The mayor, vice mayor, and city council welcome you to the Avondale City Council meeting.

As a courtesy to others, please silence all phones.gov.

Or complete a blue card that is located at the back of the council chamber and hand it to the city clerk prior to consideration of that agenda item.

When your name is called, please approach the podium and give your name for the public record.

Please limit your comments to three minutes.

If more than five requests to speak are received, comments may be limited to one minute.

I'd like to call to order the meeting of May 4th.

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

And to republic for which indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Marcel, if we can have roll call, please.

Councilmember Condi here.

Councilmember Garcia here.

Councilmember Solario.

Councilmember Weiss here.

Councilmember White.

Present.

Vice Mayor Nielsen.

Here.

Mayor Paneda.

Here.

Ron, next item, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Council.

Up first, we have a proclamation for Law Day.

Uh, your city attorney, Nicole Harris will be uh presenting.

Good evening, Mayor and Council, Nicole Harris, City Attorney.

This past Friday, the United States celebrated Law Day.

Law Day is celebrated annually on May 1st, and it is a day dedicated to honoring the rule of law and the role it plays in the foundation of America society.

It is a day to reflect on how the legal system works to ensure justice, equality, and liberty for all, and to recognize the judges, lawyers, and public servants who uphold those principles every day.

Law Day also encourages everyday Americans to learn about their legal rights and the importance of civic participation in maintaining a fair and just society.

On Saturday, I volunteered at the State Bar of Arizona's first law day event titled Opening Doors to Justice.

It was a one-day in-person and virtual event where lawyers volunteered their time to give free 30-minute consultations to Arizona residents.

So tonight I have staff from the city attorney's office here with me to accept the proclamation.

Can you guys please stand?

My staff is somewhere.

And then Lisa, come on, Lisa stand.

So they all play a great role in a big part in providing the legal services for the city.

He is down in Tucson at the University of Arizona, where his daughter is being sworn in.

No, she's not a judge yet.

She got elected to serve on the ASUA board.

She's the ASUA administrative vice president.

So that is the governing body that um runs the student body.

And so there's three executive officers, and she was elected to one of them.

So pretty cool.

That's why he's not here.

So it's really hard for me to say ASU.

Um, so bear down, go cats.

And with that, I'll turn it over to Mayor and Councilmember Weiss for the reading of the proclamation.

Yep, Councilmember Weiss.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Nicole.

Proclamation Law Day.

Whereas in 1958, President Eisenhower proclaimed Law Day to honor the role of law in the creation of the United States of America.

And in 1961, Congress issued a joint resolution declaring May 1st Law Day.

And whereas Law Day celebrates the role of law in our society and cultivates a deeper understanding of the legal profession, and the American Bar Association has announced the theme for law day 2026 as the rule of law and the American dream.

And whereas the Declaration of Independence states that all individuals are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and chief among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

And whereas the rule of law, as defined by the World Justice Project, refers to a system of self-government in which the government and all individuals are held accountable to set a to a set of fair, publicized and broadly understood laws that are evenly enforced, and whereas the rule of law protects the rights necessary for each person to pursue their own happiness, their own vision of the American dream, the belief that hard work can produce a better life.

And whereas today, as the rule of law and the American dream face significant challenges, their enduring strength and vitality are enhanced by public education and the understanding about our rights and responsibilities.

And whereas the American dream of individual and national prosperity is both dependent upon and critical to political liberty and social equity.

And whereas the rule of law ensures that no single person or the government is above the law, and that all persons, regardless of their status, must be treated equally under the law, and that no one will be denied liberty or property without due process.

And whereas many for many whose American dream is to own their own home, the rule of law promotes the protection of property rights, stable markets, certainty of contract, non-discriminatory practices, and customer protection.

And whereas the rule of law provides predictable and incentivizes that and incentives, I'm sorry, that enable small business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors to generate substantial economic growth and further their American dream of economic mobility and financial independence.

And whereas the rule of law protects workers and employers through clear regulations that promote fair labor, non-discrimination, safety, and a stable job market, all of which are significant elements of the American dream.

And now, therefore, be it resolved on behalf of the mayor of the Avondale City Council.

The City of Avondale proclaims May 1st, 2026 as Law Day in Avondale and encourages all residents to consider ways to advance the rule of law and protect the rights, freedoms, and opportunities that ensure all persons in America have the ability to pursue and fulfill their American dreams throughout the year.

Thank you.

And Mayor and Council, I gave you guys all this your own pocket little constitution that has the Bill of Rights and the Declaration.

So educate everyone.

Thank you.

And Nicole, thank you.

And thank you for your service to the community over the weekend.

And most importantly, to your staff.

Thank you so much for what you do, the support you provide the city.

And uh we often couldn't do a lot of things without you guys.

So thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

And they're going to stay for a picture.

Yes, please.

And then uh we will do photos after all of um of the different um uh recognitions.

So uh if you can hang tight, we'll make sure we do those pictures after this.

Ron, next item, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor and Council.

Up next, we have a proclamation for economic development, tourism, and small business month, presented by Cheryl Covert, your acting economic development director.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, member of the council.

I am Cheryl Cobert, your acting economic development director.

And tonight I am here to present um the celebrations for economic development for the month of May.

I guess I do it.

I'm sorry.

Everybody's waiting in anticipation.

May is a very exciting month for economic development department as we have three distinct weeks to celebrate this month.

To kick off May, we are recognizing Small Business Week from May 3rd to the 9th.

This morning, our team hosted an event, the Access to Capital Summit, in partnership with the West Valley Regional Chamber, the city of Tollison, and the city of El Mirage.

The event focused on connecting business owners, entrepreneurs, and startups with resources they need to grow and succeed, reinforcing our commitment to the small business community and local economy.

Additionally, this week, we are also celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week.

Avondale's destination marketing organization, Discover Avondale, highlights our city's tourism assets, unique eateries, and things to do, and focuses on bringing new attractions to Avondale.

May 4th through the 8th is also economic development week, which highlights economic development best practices, programs, community impact, and the team is making everything, and the team that's making everything happen behind the scenes.

With all three celebration weeks happening concurrently this year, we will be running a cohesive social media campaign this week, highlighting small businesses, recent locates, available sites, and tourism in Avondale.

Make sure you're following the City of Avondale economic development on LinkedIn to catch all those updates.

Lastly, I want to recognize my incredible team who is here tonight.

Without the great work that comes from our department, that would not happen.

Their dedication, creativity, and hard work have led to many impactful and successful outcomes in Avondale.

We are very proud of the work we do here and look forward to continuing to shape economic landscape of the city and serve the needs of our residents and business community.

Thank you for this opportunity to highlight our incredible team.

And at this time, I'd like to ask them to stand over here and Adam.

And all that goes into economic development is really made possible because of these folks, your vision, and our city management leadership.

With that, I will turn it over to you, Mayor Kenietta, to read the proclamation for the C.

I would be happy to.

Whereas the Avondale Economic Development Professionals serve as stewards of progress, connecting residents, business leaders, elected officials, industry executives, and educational institutions to advance job creation, community investment, infrastructure improvements, and long-term opportunity, recognized by the International Economic Development Council's annual economic development week.

And whereas the Avondale Economic Development and Tourism Department promotes economic well-being and enhances the quality of life for the community by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that drive growth, increase wealth, and strengthen the tax base.

And whereas the U.S.

Travel Association continues to represent and advocate for all sectors of the travel industry as the national nonprofit organization supporting tourism and travel through their national travel and tourism week as implemented by the city's destination marketing organization, Discover Avondale.

And whereas the City of Avondale attracts over two million visits annually, reinforcing its status as a leading destination.

And whereas the success of Avondale is built on the passion and the perseverance of its small businesses who make vital contributions to the economy, the community, and celebrated through National Small Business Week and Month.

And now, therefore, on behalf of the Avondale City Council, the City of Avondale, Arizona hereby proclaims the month of May 2026 as economic development, tourism, and small business month and encourages the community support local businesses, expand career opportunities, and celebrate the positive impact of economic development and tourism.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Cheryl.

Thank you so much, economic development team.

And you know, there's a lot of cliches out there.

There's a lot of information that you hear regarding Main Street versus Wall Street and all those different things, but those things are out there and they're said because they're true.

The number of jobs that are created as a result, the economic impact as a result of our small businesses.

And while we appreciate their investment and their uh community involvement, it is a team that helps guide often those choices, uh, selection, and most importantly, retention.

So thank you for all of your efforts.

Thank you, what you do.

Avondale's thriving, we're growing.

And I'm so excited.

So thank you for what you do and as well as the team.

Appreciate it.

And if I could really quickly please visit Avondale Small Businesses.

Ron, next item, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor and Council.

Up next, we have uh proclamation, building safety month.

I believe Jody Novak, your director of development services will provide the introduction.

Good evening.

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

As you know, tonight, um, we want to proclaim and um honor our building safety um staff here in the development services department.

So I want to introduce to you our chief building official Ben Carr, and he will go ahead and uh present some information about what this means to us as an organization.

Thank you, Jody.

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

Mayors recognize nationwide as Building Safety Month led by the International Code Council.

Is it time to recognize the professionals who help keep our homes, businesses, and public spaces safe?

Here in Avondale, the Building Services Division within our development services department plays a key role in that effort.

While many may see our work as simply issuing permits, it goes much further through detailed plan review and on-site inspections.

Our plans examiners and building inspectors help ensure every project meets safety codes at each stage of construction.

Just as important is our collaboration.

We work closely with FIRE, the Office of Public Safety, Police, Engineering, Planning, Parks, Capital Projects, and other partners to ensure safety is integrated into every phase of development from early planning through final completion.

At our front counter, our permit technicians serve as a key point of contact for the public, helping customers navigate the process while administering the city's adoptive fees in a consistent and responsible manner.

As Avondale continues strong dynamic growth and expands, this coordinated effort is more important than ever, helping guide development in a way that protects public safety and supports the long-term community investment.

