40 mayor.

640.

Good evening, everybody.

Welcome to tonight's city council meeting.

It is Monday, April 8th, 2024.

The time is approximately 840.

I call this meeting to order.

Thank you for understanding that we had a work session earlier.

So this shouldn't this portion shouldn't take that long.

Ms.

Mayor, can we get a roll call, please?

Councilmember Sutton.

Here.

Councilmember Warwata Rodriguez.

Here.

Vice Mayor Curtis.

Here.

Mayor Powell.

Here.

Councilmember Sleeder.

Here.

Councilmember Garcia.

President.

Councilmember Twango.

Here.

Thank you.

If we can all stand for the vacation and remain standing for the Pedro Allegiance.

Tonight's invocation will be conducted by Pastor Debbie Miller.

Well, dear Heavenly Father, we just want to thank you and we praise you.

We come before you tonight and asking for wisdom for the council.

We're asking, Lord, that you would give them direction.

We thank you for Eloy.

And we do ask that you would continue to give protection to our uh first responders to our police, our fire department, EMTs, all of those that are working hard for our community.

We thank you, Lord, for everything that you are doing.

We ask, Lord, that we continue, continue to be the city that people look to for goodness and help.

And we just want to thank you for all that you're going to do in the future for Eloy.

And we do ask, Lord, that you continue to help us in our schools and everything that we have here in this city.

And we give you praise in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Steve.

Next we're gonna go to the reports and announcements.

Anybody on council will start on my right side.

Andy?

Okay, Mayor.

Uh this past week.

The support, our troops at Robeson Ranch had an event that honored the Vietnam vets and all veterans at a welcome home event.

It was a nice event with speakers from the VA and other places.

And it was on the Vietnam Veterans Day when they held it.

That's when uh up at Robeson Ranch, we put out over 600 flags that line the perimeter streets.

These are 10-foot flags, and we go out early in the morning, we put them up and we take them down in the afternoon.

It's just really nice when you pull in and you see 600 flags lining the street.

It's uh it's a nice view, it's very patriotic.

Secondly, we had the sparrow campaign, first responders charity masquerade ball.

I'll let some other council members expand on that.

And then on Thursday, the fourth, I went and visited the uh construction site for the autumn cottages that's in the 400 block of Fourth Street, and they were just completing tearing down the structures there, and I'm happy to say uh it's progress and it really looks good for the city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anybody else?

No, okay.

Left side Joseph.

Okay.

Uh yes, I had the pleasure with our city manager, assistant city manager, and our uh director of uh uh public services to attend the uh CAP, Central Arizona Project lunch dinner for the last uh Wednesday night.

Uh well attended by uh county officials.

I think uh most, if not all the supervisors were there.

Uh had local mayors and uh city managers were there and had the opportunity to sit at a table with some of the board members from the uh Arizona project.

They had a lot of questions about Elay and what we're doing here relative to uh uh open land and solar panels and water supply and so forth.

Uh found out that uh a lot of discussion, we've got an update on what's happening with the discussions between the upper basin and lower basin, if that makes sense on uh water supply in the Colorado River.

Uh the feedback was that the snow pack and the color area is about 85% of normal.

So they're looking uh very positive.

So for the next year and possibly uh this year and next year, they don't expect any further water reductions from the canal side of it.

And so it's good news for the farmers because any farmer that's planning on uh water from the uh CAP system, at least can uh soon they're gonna get the same amount of water they got last year and hopefully in the next year too.

So it may have an impact on uh our farming community.

So it was a good night, good chance to network and uh put uh uh the city of Eloy in the in the minds of some of the people, particularly the uh uh board members who uh most of them are from Maricopa County.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Jose.

Well I'll take a brief second to talk about the sparrow campaigns masquerade ball.

We had a great attendance.

I know we sold more tickets than people had attended, so that's always a good thing.

Uh I don't know what final numbers are yet.

We haven't had a chance to take a look at everything, but I would like to congratulate Kristen Childress on being named Officer of the Year.

Uh it's always a good thing to see our guys out there having a good time, not just our officers, but our fire department.

