OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Meeting – October 15, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, October 15, 2025
BodyAvondale, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, October 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:04:02

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Everybody, I'd like to call to order the regular city council meeting of July 7, 2025.

0:09

Would you please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance tonight is being led by Sean Ledford?

0:15

So we're looking forward to you to kick off the pledge.

0:23

There he is.

0:28

Let us know when you're ready, Sean.

0:36

Hi Pledge of the Just to the Flag of the United States of America.

0:46

One motion undervisible liberty and justice for all.

1:06

Thank you so much.

1:08

Good job, Sean.

1:10

Yes, great job, Sean.

1:17

Takes a lot of confidence to get up here.

1:19

So we appreciate you.

1:20

Appreciate you doing that.

1:22

Okay, can we get roll call, please, Marcelo?

1:25

Thank you, Mayor.

1:26

Deborah Nebu, our high school student who is participating in our Abbey Temp program.

1:31

We'll do the roll call tonight.

1:34

Thank you, Deborah.

1:38

Councilmember Condi.

1:41

Here.

1:42

Councilmember Garcia.

1:44

Here.

1:44

Councilmember Solorio.

1:46

Here.

1:47

Councilmember Wise.

1:48

Here.

1:49

Councilmember White.

1:51

Present.

1:52

Vice Mayor Nielsen.

1:54

Here.

1:54

Mayor Pineda.

1:56

Here.

1:57

Thank you.

1:58

Ron, next item, please.

2:01

Thank you, Mr.

2:01

Mayor.

2:02

Up next, we have our city attorney's office who's going to introduce a couple of employees.

2:08

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council.

2:11

I am here to introduce two new employees to the city attorney's office.

2:16

To my left, we have Danny Garonne.

2:19

Danny obtained his uh law degree, and he has a bachelor's of art in journalism and political science from Arizona State University.

2:31

She couldn't even get it out.

2:33

Sorry, excuse me.

2:35

Um before coming to work for Avondale, Danny worked at the state ombudsman's office for 11 years, specializing in administrative law, the public records law, and the open meeting law.

2:47

He is a proud father of two small children, and Danny loves the New York Yankees.

2:53

And he still has not gotten over the 2001 World Series.

2:57

So this is Danny.

2:59

And to my right, we have Ryan Johnston.

3:02

He is a legal intern working with our office this summer.

3:06

He is an incoming 2L at the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law at Arizona State University, where he received the Pedrig Scholar Award for Academic Excellence.

3:20

Before starting law school, Ryan lived in Colorado and worked for Amazon as a senior escalation investigator, where he conducted over 250 employment investigations related to equal opportunity, equal employment opportunity laws.

3:37

Ryan is also an Avondale homeowner and he lives in Alamar, and he looks forward to contributing to the community.

3:46

Thanks, Ryan.

3:47

Danny and Ryan, thank you for uh joining the Avondale family, and uh we welcome aboard.

3:53

And while a wild cat has a hard time giving kudos to ASU, uh we totally we totally understand, but welcome again to the Avondale family.

4:02

Thank you for being here.

4:09

Mr.

4:09

Mayor and Council.

4:10

Next is we have uh Kim Moon, our city engineer, to introduce a couple new employees.

4:20

Hi, good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████████23%
Parks and Recreation██████████████14%
Procedural████████████12%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Mental Health Awareness███████7%
Community Engagement███████7%
Economic Development███████7%
Technology and Innovation████4%
General Plan████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Meeting – October 15, 2025

The Avondale City Council convened for a regular meeting (Note: The raw transcript states a meeting date of July 7, 2025, but the required system metadata specifies the date as October 15, 2025; the metadata date is used throughout this summary.) The agenda included employee recognitions, community proclamations, and legislative actions on a recycling agreement, a major development project, the city's strategic plan, event permitting reform, and a landmark water resource management ordinance.

