OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Regular Bullhead City Council Meeting - September 1, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, September 1, 2026
BodyBullhead City, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 1, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:33:41

Transcript — Verbatim
2:28

Good evening.

2:29

Today is Tuesday, September first, twenty twenty six.

2:32

We are here for a regular city council meeting.

2:36

May I have a roll call, please?

2:38

All council members are present.

2:40

Thank you.

2:41

Tonight our invocation will be done by Pastor Stephen Brown from Praise Chapel.

2:47

If you wish to join us, please stand.

2:53

Father God, we come before you in these council chambers to meet and discuss the items on today's agenda.

2:59

Your word says to just to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with you.

3:04

So I ask you to bless our leaders with wisdom, our city with peace and prosperity, protect those who serve our community.

3:11

Lord, I ask you to draw us by your spirit, guide our thoughts and words and decisions as we commit this meeting into your hands.

5:06

More children in this age group die from drowning than any other cause.

5:11

Children five to fourteen drowning is the number two leading cause of unintentional deaths right behind motor vehicle collisions.

5:20

All ages, the CDC estimates that 4,000 fatalities of unintentional drownings occur each year.

5:26

That's roughly 11 children in our country dying every day from drowning.

5:31

There's also approximately 8,000 non-fatal drowning incidences that require emergency room department visits each year.

5:44

For the summer of 2026, our club tonight, we paid for 649 swim lessons for a total of 12,980 dollars, which brings our total over the 25 years to 224,000 and over 11,000 swim lessons.

6:02

Thank you.

6:09

Yes.

6:26

Kudos to our lifeguards.

6:28

You guys, you help save those children's lives, and we appreciate everything you do.

6:37

Oh, you guys do the instruction as well.

6:39

All right.

6:39

Gilbert, did you want to say anything?

6:42

Come on up.

6:43

Um, I'm Gilbert Herrera, I'm the aquatic supervisor.

6:48

Um, our goal isn't to bring as many kids into the program as we want.

6:51

Like we don't want to go out there and grab every single child.

6:54

We want to focus on the quality of the program that we're offering to our kids.

6:57

We want them to take away something that they didn't know before.

7:00

Um, it's not just for them, it's for their parents as well.

7:03

And that can't be done without our instructors, and it can't be done without a programs, the morning bonus program.

7:08

So big round of applause to the city and this wonderful group as well.

7:13

Okay, all right.

7:50

Moving on, we're gonna do open call to the public.

7:53

Call to the public is open for citizens wishing to address the council on issues within the jurisdiction of the city, but not listed on tonight's agenda.

8:01

Please state your name clearly for the meeting record, and all comments will be limited to three minutes per individual.

8:08

If you're speaking on behalf of a group present at the meeting, your limit will be five minutes.

8:14

Please notify Vice Mayor so that he can set the time accordingly.

8:18

If your comments relate to an item on tonight's agenda, please wait until that item has been called for discussion to address the council.

8:26

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.

8:35

May I ask staff to review a matter or have that item put on a future agenda.

8:41

However, members of the council cannot discuss or take action on a matter that's not already on the agenda.

8:48

A maximum of 30 minutes will be allocated for call to the public.

8:52

Mr.

8:53

Lee, I see you're approaching.

8:56

Thank you.

8:56

Stephen Lee, Bullhead City.

8:59

I think we really, as everybody listening, everybody hearing my voice, really needs to pay attention to what's happening in government at all levels.

9:11

And we're not doing it.

9:14

You know, we've got right now in Miami, and yes, this relates to local because it's a Miami City Council, just removed a Miami gubernatorial candidate for governor from call to the public for simply asking how it was in the interest of the city council to purchase 450 million dollars of Israeli bonds and how that benefited the people of Miami Dade.

9:43

That's just an example of what's going on.

9:46

And we need to make sure that people don't go down a slippery slope.

9:51

I don't, I I hope everybody researches and finds out what flock cameras are capable of.

10:00

And it's not just Flock, it's Axion and a whole bunch of other manufacturers.

10:03

But these surveillance cameras that aren't just taking pictures of license plates or seeing who goes by.

10:11

They're tracking and tracing your Bluetooth signal.

10:14

They are uh listening to the conversations in your car, they're measuring your heartbeat in your car, they're doing all kinds of Fourth Amendment intrusions that should absolutely not be allowed.

