Council Regular/Special Meeting

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT TOWN COUNCIL, IN SPECIAL MEETING OF THURSDAY APRIL 16, 2020 AT 8:00 AM, VIRTUAL MEETING 50 E CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Jenn Daniels, Vice Mayor Scott Anderson, Councilmembers Scott September, Bill Spence, Jared Taylor, and Aimee Yentes COUNCIL ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Patrick Banger, Deputy Clerk Chaveli Herrera, Town Attorney Christopher Payne, Management and Budget Director Kelly Pfost, Police Chief Michael Soelberg, Parks and Recreation Director Robert Carmona, Public Works Director Jessica Marlow, Assistant Town Engineer Susanna Struble, Water Manager Andrew Jackson, Water Resource Manager Eric Braun, Deputy Town Manager Mary Goodman, and Deputy Town Manager Leah Hubbard-Rhineheimer AGENDA ITEM CALL TO ORDER Mayor Daniels called the meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS WELCOME - Opening Remarks. Mayor Daniels welcomed everyone in attendance and provided information on the intent and purpose of the Council Financial Retreat. She stated that only the presentations would be recorded. Town Manager Banger discussed the importance of the Council Financial Retreat. He discussed sharing critical information, services, operations and projects of the Town. He stated the purpose of the Retreat was to be casual and encourage dialogue and questions. He went through each of the agenda items and provided details on each. STREETS AND TRANSPORTATION - presentation, discussion and possible direction on Transportation and Infrastructure Needs. Public Works Director Marlow discussed the importance of the bond and the impact analysis. She discussed looking at opportunities to provide residents quality of life through the Towns efforts. She outlined some of the community feedback from the 2019 National Citizen Survey and stated the three lowest rated categories were regarding ease of travel, 1 traffic flow, and street repair. She discussed the importance of social media feedback and the use of the 311 system where residents can reach out with concerns and receive responses. She discussed the importance of population growth in Gilbert and transportation and changes to the long term needs in order to be the City of the Future. She discussed sales tax in surrounding municipalities and amounts generated annually and sales tax related to bonds. She provided information at the National level regarding bond initiatives for Transportation funding and shared historical data from ballot measures related to bonds in Gilbert. She discussed historic street bond projects and provided information on the FY2020 Street Project funding sources being worked on. She discussed Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) funds through Prop 400. Mayor Daniels provided clarification on what some of the terms meant for new Councilmembers and members of the public. She also outlined the Municipal bond process and funding sources used. Management and Budget Director Pfost provided additional clarification on funding. Public Works Director Marlow explained the different project funding sources used for street infrastructure and stated that without the bond there would be limited sources available. She discussed that without bonds street improvements and infrastructure would stop. She provided a timeline on steps already taken and discussed the importance of the Citizens Transportation Task Force and the need to evaluate needs in anticipation of a 2020 bond election. Mayor Daniels explained the Citizens Transportation Task Force and how members were appointed. Assistant Town Engineer Struble was introduced and discussed the Citizens Transportation Task Force. She discussed the Task Force members and asked several members in attendance to introduce themselves. James (Jim) Wright, Yung Koprowski, Alex Cardona, and Michael Watkins all introduced themselves. Assistant Town Engineer Struble introduced Lawrence Paschich who was in attendance but unable to connect his call. Assistant Town Engineer Struble discussed the Task Force process and purpose and stated that members attended meetings, provided education and reached out to neighbors and community members for additional feedback. She showed a map of the quadrants represented and asked members to identify they felt were most critical to address. She discussed details on project gaps and enhancements. Citizen Transportation Task Force Chair James (Jim) Wright discussed the process of the Task Force and the use of real facts provided by staff. He discussed the improvement of general mobility throughout the community and addressing alternative infrastructure projects. 