And I think I didn't hear any complaints, so that's always a plus.

And I'd also want to take this chance to request that we start including the check registry back into the uh meetings.

It's what I I didn't have not realized just how much I've actually missed them seeing who's spending what and where it's going, getting an idea of what the city is doing that way.

We haven't done that in a long time.

It's been a while.

Michelle, anything?

Nope.

All right, thanks.

Um Mayor Announcements.

I helped out with my wife's uh adopt the street.

Um she has a a section along Love Mall Corner, and I want to thank the staff who was here on Saturday who um graciously um helped out by cleaning Main Street in our mile section.

So thank you, David, and Mary and everybody who was there.

I don't know who all was there.

I I just heard a lot of staff members were there, and also the police were had portioned and then the fire department were there too.

So um appreciate you guys as well, too.

So um I think Davy's gonna announce how much was picked up and all that.

You don't know?

We got an email.

I can tell you, hold on.

Hold on, I got no no no, you lost it.

I'm beach to both.

We lost it.

236 people attended.

Yeah, 37 groups.

Good.

236 people attended, 36 37 groups, nine groups were no show with three new groups, and he wropping 9,260 pounds of trash equals 200 2.34 34 tons of trash was picked up along our roadway.

So applaud everybody who came out and did that.

And um, people like to throw out uh Chipotle bowls and beer cans for some reason on Love Mount Corner.

Um I don't know where the connection is, but Chipotle and beer cans uh are pretty uh pretty hot over there on Love Mount Corner.

So thank you guys.

Um yes, the masquerade ball was uh amazing.

Um is recognized the officer from our detective from uh Queen Creek.

I believe she was uh one of the officers of the chosen as well, too.

Um just uh we just had a good time, and so uh can't wait for next year.

Um that's it on my end, thank you.

No, oh, next we have uh proclamations.

Do we have any representatives from the week of the young child here?

Yep, okay.

Do you want to come up and do a presentation first?

Uh talk about your organization.

Mayor, do you want me to read the proclamation first?

Or wait until she's okay.

Yeah.

Hello.

My name is uh Sonia Soto, and I'm representing on behalf of United Wayopina County, and also um ACAYC, the Arizona Association of Education of Young Children.

And I just have a little bit of brief description of what is it that why we celebrate uh week of a young child.

So the week of a young child is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for Education and Young Children, and we celebrate early learning, young children, their teachers, and their family.

These week long celebration was established in 1971.

And um you reached out at our 50th anniversary in 2021, as part of the week of the young child, Arizona Education for Um Arizona Association of Education for Young Children focuses on elevating early childhood as a public good, advancing equity, and highlighting the impact and quality of early childhood and create um on creating vibrant communities.

So we want to thank you for acknowledging the week of a young child, and we kindly ask you to keep supporting our little children.

Absolutely, thank you.

Mary, do you want to go ahead and read the proclamation?

2024, Week of the Young Child, Eloy, Arizona, whereas all of Arizona's children deserve access to quality early care and education ECE environments, and whereas quality child care programs build children's lifelong learning skills during the critical years from birth to age five, and whereas ECE teachers and child care providers are the essential workforce that help Arizona parents get to work or school, and whereas funding quality child care is a smart investment that improves families, well-being, strengthen communities, and grows our state's prosperity.

And whereas Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children, first things first, and other community organizations in conjunction with the National Association for the Education of Young Children are celebrating the 53rd anniversary of the week of the young child.

And whereas these organizations are working to improve equitable early childhood opportunities that provide a strong start for children in the city of Eloy, Arizona.

And whereas public policies that support ECE for Arizona's youngest learners help our families, communities, and the economy thrive.

Now, therefore, I, Micah Powell, do hereby proclaim April 6th through 12th, 2024 as the week of a young child in the city of Eloy, Arizona, and encourage all citizens to support and invest in early care and education in our community.

Whereas emergencies can occur at any time that require police, fire, or emergency medical services, and whereas when an emergency occurs, the prompt response of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics is critical to the protection of life and preservation of property, and whereas public safety telecommunicators are the single vital link for our police officers and firefighters by monitoring their activities by radio, providing them information and ensuring their safety.

