percent of multi-family developments including which is zoned and which is CUP would be helpful. Councilmember Eddie Cook said knowing the number of units in each development would also be useful. Interim Planning Manger Catherine Lorbeer said she will create a spreadsheet and she will include what is already developed and what is being currently being worked on will be included. Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer said staff looked at what other cities allow, both in Arizona and the Town’s bench-marked cities. The projects submitted to the Town to date as mixed-use have not met Council’s expectations of true mixed-use. Councilmember Victor Petersen asked about Proposition 207 and how it applies here. Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer clarified if Councilmember Victor Petersen was asking if property would be devalued by removing this option. She said it would not apply since it is use permit and not use by right. Vice Mayor Brigette Peterson said a use by right would be in the Code. Councilmember Victor Petersen said his concern is if a project meets the conditions the developer has the right to have the project approved. Mayor Jenn Daniels asked how many acres were involved. Interim Planning Manger Catherine Lorbeer replied there are 416 acres. Mayor Jenn Daniels said this is the land where the Town wants to encourage employment. Councilmember Jordan Ray said he has a problem changing rules in the middle of the process and he does not want to get rid of this option. Councilmember Eddie Cook said he likes looking at the projects on a case by case basis. If this option is removed would developers be required to get a zoning change? How much would this cost developers? Town Manager Patrick Banger 3 said a straight rezoning is cleaner and easier. He believes developers need to provide integrated products since it is in regional commercial area. Councilmember Eddie Cook said adding flexibility causes issues for staff. Mayor Jenn Daniels said Council approves those projects that make sense in Gilbert. Vice Mayor Brigette Peterson stated the Planning Commission is frustrated because they are not getting integrated products from developers. Interim Planning Manger Catherine Lorbeer said Epicenter is only project approved by the Town that has lofts above. There is a project at Val Vista and Germann Roads where the developer is planning to request to rezone the site. Councilmember Scott Anderson said it would be helpful if There was a mixed-use project in Town that Council count point to as an example. Interim Planning Manger Catherine Lorbeer said a change would require an amendment to the Land Development Code. Mayor Jenn Daniels asked that property owners and developers be included in discussions about options. Vice Mayor Brigette Peterson noted the joint meeting with the Planning Commission in November will be a good time to discuss this topic. 4. Sister Cities Program Intergovernmental Relations Assistant Amy Arguilez gave an overview of the Sister City Program including how other Arizona cities that have sister cities manage their programs. Vice Mayor Brigette Petersen said she asked staff to look into program because she gets asked how much money the Town gives to the Sister City Program. She has heard the City of Tempe has a great program that is handled through an outside group. Vice Mayor Brigette Petersen said she can now go back and report to Gilbert Sister City about how other cities operate. Councilmember Jordan Ray asked how the program is funded in other cities. Intergovernmental Relations Assistant Amy Arguilez reported each organization does own fund-raising. Vice Mayor Brigette Peterson said the Gilbert program does have a couple fundraising activities to help pay for the children who are going to visit our sister city. There is some leftover money this year that is going to be used to enter a float in the Gilbert Days parade. They also have in their budget for a visit from Ireland. The Gilbert program will come to the Town when a sister city is visiting and they want help with meeting. Councilmember Scott Anderson noted the Higley Unified School District has a Mandarin immersion program and maybe that can be tied to our sister city in China. Councilmember Eddie Cook said he would be interested in forming a sister city relationship with a city in Sonora, Mexico. He identified a city and he would to talk with Sister City program. Intergovernmental Relations Assistant Amy Arguilez said the city would have to be part of program. There was discussion about whether there was a need for a dedicated budget to cover 4 when a sister city delegation comes to Gilbert. Mayor Jenn Daniels suggested inviting one of the sister cities to come visit every other year and lay out what we have to offer during their visit. Having a delegation come every six months is disruptive and time consuming. It is difficult to plan for a meeting with Leshan, China because they only give a few days’ notice of their arrival. 