The Lake Havasu City Council held its regular meeting on October 28, 2025, beginning at 5:30 p.m. and adjourning at 8:45 p.m. All seven councilmembers were present. The council approved the consent calendar, adopted updated building and fire codes, approved an ADA transit van purchase, introduced a revised fee schedule ordinance, adopted the 2025 Wash Management Plan, awarded two construction contracts, and approved a NAPA parts-management program.
Building Official Steven Blake said the city currently operates under the 2018 International Codes and proposed adopting the 2024 editions with local amendments. A two-week public comment period received no feedback. The code adoption would be phased in with a February 1, 2026 effective date, and plans could continue to be submitted under the 2018 standards for up to 90 days after that date. The council voted 7-0 to adopt.
Fire Marshal Nathan Adler explained that the 2024 International Fire Code is a maintenance code addressing both new construction and existing life-safety safeguards. A public comment period was held. It would take effect on February 1, 2026. The council voted 7-0 to adopt.
Transit Manager Patrick Cipres requested approval to purchase one 2023 Ford Transit ADA van from Model 1 Commercial Vehicles, Inc. for $57,502. The van replaces a 2020 Dodge ProMaster that has had recurring door, transmission, and engine problems; the city saves approximately $43,000 on the vehicle price. The three-year warranty begins when the city takes delivery. Transit is averaging 100 to 110 trips per day and missing about 14 ride requests per day, and the local match for the federally funded van is $8,625. The old van will be auctioned. The council voted 7-0 to approve.
Administrative Services Director Jill Olsen said fees are reviewed annually, with full cost reviews every few years and CPI adjustments in other years. The proposed 2026 fees used a CPI adjustment of 4.39 percent. New fees included court enhancement, jail costs recovery, and court collection; revised fees included peddlers license, use of city facilities, fuel flowage, airfield services, refuse service, community center events, banners, and liquefied petroleum gas tank installation. A proposed 50 percent nonprofit banner fee was also presented.
Council positions varied. Vice Mayor Lin opposed increases in recreation and aquatic fees, and asked to remove the Mainstreet Commons concession stand fee until the facility exists. Mayor Sheehy supported keeping specified Leisure and Culture Services fees flat and adding a nonprofit banner fee. Councilmember Campbell opposed all fee increases this year and preferred periodic true-ups rather than automatic CPI increases. Councilmember Diaz opposed the CPI and a nonprofit banner fee. Councilmember Dolan supported incremental increases and called doing nothing fiscally irresponsible. Councilmember Moses supported a CPI increase and a 50 percent nonprofit banner fee, but expressed frustration about airport fuel flowage and ARFF cost recovery. City Manager Jess Knudson explained that the fuel flowage fee was revised in response to the cost of providing ARFF services at the airport, and that the city was not currently pursuing past cost recovery. Olsen noted that the CPI is calculated over a 12-month period and that the previous true-up would have required almost a 20 percent increase if CPI had not been applied in the prior two years. The city attorney clarified that tonight's action was only an introduction.
The council introduced Ordinance No. 25-1372 on a 4-3 vote, with Mayor Sheehy and Councilmembers Coke, Dolan, and Moses voting yes, and Councilmembers Campbell, Diaz, and Vice Mayor Lin voting no. Final adoption will be considered at a future meeting.
Engineering Division Manager Mike Wolfe said the city identified over 200 wash reaches in earlier studies, has completed 9 of the original top 10 wash projects since 2016, and has spent about $20 million on the program. Mohave County Flood Control District funding is approximately $3 to $3.2 million per year. Zach Schmidt of Kimley-Horn presented the updated plan, which incorporates the FEMA-funded FLO-2D model, drone imagery, and updated costs for priority washes. For Kiowa Drain 6, the drop-structure alternative was estimated at $960,000 and bank protection at $1.3 million. The plan will be integrated into the city's five-year CIP beginning fiscal year 2026-27. Councilmember Campbell raised safety concerns near Rotary Park and Mainstreet Commons and asked about culvert or greenbelt options for Pima Wash; Schmidt said community input helps identify specific needs and greenbelts may not be safe in active washes. The council voted 7-0 to adopt.
