OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bullhead City Council Regular Meeting – July 1, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, July 1, 2025
BodyBullhead City, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 1, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:09:11

Transcript — Verbatim
0:36

Testing.

0:37

Good, it's working.

0:38

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

0:41

That is Tuesday, July 1st.

0:43

By the way, happy July 1st.

0:45

And uh this is our meeting.

0:47

We'll start first of all.

0:49

Um with the roll call.

0:53

All council members are present.

0:55

Real good.

0:56

Thank you very much.

0:59

Next, we have the invocation from Captain John Burks, Salvation Army.

1:07

Let's pray.

1:08

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for this uh beautiful day today.

1:13

We ask that as uh we are here to meet to uh plan for the future of the city, a bullhead city, uh, that your Holy Spirit would be a part of that.

1:24

Lord, that we be guided um by you uh to make the best decisions uh for the people that live here.

1:31

We love you and we worship you in Jesus' name.

1:34

Amen.

1:35

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:38

I pledge allegiance to the flags of America and to the Republic for which it's a nation for God.

1:57

Thank you very much.

2:00

Next we have uh an update from Mojave Electric Corporation.

2:05

Cooperative, I'm sorry.

2:07

Thanks, Terry.

2:12

All right, if we can get that slideshow pulled up, please.

2:22

Hawaii's pulling that up.

2:23

Uh Vice Mayor, Council, and staff, appreciate uh you guys inviting us to do this update.

2:30

Hopefully, everybody finds it informational and educational.

2:33

Um, we're gonna go over quite a few things, got a lot of topics to cover.

2:38

Um, and uh with that we'll we'll get started with a little bit of a history, fun fun lessons on Mojave Electric.

2:45

Um Mojave Electric was founded in uh 1946, July 3rd, actually.

2:51

So we're two days away from celebrating our 79th uh year in in Mojave Electric.

2:57

So we their first five miles of line was built in 1947, which served about 90 meters.

3:05

Um pretty when we think about that and 79 years later to where we're at today, that's pretty pretty impressive and what the pioneers did back then.

3:14

So with that, we'll go ahead and get started.

3:17

Again, a lot of topics to cover.

3:19

The first one we want to talk about that nobody likes to talk about, even Mojave Electric is outages.

3:25

As you can see, uh, with the outages that we have, we have them grouped in categories.

3:30

Uh these categories are helped to help us uh kind of look back from the previous year or years to see where we need to focus our attention to.

3:39

So the going down the list here, we got transmission provider and pre-ranged at zero.

3:43

Pre-ranged is uh one of those ones where where uh obviously it's pre pre-planned.

3:48

Um we do send out um either emails or notifications of some sort to uh to members.

3:55

Um we try to do about five days ahead of time.

3:58

If we can't, we'll knock on doors and make personal phone calls.

4:01

But if you don't get those type of notices, uh contact member services and and they'll be able to uh help you get on that list.

4:08

It's through Smart Hub and not the app.

4:10

You have to go through actual Smart Hub through the computer.

4:13

And we go through Storm.

4:14

We all know we get uh we get storms out here.

4:17

We got high winds and lightning.

4:19

Uh so we've had eight so far this year.

4:22

Bird outages, we're at 20.

4:24

Um again.

4:25

This is this is one of those ones that could be uh could be mitigated a little bit with the help of the community, not feeding the birds.

4:31

Um that's that's uh that's a big one for us.

4:34

Um we do have uh uh devices out there that help mitigate these these outages too as well, but unfortunately, there's there's a lot of pigeons out here.

4:43

Um what typically happens just so just kind of get it through you guys' uh uh kind of thought process there.

4:48

But what typically happens with these is uh you have a transformer, we'll take a transformer for example, and it's grounded on the outside.

4:56

I mean it goes down the ground.

5:00

Well, there's a high voltage line that comes in to the top of the transformer, and if that bird lands on a on a grounded tank, right, and touches the primary with another part of the body, it's gonna find that path to ground and it's gonna be uh the fault.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement████████████████████20%
Energy Efficiency█████████████████17%
Procedural████████████████16%
Election Procedures█████████████13%
Public Safety████████████12%
Animal Welfare███████7%
Public Transportation█████5%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Youth Programs███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Bullhead City Council Regular Meeting – July 1, 2025

The Bullhead City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 1255 Marina Boulevard, Bullhead City, Arizona. The meeting included presentations, public comments, consent agenda approvals, board appointments, and action items. All votes were unanimous (6-0).