Much of this work happens behind the scenes, but its impact is seen every day.

Tonight, we thank our building services team for their professionalism, expertise, and dedication to keeping Avondale safe and built to last.

Thank you.

Mayor, at this time, I would like to pass this item back to you for the reading of the proclamation.

Thank you.

I believe it's Councilmember White to be reading.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

Whereas Avondale was incorporated in 1946 and is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2026 and continues to build upon its legacy, advancing a future defined through thoughtful growth, long-term investment, community pride.

And whereas Avondale continues to experience increasing demand for safe housing, reliable infrastructure, and high quality, durable development as a rapidly growing community that has surpassed over 100,000 residents.

Whereas Development Services Department, Building Services Division advances this vision by providing professional plan review, inspection services, and technical code assistance across all disciplines supporting safe and compliant construction citywide.

And whereas Avondale has adopted the 2024 International Code Council family of codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code with locally adopted amendments effective January 1st, 2026, reflecting a commitment to nationally recognized standards for safety, energy efficiency, and resilient construction while addressing local conditions and priorities.

And whereas the city supports public access to building safety services through enabling efficient scheduling of inspections and engagement with building safety personnel to promote timely compliance and with adopted codes and standards.

And where it's building safety month is an international campaign led by the International Code Council and the 2026 theme, built to last, highlights the essential role of modern codes, skilled professionals, and resilient construction in protecting communities.

And whereas the work of building officials, planned examiners, inspectors, permit technicians, design professionals, contractors, and skilled tradespeople is often unseen yet indispensable in ensuring safe, functional, and enduring buildings throughout the community.

Now, therefore, on behalf of the Avondale City Council, the City of Avondale, Arizona, hereby proclaims the month of May 2026 as Building Safety Month in Avondale and commends the professionals of the Building Safety Services Division, the Developmental Services Department, and all of Avondale's development focused departments for their dedication and service.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

So just really quickly, Betty, touched on something that's really important.

It's just that, you know, we're not siloed here.

Every department works together.

We just shared a proclamation in regards to economic development and all the wonderful things they do for the city.

But you play an integral part.

This team plays an integral part in the development, making sure that buildings are safe, as was mentioned and inspected prior to any sort of certificate of occupancy.

And that takes a tremendous, you know, undertaking, and just among other departments where you have unsung heroes, right?

You don't see the people behind what is occurring in terms of moving things forward.

Your group does a tremendous amount of work.

So thank you so much for being here and the effort you guys put into everything related to planning and development.

Thank you, guys.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Ron, next item, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor Council.

Up next, Adam Shipley, our business development manager will present Local First Arizona, a small business update.

Good evening, Mayor Victoria and Council members.

My name is Adam Shipley, Business Development Manager with our economic development department.

And fortuitously during Small Business Week and Small Business Month, I have the pleasure to introduce one of the most impactful people in the Arizona Small Business Ecosystem to highlight some of the work that she's doing in Avondale to level the playing field for our local small businesses.

So please, uh Local Fairs Arizona CEO and founder, Kimberling.

Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the council, thank you so much for having me here today.

I came to provide you an update on our long-standing partnership with the city of Avondale.

And also just to congratulate you on the wonderful staff that you have here.

We work statewide.

And I just want to reassure you that the team that you have here in Avondale is second to none.

Your commitment to small businesses is remarkable.

So my goal here is just to take a minute to explain to you some of the programming that we have here in Avondale.

We run business accelerator programs.

Two of them in particular that I want to highlight today, Fuerza Local and We Rise.

Those are both six-month business accelerator programs, 17 modules each.

Small businesses apply to get into the program.

Once accepted, they come to class on a weekly basis.

During the time they're with us, they save, they open up a checking account with a credit union or a community bank, and they're tasked with saving a thousand dollars over the six months of the program by making regular on-time payments.

We do this to help them earn a credit score.

We're ensuring that they're staying, they're setting up a standard business when they're with us, and they're also developing a business plan.

The reason we are so focused on having them set up those checking accounts and helping with their credit score is I will tell you the average interest rate, our Spanish preferred population are speaking when they start our program is 48%.

And that is due to the predatory lenders that have moved into our communities.

Our goal is for those predatory lenders to go away, not because we've regulated them out necessarily, but because their market has vanished.

We need every one of our small businesses to have access to fair market capital, and that is our goal.

So I'm going to be sharing with you some of the work that we do.

Everybody that comes through the program gets training and mentorship.

And they are, you know, uh uplifting uh the community here in Avondale and creating a wonderful uh sense of culture here.

Just a couple of quick examples.

Ruley's carpet cleaning, when they come through the program, they save $1,000.

I also want to mention that local First Arizona matches them a thousand dollars.

So they have $2,000 in a strategy to invest in their business.

They purchased a van and added two small trucks, which enabled them to grow their company.

Uh the photography studio expanded into the next suite over and created two new jobs.

The production company, uh XDJ, they bought additional AV equipment and expanded their client base.

Uh, built by owner, uh, expanded their team and crop and project capacity to take on new clients and grow their company right here in Avondale.

Lightning Painting obtained an ROC license.

This is incredibly important that we're helping these businesses grow and get their licenses to be uh legitimate businesses that can grow beyond the home.

Uh, my style decor purchases party rental equipment.

They formed an LLC and therefore they're now purchasing wholesale, which has enabled them to grow.

These might sound like small milestones, but they are not.

They are absolutely critically important for all of us.

Um this Lexis Luxury Boutique actually expanded into a new location and hosted a ribbon cutting.

And then Marley's Towing actually purchased a new uh second tow truck and expanded their company.

And these are all examples of wonderful Avondale businesses.

We also have been working on the program Nivele Hecativo, which is an advanced language, Spanish language business accelerator program, and excited that we we just graduated a few more Avondale participants there.

Um, and I want to thank you for enabling us to teach right here in Avondale in your community center as well.

This is for businesses that are ready to scale.

Uh, you know, uh Al Natural La Mishuacana opened up a second uh location.

We have a panadaria that opened up, and then we have a uh Fresca Chispita that is a catering company that is growing right here in Avondale as well.

So I also want to talk to you a little bit about WeRise.

I'm excited to tell you this is uh also a six-month business accelerator program with the same opportunities for people to create a business plan and earn a uh credit score, an improved credit score.

I want to tell you about the Yonda Institute.

I am proud to tell you that the Yonda Institute won a statewide pitch competition, won a 10,000 prize.

They are helping people right here in Avondale earn their certified nurses assistant certificate.

And recently they were uh somebody tried to acquire them and they decided nope, they're gonna stay here right here in Avondale, which I'm very excited about.

I also want to talk about our uh kitchen program.

We have an incubator kitchen program running across five different kitchens, and we have several Avondale businesses that have gone through our good food boot camp and or leveraged our community kitchens.

Golden Palm Foods is importing foods from West Africa and they're a consumer package good company.

UNTOS is a wonderful it was a catering company turned into an actual restaurant and then of course fresh toast went through the boot camp just this past year.

We also have a longstanding relationship with Avondale with our sustainability programs working on business training, green business certification and helping our businesses reduce energy water emissions or waste by 20% or more.

And we have several of our businesses right here in Avondale that have gone through those programs as well to reduce their impacts again this is a seven week program but nonetheless it is a powerful program that helps each and every one of these businesses save on their monthly bills.

We also finally I want to mention have a retail boot camp that supports retail businesses and helps them learn to market themselves online.

And we have uh three businesses the Flower Wrangler Mercado Central and Genova that have gone through that program as well.

So that gives you a high level overview of the programs that we're running and the impact that we're having here in partnership with you all continuing to grow your small business sector keeping more dollars recirculating right here in Avondale so I want to thank you again for the partnership and I appreciate your allowing me to come here and provide this update.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you Kimber we have a small gift of appreciation wrong way of appreciation for you and some flowers from a local Avondale business and with that I'll pass it back to you mayor.

Thank you Adam and thank you Kimber well really quickly you know a lot of what was just shared in regards to the the programming that's offered is so important because you know often these these entrepreneurs start with a business in mind and and fortunately for some of them it really takes off and sometimes they could be considered a victim of their own success when they're not planning for capital and as you mentioned capital being as expensive as it could possibly be whether it's looking in the wrong areas or feeling like they have no other choice but to take opportunities with these predatory lenders it's nice know they have a partner to work with and I was pleased to see so many graduates.

Unfortunately I know that we weren't able to make it there which is you know I just would have loved to have been there to uh celebrate with them but nonetheless celebration for them is what's of the utmost importance and so I appreciate the relationship but more importantly again back to economic development and the team guys do a great job and creating and working with resources such as local first is is a great uh opportunity.

So thank you camera for what you do.

Thank you.

Ron next item please thank you Mr.

Mayor Council up next we have our chief of police Espinoza who provide a brief introduction on our 2026 Citizen Police Academy Good evening Mayor Bison Council.

It is my pleasure to introduce our 2026 Citizens Police Academy graduates.

The graduates spent eight weeks learning about the different components of the police department the Citizens Police Academy gives us an opportunity to showcase our agency and it also gives us an opportunity to learn from our residents.

At this time I'm going to turn it over to Sergeant Chavez who's going to uh do a brief presentation on our 2026 uh Citizens Police Academy Jenny Thank you Chief Good evening Mayor Vice Mayor and Council members my name is Jenny Chavez and I am the community services sergeant for the Avondale Police Department tonight we are here to recognize the 2026 graduates of the Citizen Police Academy.

I would also like to recognize my team Officer Daniel Benavides and Officer Jarredfern, our neighborhood resource officers who led this program.

The Citizen Police Academy is an eight-week program that offers community members a hands-on behind the scene look at the police department while helping them gain a deeper understanding of our role in serving the community week one kicked off with a department overview giving participants an inside look at the daily operations including the opportunity to explore and ride in various police vehicles in week two participants were introduced to patrol tactic tactics where they learned building clearing techniques and engaged with our interactive Milo training simulator week three focused on high risk vehicle stops along with a taser demonstration and offered insight into less lethal tools and decision making in the field week four participants learned about the dangers of speeding and also gained an understanding of the vital role of dispatchers during emergency responses.

