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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Regular Meeting - November 19, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, November 19, 2025

BodyAvondale, Arizona

SessionCity Council

DateWednesday, November 19, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:57:47

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

0:03

I would like to call the city council meeting, regular city council meeting of November 17th, 2025.

0:10

To order, would you all please stand and uh stand for the pleasure of allegiance in a moment of silence?

0:18

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:23

And to the Republic for which it stands my nation, under God with a delivery and just discover.

0:48

Thank you.

0:50

Marcella, can we get a roll call, please?

0:52

Councilmember Conde here.

0:56

Yeah, here.

0:57

Councilmember Mario.

0:59

Here.

0:59

Councilmember Weiss here.

1:01

Councilmember White.

1:03

Vice Mayor Nielsen.

1:05

Here.

1:05

Mayor Pineda.

1:06

Here.

1:08

Thank you.

1:08

Ron, next item, please.

1:12

Thank you, Mr.

1:12

Mayor and Council.

1:13

Up first, we have our police department.

1:15

We have Chief Chief Espinoza, I think who has uh a couple employees to introduce.

1:20

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council.

1:23

Uh today is a very special day because we do have a large group of new employees, and it is my pleasure to introduce them to you.

1:29

At this time, I'm gonna ask the new employees to come up to the podium and state their name, where they call home, and if they can answer why they chose Avondale PD for employment.

1:48

Good afternoon, Mayor, Council.

1:50

Um I am Derek Albano from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, just outside of Albuquerque.

1:56

I just want to say first and foremost, thank you for having me here tonight.

1:58

It's very nice to meet all of you.

2:00

Um reason I chose Avondale was to further my career in law enforcement.

2:05

Um and especially in a city that is ever changing and definitely uh new and upcoming with basically infrastructure, law enforcement, and pretty much every single thing and in every aspect.

2:17

Um what I call home is we're on to New Mexico, but this is my new home now, so thank you for being here and part of the Cavendal team.

2:39

Good afternoon, Council.

2:40

My name is Scott Edward Kellenberger Jr.

2:43

Um I'm originally from Pennsylvania, but I take home as Goodyear uh Goodyear Arizona.

2:50

The reason I wanted to become a police officer of the city of Avondale is because I grew up in Avondale.

2:54

I went to high school at August Free High High School, and my family, everyone works around here, and I've always wanted to be a cop since I was 16 years old, so I thought I could make a difference.

3:05

Well, thank you for joining the Avondale family.

3:20

Good evening, Council.

3:21

My name is Brennan Zier.

3:22

Um I live in Goodyear, Arizona.

3:24

Uh, the reason I chose Avondale um is to help people to make a difference in in the community.

3:31

Um I have a lot of family and law enforcement, one of which is a former Avondale officer.

3:36

And when I was looking into departments to apply for, I talked to him about that.

3:40

And what he had to say was great.

3:42

He had a great experience.

3:43

He said it was a small department, everybody knows each other from the chief all the way down, and that was important to me.

3:49

You know, being being more than just name, being a face two, and being able to have that um kind of personal connection all the way up the chain of command available and appreciated is something that I valued, so that's why I'm with Avondale.

4:03

Thank you for being here.

4:16

Good afternoon, council.

4:17

My name is Caleb Gaitan.

4:19

Um from the um West Valley, actually now.

4:22

I was gonna say East Valley.

4:23

I'm from Mesa, but now I'm from Surprise.

4:25

That's what I call home.

4:27

Um so I chose Avondale because when I met the officers and the staffs here, I really felt like I was part of a family, and that's what made me feel more welcome and invited.

4:38

I enjoy the opportunity that I have to be able to speak with our upper seniority and to be able to feel like I'm invited and and a part of their team.

4:48

I'm really excited to be in the city, and I just want to say thank you so much for the opportunity.

4:52

Thank you for being with us.

5:06

The reason why I chose Avondale was because off, I've lived here my entire life.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural████████████████████████████28%

General Plan████████████████16%

Public Engagement████████████12%

Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%

Personnel Matters████████8%

Public Safety███████7%

Transportation Safety█████5%

Public Works████4%

Economic Development███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Regular Meeting - November 19, 2025

The Avondale City Council held a regular meeting on November 19, 2025. The agenda included introductions of new city employees, proclamations for International Fraud Awareness Week, Unified Responder Community Month, and Epilepsy Awareness Month, a public comment on the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the consent agenda with an item pulled for discussion, and public hearings on the Avondale Tech Center development, a Boulevard zoning code text amendment, and middle housing regulations to comply with state law. Councilmembers also shared updates on community events attended.

