OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - February 11, 2026

Town Council & Planning and Zoning — Wednesday, February 11, 2026
BodyPayson, Arizona
SessionTown Council & Planning and Zoning
DateWednesday, February 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:55:12

Transcript — Verbatim
0:14

Forget his password.

0:17

He's locked out.

0:22

Alan locked out.

0:23

Do I need to think of the comments?

0:36

You can vote for me too.

0:37

We're ready.

0:43

Call this regular meeting of the common council of the town of Pays into order, February 11th, 2026.

0:51

Pastor Joe.

0:54

Two Sonardi.

0:58

Close enough.

0:59

Join me in prayer, please.

1:01

Thank you, Your Honor, and committee members.

1:04

Papa, we come before you and uh we thank you, Lord, that as a heavenly father, you're the source of all wisdom and understanding.

1:11

And today we lift up a local Payson town council meeting, Lord, and give it to you and ask you, Lord, to give uh each and everyone involved, grant them wisdom uh that surpasses any human uh understanding or reasoning.

1:24

Let every decision be made, Lord, as we guide uh this town, Lord God, and to uh make it better, Lord, for all the community that lives here.

1:32

We thank you for PACIN, Lord God, pray your blessing continue to be upon it and just guide and lead us in order this meeting, Lord.

1:39

In Jesus' name we pray.

1:45

I gladly of the United States of America with liberty and justice for all agenda item A, call to the public.

2:13

Call to the public's time to allow citizens the opportunity to speak on any issue within the legal authority of the and jurisdiction of the town of Payson.

2:24

Town must abide by the Arizona Open Meeting Law and this what roll call?

2:29

Roll call.

2:29

I'm sorry.

2:30

Oops.

2:32

Megan, please.

2:34

Let the record reflect that all council members are present.

2:37

Council member Tubbs.

2:42

Thank you.

2:43

Back where I was this agendized item is the public's opportunity to be heard in this meeting.

2:53

We're going to be discussing policy, not personalities.

2:57

We're gonna limit, we're not going to put up with the personal attacks, and uh we will move forward.

3:04

If if I call you and the and you want to talk to an agenda item, not just general call to the public, please do tell me, and uh I will put you back at uh that the appropriate agenda item.

3:18

You're limited to three minutes.

3:21

And that being said, let's go.

3:27

Uh Brooke Myers.

3:32

Okay.

3:37

Okay.

3:38

Mike Bowden.

3:53

Members of the council and uh residents of Payson.

3:56

I'm here to um talk about a very sad and tragic issue about these missing kids in Arizona here, for example.

4:04

Um many kids are disappeared from the uh valley, and many of them.

4:10

Can we focus on Payson kids, Mike?

4:13

Um, yeah, well, it's gonna come back around a pacing.

4:16

Okay.

4:16

Um many of these kids may have been soft abducted through custody battles and things like that, but there are obviously some hard abduction issues.

4:24

The FBI doesn't have any hard numbers on you know what's what with this, but they're anywhere from six hundred thousand to eight hundred thousand kids go missing every year in the United States.

4:34

And um my supposition is that many of them maybe get traffic through Payson uh on the way to elsewhere.

4:43

And so my my recommendation was that uh the police department keep catalogs of missing kids from the valley in their vehicles so that if on the chance that maybe uh an abductor takes them into Walmart or someplace to get something to eat, that there may be a citizen, there may be um someone else maybe recognizes an off-duty police officer.

5:14

Um any case, I think it would be a good idea, and um I also thought, and this is kind of an aside.

5:23

Uh a lot of these uh truckers go into these uh truck stops, you know, and they could have missing kids placarded all over the sides of those things.

5:30

I'm currently working on a t-shirt initiative to revamp this idea of missing kids on like walking milk cartons idea, and also talking with a water bottling company for uh getting water bottles all over the uh country with uh missing kids' portraits on them.

5:44

So I just want to bring that to everybody's awareness.

5:46

If you could play, please pray for the parents involved, for the grandparents, and those who've been traumatized.