And yes, we even took them to jail, but don't worry, everyone was released at the end of the night.

In week six, participants explored detective investigations with an emphasis on raising awareness for child abuse prevention month and sexual assault awareness month.

In week seven, participants visited the Southwest Family Advocacy Center where they learned about the services we provide to victims.

Lastly, tonight marks week eight, where we focus on recruitment and next steps, providing participants with information on how they can get involved in our department and continue making a positive impact in the community.

The Citizen Police Academy is one of our favorite programs because it gives us a meaningful opportunity to connect with our community.

It allows residents to get to know us on a more personal level while promoting transparency, strengthening trust, and building lasting relationships between the officers and the people that we serve.

Now we invite Joanna Spina to come forward and share a few words about her experience.

Thank you again.

My name is Joanne Spina.

Um I just wanted to say uh a great big thank you to the Avondale Police Department on behalf of myself and the other participants, uh, officers, uh Benavitas, Redfern, Chavez, and all of the volunteers, they did a phenomenal job in uh hosting and facilitating for us.

They really made our time interactive, educational, and engaging.

I mean, as as Officer Travis says, we learned so many things about how officers clear buildings, the training that they have to complete, uh 911 dispatch, how that works, the SWAT team demos, the K9 demos, and probably so much more stuff that I'm not even thinking of right now.

But uh, as a 22-year resident of Avondale, I will say I have a newfound appreciation for our police department and everything that they and the other police employees do to help our community and uh keep us safe.

So, my two takeaways that I wanted to share with you all tonight was one, I am a longtime listener of the copy 1010 podcast.

And I will say that I have very I've always heard um officers and PD employees talk about how Avondale PD feels like family and that leadership is supportive.

And I will say that I got the opportunity to witness that over these past eight weeks.

And the second, I will admit that I um probably regularly drove five to ten miles over the speed limit on a regular basis.

But after the presentation on speeding and accident investigation, I started driving the speed limit.

Um, finally, um, I I know our time here is coming to an end, but I definitely plan to uh stay informed and interact with Avondale PD through the social media pages.

So, once again, great job.

Thank you very much, Avondale PD.

Thank you, Council.

At this time, we ask all our graduates to please stand up to be recognized.

Thank you for your commitment, engagement, and dedication to learning more about the police department and the services that uh we provide to our community.

That concludes our presentation, and the class looks forward to a photo at the end.

Of course.

So thank you, Joanne, for some words, Chief Sergeant Chavez.

Thank you guys so much.

I know that we shared a couple of words uh prior to coming in here and about how much it's grown and how things have changed for the better in regards to fine-tuning things.

Um, but this is just uh, you know, an attestment to what uh the community can do when it responds back to serving, most importantly, learning more about the community in which they live.

Um, and I gotta tell you, one of those videos there, a couple of those fellows look very comfortable doing what they were doing with the gun and everything else.

So, Chief, you you may have a couple of officers on your hands.

You never know.

Um, but all jokes aside, again, thank you guys for for your involvement.

There are other um opportunities to get involved with the city.

Hope you look at water leadership and others, fire as well.

Um, but we congratulate you and honor you tonight for spending eight weeks with our excellent public safety officers, and we appreciate them so much.

Are there other members of council they would like to share?

Councilmember Conde.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you for the presentation and thank you guys for your time and dedication to learn more about um what our police officers do.

I'm a proud graduate of the class of 2016.

Um it wasn't as large as this, but it was definitely an eye-opening experience.

You get to really see the ins and outs of some of the things that you guys do.

Um, one thing that we didn't have when I was um in 2016 is a tour or learning more about the Southwest Family Advocacy Center.

So thank you guys so much for adding that because it's so critical so that this group of people know what resources are available to folks that may have may have a need for the center, but also that of the about the great work that they do at the center.

So thank you guys for your time and dedication.

Hope you guys decide to do some of the other um academies that we offer.

Councilmember Garcia.

Congratulations, you guys.

This is I'm not biased.

I might be a little bit, but learning what police officers do behind the scenes is so vital to going out and telling the community why things happen, how they work, and hopefully we have a few recruits in there because um this is probably the best police department to work for.

The leadership is absolutely everything you thought throughout the eight weeks, you will see that every day.

And to be part of something bigger than yourself and to serve the community that you live in.

Now you guys get to go out, tell your neighbors that you know, you know, Benny, you know, Officer Redford, and that you know, when you guys see them out in all the events and on their podcast, you're able to share that.

And now you guys have a personal relationship with them.

But thank you guys so much for taking the time to do that because it means so much to not only the city, but definitely the officers more than anyone that you guys are able now to go be advocates for them in the in the community.

Thank you.

Councilmember White.

Thank you so much, Mayor.

Thank you so much.

Memo, thank you so much, Denny.

And to all of you who attended the academy.

We really appreciate you taking the time out of your life.

I missed it.

I thought it was gonna be in October this year.

We normally do it during domestic violence month.

But even though it wasn't during domestic violence month, you hit the most important part, I feel like by going to the Southwest Family Advocacy Center.

That was not a part of the process um when I took the class.

So I really wanted to thank you.

That means a lot to um to all of us here.

I think also what's important is um I in the commentary we we just received, you said that it feels like family.

Um, and and I I hate when people say, you know, work feels like family, but it actually does.

Um, these folks are willing to not only put their lives on the line um for each other, but for all of us every day.

And so um, you got to see that.

And they're they're genuine, honest people.

They take very good care of the city of Avondale.

And I just hope we can always take as much care of them as they take care of us.

So thank you for participating and getting that inside take on it.

We really appreciate all of you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Weiss.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you again.

Um, I just wanted to um encourage you guys to attend another um academy.

I've been through all four, and I have to tell you it every one of them is different.

And but they're all great.

And you really do get a behind the scenes um look at everything.

So thank you for your time.

This is a huge commitment um for eight weeks.

So thank you for doing it.

Thank you to the staff for um making it so enjoyable.

I know I had a great time.

Rock, paper, scissors.

That's right.

Because in October, we had Halloween and we all got to dress up and they were rock, paper, scissors.

It was great.

So anyway, thank you.

Councilmember Solorio.

Thank you, everyone, for giving up your evening and being here and giving up eight evenings.

I'm sure your family missed you, but you were well fed, so that always counts.

Um, thank you to the staff who puts us on because you guys do so much hard work behind the scenes to make sure that this is engaging for everyone.

And you keep coming having folks come back week after week, because I know you guys try really hard to do better than the class before.

And I just want to say that I shared this in my cohort.

Um, I belong to a group for with myself and 49 other folks across the state of Arizona uh called Civicraft, and they were talking about academies and getting citizens engaged.

And I sent them this information.

No one else has this.

They have a version of it.

They have a week or two weeks, but not as in intense and invasive, they said as this.

They were looking at some of the pictures from the canine thing, and they're like, wow, you guys really expose your residents to everything.

So you guys see what's out there, and thank you for being involved and stay involved.

Please go to another one of the academies, like Councilmember Weiss said, because you truly learn so much behind the scenes, and then you talk about it and you bring 10 more friends to join.

Thank you guys so much.

And I think we're going to take some photos, correct?

All right.

So if you wouldn't mind, um, I don't know who's directing who to come up first, but if you wouldn't mind joining us down there for photos, okay.

So we'll go with the police academy first.

Okay.

We're just waiting for a few council members to come back, and we will get started as soon as they return.

Okay, thank you.

At this time, we are opening up to least on the agenda to unscheduled public appearances.

We got several blue cards.

First, I'd like to call up Eileen Ginns.

I need to make change.

That's why I'm here today.

On Friday, April 17th, a little after six thirty PM.

I'll be right back.

Steps away from his house.

He was twelve years of age.

Crosswalks, reduce speeds, increase lighting in the area.

And he could have been any one of our children.

And we need to make these streets safer, not only for my child, but the people that came before them, before him that did not have a voice, I want to make changes for.

And the people that the lives that we're gonna save, that they will never know the pain that I'm feeling right now.

The grief my family is going through, the pain my husband's going through because this is only child.

Now his namesake, he will never know to have any more children, no grandchildren.

This is what was taking from us in a matter of minutes, in a manner of minutes.

There's other people that have cried with me in my community, and they're gonna stand up today and they're gonna speak their voices and they're gonna ask for change in our communities.

And I hope that you guys take every word to heart because we all have children.

This is our passion, and we it's not about person, it's about community, and it's about our children.

We have to save lives.

On that day, I have reached out to my community to ask for help for their support because when one of us lose a child, we all lose a child.

That could be easily been any one of your babies, easily.

Your 12-year-old goes out and play in a community he has lived in for years with children he has known.

This bag came from his school.

These are letters that I received from students that's grieving with me.

People my son has touched, there's so many of them, and those are the people that I'm up here standing for right now.

Those are the ones that I'm using my voice for because I don't want to see another one of them to lose their lives for something that was preventable.

If we just have the correct safety measures in place at the time, if we had safety, we're constantly building houses, we're constantly building uh wrecks, wreck places, rec centers, recreational areas for our children to play in, for stores for our kids to shop in, but there's no safe passage between the two communities.

How is this even possible?

How did this get overlooked?

And I don't know if it did or if it didn't, but we are adjacent to one another.

They shouldn't have to go two or three blocks down just to get to a crosswalk.

That is unheard of with speed limits at 45 in a residential community.

Is that okay?

It's not okay.

We can understand that where there's buildings.

I understand that, but that speed limit needs to come down.

It is not acceptable and it's not appropriate in a residential area.

It should be somewhere between 25 and 30, 30 miles an hour and no more, no less.

Because people do have their own variances, they do go over and they do go under, but on that street, it's probably more over than under, but I don't know.

That's only my personal opinion.

When my son was buried on Saturday, I had four to six um Paw bearers that was carrying his body out.