Consent Calendar

The consent agenda (excluding Item E) was approved by a motion from Councilmember Condi and a second from Vice Mayor Nielsen. All council members voted in favor.
Item E (Resolution 1068-1125 canvassing the November 4, 2025 special election) was pulled by Councilmember White for discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

Ben Rudy, a resident of Garden Lakes, addressed the council about the proper recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. He requested that the city provide guidance to ensure it is said correctly, noting that the current recitation often adds extra pauses and phrases. He expressed a desire for the council to direct staff to create a brief instructional segment at the start of meetings.

Discussion Items

New Employee Introductions: The police department introduced 12 new officers, each sharing why they chose Avondale (family atmosphere, growth opportunities, brotherhood). The fire department introduced two promotions: Tim Lambert (Engineer, 14 years) and Travis Lambert (Captain, 12 years), both brothers. The HR department introduced Debbie Pierce as Senior Human Resources Analyst. Parks, Recreation & Libraries introduced Adam Pride (Park Maintenance Worker) and Cameron Townsend (Recreation Programmer). Public Works introduced Andrew Duran (Management Analyst) and two additional employees via video (Giovanni Rodriguez – Solid Waste, and a new PM technician – Fleet).
Proclamations:
- International Fraud Awareness Week (November 16–22, 2025) was proclaimed, noting that typical organizations lose 5% of annual revenue to fraud.
- Unified Responder Community Month (November 2025) was proclaimed, recognizing Sounds of Autism’s work. A representative, Jamie Aldham, praised the city’s collaboration and presented a certificate and a token of appreciation.
- Epilepsy Awareness Month (November) was proclaimed. Tara Cook and her son Wesley, who lives with epilepsy, were present. The proclamation noted that 3.4 million Americans (77,000 in Arizona) have epilepsy, and seizure first aid is critical.
Consent Agenda Item E: Councilmember White asked for election turnout data. City Clerk Marcella provided demographic breakdown: 40% of voters were Baby Boomers, 26% Gen X, 19% Millennials, 9% Gen Z, 7% Silent Generation. By party: 22% of Democrats voted, 21% of Republicans, 10% of Independents, 9% Green, 14% Libertarian, 5% No Labels. Councilmember White moved to accept the item with the additional information; motion passed.
Avondale Tech Center (Items 5A, 5B, 5C): Senior Planner Monica Smith presented three related items: a minor general plan amendment (Mixed Use to Business Park), a rezone (City Center District to Avondale Tech Center Plan Area Development with underlying Commerce Park), and a comprehensive sign plan. The project proposes a three-building advanced technology campus (each over 200,000 sq ft) with 720 parking spaces. Key details: a traffic signal at Corporate Drive and Fairway Drive is warranted; the developer will fund it within 10 years. Building height increase from 35 to 55 feet is consistent with surrounding development. The planning commission approved unanimously. Public comments: one attendee at neighborhood meeting; one written comment questioning public hearing necessity. Council discussed truck circulation (trucks routed to Fairway Drive, not Van Buren or Avondale Blvd.) and sign locations. Mayor noted the project could generate $30 million in tax revenue and 1,000 jobs over 10 years (per GPEC). Motion by Councilmember Weiss, second by Councilmember White; all items passed 7-0.
Boulevard Zoning Code Text Amendment (Item 5D): Senior Planner Josh presented a city-initiated text amendment to add definitions (eSports arena, food hall, culinary marketplace) and modify land use matrix to allow more retail/entertainment uses without conditional use permits. Parking distance for public parking increased from 400 feet to 1/4 mile. Outdoor concert facilities must have no amplified sound from 11 PM to 8 AM. The amendment applies to gateway, park avenue, village, and promenade subdistricts. Planning commission recommended approval 6-0. No public comments. Councilmember White noted the new uses are exciting. Motion by Councilmember White, second by Councilmember Solorio; passed.
Middle Housing (Items 5E and 5F): Senior Planner Monica Smith presented city-initiated general plan and zoning code text amendments to comply with House Bill 2721, requiring middle housing (duplex, triplex, fourplex, townhomes) within one mile of a central business district (CBD) and 20% of new developments over 10 contiguous acres. The city designated the gateway, village, and park avenue districts of the Boulevard as the CBD. The one-mile radius covers mostly built-out single-family neighborhoods. If not adopted by Jan 1, 2026, middle housing would be allowed citywide without local control. Parking: one space per unit, minimum two covered spaces. Development standards remain same as single-family except floor area ratio and parking. HOA restrictions are private matters. Council discussed impact: one-off conversions on individual lots possible within the CBD radius, but HOAs can restrict. Mayor emphasized that passing provides local control. Motion on 5E by Councilmember Weiss, second by Councilmember Condi; passed. Motion on 5F by Councilmember White, second by Vice Mayor Nielsen; passed.
Councilmember Current Events: Councilmember Garcia attended Veteran’s Day events and a Knights of Columbus appreciation ceremony. Councilmember Weiss joined fire department in distributing smoke detectors. Councilmember Solorio praised Mercados and Melodies event. Councilmember White attended Leadership West Summit, Athena Awards, Cossack opening, and a diabetes awareness event. Vice Mayor Nielsen attended a senior center veteran pinning ceremony where a 101-year-old WWII veteran did seven push-ups. Mayor thanked staff for hosting a superintendent roundtable.

