All right, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

And welcome to this evening's low light version of the Eloy City Council.

Today is Monday, March ten.

The time is approximately six PM.

And I call this meeting to order.

May I have a roll call, please?

Councilmember Varaska.

Councilmember Curtis.

Here.

Vice Man Vice Mayor Tarango.

Here.

Councilmember Schneider.

Here.

Councilmember Garcia.

Present.

Councilmember Galindo.

Here.

Mayor Sutton.

Here.

Thank you.

And at this time I'd like everyone to rise for a moment of silence and the pledge of allegiance that will be led off by Councilmember Bob Roska of the United States of America.

So we have no public speakers, but we have scheduled speakers today.

And we'll start off with our first scheduled speaker, and that will be Penel Hispanic Council.

Ralph.

Good evening, Mayor Sutton, Vice Mayor Tarango, City Council, and City Council members and city staff.

I come to present the uh City of Eloy Committee Grant Report for this past year on behalf of Pinel Hispanic Council and the Eloy Veterans Center.

The City of Eloy, oh, and I'm supposed to touch some.

Oh god, good.

Good.

Tell me, sorry.

I'm not very technology inclined in it.

Okay, great.

The City of Eloy uh funds two grant activities.

Uh the Eloy Veterans Day and then Reefs across America.

And total funding is um 2,007.

Um I really do want to commend the City of Eloy uh for their commitment uh for veterans.

Um it's awesome and it's very very much appreciated.

It's a testament to honoring veterans and their sacrifices, and I've said that over the last 11 years that really the city of Eloy is really a premier supporter of of veterans' efforts when you compare across um this county.

The first one is the Reefs Across America, and this year the event will be taking place December 13th.

Um but for 2024, we placed 470 reefs at the Eloy Memorial Uh Ceremony uh cemetery.

We coordinated the event with the City of Eloy and also the Ira Hayes Hilo River Indian Community America Legion Post 84, which did the posting of the colors and the ceremony.

Approximately 80 to 100 veterans, family members, community residents, and city council uh was there.

I want to thank um Paul and Jerry and the team for all their hard work.

They uh cleaned the cemetery before the event.

They put the flags on the sites so when the when so we know when where to lay the reefs, and they also then take the flags down.

Uh they accept the store and helped the reefs on on the day of that event, and they also do provide the sound system, the chairs, tables, and the canopy for the event.

Um we couldn't do it uh without uh the city's support and uh um Paul and his team.

The project sponsors for this year were the City of Eloy, which is the main sponsor and has been the main sponsor for the last uh five years.

Uh Pinell Hispanic Council and the Eloy Veterans Center, uh support our troops, the SOT from Ropes and Ranch, uh rays, Walmart Distribution Center, the Mercy Care Health Plan, and Pinell County for Eloy Veterans Uh Day.

Uh on that on that day, uh the Eloy Veterans Center uh provides the food and refreshments to approximately 300 individuals, veterans, family members, community residents.

It's also a coordinated effort with the City of Eloy Community Services Department and the Eloy Chamber of Commerce.

Um we also assisted in providing recruiting for the parade entries, which was about 20 entries this year, and then at this point at that point in time we also had the open house for the Eloy Veterans Center, which is now fully open, and to the credit of the uh there's volunteer veteran volunteers that actually are now um operationalizing the center from 10 to 2 every day.

Um and so you see the the pictures of the uh the veterans for veterans day and the other events and so I'm here to answer any questions, but really appreciative of of all the efforts that uh that the city does.

Well, first of all, Ralph, I'd like to commend you and the Panel Hispanic Council for the work you do.

And that was an amazing day.

We had the wreaths in the morning and then the ribbon cutting and ceremony at the uh Veterans Center.

That was just an amazing day all around.

And I thank you.

Anybody on council have anything they would like to add.

And Mr.

Mayor, I will agree with that.

I've participated the last couple of years in the REST across America.

It's kind of a solemn event, but it's uh it's a uh an honoring uh event for me too to be able to do that for the people of uh giving our lives to support the country.

Uh just out of curiosity, how many veterans are possibly using the veterans center today?

I know we're doing numbers, but just curious how many are uh able to take advantage of the center.

You know, I don't have a hard estimate.

I'm thinking there's probably anywhere from five to ten individual veterans that go every day, and then usually on Thursdays, because it's the uh coffee club, you have a few more veterans.

Um we have two challenges.

One is uh, you know, after it was closed for a while, trying to reopen it and get all the veterans involved back back involved in the veteran center.

And then the second one, uh, and we see them as positive challenges.

The second one is to increase the participation at the reefs across America to uh for that event as well, because uh I I just think we don't get the word out as much, and so we're gonna work more diligently to do that because it you're right, it's a sombre event, it happens nationally.

I think there's over five thousand four hundred sites across across the country.

I have that yes.

Um Ralph, I I have in the past, and I know that as you know, I've shared with you.

I had three brothers go to Vietnam.

I had two come back.

Thank you so much for constantly honoring our veterans with the flags.

Um I have not been to the Reese Across America event in Eloy.

Two years ago, my brothers who have both now passed were honored at the Mirana Veterans Summer ceremony, and my third brother's story was told, so I attended that one, and then I had a family uh crisis that I had to deal with this year, this past year, and stuff.

But I have been to the veterans events in the past, and you know, I have family members from all the way up to Michigan and Sierra Vista, and they come down on veteran holidays because they see their their dads, their uncles, their brothers are being honored along the the streets of Eloy, and I commend you for that as well.

You know, we Eloy has never forgotten their veterans from the uh sketchings now that are at the park to uh always celebrating veterans' holidays.

And you know, if you if your family was affected by any of the wars that the United States were in, it truly becomes an honor to see them, you know, to see their works and their efforts honored, especially now that they have passed.

Um I just uh also want to uh thank you for the Veterans Park.

And it's just a beautiful somber place for people to come.