2 Assistant Town Engineer Struble discussed the investment needed to maintain Gilbert’s long-term sustainability and quality of life. She discussed safety, congestion, reconstruction, maintenance, multimodal investments, transportation technology and redevelopment. She thanked the members of the Task Force for their hard work. Public Works Director Marlow discussed the background and expertise of the members and the importance of engagement with the citizens. She elaborated on the building of communication and trust within the community. Councilmember Taylor discussed multimodal investments, bikes and green paths and stated that he did not see a lot of usage of them. He asked the Task Force to evaluate some of the trade-offs in terms of what was the best use of the dollar. Assistant Town Engineer Struble stated that it was too granular for the Task Force to consider during their discussions and discussed the face of transportation evolving and the need for it to be continuously redefined. Mayor Daniels elaborated on the impacts and Vice Mayor Anderson discussed the use of trails and crowdedness and stated that trails were being utilized. Town Manager Banger stated that an update to the Master Plan would be provided. Sarah Murley with Applied Economics provided information on the project summary, objectives, types of quantifiable impacts, short term construction, long term value and the development impacts. She provided information on the long-term qualitative impacts, efficient transportation and benefits to both residents and businesses. She detailed the value of time savings and projects related to reduction in travel delays. She also discussed development impacts. Rick Brammer with Applied Economics discussed case study projects, impacts on vacant land and projects related to future development by land use. He discussed the Elliott and McQueen intersection and development and future impacts at that location. He also discussed future development impacts at the Power Road Corridor with the Power Road Improvement Project. Ms. Murley discussed the annual tax revenue impacts to Gilbert from Case Study Development. She provided a summary of investment in proposed projects, reduced time delay at 10 intersections and stated that the development could potentially support spaces, jobs, housing units and annual revenue. Public Works Director Marlow further discussed the Financial Analysis. Councilmember September said he was very impressed with the detail, time and effort taken in this area. He said many don’t truly understand the depth of what happens. He stated there were a lot of forecasts and assumptions and asked how often the Town takes a forensic look to ensure our forecasting was accurate. 3 Town Manager Banger discussed the ballot issue being the first for Town infrastructure and stated that Management and Budget Director Pfost conducts an in-depth analysis in work. Vice Mayor Anderson commented on the time needed to conduct those type of analytics. Councilmember September stated that he understood the time commitment it would take to do so. Councilmember Spence discussed restrictions that would always remain at certain intersections and considerations like school traffic. He asked how those intersections were being prioritized. Mr. Brammer stated the considerations were consistent with the General Pan. Public Works Director Marlow stated the Town was constantly evaluating signal times and coordination and looking at impacts on traffic flow across the community. Councilmember Yentes asked if it included complete streets. Assistant Town Engineer Struble stated they were looking at congestion and the Master Plan as it related to that subject. Management and Budget Director Pfost discussed how it would be funded and discussed several issuances to match cash slow. She provided details on the anticipated tax rate. Public Works Director Marlow stated that the recommendation was for the bond to go to the voters in November 2021 rather than November 2020. She provided information on the impacts of the delay and provided an update to the timeline. She stated the change would only cause a 6 month delay and would not be significant. The ask of Council was to support the recommendation of the Task force calling for a Transportation General Bond election in the amount of $465 million to occur in November 2021. Mayor Daniels said there were a lot of things to consider and current council leaving cannot bind future councils. She talked about the intention to move forward. Town Manager Banger offered clarification that the Town would not ask for bond dollars to be expended until after a successful bond election. Deputy Town Manager Goodman offered additional clarification on forensic analysis to Councilmember September. Councilmember September asked if the Town was able to determine how well we were making the assumptions. Deputy Town Manager Goodman stated that it depended on each subject and project. She elaborated on the need to adapt to change. Town Manager Banger provided an example of the Cooper and Gudalupe project. 