Proclamations & Recognitions

  • New Employees & Promotion: The council welcomed Danny Garonne and Ryan Johnston (City Attorney's Office), Carlos Corona and Sergio Perez (Engineering), and celebrated Jose Guzman's promotion to Engineer after scoring first on his second attempt at the rigorous promotional exam.
  • World Brain Day: Sean and Janine Ledford presented on brain health, noting Arizona has the fastest-growing Alzheimer's rate in the nation. The council proclaimed July 22, 2025, as World Brain Day and July as Brain Health Awareness Month.
  • Parks & Recreation Month: Director Corey Lariva highlighted the 40th anniversary of National Parks and Recreation Month. The department serves 130,000 program participants and welcomed over one million visitors to city parks; Friendship Park alone hosted 1.3 million visitors annually. The council thanked the 166-member 'team in green.'
  • Curb Appeal Awards: The inaugural 'Property All-Star Curb Appeal Award' was presented to the Perez family of Alamar, followed by a second award for a homeowner known for a beautifully maintained corner lot.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 4: Fourth Amendment to Phoenix Recycling Agreement: Harold updated the council on the city's recycling contract. Processing costs have fluctuated from a net revenue of $8.42/ton in FY22 to a cost of $58.38/ton in FY24, stabilizing to a current average of $33/ton. The city recycled 5,700 tons in FY25 (diverting 20% of waste from the landfill), and a new drop-off center has collected nearly 20 tons since opening. The amendment was approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Item 5: Hermosa Ranch Technology Campus North PAD Amendment: Senior Planner Joshua Wharton presented a major amendment for the 239-acre site at Lower Buckeye and Avondale Blvd. The amendment increases data center building heights (mechanical screening up to 77 feet) and rephases development to prioritize a Fry's Marketplace grocery anchor. Staff received 20 written comments, mostly regarding the commercial timeline. The applicant confirmed Fry's will open by end of 2026 and the data center by early 2028. Councilmember Garcia explained she switched from a 'no' to a 'yes' vote to secure grocery and dining options for South Avondale. The ordinance passed 7–0.
  • Item 6: 2025 Strategic Plan Update: Consultant Nancy Hettrick presented the updated five-year plan. The vision emphasizes empowering residents to 'aspire, achieve, and accelerate.' The five strategic outcome areas are Economic Growth & Prosperity, Community Well-being, Resilient Infrastructure & Transportation, Connected & Engaged Community, and Innovative & Effective Government. The plan, developed through a council workshop and community input, was adopted 7–0.
  • Item 7: Special Event Permitting Code Update: Dominic DiCono proposed changes to Chapter 7, creating three event classifications (Major, Minor, Alcohol-Only), raising the permit threshold from 100 to 250 attendees, and consolidating fees. City Manager Ron requested a continuance to finalize details with partners, including NASCAR. The council voted 7–0 to continue the item.
  • Item 8: Water Service & Water Resource Management Ordinance: Kirk introduced an ordinance codifying the city's water allocation practices. It protects the city's 100-year Designation of Assured Water Supply (30,666 acre-feet annually) by linking development approvals to water availability through allocations based on the General Plan. The ordinance notes the rising cost of acquiring new water ($20,000–$100,000 per acre-foot for a 100-year lease). The council adopted the ordinance 7–0.

Key Outcomes

  • Recycling Agreement (Item 4): Approved 7–0.
  • Hermosa Ranch Tech Campus PAD (Item 5): Approved 7–0.
  • 2025 Strategic Plan (Item 6): Adopted 7–0.
  • Special Event Permitting Ordinance (Item 7): Continued to next meeting (7–0).
  • Water Resource Management Ordinance (Item 8): Adopted 7–0.
  • Sierra Luna Energy Storage Development Agreement: Following executive session, the council voted 5–2 to approve Resolution 1050-0725.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned following the conclusion of the legislative agenda.

Meeting Transcript

Everybody, I'd like to call to order the regular city council meeting of July 7, 2025. Would you please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance tonight is being led by Sean Ledford? So we're looking forward to you to kick off the pledge. There he is. Let us know when you're ready, Sean. Hi Pledge of the Just to the Flag of the United States of America. One motion undervisible liberty and justice for all. Thank you so much. Good job, Sean. Yes, great job, Sean. Takes a lot of confidence to get up here. So we appreciate you. Appreciate you doing that. Okay, can we get roll call, please, Marcelo? Thank you, Mayor. Deborah Nebu, our high school student who is participating in our Abbey Temp program. We'll do the roll call tonight. Thank you, Deborah. Councilmember Condi. Here. Councilmember Garcia. Here. Councilmember Solorio. Here. Councilmember Wise. Here. Councilmember White. Present. Vice Mayor Nielsen. Here. Mayor Pineda. Here. Thank you. Ron, next item, please. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Up next, we have our city attorney's office who's going to introduce a couple of employees. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council. I am here to introduce two new employees to the city attorney's office. To my left, we have Danny Garonne. Danny obtained his uh law degree, and he has a bachelor's of art in journalism and political science from Arizona State University. She couldn't even get it out. Sorry, excuse me. Um before coming to work for Avondale, Danny worked at the state ombudsman's office for 11 years, specializing in administrative law, the public records law, and the open meeting law. He is a proud father of two small children, and Danny loves the New York Yankees. And he still has not gotten over the 2001 World Series. So this is Danny. And to my right, we have Ryan Johnston. He is a legal intern working with our office this summer. He is an incoming 2L at the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law at Arizona State University, where he received the Pedrig Scholar Award for Academic Excellence.

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