So I know that that um Pinel Hispanic Council has taken the lead to work with the city of Eloy to develop all of these wonderful memorials and ways to honor our veterans, all the wars.

I I remember we used to have Thursdays Donuts with veterans or coffee with veterans.

And we I mean there were veterans from Desert Storm that were attending those events, and and so it's a co camaraderie that it it passes generations.

So I want to thank you.

I do also would suggest that you also work with the Eloy Lions Club, because I know the Eloy Lions Club goes out on Memorial Day and puts out the flags in the cemetery.

And I'm sure if if you talk to our president um or any of our members, we would be happy to uh work with with you on this event as well.

So thank you.

Thank you so much.

And uh no, it is a pleasure to that um the Eloy Veterans Center is now um there permanently forever.

It has its own building, and so we won't have to worry about anything going forward.

And uh I appreciate all the years that uh we had that one dollar rent to be able to start out there and and move it there.

So I really appreciate it, and thank you very much, everybody.

Appreciate it.

Thank you, Ralph.

Okay, next we have Panel Alliance for Economic Growth.

Thank you, Mayor Sutton, Council members and city staff.

I appreciate the opportunity to be here.

I'm Patty King.

I'm the executive manager of Pennell Alliance for Economic Growth.

And City of Eloy has been a partner.

We've been serving Pinell County since 1984, and the City of Eloy has been a partner for all or most of that time.

Um our grant this year was $5,000.

We very much appreciate your support.

And a few examples of how we support the county and and how we support the city of Eloy and use that fund is our reading program.

So hopefully you've read in our newsletter about our third grade reading program.

It's an AARP sponsored program.

This thank you.

This year we've served 245 children with 95 students in nine schools.

I'm sorry, 21 schools, nine school districts.

So greatly expanded since our first year when we were in three schools in Casa Grand.

We're very proud of the program.

Uh last year, 83% of our kids moved up one full grade level, and 38% moved up two grade levels.

It's an amazingly successful program.

To my knowledge, it's the only program like it in Pennell County serving this really um population of kids who really need the program.

Um we do continue to um expand, um, even though we're we're sort of at our funding limit.

So we're working really hard to bring in additional funds to continue to expand the program.

Um the other program that we're real proud of is our career expo, and it's it's morphed over the years from an in-person event that that went to schools and presented career opportunities to the two to the high school students to during COVID.

We we pivoted and went online both through an app and now on our website.

Um, and this year, well, last year in 2024 and then this year in 2025, we went back to a career expo in person.

This year it's modeled after something called Worlds of Work, which started off in Alabama and last year served 13,000 kids.

Um we this is our first effort in um Arizona, it's the first effort by anybody in Arizona.

Uh, we offered it at CAC on February 13th.

We had 425 kids from nine high schools in Pinell County.

Um 25 exhibitors were there, and they had a myriad of activities to influence their futures.

Um if there's we sent you in the newsletter, and I don't know if you've if you've seen it or have a chance to see it, but Pinell County um did a video.

So it's on our website, it was in our newsletter, and we'll continue to be marketed because we intend to expand this program and continue to offer it to our kids so that they stay in Pinell County and work to meet the needs of our employers.

Workforce development is our number one objective these days.

Um we try to not compete with anything your professional staff does.

Um, and we felt that workforce development and the committee of Achieve Panel were the niche that would do that.

So I'm happy to answer any questions.

Well, I'll say 40 years is just a beginning.

Anyone on council have any questions or anything to add?

Good afternoon.

Can you just give us a quick recap of what the reading program is and how that operates?

Because I'm thinking it competes with the second program.

Okay, absolutely.

So we pair seniors with second and third graders who were reading well below grade level.

Um they tutor one on one 30 minutes twice a week from September till end of April.

I'm sorry, end of March and into April, depending on when they started.

Um we also tutor, we tutor in person, but also we we have online tutors.

I personally tutor online on Tuesdays and Thursday mornings.

Um, each tutor has four students that they work with, and unless they graduate, unless they're doing really well and we graduate them, generally we're with those four students throughout the year.

Um, it's a very definitive defined program.

There's um it's 30 minutes, like I said, and it's there are specific steps that AARP trains our tutors to follow to maintain the integrity of the program, and it's very successful across the country.

We're the only rural program in the United States, but there are 19 other programs in largely um urban settings.

And then is that tutoring done during school time or is that being school time being arranged afterwards?

Yes, we pull we they're they're pulled out of school.

We have site coordinators at the schools who go, we try not to burden the teachers at all with this.

So we have site coordinators at the schools who go and pull the students out of class for their tutoring.

The other thing, this the only thing that the schools really have to do for us is to give us the grades and the test results.

So we test the kids the beginning of the year, the middle of the year, and the end of the year to track their progress.

And then how far below uh grade level do they have to be to qualify to be part of the tutoring program?

You know, um the kids in Penell County are like 35% of them are reading at grade levels, so we couldn't possibly meet the needs of all of the kids in the Penal County.

So there my kids are generally they're in late first grade.

If they're in third grade, we're we're taking them at late ther at late first grade.

So they're pretty far below grade level.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

So Patty, I know I I I know I asked you this before, and you gave me the answer, but I can't recall it.

But you are in the Eloy schools, right?

Oh, yes.

Yes, I have a funny story.

Okay.

So we presented in person to Robeson Ranch this year, thanks to Councilmember Snyder.

Um most successful event ever.

We had 11 tutors come out of that and start immediately.

They already started tutoring.

They were very motivated, very helpful.

And this is Santa Cruz.

You said do you you have the high school program?

Do you also work with Santa Cruz?

That's that's career expo, yes.

And Eloy Elementary and Toltec.

Correct.

Okay, thank you.

Oh, I have one more question.

Where is your website?

In are we getting your newsletter?

You are getting the newsletter.

Um you get it directly from me.

Okay.

