Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - July 8, 2026
Payson Town Council Regular Meeting - July 8, 2026
The Payson Town Council met in regular session on July 8, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included a public hearing, consent agenda items, reports, and discussion of a proposed luxury RV resort on town-owned parcels. The council debated the Library Service Agreement, approved a wildfire evacuation route study, and withdrew an ordinance to reduce public hearings. An executive session was held regarding the Malibu property.
Consent Calendar
- Items B.3, B.4, B.5 Approved Unanimously (7-0):
- Resolution 2026-028 accepting dedication of right-of-way and improvements for Sawmill Crossing.
- Resolution 2026-029 accepting dedication of streets, rights-of-way, and improvements for West Wilson Court.
- Resolution 2026-030 authorizing the Chief of Police to execute an IGA with the Arizona Department of Public Safety for the Gang & Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission (GIITEM) State Gang Task Force.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Brooke Meyers commended staff for the Fourth of July event, opposed Item F.1 (ordinance change), and supported selling the Malibu property for development.
- Jeff Robbins opposed Item F.1 and expressed concerns about the executive session regarding a development decision.
- Lori Vanover spoke favorably about the library and urged approval of the Library Services Agreement; opposed the Malibu property sale, advocating for future town facilities or a park.
- Carol Walsh supported the library, citing its programs and services.
- Michael Fox commended the library and opposed defunding it.
- Wendy Bellows opposed defunding the library and requested approval of funding.
- Mike Quinn stated issues raised about the library were politically motivated and not valid; opposed the Malibu property sale and encouraged long-term planning.
- Ralph Townsend opposed the League of Cities and Towns, Home Rule, and Flock Cameras, arguing they do not benefit the people.
- Larry Sugarman supported the library, placed responsibility for monitoring children on parents, and requested approval of library funding.
- Paul Edwards praised Green Valley Park and the library as the town's greatest assets and asked for support of Resolution 2026-026.
- Clara Griffin emphasized parental rights to determine children's values and opposed defunding the library.
- Matthew Burlando expressed concern about the Green Valley Parkway study based on the 2011 transportation plan; urged careful planning regarding nearby ancient ruins and supported the library as a prominent architectural asset.
- Tom Dunning opposed any attack on the library and urged approval of funding.
- Jerry Medina spoke in support of selling the Malibu property for a high-end RV resort, citing economic benefits.
- John Rittennour (developer) reported the land was appraised by a third party and not currently considered for funded projects; encouraged consideration of similar projects in other towns.
- Steve Oberholtzer (via Zoom) opposed the Malibu property sale and supported library funding.
- Cheryl Genet expressed concern about AI creep and supported library funding to help manage AI usage.
Discussion Items
- B.1 Library Service Agreement (Resolution 2026-026): Council removed this from the consent agenda for discussion. Mayor Otto moved to table the item to obtain information on the Library Bill of Rights, specifically whether it could be stricken or amended to include age-appropriate materials in the children's section. The motion failed (2-4, with Council Member Ferris absent). Extensive discussion followed regarding the Bill of Rights, the librarian's discretion, and concerns about content. A motion to approve the resolution passed (4-2; Mayor Otto and Council Member Bell dissenting).
- B.2 Wildfire Evacuation Route IGA (Resolution 2026-027): Staff reported on a $300,000 congressional award for scoping a route through Tonto National Forest and along the Payson Event Center, with a town match of $18,000–$20,000. The award expires September 2026. Council members noted concerns from residents about cultural ruins and traffic. The motion to approve passed (6-0; Ferris absent).
- F.1 Ordinance No. 2026-108 (Reducing Ordinance Readings): This public hearing considered repealing the requirement for two separate public hearings for ordinances. Town Manager Coldwell described it as housekeeping, noting most communities have one hearing. Public commenter Tom Dunning opposed the change. Council members expressed mixed views, with many preferring to retain the two-hearing process. At council direction, the ordinance was withdrawn and will not proceed to a second reading.
- H.1 Banking Services Award (Council Decision Request): Director of Capital Improvements Kyle Christiansen presented the recommendation to award a professional services agreement for banking services to National Bank of Arizona (a division of Zions Bancorp). The motion passed (6-0; Ferris absent).