5:54

That's the most important thing.

5:55

Is please pray for proper resolution and for having law enforcement stay vigilant, diligent to find these kids and return them to their families, God willing.

6:12

Mr.

6:13

Town Manager, what I think is all right.

6:21

Oh is it can you hear me?

6:24

Yes.

6:25

If it's possible if we do actually discuss this at a future agenda, we have a local girl missing, and um I think that we as a town need to help get the word out about this missing child.

6:39

Sure, and I'll figure out what they're currently doing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████29%
Parks and Recreation██████████████████18%
Community Engagement█████████████13%
Procedural██████████10%
Public Health█████████9%
Public Engagement████████8%
Eminent Domain███3%
Public Safety██2%
Economic Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - February 11, 2026

The Payson Town Council met on February 11, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers. The meeting covered a consent agenda, a public hearing on the Home Rule expenditure limitation, a controversial lease amendment for affordable housing, and a detailed parks and recreation update. Several items required separate votes after being removed from the consent calendar.

Consent Calendar

  • B.1 – Resolution 2026-002 (ADOT Intergovernmental Agreement): Approved 7-0. Town Manager Darren Coldwell confirmed that $1.5 million from the state was held in a restricted account and none had been spent.
  • B.2 – Minutes of January 28, 2026: Approved 7-0.
  • B.3 – Resolution 2026-005 (2026 Legislative Priorities): Removed from consent by Mayor Otto for discussion. Approved 4-3, with Council Members Tubbs, Flaherty, Haws, and Nossek in favor; Mayor Otto and Council Members Bell and Ferris opposed. Council discussed concerns about the League of Arizona Cities and Towns (LACT) focusing on metropolitan issues and the resolution’s vague language. Staff noted the resolution is non-binding and allows staff to advocate on behalf of the town.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mike Voden expressed concern about missing children potentially trafficked through Payson and suggested police keep photos of missing children in patrol vehicles. Vice Mayor Tubbs asked that the issue be placed on a future agenda, noting a local child is currently missing.
  • Darlene Younker Delage (public comment on Item F.2) raised concerns about the Danco lease terms, property management reputation, and the need for careful vetting.
  • Brook Meyers (public comment on Item F.2) urged rejection of the 99-year lease, citing financial risk, environmental harm, loss of local control, and lack of flexibility. She supported shorter leases with opt-out clauses.

Discussion Items

  • F.1 – Resolution 2026-003 (Home Rule Extension): Second public hearing opened and closed with no public comment. Council members discussed the necessity of the alternative expenditure limitation due to the town’s growth (fire department, water department). Approved 7-0.
  • F.2 – Resolution 2026-007 (Danco Communities Lease Amendment): This item generated extensive debate. Community Development Coordinator Julie Leonard introduced the extension of a 99-year ground lease option on approximately three acres of the town-owned 19-acre Malibu parcel to allow Danco to apply for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funding by April 1, 2026. Hailey Wilson (Danco) presented project details: 66 units (1–3 bedrooms), 137 parking spaces, community amenities, and committed to negotiating infrastructure extensions. Mayor Otto moved to table for two weeks to obtain lease terms, road/utility responsibilities, and appraisal information. Motion to table failed 3-4 (Otto, Bell, Ferris yes; Tubbs, Flaherty, Haws, Nossek no). Then a motion to approve the resolution carried 4-3 (Tubbs, Flaherty, Haws, Nossek yes; Otto, Bell, Ferris no). Council members supporting approval cited the affordable housing crisis, the non-binding nature of the option, and the need for flexibility. Opponents cited incomplete financial details, loss of control, and concerns about the developer’s reputation.
  • H.1 – Parks and Recreation Update: Director Steve Richardson reported on 2025 usage data (cell-phone tracked): Rumsey Park 603,700 visits, Green Valley Park 547,000, Event Center 38,900, Mustang Park 12,400. Event attendance included 30,000+ at July 4th, 6,000+ at Monster Mash, 3,876 ice rink skaters (182.5% increase from 2024). Revenue from ice rink was nearly $45,000 (50% of cost). New 2026 programs include an 18-hole disc golf course (open by April), a mountain bike state championship (April 18), youth enrichment classes, and more softball tournaments (from 7 to 13). Council members expressed strong appreciation for the department’s work.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes:
    • Resolution 2026-002 (ADOT IGA): Approved 7-0.
    • Minutes (Jan 28, 2026): Approved 7-0.
    • Resolution 2026-005 (Legislative Priorities): Approved 4-3.
    • Resolution 2026-003 (Home Rule): Approved 7-0.
    • Motion to Table Resolution 2026-007: Failed 3-4.
    • Resolution 2026-007 (Danco Lease Amendment): Approved 4-3.
  • Directives: Vice Mayor Tubbs requested staff place the missing children issue on a future agenda. Town Manager to send contact information for SB-1059 support.
  • Next Steps: Danco may proceed with its LIHTC application; if funded, terms of the ground lease will be negotiated and brought back to council for approval.

