OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Special Meeting - October 22, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, October 22, 2025
BodyAvondale, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, October 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:16:02

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

I'd like to call the special meeting of Monday, September 11th, 2023 to order.

0:07

Marcella, do you mind doing roll call, please?

0:10

Thank you, Mayor.

0:11

Councilmember Conde.

0:13

Here.

0:14

Councilmember Malone.

0:16

Councilmember Solario.

0:18

Councilmember White.

0:21

Vice Mayor Paneda.

0:23

Mayor Weiss.

0:24

And Councilmember Nielsen has an excused absence tonight.

0:29

Good seeing you.

0:30

Item number two, please.

0:31

All right.

0:32

It's you're up first, sir.

0:33

I think you might want to have a few words to say about our U.S.

0:35

Constitution Week proclamation.

0:37

Especially today.

0:39

This is U.S.

0:40

Constitution Week.

0:41

It's from September 17th to September 23rd.

0:44

And we had a request for Constitution Week, and I really couldn't think of a uh a more appropriate proclamation for this week.

0:52

So if you don't mind, I'll go ahead and read it out loud.

0:55

Whereof September 17th, 2023 marks the 236th anniversary of the framing of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention.

1:04

And whereas it is fitting and proper to accord official recognition to this magnificent document and its memorable anniversary and to the patriotic celebrations which will commemorate it.

1:14

And whereas public law 915 guarantees the issuing of a proclamation each year by the President of the United States of America, designating September 17th through the 23rd as Constitution Week.

1:26

Now therefore, I, Kenneth Weiss, by virtue of the authority vested in me as mayor of the City of Avondale, Arizona, do hereby proclaim the week of September 17th through 23rd as Constitution Week and ask citizens to reinfirm the ideals of the framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this guardian of our liberties.

1:48

Thank you.

1:49

And this will this will hang uh in City Hall.

1:54

Gloria.

2:04

No home.

2:08

There we go.

2:08

There we go.

2:13

All right.

2:15

Hello everyone.

2:17

So I am here to talk about International Housekeeping Week.

2:21

I am so excited to be able to kick off the first.

2:26

I guess it would be this this is day one of housekeeping week.

2:29

It is one of the housekeeping is one of the most needed yet thankless jobs in many industries.

2:34

Housekeepers, custodians, or even environmental services, while all different job titles all do the same.

2:40

They ensure we have a level of cleanliness and the level of commitment to business and customers.

2:44

Today we are here to celebrate and recognize the men and women who do this job daily.

2:49

I am proud of our city and the importance they have given to this week by issuing the following proclamation.

2:55

I will read the proclamation.

2:57

Proclamation National Housekeeping Week, which is always done the second week of September, September 10th this year through the 16th.

3:05

So whereas National Housekeeping Week is a week-long celebration dedicated to recognizing the efforts of hardworking housekeepers.

3:12

And whereas any building operations such as hotels, restaurants, casinos, and other official buildings all function under long hours and efforts of housekeeping.

3:20

And whereas if housekeeping did not exist and buildings are not properly cleaned, it can lead to illness, productivity loss for the people who visit, eat, live, work, and play there.

3:30

And whereas the true heroes of any building operation, housekeepers, have one of the toughest jobs in the building, but also one of the most important.

3:38

Now, therefore, on behalf of the city of Avondale, Arizona, I hereby proclaim September 10th through the 16th, 2023 as National Housekeeping Week and extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to the hospitality industry of Avondale, who provide excellent service every day.

4:00

So we get probably Marcella, how many of those requests do we get a year?

4:03

Maybe there's some that we do over and over just because they're fitting.

4:06

We probably get 20 of those a year.

4:08

We kind of go through them to see if they match up with the ideals and the vision of the city of Avondale, and obviously Constitution Week does, and obviously this does too.

4:15

So thank you for reading that.

4:16

Ron, item number four, please.

4:18

Thank you, Mr.

4:18

Mayor.

4:19

Next we have recognition of the 2023 Arizona Parks and Recreation Association Awards.

4:24

We have Brian Hughes, our Director of Parks and Recreation, to make the presentation.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development█████████████████████████25%
General Plan███████████████████████23%
Public Safety████████████████16%
Affordable Housing███████████11%
Procedural██████6%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Public Engagement███3%
Personnel Matters███3%
Environmental Protection███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Special Meeting - October 22, 2025

The City of Avondale held a special meeting on October 22, 2025, with Mayor Kenneth Weiss presiding. The meeting included proclamations, recognitions, a swearing-in ceremony, discussion and action on a consent agenda item, and an update on the General Plan. Councilmember Nielsen was excused. The meeting concluded with a summary of current events and adjournment to executive session.

Consent Calendar

  • The council discussed and voted on a reduction in workforce due to reorganization of the Human Resources Department, resulting in the elimination of a Human Resource Manager position. Councilmember White raised a concern about the timing (close to the holiday season) and proposed paying for COBRA benefits for the affected employee through December 31, 2023, if needed. The city manager clarified that benefits cannot be extended beyond employment but COBRA could be paid. Councilmember White amended the motion to include COBRA payment if the employee does not secure new employment with health coverage. The motion passed unanimously (6-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the meeting.