Um can I can you put me on your list?

You I know you're on my list, but I'll check.

I mean, maybe you have to maybe you have to put us as a safe sender.

It's we use constant contact.

That's our our method of communication.

Um, but yes, all of you are on our list.

And uh your website is listed on your newsletter, right?

If you look at Penel Alliance.org, um all the way at the right hand side, look at Achieve Penal, and under Achieve Panel, you'll find career expo and the AARP reading program.

Okay, but if you could maybe uh explain how the students are selected, the school selects the students.

So after they do the beginning of year testing, then the there's reading specialists at the schools that select the students for us.

So is there uh let's say you pick uh cost grand uh grade schools?

Is there a or a career?

I know you're a career.

Uh you probably have more students as you can handle, don't you?

So you pick the worst uh is that how you handle it or well they pick they pick students who are who are on the on the cusp of the ability to read.

So they pick students that they know can do it, they just haven't for one reason or another, and perhaps it's the pandemic.

So they don't pick students who are special needs students who need different and have there's different levels of expertise to serve them.

So we really are working with students who have fallen behind, pretty significantly behind, but we know have the ability to learn to read.

They really just need that one-on-one attention, encouragement, right?

They need to build confidence that they can do it.

It's once you see them blossom, it's amazing.

If anybody here is 50 or over, we're happy to train you to tutor.

There you go.

Anyone else on council have anything?

Well, I guess I get away from the uh uh reading program.

But I know it's here on the I 10 widening, and I know that we have uh a um representative or a what do you call it?

Lobbyist lobbyist, yeah.

And uh so what how does that fit in with Eloy and what can Eloy?

If we've got some things that are really important to us, how do we mesh that in with the partnership?

I know there's someone's on the board, it's one way, but just I think uh the question comes up sometimes, other than the reading program.

What uh benefit does Eloy have?

Because we are with uh say Classogram, we're kind of a little player sometimes.

That's so the question is from economic development from workforce retention, things like that.

How can we as Eloy have a little bit more uh chance for getting programs involved?

I guess.

We're we're happy to do anything that Eloy needs.

I this is an example of Casa Grant, how they envisioned our partnership very recently, and and council member Snyder learned this at our recent board meeting.

Um they have a um multifamily housing development that's coming in, and it's got some federal funds tied to it, and it's awarded based on points.

And one of the ways for them to earn points is for the city to waive all of their fees, so they're doing that.

But there's another way for them to earn points, and that's for the city to loan them some funds.

But the city can't get those points by doing both both things.

So the city's gonna use Pennell Alliance as a pass-through to loan the funds, um, and then the project will earn the points and hopefully come to fruition.

So that's an example.

I tend widening everyone in Pennell County, everyone out of Penell County benefits from that, right?

Um, we take a great deal of pride in the fact that we were really involved and the in securing the funding for the widening of I 10, um, both at the state and at the federal level.

Uh we we use a lobbyist, Dorne Policy Group, we call him an advocate.

Um, he is at the at the state to support any initiatives or oppose anything that the city um needs.

Just let me know, and he's there every day, and we'll champion your interests and any day.

Yeah.

Well, Patty, I have to say it was very informative.

Thank you so much.

You're very welcome.

Thank you all.

Next up is Sparrow Campaign.

Anybody and you're Michelle, right?

Hi, yes, I am Michelle.

So hopefully her, yes, perfect.

Okay.

So my name, uh, thank you for letting me uh represent Violet today.

She's she couldn't be here today, but um, I am on this the Sparrow campaign board, and so she asked me to come today to just share some information of things that we've done the last year or the last couple years, I could I guess we should say so.

We've had a few different events that we've um that we've done.

Um, I guess the biggest one that we've done recently that's like the first one that's on your screen would be the um the steps of love, which is the walk that we have done.

Um I know that we were awarded, I think four thousand dollars in the grant.

Um, so a thousand dollars of that went towards this particular walk, and and um in that thousand dollars, I think we used most of it for to go towards shirts.

So most people that showed up that day um were given a shirt for the event.

Um, just from last year to this year, I could say that our numbers it easily tripled.

So we went from having the walk at the um junior high.

Um, we had it at the high school this time, and the number of banners and participants was was great.

So um it even led to um we were able to um well, not me per se, but Violet was able to start a group um that is helping people that are going through um you know loss of loved ones, and and um she's had a couple different meetings that she's held with that.

Um so it's kind of led into to a couple different areas for her to be um you know to shine her light because we all know Violet, that's what she does best.

So um it's been a pretty pretty cool little adventure.

Um, so the other part that we uh use the $3,000 for um the other $3,000 from the grant went towards um the $5K that um we had for the city.

Um I also serve on the food pantry board, so I kind of have an in on both ends, so um it's pretty neat.

So um three thousand dollars of that went towards the cost of there's a lot of different costs involved, but um, once again, participants were given t-shirts.

Um there were medals that were given, and then um we actually hire our company to come in and to set up all of the um to set up the race for us per se.

Um, and we were very thankful um to the city because they also um gave us money to for the barricade service, which would have been another almost like 2500 if I remember, I don't remember the exact number.

I know it's on there, but um, so without the city, you know, that was a big big thing for us.

So um, so we're very thankful.

I think in total, we ended up um, I think it was what six a little over six thousand dollars, I think is what we were able to give back to the to the uh food pantry.

So that was a pretty awesome uh thing.

So um definitely it would have been, you know, we would almost been a wash had had you guys not helped us with that event.

So um, so we're very thankful for that.

Um, it's it's definitely an event that we want to keep going.

I know this year is year 10.

Um, so we were trying to make it bigger, better, um, advertise a little better.

Um, and then we've actually been looking at doing maybe a couple other and maybe something different, like changing it up a little bit, uh, making it different than the others.

So um that is another event that we had.

Um I'm trying to think what else we do.

We also do aside from the 5K, we are also doing an event with the um the elementary schools here in town.

