Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - June 12, 2024
Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - June 12, 2024
The Payson Town Council held a regular meeting on June 12, 2024, at 4:21 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers. The meeting covered several agenda items including public comments, consent agenda approvals, a public hearing for a liquor license, a first public hearing on a manufactured home overlay rezoning, and the award of a construction contract. The meeting also included recognition of the Finance Department for receiving the GFOA Triple Crown Award.
Consent Calendar
- The council unanimously approved the minutes of the May 8 and May 22, 2024 regular meetings.
- Resolution No. 3394: Approved an agreement between the Maricopa County Community College District and Payson Fire Department to place students in EMT or Paramedic training for ADHS certification.
- Resolution No. 3395: Declared the Town of Payson Community Development Department as the official Destination Marketing Organization for the town.
- Resolution No. 3399: Approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the USDA Forest Service, Payson Ranger District, to jointly pursue funding opportunities for the Payson Area Trails System (PATS) Master Plan. Council Member Nossek expressed excitement about the collaboration with the Forest Service.
- All consent agenda items passed 7-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Marie Fasano (representing Experimental Aircraft Association): Requested the Town to support placing a donated 1962 Colt airplane frame in the Airline Roundabout to honor aviation. She stated the EAA would maintain the airplane. Mayor Higgins directed staff to put the item on the next council agenda.
- Paul Pitkin (Past President, Payson Airport Association): Supported the airplane roundabout project
- Tom Dunning (Resident): Ahead of the FY24-25 budget adopted, he expressed general support for the Town's proactive budget and highlighted positive aspects of recent investments.
- Jeff Robbins (Resident): Expressed support for the FY24-25 Tentative Budget and thanked staff.
Discussion Items
Public Hearing - Liquor License Application for Speedway
- The council held a public hearing for a Series 9 Liquor Store License application at 910 S. Beeline Highway (Speedway). The Town Clerk confirmed the notice had been posted for the required 20 days. The applicant, Andrea Dahlman Lewkowitz, was available via Zoom. There were no questions or public comments. The council unanimously approved the license.
First Public Hearing - Resolution regarding Timber Ridge Zoning Overlay
- This was the first of two public hearings on a proposed amendment to the Timber Ridge Planned Area Development (PAD) to add a manufactured home overlay. The PAD allows both manufactured homes and site-built homes on 26.1 acres (155 units max) at 300 W. Rumsey Drive, behind Walmart. Conditions: a 6-foot solid fence along the northern boundary, and each lot must have either a 1-car carport with storage, a 1-car garage, or an 80 sq. ftote storage shed if a garage isn’t feasible.
- The applicant, Stuart Pikoff, stated the intention is to be affordable workforce housing priced at about $325,000-$350,000. He said he intends to preserve as many trees as possible and that the homes would be permanently affixed similarly to site-built home.
- Public Testimony:
- Patricia Huett (reading a letter from David Rogers) against the proposed development, concerned about property values and suggestion an alternative site.
- Patricia Huett (as herself) spoke against the development – expressesing concern that the natural beauty and larger would not be preserved despite the need for affordable housing.
- Steve Oberhouser spoke in support of the Timber Ridge project and said he did not agree it would diminish property property values and value of neighboring.
- No action towas taken as this was the first reading. A second public hearing is scheduled for June 26, 2024 for a possible action.
New Business
Granite Dells Road Improvements Award
- Town Engineer Larry Halberstadt presented a staff report recommending awarding a job order contract to DBA Construction, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ) in the amount of $3,930,093.03 for roadway improvements. The project was originally difficult due to procurement delays and dropped plans; earlier estimates around $6 million. After splitting utility work (awarded to Apache Underground for less than $1 million) and resoliciting the music road work, DBA’s quote reduced. The lower timeline is to start July 8, 2024 (after the holiday) and be completed by Thanksgiving. The budget for this fiscal year was insufficient, but the project opens in the approved tentative FY2024-2025 budget.
