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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Bullhead City Council Regular Meeting – May 19, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 19, 2026

BodyBullhead City, Arizona

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, May 19, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:09:20

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:33

Good evening.

0:34

Today is Tuesday, May 19th, 2026, 5:30 p.m.

0:39

for the Bullhead City Council meeting.

0:43

Calling this meeting to order.

0:44

Can I have a roll call, please?

0:46

All council members are present.

0:48

Thank you.

0:49

Our invocation tonight is by Dr.

0:51

Ryan Proctor, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

0:55

If you wish to, please stand and join us in the invocation.

1:06

Our kind and dear Heavenly Father, we're so thankful for the opportunity we have to meet here tonight.

1:10

We ask a blessing that that will guide and counsel, guide uh guide this council, that they may do things in the best interest of our wonderful community.

1:20

We're thankful for all the time and effort that all of these members put in to taking care of this community and uh ask you to watch over and and protect them and keep them safe and uh help them in their decision making.

1:31

Lord, we're grateful to live in this wonderful place.

1:33

Please bless those that are also here participating and have questions and are bringing things to the council to help make this community better and watch over watch over those members of this community that they may continue to learn and grow and and draw closer to the we say these things, dear Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ.

1:49

Amen.

1:50

Amen.

1:51

Please join me in the pledge.

1:53

Congratulations.

1:58

And to the republic for interesting with liberty and justice call.

2:07

Thank you.

2:12

This evening we do not have any proclamations.

2:15

However, we will receive a presentation from public services.

2:19

Um regarding rates, operations, goals, objectives, capital improvements, customer service initiatives, and other matters of importance to the Bullhead City community.

2:30

I invite uh Republic Services to uh our podium, please.

2:35

Thank you.

2:44

Good evening, Mayor and uh council members and everybody else up here on the board tonight.

2:49

Uh we're not going to take much of your time, but we did want to come and talk to you a little bit about um the things we had going on in 2025, the things we're looking forward in 2026, and kind of just give you an update on uh rate increase and how we came about that.

3:01

So um my name is Jay Markle.

3:03

I'm the general manager of Republic Services, and I have with me tonight Chris Klein, who is our operations manager, and I believe most of you uh know Mr.

3:11

Chris Klein here.

3:12

So at the end of the day, our business doesn't run without Chris doing his job, and he does that very well.

3:17

So um what I'd like to do is just jump into the rate increase and how we came about that for 2026.

3:23

And I'm just gonna kind of read off my cheat sheet so I don't miss anything here.

3:27

So the city of Bullhead residential solid waste collection services saw a rate increase of 4.58 percent.

3:37

We reached this average based on the U.S.

3:39

Bureau of Labor Statistics not being able to compute a CPI for October 2025 citing data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations, and that was due to the government shutdown.

3:51

Since we use October CPI to calculate our price increases for Bullhead City, and one was not available, we asked permission to use the average of September CPI and November CPI.

4:02

September's was a 4.83, and November's was a 4.33 percent.

4:08

The average of those two months would be 4.58%, and that is how we came about the uh 2026 rate increase.

4:16

With that being said, um, Chris does have a PowerPoint for us, but I'm gonna touch on a couple of objects or uh um points prior to that, and then Chris will probably cover a couple of them in his PowerPoint again.

4:27

But uh 2025 was an amenable year for the city of Bullhead.

4:31

Um we were here to help with the senior center dedication, and uh we're just a small part of that, but man, we really appreciated doing that.

4:38

It was a lot of fun, and and that building turned out beautiful.

4:41

So I'm glad to see that it worked like that.

4:43

It worked turned out like that, and everybody was a part of that.

4:46

Um we also held our truck rodeo, and what that is is where our frontline employees at the drivers and maintenance uh techs can showcase their skills, and we held that at Rotary Park.

4:58

Uh we had a food truck.

5:00

Um the employees did a great job, and what was good about that was a lot of the citizens of Bullhood that happened to be in town came by and watched us do that.

5:06

And I think some of them even enjoyed the uh food truck we had there.

5:08

Um in fact, I'm positive some of them did, which was a great creature.

5:12

We were involved in the trunk retreat where we won the um the uh creative award and handed out just over 300 pounds of candy.

5:21

Uh that was a lot of candy, but uh but so much fun.

5:24

And those same creative employees were uh putting a float together for the boom box parade, and we also won that one as the crowd pleaser.

5:32

So in 2026, we were looking forward to defending both of those titles.

5:36

That's uh something that uh we're we're really looking forward to.

5:38

And our employees are a part of that, and they really enjoy that as well.

5:42

Uh we also did um a handful of what we call touch-a-trucks.

5:47

We do those at businesses or schools.

5:49

Um that's where the citizens or even the children uh the of the community can come together and see our trucks.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Water And Wastewater Management██████████████████████████26%

Public Safety███████████████15%

Public Engagement████████████12%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████████10%

Procedural█████5%

Budget Equity Analysis█████5%

Transportation Safety████4%

Environmental Protection███3%

Animal Welfare███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Bullhead City Council Regular Meeting – May 19, 2026

The Bullhead City Council met on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The meeting included presentations, a public hearing on the tentative budget, and action on multiple contracts, purchases, and policy items. Key decisions included approval of a three-year lifeguard contract totaling approximately $1.75 million, purchase of a new dump truck, transfer of $120,000 for pet cremation equipment, adoption of the fiscal year 2026/2027 fee schedule and tentative budget of $199,750,036, and formation of the CityCentre Improvement District.