Um, so I call it a fun run because I'm a school teacher, and that's what the kids love to call it.

So um, so when I worked in Eloy, the kids look forward to that day.

So they it's kind of like a big field day.

Um, the kids come out and you know, we offer prizes and give out medals that are and shirts and things that we have from the 5K.

So the kids are actually kind of bought into the program as well.

Um, it also leads into teachers and everybody else.

So it's a pretty cool event that we've had.

We've also moved that from the junior high over to the high school the last two years, and it's it's really really made a difference there.

Um the high school has done a great job, you know, accommodating us and helping us out there.

So um, so that's been great.

Um, so I'm trying to think the last event that we have coming up actually in a couple weeks is the um the first responders ball.

So that will be in uh at Hara's auction casino.

Um, so it'll be a pretty pretty neat event as well.

Um last year it was it was a really great event, and we had a pretty good turnout at Roads and Ranch, and so this year it'll be something different, and so we'll give out awards and different things like that.

So overall, her idea has really, you know, just since I've come on the last couple years, she's really grown it into something that is making a huge difference.

And so um being a product of Eloy, I'm proud of it.

So, and all the things happening in Eloy, so that's really all I have.

So, I don't know if you have any questions on that, but we appreciate your your efforts.

No, thank you.

It's such an important organization.

And the fact that you're providing assistance to people probably at the worst time in their life.

That's extremely important and thankful.

Anyone have anything to add from council?

I for one had my tickets for the uh upcoming sware.

And it's an 80s theme, which I kinda like, you know.

I was there at that time.

Some different for sure.

For sure.

Okay, well.

You did good.

Well, thank you very much.

Thank you.

I believe we have one more.

Is there one more?

Okay.

Yeah, who who's Debbie?

There you go.

I scared you.

Yeah.

Well, thank you to the council.

Um, my name is Deborah Miller, and I'm here representing the Eloy Ministerial Alliance tonight.

We were given funding last year um for our community Thanksgiving dinner.

Uh the funding was for $1,900, and uh we appreciated the gift of that.

Uh, we want to thank the city uh because of the large prices that we're having to pay at the grocery store.

Um it really helped out.

Uh this is one of our largest outreaches that we have at the Alliance.

Um we spent $1,304 and 96 cents of that $1,900.

So we purchased 25 turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy pies, um, all of the goodies.

Um, and uh we were able to purchase, of course, the paper products and everything else that it takes to uh put on that dinner.

We were supported not only by the city of Eloy, but Core Civic, uh the Ministerial Alliance, and then also the Eloy Junior High School.

Uh we were able to hold it at the Eloy Junior High School, and uh we are scheduled again for Thanksgiving um at the junior high, and we appreciate the school for doing that.

Um we served around 320 people that day, and um it was really really a wonderful time when we all get together um and uh the community gets together like that.

Uh we just have a really really nice time and get to meet people from all over the city.

Um, and um I know that um because I work at the the soup kitchen in Eloy.

Um we have a lot of the homeless um and then those that are struggling and having to rent rooms or sleep in a backyard or something.

Um we have a lot of those that come to the Thanksgiving dinner also, and we get to we get to see those uh at the at the um at the church there.

Um we just want to thank you again for helping us with this, and um, we're hoping once again that we would be able to do that, and that Eloy would be able to do that for us.

If you have any questions.

That was a lot of work.

It had to be just lugging all that stuff and getting it all together.

God bless you guys.

I mean that it was it was, but we used to do it a long time ago.

Um, Manuel Salis was in charge of it, and many of you probably remember that a long time ago, and we were very much involved for 10 years, I think, and um it was always quite an extravaganza.

And uh so we had uh, but again, we're starting small again.

This is only our third year that we did it uh last year was our third year, and so we're starting restarting again.

So we're hoping to serve 400 this year.

Um, and so we're again we're just looking forward to it.

Thank you for all that hard work.

Anybody on council have anything they'd like to add?

Go ahead, sir.

Last year that you have to turn anybody away, or were you okay?

No, we had um we I'm a good calculator.

Um we had just about we had just one thing of turkey left, one big thing of turkey left, and um and a little bit of all of the other stuff, and we had about two pies left.

So we we managed it pretty good, so I didn't do too bad.

I just want to say thank you, Debbie.

Um I go out and do the point in time homeless count.

So um I know that the need is out there, and I know that there are people.

I was just the day the when we had the co front, I had to stop by the health department, and there was a guy there that was sleeping asleep outside, and he had gone to CARA to get a blanket and had a really fit blanket, and luckily I had one of the heavy duty blankets from the homeless count in my trunk.

I was able to give it to him, but he did ask me like is there any place that I can go?

Is there a place that I can get shelter and maybe a warm meal?

And I just told him to go look at the churches, go ask the churches and stuff.

So I just want to thank you for at least on that one day, everybody gets a warm meal.

Yeah.

Um, just in case anybody runs into people that need a hot meal, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Central Cristiano, we are serving hot meals from 9 30 until 11.

And um we have about 25 that come every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Um, and um, so I know that they appreciate it.

We've become a family.

We've been doing that now for 12 years.

So we've become a big family there.

Thank thank you for taking care of those people.

I know it means the world to them.

Anyone else?

Thank you then.

Thank you.

Okay, with that, we'll go to item number six, reports and announcements.

Council member announcements on my left side.

Um, okay.

Uh I did attend the um Cassagrand state of the state along with other council members and the mayor along with um the Penell Partnership breakfast on Friday, but I'll go ahead and let them give the report because I have some exciting news about the Eloy Lions Club.

The Eloy Lions Club was awarded a grant from uh the Arizona Community Foundation to be able to provide eye glasses and eye exams again, and we're very fortunate that this giving was twice as much as what we received the for the original grant that we used to provide vision care, and it came at the right time.

