Bullhead City Council Meeting - July 30, 2024
Bullhead City Council Meeting - July 30, 2024
The Bullhead City Council met on July 30, 2024, at 5:30 PM. The meeting included public comments, discussion of Proposition 416, approval of a new animal resource center contract, and renewal of senior nutrition funding. All seven council members were present. The meeting opened with a prayer, public comments, and agenda modifications.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda was approved unanimously (7-0) with no items pulled for separate discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Gabrielle Tate (Bullhead City) accused Council candidate Grace Hecht of asking her to place a spiteful sign on her behalf, and criticized Hecht's campaign mailer against Rich Lettman as "full of lies."
- Stephen Lee urged voters to reject Grace Hecht, claiming her campaign relies on lies and that she supports Catholic charities that bring in illegal aliens; he also expressed safety concerns after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and asked the city council to listen to constituents.
- Debbie Russell Miller expressed outrage at Grace Hecht's hit piece against Rich Lettman, calling it a collection of half-truths that trashes Hecht's own reputation.
- Terry Constantino (president of Live Love Bark) announced a fundraiser for the animal shelter.
- Scotty (resident) criticized Grace Hecht and Rich Lettman for raising large campaign funds, claimed he owes nobody, and warned against Proposition 416, saying it would allow the city to spend without limits.
- Sue DeMarco (representing Saint Saving Animals in Need Together) urged support for shelter animals and promoted an upcoming event.
- Annette Wegman Wood called for professionalism in local politics, denounced smearing and slander, and voiced support for Rich Lettman for Mojave County Supervisor.
- Nick Parsons promoted a solar propulsion workshop at the library and discussed repurposing lithium batteries.
- Christy Fouts announced a free food drive-through distribution.
- Nicole Tracy (Vice President of Make Bullhead Better) promoted a back-to-school teacher appreciation event.
- Gary complained that solar panel owners are charged a tariff to keep other residents' bills low, and asked the council for guidance.
- Aaron Fox praised Assistant City Manager Travis Pruitt for interacting with a resident, and asked the city to help with solar panel issues.
- Sean Regan supported the new animal shelter, arguing that more money should be redirected from parks to homeless services and animal care.
Discussion Items
- Proposition 416 (Permanent Base Adjustment) – Assistant City Manager Travis Pruitt and City Manager Toby Cotter explained that Prop 416 would raise the city's state-imposed spending limit (set in 1980) to allow the city to spend cash on hand instead of borrowing for capital projects. They emphasized that it does not raise taxes and would not affect the annual balanced budget process. The city currently has $45 million in reserves but is forced to borrow due to the cap. If Prop 416 fails, the city will continue to borrow at 6-8% interest. The presentation included a video and Q&A.
- Animal Resource Center (BARK) Construction Contract – The council approved a $3,856,336 construction contract with Precise Builders Inc. for the renovation of the former Mojave Daily News building into a new animal resource center (27,353 sq. ft.). The project includes cat condos, large and small dog kennels, a veterinary clinic, crematorium, dog wash, and meet-and-greet rooms. The total project cost is approximately $6 million including engineering and contingencies. Public input included support from shelter advocates and concerns about cost and scope.
- Engineering Services Amendment – The council approved a $7,800 increase to the agreement with Selberg Associates for engineering services related to the animal center, primarily to expand the crematorium space from 600 to 1,300 sq. ft.
- WACOG Senior Nutrition and Caregiving Grant – The council approved Resolution 2024 R-37, accepting $232,078 for FY 2024-2025 from the Western Arizona Council of Governments (WACOG) for senior meals and transportation. The city is the only provider in western Arizona without a waiting list for these services.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved (7-0).
- Item 5 was withdrawn from the agenda due to insufficient public notice.
- Item 3 (Animal Center contract) approved (7-0).
- Item 4 (Engineering amendment) approved (7-0).
- Item 6 (WACOG contract) approved (7-0).
- Proposition 416 will be decided by voters on July 30, 2024. The council took no action; the presentation was informational.
The meeting adjourned after completion of the agenda items.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. This is Tuesday, July sixteenth, twenty twenty-four, five thirty PM, our regular scheduled council meeting. All council members are present. If you'd like to join us, please stand. As we read in Ephesians one, verse eighteen, it says, The eyes of our understanding be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches and glory of his inheritance in the saints of the Lord. We ask for your blessing in this meeting, and our city may, that our city may and the peace of God and all of your understanding, the prosperity of um of your riches and glory be upon us. And then may we work together in harmony. Jesus mighty name we pray. Please be seated. All right, we start the night off with a call to the public. If you're individual, you have three minutes to speak. If you're a group, you have five minutes, your group must be with us, and you must let us know ahead of time. With that being said, uh Gabrielle Tate, Bullhead City. Gabrielle, Bullhead City. I have never spoken publicly about what I'm going to tell you tonight. But it's the honest to God truth. About two years ago, actually, it was two years ago yesterday. I received a call from Grace Hecht asking me to place on her behalf a sign on the Lamar Electric Signs on the 95. I asked her why she couldn't put the sign in her own name under her own credit card. And she said, No, I need you to put it under your credit card. I said, Why? She said, I just can't. Why? I just can't. Okay. I called Lamar. Lamar refused to put the sign saying that it was spiteful and unkind and they weren't going to do it. It was against Wahid Siri. She wanted to expose some things and put an 800 number for people to call who had been affected. As I said, Lamar refused to do it. My opinion is that you obviously didn't want a trail, and you threw me under the bus asking me to be your scapegoat. I forgave you. Things moved on, and we never talked about it. Did you care that you put me in danger? No, I don't think you did. I never spoke of this until about three days ago on a Facebook page. Because I think that everybody really needs to know what you're about and how you conduct business and get other people to do your work for you, your dirty work. What pushed me over was the terrible hit you put out on Rich Lettman in the postcard that was mailed to Bullhead City voters. I had to say you really outdid yourself. That was horrible. It was terrible, it was vicious, it was full of lies. Not a bit of it was true. Why you did it? It's because you're desperate to win. And you stoop pretty low when you did that. That's terrible, Grace. That was absolutely awful. You know the backstory on Rich Lettman. You know exactly what happened. You know his stepbrother ran that business into the ground, and it was in his name, and he was forced to file bankruptcy.
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