- H.2 Malibu Property & Wildhorse Hospitality Proposal: The council discussed the proposal for a luxury RV and cabin resort on Town Parcels 304-02-015W and 304-02-015X. A motion to move into executive session for legal advice and negotiation discussion passed (6-0; Ferris absent). The session lasted from approximately 6:35 p.m. to 7:31 p.m. After reconvening, the council passed a motion to direct staff as discussed in executive session (no further details disclosed).
Key Outcomes
- Library Services Agreement (B.1) approved 4-2, ensuring continued operation and maintenance of the Payson Library under the Gila County Library District agreement.
- Wildfire Evacuation Route IGA (B.2) approved 6-0, authorizing scoping work for a route connecting Tonto National Forest and the Payson Event Center, preserving the $300,000 congressional award.
- Consent items B.3, B.4, B.5 approved 7-0, accepting dedicated property easements and construction improvements, and authorizing participation in the GIITEM state gang task force.
- Ordinance F.1 withdrawn after public hearing and council discussion; the two-hearing requirement remains in place.
- Banking services contract awarded to National Bank of Arizona (H.1) approved 6-0.
- Executive session held on Malibu property (H.2); council directed staff to take specific actions (not disclosed publicly).
Meeting Transcript
I call this meeting of the Common Council, the town of Paison to order. Okay. Come on to the with gratitude and Thanksgiving in our hearts and minds for a beautiful day, for an opportunity to come together as a council and community members. We ask that your spirit will be present to stay, that it will guide, lead and direct us in our conversations and in our thoughts, and that we will continue to move forward with the activities and gain knowledge and understanding of the events that happen in Payson. We're grateful for our community members, for our youth, for our young adults, for our families, and for our senior citizens that abide here in Payson. We ask a special blessing upon these individuals that they will be healthy, strong, insightful, and gain the knowledge that they need to move forward and find comfort and peace in everything that they do. We're grateful for those who serve our community, and we ask a blessing on them that they will continue to stay healthy and strong in all that they do. We're full of gratitude for the service of the many community members here in Payson. We're grateful for a town which is full of gratitude and friendliness, and we're grateful that we can live in this community and serve this community. Watch over all our people, our community members, and those in our surrounding towns, and we're thankful for the many blessings that all of us have received in our lifetime in Jesus' name. Amen. Let the record reflect that all council members are present. Thank you. I'll slap you on the back of the head. That brings us to call to the public. As a reminder, it's election season, and state law prohibits any town resource, including staff time, equipment, and anything of value to be used to influence an election. This prohibition applies to call to the public. You can talk about a town issue, but please do not advocate for a specific candidate or ballot measure. We appreciate your efforts to help the town comply with state law and avoid using taxpayer monies to influence this election. Call to the public 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 is agendized items 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 us your name. The town requests that you address your comments to the council as a whole. If you're speaking on an agenda item from today's meeting, you can wait until after the specific item is presented to speak, or you may state your comments now. Call to the public is regulated by time, place, and manner restrictions, and you cannot speak more than once at this meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to conduct town business. Speakers and the audience shall refrain from conduct that disrupts or interferes within the orderly conduct of the meeting, including clapping, cheering, or booing, as it disrupt disrupts a meeting and inhibits free speech rights. Any person who engages in disruptive conduct may be removed or barred from the meeting if the person refuses to stop the disruptive conduct after being warned by the mayor. The town council desires to hear from everyone wishing to speak without disruption and appreciate your willingness to be attentive, respectful to your neighbors. So with that, my open call to the public. And first speaker on my list is Brooke Myers. Jeff, you're on deck, so you don't have to come from the overflow. Hello, good evening. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, all the town staff. First of all, thank you for this past weekend to the parks and rec police, everybody. The event was amazing. And uh had a great time. So that being said, I I have two things that I want to talk about real quick. I haven't really prepared, but first thing, actually, I was on the radio yesterday, and Jeff brought my attention to F1 on the on the agenda, and uh not sure whose idea this is, but I just want to point out that this is a dumb idea. I'm sorry for whoever brought it up. But uh the um ordinance for providing severability or whatever, I'm totally against that. Uh next thing, real quick, the Malibu project. Uh I've been knocking on doors for a month and a half now, probably knocked on a thousand doors. Haven't talked to a thousand people, but I have to say this is probably a 70-30 issue. I don't feel like we should be in the real estate business. Um that property sat for 18 years, I believe, and uh we have somebody that's ready to go in and do something and make uh make something of it, generate some income for the town. I don't know if uh if anyone else is willing to do that.
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