I think we were like 200 left in our uh in our bank account, plus the cost for uh the service has gone up ten dollars as well.

So we are very we were very blessed, and with this, we will probably be able to give out give services to over a hundred children and adults through our partnership with America's best.

And this includes an eye exam and two pairs of glasses that they will get free of charge.

How does somebody go about getting a voucher?

You either can't you contact any of the executive members of the Eloy Lions Club, which is Jose Garcia, uh Bill Carnell, JW Tidwell, and myself.

We will get to voucher.

The vouchers unfortunately have to be signed in person.

We tried signing the vouchers and making copies of them in America Best will not honor that.

But or you can contact any Lions Club member, um, including the mayor Sutton, and they will be able to direct you to one of us to be able to get a voucher.

Okay, thank you.

Was it I'm only she basically took everything, but I'm just gonna add to the vouchers that most of the vouchers are actually recommended by the teachers at the schools.

They see the kids who need it, they can recognize that site, and we get the names from them.

We don't have too many parents who actually directly come to us, but we do get them identified and into a pair of glasses.

It's wonderful work.

Yeah.

Uh I had with uh some additional council members and some city staff attended the Penal partnership meeting on uh Friday morning.

And it was a discussion on water with the uh really water delivery systems.

There's Ebcor, uh the CAP uh canal water system, uh Global Water and uh Arizona Water, City Water.

Uh they talked about I guess different uh uh allocations of water and what they're doing to find new sources and so forth.

But one of the things that uh stuck in my mind I walked away with that I'm gonna challenge maybe the city here officials.

Uh Global Water is doing a um conservation program with uh Maricopa.

And one of the things that they mentioned they're doing, I thought was pretty interesting.

They have uh water meters that alert residents of leaks.

I thought that was pretty interesting, but you know, I've had this occasion where I got a water bill, it was uh really high one month, and I thought, oh, I've got my my uh drip system leak or something.

It turned out it was uh one of my uh toilets wasn't totally signed up, and I didn't know it until I got the bill.

But though wouldn't that be clever, particularly in uh in Eli, maybe we have some old lines and so forth where we had the ability to put some water meters on where we had an alert there was a uh a leak before we find out with a bill a month later, two months later or something like that.

But that was one of the things I picked up I thought was pretty interesting.

That maybe we I'd like to see uh look into that and see if if it's possible.

Thanks, Councilmember Snyder.

Um, so we actually did a tour a little while back at the GWR facility and global water research uh resources in Maricopa.

And the way that they detect those is they have their system that they use for all of their customer accounts, does average tracking of water usage.

So the system, not the meter, actually will provide the alert.

So when they see that your average has exceeded what you normally use over, say a six-month period, then the program that they use to do all manage all their accounts will then send that email and notification out to customer to say, hey, you may have a leak.

We've noticed that your water consumption is higher than it normally is.

So it's all a back end program that they have, it's not actually at the meter, it's a it's a it's their programming system for all of their managing their water accounts.

Yeah, it's pretty robust.

They showed it to us, it's actually fascinating, but yeah, it's a robust.

Well, they need it, was it at the meter though?

I mean, it would have to cross our fingers or something like that, probably.

Okay, am I right?

anybody thank you, Mayor.

Um, I did have a little busy week.

Uh Wednesday, I also attended the um city uh uh Casa Grande's uh state of the city address.

Uh I thought the mayor, uh Lisa Navarro Fitzgibbons uh put on a very good uh presentation.

Um the mayor was there along with council members Garcia, uh Glindo, uh City Manager Mallowitz and assistant city manager Lecher.

Um I thought it was uh very impressive uh for the for the size of their city.

Um on Thursday, I attended uh Eloy Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Uh the mayor was there as well.

Uh they had a uh the speaker uh for that day was the former Casa Grande mayor uh Craig McFarland, and he's now the CEO of Pinell Partnership, and he gave a presentation on what's happening now in Pinell County and what the Pinell Partnership does for the county.

Uh very informative.

He had some uh pretty neat uh maps of the area specifically um located in Eloy, Casa Grande, um, but it was very nice, and he had those to hand out.

I also on Friday was at the Panel Partnership Breakfast Breakfast in Maricopa, and there were a panel of four accredited spokespeople uh talking about Arizona water.

It was very informative.

Um I think the sky is not falling down according to what you may hear.

Um, we have our issues and the they're working through to resolve that.

So uh there's gonna be plenty of water from what I I understand.

So that was it.

Thank you, sir.

So obviously I typed this whole thing up for no reason.

No, really, that's what I did.

On Wednesday the 26th, I attended the regional CAG, the Central Arizona government meeting in Apache Junction.

There was election offices, and I had a specially intriguing conversation on how to obtain funding for blighted structures.

At this point in time, we were exploring options to see if Eloy qualifies for funding.

To me, this is very exciting news.

This is gonna clean up a lot of things in our city.

And on the 5th, back to Casa Grande, state of the city.

Yes, Mayor Fitzgibbon hit the she hit that out of the park.

That was a really good event.

And on the 7th, just to back up what you guys said about the Penelope breakfast.

I was taken back by the cost per acre feet of water for some of the cities and the disparaging amounts that cities pay for water.

And it was also taken back with the whole thing about the upper and lower basin states, the upper basin states, they could really care about what goes on in the lower basin because they have plenty and it gets less as it gets down to us.

So I think some regulation on the federal side would really help that out.

And on the 7th, we conducted the first interviews for our new planning and zoning commission, and more interviews are slated for tomorrow.

We're happy to report.

Nothing ever gets postponed in Arizona due to weather, but that did.

So with that, we're gonna move on now to section number seven, consent agenda.

Oh, city manager.

I think the third time I forgot you live in it.

It's okay.

I'm perfectly fine with that.

Thank you, Mayor, members of council.

A few things on my list today.

Uh, it's spring break.

So we are having our spring break camp right now at the Troy Thomas Center.

