OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Eloy City Council Meeting - April 28, 2025

Meeting Portal — Monday, April 28, 2025
BodyEloy, Arizona
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, April 28, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:04:16

Transcript — Verbatim
2:07

So I'll say that we need the structures.

3:19

Oh, we can't call it.

3:45

Oh, I can go up there to pay for your hands.

3:52

I don't know why she's going for I don't know.

4:57

All right, good evening.

5:02

It is Monday, April 28th.

5:05

The time is approximately 6 p.m.

5:09

Madam Clerk, may I have a roll call, please?

5:13

Councilmember Lodrasca.

5:17

Here.

5:18

Councilmember Curtis.

5:20

Here.

5:21

Vice Mayor Tarango.

5:23

Here.

5:24

Councilmember Schneider, excused.

5:26

Councilmember Garcia.

5:28

Present.

5:29

Councilmember Galindo.

5:30

Here.

5:31

Mayor Sutton.

5:32

Here.

5:32

Thank you.

5:34

At this time, I'd like to ask you all to please rise for a moment of silence and a pledge of allegiance.

6:16

Okay, that brings us to item number five: public appearances.

6:21

Those wishing to address the city council may do so by signing a phone presided by the city clerk identifying topics or agenda items.

6:30

Action taken as a result of public comment regarding non-agenda items will be limited to directing staff to study the matter or rescheduling the matter for further consideration at a later date.

6:42

Speakers, shall we limit it to three minutes and I ask anyone speaking to kindly respect that?

6:48

So first up, we have Mr.

6:50

Saihead Tata.

6:55

Now already?

6:56

Yes, sir.

6:58

Just state your name in the city you live in, and we'll get rolling.

7:02

Thank you.

7:03

Sir, if you'd allow me about 30 seconds more or minute more than my three minutes, I'd greatly appreciate that, if possible.

7:16

Thank you, sir.

7:19

Thank you very much, giving me the opportunity to speak to you and to the council.

7:23

First of all, I'd like to congratulate our new mayor, Andre Sutton, and you are the mayor when Eloy is ready to boom like Casa Grande.

7:30

Your name will be here forever.

7:31

Under your leadership, great things will come to Eloy.

7:33

And then I'd like to also welcome our uh new city clerk, Celine, and uh we welcome you to the city of Eloy.

7:39

Me and my family call our call ourselves citizen of Eloy.

7:42

We live here.

7:42

My kids are like Councilmember Jose Garcia, native to the city of Eloy.

7:47

We are here for many many years.

7:48

Uh we have never had any issue with anyone.

7:50

We contribute to the society, we clean the public space, we actually broom the uh streets outside, we volunteer, we offer water food to farm workers in the summertime.

7:58

I'm a pastor and real estate developer, trying to bring lots of high-end development to the city of Eloy.

8:04

And my friends owned almost all the land that from here all the way up to Arizona Avenue, which is on south of Bataglia, which is close to two square miles, and I own several pieces of land in here.

8:13

In August 2024, we opposed the solar farm in the middle of the city, just as a general uh idea.

8:21

And the three days after that, I got a code violation notice.

8:23

Daniel Seimer and Angel Madrid claimed that they got a citizen complaint of nuisance.

8:28

They got the complaint in the morning, and then they came to my property in the afternoon and drove from the city and drove on the county road and then cross over to the highway, went to the pick up past the Picon Trees in the middle of nowhere, and drove about a mile of dirt road, which is private road that we maintain, and then stood on my property and took pictures of my property.

8:50

And uh they claimed that there was a lot of nuisance on the property, and they had to my property is about half a mile and a half a mile.

8:57

So they looked over, they can't see anything, so they kind of look through the bushes, they climb on top of the truck.

9:02

That's what I'm assuming, and then they saw one uh stove, which is a barbecue that we had on the property, and then they saw they claimed that they saw some abandoned cars.

9:10

I have never had any abandoned car on my property, and have never will have an abandoned property uh uh uh cars of the property.

9:17

According to the city uh code, uh abandoned discarded unused objects such as automobiles, furniture, stove, refrigerator, freezers, cans, and containers are a nuisance.

9:27

I have none of those.

9:28

And the city code says causing substantial diminish to the other property in the neighborhood.

9:33

I have no other properties close to my property, and I am the last property that comes into the city of Eloy.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████27%
Sanitation Management██████████████████████22%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████13%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Water And Wastewater Management███████7%
Code Enforcement██████6%
Economic Development███3%
Planning And Development███3%
Active Transportation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Eloy City Council Meeting - April 28, 2025

The Eloy City Council met on Monday, April 28, 2025, at approximately 6:00 p.m. (agenda listed 5:15 p.m.) in the City Council Chambers. All six council members were present except Councilmember Schneider (excused). The meeting included public comments, approval of a consent agenda, discussion and action on four business items, and an executive session for the city attorney performance evaluation.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes – March 31, 2024, Work Session (unanimously approved).
  • IGA with Maricopa – Transfer of a used law enforcement vehicle and equipment (unanimously approved).
  • IGA with Winslow – Transfer of used law enforcement vehicles and equipment; attorney name corrected to Trisha Stone (unanimously approved).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Saihead Tata (Eloy resident, pastor, real estate developer) expressed concern about code enforcement actions against his property, alleging a retaliatory citation after he opposed a solar farm. He stated that violations were false and that his property is a working farm, not a vacant lot. He submitted a list of 200 other properties he claimed are in violation but have not been addressed.
  • Talib Hussein (son of Saihead Tata) protested the code enforcement actions, stating his mother was charged with five criminal counts based on lies.
  • Ann Howard (Eloy resident) asked about the number of garbage cans residents will receive (one or two for recycling). The mayor indicated information will be sent out.