4 Councilmember Spence asked if there were further delays beyond 2021 for the bond, what would be most impacted. Mayor Daniels stated there was still a lot of transition that will occur so the answers today and then would be different. Vice Mayor Anderson stated that he would like to continue to Task Force because of their expertise. Councilmember Yentes stated she was supportive of the item going forward and had asked about Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects and needs. Deputy Town Manager Hubbard-Rhineheimer stated that the CIP was a living document and it was the Towns best intention to plan the needs of the community. The CIP will continue to evolve from year to year and said there was an opportunity to reach out and have robust community engagement and feedback. She stated the intent was to have engagement throughout the process leading up to the bond election. She stated the bond wasn’t tied to specific projects but rather to address needs. Councilmember Yentes asked about the offset and Management and Budget Director Pfost stated she did not have that information but would follow up. Town Manager Banger thanked everyone from the Citizens Transportation Task Force for their hard work and efforts. Vice Mayor Anderson said he appreciated the work provided by the Task Force and asked if there was an end date for the committee. Public Works Director Marlow would follow up with that information. PUBLIC SAFETY - presentation, discussion and possible direction on Future Public Safety Needs. Police Chief Soelberg provided an update on the advocacy center and thanked everyone who assisted in the process. He thanked Jessica Nicely of Winged Hope who has helped multiple agencies with the process. He discussed the importance of Advocacy Centers and the need for one in the Town. He stated that the Town currently depended on other agencies and hospitals for their forensic resources. He discussed the Advocacy Center Team Approach being victim focused, multi-disciplinary team and collaboration and went into more detail about the additional services and support the center would provide. He addressed the Gilbert Community Needs Assessment program and the impact of these programs to victim services and the national crime victimization survey. He outlined two recommendations, the first being the development of a transitional and seamless model for the immediate connection with services and the second was the establish a visible community program to reduce crime in Gilbert. He discussed data from the National Children’s Alliance Children’s Advocacy Center 2019 National Report and the cost benefit 5 analysis related to Children Advocacy Centers. He provided additional details on the process with an advocacy center and those without. He noted that an Advocacy Center approach could save 50 % of cost associated with hours worked and detailed the increase in population in Gilbert and crime. He stated that with the current process only 3 out of 10 people were currently utilizing other advocacy centers and detailed the recommendation to Council was to support funding for the Gilbert Advocacy Center as part of the proposed ballot measure in November 2021. The current location would be the vacant lot next to the Police Department and the projected cost would be $16,371,824. Police Chief Soelberg thanked dispatchers and recognized National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. He discussed the dispatch system and the responsibilities overseen by the department. He addressed the growth in dispatch and the changes in population and the demand on dispatch services. He discussed the increase in radio traffic and stated the average transmissions for Gilbert was 85,000 a month whereas other agencies with 2 channels were seeing an average of 45,000 a month. A video was shown to display the many things that take place within a short amount of time for dispatchers. He stated that expansion of the Dispatch Center would alleviate concerns with fatigue, wellness and staffing levels. He confirmed that the current location has been maximized and is beyond capacity. The solution for the expansion would be to relocate to where the Hyland Justice Court currently sits since they would be consolidating elsewhere and the vacant Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) Office. The relocation would be in July 2021 and would provide 5,000 square feet of useable space. The projected cost would be $7,904,501. Councilmember Taylor asked for clarification on the figure that there were 3 out of 10 current users for the advocacy centers. Police Chief Soelberg stated that better services and opportunities would improve prosecution and case preparation efforts and those results would increase in reporting and education and overall utilization of centers for victims. Councilmember Taylor asked if it would be the same design as other Advocacy Centers and if they were proposing taking on mental health and conducting clinical work. Police Chief Soelberg responded that the designs would be similar but different due to spacing however the concept remained the same which was to streamline and be more efficient. He also confirmed that mental health and other professional services would be contracted out. Councilmember Taylor asked if current victim advocates would be placed in the center, if there has been an FTE (Full time Employee) analysis