The Bullhead City Council met on September 17, 2025 (noted: the transcript indicates the meeting occurred on September 16, 2025, but the agenda and instructions specify September 17). The council recognized retiring Police Chief Robert Treves, approved several proclamations, and took action on a range of items including a turf-reduction water conservation grant, the acquisition of the Chaparral Golf Course, a liquor license for that course, water and sewer rate increases, a fee reduction, and professional engineering services. The meeting lasted from approximately 5:30 PM to after 8 PM.
Proclamations and Presentations:
Item 4 – Palm Village Estates Final Plat Extension: Approved the sixth extension (two years) to allow the applicant additional time to record the final plat. (7-0)
Item 5 – Arroyo Vista Park Turf Reduction Grant: Approved a $500,000 grant (with $100,000 match – $50,000 from HOA and $50,000 from city water conservation fund) to remove approximately 52,000 square feet of turf. The HOA board voted in favor; some residents opposed via petition. Council emphasized that the HOA board is elected to make decisions and that water conservation is critical. The agreement allows minor modifications to the landscaping layout. (7-0)
Item 6 – Acquisition of Chaparral Golf Course: Approved the purchase agreement assuming liabilities of approximately $406,000 (including back taxes) for the golf course, clubhouse, restaurant, pool, and all assets (estimated worth $4 million). The city will operate it as a municipal golf course, with a commitment to keep it as a golf course for at least 10 years, after which it may revert to other recreational/public purposes. City Manager Cotter stated the city expects to generate over $1 million in annual revenue. The CCC Inc. board and members voted to authorize the sale. (7-0)
Item 7 – Liquor License for Chaparral Golf Course: Approved the application for a Series 5 liquor license. (7-0)
Item 8 – Water and Sewer Rate Increase: Approved a three-year phased increase effective January 1, 2026. The average residential water customer (6,000 gallons/month) in the Mojave area will see an increase of about $5–$7.70 per month, with larger users facing higher increases. Sewer rates will rise from $36.36 to $39.16 in the first year. The city also reinstated the Utilities Assistance and Discount Program (UADP) offering up to $20/month discounts for income-eligible households. (7-0)
Item 9 – Colorado River Water Safety Fee Reduction: Approved reducing the fee from $20 to $10 per multi-copy form for commercial watercraft rentals, as the commercial launch ramp has been paid off. (7-0)
Item 10 – City Center Improvement District Engineering Services: Approved a contract with EPS Group Inc. for professional assessment engineering services in an amount not to exceed $61,750. (7-0)
Welcome. Today is Tuesday, September sixteenth, two thousand twenty-five. It is five thirty PM. Time to call to order this meeting of the Bullhead City Council. Can I have a roll call, please? All council members are present. Uh, City Attorney Emery is joining us via telephone tonight. Mr. Emery, can you hear me? Mr. Emory. Thank you. All right, thank you. Uh, we'll now have our invitation by Captain John Burks from the Salvation Army. If you would like to join us, please stand. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of our city and for the opportunity to gather in service to its citizens. Grant them clarity of mind, strength of purpose to make just and right decisions. Amen. Thank you, be seated, please. We have some presentations and proclamations. If I could ask the rest of the city council and Chief Treves to join me at the microphone, I would appreciate it. Hello, Chief. It's a pleasure to see you here this evening and a pleasure for myself and I'm sure for my esteemed colleagues here to present you with this certificate of appreciation, which is proudly presented to Robert E. Treves Jr. Bullhead City hereby expresses our sincere appreciation for your loyalty, diligence, and outstanding performance during your tenure at the Bullhead City Police Department, where you served as Chief of Police from February 21st, 2021 till September 17th, 2025, capping off all of your years of service to the citizens of Bullhead City from October 4th, 2004 to September 17th, 2025. And this certificate of appreciation is proudly signed by myself and the city manager. Congratulations. Thank you. I understand the chief has some words to say, and after you individually get a chance to congratulate him, you folks can go have a seat. Ladies and gentlemen, almost retired Chief Robert Treves. Thank you, Mayor Head. Citizens, thank you for being here tonight. First, I want to start off by thanking the Lord, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for placing me in this position and giving me a blessing to lead this organization and to be here tonight. In James 1 7, we read, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. I now want to offer this quote from Benjamin Franklin to Mayor Head and City Manager Cotter. The generous mind, to the generous mind, the heaviest debt is that of gratitude when it is not in our power to repay it. Mayor Head, I will always owe you a debt of gratitude for hiring me on October 4th, 2004, and giving me the honor to serve the citizens of Bullhead City. City Manager Cotter, likewise, I will always be so grateful for you blessing me with the opportunity to be chief of police and serve the men and women of this organization and the citizens of Bullhead City. I want to thank Captain Jason Harms for his friendship for his hard work and dedication for his love of this community, and for making my job, I don't want to say easy, but certainly doable. As I reflect back over my career, which spans over two decades, I look at what our professions endured. Anyone with 20 years or more has seen the normal ebbs and flows of the good and bad as far as public perception of police. Unfortunately, anyone who's only served about 10 years has only seen the major negative events, hyperpoliticized negativity about police officers and the law enforcement profession. In 2014, Ferguson, Missouri kicked off the negativity from a completely false and since debunked narrative about the police. And that negativity ultimately culminated in the defund the police movement of 2020. We have serious problems in this country that need attention, that need serious people to solve them. Over the last decade, we've witnessed political persecutions. Sorry. Assassination attempts, and most recently, a political assassination. One of the most frightening things about all this is that these tragedies are being carried out in order to deprive American citizens of their God given rights and their freedoms and liberties, specifically the freedom of speech and association. John Adams once said liberty must at all hazard be supported.