OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Regular City Council Meeting - February 2, 2026

City CouncilMonday, February 2, 2026
BodyAvondale, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, February 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:11:34

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

I would like to call to order the regular city council meeting of January 12th, 2026.

0:07

Would you all please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence?

0:19

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation everybody with liberty and Marcella, can we have a roll call, please?

0:46

Councilmember Condi.

0:49

Here.

0:50

Councilmember Member Garcia.

0:52

Here.

0:52

Councilmember Solario.

0:54

Councilmember Weiss.

0:56

Here, Councilmember White.

0:58

President.

0:59

Mayor Paneda.

1:00

Here.

1:00

And Vice Mayor Nielsen has an excused absence tonight.

1:04

Thank you.

1:05

Ron, next item, please.

1:07

Um, thank you, Mr.

1:08

Mayor.

1:08

Before we move on to the presentations item, with your permission, I'd like to start tonight by addressing agenda item number six reports from the city manager.

1:17

Please do.

1:38

So I'd actually like to take just a minute and I'd like to recognize Councilmember Sherry Weiss for an outstanding professional achievement.

1:48

Councilmember Weiss has been selected as Distinguished Nurse of the Year by the March of Dimes, an organization nationally recognized for its commitment to maternal and infant health.

1:57

Each year, the March of Dimes selects their heroes in actions awardee.

2:01

Selects their heroes in action awardees, which celebrate the extraordinary health care heroes who go above and beyond for their moms, babies, and families across Arizona.

2:12

This honor reflects not only clinical excellence, but also a deep commitment to the compassion, advocacy, and service, values that align closely with public service.

2:20

This recognition highlights the impact one individual can have both in healthcare profession and in our community.

2:26

On behalf of the City of Avondale, I'd like to congratulate Councilmember Weiss on this well-deserved honor and thank you for your continued service to our city and those you care for every day.

2:54

So as you uh see your family uh joined us here tonight.

2:58

Oh, they're end in the back, but your your daughters as well.

3:01

But we wanted to make sure that more people knew about it than you.

3:03

So if you want to come down and say anything, if that was already the mayor, uh, and hug some people who love you very much, I'm sure it'd be well received.

3:17

I know her.

3:36

Bye.

3:41

Thank you.

3:42

You want to say anything about the market?

3:45

Well, thank you so much.

3:47

Um yeah, I was kind of going under the radar there, I thought.

3:52

Um actually uh four nurses or four staff members from my NICU were um finalists for the state.

4:01

Um, two for um nursing, pediatric nursing, one for student nurse, and I was in the distinguished nurse category, and two of us won, uh, myself and our student nurse.

4:14

And it was an honor and it was a surprise, and I feel just as shocked as I did back then.

4:19

Um but I just I have to thank the team that I work with.

4:23

I have an incredible team at my hospital, and um I just feel like I have an incredible team here.

4:29

So thank you so much for the recognition.

4:32

Thank you, Chair.

4:39

Much deserved.

4:48

Thank you, Mr.

4:49

Mayor.

4:50

Thank you, Ron.

4:52

And I'll give you a second as I know you're up.

4:54

You're up next again.

4:56

I appreciate it, thank you.

4:58

All right.

5:03

All right.

5:05

Up next, we have a presentation by Renee Weatherless, our finance and budget director.

5:17

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council.

5:20

I have the pleasure of introducing to you Marco Ponce.

5:24

He's our newest project manager in the CIP division.

5:27

Marco joined the team last week and will be working on the city's transportation and parks CIP projects.

5:34

Marco came to us from the City of Phoenix, where he worked for 25 years in various departments, including water, planning and development, public transit, and streets before finally retiring and joining the city of Avondale.

5:47

One of his most challenging but rewarding positions over the years was working in right-of-way management for downtown Phoenix, where he had to balance light rail construction, major private development, ingress egress plans for the Phoenix Sons, the Diamondbacks, and the 2023 Super Bowl downtown experience, as well as two presidential visits among other high-profile special events while maintaining um while minimizing sorry the impact on the public.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████25%
Procedural████████████████████20%
Public Safety████████████████████20%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Human Trafficking Awareness████████8%
Water And Wastewater Management███████7%
Historic Preservation█████5%
Budget Equity Analysis███3%
Military Affairs██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Regular City Council Meeting - February 2, 2026