Meeting Transcript

Forget his password. He's locked out. Alan locked out. Do I need to think of the comments? You can vote for me too. We're ready. Call this regular meeting of the common council of the town of Pays into order, February 11th, 2026. Pastor Joe. Two Sonardi. Close enough. Join me in prayer, please. Thank you, Your Honor, and committee members. Papa, we come before you and uh we thank you, Lord, that as a heavenly father, you're the source of all wisdom and understanding. And today we lift up a local Payson town council meeting, Lord, and give it to you and ask you, Lord, to give uh each and everyone involved, grant them wisdom uh that surpasses any human uh understanding or reasoning. Let every decision be made, Lord, as we guide uh this town, Lord God, and to uh make it better, Lord, for all the community that lives here. We thank you for PACIN, Lord God, pray your blessing continue to be upon it and just guide and lead us in order this meeting, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. I gladly of the United States of America with liberty and justice for all agenda item A, call to the public. Call to the public's time to allow citizens the opportunity to speak on any issue within the legal authority of the and jurisdiction of the town of Payson. Town must abide by the Arizona Open Meeting Law and this what roll call? Roll call. I'm sorry. Oops. Megan, please. Let the record reflect that all council members are present. Council member Tubbs. Thank you. Back where I was this agendized item is the public's opportunity to be heard in this meeting. We're going to be discussing policy, not personalities. We're gonna limit, we're not going to put up with the personal attacks, and uh we will move forward. If if I call you and the and you want to talk to an agenda item, not just general call to the public, please do tell me, and uh I will put you back at uh that the appropriate agenda item. You're limited to three minutes. And that being said, let's go. Uh Brooke Myers. Okay. Okay. Mike Bowden. Members of the council and uh residents of Payson. I'm here to um talk about a very sad and tragic issue about these missing kids in Arizona here, for example. Um many kids are disappeared from the uh valley, and many of them. Can we focus on Payson kids, Mike? Um, yeah, well, it's gonna come back around a pacing. Okay. Um many of these kids may have been soft abducted through custody battles and things like that, but there are obviously some hard abduction issues. The FBI doesn't have any hard numbers on you know what's what with this, but they're anywhere from six hundred thousand to eight hundred thousand kids go missing every year in the United States. And um my supposition is that many of them maybe get traffic through Payson uh on the way to elsewhere. And so my my recommendation was that uh the police department keep catalogs of missing kids from the valley in their vehicles so that if on the chance that maybe uh an abductor takes them into Walmart or someplace to get something to eat, that there may be a citizen, there may be um someone else maybe recognizes an off-duty police officer. Um any case, I think it would be a good idea, and um I also thought, and this is kind of an aside. Uh a lot of these uh truckers go into these uh truck stops, you know, and they could have missing kids placarded all over the sides of those things. I'm currently working on a t-shirt initiative to revamp this idea of missing kids on like walking milk cartons idea, and also talking with a water bottling company for uh getting water bottles all over the uh country with uh missing kids' portraits on them.

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