Consent Calendar

  • Items 1–4 were approved without separate discussion:
    • Minutes of June 3, June 17 (special), and June 17 (regular) meetings.
    • Resolution No. 2025R-30 appointing Finance Director Robert Drexler to submit the Annual Expenditure Limitation Report to the Arizona Auditor General.
    • Settlement Agreement and Release in Luna v. City and Tri R Construction (Mohave County Superior Court No. CV202400708), authorized the City Manager to execute.
    • Termination of Property Escrow Agreement, acceptance of public improvements for North Fork at Laughlin Ranch Tract 5151, Unit 2, and ratification of Subdivision Financial Assurance Agreement ($68,684).
  • Item 5 (annual assessment of $65,983.00 for Improvement Districts for FY 2025/2026) was pulled by Council Member Alfonso for clarification, then approved. The city manager confirmed the assessment applies only to street lighting districts within Bullhead City.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gary Genovese (We Care for Animals) promoted a Trap-Neuter-Release fundraiser on July 13, 2025, at Mojave Steakhouse (11 a.m.–8 p.m., $15). He stated there may be over 20,000 feral cats in Bullhead City.
  • Captain John Birch (Salvation Army) reported on summer camp programs, noting they took 7 campers to Heber in the first week, already matching last year’s total. He highlighted services including food, clothing, camping ministry, and emergency disaster response.
  • Teresa Becker (Holiday Shores resident) expressed concern about threatened closure of river access, stating it would depreciate property values. She suggested a gate with key cards for local residents.
  • Toby Cotter promoted the 81st annual Republican picnic on July 26, 2025 (10 a.m., $30, children under 12 free) and a commemorative Trump gun raffle.
  • Pamela Smith announced a Republican women’s event with Senator Hilde Angus on July 2, 2025, at Chaparral Country Club (11 a.m., lunch $15).
  • Janice Johnston announced that PFLAG Bullhead City now has an affiliated chapter and will hold an introductory meet-and-greet in August.

Presentations

  • Mohave Electric Cooperative (MEC) gave an update covering outages, growth, rates, safety tips, and community events. MEC reported 313 new meters year-to-date, surpassing last year’s pace. The cooperative is near the lowest controllable cost among Arizona cooperatives. They urged residents to call 811 before digging, secure outdoor items for monsoon season, and use generators safely.

Manager’s Report

  • City Manager Toby Cotter reported on:
    • July 4th holiday preparations (thousands of visitors expected; one river fatality already occurred; heightened law enforcement for DUI).
    • New fiscal year balanced budget; major priorities include new animal shelter (opening January 1, 2026), indoor pickleball courts, street maintenance, and the largest police budget ever.
    • Summer camp concluded with 860 participants.
    • Cell service improvements: letters sent to providers; city is open for business.
    • Theft of bronze plaques (worth over $10,000) from Veterans Peninsula and Veterans Park; police investigation underway.