5. Annexed Roads Public Works Director Jessica Marlow reported the condition of roads annexed into the Town with the understanding they would be maintained in as-is condition are not in great shape. These roads came in under the 2006 annexation policy which was enacted when Rural Metro stopped providing fire protection to people in county islands. Those people were given the opportunity to annex their property into the Town at no cost with no obligation to connect to the Town water or sewer lines. Neighborhoods had the opportunity to form improvement districts to improve their roads and the Town agreed to maintain them at the improved level otherwise if the roads were not improved they were maintained in the same as-is condition. Streets Supervisor Chance Baldwin gave an overview of the types of streets involved. Streets Manager Curtis Yardley noted the Town only took responsibility for the roads in front of lots that were annexed. This left roads that looked like a checker board as not all lots were annexed into the Town. Public Works Director Jessica Marlow said the Town has an agreement with Maricopa County to maintain the streets and the Town is reimbursed by Maricopa County for work done on their parts of the streets. Senior Project Manager Casey Ambrose went over the estimated costs to upgrade the roads and the calculated cost for upgrading one street was over $1,000,000. Some streets are more complicated and therefore much more costly. There are also some that do not full under the 2006 annexation policy and it would cost $17,000,000 to $22,000,000 to upgrade those streets. Mayor Jenn Daniels said she receives complaints from citizens who say they have been residents paying taxes for a long time and their streets are crumbling. She would like to find a solution. Senior Project Manager Casey Ambrose said this discussion was to be about annexed but there are also private roads which may someday need to be maintained. For all the annexed and private streets in Gilbert to be upgraded it would cost $636,000,000 to $858,000,000. An additional $2,500,000 a year in maintenance costs would also be needed. Public Works Director Jessica Marlow said the recommendation is to leave the streets in their current condition and facilitate the formation of improvement districts for any neighborhood interested in upgrading their streets. The exceptions are collector streets near schools or streets that are more heavily traveled. Those need to be upgraded now. Councilmember Victor Petersen asked what will happen going forward. The Town needs to set terms on annexations and ask for money for road improvements before taking the property into the Town. Second if the Town is maintaining the streets to as-is condition 5 then the streets are needing work more frequently because of the poor quality and design. Mayor Jenn Daniels asked what would happen if someone needs to be annexed into the Town but cannot afford the upgrade. Councilmember Scott Anderson asked if improvement district could be grouped together instead of one for each individual street. Mayor Jenn Daniels said it is at the discretion of the Town to improve collector streets if needed. Anything urgent will be updated and residents on other annexed streets will need to be educated on their options. 6. Closing and Next Day Expectations Mayor Jenn Daniels said everyone should come prepared for some heavy topics tomorrow. RECESS SPECIAL MEETING Mayor Jenn Daniels recessed the meeting at 2:59 p.m. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 Mayor Jenn Daniels reconvened the meeting at 8:15 a.m. Councilmember Jared Taylor arrived. 7. Tourism update Economic Development Director Dan Henderson gave un update on the economy of tourism in Gilbert. Office of Budget and Management Director Kelly Pfost said tourism is one way to diversify the revenue streams coming into Gilbert. Seventy percent of the revenue in Gilbert comes from sales tax. This is similar to the revenue in Mesa and Chandler with the exception of money from accommodations which is three percent in those cities where it is one percent in Gilbert. Tourism Analyst Glenn Schlottman discussed the various types of tourism in Gilbert including youth and amateur sports, regional and national tournaments, conventions, visiting family and friends and event and winter visitors. Tourism is the number one export industry in Arizona. Gilbert has 1.1 percent of the market with the FY19 goal to raise that percentage to 1.4 percent. Councilmember Eddie Cook said he would like to see numbers from earlier years. The Town does have the highest occupancy rate of available rooms compared to neighboring Tempe, Mesa and Chandler. With the hotels being built the number of 6 available rooms will grow by 60 percent. Councilmember Elect Aimee Rigler asked if the numbers shown included the home sharing market. Tourism Analyst Glenn Schlottman said they are beginning to do that and that data is not collected by any other group. Tourism Analyst Glenn Schlottman said the Economic Development Department is working to reach different groups with campaigns such as the ones running in Chicago and Oakland. These campaigns target the spring training audience. At parks where the Chicago and Oakland teams play the Department ran a campaign asking people to come visit Gilbert. The Town has developing products in Cactus Yards, Desert Sky Park, Regional Park and Park University athletics which will be attractions to visitors. Councilmember Victor Petersen noted Big League Dreams had problems retaining visitor spending in the Town. Tourism Analyst Glenn Schlottman said staff is working to make sure visitors are staying in Gilbert. They are working with hotels and tournament sponsors to encourage tournament participants to stay in Gilbert. Staff is also actively promoting the Town at Cactus Yards including restaurants, the Heritage District, and Town events. Councilmember Victor Petersen said he would like to see a report on what is being done to capture those people coming to the parks. Councilmember Scott Anderson said the Town has create things for people to want