OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Regular Meeting – October 15, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, October 15, 2025
BodyAvondale, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, October 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:54:29

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

I'd like to call to order the regular city council meeting of December 16th, 2024.

0:12

Sorry.

0:12

Actually, let's take a second.

0:14

The rest of the council will get here.

0:18

Oh, there's two.

0:21

Okay.

0:21

Thank you.

0:25

Yeah.

0:30

Okay, so again, I'd like to call to order the regular city council meeting of December 16th, 2024.

0:36

Where you all join me in standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence.

1:11

Thank you.

1:18

Now, before we begin tonight, I would like to say that we're honored to have you all here.

1:24

And I would also like to welcome several dignitaries from around our state.

1:29

I believe we have Representative Lupe Contreras.

1:32

Is he here?

1:35

I know I saw Senator Diva Eva Diaz.

1:40

Is she here?

1:40

Could you please stand, be recognized?

1:48

Mayor Schoaf of Lichfield Park.

1:57

The Honorable Pep Guzman.

1:59

Is he here?

2:04

And our Council Member Elect Sherry Wise.

2:12

In addition to so many of you here who are serving our community, thank you so much for being here as well as we have uh Jeffrey Gompels of the president of the Southworth Valley Chamber.

2:22

Thank you so much for being here as well.

2:26

Item one is roll call.

2:27

Marcella, will you please do the roll call?

2:30

Councilmember Conde.

2:32

Here.

2:32

Councilmember Garcia.

2:34

Here.

2:34

Councilmember Solario.

2:36

Here.

2:36

Councilmember Malone.

2:37

Here.

2:38

Councilmember White?

2:39

Here.

2:40

Vice Mayor Nielsen.

2:41

Here.

2:41

Mayor Panama.

2:43

Here.

2:45

Item two, unscheduled public appearances.

2:47

Marcella, do we have any requests to speak at this time?

2:50

Thank you, Mayor.

2:51

We have not received any requests to speak.

2:54

Okay.

2:55

With that being said, move on to item three consent.

2:58

Are there any council members who wish to have an item removed for separate consideration?

3:03

And if not, can I please get a motion and a vote?

3:06

Got a motion from Councilmember White and Councilmember Malone.

3:10

Please vote.

3:13

Okay, item passes.

3:16

Ron, next item, please.

3:22

Sorry, Mr.

3:23

Mayor.

3:24

It's gonna be a little bit of a sad night.

3:26

Um but tonight uh I think at the same way, we'd like to start this item with a reading of the proclamation, uh recognizing uh councilmember Veronica Malone for her service as a member of the Avondale City Council from 2017 to 2024.

3:42

So I will go ahead and read proclamation, honoring councilmember Veronica Malone.

3:48

A proclamation from the Council of the City of Avondale, Arizona, honoring Councilmember Veronica Malone for her dedicated service to the Avondale community as a city council member.

3:58

Whereas Veronica Malone answered to the call of service in 2016 when she was elected as council member of the city of Avondale at the August 30th, 2016 election.

4:08

And whereas Veronica Malone served as vice mayor from January 4th, 2021 to January 9th, 2023, where she performed the duties of mayor during absences of the mayor.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement███████████████████████████████████████39%
Procedural████████████████████████24%
Community Well-Being████████████████16%
Personnel Matters███████████11%
Public Safety███3%
Youth Programs██2%
Economic Development██2%
Public Engagement██2%
Parks and Recreation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Regular Meeting – October 15, 2025

Note: The transcript of this meeting repeatedly states the date as December 16, 2024, but the summary is prepared using the date provided in the instructions (2025-10-15). This discrepancy is noted.

The meeting began with roll call, all members present. There were no unscheduled public appearances. The consent agenda was approved unanimously. The majority of the meeting was dedicated to recognizing two outgoing elected officials: Councilmember Veronica Malone and Mayor Ken Weiss. Following the recognitions, council members shared current events. The council then recessed into executive session and subsequently approved a termination agreement before adjourning.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was approved without any items removed for separate consideration. Motion by Councilmember White, second by Councilmember Malone, passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No unscheduled public appearances were made.

Discussion Items

  • Recognition of Councilmember Veronica Malone: Councilmember Malone was honored for her eight years of service (2017–2024). A proclamation was read listing her numerous community and regional committee roles. A video tribute was shown featuring community members praising her work on park improvements, the creation of a city parks department, and her dedication to the Cashman and Old Town areas. City staff including the auditor, municipal judge, city attorney, police chief, fire chief, and city manager presented gifts and shared personal anecdotes. Councilmembers each gave heartfelt remarks about her mentorship, honesty, and community passion. Councilmember Malone responded with gratitude, highlighting accomplishments such as park renovations, traffic flow improvements, and the creation of the city auditor position. She thanked her family and colleagues.
  • Recognition of Mayor Ken Weiss: Mayor Weiss was honored for over 18 years of service (2006–2024), including as mayor since 2014. A proclamation was read detailing his civic engagements and regional leadership. A video tribute featured community leaders praising his focus on economic development, including bringing the NASCAR championship to Avondale and his work on the Prop 400 sales tax extension. City staff gave gifts and remarks, highlighting his support for public safety, the city court, and his friendly leadership style. Councilmembers each spoke about his mentorship, his role in fostering a collaborative council culture, and his personal kindness. Mayor Weiss responded by thanking his family, recognizing former councilmember Chuck Wolf for encouraging him to run, and emphasizing the role of city staff. He also introduced his wife, Sherry Weiss, who was presented with a certificate of appreciation for her support.
  • Summary of Current Events: Councilmember Garcia noted that the National League of Cities training she attended was effectively covered by previous briefings from the city attorney and manager. She also mentioned attending "Shop with a Cop" and holiday parties. Councilmember Malone mentioned driving the new police tactical truck and participating in community holiday events.

Key Outcomes

  • Adopted Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously.
  • Approved Termination Agreement: Item 7 (termination agreement) was approved by motion and vote.
  • Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following executive session.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call to order the regular city council meeting of December 16th, 2024. Sorry. Actually, let's take a second. The rest of the council will get here. Oh, there's two. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Okay, so again, I'd like to call to order the regular city council meeting of December 16th, 2024. Where you all join me in standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. Thank you. Now, before we begin tonight, I would like to say that we're honored to have you all here. And I would also like to welcome several dignitaries from around our state. I believe we have Representative Lupe Contreras. Is he here? I know I saw Senator Diva Eva Diaz. Is she here? Could you please stand, be recognized? Mayor Schoaf of Lichfield Park. The Honorable Pep Guzman. Is he here? And our Council Member Elect Sherry Wise. In addition to so many of you here who are serving our community, thank you so much for being here as well as we have uh Jeffrey Gompels of the president of the Southworth Valley Chamber. Thank you so much for being here as well. Item one is roll call. Marcella, will you please do the roll call? Councilmember Conde. Here. Councilmember Garcia. Here. Councilmember Solario. Here. Councilmember Malone. Here. Councilmember White? Here. Vice Mayor Nielsen. Here. Mayor Panama. Here. Item two, unscheduled public appearances. Marcella, do we have any requests to speak at this time? Thank you, Mayor. We have not received any requests to speak. Okay. With that being said, move on to item three consent. Are there any council members who wish to have an item removed for separate consideration? And if not, can I please get a motion and a vote? Got a motion from Councilmember White and Councilmember Malone. Please vote.

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