And whereas public safety commute telecommunicators of the Eloy Police Department have continued substantially to the have contributed substantially to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires, and treatment of patients.

And each public safety telecommunicator has exhibited compassion, understanding, and professionalism during the performance of their job in the past year.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Micah Powell, Mayor, do proclaim the week of April 14th through 20th, 2024 to be national public safety telecommunicators week in Eloy, Arizona, in order of the men and women whose diligence and professionalism keep our city and citizens safe.

And Mayor, Councilmember, thank you so much for the recognition of our 911 dispatchers.

The second week of April has been designated the National Telecommunications Week since 1981, and it really takes the opportunity to recognize what happens behind the scenes.

All the police officers may be the ones that get the majority of the recognition in the public.

Everything really begins with who answers that first 911 call, being the calm voice during a night of tragedy during during stress can really set the stage for the rest of the response going the way it's supposed to be.

And uh our dispatchers do a phenomenal job handling over 16,000 uh interactions per year dealing with the public in all levels of emergencies, and uh and we obviously the entire job couldn't get done without them, and they they they start the chain of events that that result in a good and a good outcome.

So thank you very much for for offer for supporting them and Katie, thank you so much for what you do for us.

So thank you so much.

Thank you for both the 911 dispatchers and the representative for week of the young child.

So thank you.

David, you're up.

Thank you, Mayor, members of council.

Just a couple of uh community updates tonight to bring to everyone's attention.

them and they they they start the chain of events that that result in a good and a good outcome so thank you very much for for offer for supporting them and Katie thank you so much for what you do for us so thank you so much thank you for both the 911 dispatchers and the representative for week of the young child so thank you David you're up thank you mayor members of council just a couple of uh community updates tonight to bring to everyone's attention um in conjunction with the successful uh adopt street program that we held on saturday we also had a very good success very yeah very well attended and successful community yard sale event at main street park uh we can continue to do this program but this year each vendor made at least a hundred bucks so this is one of those chances where they sold their goods and walked away with a hundred dollar bill we'll be having another one uh June 1st so anybody listening out there that wants to participate in the community yard sale event on June 1st please um contact community services and they can help you out um additionally this Friday an email was sent out to council members that we completed one of our owner occupied housing rehabilitation projects um this is a a great program that we do through this through the grants program and the finance department to get folks into newly uh constructed homes or remodeled homes we did one oh gosh about a year ago in the in the fall so it takes a little while to get these done but they're they're great programs that bring a lot of benefit to our community so please if if interested contact the city clerk mary myers it's Friday at 10 o'clock and bring come out do a ribbon cutting and take some pictures see what we're we're busy at hand doing.

Additionally we've got concert in the park on the 19th and then right after that we're be doing movie under the stars in conjunction with the chambers food truck event so we've got those events happening and we talked about the event this past Saturday for the Sparrow campaign we also have a fundraising event happening for our Santa Cruz Valley Historic Museum this uh Friday or I'm sorry this Saturday with the Chamber of Commerce we're doing a stake fry night uh big screen will be the Ely Graham pre-movie uh food provided by Texas Roadhouse so there's tickets still available through the ELA chamber of commerce so if interested please contact them come on out help support our um fundraising efforts for the Santa Cruz Valley Historic Museum I think they're good are uh Dan is actually Councilmember Snyder is one of our um board members on there do you are they doing raffle prizes or is it just a stake fry of auction maybe yeah silent auction okay still a good fun night and lastly pool opens the 24th it's getting warm out so Paul and Chando and his team are busy at work getting lifeguards on board and getting chlorine in the pool so we'll look for another successful pool event this summer.

So May 24th the pool open and the summer activity guide will be out May 1st and on that day that comes out people can begin registering for events and activities on May 1st as well so keep a lookout for that summer activity guide.

I'm sure Paul can't wait to take his shirt off and jump in the pool he's been working all year in that nice tight gymnasium that he has and to get all looking good for the summer bod right Paul absolutely that's what I'm talking about.