to come visit. He asked about the current process for identifying a signature event. Tourism Analyst Glenn Schlottman said he is working with the Parks and Recreation Department. There is Tourism Advisory Council that is working with staff on the scope of the event. The Town does have signature events such as Gilbert Days. What is needed now is a destination event that brings people in from out of town. Councilmember Eddie Cook said he had asked about having a family-focused New Year’s Eve event. Councilmember Victor Petersen asked about requiring people who register at tournaments to stay at Gilbert hotels. Tourism Analyst Glenn Schlottman said staff is looking into whether or not that is possible. Mayor Jenn Daniels questioned whether there was enough hotel rooms in Gilbert to have such a requirement. There was discussion about building a hotel at Cactus Yards on the eight acre lot owned by the Town. Economic Development Director Dan Henderson said he believed a hotel would work at that location. One of his department’s strategies is to bring in more hotels. Parks and Recreation Manager John Kennedy said his department is working on the 2019 calendar and they are strongly encouraging promoters to use Town hotels. They are also promoting Top Golf and other events and offering priority bookings in the future if a group uses Gilbert hotels. The problem is until new hotels open there is a supply issue. Councilmember Scott Anderson noted there are a lot of people who visit the Riparian Preserve and he would like to see a visitor or education center there. That would be another place for visitors to go. Mayor Jenn Daniels suggested using a portion of library as a visitor center and café. Parks and Recreation Director Robert Carmona said he is excited about the opportunities at the Riparian Preserve. Staff is working on a staffing and maintenance plan with either an education center or education space and a café. Mayor Jenn Daniels noted the Phoenix Gateway airport is giving away a hanger to 7 anyone who will come pick it up. 8. Northwest Corridor Analysis Councilmember Jordan Ray said he worked at office in this corridor that has since moved to another location. This area has potential but it also has challenges. He does not believe Council has ever given direction on where they would like to see this corridor go. He said the goal today is to give staff direction and he would like to see options that do not require spending a lot of money. Economic Development Director Dan Henderson asked Council if they believe establishing a redevelopment designation for the northwest corridor is the right thing to do. The Economic Development department has been working on understanding this area and they have talked with different departments on options for this corridor. Redevelopment Coordinator Amanda Elliott gave an overview of the Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) and the rules for establishing a redevelopment area. A unified vision is needed for the area. Infrastructure needs improving and reinvestment encouraged. This will bring an increase in property values, it will attract development, and improve the quality of life. Councilmember Victor Petersen asked about the legal opportunities that are available establishing this district. Economic Development Analyst Alan Hoogasian stated around 20 percent of the Town’s employment is located in this corridor. To establish a redevelopment district it is necessary to document the findings of necessity. These are the nine blight factors listed in ARS. Economic Development Analyst Alan Hoogasian discussed the problems in the northwest corridor and he identified which of the nine blight factors apply to that problem. Redevelopment Coordinator Amanda Elliott gave examples of the business difficulties in the northwest corridor. ARS provides certainty to the property owners by establishing a unified vision which helps ensure stability. Going forward staff will create goals and take those goals to Council for approval. A plan could be set in place for ten years and then it could sunset. If Council does not wish to seek a redevelopment designation then the Land Development Code can be used to make changes in the northwest corridor. There was discussion about available redevelopment tools. Redevelopment Coordinator Amanda Elliott said staff can work with business owners to create an overlay that is specific to that area. One problem is some owners are not maintaining their property. Staff has collected data on owner and tenant needs in the area. Councilmember Jordan Ray said he wants Council to know the goal is not to buy up land like the Town did in the Heritage District. The goal is to give options to property owners. Mayor Jenn Daniels asked if there was a stigma associated with having property in an area with a redevelopment designation. Redevelopment Coordinator Amanda Elliott stated ARS does reference blight. Other cities have done good job of educating owners and it has not diminished the value of the property. Councilmember Victor Petersen said 8 he does not understand what this designation would mean to property owners’ rights. He does not think more government will solve problems and he needs more information before he can make a decision. Councilmember Jared Taylor asked how much land the Town owned in the corridor and whether it would connect to Heritage District. Redevelopment Coordinator Amanda Elliott said the only property the Town owned here was public facility parcels and rights- of-way. It would be a separate district from