12 years, but the kids wanted to carry his body out.

Children that are hurting.

There was at least 12, 15 children that wanted to carry my baby's body out.

They stood up for him because they loved him.

My son touched the community way past me, way past his parents.

People in the community knew him, the students knew him, the basketball teams knew him, the rec center, because this was his community.

This is where he lived.

He knew these kids personally, but he can't go across the street to see them because he might get killed.

No parents should have to worry about sending their kids out of their house two minutes away to be killed and mauled down.

He had tracks on his body.

I'm not going to get into the gory details.

But that's the image that I never will get out of my head.

Just imagine your child, your grandchild, your great grandchild for something that was a hundred percent preventable.

Please just think about that as we make changes, not only in our community, but the surrounding communities.

Because as I go through these streets, I see these pictures of these child angels that have lost their lives in different areas.

And I feel that if people construct a business area, if they can construct a business industry, if they can construct a residential area, if they construct construct these parks, they can construct safe passage between them in every community, not just ours.

This is not a problem.

This is a us problem that we can only fix together as a community.

And it starts today.

For a child, that's different.

He hugged and he hugged people that he didn't know because they needed it.

And you know what?

There's not enough hugs to be given.

But my son gave a lot of them to the elderly, to the people in his church in his community.

My child was raised in his church.

He was only 12 years of age, but he knew his, he knew God.

So I prepared him right.

But I wasn't prepared.

I wasn't prepared to lose him so soon.

I wanted him to grow.

The changes he would have made while he was here.

But we sure enough are going to see the changes we gonna we're gonna make in his past.

And do you understand me?

It's gonna be everything I can give for those changes so we don't have to have this conversation again.

You're giving people the the knowledge and power to be able to keep our community safe.

That's what these recruits just left doing to go out there and make our community safer.

But I'm not just grieving for my son.

I'm grieving for the people that have already been negatively impacted by that area because I don't know how many times this has happened, but I just promise that don't want to ever see it happen again because your children are my children.

Everybody in here has a child.

This is the humanitarian effort that we need to do better.

We need to do better, and I feel like I have not been heard this entire time since the 17th of April.

And I need to see change and not change, not change.

We need change now, not tomorrow.

We need to save lives today, not tomorrow.

That's how quickly we need to act on this.

Well, thank you, Eileen.

And you don't feel the need to you apologize earlier.

There's absolutely no need for that.

Uh, we are all here on the council empathetic to your loss.

It's unfortunate that this is how we meet.

Um, we hear you.

I know that staff has uh been connected with you and that you are going through discussions.

More importantly, our engineering team is looking into uh opportunities with studies as to where the potential sidewalk could go.

So change will come.

Uh, and just know that uh we are here to support.

We hear you, and you know, want to make sure that you had a voice to share your story more importantly, your story of your son, whose legacy will continue on one way or another.

So I just wanted to make sure, out of respect that we give you the time to do just that.

So thank you so much.

And I again, I know that staff will be in contact with you, and that we'll continue those discussions.

Thank you so much for taking the time to hear me out.

Um heart is what led me here.

The love that I have for my son is what led me here.

And the reason I'm standing before you is that there's so many other lives that we can save so they won't have to have this conversation.

I want to thank you so much for taking your time.

And there is a lot of advocates back there that feel the same exact way.

They have proper plans in place, and they're gonna commute communicate them to you guys directly.

And um, they're good people, they know what they're doing.

I'm just a grieving mom, and I'm here to support them as they're supporting me.

Thank you for everyone who came out.

Because I know I see them blue t shirts out there.

That's not just my baby, that's all of our baby because this is part of our community.

This can be any one of our child.

My child is your child.

Thank you so much for coming.

Thank you.

Next, we have several blue cards.

We have several blue cards, so I'll be calling you up uh individually.

Again, out of respect, there's no way that I would stand in the way and tell a grieving mother you only have three minutes.

But just out of respect for time for the next folks that are coming up, we do have a three minute clock, so if you could respect the time, I'd appreciate it.

Um, but next we have Barney Hernandez.

Good evening, mayor, members of city council.

My name is Barney Hernandez, and I stand before you tonight alongside a community that is grieving and deeply concerned.

As you're aware, on April 17th, our community experienced a tragic loss, the loss of a child.

Just a few years ago, this area was farmland.

Today, it is home to many families with continued growth, bringing new businesses, and even a future data center.

Unfortunately, infrastructure has not kept pace with that growth.

For us, this is not just a road, it is part of our daily lives.

This is where our children walk, where families travel, and we're students cross to and from school.

This is happening every single day.

Families are hoping their loved ones make it safely across a road that was never designed with them in mind.

It is my understanding that crosswalk improvements in this area.

We're already part of the City's future plans.

We truly appreciate that.

And we great, we are grateful to see those efforts being prioritized and move forward in response to our community's voice.

I was also informed that an independent company will be conducting an assessment to determine the safest and most effective placement for these crosswalks.

I fully support this process and I look forward to its outcome.

In addition, I respectfully request consideration for a reduction in speed limits along Lower Buckeye Road.

As many of us here tonight know Lower Buckeye Road between Avondale Boulevard and now Mirage Road has effectively become a high-speed corridor.

The same concern extends along El Mirage Road, headed south towards Alamar Park.

I believe a 30 mile per hour speed limit would be far more appropriate for an area where families and children are present every day.

Neighbors, families, and residents from surrounding areas united in a shared goal of making our streets safer for everyone.

This is not just about one neighborhood.

It is about protecting lives and ensuring that our infrastructure reflects the reality of the community it serves.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Lisa Collins.

Thank you for taking this time to listen to us.

I don't know the family, but I'm here to support them because I have a family also.

And I agree with them.

We need safe streets.

We need crosswalks.

But beyond that, also we need enforcement.

And I know that's a tough situation for you because you don't have enough police officers right now.

But I think the only way to really change this is not only changing the speed limits, putting crosswalks that can be clearly seen, but also enforcement.

We have to have officers out there and enforcing those things.

Otherwise, it doesn't stop.

I drive through the Littleton school zone all the time, and I'm always doing this, trying to get people to slow down to keep from passing me.

So you can have all the signs you want, but without enforcement, it's not going to help it.

So I'm I'm encouraging you to do what you can to see that we not only get those safety measures put in place, but that we enforce those safety measures for our families.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Jackie Grant.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

My name is Jackie Grant.

I am a resident of Cantata Ranch.

I'm here to share with you on the evening of October of 2023.

I was crossing from Cantata Ranch to Del Rio, the crosswalk that this family is referencing.

I was hit by a car.

I was clearly on the side, waiting for it to be cleared.

I had a bright clean shirt on, and the cars simply were not paying attention and just going too fast and pulled out of Del Rio and slammed into me.

From there, I was in the hospital for a week.

I broke my collarbone, two vertebrace, my knee, and three ligament tears.

To this day, I'm still dealing with issues on my knee.

After that incident, we did submit to the city to do something about it.

The city at that time told me that there wasn't enough incidences to really make a case for what was being submitted.

I am here tonight to advocate that this cannot happen fast enough, that we need to have a crosswalk in that area, and that we too need to reduce the speeds.

This was before the stoplights that went up on Mirage and Lower Backeye, and I was told that that was part of solving the problem is that stoplights were going to go in.

The stoplights are now in, and yet here we are with the loss of a child.

So please, please seriously consider doing something in that area as a personal victim of that situation.

Thank you for hearing me.

Oh, and this is my husband Eric here to support me.

Thank you.

Veronica Malone.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor, Council.

Members, my name is Veronica Malone, and I'm here to speak about the serious safety concerns along Lower Buckeye Road.

Specifically east of El Mirage.

Recently, our community experienced a heartbreaking tragedy.

A child lost their life in this area.

This should never happen, and it highlights an urgent need for safer safer infrastructure.

I'm asking the city to install marked prospects at this location to help to protect the pedestrians.

I would also like to encourage the city to take more proactive approach as the development continues along Lower Buckeye Road.

With new growth, including the upcoming Fries, we know that traffic and pedestrian activity will increase.

There is currently a one-mile stretch between Avondale Boulevard and Al Mirage, where there is no traffic signal, the lighting is poor, and the speed limit is 45 miles an hour.

And the safe crossing options are very limited in this area.

Waiting until development is complete to address these issues puts our community at continued risk.

I urge the city to prioritize safety by improving lighting, adding crosswalks, and investing in infrastructure ahead of development rather than reacting afterwards.

As you move forward with it with adopting a tentative budget tonight, I understand there are budget constraints and cuts and difficult decisions to be made.

However, I respectfully ask that you prioritize and allocate funding for these safety improvements now.

Our community deserves to feel safe walking and crossing the streets, especially our children.

Thank you for your time and your consideration.

Thank you.

Teresa DeSante.

My name is Teresa DeSante.

I attended the Avondale Fiesta this past Saturday, as I have done several times over the years.

It was a great turnout.

I was sitting in the free speech area when Jeanette Garcia walked in front and uh and stated, oh, they spelled my name wrong, laughed and walked away.

That's okay.

Again, Jeanette comes by while I was talking to an Avondale voter.

And Jeanette yells and tells him, don't vote for her.

No, don't sign, don't sign.

She hates me.

I have never ever said I hated her.

But what gives her the right to even say that out loud?

And uh it's like I said, what I don't like is the way you represent our city.

We can do better.

So why did you post on X that your son witnessed how cruel people are towards you?

We stayed in our area while Jeanette kept coming by, walking around our area.

If you're going to post on X, at least tell the truth.

It's becoming very clear that you have a problem with the truth.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You have any response, Janet?

So it is really sad that today, as we're grieving a child, and the entire family and community is here for that, that this is being brought up.

And I did not say that you hate me.

I said that you hate me because I'm a Republican.

And you want people to sign a petition based off of life.

And it is unfair that I get attacked continuously based off of false allegations, based off of things that are untrue, and I am allowed to defend myself in public when you are lying to people in front of me.