10:28

And I know from talking to Jason that the city doesn't maintain any of these cameras.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████19%
Community Engagement█████████████████17%
Procedural████████████████16%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Youth Programs██████6%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Arts And Culture███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Regular Bullhead City Council Meeting - September 1, 2026

The Bullhead City Council met on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 5:30 PM in City Council Chambers. The meeting included a presentation on swim lesson statistics, a public comment period with speakers addressing surveillance, water allocation, and community events, a manager's report covering transit improvements and right-turn lane projects, and unanimous approval of all action items including condominium plats, code amendments, and a land transaction.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes of the August 17, 2026 Regular Council Meeting unanimously (6-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Stephen Lee urged the council to consider banning intrusive surveillance cameras (Flock, Axion), citing Fourth Amendment privacy concerns.
  • Carol Nelson promoted the Colorado River Republican Women meeting on September 2, 2026, with candidates for council.
  • Rose Jacobs (Golden Rule Community Volunteers) highlighted kindness campaigns and requested a financial sponsor.
  • Harvey Pryor invited the public to RC race events at Rotary Park and the Optium Club on September 2 and 5, 2026.
  • Chaplain Laurie Dennison thanked lifeguards for creating a safe environment at the community pool.
  • Dave Heath (Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River) announced fundraising events: a golf tournament on October 10, 2026, and a Frightening Fall Fiesta on October 2, 2026, to support youth programs.
  • Misty Davinny requested a moratorium or new ordinance (Chapter 13.60) to require data centers to provide their own water and power, arguing costs should not fall on residents. She submitted a five-page packet.
  • Julie Hassett (Colorado River Concerts) promoted the 52nd season starting November 5, 2026, and a "Wine and Choose" event on September 24, 2026, for community input on performers.
  • Stephen Brown (Bullhead Regional Food Bank) announced September as Hunger Action Month and highlighted the food bank's expansion with help from BHHS Legacy Foundation.
  • Scotty complained about the placement of "Call to the Public" on the agenda and referenced past disagreements with council.

Manager's Report

  • Transit Bus Stop at Senior Center: Effective September 4, 2026, the transit bus stop has been relocated into the Senior Enrichment Center parking lot, with ADA-accessible sidewalks and a shaded shelter.
  • Right Turn Lane Construction Projects (presented by Public Works Director Angie Johnson):
    • Laughlin Ranch: $501,974.00
    • Safeway: $2,770,472.83 (contractors returning for warranty work on striping)
    • Thunderstruck: $399,994.19
    • Mojave Drive: $405,769.74
    • Rising Sun/Sterling/Central: $493,753.27
    • Meadows Drive southbound: design complete, bidding within six months
    • Bullhead Parkway & SR95 eastbound: design underway, working with National Park Service and ADOT
    • CityCentre right turn lane: substantially completed, final payment ~$1.3 million (under $1.6 million award)
    • Total ADOT funds: $8 million; expended to date: $4,631,155.27; remaining: $3,368,155.57. Council praised the projects for improving traffic flow and cost efficiency.
  • League of Cities and Towns Conference: Council members and staff attended; Mayor Dahlman reported speaking with Senator Mark Kelly about funding for Bullhead City.
  • Arizona Department of Housing CDBG Development of the Year Award: The city received the award for the Bullhead Regional Food Bank expansion. The project doubled storage capacity; weekly distribution grew from 9,000–12,000 pounds to 300 people to 80,000–120,000 pounds to 1,200–1,400 people. A video highlighted the impact.

