OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Meeting - March 3, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, March 3, 2026
BodyAvondale, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:58:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Regular city council meeting of March 2nd.

0:07

Would you please all rise and join me with a Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence?

0:19

And to the Republic for which she stands.

0:22

My nation under God.

0:42

Thank you.

0:44

Marcella, can we get roll call, please?

0:48

Councilmember Conde.

0:50

Here.

0:50

Councilmember Garcia.

0:52

Here.

0:52

Council Member Solario.

0:54

Councilmember Weiss.

0:56

Here.

0:56

Councilmember White.

0:57

Present.

0:58

Vice Mayor Nielsen.

0:59

Here.

1:00

Mayor Paneda.

1:01

Here.

1:02

Thank you.

1:02

Ron, next item, please.

1:06

Thank you, Mr.

1:07

Mayor and Council.

1:09

First, uh, we get to do introductions, uh, but Sandra's not here.

1:12

So uh someone wrote something very nice for me to read real quick.

1:15

So although she is unfortunately not here this evening, we are pleased to announce Sandra Sallas, has rejoined the city manager's office as a management analyst.

1:23

We are very we are very happy.

1:25

I am very happy.

1:26

Uh she has returned to the team and welcome her back to the city.

1:31

Next up is uh the court.

1:33

I believe the honorable judge Jennings, uh, our municipal judge and our court administrator Abril are gonna introduce one of their new employees.

1:47

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

1:50

Uh Brill and I are honored to be here tonight uh to introduce to you our newest court employee.

1:56

It's um Selena Marquez.

1:59

She is a court clerk one and started with us on the 17th of February.

2:05

We were fortunate we were we weren't thinking she was gonna start until today's day or tomorrow, today or tomorrow, but she was able to start a couple weeks early uh working with HR.

2:13

So we're very fortunate that she's here.

2:15

And she has a few statements that she wants to present to you.

2:18

Okay.

2:19

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

2:21

Um, just wanted to share a little bit about me.

2:23

My name is Selena Marquez.

2:25

Um originally from the area, Goodyear, Avendale, um, graduated from Alberia High School.

2:30

Woohoo.

2:32

Um, I did move to Texas briefly in 2021 for about four or five years.

2:36

Um there I was able to work as an eligibility specialist, um, helping families get benefits that they needed, um, finding local services, community resources for them.

2:48

Um, and I was also working for fun at the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop as I am a cowboys fan.

2:55

Um but I'm very happy to be here working for a team, you know, contributing to the city that values growth service and making a positive impact in the community that helped shape to me.

3:07

Thank you for having me.

3:09

Oh, thank you so much for being here, Selena.

3:14

Okay, really quickly.

3:15

I mean, I know we have a lot to go over, and and maybe we're short on time, but really quickly, being that it's been a short amount of time.

3:22

What have you thought so far?

3:24

Um, I love it.

3:25

I'm happy to be here.

3:26

Everybody's very helpful.

3:28

Um, you know, nobody you've never seen anybody smile.

3:33

Um I love it.

3:35

I'm very happy so far.

3:36

Oh, well, thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████47%
Technology and Innovation████████████████17%
Personnel Matters████████████13%
Procedural██████6%
Community Engagement██████6%
Transportation Safety████4%
Public Engagement███3%
Arts And Culture███3%
Fiscal Sustainability█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Meeting - March 3, 2026

The Avondale City Council met on March 3, 2026, for a regular meeting that included new employee introductions, proclamations for Procurement Month and Women's History Month, recognition of citizens and police personnel for the safe recovery of a missing child, a public comment on an art scholarship contest, a comprehensive police department update, and council reports. All votes were unanimous.

New Employee Introductions

  • The city manager's office welcomed back Sandra Sallas as a management analyst.
  • The municipal court introduced Selena Marquez as a court clerk I, who started February 17, 2026.
  • The fire-medical department introduced Kristen Ziprick as a senior management analyst, previously with the City of Goodyear.
  • Neighborhood and family services introduced via video six new employees: Leah Mulillos (neighborhood and family services specialist), Mitchet Banilla (senior services coordinator), Alejandro Navarro (senior services coordinator), Anjalique (customer service representative), Adela (senior services coordinator), and Adrian Gomez Flores (seniors program assistant).