Proclamations & Recognitions

  • U.S. Constitution Week Proclamation: Mayor Weiss read a proclamation declaring September 17–23, 2023 as Constitution Week, noting the 236th anniversary of the Constitution.
  • National Housekeeping Week Proclamation: A representative from the city read a proclamation declaring September 10–16, 2023 as National Housekeeping Week, recognizing housekeeping staff.
  • Parks and Recreation Awards: Brian Hughes, Parks and Recreation Director, presented four awards received at the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association ceremony on August 22, 2023:
    • Blank Canvas Summer Showcase: Outstanding Youth Enrichment Program award.
    • Alamar Park: Outstanding Facility award (population 10,000–100,000).
    • Mayor Ken Weiss: Outstanding Public Official award.
    • Corey La Riva: APRA President's Award.
  • Swearing-In Ceremony: Fire Chief Larry Rooney presented three battalion chiefs (Stephen Mayhew, Freddie Cruz, Gary Siler) and one assistant fire chief (Dave Wagner). All were sworn in and received badges. Council members offered congratulations and remarks.

Discussion Items

  • General Plan Progress Update: Director of Development Services Jody Novak, with consultant Michael Baker International, provided an update on a major General Plan amendment. The update includes text and map amendments to reflect new plans (Active Transportation Plan, Boulevard Specific Plan, Community Sustainability Plan), updated data, and land use changes. Key proposed map changes:
    • Eliminating the outdated 'urban residential' land use category.
    • Adjusting densities along the SR 30 corridor (e.g., changing 'urban residential' to 'business park' near Van Buren and Fairway; changing 'high density residential' to 'medium density residential' near Broadway and Avondale Blvd to encourage more homeownership opportunities).
    • Expanding the Gila River scenic corridor to promote ecotourism and open space.
    • Updating land use for new parks (Alamar Park), schools, and city facilities.
    • No changes proposed for the area south of the Estrella Mountains, which remains a long-term vision with potential for executive homes and resort-style development.
    • The 60-day review period ends September 22, 2023; formal adoption by planning commission and council is expected in fall 2023.
  • Council members provided feedback: Councilmember White expressed desire to retain 'office professional' designation along SR 30 rather than 'corporate park' to attract tech headquarters and higher-wage jobs. He also supported expanding the scenic corridor but cautioned about industrial warehouse dominance. Councilmember Solario agreed. Councilmember Conde emphasized balance and market forces. Vice Mayor Paneda raised the possibility of tiny homes as affordable housing; staff noted this would be addressed in zoning rather than the General Plan. Councilmember Malone asked about housing mix; Jody Novak reported current housing: 76% single-family, 20% multifamily, 4% mobile homes. The city is about 94% built out on annexed land.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on Consent Agenda Item D: Approved motion to reduce workforce with payment of COBRA benefits through December 31, 2023, if the employee does not obtain new health coverage. (Unanimous, 6-0)
  • General Plan Update: No vote taken; discussion only. Staff will incorporate council feedback and present final draft for adoption at a future meeting.
  • Other: Council noted upcoming events: Mayor Marie’s 75th birthday celebration at the resource center on October 23, 2025; support for Agua Fria High School's 'Owl Closet' resource program.

The meeting adjourned to executive session.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call the special meeting of Monday, September 11th, 2023 to order. Marcella, do you mind doing roll call, please? Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Conde. Here. Councilmember Malone. Councilmember Solario. Councilmember White. Vice Mayor Paneda. Mayor Weiss. And Councilmember Nielsen has an excused absence tonight. Good seeing you. Item number two, please. All right. It's you're up first, sir. I think you might want to have a few words to say about our U.S. Constitution Week proclamation. Especially today. This is U.S. Constitution Week. It's from September 17th to September 23rd. And we had a request for Constitution Week, and I really couldn't think of a uh a more appropriate proclamation for this week. So if you don't mind, I'll go ahead and read it out loud. Whereof September 17th, 2023 marks the 236th anniversary of the framing of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention. And whereas it is fitting and proper to accord official recognition to this magnificent document and its memorable anniversary and to the patriotic celebrations which will commemorate it. And whereas public law 915 guarantees the issuing of a proclamation each year by the President of the United States of America, designating September 17th through the 23rd as Constitution Week. Now therefore, I, Kenneth Weiss, by virtue of the authority vested in me as mayor of the City of Avondale, Arizona, do hereby proclaim the week of September 17th through 23rd as Constitution Week and ask citizens to reinfirm the ideals of the framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this guardian of our liberties. Thank you. And this will this will hang uh in City Hall. Gloria. No home. There we go. There we go. All right. Hello everyone. So I am here to talk about International Housekeeping Week. I am so excited to be able to kick off the first. I guess it would be this this is day one of housekeeping week. It is one of the housekeeping is one of the most needed yet thankless jobs in many industries. Housekeepers, custodians, or even environmental services, while all different job titles all do the same. They ensure we have a level of cleanliness and the level of commitment to business and customers. Today we are here to celebrate and recognize the men and women who do this job daily. I am proud of our city and the importance they have given to this week by issuing the following proclamation. I will read the proclamation. Proclamation National Housekeeping Week, which is always done the second week of September, September 10th this year through the 16th. So whereas National Housekeeping Week is a week-long celebration dedicated to recognizing the efforts of hardworking housekeepers. And whereas any building operations such as hotels, restaurants, casinos, and other official buildings all function under long hours and efforts of housekeeping. And whereas if housekeeping did not exist and buildings are not properly cleaned, it can lead to illness, productivity loss for the people who visit, eat, live, work, and play there. And whereas the true heroes of any building operation, housekeepers, have one of the toughest jobs in the building, but also one of the most important. Now, therefore, on behalf of the city of Avondale, Arizona, I hereby proclaim September 10th through the 16th, 2023 as National Housekeeping Week and extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to the hospitality industry of Avondale, who provide excellent service every day.

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