Lake Havasu City Council Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026

The Lake Havasu City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:55 p.m. in Council Chambers. All seven councilmembers were present. The meeting covered routine approvals, a funding agreement amendment with Go Lake Havasu, an airport lease audit presentation, multiple airport-related contracts, and annual infrastructure repair contracts. All votes were unanimous (7-0) on each action item.

Consent Calendar

• ID 26-5210: Approved minutes of the April 16, 2026 Budget/CIP Work Session and the April 28, 2026 Regular Meeting.
• ID 26-5211: Called an Executive Session for 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 26, 2026, pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A).
• ID 26-5187 & 26-5188: Resolutions No. 26-3909 and 26-3910 approving intergovernmental agreements with Kingman and Bullhead City for municipal court weekend and holiday coverage services were removed from the consent calendar for separate discussion (see separate action).
• ID 26-5203: Ratification of cooperative purchases with Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC was removed for separate discussion (see separate action).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Don Wisdom (citizen): During the public hearing on the hot mix asphalt repairs contract (7.7), Mr. Wisdom reported that white markings at the intersection of Lake Havasu Avenue and Mesquite Avenue had deteriorated and were no longer visible. Public Works Deputy Director Bill Young responded that the previous stamped markings had become dirty and the city planned to replace them with regular crosswalks.
• Pam Swenson (citizen): During the Call to the Public, Ms. Swenson noted that a previous council vote had moved the Call to the Public earlier in the agenda, but it was still at the end of this meeting. She requested the change be implemented.
• John Woodard (CEO, Woody Stock Blues Hand Up Foundation): During the Call to the Public, Mr. Woodard spoke about his foundation’s work assisting young adults with autism and his annual blues festival at Windsor 4 State Park. He expressed interest in partnering with the city to make Lake Havasu a major blues destination.

Discussion Items

• Separate Discussion of Consent Items 5.2 and 5.4:
  • Item 5.2 (Kingman IGA): City Magistrate Mitchell Kalauli explained the five-year extension for weekend/holiday court coverage. Revenue generated goes to the General Fund. Councilmember Lin asked about revenue allocation. The public hearing had no comments. Councilmember Dolan moved to adopt Resolution No. 26-3909; motion carried 7-0.
  • Item 5.4 (Lowe’s Purchases): Bill Young explained that ratification was needed because purchases exceeded the city manager’s expenditure threshold. Discussion followed about departmental authorization and receipt review. The public hearing had no comments. Councilmember Coke moved to ratify past purchases and approve future purchases not exceeding annual budgets; motion carried 7-0.
• Item 7.2 – Amendment to Go Lake Havasu Funding Agreement: City Attorney Kelly Garry presented an amendment to replace the City Manager’s voting board seat with a City Council member’s voting seat and remove the Council member’s ex-officio seat. The Go Lake Havasu board had already amended its bylaws to reflect this change.
  • Councilmember Dolan expressed frustration that the March 10 work session did not allow council discussion and that changing the voting member did not address underlying issues with the organization. He encouraged citizens to review the meeting video.
  • Vice Mayor Diaz agreed the work session was not run well but clarified that he did not coordinate with Go Lake Havasu to have speakers; he was told who was coming and limited them to 5–7 minutes. He considered the amendment a step in the right direction.
  • City Manager Jess Knudson stated he would attend meetings as an ex-officio if the Go Lake Havasu board desired.
  • Motion to approve Amendment No. 1 carried 7-0.
• Item 7.3 – Airport Lease Audit Executive Summary (Aeroplex Group Partners): Kurt Castagna and Gloria Bouillon presented findings and recommendations from a 23-page audit. Key findings: governance and lease administration are fragmented across multiple documents; FBO service requirements are misaligned with actual operations; revenue controls need standardization. Recommendations included modernizing airport rules, minimum standards, consolidating policies, and standardizing financial terms.
  • Discussion: Vice Mayor Diaz asked about improving airport performance and commercial service feasibility. Castagna explained that legacy leases and embedded policy handcuffed both city and tenants; modernizing policies would allow flexibility. He noted commercial service would require subsidies (Essential Air Service or community seat guarantees) and that current Part 135 charter service (Advanced Airlines) operates under a DOT Section 380 exemption but faces challenges balancing inbound/outbound demand.
  • Councilmember Dolan urged prioritizing military operations after hearing rumors of restrictions; Airport Manager Kip Turner confirmed no changes had been made.
  • Councilmember Campbell praised the audit and the FBOs’ historical investments. She asked whether the city’s planned $1 million infrastructure investment for the development parcel was the best use of funds. Castagna recommended using the money to bring water, sewer, and power to site boundaries and then lease the land through an RFP or negotiate with current tenants, rather than building hangars directly. He advised establishing minimum standards first.
  • Councilmember Dolan asked about FAA grant requirements for hangar ownership. Castagna clarified that as airport sponsor, the city can apply for federal infrastructure grants and then let private developers build and pay ground rent; requiring private developers to also build infrastructure would be financially unfeasible.
  • The presentation was for discussion only; no action was taken.
• Item 7.4 – Amendment No. 2 to Airport Engineering Services Agreement with C&S Engineers: Kip Turner explained this is the final one-year extension of a five-year agreement (initial term 2022). The amendment also increases the council approval threshold to $100,000 per task order. Motion to approve carried 7-0.
• Item 7.5 – Task Order No. 12 for Runway Safety Area Improvements (Phase 1 Construction Management): Task order amount $99,257; 90% funded by ADOT, 10% city match ($9,925.70). Motion carried 7-0.
• Item 7.6 – Bid for Annual Concrete Repairs and Improvements: Awarded to MJB Power, LLC (primary) and Groundwater Partners, Inc. (secondary). The contract allows exceeding the city manager’s expenditure threshold but not exceeding departmental budgets. Motion carried 7-0.
• Item 7.7 – Construction Contract for FY 2025-26 Hot Mix Asphalt Repairs: Awarded to Sunland Asphalt & Construction, LLC for $795,300. Motion carried 7-0.

Key Outcomes

• Adopted Resolutions 26-3909 (Kingman IGA), 26-3910 (Bullhead City IGA – approved as part of consent calendar), and 26-3913 (appointing Jason Usry to Parks & Recreation Advisory Board).
• Approved Amendment No. 1 to the Go Lake Havasu Funding Agreement, replacing the City Manager’s voting seat with a City Council member’s voting seat.
• Approved Amendment No. 2 to the C&S Engineers airport engineering agreement for a fifth year and increased task order approval threshold to $100,000.
• Approved Task Order No. 12 for runway safety area construction management in the amount of $99,257.
• Awarded annual concrete repair contract to MJB Power, LLC (primary) and Groundwater Partners, Inc. (secondary).
• Awarded FY 2025-26 hot mix asphalt repair contract to Sunland Asphalt & Construction, LLC for $795,300.
• Ratified prior and future purchases from Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC exceeding the city manager’s threshold but not exceeding annual budgets.
• Noted that the airport lease audit presentation was for informational purposes; staff will begin working on priority recommendations.
• Announced vacancies on boards/commissions with a May 29, 2026 application deadline.
• Recognized four Havasu Youth Advisory Council graduating seniors and other city achievements.
• Future meetings: Budget/CIP Work Session on May 14, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.; Regular Meeting on May 26, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.