Bullhead City Council Regular Meeting – October 7, 2025
Bullhead City Council Regular Meeting – October 7, 2025
The Bullhead City Council met on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 5:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. The meeting included public comments, a manager's report featuring the introduction of an interim police chief and summer river statistics, and action on multiple construction contracts, a jetty safety code amendment, and a standing committee for military static displays. All items on the agenda were approved unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Agenda Item 1: Approved minutes of the September 2, 2025 Regular Council Meeting.
- Agenda Item 2: Adopted Resolution No. 2025R-44 authorizing a Highway Safety Grant for STEP Enforcement Overtime and appointing Captain Jason Harms as the city’s agent.
- Agenda Item 3: Adopted Resolution No. 2025R-45 authorizing a Highway Safety Grant for DUI/Impaired Driving Enforcement Overtime, also appointing Captain Jason Harms as agent.
- Agenda Item 4: Accepted dedication of a water line easement as depicted in Land Split Map 391.
- Agenda Item 5: Approved a one-time payout allowing employees to redeem up to 40 hours of personal time and 40 hours of vacation time (80 hours maximum) for hours accrued.
The consent agenda was approved by a 7-0 vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Captain John Burks (Salvation Army): Announced that the Salvation Army is in transition, closing its thrift store due to poor performance since COVID-19. They will continue a closed closet for donations, food boxes, showers, and veteran affairs. The building will be remodeled to promote youth programming and a food choice pantry. The transition will take months.
- Mr. Anderson (Resident): Expressed concern that government has overstepped its proper role, criticizing the council’s unanimous vote to purchase Chaparral golf course without a public vote. He stated that most residents want tax reductions, not tax dollars spent on a local golf course.
- A resident representing Kiwanis Club: Announced a community Christmas Carol celebration on December 6, 2025, at the John and Olivia McCormick Pavilion, featuring choirs, free hot chocolate, Santa Claus, and a backdrop for photos. The event will follow the Boom Box Parade on December 5. He noted that about 600 people attended last year.
- Scotty (Resident): Complained about a public records request on April 30, 2025, alleging the city wanted to charge $20 without identifying the reports; election sign tampering; a fire on his truck not investigated; a storage locker break-in; and criticized the mayor’s handling of a prior discussion about the Chaparral boundaries. He also accused Council Member Tammy of changing her position on funding Catholic Charities.
- Sean Regan (Resident): Concurred with Mr. Anderson that government should not compete with private business (e.g., buying golf courses, the Daily News building). He questioned the use of taxpayer dollars for the golf course and the city’s Live Love BARK competing with nonprofit fundraising. He urged the council to be more transparent and involve the public in major purchases.
Discussion Items
- Manager’s Report (Toby Cotter):
- Introduced Interim Police Chief Danny Sharp, who has 33 years of law enforcement experience (former Oro Valley police chief, Tucson PD assistant chief). Sharp will analyze the department and report on strengths, weaknesses, and budget needs. A permanent chief is being recruited.
- Reported summer river statistics: 140 police visits to non-beach river access points, 10 arrests; 49 accidents (zero fatalities from accidents), 115 citations, 57 OUI arrests (up from 26 last year), over 100 rescues by police.
- Revenue: $622,000 generated at Community Park; 43 passes sold to out-of-area visitors; busiest day was July 4th (nearly $32,000 collected, 735 cars from Bullhead City). Rotary Park fees on July 4th and Labor Day raised $17,000. Ramada rentals generated over $75,000; river shop sales over $70,000. All revenue is reinvested into Community Park.
- Announced Veterans Day Parade (Nov 11) and Boom Box Parade (Dec 5).
- Public Information Officer McKenzie Covert launched the new city website (BullheadCityAZ.gov) on September 29; the old site will redirect temporarily but will later become a tourism site.
- Pavers for Pets: Bricks are for sale to place in front of the new animal shelter. One donor contributed $160,000+; the program is expected to generate hundreds of sales.
- Mayor and Council Reports: Council Member acknowledged Fire Prevention Week (Oct 5-11), urged safe disposal of lithium batteries. Council Member Dalman responded to Scotty’s previous criticism, calling it a lie; clarified that the police never went to his property for a tent, and that he was outvoted on Catholic Charities funding.
Action Items
- Item 6 – Safeway Right Turn Lane Improvements: Approved construction contract with Perco Rock Company (Cedar City, UT) for $2,536,703.40. Project includes a southbound right turn lane from Wells Fargo to the Safeway/Terribles intersection, eliminating a dangerous access point, adding drainage, and moving a driveway. Funding comes from an $8 million state grant; $3.24 million remains for future projects. Vote: 7-0.
- Item 7 – SR 95 at Laughlin Ranch Boulevard Right Turn Lane: Approved construction contract with Perco Rock Company for $474,610.62. A simple project adding a right turn lane into Community Park, with underground infrastructure already in place. Funded from the state grant. Vote: 7-0.