I did not do anything wrong.

And just because someone falsely accused me of kidnapping their child, which was a lie, a blatant lie, they even I will read you from the news article.

Because I continuously get attacked.

Well, we have a sitting Democrat representative who was who was found for sexual harassment, and she's a Democrat, and you do not ever attack her.

But because I am Republican and I'm open about my faith and I'm open about where I stand, I continuously get attacked.

So due to this, the accuser dropped his kidnapping lawsuit once the police reports came out.

And what the police report states is according to the 911 call at 1238, the 14-year-old daughter was hiding from her father after he returned home intoxicated and violent after the party.

The daughter asked the friend's parents to call 911 on her behalf, and she felt terrified of her father, according to the police reports.

They called me to come get the young girl, and I went to go help her.

And as you go around spreading false accusations about me, I am allowed to defend myself.

And when I posted that, it is true.

My son continuously, continuously sees people attack me, lie about his mother.

He is 12 years old, and he knows what it is to be kidnapped for someone to accuse the mom of being kidnapped for saying that I do these horrible things.

You don't like me, that's okay.

But I represent the city well.

I have voted every way that you guys have asked me to.

I have voted against uh hiring utility rates.

I have voted against taxes.

I support all of the safety measures in the city.

I have supported all the small businesses here.

I understand that you don't personally like me, but everything I do, I do for you as well because you are part of the city.

And yes, you guys do not like me, and that is okay, but I am allowed to defend myself, especially when you're doing it in front of my child.

We didn't even say anything in front of your child.

I don't know where you got that from.

You guys said I'm not this.

We're not saying, hold on, just a second.

The speakers already had their opportunity.

Um, this is the time for a dialogue.

Okay.

All right.

So you both have said your piece.

So at this point in time, we're gonna have to move on.

Okay, okay.

Let me tell you something.

I don't care if you're Republican, it doesn't matter to me.

It's the way you are.

Okay.

We're we're at this point of time, again, for point of order purposes, we're gonna we're gonna move on.

You guys have both had your opportunities to speak.

We're gonna move on to the next uh blue card that I have here for Ashley Nicole Archer.

Hello.

I uh I know I am in an unscheduled speaker here tonight.

Um, I will be better prepared moving forward.

Um, but you still have to hear me.

Um, I stand here tonight speaking to you on behalf of not only myself, but a large number of other human beings in this community.

I am now hearing very loud, very strange, very unexplainable noises that I have just discovered is what's known as ELF, which is omitted by the data center that was signed off to be built within walking distance of my residence.

My kids are freaked out at night now by these noises.

There are valid concerns for water and electricity usage in regards to these centers, not to mention how much heat these centers put out.

And I know I'm not the only one who thinks it's already hot enough around here.

These low-level frequencies, ELF, that we, the community members, human beings are being subject to, is unacceptable.

And the effects that they have had on the government animal studies are even more alarming.

I have a child who sees the cardiologist regularly who has been having unexplainable heart pains.

How in the world anyone who operates in good faith with morals, etc., could be hood and good conscience.

Sign off on placing this center in a heavy populated area, directly next to a park where children play is beyond me.

They shouldn't be on this planet at all, let alone around us.

The constant strain, this Dana Center data center is going to cause for our health people with disabilities and the elderly included.

The emissions, the electricity bills for all of us, etc.

etc.

is unimaginable.

We in the community are getting organized, and I will be back with more and more people.

I have a friend watching who wants to also be involved and who is wishes to see Old Town Avondale be given the same love and attention as Avondale Boulevard is getting.

I also called Avondale police, and the person who spoke with me claimed the Avondale police were unaware of the data center being built, and say that I am the only one to have called regarding the loud, unexplainable noises that is very disturbing for a lot of people, not just for me.

I have also reached out to Aaron Brockovich, who is expected to provide me with the help and resources regarding this issue.

I am looking forward to see what will be done with the data center that is once again going to be detrimental to the city and the human beings that live here.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Daniel Bariel, I hope I pronounced that correctly.

If I didn't, I apologize.

Council.

Are we trying to make Avondale like California?

You just heard the woman herself bring up all these conspiracy theories and all that.

It's not conspiracy theory, science.

Because I told you the other day, Mr.

Nelson.

We have a choice to change things or make it better.

We could pretend like we don't know what's happening in the environment, or we could change it.

For the last, I'm gonna say two years.

I went over the videos.

I've seen you mic change seats, and now you're there.

Miss White, thank you so much.

You asked some serious questions.

When we say that we know we're in a tier two, we're probably in a three.

When I say pipes are leaking more than five percent, they're leaking more than five percent.

Gas, utilities, all these things that they're trying to build, relocate, rezone.

I'm watching.

The billboards that you think that the community's seeing, they're not.

I'm paying attention.

No one else is.

Apparently, someone is, and I'm glad to see her.

I don't even want to talk about this because of their family.

But apparently, in 10 years, that's what they are asking for is the time frame of when they'll put these lights in in that area.

10 years they have, from what I've seen.

I might be wrong.

I'm still trying to look at these things and not come up here and sound like I don't know what I'm talking about.

But I see a lot of rezoning.

I see 200 acres, what we thought was a fries center.

It's not just a fry center, it's more.

I just I really hope that we're looking at the situation and not trying to turn this area not worse because I feel like it's better here.

I graduated 08 in La Jolla.

But when I see the kids at McDonald's act the way they do, when I hear about losses like this, when I hear about the gun violence on Lower Buckeye, Broadway, all the way from 70th to here.

I know you guys hear about it.

It's on the ring app.

I that's the way I have to talk to the community.

It's through the ring app.

That's the only way.

I went door to door around my neighborhood.

Did you guys know there's a data center down the street?

Nobody knows.

There's a billboard right now where they're gonna put the battery storage, which I'm assuming you guys know what you guys are signing off on because it was a 7-0.

We need to look at this a little better and make sure we got the science down.

There is a hundred supply of water, but that doesn't mean it will last.

The water fluctuates.

I've seen the people up here in the way they talk.

They're not for us.

They're for money, profit, and they're more worried about Phoenix and getting money over there and then coming over here and trying to sell out.

I'm begging you guys to just at least make sure we're getting the science down.

At least make sure they're doing what they say they're gonna do.

New cooling systems and all that.

Electricity will go up if it's doing it on the East Coast, it's definitely gonna go up here in the desert.

It's just gonna happen, guys.

I thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay, Nick Gonzalez.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council.

My name is Sergeant Nick Gonzalez, and I'm with the Avondale Police Department.

First off and foremost, I'd like to send my condolences to the family as a father of my child.

I'm sorry for you guys' loss.

It's an honor to stand here before you today.

And I'd like to take a few moments to recognize and thank someone whose leadership and commitment has made a real and tangible difference for our police department.

And that individual is our city manager, Ron Corbin.

Public safety doesn't succeed on its own.

It requires partnership, trust, and willingness from leadership to listen, to act, and to invest in the people who serve this community.

Ron Corbin has consistently demonstrated those qualities, and our department is stronger for this.

One of the most impactful initiatives he supported was the implementation of the Take Home Vehicle Program.

That decision wasn't just about convenience.

It was about readiness, visibility, and our officer safety.

It allows our personnel to respond more efficiently, strengthens our presence in the community, and ultimately enhances the level of service we we provide to our citizens.

Equally important has been the support and extending the Craig Tiger Act to include non-sworn employees.

That action sent a clear message.

Every member of our department matters from beat officers to the street on the street to the professional staff behind the scenes.

By ensuring those protections and benefits apply more broadly, he reinforced our culture of respect, fairness, and inclusion.

Mr.

Mr.

Corbin also show has shown a strong commitment to the well-being of our employees.

Policing demands physical uh policing is very demanding physically, mentally, and emotionally, and having leadership that prioritizes wellness makes a lasting difference.

The continued support of employee benefits and wellness programs, including the quarterly wellness physical fitness test, helps ensure that our personnel are not only prepared for the job, but supported as people.

Those initiatives promote resilience, accountability, and long-term health, which ultimately benefits both our department and the community we serve.

Just as importantly, Mr.

Corbin has shown a willingness to listen and engage with new ideas that push our department forward.

His openness to supporting initiative initiative approaches like exploring a drone as a first responder program demonstrates a commitment to utilizing technology in ways that response times enhance situational awareness.

Also, his support for the Axelon Draft One proposal reflects an understanding of how emerging tools can reduce administrative burden and allow officer to spend more time focused on what matters most, which is serving our community.

What stands out most is these efforts are not just isolated decisions.

They reflect a broader philosophy of leadership, one that values people, invests in their success, and understands that a strong police department is built on support, trust, and a shared purpose.

Mr.

Corbin, on behalf of the Avenue Police Department United, thank you for your continuous support, your forward thinking leadership, and your commitment to making this organization better.

The efforts have not gone unnoticed, sir, and they are deeply appreciated.

Thank you, sir.

Kaelin Smith.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council.

Before I start, I'd like to co-sign Nick's message, but I'd also like to extend my condolences to uh Eileen and her family.

I also have young children, and I feel your pain.

So my thoughts are with you.

Good evening, my mayor, vice mayor, and council.

My name is Kaylin Smith, and I'm here on behalf of Avondel Professional Firefighters Association Local 3924.

We know that our city manager's contract is on the consent agenda this evening and wanted to share our thoughts about Mr.

Corbin and his impact on the department.

A few recent examples.

As you guys know, we have a brand new fire training center that was just unveiled last week.

Many of you were there.

We can't overstate how important this will be for our firefighters as they continue to refine their skills and prepare for those high-risk, low frequency events.

Many of you may not know, but the city of Avondale goes above and beyond what the state of Arizona requires regarding presumptive cancer coverage for firefighters to ensure Avino firefighters get the care they need.

Lastly, our MOU encompasses many benefits that keep us competitive and help us retain and recruit the best firefighters to serve our community.

Although we think he is very talented, Mr.

Corbin did not build our fire training center himself.