Consent Calendar

Approved the minutes of the April 20, 2026 Special Budget Meeting; May 5, 2026 Special Work Session Meeting; and the May 5, 2026 Regular Meeting (items 1 and 3).
Item 2 (Desert Rose final plat extension) was pulled from consent for a public hearing; approved unanimously after no public comments.

Public Comments & Testimony

Dave Heath (Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River) reported that the club is evaluating operations and has strong community support; he expects to present to the council soon.
Carol Nelson (Colorado River Republican Women) invited the council to upcoming events, including a candidate forum on June 9, 2026.
George Lyman (Desert Shores Community Baptist Church) thanked the city for use of the John McCormick Pavilion and requested restroom improvements and electrical upgrades there.
Paul Lavold expressed concern about Landon Drive not being completed and reported a trespassing incident at his home with a delayed police response (45 minutes).
Julie Hassett (Colorado River Concerts) thanked the city for updates, praised the River City Community Theater’s 15th anniversary, and described a master class with a Disneyland musician and a pilot performance for pre‑K through third grade.
Harvey Pryor asked about a water tank draining at Sierra Vista and Mesa Vista, requested a podium with a display screen, and voiced concern about an impending eviction of residents at Praise Chapel (mental health housing), urging the city to help with relocation.
Dr. Sawyer Ams (A to Z Health and Wellness Clinic) promoted his clinic and diabetes education services, offering to provide school-based programs.
Mike reported a water main break on Mulberry and criticized the city’s automated response; the utilities director later confirmed crews were addressing it.
Brian McMahon (retired fire chief) spoke during item 5, stating he is 100% for the lifeguard contract, calling it an economic development and brand‑protection issue for Bullhead City.
Paul Lavold (again, during item 5) questioned the limit on river users and argued Nevada should share costs.
Gail Murrers asked about the length of the river patrolled (answer: nine miles).

Discussion Items

Republic Services Presentation (Utility Provider Update): General Manager Jay Markle explained the 4.58% residential rate increase for 2026, calculated using the average of September 2025 CPI (4.83%) and November 2025 CPI (4.33%) because October 2025 CPI was unavailable due to the government shutdown. Operations Manager Chris Klein reported a customer base increase of 1,092 single-family homes (total 19,932) and zero backing incidents in five years. Q1 2026 tonnage: 6,664 tons residential, 4,000 commercial, 2,040 industrial, and 256.67 tons of bulky waste. Republic Services has a Net Promoter Score of 75 (world‑class threshold is 42).
Manager’s Report: Included updates on Summer Camp 2026 (930 registrations, a record, up from 30 camps four years ago to 70 now); Slurry Road Maintenance Program (1,029,792 square yards completed – 21.5% of city roads, meeting the 20% annual goal); Transit Routes (short‑term transit plan to be developed with MPO funding; consultant selection in progress); Infrastructure Upgrades (CityCenter right‑turn lane on Hwy 95, ADA ramps on Hancock Road, Safeway right‑turn lane project, Community Park restroom construction); and Community Caddisfly Forum (Dr. Michael Cavallero announced a forum on May 21, 2026, with updates on low‑flow program, BT toxicity tests, and trout habitat structures).
Item 4 – Kenworth Dump Truck Purchase: Utilities Director Clark requested $262,611.31 through Sourcewell cooperative for a new 2027 Kenworth chassis with a 17‑foot dump body and extended warranty. Used trucks were not available; price differential was only $10,000–$15,000. Approved unanimously.
Item 5 – Lifeguard and Beach Safety Services (Colorado River Safety Program): Police Chief George and Corporal Crawford presented the three‑year agreement with Water Rescue and Safety (WRS). Season 26: $571,096.66; Season 27: $572,505.93; Season 28: $608,201.70. Stats from last season: 3,577 personal watercraft rescues, 69 swim rescues, 55 accidents, 23 major medical calls, 78 minor medical calls, roughly 400 vessel assists. City Manager Cotter noted there is an annual out clause. Council member Smith asked about financial support from other agencies; staff said the county, Clark County, and the Sheriff’s Office contribute nothing, but the Laughlin resorts provide free rooms for out‑of‑town lifeguards. Approved unanimously after public comment.
Item 6 – Pet Cremation Equipment Budget Amendment: Human Services Director Tipton and Manager Beauchamp presented the “Peaceful Pause” pet crematory at BARC. The request transfers $120,000 from contingency to purchase equipment and supplies. The facility will offer communal and private cremations, with proceeds reinvested into the no‑kill animal shelter. Approved unanimously.
Item 7 – Comprehensive Fee Schedule FY 2026/2027: Resolution 2026R‑14 adopted after a 60‑day public posting period. Changes include a 1% increase in development/planning fees, utility fee increases, and minor recreation/engineering clarifications. City Manager Cotter explained the first asterisk on the Gary Keith Park Pavilion fee allows the city manager to reduce the daily reservation fee to zero for non‑revenue‑generating uses. Approved unanimously.
Item 8 – Tentative Budget Adoption: Finance Director Drexler presented the $199,750,036 proposed budget. Changes from the workshop: a $20,000 reduction in the court budget (removing a duplicate veteran’s court line) and internal risk fund revenue updates. The schedule will be published, and final adoption is set for the second meeting in June. Approved unanimously.
Item 9 – CityCentre Improvement District: Assistant City Manager Kajirwa introduced Resolution 2026R‑16 to order work and ratify the development and waiver agreement with CSQ H95, LLLP and EHC Bullhead City LP. One remaining step is getting an easement sign‑off from Kinder Morgan; then the project will go to bid. The development may include up to 1,000 homes on 270 acres along with commercial development. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