conducted for staffing needs, how many staff would be needed and what the size would be of the facilities. Police Chief Soelberg stated that that the Police Department did not currently have a victim advocate and discussed the grant process. He stated there had been an analysis conducted based on the projected Town growth and total staff would be 41 plus support staff. Total square feet would be 19,300 square feet for the Advocacy Center, 5,000 square feet for the Dispatch Center and 10,000 square feet expansion on the second floor of the police building. Councilmember Yentes asked what the annual maintenance would be and if there would be assistance from outside agencies. Police Chief Soelberg did not know the cost immediately but would provide the information. He stated there were opportunities for non- 6 profits to assist. Winged Hope Founder Jessica Nicely discussed other services and opportunities offered. Councilmember Spence discussed the possibility of other agencies needing expansion and utilizing our space. Police Chief Soelberg elaborated on facilities for other communities and stated that there wasn’t a need at this time. He discussed the possibility of assisting Queen Creek in the future however he confirmed the discussion has not happened. Mayor Daniels stated that Gilbert was the little sister to surrounding communities at one time and we would do the same through continued partnerships. She asked about the possibility of crime lab through CIP since the site was larger than the need. Police Chief Soelberg stated that an update on the crime lab would be presented to Council at an upcoming meeting. Mayor Daniels asked if any school districts have been involved to address what their needs were. Police Chief Soelberg responded that those discussions have not happened but there was opportunity to do so. Mayor Daniels elaborated on the importance of those partnerships. Deputy Town Manager Leah Hubbard-Rhineheimer thanked Police Chief Soelberg and his team for their efforts. Councilmember Yentes asked if there would be any specialty areas within the center and asked about the cost of the project based on space. Police Chief Soelberg stated there would be specialty areas and stated the cost estimate was based on average square footage of what the needs were. Mayor Daniels recommended a future tour of similar facilities for Council. LONG-TERM FINANCIAL PLANNING - presentation, discussion and possible direction on Long-Range Infrastructure Planning (LRIP) Funding. Parks and Recreation Director Carmona discussed the importance of the item and provided background information on what has been completed and what the ask from Council would be going forward regarding funding to the General, Water and Wastewater funds. He introduced members of the Ameresco team to speak about specific processes and items. Ameresco Project Manager Nathan (Nate) Levick provided information on the what the company does and their holistic solutions and strategies. He discussed the needs analysis and strategic planning. He provided information on the data development, detailed lifecycle forecasts and age profiles of facilities. Ameresco Senior Vice President Tim Dettlaff discussed capital needs and projected total liability related to general and water funds. He provided information on the Facility Condition Index (FCI) and explained its impact and use and how it related to risk ratings. He discussed unfunded sources and the risk of the FCI migrating to a critical issue if left without funding and compared the data for each. He also provided information on the Asset Sustainability Target, Capital Creation Strategies (CCS) and the continued needs of the community and Town. He discussed energy needs and optimization and provided 7 details on some of the preliminary energy assessments for public safety. Lastly, he provided information on the portfolio analysis into energy leveraging. Management and Budget Director Pfost outlined the recommendations to Council for the General Fund, Water Fund and Wastewater Fund Mr. Dettlaff provided additional details on the portfolio analysis into energy leveraging and highlighted the data presented. He discussed the deep dive analysis into roof replacement and discussed the capital creation strategy results. Mayor Daniels asked what the next step was. Management and Budget Director Pfost stated the Town always looked at energy savings options. Parks and Recreation Director Carmona stated that when the Town looked at replacing equipment they were also looking at technology to see were savings can be increased. Councilmember Spence asked if useful life of equipment was an assumption and asked if costs listed were just cost of the equipment or complete cost for full replacement. Management and Budget Director Pfost confirmed how the cost was allocated. Vice Mayor Anderson asked about the lifecycle of Solar Panels. Parks and Facilities Manager Marshall McFarlane stated that it would depend on the manufacturer and installation. He discussed the recognized standards in the industry and