He isn't treating our firefighters for cancer, and he didn't negotiate our contract directly.

But what he has done is provide this city with strong leadership, direction, and built a team of people who share the same pattern that drives us forward, allowing collaboration, progress, and success on many levels.

These anecdotes mentioned are each monumental for our firefighters, and they took years to accomplish with the coordination, support, and approval from city council, many of the directors you see in the room, and countless other employees that make them possible.

In the last year, I think I've missed one council meeting because you guys snuck in a meeting on a back-to-back Monday, and I wasn't paying attention.

I leave these chambers with the same feeling every meeting.

That feeling is it's a great time to be in Avondale.

That feeling comes after hearing about all the projects, progress, and opportunities we have going on as a city.

The collaboration and high level, the city is operating in is unlike any that I've seen uh in my time here.

That starts at the top with the direction from Mr.

Corbin, the city manager's office, and the direction from council.

You can weather any storm you have if you have the right team in place.

In our humble opinion, you have the right team in place.

We have had the pleasure of interacting with Mr.

Corbin on numerous occasions, and he is honest, transparent, and accountable.

We know that the he supports public safety in the city, but more importantly, supports all employees and the citizens of the city equally.

And it's limited spare time.

You can find Mr.

Corbin at Phoenix Raceway, climbing 110 flights of stairs with our firefighters at our 9-11 event, playing pickleball in our Memorial Day pickleball tournament, or supporting our local toy drive during the holidays.

Uh for under underserved children.

His support isn't just talk.

He shows up for firefighters and for the community, and it doesn't go unnoticed.

Mr.

Corbin, thank you for your leadership, guidance, and vision for the city of Avondale, its employees and its citizens.

Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council.

Thank you for selecting Mr.

Corbin to serve our city manager several years ago.

And thank you for taking the necessary steps to retain him as a city manager currently.

But more importantly, thank you for empowering him to create the amazing culture for all employees so we can better serve this community that we all love.

Thank you and good evening.

Thank you.

This time we're at item number four consent agenda.

Are there any council members who wish to have an item removed for separate consideration?

Death Mayor item uh four C.

Okay, we have a uh wish to move item four C.

So can we get a motion to vote on the remainder of the consent agenda?

Got a motion from council member white, a second from council member weiss.

Can we please vote?

Okay, consent agenda passed.

Item uh six to one.

Councilmember White, item Course, sorry.

Thank you so much, Mayor.

I have a couple questions for staff.

Mr.

Mayor, Council Member White, you have both um uh your HR director and finance director available to answer questions.

Okay, thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

First question, um, thank you so much, Andy, for being available to take a couple questions.

Um I think in your experience, I just wanted to understand.

Um, how often do we do off-cycle pay changes?

Um, mayor, vice mayor, council member white.

Um there's really not a we have instances where pay may be looked at um at any point, given information that's provided from the department head, um, as it may relate to retention or a particular um employee position title.

Um we, as far as uh uh citywide market study, we've typically been on a every other year schedule, uh, depending on um budget and so forth.

So I believe our last one we had done in preparation for this particular fiscal year that's ending for FY26.

So we did the study in FY25 um in anticipation of uh making adjustments for FY26.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate that.

Um, and then I just had a question.

I was taking a look.

I think this one might be more for um Renee.

Um Renee, I think at some point you gave us this general fund forecast.

Um that might have even been referred to inappropriately or um incorrectly in a recent media uh clip or some type of article.

Um, when we think about our stabilization fund over time, the proposed changes to the contract.

How much will that take away from that future?

Like, for example, if um Mr.

Corbin stays with us through 2031.

I I know we were plotting that we would go down from I guess over 101 million in surplus funds to right at the cusp of a half a million.

What's that gonna do to that number?

So, mayor vice mayor, um council member white.

Um, you're referring to the end of the five-year forecast balance.

Um, so the amounts in the current contract um for the current year would be minimal about 5700 and could be absorbed within the existing budget.

The impact to the FY27 budget would be approximately 44,000.

So the plan would be to make the change on the final adopted budget.

So that wouldn't so we would add that in, and that would become an ongoing cost, ongoing expense.

Correct.

Okay.

Questions?

Um I move that we postpone this discussion until the annual review of the city manager.

Second.

Okay.

We got a motion to postpone.

Is there anybody that would like to vote in favor of that?

Sorry, Mayor.

Who was the second?

Councilmember Solorio.

I think it says why.

Mayor, if you don't want to have discussion on that, you can go straight to the vote, yes.

Okay.

So then prior to that, I believe we council has already met in executive session to discuss this item to move forward with what we have on the agenda tonight.

And um we have a we have a motion, just a second.

We have a motion on the table right now to postpone.

I do not agree with that, considering it again that we've already made the decision to move forward.

But we do need um, unless there's other discussion, we would need for you guys to vote.

I have a motion uh and again a second here, but um at this time discussion from other members.

Okay, councilmember Sorio.

I made the second motion.

So I have a statement to read because I wanted to get it accurate and I want it to be on the record.

The reason for me voting no on the proposed salary increase for the city manager from 306,000 to 339,000.

I want to place it on the record because I believe it's important that we provide clear and complete context for our residents.

The proposed increase represents approximately $33,000, comes in context of retention following the city manager, Ron Corbin, exploring another opportunity in Gilbert.

Additionally, another increase is anticipated next month.

That is not not only for a cost of living, but a merit one that can be issued as well as it is his city manager's annual review that we just discussed right now.

While I understand the considerations that go into compensation decisions, it is our responsibility to weigh those decisions against the broader financial picture.

We have recently presented to the community to remain fiscally responsible and conservative in our approach.

Last year, the council voted unanimously seven to zero to approve a five percent increase as part of organization-wide adjustments.

At the time, we were already aware of financial challenges ahead.

That decision reflected a balanced and measured approach.

Today we're in a different position.

Just four meetings ago, we discussed balancing the budget, which included real reductions to valued programs and services, including eliminating high school senior arts contest scholarships at $7,000, eliminating economic development programs at $70,000 with plans to seek grant funding for this, reducing park events such as Trez Rios, Billy Mordays, and Extravaganza to one day, reducing Mercado and Melodies by two days, eliminating events like Hoot and Hustle, 5K, Dunkin' Dash, Steamfest, and international yoga, all gone.

In addition, positions such according to the budget as security officer and senior planner are being left vacant.

Finance and budget reduced by 200,000.

Public works reduced by approximately 400,000.

Public works would be your water and your trash.

Parts reduced by more than 350,000.

At the same time, residents are facing rising costs, including increases in water rates, while the city continues to manage significant long-term obligations.

The purpose of sharing this is not to diminish the role nor the value that Ron Corbin, city manager, brings to the table and to the staff, but to share transparency and maintain a fiscally responsible and conservative posture in our decision making.

Our residents deserve to see the full picture.

This ultimately comes down to priorities.

We cannot ask departments to do more with less.

Reduce services, eliminate programs, and increase costs to residents while simultaneously approving a significant executive salary increase to retain Mr.

Corbin after he went out to look for a job, especially with another increase that's already anticipated next month.

That sends the wrong message to our employees in the community we serve.

For those reasons, I don't support this.

Councilmember Weiss.

Thank you, Mayor.

Actually, since 2013, we've had six different city managers.

And the cost to recruit another one if we were to lose Ron.

I imagine we'd also have to pay more.

And one of the considerations that you asked that we asked, Andy, um, was for you to give us the new salaries that were in the There's been a lot of city managers hired recently.

And when we looked at increasing the cost or increasing the salaries for police, for instance, we did so so we could recruit the best and keep the best, right?

So I look at this as the same.

We want to recruit the best and keep the best.

I'm not gonna go through all eight pages, but I'm gonna give you a couple of little highlights because I don't think that the citizens really know how the department heads look at Ron.

I have been with the city for as a city lead for over six years since 2013.

During that time, I've worked for six different city managers.

The first I've been asked by multiple uh managers to make an evaluation.

This is the first time I chose to do so.

Mr.

Corbyn's leadership, commitment to the city, fairness for all, and work ethic, make Avondale the best city, cannot be overstated.

He generally cares for the public safety staff and all city staff.

He he challenged human resources to find solutions to the police officers' requests during budget talks to ensure our fire department were tweeted treated as equals when agreements were made.

I'm not gonna read all of these eight pages, but I'm just gonna keep on going here for a little bit.

He has the courage to say no.

Some people don't like to hear the word no, but he has the courage to say no, regardless of the outcomes.

Doing the right thing doesn't isn't always easy.

It means saying no sometimes.

He challenges all department directors to be involved in the projects and to make decisions.

He offers advice if needed and requested, does not try to manage our projects.

He has the courage to allow leaders to lead.

In closing, Mr.

Corbin is truly different from any other city manager I have worked for.

He is an educator, a mentor, a leader, a counselor, an encourager, an engaged city manager, but mostly he loves the community.

A lot of department heads weighed in on Mr.

Corbin.

His commitment to the community has led a united workforce for the past 20.

I have worked for Avondale for 28 years.

That city, oh, my experience for the past 28 years as a city of Avondale employee was that in the past the departments acted as they were in silos.

Mr.

Corbin's direction in our weekly department head meetings and team leadership meetings have broken those silos.

He has created a team atmosphere among the city departments.

His expectations are clear.

No department is more important than the other.

His quarterly meetings, which are common for all employees to see all 18 departments come together and work together.

When we sent when you send questions on Mondays in response to my weekly highlight reports, I appreciate that you read them and want to understand what we are doing weekly.

Again, there are eight pages.

These stakeholders shared insight on current trends and challenges.

The retreat not only strengthened the strategic alignment, but it created a more dynamic and inclusive planning process.

It was well received by the council and the stakeholders.

And it helped us in driving best practices in innovation and long-term visioning for the city.

You are truly a city manager who offers genuine support and guidance to department heads they oversee.

You are Mr.

Corbin has been able to accomplish this again immense the leadership team.

