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Record of Proceedings

Bullhead City Council Special Meeting on June 3, 2025: Funding for Homeless Shelter and Water/Sewer Rate Proposals

City Council — Tuesday, June 3, 2025
BodyBullhead City, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 3, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:07:14

Transcript — Verbatim
1:50

Good afternoon.

1:51

This is Tuesday, June 3rd at 2025.

1:54

It's one PM.

1:55

We're here for a special meeting, actually, two special meetings uh back to back, followed by an executive session.

2:00

I'm calling this meeting to order.

2:02

Could I get a roll call, please?

2:03

All council members are present.

2:04

Thank you.

2:05

All right, Toby, would you like to lead?

2:06

Yeah, good afternoon, Mary Domingo Council members, good afternoon.

2:09

Uh this afternoon we're gonna spend exactly one hour.

2:12

We do have a hard stop at two o'clock for our next agenda item.

2:16

So we've asked Catholic charities to come and give a presentation, allowing us plenty of time for council discussion and input from the public uh within that hour.

2:24

So we'll be we'll be precise but also give ourselves an hour to talk about the issues that came up during our our budget meeting.

2:32

And so uh Jeff is gonna introduce the item and talk a little bit about that, but um I mean we're all aware of the conversations that we all had together at the council meeting.

2:43

Um we all are aware of the issues of homelessness in our community and how we're addressing those issues.

2:49

And so today really it's sort of a focal point though of the funding for Catholic charities at the center.

2:57

It's not really about anything that happens at the park or on a bus or at a veteran's court.

3:04

It this conversation is not that.

3:06

Th those conversations certainly will happen, and in fact, Garn and I are looking at other ordinances and things right now to address issues within our parks and within our community.

3:16

But that's not this.

3:35

Uh the team from Catholic charities, and they have a PowerPoint they're gonna cover.

3:39

Um, but we have Olivia McCormick, who's the board chair, uh Paul Mulligan, who's the president and CEO.

3:46

Um, Kathy Peterson, executive director for Northern Arizona.

3:51

We have Sandy Flores, who's Northern Arizona Senior Program Manager, Rebecca Vaughn, who's the community uh relations coordinator, and then we have some local um team members, Carrie Lynn and Danielle.

4:05

So with that, I'll turn it over to Catholic charities.

4:09

Kathy Peterson.

4:21

I want to start by saying that we're very grateful for the funding and the support you have provided over the years.

4:43

We're here today specifically to talk about the legacy foundation, Christine Stamper Center for Help and Hope.

4:51

It's a lot at the mouthful of words.

4:53

Uh we provide fifty-seven beds of emergency shelter, forty beds for individual men and women, eight beds for veterans.

5:03

We call that our freedom wing.

5:06

And then we have a separate secure area for to house up to three families.

5:13

We um provide hot meals.

5:15

We have Chef John and we call Chef John and his army of volunteers.

5:20

We couldn't run our center without our volunteers.

5:26

But usually we serve a continental breakfast, a hot lunch, and a hot dinner.

5:33

And anyone is welcome.

5:36

If you're hungry, you don't have to be sheltering there to receive a hot meal.

5:41

If you're hungry, we welcome you to come and share a meal with us.

5:46

We also have seating inside and on the back porch.

5:51

On the back porch, when it gets really hot, it becomes a cooling station.

5:56

We have mysti misters that go on out there.

5:59

And then also in the back porch, we have kennels.

6:02

So people we can keep their animals in there.

6:06

We give them water, of course, and food for their pets because they consider their pets their family.

6:14

We have a laundry room, we have showers, we have a group of computers and Wi-Fi that our guests can access.

6:23

And uh we're unusual in terms of most shelters.

6:28

We're open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that's pretty rare.

6:33

So thank you for your time.

6:35

It's my honor to introduce our board chair who most of you probably know, Olivia McCormick.

6:47

No three-minute button.

6:50

It's kidding.