All right okay uh consent agenda all items listed with an asterisk are considered to be a routine matter and will be enacted by one motion and one roll call the vote of the council there'll be no separate discussion of these items unless the council members will request in which event the items will be removed for the consent agenda and considered normal sequence on the agenda.

We have three items uh ABC one is approval of minutes uh accept resignation of councilmember uh Rodriguez and then consideration to reappoint Natasha Tirwell anybody like to discuss any three of these considered agenda items hearing none do I hear a motion to approve considered agenda as presented so moved thank you do I hear a second second can I get another roll call please council member Setting yes Councilmember Wanavata Rodriguez.

Yes Vice Mayor Curtis yes Mayor Powell yes Councilmember Snyder yes Councilmember Garcia yes Councilmember Torango yes the motion passed unanimously mayor all right thank you next we go to business item a adoption ordinance number 24-969 amending section 19-23 of the EOA city code Mr Mayor Madam Rice Mayor members of the council this is this is brought before you just to bring our city code into into consistency with the community development standards that we have right now the the city code indicates that any building any any residential home to be built within a hundred feet of the sewer connection with an existing sewer main has to connect to that the community development documents indicate that that distance at 400 feet and so we propose to to amend the city code to to have the distance required to connect to an existing sewer uh at 400 feet consistent with community development standards uh this does not affect any homes that are already constructed this is just for new construction uh for for residences that are that are built that are uh that will be within 400 feet of of a sewer I have a question so tall tech is kind of where there's a lot of septic and all that stuff so we're building a house um in between two houses or across the street they're well within the 400 feet uh but this new one is is you know it's a new construction now it's gonna have to be it I are they want to have to have that sewer line go all the way through the road even past the neighbor that's on septic to that house or we

I have a question.

So Taltech is kind of where there's a lot of septic and all that stuff.

So they're building a house in between two houses or across the street, they're well within the 400 feet.

But this new one is, you know, it's a new construction.

Now it's going to have to be it.

Are they going to have to have that sewer line go all the way through the road, even past the neighbor that's on septic to that house?

Or are we going to require now that we have a sewer line to that house, everybody has to connect on there?

Well, that's that's something that that eventually we we will have, but once the sewer we have a conditioning, and that's not changing the city code, that once the sewer main is available to the house, they will have to connect to that.

We understand that that this will be a financial burden on some, so we may allow for some flexibility and for some time to notify the property owners, say, hey, as of this house down the street is building a house, they were required to connect to the city main.

Once that extends to that residential up the street from you, Mr.

Property owner, you will have to connect to that.

We will provide them notice and work with them on getting their septic tanks decommissioned safely and and tied into the existing sewer line.

Or that the sewer line as it's constructed with the with the new build.

All right.

Do you think this could halt a lot of the development in the Taltech area?

Because it's going to be a huge financial burden to run sewer lines to this new area.

It's hard to say at this point.

We have a lot of residences that are coming in that are building with a septic tank.

We also have quite a few residences that are saying, okay, I can I understand that I have to connect to the sewer.

Um the maintenance of the sewer system versus the septic tank is more on the owner and more on the responsibility of the property owner if it is a septic tank.

So we may we think that there may be uh a pretty even split, but we don't think this will negatively impact the the development in the Toltec area, specifically where where you mentioned where there are a lot of septic tanks.

Okay, because it's everything pretty much east of Estrella that has nothing over there.

Right.

Okay.

So if somebody just doesn't have the funds to do that, are we able to tell them okay you're allowed to do it within like maybe a five-year period, and then within the five years, you have to come up with the funds to we can certainly do that.

We are working with the rural development agency to get some funding for sewer infrastructure and sewer improvements in that whole area.

I I know that they have some funding available for that.

Uh we've we really started to developing a great relationship with with Charlene Fernandez, who's the director, um, and she knows she's aware of some of the challenges that we have here in the city of Velo with the with the large proportion of septic tanks that we have.

So we are looking at other options to have a funding mechanism for an overall sewer replacement or sewer installation project throughout Toltec.

