OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - October 22, 2025

Town Council & Planning and Zoning — Wednesday, October 22, 2025
BodyPayson, Arizona
SessionTown Council & Planning and Zoning
DateWednesday, October 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:28:01

Transcript — Verbatim
0:24

I call this meeting of the common council for the town of Payson October 22nd, 2025 to order.

0:32

It's 4 02 p.m.

0:35

And for the for the invocation, I ask Pastor Joseph to step up.

0:42

Welcome, sir.

0:51

Microphones in front of you.

0:53

Just okay.

0:53

Things have changed.

0:54

Well, thank you for having me.

0:56

It's a pleasure to be here.

0:57

Um, Lord Jesus, I just thank you for this uh time together, and uh thank you for everybody here who you put it on their heart to just leave the town of Payton in the direction that it needs to go.

1:10

I pray for a spirit of unity among those who are leaving our town.

1:13

I pray that you would give everyone the wisdom they need to make the right decision.

1:17

And Lord, I pray that a spirit of selflessness would be on all of our leaders.

1:21

But they would remember everything that they do is for the town of Path and for uh for our place that we live that we call home.

1:31

You would just bless them with the wisdom they need to continue the call from to do in Jesus' name, amen.

1:38

Amen.

2:03

And Don, are you keeping roll as for roll call, please?

2:07

Let the mayor show that all of the council members are public.

2:10

Thank you.

2:14

And as usual, that brings us to number A call to the public.

2:19

Now's the time for the call of the public, which allows citizens with an opportunity to speak on any issue within the legal authority and jurisdiction of the town of Payson.

2:30

The town must abide by Arizona Open Meeting Law, and this agendized item is the public's opportunity to be heard at this meeting.

2:39

When called to speak, please approach the podium, speak towards the microphone so your statements can be heard, give your name.

2:46

The town requests that you address your comments to the council as a whole.

2:51

If you're speaking on an agenda item for today's meeting, uh and I call you in error for the general comments, please let me know that I've made a mistake and you want to wait until that agenda item.

3:04

You'll only be allowed to speak once.

3:08

Each speaker has three minutes.

3:10

If you don't use your three minutes, you can't come back at another time and claim your underused time.

3:19

So the purpose of this meeting is to conduct town business.

3:24

So let's start with Mike White.

3:38

Evening, mayor, counselors, council persons.

3:41

Right.

3:41

Um topic is generally related to the hangar.

3:44

Uh, you've heard me before talk about the inequitable rates, and uh the very poorly written contract that was submitted to us last June.

3:53

We protested it multiple times.

3:55

It's with no uh our feedback has been ignored.

3:58

All right, um, quickly summarizing the uh the rate portion of that.

4:02

We've been overcharged 81 dollars a month since last July.

4:05

Submitted multiple requests to get that rectified, nothing.

4:09

Right.

4:10

And inequitable treatment is uh violation of the grant terms.

4:16

Right.

4:16

Um where that comes from is 71 dollars uh for the difference in square footage and 15 dollars for electricity in the CDR that was submitted to you by the airport coordinator on May 14th of this year in the financial justification section.

4:30

It was shown that the town would pay for electricity insurance and taxes out of the income from us.

4:36

Okay, the town is paying for electricity and taxes or taxes insurance, but they're charging us for electricity.

4:42

So that's that's a violation is wrong.

4:45

That's not consistent with the vote that you took.

4:48

Just let you know.

4:53

The second area, the contract itself.

4:54

We were given uh less than a week to uh sign this contract to stay in the hangars, or we would get evicted.

5:02

It's a very one-sided coercive contract, and we've submitted multiple comments about why it is so.

5:08

For example, is uh month to month, and we were told multiple times in our discussions with public works and the airport commissioner that would be a 12-month lease.

5:18

We're still waiting.

5:20

All right, uh, one provision that violates ARS Title 33 1414 at 20% late fee, where the ARS says you can only have five dollars uh per day maximum.

5:33

There's uh no fuel storage allowed in the contract, and even the fire marshal says that we can have a small quantity in there.

5:41

Contract says an airplane even uh restricts how much gas we can have in our tanks inside the airplanes, and no one knows anything about aviation would ever make such a requirement.

5:53

That's just totally unrealistic.

5:55

In fact, it could be unsafe the way it's written.

5:58

All right, uh, allows us to do zero maintenance in the hangers, not even 100 hour inspections or annuals, and that's very uncommon.

6:06

Most airports allow you to do that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety████████████████16%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████████15%
Procedural█████████████13%
Fiscal Sustainability███████████11%
Capital Improvement█████████9%
Airport Management███████7%
Personnel Matters███████7%
Public Engagement██████6%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - October 22, 2025

The Payson Town Council held its regular meeting on October 22, 2025, at 4:02 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers. The meeting covered public comments on airport hangar leases, the proposed pool bond, and Resolution 3464; a current events presentation including a GFOA award and staff updates; discussion and postponement of Resolution 3464; and a Police Department update on staffing and promotions. The meeting adjourned at approximately 5:29 p.m.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mike White expressed concerns about inequitable hangar rates and a poorly written lease contract at the airport, alleging overcharges and violations of grant terms. He requested the matter be placed on a future agenda.
  • Mike Quinn spoke in support of the proposed pool bond, stating it would increase property values by an average of 4% and urged council members to support it.
  • Tom West called for hiring an airport maintenance technician and cited specific maintenance issues at the airport, including light bulbs and door pulleys.
  • Tom Dunning spoke in opposition to Resolution 3464, arguing it was unnecessary and would limit the town's financial flexibility. He urged the council not to pass it.
  • Judy Hansen asked for line-item cost estimates for building a pool at the Malibu site and expressed support for rebuilding the Taylor pool instead, mentioning the need for transparency.
  • Brooke Meyers spoke in opposition to the $16 million pool bond, citing concerns about long-term costs, property tax increases, and the need to prioritize infrastructure, public safety, and education.
  • Tom Thompson spoke in opposition to the pool bond and Resolution 3464, supporting rebuilding the Taylor pool and requesting that Resolution 3464 be tabled until after the November bond election.
  • Mike Voden Jr. addressed maintenance and improvement needs at Green Valley Park, suggesting hiring a custodian, adding lighting, trash cans, and benches, and addressing dog waste issues.