6:50

Mayor, Council members, staff, thank you.

6:53

Um it's unusual for me to not be talking about parks.

6:56

Um Toby's already covered that, but um I'm here to just speak to you as a member of the Board of Trustees.

7:02

Um, you know, we are um we cover all of the diocese and parishes in the state of Arizona that run um north uh and central.

7:13

And so uh it's kind of unusual for a person in the north region to be a chair.

7:18

I've been on the Board of Trustees for the past six years, and this is I'm just finishing up my first year as a member of the board, and um I'm telling you, it is the most gratifying organization I've ever worked for, and I want to say that to you because integrity is very important to me as it is to you.

7:37

Um we are very proud to say that we've passed accreditation since 1988, continue to do so.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████████23%
Homelessness███████████████15%
Watercraft Safety█████████████13%
Public Safety████████8%
Education and Workforce██████6%
Parks and Recreation██████6%
Miscellaneous█████5%
Economic Development████4%
Procedural███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Bullhead City Council Special Meeting – June 3, 2025

The Bullhead City Council held a special meeting on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 1:00 PM in the City Council Chambers, followed by an executive session. No legal action was taken during the open meeting. The meeting featured two discussion items: annual funding for The Legacy Foundation Christine Stamper Center for Help & Hope (operated by Catholic Charities) and proposed increases to city water and sewer rates along with new discount programs. The council heard presentations, asked questions, and received public comment.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Scotty (Bullhead City resident): Complained about ongoing trespassing and overnight camping on his property near the shelter. He expressed frustration that police do not move people off and urged the city to help put up a fence. He also noted his 40% disability and commented on the poverty guidelines for utility discounts.
  • Pamela Smith: Asked for clarification on the shelter being "open 24/7," noting that closing at 8 PM for day services contradicts the claim. Catholic Charities responded that the shelter itself (the residential area) is open 24/7, staffed around the clock, but the day resource center closes at 8 PM because all 57 beds are full.

Discussion Items

1. Catholic Charities – Center for Help & Hope Funding

Catholic Charities presented on the shelter’s operations and financial needs. Key points:

  • Shelter capacity: 57 beds (40 for individual men/women, 8 for veterans in the "Freedom Wing," and space for up to 3 families).
  • Services: 84,000 meals served from June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025 (up from 25,000 in the prior 12-month period). Bed nights: 15,570 total; 3,000 family bed nights for 14 families. Total duplicated individual contacts: 33,000.
  • Staffing: 38 paid staff in Bullhead City; approximately 34 active volunteers, with 7 volunteering daily.
  • Funding mix: Government contracts/grants, private donations, and support from the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix ($950,000 received in the last year, budgeted $800,000).
  • The city currently provides $127,000 annually to support 24/7 operations.
  • Council members asked about audits (external firm Cviz), relationship with the Catholic Church (independent board), and the PATH program (outreach distributing supplies like tents to engage mentally ill homeless). Councilmember Newland expressed concern about contract language regarding tents and urged adherence to the city’s no-camping ordinance. City Manager Cotter confirmed zero tolerance for tent camping citywide.
  • Council members commended the shelter’s work. Councilmember Head suggested quarterly reports to council.

2. Proposed Water & Sewer Rate Increases and Discount Programs

Staff from the Utilities and Finance departments presented proposed rate increases:

  • Water: 19% increase in Year 1, 14% in Year 2, 14% in Year 3. For an average customer (6,000 gallons), the monthly bill would rise from $25.99 to $30.95 in Year 1 (a $4.96 increase).
  • Wastewater: 9% increase per year for three years (e.g., $2.90/month increase in Year 1).
  • The city has invested $9.7 million in water system improvements since taking over from Epcor in 2021. The utility enterprise fund is currently operating at a deficit of about $2.4 million per year. The city has borrowed $10 million from the general fund to keep operations afloat.
  • Discount Program (Bullhead City Utilities Assistance and Discount Program – UADP): Provides up to $20/month discount for eligible low-income customers, disabled veterans (any disability rating), and seniors based on federal poverty guidelines. Customers must reapply annually. The program also includes high water bill adjustments (for leaks) and payment plans.
  • Currently 206 customers are enrolled under the former Epcor discount program. Staff expects that number to grow significantly with easier application in City Hall.
  • Council members discussed the impact on residents, the need to repay the general fund, and comparisons to Epcor rates (the proposed rates remain below Epcor’s current and projected rates).