I'm just afraid that's gonna halt a lot of development within the area.

That's my biggest fear.

You know, we're doing good right now, but I I don't want it to stall all of a sudden because they have to do this.

But hasn't this been done before?

It was um it was done before where residents had to tap into the sewer line.

And I think it was like the city covered half and they met them halfway, met them halfway.

Well, like in this case, if the the city would install sewer line to a certain area, if there's places that there's no sewer line at all, so they'd have to go up a road, down a road and really in this the Mr.

Mayor, if I may, uh with all due respect, this is just for residences that are within 400 feet.

So if they're building within 400 feet, this isn't the areas where there are no sewer lines anywhere within a quarter of a mile.

Well, if if if the nearest sewer line junction, I guess, is on shed in Australia, there's anything east of that, there's within 400 feet, and they're all new construction around that area.

You're saying we have the tie they have to tie into that, so they're gonna have to draw a line from Australia and Shea to go a street over and down that way.

Is it is that is that the plan or the intent is is to have them tie in um to a main line that's that's already in the street adjacent to.

So not going around around the block.

Um but we can we can certainly look at that, and even though the the code states if if council approves this code amendment that states the 400 feet, we can certainly work with the property owners to come up with the funding mechanism or a timetable or a partnership of three other homes that that will need to be in that so that uh it's not one person bearing the brunt of of the of the burden for the installation of the sewer line.

Okay.

But uh correct me if what will be the homeowner's uh responsibility?

I'm thinking if following up what the mayor is saying, if uh there are two houses on the street already, and this is a third lot, and this lot happens to be 300 feet away from the sewer connection.

Are they gonna be responsible for running the sewer through the city right away to their property line or just hooking up uh their to their property to the city right away?

Where's I mean, in other words, because it seems to me that if they have to pay that whole 300 feet, the other two houses are sitting there having paid anything all of a sudden they said, Oh, we want to hook up.

Right.

And that's something that we consider this to in there are mechanisms that we have in place to have a payback agreement so that those two property owners that are being leap truck are also paying their fair share.

Same time.

Uh so there is a payback.

Yes.

Okay, we can do that.

We have done it in the past.

Um we've done it specifically with the with the fire hydrants in that same area.

There have been payback agreements.

Okay.

Okay.

So so that that's different then.

I I like that we're able to offer that to the neighborhoods over there.

So it's it's needed.

We do need to somehow come up with a plan to expand it from uh Australia to Tumbleweed, I guess you could say.

So and then from shared to Tonto in that neighborhood.

So neighborhood.

So any other questions?

You're on the other side.

All right.

Uh read by title only.

Do I hear a motion to read by title for ordinance number 24-969?

So moved.

Thank you, do our second.

Sex.

All in favor say aye.

Are any opposed?

There are none.

In ordinance of the mayor and city council of the city of Eloy, Penau County, Arizona, amending Eloy City Code Sewer Services Section 19-23.

Paragraph A of Chapter 19 of the Eloy Code by increasing the current distance required to connect to the city sewer from 100 feet to 400 feet and establishing an effective date.

Thank you.

Do I have a motion to approve or adopt ordinance number 24-969 as presented?

So moved.

Thank you.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Sylvia.

Roll call, please.

Mayor Powell?

Yes.

Councilmember Tarango.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Curtis.

Yes.

Councilmember Sutton.

Yes.

Councilmember Snyder?

Yes.

Councilmember Juan Oalto Rodriguez?

Yes.

Councilmember Garcia.

Yes.

The motion passed unanimously, Mayor.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Matt.

All right.

Next discussion consideration of appointment of a member of the city council or city manager designee to serve as an ex-officio member of the Eli Chamber of Commerce.

If you guys know saw that in consent agenda, item B, Council accepted the resignation from Councilmember Sylvia Rodriguez as a non-voting ex officio member to the Eloy Chamber Commerce Board of Directors.

Hence why we're doing this right now.

David?

Thank you, Mayor.

Members of Council, as uh as you mentioned, you know, per the original agreement that's still in place with the Chamber of Commerce, either a member of council is appointed as ex-officio or council may designate um the city manager or design to do that role.