Approved (all unanimous):
- Consent agenda items 1 and 3.
- Ordinance 2026‑6 (Desert Rose final plat 2‑year extension).
- Purchase of 2027 Kenworth dump truck ($262,611.31).
- Three‑year lifeguard agreement with WRS (total $1,751,803.90 for 2026–2028 seasons).
- Budget amendment of $120,000 for pet cremation equipment.
- Resolution 2026R‑14 (FY 2026/2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule).
- Resolution 2026R‑15 (Tentative Budget $199,750,036).
- Resolution 2026R‑16 (CityCentre Improvement District formation and related agreements).
Directives and Next Steps:
- Public Works to repair the Mulberry water main break (road closure scheduled).
- Police Chief to follow up on delayed response complaint and to seek additional agency support for river patrols.
- Transit planning consultant selection to proceed; short‑term transit plan to be brought to council for discussion.
- Final budget adoption scheduled for the June 2026 Council meeting.
- CityCentre Improvement District procurement to begin after easement sign‑off.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Today is Tuesday, May 19th, 2026, 5:30 p.m. for the Bullhead City Council meeting. Calling this meeting to order. Can I have a roll call, please? All council members are present. Thank you. Our invocation tonight is by Dr. Ryan Proctor, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you wish to, please stand and join us in the invocation. Our kind and dear Heavenly Father, we're so thankful for the opportunity we have to meet here tonight. We ask a blessing that that will guide and counsel, guide uh guide this council, that they may do things in the best interest of our wonderful community. We're thankful for all the time and effort that all of these members put in to taking care of this community and uh ask you to watch over and and protect them and keep them safe and uh help them in their decision making. Lord, we're grateful to live in this wonderful place. Please bless those that are also here participating and have questions and are bringing things to the council to help make this community better and watch over watch over those members of this community that they may continue to learn and grow and and draw closer to the we say these things, dear Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Please join me in the pledge. Congratulations. And to the republic for interesting with liberty and justice call. Thank you. This evening we do not have any proclamations. However, we will receive a presentation from public services. Um regarding rates, operations, goals, objectives, capital improvements, customer service initiatives, and other matters of importance to the Bullhead City community. I invite uh Republic Services to uh our podium, please. Thank you. Good evening, Mayor and uh council members and everybody else up here on the board tonight. Uh we're not going to take much of your time, but we did want to come and talk to you a little bit about um the things we had going on in 2025, the things we're looking forward in 2026, and kind of just give you an update on uh rate increase and how we came about that. So um my name is Jay Markle. I'm the general manager of Republic Services, and I have with me tonight Chris Klein, who is our operations manager, and I believe most of you uh know Mr. Chris Klein here. So at the end of the day, our business doesn't run without Chris doing his job, and he does that very well. So um what I'd like to do is just jump into the rate increase and how we came about that for 2026. And I'm just gonna kind of read off my cheat sheet so I don't miss anything here. So the city of Bullhead residential solid waste collection services saw a rate increase of 4.58 percent. We reached this average based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics not being able to compute a CPI for October 2025 citing data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations, and that was due to the government shutdown. Since we use October CPI to calculate our price increases for Bullhead City, and one was not available, we asked permission to use the average of September CPI and November CPI. September's was a 4.83, and November's was a 4.33 percent. The average of those two months would be 4.58%, and that is how we came about the uh 2026 rate increase. With that being said, um, Chris does have a PowerPoint for us, but I'm gonna touch on a couple of objects or uh um points prior to that, and then Chris will probably cover a couple of them in his PowerPoint again. But uh 2025 was an amenable year for the city of Bullhead. Um we were here to help with the senior center dedication, and uh we're just a small part of that, but man, we really appreciated doing that. It was a lot of fun, and and that building turned out beautiful. So I'm glad to see that it worked like that. It worked turned out like that, and everybody was a part of that. Um we also held our truck rodeo, and what that is is where our frontline employees at the drivers and maintenance uh techs can showcase their skills, and we held that at Rotary Park. Uh we had a food truck. Um the employees did a great job, and what was good about that was a lot of the citizens of Bullhood that happened to be in town came by and watched us do that. And I think some of them even enjoyed the uh food truck we had there.

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