Discussion Items

  • Item 2 – Stonebridge Storage Condominiums Preliminary Plat: Approved conditional use permit stipulations limiting sales to residents of Chaparral Terrace and surrounding neighborhoods. Approved 6-0.
  • Item 3 – La Jolla Village Condominiums Final Plat: Conversion of six existing four-plex buildings (24 units) into condominiums; parking meets requirements. Vice Mayor asked about fire access and parking, staff confirmed prior approvals. Approved 6-0.
  • Item 4 – Residences at Parkside Final Plat & Financial Assurance: Subdivision of 13.9 acres into 102 single-family lots (4,000–6,500 sq ft lots; homes 1,030–1,470 sq ft). Streets dedicated to public. A public commenter (Harvey Pryor) questioned water allocation following a 29% cut in Arizona’s Colorado River allocation. City Manager Cotter stated the city’s allocation remains 30,000 acre-feet (supporting well over 100,000 people), and no cuts have been applied yet, but future litigation is expected. Councilwoman noted that reclaimed water will also be part of future discussions. Approved 6-0.
  • Item 5 – CityCentre Districts Master Plat: Splits 223 acres into 8 lots and 6 parcels; rights-of-way dedicated; water allocation not requested at this time. Councilwoman urged low-water-use landscaping on retention parcels. A public commenter (Scotty) expressed concern about right-turn lanes on Riverview. City Manager responded that future developments will be studied for turn-lane needs. Approved 6-0.
  • Item 6 – Ordinance 2026-15 (Building Setbacks): Reduces rear setback for commercial buildings abutting an alley adjacent to residential districts from 15 feet to 5 feet (minimum 25 feet separation with alley). Approved 6-0.
  • Item 7 – Ordinance 2026-16 (Fences and Walls): Codifies requirement that fences and walls (including footings) be located entirely within the applicant's property boundary to prevent ownership disputes. Approved 6-0.
  • Item 8 – GIITEM State Gang Task Force Agreement: Renews intergovernmental agreement with Arizona DPS for gang enforcement. Police Chief noted ongoing gang issues and recent homicide suspected as gang-related. Approved 6-0.
  • Item 9 – Donation of Humvee to Veterans Park: Jerry Hardy donated a 1997 AM General M1097A2; $10,000 allocated from contingency for transport/restoration/installation. Council thanked donor; refurbishment expected under budget due to community volunteer support. Approved 6-0.
  • Item 10 – Land Transaction with Richard La Point: Technical resolution related to a 2015 land exchange; city manager authorized to execute warranty deed and related documents. Approved 6-0.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent and action items were approved, most by 6-0 votes (the waiver motion passed 4-1; one council member opposed).
  • The manager’s report was received, and council members offered additional remarks on community programs, including River Watch and PACT Academy.
  • A public request by Misty Davinny to place a new water-use ordinance on the September 15, 2026 agenda was noted but not formally acted upon; the council did not take action on that request during the meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Today is Tuesday, September first, twenty twenty six. We are here for a regular city council meeting. May I have a roll call, please? All council members are present. Thank you. Tonight our invocation will be done by Pastor Stephen Brown from Praise Chapel. If you wish to join us, please stand. Father God, we come before you in these council chambers to meet and discuss the items on today's agenda. Your word says to just to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with you. So I ask you to bless our leaders with wisdom, our city with peace and prosperity, protect those who serve our community. Lord, I ask you to draw us by your spirit, guide our thoughts and words and decisions as we commit this meeting into your hands. More children in this age group die from drowning than any other cause. Children five to fourteen drowning is the number two leading cause of unintentional deaths right behind motor vehicle collisions. All ages, the CDC estimates that 4,000 fatalities of unintentional drownings occur each year. That's roughly 11 children in our country dying every day from drowning. There's also approximately 8,000 non-fatal drowning incidences that require emergency room department visits each year. For the summer of 2026, our club tonight, we paid for 649 swim lessons for a total of 12,980 dollars, which brings our total over the 25 years to 224,000 and over 11,000 swim lessons. Thank you. Yes. Kudos to our lifeguards. You guys, you help save those children's lives, and we appreciate everything you do. Oh, you guys do the instruction as well. All right. Gilbert, did you want to say anything? Come on up. Um, I'm Gilbert Herrera, I'm the aquatic supervisor. Um, our goal isn't to bring as many kids into the program as we want. Like we don't want to go out there and grab every single child. We want to focus on the quality of the program that we're offering to our kids. We want them to take away something that they didn't know before. Um, it's not just for them, it's for their parents as well. And that can't be done without our instructors, and it can't be done without a programs, the morning bonus program. So big round of applause to the city and this wonderful group as well. Okay, all right. Moving on, we're gonna do open 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 not listed on tonight's agenda. Please state your name clearly for the meeting record, and all comments will be limited to three minutes per individual. If you're speaking on behalf of a group present at the meeting, your limit will be five minutes. Please notify Vice Mayor so that he can set the time accordingly. If your comments relate to an item on tonight's agenda, please wait until that item has been 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 I ask staff to review a matter or have that item put on a future agenda. However, members of the council cannot discuss or take action on a matter that's not already on the agenda. A maximum of 30 minutes will be allocated for call to the public. Mr. Lee, I see you're approaching. Thank you. Stephen Lee, Bullhead City. I think we really, as everybody listening, everybody hearing my voice, really needs to pay attention to what's happening in government at all levels.

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