- Item 8 – City Centre Improvement District SR 95 Widening (Marina Blvd to N. Oatman Road): Approved construction contract with McCormick Construction Company (Bullhead City, AZ) for $1,630,178. The developer will pay the final bill; the city received a $500,000 economic strengthening grant from the Commerce Authority. Project includes a right turn lane and conduit for a future traffic signal. Vote: 7-0.
- Item 9 – Jetty Code Amendment 2025: Adopted Ordinance No. 2025-10 and Resolution No. 2025R-46 amending Chapter 12.12 of the Municipal Code to prohibit jumping or diving off the Rotary Park jetty (fishing pier), making it a law rather than a rule due to safety concerns from fluctuating water depths. Vote: 7-0.
- Item 10 – Standing Committee for U.S. Military Static Display Program: Approved the formation of a standing committee consisting of the Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Manager, and Public Works Director to review and apply for items donated through the program. Any accepted items will be brought back to the council for final approval. Vote: 7-0.
Key Outcomes
- All actions (Items 1-10) were approved by 7-0 votes.
- The city will proceed with three construction projects to improve traffic safety on Highway 95, funded by an $8 million state grant and developer contributions.
- The jetty code change makes jumping/diving off the Rotary Park fishing pier a municipal offense.
- A standing committee was created to streamline applications for military static display items.
- The council heard public comments expressing concerns about government spending, police responsiveness, and the Salvation Army's transition, along with announcements of community events.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome. Today is Tuesday, October seventh, two thousand twenty-five. It is five thirty PM, time for the regularly scheduled Bullhead City Council meeting. Can I get a roll call? All council members are present. Thank you. Our invitation tonight will be led by Pastor Earl Johnson from the Spirit Life Church. If you would like to join us, please stand. Okay, Captain, can you stand in for us here? Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you uh so much for this uh beautiful day here in Bullhead City. We thank you for our city leaders or staff, um, and as well as our uh police department, Lord, that uh they stand in the gap uh to protect and serve and to lift up this community. I thank you so much uh for the time that I've been able to serve here. Uh, just seeing the growth and uh the love, the individuals who have been here to um just upkeep the city and make it the best it can be. I just pray that you'll continue to guide us all uh to move in to the direction that will best serve your people. We love you in Jesus' name. Amen. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. And we're going to move that to the next council meeting. Having said that, we will go directly into call to the public. Call to the public is open for citizens wishing to address the council on issues within the jurisdiction of the city, but issues that are not listed on tonight's agenda. When you approach the podium, please state your name clearly for the record. Comments are limited to three minutes per individual. If you are speaking on behalf of a group that is present here with you, please notify the vice mayor so that he can add an appropriate amount of time for a total of five minutes. If your comments relate to an item on tonight's agenda, please wait until that item is called for discussion to address the council. At the conclusion of call to the public, individual members of the council may respond to criticism made by those who have addressed the council, may ask for staff to review a matter or that a matter be placed on a future agenda. However, members of the council cannot discuss or take legal action on items that are not already on the agenda. Thank you. Who's first Captain John Burks, Bullhead City, the Salvation Army, Mayor Head, Council members, and staff. I have some sad news in case you haven't heard. That means we are in already in transition and packing and busy doing that. Captain Stacy Otonovich, who is currently at the Mesa Corps as an associate core officer, will be coming here to uh lead the Bullhead City Corps as the core uh as the as the core officer. Uh in transition to help that. Uh we have hired a core assistant that will help with uh the different programming as well as social services at the location. Um the Salvation Army is, if you haven't heard, closing the thrift store. Um it hasn't been doing well since past uh COVID times and and it's not serving uh to help the social services at this time. We are going to continue a uh closed closet during that time as donations come in. We'll keep the best of those items to help uh those groups that we've helped for so long. Uh we'll continue to help uh the veteran affairs as uh we have a contract with them uh through the transition, as well as continue with uh food boxes and showers as needed. Um in order for the transition, uh there will be time that uh the inside of the building will be um almost totally remodeled, um, which will become come through uh your guys' uh jurisdiction uh for uh different um permits and such. Um our hope is to revitalize the building to help um promote youth more youth programming as well as a more robust uh social service food program, which is called a food choice pantry. Our hope is that we will eliminate uh waste for individuals uh of food that comes in, that they can choose what they want, almost like a supermarket. It has been uh tried and tested in many regions throughout the uh western United States, including uh Washington, some here in Arizona and in New Mexico, and then it's a great program to allow individuals to come in and choose what what they need and what they're going to use. Um, this transition is probably gonna take months to happen as we are going to focus on one side of the building and then move on to the next side of the building. But I just want to make sure you knew all the updates from my mouth before you may have heard it or have already heard it from others. I want to thank you so much. It's been a blessing to serve this community and all those a part of it. God bless you all. Thank you. Next.
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