Proclamations & Recognitions

  • Procurement Month: March 2026 was proclaimed Procurement Month. The proclamation was read by Councilmember Solorio.
  • Women's History Month: March 2026 was proclaimed Women's History Month with the theme "Leading the Change, Women Shaping a Sustainable Future." The proclamation was read by Councilmember Garcia.
  • Recognition of Good Samaritans and Police: Police Chief Espinoza and Assistant Chief Bates recognized civilians who helped rescue three-year-old Kalani Rogers on February 21–22, 2026. The citizens recognized were Skylar Emmons (QT security guard) and eight employees of Camelback Moving Inc.: Kobe Brown, Christopher Dixon, Gerardo Galasia, Rob Hernandez, Kevin Kimes, Michael McCallum, Kevin Pace, and Ralph Vermeur. They used a moving truck to block the suspect's vehicle. Also recognized were numerous Avondale police employees involved in the search and investigation. Council members expressed gratitude and commended the coordination and quick action that led to the child's safe return.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Rhonda Bell, chair of the Avondale Municipal Art Committee, promoted the senior art scholarship contest for high school seniors. She requested help from the council and community to spread the word. The submission deadline is March 12, 2026, and the event is April 8, 2026.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was moved by Councilmember Solorio, seconded by Councilmember White, and passed unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Police Department Update: Chief Espinoza and Assistant Chief Bates presented the 2025 annual report and 2026 priorities.
    • 2025 accomplishments: Communications center expansion (opened Sept 2, 2025), K9 training center (opened July 23, 2025), wellness performance program (brain mapping and coaching), formalized chaplain program, advanced leadership training for supervisors and FTOs, portable radio replacement with Smart Connect and GPS, real-time crime center partnership with Glendale, take-home vehicle program for sworn officers, and mid-year compensation adjustment.
    • New positions: Victim advocate supervisor (hired Brandy from Phoenix), second dedicated forensic interviewer for the family advocacy center, full-time recruiter (converted from sworn position), and two patrol lieutenants (total now six).
    • Hiring update (2025): Sworn: 21 hired, 11 separated (mostly during training). Professional staff: 14 hired, 15 separated (mostly dispatchers due to difficult job and schedule).
    • Crime statistics (2025 vs 2024): Crimes against persons up 11.25% (2,394 incidents, driven by domestic violence-related assaults); property crimes down 3.2% (2,998 incidents, mostly criminal damage and theft); crimes against society down 8.4% (854 incidents, drug and weapon-related). Total overall up just over 1%. Council discussed the need for education and early intervention on domestic violence.
    • 2026 priorities:
      • Assessment of AI-assisted report writing software (started March 3, estimated 30% reduction in report writing time).
      • Drone as First Responder (DFR) program: starting with two drones, funded partly by holding one officer vacancy; drones will automatically deploy to priority calls.
      • Expand Flock ALPR camera system from 15 to 73 cameras, funded initially by RICO funds with absorption into ongoing budget.
      • Re-accreditation through the Arizona Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (September 2026).
      • Establish a traffic safety committee with engineering.
      • Implement building clearing training area using grant funds.
      • Maintain sworn vacancy rate below 5% (currently 7.3%).
      • Increase participation in the physical fitness incentive program (currently one-third of officers participate; goal 5% annual increase).
      • Increase CIT-trained officers by 5% annually (currently 35% of patrol; goal to host a training class to certify more).
    • Traffic safety goals: Reduce property crime by 2.5% and reduce accidents by 3%. Strategies include adding four traffic officers, 18 laser speed devices, 15 radar devices, and participation in the West Valley Speed Task Force.
    • Council reaction: Council members expressed strong support for technology innovations (AI, drones, Flock) and requested community education to address privacy concerns. Councilmember Condi commended the culture and dispatcher support. Councilmember Garcia offered 100% support and requested public education on Flock cameras. Councilmember White emphasized officer safety and reducing interpersonal violence. Councilmember Solorio asked about partnerships and lieutenant recruitment; City Manager noted a rotation program for acting lieutenants.

Council Reports

  • Councilmember White attended a Black history rock show at ASU featuring an Avondale artist and the Trace Reels event at Friendship Park.
  • Councilmember Solorio attended the kickoff for Dontella Park, an all-inclusive playground.
  • Mayor Paneda attended the groundbreaking for a new Fry's marketplace and the Avondale Little League 25th anniversary opening ceremonies, noting player growth from ~175 to over 500. He raised the issue of a memorial plaque for a former volunteer that the league hopes to keep on a city gate.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved unanimously.
  • Police department update received; council directed staff to pursue community education on surveillance technologies.
  • Meeting adjourned unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Regular city council meeting of March 2nd. Would you please all rise and join me with a Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence? And to the Republic for which she stands. My nation under God. Thank you. Marcella, can we get roll call, please? Councilmember Conde. Here. Councilmember Garcia. Here. Council Member Solario. Councilmember Weiss. Here. Councilmember White. Present. Vice Mayor Nielsen. Here. Mayor Paneda. Here. Thank you. Ron, next item, please. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council. First, uh, we get to do introductions, uh, but Sandra's not here. So uh someone wrote something very nice for me to read real quick. So although she is unfortunately not here this evening, we are pleased to announce Sandra Sallas, has rejoined the city manager's office as a management analyst. We are very we are very happy. I am very happy. Uh she has returned to the team and welcome her back to the city. Next up is uh the court. I believe the honorable judge Jennings, uh, our municipal judge and our court administrator Abril are gonna introduce one of their new employees. Good evening, uh Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council. Uh Brill and I are honored to be here tonight uh to introduce to you our newest court employee. It's um Selena Marquez. She is a court clerk one and started with us on the 17th of February. We were fortunate we were we weren't thinking she was gonna start until today's day or tomorrow, today or tomorrow, but she was able to start a couple weeks early uh working with HR. So we're very fortunate that she's here. And she has a few statements that she wants to present to you. Okay. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Um, just wanted to share a little bit about me. My name is Selena Marquez. Um originally from the area, Goodyear, Avendale, um, graduated from Alberia High School. Woohoo. Um, I did move to Texas briefly in 2021 for about four or five years. Um there I was able to work as an eligibility specialist, um, helping families get benefits that they needed, um, finding local services, community resources for them. Um, and I was also working for fun at the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop as I am a cowboys fan. Um but I'm very happy to be here working for a team, you know, contributing to the city that values growth service and making a positive impact in the community that helped shape to me. Thank you for having me. Oh, thank you so much for being here, Selena.

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