Um lately, our assistant city manager McKenzie Letcher has been serving in that capacity.

He's been attending the last several chamber meetings.

Uh unless there's any opposition from council tonight to not appoint a council member but defer to a city manager designee.

I would recommend that we continue to have our assistant city manager McKinsey Letcher serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Eloy Chamber of Commerce.

Because he's not busy enough.

That's right.

Since he's already been going, I'm willing to make the motion to appoint Mackenzie to the as official to the chamber board.

Okay.

Well then let's see if anybody on council has any suggestions.

Anybody on council want to do it first?

No, I I just say that I think I brought up uh probably last December or January or whatever it was, uh, questioning whether the council should be the ex officio because most of the activities in the nation of the Chamber of Commerce has to do with economic development and ties in much closer to what the city is doing.

And so not so much uh so with the uh chamber, even though we do give them uh some funds to help operate, but I think the uh the mission of the chambers much more aligned with what the economic development's doing in the uh city.

So I would support uh keeping the uh ex officio with the city manager's decision.

All right.

Any other comments?

All right, here and then I'll take your motion on the table, Jose.

Uh he recommend uh the designee for city manager as assistant city manager.

Do I hear a second?

Second Michelle, you can have it.

I can get a roll call, please.

Councilmember Tarango.

Yes.

Councilmember Sutton.

Yes.

Councilmember Garcia.

Yes.

Councilmember Wanalato Rodriguez.

Yes, and thank you.

Councilmember Snyder.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Curtis.

Yes.

Mayor Powell.

Yes.

The motion passed unanimously, Mayor.

Yep.

David.

Oh, I would just say if he's not gonna be available, then it'd be somebody that you can appoint to City.

Myself or somebody else, yes.

Okay.

I got I'm gonna after this, I got one more thing.

So we're done with that one.

Okay.

What do you got?

Okay.

Thank you.

Um apologizes.

We're gonna bring this up during the manager's update.

Um there's I just wanted to bring to the council's attention.

There's been a few members that have asked about the outside organization seeking funding process.

And we sent them application packets to organizations, they have submitted their packets, they came in.

Uh myself, McKinsey and the finance director, Brian Wright, Matt.

And um we because there's been some concern about are they gonna come present, what what are they going to do during the budget hearing process during the budget retreat process, we decided that we weren't going to do that, that we were gonna have we got direction from council to move forward with having city staff look through the original, you know, packet submittals and then present a recommendation to council.

What we would like to do with guidance from council is form a panel where there would be staff and then members of council to be part of that panel and review the packets, submit a recommendation that the council can then review with the budget allocations.

Like a sub those subcommittee.

Correct.

Not a subcommittee, no.

Or like a ad hoc.

Not an it's not a committee, it's a panel.

Panel.

Oh yes.

Okay.

Right, Steve, there's a difference between panel and committee.

Mayor, council members as if we were to get three, four council members, we might have an issue involving basically public meeting requirements and might not be able to take the deep dive into those applications that we'd like, you know, that staff likes to do.

Okay.

Well, if available, I'd like I'd like to do it.

I'd like to be a part of this panel.

Do we still want to there's been some comments about having them present, and we didn't do the pres presentation piece from the retreat because of how time consuming it was last time where we did the presentation and then we went to each session, we came out, it just became that lengthy process as discussed back in February.

So we're looking to eliminate that process and just do the application present, and then those that have submitted applications would be during a regular meeting would be allowed to come up and speak before council during the regular three-minute comment period is what that would end up being.

Yeah, go ahead.

Yeah.

Uh when you come back to council, would would we have access the ones that are not on the on the panel?

Would we have access to all the submitted information, or would we just be looking at a recommendation from staff without the backup information that you were originally presented?

Uh council member center, we would present the recommendation with all the supporting documentation.

It'd be one large packet to council as part of that meeting.

So at that point in time, if we had questions or something, we could bring it up at that time without spending all the time at a council being done.

Okay.

Thank you.

And to clarify, you know, that was the direction we got during the budget retreat.

