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Record of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Meeting - March 2, 2026: Innovation Team Recognition, Life Saving Awards, Proclamations, and Financial Audit

City Council — Monday, March 2, 2026
BodyAvondale, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, March 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:31:11

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Good evening.

0:06

I would like to call tonight's council meeting of February 23rd to order.

0:13

If you would please stand and join me with the Pledge of Allegiance at a moment of silence.

0:20

I pledge allegiance to the floor of the United States of America and to the Republic for which advanced nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

0:47

Thank you.

0:50

Marcella, can we get roll call, please?

0:52

Councilmember Condi.

0:55

Here.

0:55

Councilmember Garcia.

0:57

Here.

0:58

Councilmember Solario.

1:00

Councilmember Whites here.

1:02

Councilmember White.

1:03

Present.

1:04

Vice Mayor Nielsen.

1:05

Here.

1:06

Mayor Paneda.

1:07

Here.

1:08

Ron, next item, please.

1:10

Thank you, Mr.

1:11

Mayor and Council.

1:12

Up first is we're gonna have a uh presentation on the innovation team recognition presented by Anisa.

1:20

Oh, and Torren.

1:23

And the team.

1:24

Come on up.

1:31

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council members.

1:34

My name is Anissa Romo, Senior Management Analyst in the City Manager's Office and Co-administrator for the innovation team.

1:41

Tonight I have the pleasure of introducing our 2024-2025 innovation team cohort.

1:47

I am joined today by Toronto Sato, Innovation Team Co-administrator, and our innovation team members Christina Baker and Mariela Gonzalez.

1:58

So a little background about the innovation team.

2:00

It's an internal employee training program facilitated by the city manager's office with the core purpose of empowering Avondale employees to foster a culture of innovation that equips staff to improve processes, save money or time, and improve the customer experience.

2:16

To meet the innovation team's core purpose, each class is tasked with establishing a project pipeline following Lean Six Sigma certification with the primary goal of improving public services and delivering results for Avendale's key stakeholders.

2:30

Avendale staff members from throughout the organization are invited to apply to be part of the innovation team and are selected through a competitive selection process.

2:39

Through joining the innovation team, members gained the opportunity to work on interdepartmental projects, building leadership skills and new relationships with departments that they may not normally interact with.

2:51

This experience provides incredible professional development growth to participating employees.

2:57

In April 2024, we started this cohort with eight members, with those who have left the team experiencing major life changes like promotions and cross-country moves.

3:06

At the completion of this cohort, we have three graduates who have been the team leads for their respective projects over the last two years and have seen their projects through successful implementation.

3:22

So each cohort begins with uh receiving Lean Six Sigma yellow belt certification, and the photo there is when we did our class for our yellow belts.

3:32

Uh this training prepares members to evaluate processes and identify wasted time, resources, errors, defects, and fixable issues.

3:41

Throughout the year, members work on process improvement projects and conclude their tenure with the innovation team once they have provided the work group with the tangible solution that is accepted and fully implemented by the department.

3:57

The 2024-2025 cohort selected two projects to work on as an innovation team.

4:03

These projects were selected from uh projects proposed by both the innovation team members who uh presented projects focused on improving processes within their work groups, and the city management who presented projects based on high priority uh processes in the organization.

4:20

After evaluating which projects could have the highest impact, two are selected, the special event permit process and the utility billing electronic work orders process.

4:30

Our innovation team members will review their work on approving these processes tonight.

4:35

With that, I will pass the presentation over to Christina Baker to review the special event permit process.

4:44

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council members.

4:46

My name is Christina Baker.

4:48

I'm a senior budget analyst with the finance and budget department, and I was the team lead for this special event permit process project.

5:00

The innovation team was tasted tasked with improving a largely manual special event process that required multiple entries and payments and made it difficult for applicants to understand true event costs and requirements.

5:08

First thing we did was identify our stakeholders.

5:11

As you can see on the slide, we had a lot of them.

5:13

There were 16 city departments involved.

5:15

That's all but two departments.

5:17

Phoenix Raceway was also a key stakeholder that provided input throughout the process.

5:22

And we did survey prior special event applicants to get their feedback.

5:28

Here's some numbers from our research and analysis.

5:31

Like I said, we met with 16 different city departments.

5:34

We reviewed six municipalities special event policies.

5:38

We gathered data on 144 special event applications.

5:42

We used four lean six sigma approaches, and we held 105 staff meetings over those two years.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement█████████████████████21%
Technology and Innovation█████████████████17%
Public Works███████████11%
Affordable Housing██████████10%
Public Safety████████8%
Racial Equity███████7%
Procedural██████6%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Meeting - March 2, 2026

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Paneda with all council members present. The agenda included recognition of the Innovation Team graduates, life saving awards for two police officers, proclamations for Engineers Week and Black History Month, a property all-star award, a public hearing on the HUD Annual Action Plan, a presentation on the Green for Good sustainability grant program, and the annual comprehensive financial report audit results. The consent agenda was approved unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was approved by a 7-0 vote with no items removed for separate consideration.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were received for any agenda item.