Discussion Items

  • Current Events Presentation: Town Manager Darren Coldwell reported that the town received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), congratulating Finance Director Dana Ohanesian and staff. He announced Nicole Adams as Employee of the Month, David Staub's formal appointment as Public Safety Director, and the hiring of a new engineer starting in January, with plans to hire two more engineers. A new "Ask the Town" button was added to the website for public inquiries, and the digital budget book is now available online. Mayor Otto addressed concerns about a forensic audit, explaining that such audits are triggered by specific criminal allegations and are not warranted at this time; Town Attorney Robert Wingo cautioned against further discussion.
  • Resolution 3464: Town Manager Coldwell presented Resolution 3464, which would allocate the 1% sales tax increase (adopted via Ordinance 964) to designated funds: 50% for paying down emergency services (PSPRS) debt, 25% for road improvements, and 25% for capital improvements/maintenance of existing facilities. He noted the resolution provides transparency and flexibility, but some council members expressed concerns about timing, given the upcoming November bond election for a new pool. Vice Mayor Susan Tubbs moved to postpone the resolution until after the November 4th election and to also bring back discussion of the food tax. Council discussion included considerations about the food tax, the original intent of the 0.88% sales tax, and the need to silo funds for debt repayment. The motion to postpone was seconded by Council Member Brett Flaherty.
  • Police Department Update: Public Safety Director David Staub and Police Commander Jesse Davies presented an update on police staffing, promotions, and recent hires. Promotions included Sergeant Jesse Davies to Commander, Selena West to Support Services Manager, Lieutenant Ben Anderson, Sergeant Nick Bogatko, and Mary Trout to Interim Dispatcher Manager. New hires included lateral officers Lindsey Eggert (from Phoenix PD) and Max Farren (returning officer), and academy graduates Hailee Krause, Sam Winters, and recruit Zack Griffin (expected to graduate in December). The department is currently at 76% staffing (26 of 34 authorized sworn positions) and could reach 91% if upcoming candidates are successful. Discussion included the commitment requirements for academy graduates (the receiving agency may have to cover costs if officers leave) and the cost savings of having Chief Staub serve as Public Safety Director (saving approximately $160,000 annually including benefits).

Key Outcomes

  • The council voted unanimously (7-0) to postpone Resolution 3464 until after the November 4, 2025 bond election and to bring back discussion of the food tax at that time.
  • No other formal actions were taken.

Meeting Transcript

I call this meeting of the common council for the town of Payson October 22nd, 2025 to order. It's 4 02 p.m. And for the for the invocation, I ask Pastor Joseph to step up. Welcome, sir. Microphones in front of you. Just okay. Things have changed. Well, thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. Um, Lord Jesus, I just thank you for this uh time together, and uh thank you for everybody here who you put it on their heart to just leave the town of Payton in the direction that it needs to go. I pray for a spirit of unity among those who are leaving our town. I pray that you would give everyone the wisdom they need to make the right decision. And Lord, I pray that a spirit of selflessness would be on all of our leaders. But they would remember everything that they do is for the town of Path and for uh for our place that we live that we call home. You would just bless them with the wisdom they need to continue the call from to do in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. And Don, are you keeping roll as for roll call, please? Let the mayor show that all of the council members are public. Thank you. And as usual, that brings us to number A call to the public. Now's the time for the call of the public, which allows citizens with an opportunity to speak on any issue within the legal authority and jurisdiction of the town of Payson. The town must abide by Arizona Open Meeting Law, and this agendized item is the public's opportunity to be heard at this meeting. When called to speak, please approach the podium, speak towards the microphone so your statements can be heard, give your name. The town requests that you address your comments to the council as a whole. If you're speaking on an agenda item for today's meeting, uh and I call you in error for the general comments, please let me know that I've made a mistake and you want to wait until that agenda item. You'll only be allowed to speak once. Each speaker has three minutes. If you don't use your three minutes, you can't come back at another time and claim your underused time. So the purpose of this meeting is to conduct town business. So let's start with Mike White. Evening, mayor, counselors, council persons. Right. Um topic is generally related to the hangar. Uh, you've heard me before talk about the inequitable rates, and uh the very poorly written contract that was submitted to us last June. We protested it multiple times. It's with no uh our feedback has been ignored. All right, um, quickly summarizing the uh the rate portion of that. We've been overcharged 81 dollars a month since last July. Submitted multiple requests to get that rectified, nothing. Right. And inequitable treatment is uh violation of the grant terms. Right. Um where that comes from is 71 dollars uh for the difference in square footage and 15 dollars for electricity in the CDR that was submitted to you by the airport coordinator on May 14th of this year in the financial justification section. It was shown that the town would pay for electricity insurance and taxes out of the income from us. Okay, the town is paying for electricity and taxes or taxes insurance, but they're charging us for electricity. So that's that's a violation is wrong. That's not consistent with the vote that you took. Just let you know. The second area, the contract itself. We were given uh less than a week to uh sign this contract to stay in the hangars, or we would get evicted.

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