- Council Member Mona commended Halberstadt for savings and exploring alternatives. The council unanimously approved the award 7-0.
Mayor and Ref and Personal Apology
- Council Member Flaherty publicly apologized for tardiness at meetings, citing work emergencies he is outside of his control. The council accepted his retreat.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar (4 items) – Approved 7-0.
- **Liquor License ** (Speedway Series 9) - Approved 7-0.
- Zoning and Timber Ridge Overlay – Case considered but not yet decided; second reading and public hearing scheduled for June 26, 2024.
- Granite Dells Road Contract – Awarded to DBA Construction, Inc. for $3,930,093.03 (including $200,000 contingency) – Approved 7-0.
- Executive Session – Recessed to closed (executive) session to legally discuss potential purchase of real property in the southern part of the town and sale of town-owned property (purpose stated as A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(3) and (7)). After the closed session council returned and did not take any further action.
- The closed session was for discussion and private consultation only. No action was taken.
Executive Session
- The meeting was unanimous and the recess in to executive session at 5:42 p.m. on property matters; the council returned at 6:5 p.m. without taking any action.
Adjournment
- The meeting adjourned about 6:05 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
From uh Marie Fassano. Thank you for increasing the volume. I had trouble hearing everybody. My name is Marie Fasano. I'm a pilot, and I'm here representing the experimental aircraft association. You've heard us Tom West, our president talked before, but this time I'm going to say a few things. When you mentioned all the activities and all the uh things that the town has, I didn't hear aviation. And aviation is a very important part of this community. Uh we have firefighters who come to our airport and help with wildfire. Uh this Saturday, for example, we have uh the Young Eagles program, and I know with the community kids with some of your grandkids and your children, we've taken a lot of your children and grandchildren up for airplane flights, and the pilots donate their time and their fuel and their hours, and they love giving kids airplanes. This past two years we've given three scholarships for children, ten thousand dollars each, thirty thousand dollars in scholarships to the community, to high school and one college student to they could pursue a aviation career. We have a student aviation program, we've taken them to see Embury Riddle to see different places. We've done a lot with aviation, this community. So we have a lot going on in aviation, and we'd like to we have a blank roundabout, and it's empty and it's got nothing on it. And we have a lot of things related to cowboys, and we'd like to do some aviation. We have a and here you see a sample. Elizabeth Fowler did that for us. We have uh we have an aircraft that has been on this airplane air airport for decades. We have stripped it, the children of the A of Student Aviation Program have helped us work on it. We're continuing to work on it. It was donated. But we definitely need your approval. We've talked to the Firestone company that's right nearby, the Elks Club, and all the people there, and they have approved they said they would love to have that airplane on there. Someone one of you last time, I had I did listen, Chris. I did listen to the meeting, but I have trouble hearing the meeting. And now this is airport road and airline road. There was an airport at Airline Road, there was an airport at Main Street. So this community since the 20s has been an aviation community. So we would like to let people know, not just at the airport, but let people know as they pass through that this is an aviation community, and there's many things that go on. Now we have done everything that people the town said we needed to do. We've spoken with Larry Halverson, we've spoken to Christine Smith, we've spoken to the airport commission, we've been to the council, we've been to ADOT. We've gotten proposals, we've done everything you folks said we needed to do. So what we need now is to your approval that we can we we said that the EAA would maintain the airplane forever. EA has been here for many many years. So we will maintain the airplane. We are putting boulders around for safety. It's going to be on a six-foot pole high in the air. Nobody can get to it easily. So that's for safety. And so what else do you folks need for us to move forward with this project? That's what we want to know. Um can't respond or give instruction, but Mr. Town Manager is something that we could have uh maybe on the next uh agenda as far as the next step, what would need to be done uh to move this forward, and then we could make a decision on that. Sure. Uh you want to put this topic on the next council agenda. Um yes, is that uh good for the council? Yes, please. Thank you. Okay, and if you have any questions, Christine Smith has my contact information. I'd be glad to answer.
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