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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 / 2:23:35

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:07

I'd like to call the regular meeting of Monday, January 8th to order.

0:11

Would you all see you please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of reflection?

0:15

I would ask you to keep in your thoughts and prayers.

0:17

The father of former mayor, council member, and vice mayor Chuck Wolfe.

0:21

His father died unexpectedly on Friday.

0:52

Thank you very much.

0:57

Marcella, do you want to call them?

1:00

Thank you, Mayor.

1:01

Councilmember Condi.

1:03

Councilmember Malone.

1:04

Councilmember Nielsen.

1:06

Councilmember Solario.

1:08

Councilmember White.

1:09

Here.

1:09

Vice Mayor Paneba.

1:11

Mayor Weiss.

1:12

Here.

1:14

Ron, uh item two A, please.

1:17

Thank you, Mr.

1:18

Mayor.

1:18

Council.

1:19

Uh, first we have new employee introductions, and I believe we're gonna start.

1:22

Yep, there she goes.

1:22

We're gonna start with our city clerk's office.

1:25

Uh Marcella.

1:37

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council.

1:40

I have the privilege of introducing two new employees to you tonight.

1:43

First, on my left, I have Veronica Moreno.

1:46

Veronica joined the City of Avondale in November 2023 as our administrative assistant, also known as our passport agent.

1:54

Prior to joining Avondale, Veronica served the city of Nogales for over eight years, working within their public works department, where she served as the executive assistant to the director and also as the procurement specialist.

2:06

Lastly, I'm proud to announce that Veronica just received her certified election officer certificate through the Arizona Secretary in State just in time for the 2024 elections.

2:19

And then on my right, I have Julie Knoll.

2:21

So Julie joined the City of Avondale today.

2:25

So today is her first day.

2:27

So she knows everything already.

2:30

Um she is our new deputy city clerk.

2:32

Prior to joining Avondale, Julie served as Gl um served the Glendale City Clerk's office for over three years with extensive knowledge in records management and public records.

2:43

Prior to that, Julie served various public agencies to include the Glendale Union High School District and the Washington Elementary School District.

2:50

Julie earned a master's degree in public administration from Grand Canyon University in 2023.

2:56

And she has a bachelor's degree in social work from ASU.

3:00

Julie is a certified municipal clerk through the um International Institute of Municipal Clerks, and she is also a certified election officer through the Secretary of State's office.

3:10

Welcome to you both.

3:11

We're glad you're here.

3:12

Thank you.

3:12

Thank you.

3:13

Thank you, Ronica.

3:16

Thank you, Mr.

3:16

Mayor.

3:17

Up next, I believe, is our finance and budget department with Renee introducing the new employee.

3:23

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council.

3:26

Um I'm proud to introduce our newest member to the Finance and Budget Department with me.

3:30

I have Allie Bland.

3:32

She is a senior accountant and um she brings over 20 years of financial experience.

3:38

Most recently, she worked um in Alaska in the business office for a native health um consortium.

3:46

Allie has a bachelor's degree from Dickinson State University with a double major in accounting and business administration, and we're happy to have her here with us in Avondale.

3:55

So the weather the last couple days has made you feel at home a little bit more, or I'm glad we could do that for you.

4:00

Welcome aboard.

4:03

Thank you.

4:04

Next up is the fire medical department chief uh Rooney.

4:10

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Personnel Matters██████████████████████22%

Parks and Recreation██████████████████18%

Public Safety███████████████15%

Disability Rights█████████9%

Public Works█████████9%

Procedural████████8%

Public Engagement█████5%

Community Engagement████4%

Legal Affairs████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Regular Meeting - October 15, 2025

This is a summary of the Avondale City Council regular meeting held on October 15, 2025. The meeting included new employee introductions, fire department promotions, a proclamation, presentations on ADA transition planning, photo radar enforcement, several policy amendments, and a resolution establishing fees for short-term rentals and the new aquatic center. All votes were unanimous (7-0) where recorded. (Note: The meeting transcript indicates a date of January 8, 2024, but the provided date for this summary is October 15, 2025.)

Consent Calendar

Approved unanimously (7-0) after one item (4M) was removed to return on a later date.

Public Comments & Testimony

A written comment from Diane DiCarlo (Alamar Division) was read aloud, requesting speed bumps in the subdivision and regular traffic patrols on Broadway and Avondale due to racing and speeding that endanger children and elderly.