Um, Paul and Chando and his team with community services are offering up a bunch of different activities running March 10th through the 20th.

So those in the audience or listening, please uh sign up, bring your kids on by.

It's pretty cool.

Been there last year.

He puts on a good show over there.

Uh next, as you notice, we've got a light on Main Street that's hanging over on our crosswalk.

So that project is 99% finished.

Uh, we're just waiting for ADOT to come through and do an entergize the lights.

That took a minute to get out, but I got it.

Um, furthermore, internally we're working on an educational video.

So we're having meetings this week with uh consultant to help us put together some educational materials, a video, um just general how to use the Hawk signal.

I will get those on the website, social media, and have that available for folks to look at and go through so that they know exactly what it's all about and how to use it when they get up to it.

Next is mark your calendars.

Actually, the next couple are marker calendars, so get ready.

We have stakeholder meetings with businesses for the Sunland Gin project.

As you know, we had got five million dollars from Representative Teresa Martinez a year or so ago now to help with traffic congestion on Sunland Gin Road from the Inner Pass to Mountain View Road.

I believe that's one.

Yeah, got it right.

All right.

So uh we're into the stage now where we have 60 60 percent complete drawings, and we're moving into the notification of the businesses, stakeholders, how that impacts them what we're gonna be doing.

So that's happening April.

Uh well, we're doing that this week, and then on April 10th from 6 to 7.30 at the senior center, we'll be having a community outreach meeting.

So we'll be getting flyers out on that, notifying businesses, residents, folks in that area, and and all around.

We'll be putting that on social media part of our package with the consultants that are working on this project, is to have a community outreach program and public participation involvement.

So they're working on those materials again.

April 10th, 6 to 7:30 senior center to talk about where that project is and where we're going and how it's gonna impact flow in that area.

Then on March 31st, it's that time of year, it's budget.

So we're having a city council special meeting.

We'll be talking about revenue, capital, and property tax discussion.

The question I have to pose for council tonight is do you want that meeting to start at 5:30?

Is that okay if we do that?

Any objections?

The date is March 31st.

That's a Monday.

Good.

Any other everybody else good?

Okay.

Perfect.

Then we'll plan for a 5 30 start on March 31st for our city council special meeting on revenue, capital improvements, and property tax discussion.

And the last mark your calendar on my list is on April 14th, which is a regularly scheduled meeting.

We would like to uh we need to have a work session that day.

Our general plan kickoff is in full gear.

Our community development director Dan Simers working diligently with our consultant.

So we need to have a joint meeting with City Council and the planning and zoning members that will be selected to be on the new board to adopt the public participation plan that is required by state statute to do that.

So this is one of our big steps as part of our update of our general plan.

So again, this is one of those.

How do you want to start?

Dan, do we need an hour?

Do we need a half hour?

Need an hour.

Is it okay if we start at 5 p.m.

that day before regular council?

That date is April 14th.

That's our regularly scheduled council meeting, so just be starting early at 5.

Perfect.

Okay, we're really excited about this.

That is all I have in my announcements.

I appreciate the help in understanding and rescheduling and doing some earlier meetings to get some of this work done.

Thank you, Mayor, members of council.

Yes.

Relative to the uh Sudan Gen, the whiteing project.

I I know in the past we have these uh sessions and invite the public and the share stakeholders, but we seem to have trouble getting people out to those.

Is there could you get the consultants maybe to personally go to these some of these establishments?

I know there's uh a couple of restaurants and hotel and stuff to be sure that uh people who might have some input are aware of it rather than just sending an email or talking to an owner up in Phoenix or someplace else.

Be sure we get people who are using that intersection on a daily basis or there some input too.

We sometimes I don't know, yeah.

It's it's tough to do, I know, to get those people out.

But just if we could maybe make some kind of cautious effort to try to do better this time because that's gonna be a big project.

Oh, absolutely.

That's the meeting this week is to talk to those folks that are boots on the ground.

So we've already been in conversation with the owner of Motel 6.

We've talked to the general manager at Speedco.

Um, we've reached out to other representatives of Loves.

Uh Matt has had a couple of conversations with those persons in that that area, also with some of the developers that are looking to do projects over there.

So that's what this meeting will be this week.

But of course, for the the community part, um, it'll have to be a little more broad reaching.

We're we're gonna have to dip into Arizona City.

Um, we'll reach out to our partner in the audience, Andrew with the chamber to get get them informed to so that those residents down there that get a notification somehow and can come on up and be there for that meeting.

Thank you.

All right, concerning the hawk signal and the video, I think it's very important that the pedestrians get to learn how to utilize that, but I think it's more important that the drivers get to get to know how to utilize that thing and what two flashing red lights actually mean as opposed to a solid red light.

Well, what was your idea?

How you had a great idea for the video.

Oh, the photo like the Beatles going across the street with city council, like an Abbey Road photo.

Use it as a class.

All right, good.

Good.

At least they're funneling the over to Troy Thomas.

I believe we put that money in a while back.

Is that have all the reno's there been completed?

Mr.

Inchondo.

Oh, he was asking about the renovations at the Troy Thomas Center.

Uh, where are we with that?

Uh mayor does council the uh renovations have been completed, yes.

Are we happy with them?

Um yes, very much so.

Excellent.

Thank you, sir.

You're welcome.

Okay, so now we'll move on to number seven.

Consent agenda.

All items listed with an asterisk are considered to be routine matters and will be enacted by one motion and one roll call vote of the council.

There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a council members show request, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered in its normal sequence in the agenda.

Do any council members would any council members like to see something removed?

Well, I uh would like to see B C and D removed, and I'll tell you why.

Uh well I went downloaded the agenda and looked at the agenda.

I didn't see any backup, or I didn't know what we're voting on.

All I saw was uh some backup information receipts and so forth.

And so I understand that for some reason the the co-ax did not get published.