Key Outcomes

  • No votes were taken during the special meeting (per agenda, no legal action). However, the council will vote on the preliminary budget (including the $127,000 shelter funding) at the regular meeting later that evening. A separate vote on a new contract with Catholic Charities will occur at a future meeting. The water and sewer rate increases and discount programs will come before the council for formal approval at a subsequent meeting.
  • Council members and staff acknowledged that the proposed rate increases are necessary to make the utility financially self-sustaining but that the discount program will help mitigate the impact on vulnerable residents.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. This is Tuesday, June 3rd at 2025. It's one PM. We're here for a special meeting, actually, two special meetings uh back to back, followed by an executive session. I'm calling this meeting to order. Could I get a roll call, please? All council members are present. Thank you. All right, Toby, would you like to lead? Yeah, good afternoon, Mary Domingo Council members, good afternoon. Uh this afternoon we're gonna spend exactly one hour. We do have a hard stop at two o'clock for our next agenda item. So we've asked Catholic charities to come and give a presentation, allowing us plenty of time for council discussion and input from the public uh within that hour. So we'll be we'll be precise but also give ourselves an hour to talk about the issues that came up during our our budget meeting. And so uh Jeff is gonna introduce the item and talk a little bit about that, but um I mean we're all aware of the conversations that we all had together at the council meeting. Um we all are aware of the issues of homelessness in our community and how we're addressing those issues. And so today really it's sort of a focal point though of the funding for Catholic charities at the center. It's not really about anything that happens at the park or on a bus or at a veteran's court. It this conversation is not that. Th those conversations certainly will happen, and in fact, Garn and I are looking at other ordinances and things right now to address issues within our parks and within our community. But that's not this. Uh the team from Catholic charities, and they have a PowerPoint they're gonna cover. Um, but we have Olivia McCormick, who's the board chair, uh Paul Mulligan, who's the president and CEO. Um, Kathy Peterson, executive director for Northern Arizona. We have Sandy Flores, who's Northern Arizona Senior Program Manager, Rebecca Vaughn, who's the community uh relations coordinator, and then we have some local um team members, Carrie Lynn and Danielle. So with that, I'll turn it over to Catholic charities. Kathy Peterson. I want to start by saying that we're very grateful for the funding and the support you have provided over the years. We're here today specifically to talk about the legacy foundation, Christine Stamper Center for Help and Hope. It's a lot at the mouthful of words. Uh we provide fifty-seven beds of emergency shelter, forty beds for individual men and women, eight beds for veterans. We call that our freedom wing. And then we have a separate secure area for to house up to three families. We um provide hot meals. We have Chef John and we call Chef John and his army of volunteers. We couldn't run our center without our volunteers. But usually we serve a continental breakfast, a hot lunch, and a hot dinner. And anyone is welcome. If you're hungry, you don't have to be sheltering there to receive a hot meal. If you're hungry, we welcome you to come and share a meal with us. We also have seating inside and on the back porch. On the back porch, when it gets really hot, it becomes a cooling station. We have mysti misters that go on out there. And then also in the back porch, we have kennels. So people we can keep their animals in there. We give them water, of course, and food for their pets because they consider their pets their family. We have a laundry room, we have showers, we have a group of computers and Wi-Fi that our guests can access. And uh we're unusual in terms of most shelters. We're open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that's pretty rare. So thank you for your time.

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