Discussion Items

New Employee Introductions: The city clerk, finance, fire/medical, HR, public safety, and parks & rec departments introduced several new hires, including Veronica Moreno, Julie Knoll, Allie Bland, Amelia Torres, Richard Kimmy, Nathan Williams, Scott Miller, Priscilla Pimentel, Nancy Moreno, Jacob Andrata (via video), and Stephanie Flood.
Fire Department Promotions and Swearing-In: Engineers Brendan Weiss, Ryan Newtzmann, and Brent Riggs were sworn in, followed by Captains Randall McCullough, Robert Maturk, and Daniel Guerrero, and Fire Marshal Scott Miller. The chief noted all department positions were now filled.
Proclamation – Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Councilmember White read a proclamation declaring January 15, 2024 as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Avondale, with all council signing it.
ADA Transition Plan Presentation: John McGovern of WT Group presented an accessibility audit of city parks and facilities, identifying barriers and proposing a phased retrofit plan. The first three phases total just under $1 million, with overall costs over $1.7 million. Staff budgeted $300,000 for the next fiscal year. The plan will return for formal adoption.
Photo Radar Program Update: Police Chief and Court Administrator Abril provided an update. Phase 1 (social media education) starts tomorrow; Phase 2 (warning citations) in April; Phase 3 (actual citations) in May. Cost is $5,250 per device per month. Council expressed support for the program as a safety measure, not a revenue generator.
Annexation Public Hearing (Tolleson Union High School District): First public hearing for annexation of ~55 acres at SE corner of Alamar Boulevard and Dysart Road for a future public high school. No action taken; second hearing and ordinance adoption scheduled for February 5th.
Personnel Policy Amendment – Chapter 18 Discipline: Amendment allowing all employees to have a representative present during administrative interviews and pre-disciplinary hearings, previously only for peace officers. Passed 7-0.
Procurement Code Amendment – Chapter 25: Increased informal procurement threshold from $50,000 to $100,000, change order limit from $100,000 to $200,000, and job order contracting (JOC) limit from $1 million to $2 million. Also changed gift acceptance language to reference administrative policy. Passed 7-0.
Resolution Setting Fees – Short-Term Rentals and Aquatic Center: Established short-term rental license fee at $250 (maximum under state statute) and renewal at $250, effective February 1st. For the aquatic center, council directed staff to set a $3 resident daily admission and a higher non-resident rate (e.g., $5), implement a 30-day residents-only soft opening period, and develop operational policies (age limits, swim tests, capacity management). The resolution passed 7-0 with ranges giving staff flexibility.

Key Outcomes

Unanimous approval of consent agenda (7-0).
Unanimous approval of personnel policy amendment (7-0).
Unanimous approval of procurement code amendment (7-0).
Unanimous adoption of resolution setting fees for short-term rentals and aquatic center (7-0), with administrative flexibility on specific rates and opening period.
Council directed staff to return with the final ADA transition plan for adoption at a future meeting.
Council requested follow-up with the Alamar resident about photo radar and speed concerns.
Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call the regular meeting of Monday, January 8th to order. Would you all see you please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of reflection? I would ask you to keep in your thoughts and prayers. The father of former mayor, council member, and vice mayor Chuck Wolfe. His father died unexpectedly on Friday. Thank you very much. Marcella, do you want to call them? Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Condi. Councilmember Malone. Councilmember Nielsen. Councilmember Solario. Councilmember White. Here. Vice Mayor Paneba. Mayor Weiss. Here. Ron, uh item two A, please. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Council. Uh, first we have new employee introductions, and I believe we're gonna start. Yep, there she goes. We're gonna start with our city clerk's office. Uh Marcella. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council. I have the privilege of introducing two new employees to you tonight. First, on my left, I have Veronica Moreno. Veronica joined the City of Avondale in November 2023 as our administrative assistant, also known as our passport agent. Prior to joining Avondale, Veronica served the city of Nogales for over eight years, working within their public works department, where she served as the executive assistant to the director and also as the procurement specialist. Lastly, I'm proud to announce that Veronica just received her certified election officer certificate through the Arizona Secretary in State just in time for the 2024 elections. And then on my right, I have Julie Knoll. So Julie joined the City of Avondale today. So today is her first day. So she knows everything already. Um she is our new deputy city clerk. Prior to joining Avondale, Julie served as Gl um served the Glendale City Clerk's office for over three years with extensive knowledge in records management and public records. Prior to that, Julie served various public agencies to include the Glendale Union High School District and the Washington Elementary School District. Julie earned a master's degree in public administration from Grand Canyon University in 2023. And she has a bachelor's degree in social work from ASU. Julie is a certified municipal clerk through the um International Institute of Municipal Clerks, and she is also a certified election officer through the Secretary of State's office. Welcome to you both. We're glad you're here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ronica. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Up next, I believe, is our finance and budget department with Renee introducing the new employee. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council.

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