Council Regular/Special Meeting

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT TOWN COUNCIL, IN SPECIAL MEETING, COUNCIL STRATEGIC RETREAT, OF FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2021 AT 8:00 AM, SOUTHEAST REGIONAL LIBRARY/ VIRTUAL MEETING, 775 N. GREENFIELD ROAD, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Brigette Peterson, Vice Mayor Yung Koprowski, Councilmembers Scott Anderson, Laurin Hendrix, Scott September, Kathy Tilque, and Aimee Yentes COUNCIL ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Patrick Banger, Town Clerk Chaveli Herrera, Deputy Clerk Judy Martinez, Town Attorney Christopher Payne, Organizational Development Manager Heather White, Assistant to the Town Manager Nikki McCarty, Police Chief Michael Soelberg, Assistant Town Manager Leah Hubbard- Rhineheimer, Finance Management Services Director Håkon Johanson, Assistant Town Manager Mary Goodman, Economic Development Director Dan Henderson, Redevelopment Program Manager Amanda Elliott, and Town Engineer David Fabiano AGENDA ITEM CALL TO ORDER Mayor Peterson called the meeting to order at 8:07 a.m. Mayor Peterson and Town Manager Banger welcomed the group and thanked everyone for their time and commitment during the Financial Retreat the prior day. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS 1. Professional Development Session- Strengths Finder Assessment. Organizational Development Manager White introduced JW Rayhons who would lead a team-building exercise. JW Rayhons, President of Joshua Development, spoke of delivering exceptional experiences for the community and beyond. He discussed seeing the future vision and adding light to the trail of your vision, but also shining the light out toward others and being able to see their talent. He discussed the keys of success to fully invest and be all in, capture your thoughts even if it does not seem relevant, and to have some fun. The Executive Team and the Council participated in an exercise regarding strengths and placing trust in their teams. The exercise included remembering that people are there to help you and about giving and receiving forgiveness, having empathy, and remembering the struggles and journeys of others. The exercise focused on tools that could be used on a 1 repetitive basis. The group shared words to describe the roles they play on their team and words to describe what they would like to bring to the team. He encouraged the staff and Council to strive to create the sunrise for the community. He discussed the mission to be the City of the Future, pursuit of shaping a new tomorrow, today, and the guiding principle of “Together, we are Gilbert”. 2. City of the Future, Goal Setting Policies and Performance Metrics. Town Manager Banger discussed the City of the Future initiative as a call to action and reviewed Gilbert’s rankings in many areas. He discussed growth in Gilbert, the Town’s centennial, and its relatively small growth in population until 1980-2020. He stated Gilbert’s growth and pattern was similar to all other suburban cities, adding the accessibility of automobiles changed the growth of suburban communities. He discussed the future path, lessons learned, what would need to be done today to set Gilbert up for the best future scenario, and why some cities did better than others at recovering from the Great Depression. He discussed the circumstances with Zanesville, Ohio and what led to their economic stress, such as fewer opportunities for career advancement and blight in educational attainment levels. He talked about long-term quality of life and challenges associated with creating long-term sustainability. He noted infrastructure and plans to bring wealth into the Town which would grow the tax base. He highlighted the perspective of Mike and Cindy Watts and the Maryvale area of Phoenix. He stressed the need for education and skills which would be critical to economic stability. He stated Gilbert topped the list for recovery in 100 cities after the recession, according to AZ Central in 2018. He stated that according to AZ Central, Gilbert was described as more inclusive than expected for a small prosperous city, based on demographic and other data tracked in the study. Town Manager Banger discussed focusing on tomorrow, breaking the cycle, and not going “down the other side of the mountain”. He stated the goals were to focus and align efforts in order to “move the needle” towards the overall vision of becoming the City of the Future. He discussed growth and infrastructure and the importance of keeping a focus on the future and looking down the road. He shared statistics on the projected buildout, stating from 1995-2005 Gilbert was the fastest growing city in the US, adding that 50% of the infrastructure was added in that same ten-year period. He stated the projected buildout for Gilbert would occur around 2030, with a possible population of more than 300,000 people. He discussed commercial and residential investment, population decline, revenue shrinkage, additional concerns after build-out, and the need to figure out our next steps. He noted infrastructure reinvestment, maintaining investments, and how workplace demographics can help to drive and sustain growth and success. He said one of the best things that could be done was to create post-buildout demand with the demand for products we