Project Manager Brent Cummings recommended awarding the base bid plus additive alternate No. 1 to Pioneer Earth Movers, Inc. for $544,361.30. The engineer's estimate was $719,032. The project includes repaving the rear lot, concrete under shade structures, perimeter wall, expanded secure evidence-vehicle parking with electronic gate access, lighting, and cameras. Work is expected to take about 120 days, with completion in April 2026. Councilmember Campbell recused herself from this item. The motion carried 6-0.
Capital Program Manager Jason Hart recommended awarding the project to Schofield Civil Construction, LLC for $1,353,500. The work includes concrete wall repairs, removal and installation of a new traveling bridge filter system, mechanical and electrical equipment, handrails, grating, effluent weir plate replacements, and a new power disconnect panel. Construction would start in December 2025 and finish in June 2026. The engineer's estimate was $1,565,000 and the construction budget was $1.4 million; three bids were received. The council voted 7-0 to award the bid.
Public Works Deputy Director Bill Young requested approval to use a Sourcewell cooperative contract with Genuine Auto Parts dba NAPA Auto Parts for an on-site parts procurement and inventory-management program. Estimated costs are $900,000 per year for inventory/parts and $125,000 per year for inventory management, not to exceed the annual budget. NAPA operates this program for more than 440 municipalities, and the city contacted 73 vendors before choosing this approach. The council voted 7-0 to approve, authorizing the city manager to execute the participating addendum.
Good evening and welcome. I call to order the Lake Cavisu City Council regular meeting on Tuesday, October 28th, 2025 at 530 PM. We'll start with an invocation from Pastor David Jackson with the Hilltop Church. Pastor. Well first, let me say uh, because I never talk, but thank you guys for all that you do. Thank you for what you do in the city. Appreciate it. Thanks for volunteering your time. And maybe it goes unsaid, but thank you. Let's have a word of prayer. Gracious Heavenly Father, uh, we thank you for your goodness. We pray that you pour your grace upon Havasu, uh, on our city officials, on the boys, Lord, those who strive to make this city the best city it can be. Lord, we pray that you pour your grace upon uh the citizens that um we learn to stand together and uh represent you, Jesus, and let Havasu be an incredible example to our whole world, the whole United States, Lord, and uh may you be a blessing. Bless our council members, let them uh stand in unity, uh bless their lives, bless their families, Lord, and may you be glorified in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Thank you. We'll now have a Pledge of Allegiance, but I'm gonna just introduce uh the folks that are gonna be doing it's uh the world finals uh champions from uh the Havasu Champions, those are folks that call Lake Haves City home that won in the world finals for the IJSBA uh world jesky finals. So we're so excited to have them. Thank you to Councilmember Moses and uh Ron Benfield for uh putting this together, but we have Ty Smith, uh Travis Billings, Sadie uh Murrar, uh Ryder Will De Bauer, Patrick Parker, Jack Cobb, Lucas Cerrera, Britton, Reinhardt and Alan Weiss. If you please make your way uh to the podium and before we get started, do you gotta lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and then we'll come around and uh uh take some photos? You want to have one go to the mic, yeah. You want to go to the microphone and you guys go to the microphone. No, you don't want to go over here and do the time first. Come around here, come over here. I pledge allegiance of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Amen. Thank you. And again, these are the uh world finals uh that call Lake Havasu City home. We're so proud of you. Uh Lake Havasu truly is where champions are made. And students, if you want to stay up here, we're gonna come around and take some photos. So come back up to the dais where we started with originally. Me and my colleagues are gonna come around and we'll take some photos. We want to be job sliding right in here, hobbing. All right, one more. Sorry, guys. Thank you. All right. All right, we'll move on to the next item on our agenda, the roll call, Miss Williams. If you please call the roll. Council members Nancy Campbell. Here. Kenny Koch. Here. Jim Dolin. Here. David Diaz. Here. Cameron Moses. Here.