So if the panel meets and decides, okay, maybe we do want a presentation from one or a few of those submittals at that time, it can be decided by the panel how they want to handle that.

I I uh I was I thought they were still gonna come up to present.

I I like them presenting.

Because then we can ask them the questions and this and that.

Sure.

We can do that.

I thought we were gonna do both, to be honest.

But if if you we if we're gonna eliminate the presentation, I'd rather not eliminate presentation.

We can do the presentation with a time limit.

Yeah, a lot of heads.

We should give it, I think five minutes on those presentations, you know, when they come up, and then it gives them time to to to talk or answer answer questions because some of them has a they have PowerPoints and videos, and so I mean this is taxpayers' money, you know.

We want to make sure that we know hold the feet to the fire on something.

So but nobody comes out without doing the packet.

Yeah, correct.

Yeah, yeah.

And you'll have the recommendation from the panel still.

You know, what we did see is year after year, we're just getting uh there's there were several additions to the submittals that we hadn't had in the past, so we're seeing an increase in the funding that's being asked for in total.

So you know, we're gonna go through those, look at that, provide recommendation to the council along with those presentations.

We we'll just set a time limit, like a five-eight-minute presentation, nothing too long.

Has have they has people started or organizations start turning their packets?

Yes, all packets have been the due date has passed.

So we we do all have those in hand.

We just wanted to bring this up to you tonight uh to get guidance to move forward on you know that you want to see this commit this panel formed and you know the presentation conundrum.

Are we doing one?

Are we not?

So I hear yes, we would like to see a presentation.

Time limit five, eight minutes.

Go ahead.

Yep.

Cool.

Yeah, all right.

Well, that's the oh yeah, Michelle.

Go ahead.

Go ahead.

Thank you, Mayor.

So I just want to make sure because I'm not really like we gave money to different organizations to like help people pay their um water bills, their you know, their sewer bills with the city.

Do they provide proof at the end of that year that this is that we spent all of the money that the city provided them?

Do we see that?

Because I don't remember ever seeing anything that says these people have shown proof to the city that this money was spent.

I think I there the money was supposed to go to finance, or if I'm not mistaken, Cara.

Through CARA.

Car was supposed to recommend them to finance.

Yeah.

So to answer your question, yes, some spend all of their funds, and no, some don't spend all of their funds.

Um typically the guidelines of the document state that you know you're supposed to come before council and do presentations.

None of them come before counselor, none of them tell us hey, we're ready to present before council.

Um so it's always has historically been that time and budget at this time of year where they come and then they tell you all the good things that they did with that money from the previous year.

Um so we've struggled over the years to get organizations to come forth and say, hey, we spent all the money we'd like to present to council.

Um I get because we also gave money to one of the food banks to help pay as well.

And I haven't again haven't seen or heard anything about have they spent that money.

And I I think that's important to all of us that if we're gonna give these people money that they're spending it to help the people here in our community.

And if they're not spending it, then it should affect them getting money again the next year because maybe there's somebody else that will spend the money.

What we can do to help answer that question is we'll um get with the finance director because he's already got the list, he knows the numbers.

But um, council member Snyder had asked a question about a week ago, and I haven't gotten it back to uh council as a whole on this answer.

But we'll get an email put together this week that just showcases we'll put an attachment that includes what that application packet looks like so you guys can go through and see that, and then we'll we can include that breakdown too.

What organizations last year received funding and how much to date those have spent, so you guys have a good idea, and then we'll uh reach out to to you, or if you guys want to decide tonight, the three people that would like to serve as a panel, we'd be more than happy to take that, and then we'll begin moving forward with this process.

Or you can get to just email interest to Mary and go from there for the panel.

Okay.

Anyone want to be on it?

Any already expression or something?

Oh just do just do me and Jose and then Sarah, okay, me and Jose and Sarah.

There's three right there.

Perfect, thank you, Mayor.

Council members, appreciate that.

All right.

Okay, well, nothing further.

Um go home and watch the second half of the national championship basketball game and go from there.

Thank you all.

Good night, drive safe.