do have. Town Manager Banger reviewed the City of the Future initiative with the key areas of focus: Strong Economy, Prosperous Community, and Exceptional Built Environment. He provided a breakdown of the categories and areas of focus, adding they were important to the success of the Town. He discussed Strong Economy factors of a diversified industry base, high wage jobs, and Gilbert based companies. He spoke of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and remote work, how it was changing the landscape, and the need to 2 focus on attraction and the ability to compete for people. He discussed the importance of Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) and monitoring areas of critical importance. He highlighted the importance of factors like Police, Fire and Rescue, and Parks and Recreation Departments; K-12 and higher education; healthcare; nonprofits; and neighborhoods for a Prosperous Community. He highlighted areas of Exceptional Built Environment including land, air and water, infrastructure, and utilities. He spoke of understanding when to adjust or pivot, recognizing when the path or direction was not working, and the need to have the mindset to change when needed and check egos at the door. He shared an important letter from Abraham Lincoln regarding doing less or more when needed to help the cause. Assistant to the Town Manager McCarty discussed the City of Future three pillars and 101 performance metrics. She outlined performance management versus performance analytics and discussed tracking metrics, identifying trends, and areas of improvement. She outlined Gilbert’s commitment to purpose and transparency in data by sharing a timeline of benchmarking. She provided information on the performance strategy and shared some examples on leadership and commitment to a purpose. She discussed the Town’s organizational performance-based culture, mission, WIGs, metrics, and enhancing performance based on culture. She talked about the process with an open data portal (Alex), joining What Works Cities with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Gilbert 311, and Public Works’ engagement with GovX. She provided information on the summary of activities and process. She discussed next steps including the PerformanceStat Leadership Strategy and the importance of performance analytics to anticipate, create, and help people. Vice Mayor Koprowski discussed the data driven approach and “garbage in and garbage out”, but said the need was to have the capability to think in big terms and to cross analyze data. She discussed dashboard statistics and to the need to drill down and compare data, noting intention, areas that would need specific attention, and not losing sight. Town Manager Banger discussed sending additional metrics to the Council for feedback and said there was a lot of work to be done but there were connections with 200 cities for comparison. He said there were ways to drill down the areas of focus and functionality. Councilmember Anderson stated he was excited to be doing this and said it was necessary for the future. Councilmember Tilque said the key was how the data was used, adding she hoped the analytics would be used to move forward early in the process and not when action was needed. Town Manager Banger spoke in support of having advance notice to prepare. 3. Crime Lab Assessment Project Update. Police Chief Soelberg provided a crime lab needs analysis update and summarized how those needs and expectations would be handled. He provided information on why crime lab services were essential and listed the current crime lab services of fingerprinting, digital forensics, and crime scene processing. He provided information on the historical crime lab concerns, current solution with the Mesa Police Department Intergovernmental Agreement, and vulnerabilities with the Mesa’s Forensic Services Contract. He detailed 3 some of the analysis goals and discussed potential crime lab partnerships within the valley and some of the public-private partnerships. He said Chandler was also looking for long- term needs and Tempe had a large volume of evidence that needed to be processed. He said Apache Junction, Maricopa, and Queen Creek also needed to contract out. He provided a status updated on the project, outlined the completed projects, and discussed some of the pending items. He said the next steps were a pending summary draft analysis due in March and a Mesa contract review and draft due in April, with the complete analysis report due before the end of June 2021. He added there was no ask of Council at the Retreat, it was only an update, but they would report back to the Council with the findings. Mayor Peterson noted that Queen Creek had added a new police department and asked when they would start. Chief Soelberg said Queen Creek Police Department would start in January 2022 and would be using Gilbert for their in-service and police academy training. Councilmember September asked if contracting with private companies created a change of title issue. Chief Soelberg said the concern was in cost and limitations on what could be processed. He provided an example of processes with partnerships of other municipalities and with private organizations and summarized issues and concerns including the lack of capacity in terms of time and people to process the