Knowing that someone is in your corner and who believes in your potential and who is willing to invest their time and your growth is incredibly empowering.

His constructive feedback helps refine our skills.

Advice on navigating challenging situations and simply lends a hand when we need to talk something through.

Leadership fosters confidence and encourages us to strive for excellence.

It creates a work environment that is safe to take risks, learn from your mistakes, and it ultimately thrive as an organization.

He shows empathy for staff.

There's a comment in here about him getting dirty by going to and helping do a garbage pickup with our police department.

You consistently show a strong commitment to public services and genuine desire to make the lives of our citizens and businesses as best as it can be.

I appreciate your support, feedback, and ability to navigate challenging topics.

Right.

This raise will help us retain a very, very good city manager.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you.

Councilmember Bondi.

Thank you, Mayor.

So thank you for reading all those council member Weiss.

So all that came from staff, and that's information that Ron has already read.

And so knowing that, I was very surprised to hear Mr.

Corbin looking for employment elsewhere.

I was really disappointed because all the things that you said, all the things that PD said, fire said, I felt those same things too.

And to find out that he in this time that our city is growing, that we really need that professional, that person to lead and guide us to the next steps, was somehow not happy here.

I didn't, I don't think it was because of money.

Because if it was, he would have waited till June to get his review.

And then if we didn't give him what he wanted, then he would have hope, you know, would have left or something.

I have no problem with giving an increase, but I don't think throwing money at him is the answer.

Because in the form that the employment agreement, it says he is withdrawing from other employment opportunities, just the current ones that he currently is now.

Because we give him a $33,000 increase, do you think that's going to keep him here?

It's nothing in here says that he has to stay another year or two because of that.

So when I'm gathered from what I've heard, um, I don't think the money will keep him here.

I think you know, obviously, today we'll probably everyone will pass it.

But I think he he does have a lot of value.

I'm just very disappointed that he didn't choose, he chose to look not only at one city, several.

And that's just what I wanted to say.

So I don't approve.

I'm gonna say no to this, but that's just me.

Councilmember Garcia.

Thank you.

I think one thing um council member Weiss said was sometimes people don't make a decision just based off of money.

It could be based off of other reasons.

Um I wrote something, I'll probably read part of it.

But even if we don't give and um we don't approve this, and he did leave, we would be also having to recruit and then hire somebody, and they're gonna expect a salary that's worth what we're offering now to somebody who knows the city, the staff loves the staff works with well.

Um it's funny because I I really do believe that I'll read this, what I wrote, but I believe in accountability, efficiency, and attracting the best people for results.

And Ron does that.

We see that all the time.

And even with all those budget cuts, that was Ron.

Ron was championing for those budget cuts.

Like he asked his team, hey, give us, you know, what can we cut that way the city is ran well?

We don't need all those events, to be honest with you.

That's a bonus for a city.

That is such a blessing for a city to have, you know, Billy Moore days and the mercados and the fiestas.

Like that is awesome that we could offer that.

But if we're looking for budget cuts and we're talking about safety, I would rather cut a fiesta, a mercado, uh, 5k, and let's put in a crosswalk.

Like, let's do that instead.

So when we're talking about uh city manager and promoting, you know, good things.

I approve this.

I will be voting yes, but because you champion the city very well, Ron.

And the people of the city see you out there at events.

You are at Fiesta, you are you are with the police department volunteering, you are doing all the things.

And I understand that you did not ask for this raise.

This was us to you, but even if you left, we would have to do this anyway for the next city manager.

So with that, I will be voting yes.

I am nowhere as elegant with words as my fellow council members here.

But what I can say is Mr.

Corbin has made a change in this staff in this community here and really blessed the lives of each and every one of us here.

Try to really establish a relationship with each and every one of them.

I think the only place that he may have missed getting a relationship is with this council.

We have not always supported him and the things that he's been able to look towards.

And the vision that he's had, I agree.

If we were to get someone else in here, we would not only have to pay the additional work, but we would have to put the time and effort in putting and trying to find somebody.

I happen to know that uh over in uh one of the other cities over there, uh, they are having a very difficult time trying to find another city manager.

So we could uh put the time and effort into it, find somebody that might be as good as Ron, somebody that might be better, or somebody that might be worse.

We know what Ron can do.

We've seen it, we know what his vision is.

I will be voting on yes and support him.

Councilmember White.

Thank you so much, Mayor.

Thank you, counsel.

Um, I just wanted to um share uh I guess the thought process that I had.

So I did something that's a bit innovative.

I used AI and asked the question.

Um I asked um, do human resources departments normally get the off-cycle um pay raise when they hear somebody's moving on.

And I guess the Google AI, I think it's called Gemini, responded, human resources rarely grants off-cycle raises solely because an employee is applying for other jobs without a firm offer letter in hand.

While most companies conduct salary reviews annually, leveraging a potential departure without proof often carries significant risk and usually does not trigger an immediate increase.

So I think I want to take it for what it is.

I don't think that I said we should not provide uh Mr.

Corbyn with additional funding.

I said we should wait until the review period because it's a month away.

But the reality is Mr.

Corbyn walked out of his review last year unhappy.

And as a result of Mr.

Corbyn walking out of the review last year, unhappy, Mr.

Corbyn moved from I think working with seven council members to finding four.

And he always says he only has to count to four, so he has four of you already.

Um, and that's fine.

But the reality is Mr.

Corbin didn't feel valued or supported, and he didn't say it.

And so when we talk about leadership, leadership growth, leadership development, what ended up happening is um we had to go through a situation and a call for us to go through good governance training.

I think you all remind were part of it.

I was agendized.

We don't have to go into the details of what got us to good governance training.

But um since that time, Mr.

Corbin let us know in in no uncertain terms that he wasn't valued, he didn't feel valued.

And I don't um I'm not a psychologist, I haven't worked in an HR department for over, I think it's almost six years.

I left the bank in uh April of 2020.

So I haven't worked in an HR department actively.

However, feeling valued or supported by a council that has directors that would say all those good things about Mr.

Corbyn, um, that that's off-brand to me.

It's tone deaf because if we're going out to this organization, this city and saying cut three percent everywhere, and then we're saying, oh, by the way, I need a little extra money here, it sounds hypocritical.

And then um, you know, if it if it was one application, okay.

But there were three applications, and ironically, our good governance trainer came from the city that considered him a finalist.

That's sketchy to me.

It's just shady.

Just we can just speak truth to power.

And I think when I talked to Mr.

Corbin, even most recently today, and we talk about the three percent cuts, he says we have to change our spending mentality.

That's what he said.

We have to change our spending mentality.

And I know that he wasn't looking for the money.

And so, as an HR professional, still certified, you don't give somebody what they're not asking for.

There, if that's not what they want, that that's one thing.

And then I think at some point up here, I heard the comment we've already made the decision to do that.

We could not have already made the decision.

We are at a vote right now.

So I'm very concerned to the public, to the government that oversee our operations, that we couldn't have made a decision until now.

So I don't even know how that verbiage came out from this dais.

So I think that if we look at the origin story here, there's a lot more.

This is an onion that has to be peeled back a lot further.

I think Mr.

Corbin is doing a great job right now.

I think there have been some times where things weren't that great, though.

And uh for somebody who has been called names by our leadership in this city multiple times by somebody who has not been a part of the four he's seeking to, who has been excluded more often than included.

I don't feel like um I don't feel at odds.

I don't feel at odds with any of you with anyone in the city.

I don't feel at odds with Mr.

Corbyn.

I just don't believe this is the right time to have the conversation.

I believe that we, if if if somebody has made a decision and told him he's entitled to this money, I believe he deserves it.

But I believe that conversation comes during that annual review period.

And I think when we do things in order, I don't know any time we would step out of that order to do it, and nobody's saying he doesn't deserve it.

I we're saying, I'm saying I'm gonna speak for myself.

I am saying that if we have a review process in place to provide a non-performance-based increase when we at the other side of our mouth are saying we cutting back, it's hypocritical, it's inconsistent, which is why I move that we pause this agreement discussion until his review.

Thank you.

Oh, and I just I really appreciate you giving me the opportunity to speak, sir.

Council Mr.

Salorio.

Um, I also agree.

No one is saying he doesn't, well, I'm not saying he doesn't deserve the money.

I'm just saying we're a month away from his review.

One month, where he is also entitled to a cost of living wage raise as much as any other city employee anywhere.

Am I correct in June?

So there they're opt that, but then we're also talking about a merit raise that might be happening at the same time.

We're not saying he's not deserving of it.

He is.

I mean, I feel sad that he wanted to go elsewhere to find that, you know, and then tells us it's not about money.

But you know, in a way it is, and then we're looking at this, and you know, Sherry, what you're sharing is what was shared last year, and you know, that he was very forthcoming and gave from employees.

Those things I believe are heartfelt from our staff, but I wouldn't talk against my boss and then give him that.

Imagine if I said he's great, and then the one time that he's not, and I put that on there, that's suicidal for a person to do that.

So those are all the great reviews, which is wonderful, which I'm just saying, he is great.

But I'm also saying I think council member Garcia said, we don't need to have these, we don't need to have extra things.

We don't.

But I also we're also looking at 33,000.

Doesn't that sound like it could possibly create an opportunity for a crosswalk?

I believe we're just saying to postpone it at a future date, next month, what three weeks from now.

That's it.

Thank you for all of the comments.

I'll provide mine at this point in time.

But first, I have to clarify something that council member white said in regards to voting already.

Make sure that you include in the context that what I said was that we agreed to bring it to the agenda tonight.

Not a voting on anything.

We haven't voted yet.

What I said was let's bring it to the agenda, and that's exactly where we are.

I also want to be clear to all of those listening in the audience, community, staff, that this quote unquote raise is not arbitrary.

I didn't just all of a sudden, we didn't just all of a sudden decide to give our city manager Corbin this quote unquote raise.

What we are doing is, and more importantly, the reason I brought it to the attention of council was a retention effort.