Discussion Items

  • Item A – Final Plat for Pinal Hispanic Council Tiny Home Project (FP2024-005): Dan Symer (Community Development) presented a request to combine six lots (0.8446 acres) at 106 E 4th Street into one lot for a tiny home multifamily development. Approved unanimously.
  • Item B – Utility Rate Study and Policy Direction: Brian Wright (staff) recommended Scenario Two for the water and wastewater rate study, which would fund an additional $10 million in capital improvements over several years. The council directed staff to proceed with Scenario Two and initiate the Notice of Intent process, with public hearings to be scheduled at a future meeting. The city attorney noted that no rate increase was being voted on tonight.
  • Item C – Landfill Evaluation Agreement: Mackenzie Letcher (Assistant City Manager) presented a professional services agreement with MidAtlantic Solid Waste Consultants for a comprehensive landfill evaluation (not to exceed $60,000). The study will assess options including closure, mothballing, city-led expansion, or privatization. The study will take 9–12 months, with results expected in Q1 2026. Councilmembers discussed the need for a resident drop-off option and the landfill's historical financial drain. Approved unanimously.
  • Item D – Battaglia Road Sidewalk Project Grant Match: Matt Rencher (Public Works) proposed committing a 5.7% local match ($75,000) for a Transportation Alternatives Program grant to construct a sidewalk on the south side of Battaglia Road (just under one mile, from 11 Mile Corner Road to Sunshine Boulevard). The project will coordinate with a future sewer line replacement on the north side. Safety measures such as guardrails near the drainage ditch were discussed. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (6-0).
  • Item A – Final Plat for Pinal Hispanic Council Tiny Homes: Approved unanimously (6-0).
  • Item B – Utility Rate Study: Council directed staff to proceed with Scenario Two and initiate the Notice of Intent process; no formal vote was taken, but consensus was recorded.
  • Item C – Landfill Evaluation Agreement: Approved unanimously (6-0).
  • Item D – Battaglia Road Sidewalk Grant Match: Approved unanimously (6-0).
  • Executive Session: The council entered executive session for approximately two hours to discuss the performance evaluation of the city attorney (Cooper & Rueter LLP). Upon reconvening, the council voted unanimously (6-0) to retain the firm for six months pending further evaluation, with a report from the mayor and staff to be presented within 30 days.

Meeting Transcript

So I'll say that we need the structures. Oh, we can't call it. Oh, I can go up there to pay for your hands. I don't know why she's going for I don't know. All right, good evening. It is Monday, April 28th. The time is approximately 6 p.m. Madam Clerk, may I have a roll call, please? Councilmember Lodrasca. Here. Councilmember Curtis. Here. Vice Mayor Tarango. Here. Councilmember Schneider, excused. Councilmember Garcia. Present. Councilmember Galindo. Here. Mayor Sutton. Here. Thank you. At this time, I'd like to ask you all to please rise for a moment of silence and a pledge of allegiance. Okay, that brings us to item number five: public appearances. Those wishing to address the city council may do so by signing a phone presided by the city clerk identifying topics or agenda items. Action taken as a result of public comment regarding non-agenda items will be limited to directing staff to study the matter or rescheduling the matter for further consideration at a later date. Speakers, shall we limit it to three minutes and I ask anyone speaking to kindly respect that? So first up, we have Mr. Saihead Tata. Now already? Yes, sir. Just state your name in the city you live in, and we'll get rolling. Thank you. Sir, if you'd allow me about 30 seconds more or minute more than my three minutes, I'd greatly appreciate that, if possible. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much, giving me the opportunity to speak to you and to the council. First of all, I'd like to congratulate our new mayor, Andre Sutton, and you are the mayor when Eloy is ready to boom like Casa Grande. Your name will be here forever. Under your leadership, great things will come to Eloy. And then I'd like to also welcome our uh new city clerk, Celine, and uh we welcome you to the city of Eloy. Me and my family call our call ourselves citizen of Eloy. We live here. My kids are like Councilmember Jose Garcia, native to the city of Eloy. We are here for many many years. Uh we have never had any issue with anyone. We contribute to the society, we clean the public space, we actually broom the uh streets outside, we volunteer, we offer water food to farm workers in the summertime. I'm a pastor and real estate developer, trying to bring lots of high-end development to the city of Eloy. And my friends owned almost all the land that from here all the way up to Arizona Avenue, which is on south of Bataglia, which is close to two square miles, and I own several pieces of land in here. In August 2024, we opposed the solar farm in the middle of the city, just as a general uh idea. And the three days after that, I got a code violation notice.

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