evidence. Councilmember Yentes asked about rates of prosecution and chain of custody issues. She said she was in favor of exploring a private lab through intergovernmental agreements and discussed the strength and benefit of private companies. She said it needed to be explored and there was a need for checks and balances and random audits. She said there should be systems in place for audits and discussed cases that have led to dismissals due to issues in chain of custody. Chief Soelberg reemphasized the high level of accreditation standards whether in-house or contracted, adding it was very controlled and there were very stringent requirements. He said in essence only lab personnel who were certified would be allowed and it was very restrictive, adding that part of the scope was in evaluating the requirements for validation through the accreditation process. Assistant Town Manager Leah Hubbard-Rhineheimer stated it was going to be a long path of research and vetting before being brought back to the Council. 4. Business License Program Overview. Finance Management Services Director Johanson summarized a history of the business license program and its value to businesses including ensuring zoning and taxation, business development, contact information for emergencies, and connectedness. He discussed how it brought value to residents and included code compliance, hazardous materials, home-based businesses, and confidence, as well as how it brought value to the Town. He discussed the departments of Economic Development, Code Compliance, Planning, and Wastewater and provided information on the regulated multi-sectors permits. He discussed tax compliance and the non-tax database that allowed for conversations without breaching confidentiality. He discussed sales tax growth and showed a revenue summary by employment area. He discussed taxes collected by category and highlighted the change in months that was discovered through those 4 conversations. He highlighted the retail food for home consumption tax, retail trade, construction, and other areas. He discussed business license revenue, a fee comparison with other municipalities, and how they handle their business data. He said they lost data and struggle with trying to get the information to internal teams as they no longer have access to it, noting the penalties for sharing data are significant. He discussed other cities and regulatory licenses and the status of those cities today with business registration programs. He noted Chandler’s was 100% online and user-friendly. He stated the group would like to seek direction in the business license program for cost, simplicity, ease of customer service, and to ensure it was not a burden for businesses. Councilmember Tilque discussed current business license practices and the reasoning behind it being basic and having a once per year registration. She said she was unsure about the change and intent and expressed concerns about how the information would be gathered and shared. She discussed certain types of businesses, such as spas, that may raise concerns and require higher fees and more registration steps and effort. She requested more information if the desire was to streamline the process. Town Manager Banger stated the request was to review the business licensing program in general. Director Johanson stated the data was not used well in the past but the options were more sophisticated and there was opportunity to pull in the gaps between the contacts database and tax database and to use that information to cross reference things with buyer, inspection database, code compliance, wastewater, budget, etc. He said the departments could use the information, there were also education sessions available, and the intent for the Retreat was for review and the effort and research would continue. Councilmember Tilque stated the Town would receive more value from this than the business or resident. Councilmember Yentes discussed the benefit to the business community. She said searching for ways to streamline regulatory practices was worth looking into and said there was a pyramid that could be used to regulate from most and least intrusive. She said there were other options like registrations that were not licensures and that people were uncomfortable about the questions that were asked for license applications. She said she saw little value for the impact of small businesses and non-compliance was probably through the roof because people were unaware of the requirements. She said businesses that were higher risk or would have more impact should have a more regulated approach. Director Johanson discussed the different benefits and value to businesses, adding the desire was to simplify and not to burden them. Councilmember Tilque discussed the need to be consistent across the board and that the business community would be frustrated. She did not believe the information provided was consistent with what they were told a couple of years ago. She said if there were issues with certain businesses those could be addressed when needed. She said she was happy the information was being used, there was no reason to raise the fee, the change would be more useful for the Town than anyone else, and the process should be simple. 