The Avondale City Council held a regular meeting on February 2, 2026. The meeting included presentations recognizing community achievements, a proclamation for Human Trafficking Awareness Month, a public hearing on revised development impact fees, and approval of amendments to personnel policies. Roll call showed all members present except Vice Mayor Nielsen. Note: The transcript identifies the meeting as January 12, 2026, but the provided date is February 2, 2026; this summary uses the provided date.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously with a motion by Councilmember Weiss and a second by Councilmember Conde. No items were removed for separate consideration.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gerald Mo requested to speak but did not step forward when called; no public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • Recognition of Councilmember Weiss: City Manager Ron recognized Councilmember Sherry Weiss for being selected as Distinguished Nurse of the Year by the March of Dimes. Weiss thanked her team and expressed gratitude.
  • Introduction of Marco Ponce: Finance Director Renee Weatherless introduced Marco Ponce as a new project manager in the CIP division, with 25 years of experience from the City of Phoenix. Council welcomed him.
  • Police Officer Recognition: Chief Espinoza recognized Officers Daniel Benavides and Jarrett Redford for receiving the Bronco Rise Up Award from Ranch Santa Fe Elementary. Community member Paul Lemon praised their work. Council members commended their community engagement, including the 1010 podcast.
  • 80th Anniversary Kickoff: Marcella and Pierre presented the city’s 80th anniversary celebration plans, including a street banner, merchandise, and events such as the State of the City address, Billy More Days parade, and Winterfest. Mayor Pineda read a proclamation declaring 2026 as Avondale’s 80th anniversary year.
  • Human Trafficking Awareness Month: Reen George, family advocacy center manager, reported on the West Valley Sex Trafficking Task Force, noting nearly 200 buyers arrested since 2022, including 45 child predators, and 89 individuals assisted. Pastors Buzz Obayami and Ryan Yunes from Not in Our City spoke in support. Councilmember Condi read a proclamation declaring January 2026 as Not in Our City Month.
  • Public Hearing on Development Impact Fees: Finance Director Renee Weatherless presented revised fees driven by the water reclamation facility expansion project, whose cost rose from under $80 million to $155 million. For a standard single-family residence, the wastewater fee would increase from $3,153 to $10,854, raising total combined fees from $14,432 to $22,133. Councilmember White asked about project timing. No public speakers; the hearing was closed. The adoption vote is scheduled for February 23, 2026, with an effective date of May 9, 2026.
  • Personnel Policy Amendments: HR Director Andy presented amendments to Chapter 4 (recruitment and selection) and Chapter 18 (discipline). Key changes include extending certified list duration to two years, aligning promotional probation with state law for law enforcement, and a comprehensive update to the discipline policy with a disciplinary matrix. Councilmember White discussed potential concerns and requested future refinement. The items were discussed separately then voted.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved 6-0.
  • Item 5B (Chapter 4 amendments) approved 6-0 on a motion by Councilmember Solorio and second by Councilmember White.
  • Item 5C (Chapter 18 amendments) approved 6-0 on a motion by Councilmember White and second by Councilmember Garcia.
  • The public hearing on development impact fees was held; council will consider adoption on February 23, 2026.
  • Councilmember Weiss was recognized for her professional achievement.

Meeting Transcript

I would like to call to order the regular city council meeting of January 12th, 2026. Would you all please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence? And to the Republic for which it stands one nation everybody with liberty and Marcella, can we have a roll call, please? Councilmember Condi. Here. Councilmember Member Garcia. Here. Councilmember Solario. Councilmember Weiss. Here, Councilmember White. President. Mayor Paneda. Here. And Vice Mayor Nielsen has an excused absence tonight. Thank you. Ron, next item, please. Um, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Before we move on to the presentations item, with your permission, I'd like to start tonight by addressing agenda item number six reports from the city manager. Please do. So I'd actually like to take just a minute and I'd like to recognize Councilmember Sherry Weiss for an outstanding professional achievement. Councilmember Weiss has been selected as Distinguished Nurse of the Year by the March of Dimes, an organization nationally recognized for its commitment to maternal and infant health. Each year, the March of Dimes selects their heroes in actions awardee. Selects their heroes in action awardees, which celebrate the extraordinary health care heroes who go above and beyond for their moms, babies, and families across Arizona. This honor reflects not only clinical excellence, but also a deep commitment to the compassion, advocacy, and service, values that align closely with public service. This recognition highlights the impact one individual can have both in healthcare profession and in our community. On behalf of the City of Avondale, I'd like to congratulate Councilmember Weiss on this well-deserved honor and thank you for your continued service to our city and those you care for every day. So as you uh see your family uh joined us here tonight. Oh, they're end in the back, but your your daughters as well. But we wanted to make sure that more people knew about it than you. So if you want to come down and say anything, if that was already the mayor, uh, and hug some people who love you very much, I'm sure it'd be well received. I know her. Bye. Thank you. You want to say anything about the market? Well, thank you so much. Um yeah, I was kind of going under the radar there, I thought. Um actually uh four nurses or four staff members from my NICU were um finalists for the state. Um, two for um nursing, pediatric nursing, one for student nurse, and I was in the distinguished nurse category, and two of us won, uh, myself and our student nurse. And it was an honor and it was a surprise, and I feel just as shocked as I did back then. Um but I just I have to thank the team that I work with. I have an incredible team at my hospital, and um I just feel like I have an incredible team here. So thank you so much for the recognition. Thank you, Chair. Much deserved. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Ron. And I'll give you a second as I know you're up. You're up next again.

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