the Heritage District. Councilmember Jared Taylor said he did not see the same opportunity as what existed with the Heritage District since Town does not own the land. He is afraid it will lead to a lot of spending. Economic Development Director Dan Henderson stated having this designation does not mandate the Town to own property. A redevelopment district would create a vision for the area. Councilmember Elect Aimee Rigler asked if there a governing body over the district or is the Town responsible. She also inquired about taxing authority. Redevelopment Coordinator Amanda Elliott said staff would get input from businesses, residents, and other stakeholders. A Redevelopment Commission would be formed to serve as an advisory body. This would need approval by Council. Deputy Police Chief Randy Brice said there has been a rise in crime in this area. The biggest complaint is there is not a unified response from the Town. The Police Department has a hard time patrolling the area because the way the area is laid out it attracts bad people. Mayor Jenn Daniels said people in the area would like more lighting. Deputy Police Chief Randy Brice said getting rid of abandoned buildings would also be helpful. The problem is getting hold of the owners. There is a problem with loitering and drugs. Councilmember Eddie Cook said there is great diversity in this area. He asked if there was a tool that could change the make-up of the businesses. Economic Development Director Dan Henderson said having a common vision will help. Mesa and Chandler both have redevelopment corridors adjacent to this area. He would like to see tools that encourage reinvestment, changes in building façades, changes in the way the community obtains demolition permits and a property maintenance code. Town Manager Patrick Banger said staff can put together a plan of what a redevelopment district would look like and what staff needs to reenergize the area. Councilmember Scott Anderson said he worked on the original plan for the Heritage District and it is not easy. A property maintenance code is key and having that would be good in other areas of the Town as well. He asked about business improve districts. Redevelopment Coordinator Amanda Elliott said staff could look at that. Those are a challenging process in Arizona. Ninety percent of property owners must buy in to creating those districts and they have to set their own tax rate. The advantage of a redevelopment district is it creates a unified vision. Councilmember Jared Taylor said he would like to form swat team to partner with capital investors and show them the opportunities in this area. Economic Development Director Dan Henderson said the goal is to engage property owners and work with the Chamber of Commerce. Establishing a redevelopment corridor would give everyone a 9 toolset for improving. Councilmember Jordan Ray said this is an amazing area and there are tremendous businesses and opportunities. Moving forward would help enforce sustainability in the area. Town Manager Patrick Banger said the time to act is now while the area is still strong. Economic Development Director Dan Henderson will come back to Council with a plan. 9. Economic Development Process for Support Economic Development Director Dan Henderson gave some background on economic development investment. Economic Development Manager Jennifer Graves said the department offers different types of support: pubic infrastructure, fee reimbursement, job training, sales tax reimbursement. Councilmember Victor Petersen asked about money for job training. Economic Development Manager Jennifer Graves replied the Town provides money to businesses to pay for job training. Economic Development Manager Jennifer Graves gave an overview of the review and approval process. She also had examples where different types of reimbursement were used. The Town also offers business assistance programs which includes the taking care of small business program, planning programs, plan review programs, the business education series, and the Arizona Commerce Authority. Councilmember Victor Petersen asked about a policy that outlines the ways we support businesses. He believes a policy is necessary so everyone knows the rules and the Town can provide support equally for everyone. The City of Scottsdale has a policy that any support they give has to be offset by what is given back to the Town by the business. Councilmember Victor Petersen said he does not know the specifics but he believes the Town will get more back if the parameters are defined. There will be opportunities for new revenues if the same support is open it up to everyone. This leads to less uncertainty in the market. Mayor Jenn Daniels said she would like to look at what Scottsdale is doing as it sounds reasonable and acceptable. She said she does not know of a time when the Town ever said no to anybody who asked. She believes the same opportunities are available to everyone, it is just not advertised. Councilmember Eddie Cook said no one has ever said the Town turned them down. Councilmember Victor Petersen said the Town has turned down requests but the businesses did not know the rules. He just wants the rules clarified. Councilmember Eddie Cook asked if there was a problem with a business that felt the Town discriminated against them. Town Manager Patrick Banger said there is an economic development strategy on where best to focus staff efforts. The State gives tools through ARS and staff uses those guidelines for making offers. He said he believes what Councilmember