At least I did not see a copy of it.

And so it's there now.

So I think I would like to have the sponsors of those uh projects come up and just walk us through the coax so I know exactly what I'm voting on.

Uh you know, I know in the case of the uh B, there was uh receipt of the pump and the okay, but I didn't have any of the background.

It wasn't there to really fill me in a little bit other than and I think also when we vote on something, I don't want to vote on a receipt, I want to vote on some coax or action that we're taking with a recommendation of uh staff or or some background of why we're doing that.

So that was missing, so I'd like to pull uh B C and D for that reason.

Anyone else okay?

At this time, I need a motion to approve items A and E on the consent agenda.

Mayor, I'll make a motion to approve items A and E on the consent agenda.

Do I have a second?

I'll second.

Do we have a roll call, please?

Councilmember Garcia?

Yes, Councilmember Galindo?

Yes.

Councilmember Varasca?

Yes.

Councilmember Curtis?

Yes.

Councilmember.

Vice Mayor Tarango.

Yes.

Councilmember Schneider.

Yes.

Mayor Sutton.

Yes.

Thank you.

Okay, at this time for item B.

Can Matt come up and present?

Excuse me.

Mayor members of council.

I just want to say, you know, we apologize that that was a we were working on seven.

We had not known that the coax were not attached to the agenda.

So we completely apologize when Selena and I and Steven working on the approvals last week.

Everything was there.

This was one of those we had no idea what happened.

So we made changes.

We put out a new packet shortly before the meeting with all the co-acts attached to it.

So the public, when they look at that agenda, it is now there fixed.

You all received the link too.

It's been a day of computer weirds weirdness as well as lighting, obviously.

But we apologize for that.

We'll we got some systems put in place.

We'll keep track of that better in the future.

For my purpose, that's fine.

I just was like weird.

Weird.

Yeah.

And so I was looking at this afternoon, and and I when I arrived in, I was told that they're there and I looked and they are.

I thought, okay, well, I won't take the time to read them, but maybe we can have staff just briefly go through what's there and go from there.

Perfect.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor, members of the council.

This item is response to an emergency procurement that we had uh back in January.

We found that our will number four was was not starting.

Um we have the intergovernment intergovernmental agreement with the Central Arizona Irrigation Drainage District that I'd referred to in the past.

Uh in that they have personnel and they have troubleshooting, so we asked them to come in and look at our will and find out well why our well wasn't starting, why the pump wasn't starting.

Uh well four is is one of the two laws that we have to um to keep the nitrates in check from laws five and six.

So that's one of our our better walling, better water quality wells that we produce.

Um with the um with the well number four going down, we that was an emergency we have to get it in.

So we we called the Central Arizona irrigation district to come out and take a look at it.

They diagnosed it and found that the problem was actually more than just a starting mechanisms.

They had to replace the whole pump.

Um that pump is is one it's it's 57,000 plus the width for the pump for their replacement for the pi being needed to do that.

Um and that was that was something that has the emergency clause in our procurement policy allowed us to do that.

We just needed to bring it back for ratification.

We already purchased it, we already have it installed, it's already up and operational.

We're just bringing it for ratification now at this point.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions.

Yeah, Matt, why I just I don't know, my my background here.

Uh if it's a maintenance problem, why does that have to come back to council?

Is it because it exceeds the dollar amount or what what's the reason for bringing it?

Because I would think you'd have a budget for maintenance items because you probably lose motors and we do.

And Mr.

Mayor, Councilmember Snyder, we do have that for maintenance, but because of the threshold, it was over the $20,000, which is why we're bringing it to council for for ratification because we've already done it, already spent it, already gotten the well replaced.

And these guys had this part on the shelf.

There was no lead time.

That's correct.

Wow.

They had one in stock, and so would they they were willing to sell us their pond?

That's pretty impressive, actually.

Uh Matt, have we considered uh using any form of conditioning monitoring equipment or anything like vibration monitors or anything on some of these equipment so we don't get caught.

You know, if we would have had uh uh the irrigation district uh putting that well up, we may have not even known that pump was bad and all of a sudden boom it's down and we've got a well that's down.

Do we have any kind of uh condition mining equipment on pumps and motors in the city to kind of warn us that something's starting to happen?

We don't, but we do have um our internal procedures.

We're we're revamping those to make sure that we're aware of potential problems before they get to the emergency stage.

So we're gonna be we're gonna be beefing up our inspection program with our with our staff that some of that uh vibration monitors and stuff like that is pretty inexpensive, and sometimes it can save uh a real headache if you have a piece of critical equipment go down and you have some pre-warning of it.

So we can certainly look at those and see if we can grow those two systems.

Mr.

Mayor, with that uh which background, which I didn't have before, I make a motion and we uh approve item B.

Do I have a second?

Second.

May I have a roll call, please?

Councilmember Schneider.

Yes.

Councilmember Garcia?

Yes.

Councilmember Galindo.

Yes.

Councilmember Varasca?

Yes.

Councilmember Curtis?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Tarango?

Yes.

Mayor Sutton.

Yes.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, sir.

Okay, now for right of C.

Mr.

Anchando, please, and thank you.

Good evening, mayor members of the council.

Councilmember Snyder.

Um item C is the request to reappoint uh three board members to the cemetery committee.

Uh Natasha Tidwell, who has served since July of 20 of 2009.

Uh, Marilyn Martinez was appointed in May of 2021, and Mr.

Gerald Tibb, who was appointed in June of 2022.

These are for three-year terms.

Um vacancies were posted on the city website as well as the local newspaper.

How many uh applicants could you get for these positions?

Uh for so far since these are reappointments, these are the only applicants that we've received.

So we don't have any other applicants for the cemetery committee.

So okay, I'm confused.

You said so Cesar reappointments, you don't have any applicants?

We don't have any other applicants beyond those who have re applied for reappointment.

Anyone else have any questions for Paul?