Discussion Items

  • Innovation Team Recognition: The 2024-2025 Innovation Team cohort presented their projects. Christina Baker, Senior Budget Analyst, led the special event permit process project, which streamlined the application process, established event tiers (minor and major), introduced flat fees, and implemented a single entry point via the city's permitting system. Mariela Gonzalez, Youth and Community Engagement Coordinator, led the utility billing work orders project, which moved solid waste and water service work orders from paper to electronic systems, saving an estimated 9,000 pieces of paper annually. The graduates were recognized: Christina Baker, Mariela Gonzalez, and Myra Garibo De Villa (not present). Council members praised the team's efforts and the culture of innovation.
  • Life Saving Awards: Chief Espinoza presented Life Saving Awards to Officer Matthew Berger and Officer Robert Cruz for their separate responses to drowning incidents involving three-year-old children. Both officers performed CPR, resulting in the children's full recovery. Council members commended their heroic actions.
  • Proclamation – Engineers Week: City Engineer Kim Moon presented a proclamation recognizing National Engineers Week (February 22-28, 2026). Vice Mayor Nielsen read the proclamation, which highlighted the contributions of engineers. Council members expressed appreciation.
  • Proclamation – Black History Month: A video was shown, and Councilmember White read the proclamation for February 2026 as Black History Month, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the observance. Members of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (Arizona West Valley alumni chapter) accepted the proclamation and described their youth programs.
  • Property All-Star Award: Code Compliance Manager Josh Perez presented the award to Quick Trip 423 (commercial) and a residential property owner, Mr. Solario, for exceptional property maintenance. Council members encouraged sharing on social media.
  • HUD Annual Action Plan (Public Hearing): Chris Lopez, Neighborhood and Family Services Director, presented the recommended funding allocations for the 2026-2027 HUD Annual Action Plan, including $40,000 for summer youth internships, $63,000 for workforce development partnership with Arizona@Work, $180,000 for home repairs, and $12,000 for program administration. The plan aims to preserve affordable housing and fund public infrastructure. Council members discussed the home repair program, which serves homeowners at or below 80% of area median income, and noted the positive impact. No public testimony was received. The item was for discussion only; action will be taken at a future meeting.
  • Green for Good Community Sustainability Grant Program: Sustainability Officer Kim Anderson presented the new grant program, funded by the Environmental Fund, offering up to $5,000 per project to individuals, nonprofits, community groups, schools, and businesses. Total budget is $15,000 for the current fiscal year. Projects must align with sustainability pathways such as clean transportation, energy efficiency, waste reduction, etc. The application opens via Avondale Connect, with a grant workshop on March 11, 2026. Council members expressed support and asked about outreach.
  • Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFER) FY2025: Finance Director Renee Weatherless and external auditor Brittany Williams presented the audit results. The city received an unmodified opinion on financial statements and federal awards, with no findings. All reports were submitted early. Council members praised the finance team and auditor.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously (7-0).
  • The HUD Annual Action Plan was presented for discussion only; a formal vote is scheduled for March 23, 2026.
  • The Green for Good Grant Program was introduced; applications will be accepted until April 3, 2026, with awardee selection by the Sustainability Commission and presentation to council in June.
  • The audit report was accepted with positive feedback.
  • Proclamations were approved by acclamation.
  • Life Saving Awards were presented.
  • The meeting adjourned unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I would like to call tonight's council meeting of February 23rd to order. If you would please stand and join me with the Pledge of Allegiance at a moment of silence. I pledge allegiance to the floor of the United States of America and to the Republic for which advanced nation under God with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Marcella, can we get roll call, please? Councilmember Condi. Here. Councilmember Garcia. Here. Councilmember Solario. Councilmember Whites here. Councilmember White. Present. Vice Mayor Nielsen. Here. Mayor Paneda. Here. Ron, next item, please. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council. Up first is we're gonna have a uh presentation on the innovation team recognition presented by Anisa. Oh, and Torren. And the team. Come on up. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council members. My name is Anissa Romo, Senior Management Analyst in the City Manager's Office and Co-administrator for the innovation team. Tonight I have the pleasure of introducing our 2024-2025 innovation team cohort. I am joined today by Toronto Sato, Innovation Team Co-administrator, and our innovation team members Christina Baker and Mariela Gonzalez. So a little background about the innovation team. It's an internal employee training program facilitated by the city manager's office with the core purpose of empowering Avondale employees to foster a culture of innovation that equips staff to improve processes, save money or time, and improve the customer experience. To meet the innovation team's core purpose, each class is tasked with establishing a project pipeline following Lean Six Sigma certification with the primary goal of improving public services and delivering results for Avendale's key stakeholders. Avendale staff members from throughout the organization are invited to apply to be part of the innovation team and are selected through a competitive selection process. Through joining the innovation team, members gained the opportunity to work on interdepartmental projects, building leadership skills and new relationships with departments that they may not normally interact with. This experience provides incredible professional development growth to participating employees. In April 2024, we started this cohort with eight members, with those who have left the team experiencing major life changes like promotions and cross-country moves. At the completion of this cohort, we have three graduates who have been the team leads for their respective projects over the last two years and have seen their projects through successful implementation. So each cohort begins with uh receiving Lean Six Sigma yellow belt certification, and the photo there is when we did our class for our yellow belts. Uh this training prepares members to evaluate processes and identify wasted time, resources, errors, defects, and fixable issues. Throughout the year, members work on process improvement projects and conclude their tenure with the innovation team once they have provided the work group with the tangible solution that is accepted and fully implemented by the department. The 2024-2025 cohort selected two projects to work on as an innovation team. These projects were selected from uh projects proposed by both the innovation team members who uh presented projects focused on improving processes within their work groups, and the city management who presented projects based on high priority uh processes in the organization. After evaluating which projects could have the highest impact, two are selected, the special event permit process and the utility billing electronic work orders process. Our innovation team members will review their work on approving these processes tonight. With that, I will pass the presentation over to Christina Baker to review the special event permit process. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council members. My name is Christina Baker. I'm a senior budget analyst with the finance and budget department, and I was the team lead for this special event permit process project. The innovation team was tasted tasked with improving a largely manual special event process that required multiple entries and payments and made it difficult for applicants to understand true event costs and requirements. First thing we did was identify our stakeholders.

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