Victor Petersen is saying is the Town should offer the same deals to everyone but staff is trying to be strategic in who they offer. They will turn down deals where not the Town is giving more 10 than it is getting back. Councilmember Victor Petersen said he is fine with doing that but he believes the rules need to be set in policy so everyone knows what they are. Mayor Jenn Daniels asked Economic Development Director Dan Henderson if he was familiar with Scottsdale’s policy. She also asked if he knew of anyone that had such a policy. Economic Development Director Dan Henderson replied most communities have a general philosophy and a strategy to target certain types of business. Mayor Jenn Daniels said she has not heard of anyone opposed to a policy and she does think the same opportunity is open to all. Town Manager Patrick Banger suggested having Council formally adopt Economic Development’s plan so it will documented. The plan can be modified to include a clause that the Town will talk with anyone. As philosophies shift, the plan would shift. Councilmember Victor Petersen said this is not as specific as he wants but it is better than nothing. Economic Development Director Dan Henderson will bring a plan to Council for review and adoption. 10. General Plan Update Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer explained the General Plan is the long range planning document that is used to ensure short term decisions fit the long range goal. State Statute requires the General Plan be update every ten years. It must also be approved by voters. Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer gave an overview of plan elements. The General Plan is looking to the future and including things like smart cities and autonomous vehicles. Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer went over the update process to date and the timeline for future actions. Vice Mayor Brigette Peterson inquired about attendance at the recent open house. Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer replied attendance was a bit sparse. When the community is happy they are not as interested in making changes. Councilmember Eddie Cook said he would be interested in knowing where the people who attended the open house were from. Vice Mayor Brigette Peterson then asked if the resident survey was being tracked. Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer responded staff is getting feedback on who is taking the survey. There was discussion about the General Plan and multi-family units. Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer said there is something about multi-family units in the questionnaire. 11. Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan Transportation Planning Manager Kristen Myers has been named the Town’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator. She said Town staff has been working with Kimley-Horn & Associates and Accessology Too on a transition plan for a year. Brian Shamburger, Kimley-Horn, discussed the ADA act. He also went over the goals and objectives of the ADA transition plan and the transition plan requirements. This plan was 11 developed with input from disability advocates and people with disabilities. There was a community meeting and a public survey. Mr. Shamburger reviewed the findings. Mayor Jenn Daniels asked if the problems that were found were in compliance when constructed and with changing standards they are now out of compliance. Me. Shamburger said the vast majority of standards have not changed. Evaluations were done based on the standards in place when the construction was done. The plan can help the Town in setting priorities for making improvements and moving into compliance. Looking at the costs it was determined ten years would be a reasonable time to complete the changes. There was discussion about making the plan and maps available to the public. ADA Coordinator Kristen Myers went over the next steps. Staff will create a framework and internal processes for tracking the needed changes and completion dates. GIS maps will help the Town plan improvements in coordination with other projects. This can also be incorporated into the budget process. Yearly compliance reports will show the Town’s progress. ADA Coordinator Kristen Myers will work with Senior Project Manager Rick Hooker and each department on making changes. Councilmember Victor Petersen asked if the $8,000,000 cost is the stand-only cost or is the cost of with other projects included. Mr. Shamburger said this is the itemized stand- only project costs. Some of the design/engineering costs but may be done cheaper by Town staff. There are also contingency costs included. Councilmember Scott Anderson asked if Parkway Improvement Districts (PKID) would have to include costs for their changes in their assessment. ADA Coordinator Kristen Myers said this would be discussed with Parks and Recreation, ADA staff and the neighborhoods. Mayor Jenn Daniels said the Town does get occasional complaints about businesses. She is concerned because a business is not in compliance and she is questioned on why the Town does not enforce the ADA law. ADA Coordinator Kristen Myers is going through training with all Town departments so they understand the requirements. Businesses may have made changes after the business was inspected. She will work with the Chamber of Commerce and small businesses so they understand the impact of their changes. The Town cannot enforce the law once the building has been built but they can be engaged and help the businesses understand. 