the continued evolution of solar panel technology. Parks and Recreation Director Carmona stated it could be anywhere from 25 to 50 years. Mayor Daniels added that there could be decline over time. Vice Mayor Anderson asked staff to keep an eye on the technology. Town Manager Banger discussed the importance of life expectancy and cost and then work to prologue the expectancy while reducing cost. He discussed the need to look at ways to maintain quality infrastructure. Mayor Daniels provided information on assets and commended Council and staff at looking long term solutions for future generations and Councils. Councilmember Spence discussed the robust inspection programs, lower costs and how to spend less overall with long term solutions. Town Manager Banger thanked the team at Ameresco for their hard work. RATES AND FEES - presentation, discussion and possible direction on Utility Rate Changes for Water for financial sustainability. Water Manager Jackson detailed the items being presented and discussed the framework of water quality compliance. He provided background information from 2006 to 2022 on how community water systems were impacted and the associated health risks. 8 Mayor Daniels explained the water treatment process and the byproducts produced and the potential for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) violations. Water Manager Jackson discussed steps taken to avoid potential violations for the Town and stated that there were two violations in 2017. He discussed drinking water and the reduction of ground usage water. He provided information on the Water Quality Master Plan developed by the Town in response to the violations. He provided information on the assessment done at the North Water Treatment Plant (NWTP) and the capital projects developed through these efforts. He discussed the importance of the census and how it would affect the timeline based on population compliance requirements. He provided data based on a heat map testing of TTHM. Mayor Daniels asked Water Resources Manager Braun to explain stored water credits. Mr. Braun discussed the regulation of ground water and stated it was a one-time resource and there is a need to replenish any water used which is referred to as a long-term storage credit. He explained it to be similar to a savings account. He discussed the importance of not dipping into the water credits. Water Manager Jackson provided information on the 2019 Quarter 3 data. He discussed the redistribution and compliance issues and water resource impacts. He provided information on source water and the challenges with each and detailed the 18-month assessment from 2019 in which involved the collaboration efforts of 16 agencies. He stated the ratings helped address water quality issues and concerns and the need to find long term solutions. Mayor Daniels provided background information on previous Council decisions. Councilmember Spence asked about some of the issues on water quality an asked if they were natural. Water Resource Manager Braun responded that most were natural and have always been there however others have been causes by natural disasters. He stated that the landscape was drastically changing. The WebEx platform lost connectivity and the remainder of the presentation and meeting was recessed and rescheduled for April 22, 2020. LONG-TERM FINANCIAL PLANNING - presentation, discussion and possible direction on System Development Fee (SDF) Fund Balances. Meeting was recessed, and item was rescheduled to April 22, 2020. LONG-TERM FINANCIAL PLANNING - presentation, discussion and possible action on Sales Tax Revenue Diversity. Meeting was recessed, and item was rescheduled to April 22, 2020. PUBLIC WORKS - presentation, discussion and possible direction on Environmental Services - Recycling Costs. 9 Meeting was recessed, and item was rescheduled to April 22, 2020. PUBLIC SAFETY - presentation, discussion and possible direction on Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) Unfunded Liability update. Meeting was recessed, and item was rescheduled to April 22, 2020. FINANCIAL PLANNING - presentation, discussion and possible direction on Early Debt Payoff. Meeting was recessed, and item was rescheduled to April 22, 2020. LONG-TERM FINANCIAL PLANNING - presentation, discussion and possible direction on Long-Term Financial Model including financial trends. Meeting was recessed, and item was rescheduled to April 22, 2020. WRAP-UP - Review of the Retreat and Action Items. Meeting was rescheduled, and item was moved to April 22, 2020. ADJOURN Mayor Daniels adjourned the meeting at 2:06 p.m. and recessed the remainder of the meeting to for April 22, 2020. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Jenn Daniels, Mayor Chaveli Herrera, CMC, Deputy Town Clerk 10 CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Gilbert held on the 16th day of April, 2020. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this ____ day of ____________________ 2020. ___________________________________ Chaveli Herrera, CMC, Deputy Town Clerk 11