Will this complete your board, Paul?

Do you only need three members, or do you have other members whose term hasn't uh come up yet?

Mayor, Councilmember Galindo has a status will complete our board.

Mr.

Otrchondo, will any of these terms be any of these members be termed out?

We have uh what is it, a two-term?

Three-term.

Uh mayor uh council member Garcia, there are no term term limits for the cemetery board.

Why do they differ?

Um that I can't answer other than that it was never exchanged as far as it pertains to the cemetery board.

Cemetery board is a standalone board, not sure if that has anything to do with it, but those terms were never imposed onto the cemetery board.

I'm a little concerned that you know, not to pick on anybody, but uh one member has been there for 16 years.

And all the other boards and commissions we've had in the city, we've put the term limits on the idea we'd encourage other people to get on the boards.

I see this one person's been there 16 and they're being renominated again for the other three.

And I guess I'd like to encourage uh, even though it's a cemetery board that we we publish on the website and publish in the paper that I'm disappointed we don't get any applicants.

Uh maybe we have to go out and uh prime the pump a little bit, if you will, from the previous uh document and uh try to get some people involved in this so uh we get some uh I hate to see the same people making the same decisions over and over again when maybe there's some new thoughts coming on the board.

So I guess uh uh yeah, I guess the other thing that uh I'll throw this out, but I noticed that uh two of the members are in the same household, and also the same two members are on another board in the city.

And I think I'd like to uh have the city look at maybe something in the future, not here, not this time in the future looking at uh maybe looking at our uh ordinances or our boards and how we uh maybe have a little bit uh consideration for whether you want that to go forward or not.

Thank you.

Any bills have anything?

Do I have a motion to approve?

Oh, I'm sorry.

I had to think about it for a second.

Um I just want to say it's hard enough for us to get members to apply for these boards.

Um I appreciate the people that are on this cemetery um committee.

Um I know the two are related, but I don't believe they're in the same household.

Um they have the same last name, but um I mean we see how many applicants we get for planning and zoning, we see how many applicants we get for all our other boards, and so um I just want to say I'm appreciative of um the citizens who do step up in our community because it's a struggle as we see on a regular basis to get people willing to um do this stuff.

So I just want to say thank you.

And I just want to say thank you as well.

It's a commitment to sit, especially in a standalone board because they meet consistently, it's time consuming, it takes a lot of information to be able to gather, and the fact that we have people with experience and knowledge of how the cemetery works.

I think we're very fortunate.

Um I would like to see more people involved in boards with the city, but the cemetery board is is a very active board, and I'm glad to see we have consistent people wanting to be involved.

So I want to thank them as well.

Okay.

Do I have a motion to approve item C on the consent agenda?

Mayor, I'll make a motion.

We um approve item C.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Roll call, please.

Vice Mayor Tarango.

Yes.

Commissioner Schneider.

Yes, Commissioner Garcia.

Yes.

Commissioner Galindo?

Yes.

Commissioner Valraska.

Yes.

Commissioner Curtis.

Yes.

Mayor Sutton.

Yes.

Okay.

Stay where you are.

Item D, consent agenda.

Poll, please.

Um, item D is our second request uh to reappoint uh board member Jerry Wilden uh Rhonda Olson, Aurelius Seda, and Tanya Cruz uh to three-year terms of the Parks Recreation and Library Board.

Uh Mr.

O'Veera, Ms.

Alsay, and Ms.

Cruz, their terms expired in August of 21 with Rhonda Olson expiring in December of 21.

If approved this evening, that will leave us with two vacancies, one being that of a high school student.

Uh we plan a returning to the council to request uh council permission to create a subcommittee to interview uh applicants for the remaining regular vacancy.

Anyone on council with questions, comments?

Yeah, so their term ended in 21 or it began in 21.

I'm a little confused.

Oh, excuse me.

They were appointed in 2021.

Okay.

In 2023, respectively, sorry.

Okay.

And so that means that their appointments are ending and they are reapplying.

Uh councilmember that's correct.

And does this complete your board uh with the exception of the youth component?

Uh there will be one uh regular vacancy remaining.

We have two applicants.

Um in the future we'll come to the council and request it for council approval to create a subcommittee and interview those two applicants for that final vacancy.

Okay, thank you.

You're welcome.

Well, is this uh this board is part of the three-term limit?

Councilmember yes, it is.

Anybody else from council have anything?

Go ahead.

This might be a David question, but are all the boards three-term limits except the cemetery board.

Steve and I were Steve or the when I were just talking about that a minute ago.

Uh I believe so.

I think when Dan pushed through some code amendments earlier, the cemetery was one of the only ones that did not get changed, but yeah, go ahead.

And there could be the public safety retirement board might have that as well.

Yeah, and what what occurred was when we when it was considered they basically those boards seem to be lumped together in these other ones that are creatures of statute, the retirement board, and also they the cemetery board, because we have a special board for it because we own the cemetery, somehow they did not get swept into those into those um those term limits that the council wanted to oppose impose.

If the council wants to consider doing that, do you just direct us to start working on something for your consideration at a future council meeting?

Okay, we'll make those recommendations.

All right, so back to do I have a motion for approval of consent agenda item D.

Mayor, I'll make the motion to approve consent agenda item, say D.

Do I have a second?

I'll second that, Mayor.

May I have a roll call, please?

Councilmember Garcia?

Yes.

Councilmember Galindo?

Yes.

Councilmember Vorasca?

Yes.

Councilmember Curtis?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Tarango?

Yes.

Councilmember Schneider?

Yes.

Mayor Sutton?

Yes.

Okay.

E is already taken care of.

We're not going into executive session.

Do I have a motion to adjourn?

So moved.

Second.

Second.

Okay, thank you, everybody.

Have a safe trip home.

This meeting is adjourned.

We didn't have a move.

Sir, what do you guys think?

Sorry to put you Selene.