5 Mayor Peterson discussed the difference between a license and registration. Town Manager Banger provided clarification. Councilmember September stated a license was revocable and a registration was often voluntary. Mayor Peterson talked about conversations with Economic Development Director Henderson regarding diversity and information that identified the applications by categories. She asked if it could be included in licenses, adding the Town could be a gathering place for that information but it should be simplified and accessible online. Assistant Town Manager Goodman said the Town was trying to be responsive with no surprises and discussed different perspectives. She discussed trying to show one perspective and what would not be possible if they did not have access to that information. She said there was a way to do the entire license application online and the effort was to make it more streamlined. She said there were good points and suggestions made, and the team was looking at ways to make it more accessible. She said she was happy to show them that process and appreciated the comments, adding the team was trying to help to make those improvements. Councilmember Yentes said there was a difference between a registration and license when looked at from a State level. She said there were specific requirements for licenses and they were revocable, adding registrations were less intrusive and sometimes voluntary. She said because the Council could not see what the license looked that, she liked that it be online and discussed the benefits and drawbacks to setting it up like survey where one question leads to the next, adding the downside of not being able to see the entire form at once. She stated businesses already register though the Corporation Commission so there were different levels, and the Town just puts on another level to check with little value to the businesses. She said this was a policy decision that the Council should make, adding some questions should be optional and she preferred it being less intrusive. Mayor Peterson said continued conversations were needed, and she discussed the option of including Sarah Watts from the Gilbert Chamber. She thanked Director Johanson. Councilmember Tilque discussed the need to gather information. Town Manager Banger said they would capture the comments and follow through with emails. 5. Community Relations Taskforce. Assistant Town Manager Hubbard-Rhineheimer thanked the Mayor and Council for their leadership and recognized people who assisted in the Town Manager’s Office and on the specific project team. She discussed the mission of the Town and the desire to keep achieving in the future. She discussed the 2014 Community Needs Assessment to determine needs and gaps and to make a plan of action. She discussed the primary purpose including struggles faced by Gilbert residents, long and short-term goals, and the need to anticipate needs and changes. She discussed the 2018 Community Needs Assessment with the Williams Institute and its approach and methods. She stated about one-third of Gilbert residents had experienced struggles and grave challenges, adding the needs were palpable in what she described as the “Hidden Gilbert”. She reviewed statistics 6 about populations in need including suicide and domestic violence-related calls. She identified nine vulnerable population groups and summarized the six greatest strengths of the community. She discussed universal gaps or opportunities such as additional safe and affordable housing and access to mental and behavioral health resources. She discussed steps taken in the community since the 2014 Needs Assessment and the allocation of AZ CARES Funds to help address the vulnerable populations. Manager Hubbard-Rhineheimer discussed the recommendation to be more welcoming to those of diverse backgrounds and develop programs to increase and enhance experiences of culturally diverse individuals, immigrants and refugees. She noted the COVID19 pandemic, the major changes on the Town Council in 2020, and the social unrest and summer of 12 consecutive weeks of protests in Gilbert. She discussed the strain on the community and first responders and the lessons learned from the experiences. She talked about the various Listen, Learn, Act and Amplify Sessions and the success of those opportunities for feedback received. She noted the recommendation to develop programs to address core themes of training and transparency, accountability, diversity, and education on bias and racism awareness, noting much of that feedback had a nexus to the Needs Assessment. She discussed the research done by the various departments and stakeholders on community engagement, then outlined the process and scope. She provided information on what others were doing and what groups have been established locally and nationally. She discussed how the community could be engaged in a productive way and the process to identify different Gilbert leaders. Manager Hubbard-Rhineheimer highlighted the possibility of a Council-appointed group and possible structure to create a public body such as a special committee, task force, or ad hoc group; a panel; a board or commission; or a working group. She summarized the different options, possible scope, and next steps. She said a Council survey that was done in 2021 and the recommendation was for the creation of a task force or working group, also noting there was consensus