Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - August 14, 2024
Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - August 14, 2024
The Payson Town Council held a regular meeting on August 14, 2024, starting at 4:00 PM and adjourning at approximately 5:15 PM. The meeting included proclamations, a presentation on broadband funding, a resolution to rename the water treatment plant, and the first public hearing on a rezoning request for self-storage and U-Haul facilities. All council members except Scott Nossek and Jolynn Schinstock were present.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of the July 24, 2024 regular meeting.
- Approved a six-month extension of the Final Plat approval for Timber Ridge Phase 1 subdivision (300 West Rumsey Drive).
- Motion carried 5-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Tom Dunning, a 20-year resident, offered quotations on democracy, liberty, and justice, referencing Winston Churchill, Thomas Jefferson, and John Lewis.
- Carol Fagen, a resident near the proposed rezoning site, expressed support for the U-Haul project over expensive housing, but voiced concerns about drainage issues and past failures at Home Depot. She urged proper water retention design.
Discussion Items
- Town Manager Report (C.1): Troy Smith summarized articles on the World's Oldest Continuous Rodeo, library events, water department repairs, economic development, parks and recreation activities, police school safety, street repairs, pavement projects (Grant Dell's Road completion estimated December 2024), B-line bus improvements, and the General Plan awaiting voter ratification in November.
- Proclamations: Missoula Children's Theatre Week (Aug 18-24) – accepted by Kathy Siler; National Service Dog Month (September 2024) – accepted by Cris Gerard with two puppies.
- Broadband Presentation (D.3): Kelly Krusee, Erin Lorandos (Digital Equity Program Manager), and Sandip Bhowmick (State Broadband Director) presented the Arizona Commerce Authority's Connecting Arizona Engagement Tour. They discussed the BEAD program, with nearly $1 billion ($993 million) allocated to connect 320,000 unserved/underserved households in Arizona. The grant application process is expected to open in November 2024 with a two-round process. They also covered the Digital Equity Act, including a $16 million capacity grant and a competitive grant program with awards starting at $5 million. Council Member Mona inquired about timelines; subgrants anticipated in fall 2024.
- Resolution 3407 – Naming Water Treatment Plant (F.1): Council Member Mona and staff presented the proposal to rename the Cragin Treatment Plant the Buzz Walker Water Treatment Plant in honor of former Water Director Collin "Buzz" Walker. Speakers included Council Member Mona, Water Director Tanner Henry, Buzz's son Patrick Walker, and former Town Manager LaRon Garrett. They highlighted Walker's 40+ years of service, his role in the C.C. Cragin project (14.5-mile pipeline, 4.3 MGD microfiltration plant, hydroelectric generator), and his work on Green Valley Park and other infrastructure. The resolution was approved unanimously.
- First Public Hearing – Ordinance 967 Rezoning (F.2): Zoning Administrator Nicole Adams presented the request to rezone 9.99 acres at 1900 N. Beeline Highway from R-3 and C-2 to C-3 to allow indoor self-storage, outdoor covered RV storage (112 spaces), U-Haul truck/trailer leasing, and related retail. The property had been designated for townhomes since 2006 but no development occurred. The project aligns with the General Plan and includes a stormwater detention area as a buffer. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval with a condition for a fence along the western/southwestern property line. Public comment from Carol Fagen supported the project but raised drainage concerns. No action was taken; second public hearing scheduled for September 11, 2024.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved 5-0.
- Resolution 3407: Approved 5-0 to name the water treatment plant the Buzz Walker Water Treatment Plant, with installation of signage by December 31, 2024, funded from the council contingency and water enterprise fund.
- First Public Hearing on Ordinance 967: No vote taken; matter continued to September 11, 2024 for second hearing and possible action.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everybody like to call to order tonight's council meeting for town of Payson and ask Pastor Joseph Kruppenbacher from Ponderosa Bible Church to please come forward to give the invitation. If everyone could please rise and remove your hats. Thank you. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Lord Jesus, we just thank you for the privilege to be able to serve our town. We thank you for all of the stuff that you bless the town of Payton with, uh, the leadership here. And we ask that you would give each person here clarity of thought as they're making major decisions, Lord, that you would help them to not take the uh the dealings going on in Payton lightly and help them to have a clear mind to go the right direction. Be with this town council tonight in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor. Vice Mayor, could you please lead us in pledge? I pledge to my United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, other God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Thank you. All right, Michelle. Can we get a roll call, please? Let the record show that all council members are present except for council members, not the English document. All right, thank you. Call to the public, have one speaker request for Mr. Tom Dunning. If you'd like to come to the podium, please. I'm a twenty-year resident of Payson. And uh tonight, I'd just like to offer you some quotations. They're quotations that you've heard many times, but one more time isn't gonna hurt. My first quotation is from Winston Churchill. Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried. Democracy's hard. If you have a family and children, you have to make a living, you have to take care of your kids, and that's a tough job. If you're a senior, you have to find out how you're gonna make it through today, this week, next week, the month, the year. So it's hard because democracy asks that we above all that we have to do, educate ourselves, be involved, and vote. So it's a hard job. My second quote is uh attributed to Thomas Jefferson, although during the revolutionary time, I think everybody was saying that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. If we want to have our freedoms, we can't take our eye off the ball. That was true then, that's true now. Get up. That he was going to be hurt, damaged, might even be killed. He stepped on the bridge, he walked to the other side, and his skull was fractured. But a days later, his head bandaged, he stepped back onto that bridge, he walked across it, and he walked all the way to Montgomery. The John Lewis voter uh protection act has not been passed. But I know that it will be passed. And I know when we are hurt, when we are damaged in the fullness of time, we shall overcome. Thank you. Thank you. Tracy, do we have any speaker requests online on Zoom? No. No. All right.
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