12. Water Resources Master Plan Water Resources Manager Eric Braun said the Water Resources Master Plan is updated every five years. The current update is the result of an 18 month process. Fair Yeager from Ch2m gave overview of the project. She noted proactive planning has placed the Town in a position to meet residents’ needs at build-out. A buffer of water for unanticipated demand was added. Several improvements for the water and wastewater 12 systems were identified. The costs of these improvements can be recovered with System Development Fees. Staff will be requesting direction on adopting this plan at a later Council meeting. Councilmember Eddie Cook asked about the strategy to influence legislators to remove the sunset of law that allows the Town to get credits for using effluent water and for recharging water. Water Resources Manager Eric Braun said that sunset needs to be removed so the Town can continue to use that water. Councilmember Victor Petersen asked about any expected pushback from the legislature. Water Resources Manager Eric Braun said that water is part of the State’s drought contingency plan that water is identified as being needed by agriculture. There is a movement to prevent cities from storing water as a means to prepare for drought. There would be severe consequences if this were done. Intergovernmental Relations Director Rene Guillen said he is meeting to discuss plan of action. Town Manager Patrick Banger mentioned a policy requiring large commercial users to bring their own water. Water Resources Manager Eric Braun said the Town’s water resource portfolio has a built-in contingency for economic development but large water user could throw off the plan. He is working on a policy to bring to Council on how to deal with those companies. Mayor Jenn Daniels noted density also matters. Fair Yeager said density was included as part of the study and it would be complete in the spring. Water Resources Manager Eric Braun said he is developing a framework for managing the Town’s water and he will bring to it Council for confirmation that it is moving in the right direction. 13. Centennial Celebration Chief Digital Officer Dana Berchman said there is a coordinated plan for celebrating the Town’s centennial. The celebration will include any group in Town that wants to participate. The kick-off meeting will be held on February 20, 2019. The celebration will last for a year and events in Town will be tied to the centennial throughout the course of year. Digital Government has created centennial branding with a hashtag, color scheme, and logo. There will be an on-line digital toolkit anyone in Town can access. Right now there is a search for a signature event. After the new logo is unveiled it will be added to Town property as item such as cars are replaced. Town Manager Patrick Banger asked Council if there was interest in a commemorative project. It does not have to be a grand, expensive project. He showed examples from other cities. There was an idea of adding a roundabout at the center of town but that would not work at that location. He will bring back ideas to Council. #Gilbert2020 will highlight Gilbert in hindsight and looking forward. There was discussion about tools that will be available on the website. 14. Open Data Portal and Data Set 13 Data and Technology Analyst Derek Konofalski gave an update on Open Data portal. This started with the Spark App League and providing Town data to participants to use in developing their apps. There is a public survey being conducted to see what data people are looking for. Councilmember Victor Petersen asked if there was any progress on getting access to the current state of traffic signals. Public Works Director Jessica Marlow explained that data is accessible to the traffic center but it is not available to public. There was discussion about traffic data and whether it would be helpful. Data and Technology Analyst Derek Konofalski said he approached Google about access to the Town’s data and they did not want it. Mayor Jenn Daniels noted travel times are getting longer and she would like to see traffic circulation made a priority. Public Works Director Jessica Marlow said there is a position where their main focus is on signal timing. Mayor Jenn Daniels said unless it can be shown residents are safer the Town may need to undo the leading left turn signal. Councilmember Victor Petersen agreed that if traffic flow hasn’t improved then it needs to be undone. Data and Technology Analyst Derek Konofalski said the count for accidents at intersection is in the data portal Town Manager Patrick Banger said staff is working with real time data and using that in their decision making. Data will continue to be added to the portal. There is a team that prioritizes data sets that are brought forward as possible additions to the web portal. 15. Closing Mayor Jenn Daniels thanked everyone for the work done preparing for this retreat. She went over the list of things accomplished at the retreat. #breakthecycle is the Town’s goal for the future. Town Manager Patrick Banger thanked the staff for their hard work. ADJOURN Mayor Jenn Daniels adjourned the meeting at 2:10 p.m. ADJOURN ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Jenn Daniels, Mayor Lisa Maxwell, MMC, Town Clerk CERTIFICATION 14 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 22nd and 23rd day of October, 2018. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this ____ day of ____________________. ___________________________________ Lisa Maxwell, MMC, Town Clerk 15