on the opportunity to better hear the concerns of all of Gilbert’s residents. She said there was an opportunity to better share and tell the Gilbert story by working with Gilbert Digital and noted the Police Department had already created a beta and transparency hub to share calls for services and statistics. She discussed the expansion of existing community partnerships, quarterly Town Halls with the Police Department, and a strategic plan and roadmap to address issues such as domestic violence, sex crimes, and human trafficking. She said an additional opportunity was to create a Council Subcommittee to recommend scope, size, and structure of the engagement group, prioritize the action plan, and review recommendations. She said the ask at the Retreat was for direction on the creation of a Council Subcommittee. Councilmember September stated he liked the transparency roadmap and three areas in the Police Department to address domestic violence, sex crimes, and human trafficking and thought it could be the focus of a task force. Vice Mayor Koprowski stated she liked the idea and flexibility of a task force to take on special projects, referencing her experience serving on the Citizens Transportation Task Force. 7 Councilmember Anderson stated his preference was also a task force. Councilmember September asked about how a task force would interface with staff. Mayor Peterson discussed the structure of a task force, stating typically a staff and council liaison were assigned. There was discussion on the different types of boards and groups within the town. Vice Mayor Koprowski stated a task force was less formal and less intimidating and could be more like a workshop or brainstorming session. Councilmember Tilque discussed a short-term committee of the Council to determine the needs for a subcommittee. She said the team had done a great job with the research and hoped those on the project team would stay involved. She discussed the importance of telling the story, making sure people knew they were heard, and identifying issues within the community. Manager Hubbard-Rhineheimer said that project team was amazing and enjoyed the opportunity. She said having a clear scope was critical and the recommendation was for the Council to create a small subcommittee to determine next steps. There was discussion regarding the limitations on communication of a formal group. Vice Mayor Koprowski discussed the challenge of communication because of open meeting law restrictions. Town Manager Banger discussed the possibility of setting up a group or subcommittee that was less than a quorum and less formal. Town Clerk Herrera confirmed that the group of three was a subcommittee and would be privy to open meeting law and statutory requirements. There was discussion about the use of surveys. Town Clerk Herrera noted the possible issue of splintering a quorum to gain a consensus, adding a subcommittee with formally assigned duties would still need to comply with open meeting law. Town Attorney Payne stated the better option was for a staff liaison to gather information and communicate with everyone. Vice Mayor Koprowski asked if there could be a study session or if staff could reach out the Council to get direction without doing something as formal. Mayor Peterson asked if the research included a summary of what other cities were doing. Town Manager Banger stated staff would work with the Council, adding there could be a possible study session and that Councilmember Tilque could be the liaison. There was discussion regarding the structure of the group. Mayor Peterson suggested a task force of seven to eleven people of different backgrounds and groups, including high school students, noting the scope would be the hardest piece. Manager Hubbard- Rhineheimer noted having Councilmember Tilque as the Council liaison and said staff could work with the project team to assemble the existing scope from peer cities as well as deeper dive of needs assessments and then set up a study session to discuss. Mayor Peterson noted that she had met with Bus Obayomi who had many ideas including calling the group the Community Engagement Task Force; Mayor Peterson noted she was in favor of that name and the scope would help determine the appropriate size of the group. Councilmember Tilque said she supported having nine members. 8 6. Northwest Growth Area Redevelopment Update. Redevelopment Program Manager Elliott provided an update on the Northwest Growth Area Redevelopment. She showed a map and talked about attributes of the area including aging infrastructure, absentee owners and lots, vacant infill sites, tax delinquencies, and title foreclosures. She showed a slide of issues facing businesses and entire blocks with odd parking lot configurations and parking issues which had caused adverse relationships with businesses. She said staff had been working with businesses to identify issues and she outlined nine findings of necessity for establishing a redevelopment area. Town Engineer David Fabiano discussed the faulty and inadequate street layout category including parking issues. He discussed efforts to meet the needs of the community and adopt standards unique to the area. Manager Elliott discussed deterioration of site and provided information on the issues associated such as code compliance issues. She discussed long-term