Key Outcomes

Votes: All consent agenda items (minus E) approved unanimously. Item E approved after additional information. Items 5A, 5B, 5C (Avondale Tech Center) passed 7-0. Item 5D (Boulevard zoning text amendment) passed. Items 5E and 5F (Middle housing) passed.
Directives: Staff will work with the developer on traffic signal installation and signage for Avondale Tech Center. Council encouraged continued economic development efforts to attract tenants.
Next Steps: Staff to bring additional Boulevard amendments related to state law in future. Middle housing regulations to be effective upon adoption, ensuring local control before Jan 1, 2026 deadline.

Meeting Transcript

I would like to call the city council meeting, regular city council meeting of November 17th, 2025. To order, would you all please stand and uh stand for the pleasure of allegiance in a moment of silence? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands my nation, under God with a delivery and just discover. Thank you. Marcella, can we get a roll call, please? Councilmember Conde here. Yeah, here. Councilmember Mario. Here. Councilmember Weiss here. Councilmember White. Vice Mayor Nielsen. Here. Mayor Pineda. Here. Thank you. Ron, next item, please. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council. Up first, we have our police department. We have Chief Chief Espinoza, I think who has uh a couple employees to introduce. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council. Uh today is a very special day because we do have a large group of new employees, and it is my pleasure to introduce them to you. At this time, I'm gonna ask the new employees to come up to the podium and state their name, where they call home, and if they can answer why they chose Avondale PD for employment. Good afternoon, Mayor, Council. Um I am Derek Albano from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, just outside of Albuquerque. I just want to say first and foremost, thank you for having me here tonight. It's very nice to meet all of you. Um reason I chose Avondale was to further my career in law enforcement. Um and especially in a city that is ever changing and definitely uh new and upcoming with basically infrastructure, law enforcement, and pretty much every single thing and in every aspect. Um what I call home is we're on to New Mexico, but this is my new home now, so thank you for being here and part of the Cavendal team. Good afternoon, Council. My name is Scott Edward Kellenberger Jr. Um I'm originally from Pennsylvania, but I take home as Goodyear uh Goodyear Arizona. The reason I wanted to become a police officer of the city of Avondale is because I grew up in Avondale. I went to high school at August Free High High School, and my family, everyone works around here, and I've always wanted to be a cop since I was 16 years old, so I thought I could make a difference. Well, thank you for joining the Avondale family. Good evening, Council. My name is Brennan Zier. Um I live in Goodyear, Arizona. Uh, the reason I chose Avondale um is to help people to make a difference in in the community. Um I have a lot of family and law enforcement, one of which is a former Avondale officer. And when I was looking into departments to apply for, I talked to him about that. And what he had to say was great. He had a great experience. He said it was a small department, everybody knows each other from the chief all the way down, and that was important to me. You know, being being more than just name, being a face two, and being able to have that um kind of personal connection all the way up the chain of command available and appreciated is something that I valued, so that's why I'm with Avondale. Thank you for being here. Good afternoon, council.

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