Discussion Items

  • Item 6 – Board of Appeals Appointments: Two applicants for three vacancies. Council appointed Bruce Henderson to a full term (ending June 30, 2027) and Enrique Reina to a partial term (ending June 30, 2026), each by separate unanimous votes.
  • Item 7 – Vehicle Purchase: Approved purchase of seven 2025 Ford Utility SSV Expeditions from Phil Long Dealerships under cooperative quote for $432,103.31 (budgeted). Five for Patrol Bureau, two for command staff. Standard warranty: 3yr/36,000 mi bumper-to-bumper, 5yr/100,000 mi powertrain. Council Member questioned warranty; public comment from Kim Villalobos noted possible payment extensions via Ford Motor Credit. Approved unanimously.
  • Item 8 – Radio Purchase: Ratified issuance of notice to proceed for seven APX8500 radios from Motorola at $65,383.87 (saved $4,000 by ordering before July 1). Approved unanimously.
  • Item 9 – Audit Services: Ratified engagement letter with Baker Tilly US, LLP for FY 2024-25 audit services not exceeding $77,405. Approved unanimously.
  • Item 10 – Animal Drop-Off IGA: Adopted Resolution No. 2025R-31 approving intergovernmental agreement with Clark County for animal drop-off at Bullhead City shelter. Clark County reimburses costs and picks up animals quickly. Approved unanimously.
  • Item 11 – Water/Sewer Rate Increase Resolution: Adopted Resolution No. 2025R-32 expressing intent to increase water and sewer rates and setting a public hearing for Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. Assistant City Manager Eddie Kajirwa presented updated utility assistance program (UADP) eligibility at 200% of federal poverty guidelines (e.g., $31,300 for 1-person household up from $15,650). Council Member Alfonso expressed support, noting the system averages one break per day and that the city saved over $10 million by not raising rates for three years. Public hearing will allow community input. Approved unanimously.
  • Item 12 – Special Meeting for Council Vacancy: Set a special meeting for July 8, 2025, at 10 a.m. to interview and select a new council member (replacing Steve DeMico, who resigned). The order of interviews was drawn randomly: Annette Wegman Wood, Beatta Barry, Jacqueline Miller, Scotty McClure, Kim Villalobos, Bo Hellems, Pamela Smith, Kenya Cribb, Ellen Brown, Stephen Brown. Each candidate gets 5 minutes to present, followed by council Q&A. The selection process will use secret ballots with public disclosure of votes until a majority (4 votes) is reached. The new member will be seated on July 15, 2025, followed by election of mayor and vice mayor. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • All action items (1–12) were approved unanimously (6-0).
  • A special council meeting was scheduled for July 8, 2025, at 10 a.m. for council member selection.
  • The July 15, 2025, regular meeting will include seating of the new council member and election of mayor and vice mayor.
  • A public hearing on water/sewer rate increases will be held September 2, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Testing. Good, it's working. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. That is Tuesday, July 1st. By the way, happy July 1st. And uh this is our meeting. We'll start first of all. Um with the roll call. All council members are present. Real good. Thank you very much. Next, we have the invocation from Captain John Burks, Salvation Army. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for this uh beautiful day today. We ask that as uh we are here to meet to uh plan for the future of the city, a bullhead city, uh, that your Holy Spirit would be a part of that. Lord, that we be guided um by you uh to make the best decisions uh for the people that live here. We love you and we worship you in Jesus' name. Amen. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flags of America and to the Republic for which it's a nation for God. Thank you very much. Next we have uh an update from Mojave Electric Corporation. Cooperative, I'm sorry. Thanks, Terry. All right, if we can get that slideshow pulled up, please. Hawaii's pulling that up. Uh Vice Mayor, Council, and staff, appreciate uh you guys inviting us to do this update. Hopefully, everybody finds it informational and educational. Um, we're gonna go over quite a few things, got a lot of topics to cover. Um, and uh with that we'll we'll get started with a little bit of a history, fun fun lessons on Mojave Electric. Um Mojave Electric was founded in uh 1946, July 3rd, actually. So we're two days away from celebrating our 79th uh year in in Mojave Electric. So we their first five miles of line was built in 1947, which served about 90 meters. Um pretty when we think about that and 79 years later to where we're at today, that's pretty pretty impressive and what the pioneers did back then. So with that, we'll go ahead and get started. Again, a lot of topics to cover. The first one we want to talk about that nobody likes to talk about, even Mojave Electric is outages. As you can see, uh, with the outages that we have, we have them grouped in categories. Uh these categories are helped to help us uh kind of look back from the previous year or years to see where we need to focus our attention to. So the going down the list here, we got transmission provider and pre-ranged at zero. Pre-ranged is uh one of those ones where where uh obviously it's pre pre-planned. Um we do send out um either emails or notifications of some sort to uh to members. Um we try to do about five days ahead of time. If we can't, we'll knock on doors and make personal phone calls. But if you don't get those type of notices, uh contact member services and and they'll be able to uh help you get on that list. It's through Smart Hub and not the app. You have to go through actual Smart Hub through the computer. And we go through Storm. We all know we get uh we get storms out here. We got high winds and lightning.

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