negative effects on surrounding properties. Police Chief Soelberg discussed conditions that endangering life or property, such as vehicle and commercial burglaries. He discussed working with other departments to make sure the Town was doing what could be done to have the appearance of an upkept environment including adding additional lighting. He discussed making sure everything in the Town Code was up to speed and creating an environment of growth and safety. Manager Elliott summarized faulty line layout and small infill sites that were challenging to develop. She said regarding tax delinquency/title, 6.9% of the parcels in the Northwest corridor were facing foreclosures. She said that area also had the most parcels with a history of delinquency status, showing a direct correlation between foreclosure and physical deterioration. Economic Development Director Henderson discussed employers in the area and trends that show a need to intervene. He gave examples of employers who had left or desire to leave that area including Silent Aire and GoDaddy in favor of moving to South Gilbert or to Chandler. He discussed reasons that area could not accommodate those needs and how businesses have adapted or moved. He showed a slide of blocks that have parking issues that can lead to adverse relationships between businesses and summarized issues with parking, lighting and pedestrians. Redevelopment Program Manager Elliott discussed previous Council direction to develop a redevelopment area, adding the purpose was not to buy land or establish an entertainment area. She said the intent was to treat it differently than other areas in town. She noted Prop. 207 from 2006 that was enacted to protect owners from downsizing or changing zoning to permit less intensive development. She discussed the process and working with the Urban Land Institute to create a Technical Assistance Panel Report that include public input to draft a vision plan including the steering committee, community survey, and research. She discussed the vision plan’s eight goals: to further define the Northwest Growth area, encourage varied housing options, resolve parking and circulation pain 9 points, create connections between the Northwest growth area & Heritage District, encourage pride and place, embrace regional approach, attract and retain business and amenities, and utilize technology to support data driven decisions. She said the next steps were boundary, public, plan, and Council. She discussed what should be included in the area and how attracting and retaining business was a key factor for redevelopment. She talked about the different process with boundaries and showed a map of the area boundary and said the Town would determine if it was the right boundary for redevelopment. She said the map would be vetted by the public and then would brought back to the Council for adoption. Economic Development Director Henderson summarized the goals and intent of redevelopment and the vision of the area, including anticipating future transportation and additional tools and creating an area where the market wants to invest. Councilmember Anderson said this item was the first step in what Town Manager Banger described as critical. He asked if the Redevelopment Commission (RDC) was tasked to oversee that area. Director Henderson stated the idea of the RDC was to maintain that focus, but the process would be seen over a different group and board, adding it may require another board. Councilmember Tilque said she supported Councilmember Anderson’s comments. She said she was glad to see it moving forward, that it could be a gateway that could lead to deterioration and may be a heavy lift. She asked if there was a timeline for coming back to the Council. Director Henderson said they had experienced some delays but anticipated it could be as early as August 2021, depending on discussions with boundary. Mayor Peterson asked if the Council would receive options to choose from. Director Henderson confirmed that the plan was to bring forth options for the Council to consider. ADJOURN Mayor Peterson thanked everyone and said the presenters and diverse leadership team deserved a big round of applause. She noted the strengths of the team and said although staff were still separated and working remotely there was importance in relying on each other. She thanked everyone and wished them a happy holiday weekend. She shared a slide showing the hashtag #GilbertYearOne, adding more information would be coming soon. Town Manager Banger and Assistant to the Town Manager Nikki McCarty thanked everyone for their help including the group at Southeast Regional Library, the Information Technology (IT) Department, Eric Garcia, Judy Martinez, Chaveli Herrera, Monica D’Ortenzio, Valerie Shaffer, and everyone for their help with the Retreat. Town Manager Banger talked about Team Gilbert and summarized the Retreat and the direction of the Council over the past two days. Mayor Peterson adjourned meeting at 3:26 p.m. 10  ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Brigette Peterson, Mayor Chaveli Herrera, MMC, Town Clerk 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 12th day of February, 2021. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this ____ day of ____________________. ___________________________________ Chaveli Herrera, MMC, Town Clerk 11