Yes, council member, I'm sorry, city manager Corbin was looking for another position.

Why?

I don't want to get into the context that that includes a lot of of information that I think would be very detrimental to be putting on the public display, display.

Sorry.

But what I will share with you though is that as I mentioned, what's not arbitrary, it's a retention effort.

Knowing that our city manager was looking elsewhere, as mayor, I found it my duty to do the job and due diligence of making an offer to our city manager, which requires passage through the city council.

And it's up to us to make or not that offer legitimate through voting to include this additional money for his salary.

So it's not just a raise, again, it is a retention effort.

In addition, what you've heard tonight from many members of staff, including council, is that we appreciate his efforts.

And I would hate at this moment in time to lose somebody who is so vital to our organization.

Yes, I understand that an additional $33,000 sounds like a lot of money because it is.

But what you may not know, and again, providing you all context who don't have that information before you is that currently our city manager is 13% under what market rate is 13%.

We heard from our from HR and we were provided information that at this moment in time through a market study that that's what we learned.

We're 13% under.

And to some of you, 30% may not may sound like well, you know, city manager and executive is being paid a good amount of money, and indeed they are.

But a city manager like Ron Corbyn is worth every dollar, even if that is 13% under what the market rate is.

And right now, in addition to that, at the same time, considering that he was being considered elsewhere as mayor, it's my job, as I mentioned, to make sure that I give every effort that I can to continue the progress that we've been making.

And you've heard some of that here tonight.

Replacing him is not going to be free.

To replace him is between 28 to 32,000 utilizing consultants.

We got that information from our HR.

So even to go out to look for somebody, we're almost going to pay what we would give him to retain him.

Not a raise, not an arbitrary, here's what we think you should earn based upon what you've heard so far from other council members.

But more importantly, how can we keep you here?

How can we pay you market rate?

And more importantly, we can't.

How do we close to that?

Sure, he's gonna have coming up in a month his opportunity to uh go through an evaluation, but they're totally two separate issues here.

And the goal was not to allow Ron Corbin to get to that point, and so as part of the agreement, he is no longer going to participate in the process, search for a job in another city, interview elsewhere, but remain in Avondale.

And we're not paying a bribe, we're not looking to sweeten the pot, which is I what I think is being communicated to a certain degree here tonight.

No, it's to continue again the efforts that the city has moved forward through through the strides that we've made through many different months, through many different quarters, through many different cycles.

In addition to that 20 to 33,000, we'd have to pay to consultant to bring a new member on board.

Guess what we'd have to do with them?

Pay them market rate, pay them that 13% that we're short with Mr.

Corbin.

I don't know about you, but if you were an executive and you were looking for a position, they're going to be looking for the best investment that you can find.

And that's what this is.

This is not an arbitrary raise, quite honestly.

This is a turn on investment here.

I believe that what Mr.

Corbin has brought to the table is worth keeping and worth fighting for.

And you may not, you may not agree with me out there in the community or even here on council, but that's what I'm trying to do as we move forward through this through this issue here that we're navigating.

What we talked a lot about so far in regards to budget is everything related to direct costs, how it's going to impact the budget, and it will.

Any increase is going to affect the budget.

But in terms of direct cost, we also have to look at indirect costs.

I referenced the investment that we have with a gentleman like Ron Corbin.

And I stand by that statement.

But retaining proven leadership, maintaining organizational stability and avoiding costly turnover is even more of a reason to retain the services of Ron Corbin.

Sure, we can be free to go if he'd like.

Nobody's forcing him to be here.

He doesn't have to agree to anything that we bring forward.

Tonight, he can say, no, thanks.

You guys don't have to vote on that.

I'll separate ways.

And he'll go about his business and we'll go about ours.

The problem is, are we as the city as an organization prepared for that disruption?

Because that's what we're faced with.

It may not be to the level that some council members here believe it will be, but I do as the leader of the city of the leader of this council.

And for that purpose, I'm here willing to fight for his services.

Let go of the personal bias, let go of any sort of uh inequity that may have uh reared its head, and most importantly, think about the organization and the detriment that would occur if we just allowed him to leave just like that.

And so with that, I want to make sure that while we don't see this eye to eye, and while we may disagree, that we have this ability to debate, which is what we're doing right now.

So whether you in the out there in the audience listening to us all talk and agree with one side or the other, just know at the end of the day, we're just trying to do what's right for the city.

And in my estimation, that would be keeping Mr.

Ron Corbin.

Because again, if we let him go, if he decides to seek employment elsewhere, fine.

He's not here anymore.

But the cost that we're gonna, the impact to the city is gonna be double what it's gonna be to keep somebody who has continued progress and the excellence that has been this organization.

Councilmember Weiss read to you what some of the department heads and others have said, and I want to thank them.

I want to thank those of you who have approached me who have provided kind words, more importantly, shared and the same viewpoint of thank you for trying to keep him.

Without him, you know, we're gonna go through this navigation of time that who knows what's gonna happen.

So I just want to make sure that you're all aware this is not arbitrary.

I didn't just all of a sudden one moment wake up and say, you know what, Mr.

Corbin, you deserve a raise.

No, the fact that he's about to leave, the fact that he was a finalist for another city.

I had to step in.

I had to do something.

And again, while you may not all be privy to the whys of what why he would leave to begin with, just know that outside of that, any of those issues that arise, he's loyal to the city and would love to remain.

And I think it's our duty as council to show him that effort, which is what I'm doing.

Now I know that right now for the rest of council that we have a motion that was proposed by council member White, seconded by council member Solorio.

If you vote yes, which a couple of you referenced, what you're agreeing to is postponing this conversation.

So if you are in agreement to postpone this to his evaluation date, then you would vote yes.

If you don't agree with that, like myself, I'm gonna be voting no.

But what I would, if this motion fails, then I will be providing a motion to move forward to go with what we have on the agenda tonight, which is to retain his services with the increase to his pay.

So if you agree currently with the motion on online, can we get a vote, Marcel?

Is it a voice vote or system vote?

Thank you, Mayor.

You can use your screens.

And this is to move for this, correct?

Sorry, just to host.

Yeah, if you agree to postpone this, then vote yes.

Okay, motion has failed.

I would like to make the motion.

Sorry, mayor.

I'll put it back up one day.

I would like to make the motion to approve an amendment to the professional services and employment agreement.

Oh, just went blank again.

Employment agreement with the city manager Ron Corbin and authorize the the mayor, city attorney, and city clerk to execute the necessary documents.

So with this motion, we are agreeing to what was originally put on the agenda.

So we have a motion for myself, a second from councilmember Garcia.

Please vote.

We don't have it.

Item passes by four to three.

Congratulations, Ron.

I hope again that while we were we have a debate and a disagreement, that again we stand behind you.

The majority stands behind you here, and that we look forward to your services for years to come.

And upon your next evaluation, we'll determine what that looks like.

But again, those two issues are totally separate.

You have anything to share?

I'll just say thank you, Mr.

Mayor Council.

Thank you.

Okay.

Item 5A, Ron, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor Council.

for for years to come and upon your next evaluation we'll determine what that looks like but again those two issues are totally separate you have anything to share i'll just say thank you mr mayor council thank you okay item five a ron please thank you mr mayor council up next we have uh the resolution adoption of physical fiscal year 2027 tentative budget by your finance director uh renee weathos good evening mayor vice mayor and council we are here tonight to present the fiscal 2027 tentative budget adoption the final budget adoption is scheduled to to come back to council um in june so with the tentative budget adoption what we're doing tonight is setting the maximum expenditure limit so what that means is when we return and bring back the final adopted the total expenditure limit cannot increase from what is approved with the tentative it can be changed um as the budget can be amended throughout the year it can decrease but it cannot increase so in similar cadence with prior budget versions we are presenting any changes since the last time uh the budget was presented to council so we have a couple of changes that have been included in this tentative budget the first of which is an increase to the lease expenses for the Southwest family advocacy center to the amount of 102000 we also had an increase to a CIP project for DISART water line for 200,000 we had a change for intergovernmental agreements which were moved to an intergovernmental agreement fund number and we had um continue to make carryover adjustments that means as we continue to spend what will be spent or what won't be spent this fiscal will be adjusted into fiscal 2027 so with that the fiscal 2027 budget for all funding sources the total sources amount to 760 million 770249 dollars and the total budgeted expenditures for all funding sources is 514500 with the general fund amounting to just under 229 million dollars in sources and 185.7 million in expenditures so our next steps in the budget process are to have a couple public notices um that need to be posted in the month of May before returning to council on June 1st for a final budget and property tax levy public hearing and adoption for both the city of um for the city and the alumar CFD and the final step is to actually approve the property tax levy so with that the staff recommendation is a motion to adopt resolution 1029-0526 setting forth the fiscal year 2027 tentative budget and establishing the city's annual expenditure limitation that concludes my presentation I will take any questions thank you Renee do any city do any council members have any questions regarding the item then just as a reminder we do debate and opinions should be held after we have a motion but are there any questions thank you mayor council member gandhi i i just have a question just because tonight there was a lot of discussion of a crosswalk or a hock or something um if after the study's done and it's found that we do will be adding one where does that money come from is that something that we need to add in now how do we go about that so mayor vice mayor council member conde um as I had mentioned the budget can be amended throughout the year um something like that we would come back to council for an adjustment to the budget so if we're looking to balance it depending on the funding sources that we will opt to use for that we may need to balance it we would bring forth those changes at that time okay thank you thank you any other questions okay can we get a uh staff i'm sorry can we get a motion on staff's recommendation got a motion from vice mayor neels and a second from council member weiss do we have any further debate or discussion mr mayor if i can interrupt sure we are currently down one council member okay if we wanted to wait for the vote yeah sure of course okay mr mayor if you wanted you could take a uh recess so everybody can step away for a few minutes and do whatever we can continue to wait a second uh for her to come back but this is the tentative budget that sets our spending limit so it's pretty important uh vote why don't we go ahead and take a five minute recess thank you mr mayor yep