Payson Common Council Regular Meeting Summary – October 28, 2026

The Payson Common Council held its regular meeting on October 28, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. per the agenda, in the Town Hall Council Chambers, 303 N. Beeline Highway, Payson, Arizona. All seven council members were present. The council approved a consent agenda, heard a magistrate-court ordinance, received public testimony on a proposed manufactured-home rezoning, discussed emergency-clause policy, and held an executive session related to a Payson Golf Club agreement.

Consent Calendar

• The council approved the consent agenda 7-0, including: (B.1) minutes of the September 9 and October 14, 2026 regular meetings; and (B.2) the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Pension Funding Policy decision request submitted by Finance Director Dave Christian.

Public Comments & Testimony

• During Call to the Public, Tom Dunning described himself as a 'perennial gadfly.' He praised town operations but urged the council to avoid ideological decisions that cost taxpayers, to keep residents informed, and to use merit-based hiring rather than a 'crony system.'
• Gary Cordell appeared via Zoom and deferred his comments to agenda item F.1.
• During the F.1 public hearing, Gary Cordell, a Wildwood subdivision homeowner and realtor, opposed the rezoning. He argued that changing established zoning would harm surrounding property values and buyer confidence, and suggested the applicant consider a Habitat for Humanity-style leased-land ownership model that could preserve existing zoning.
• Also during the F.1 public hearing, Mark Wolski, a nearby homeowner, opposed the proposal. He cited concerns about independent traffic and property-value studies, the project being a 'glorified mobile home,' the applicant's lack of a current certificate of occupancy for earlier changes, a history of paying fines rather than completing promised fixes, and the applicant's framing that the project was 'better than the alternative.'

Ceremonial and Current Events

• The Town Manager reported that the town sold its bonds the prior week and would use the proceeds to pay off $20 million in outstanding Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) debt, with a plan to retire the debt within 10 years.
• The Town Manager announced Tiffany Brown-Carcroft, code enforcement officer, as Employee of the Year.
• Council members praised the Parks and Recreation Department for a successful Halloween event and setup.

Hearings and Ordinances

• F.2 — First public hearing, Ordinance No. 2026-110: Staff presented a proposal to amend Payson Town Code Title III, Chapter 34, Section 34.02(C) to allow appointment of the town magistrate for a term of up to four years instead of two, aligning with the four-year justice of the peace term. No action was taken; the second public hearing and the magistrate agreement were scheduled for November 10, 2026, with any new contract to begin January 1, 2027. No public comments were made on this item.
• F.1 — Second public hearing, Ordinance No. 2026-109: The ordinance would rezone approximately 26.85 acres at 1504 W. Country Club Drive (Gila County Parcel No. 304-13-001F) from R-3 multi-family residential to Planned Area Development with a Manufactured Home overlay for a 125-lot detached single-family manufactured-home community. At the start of the item, council members requested to move it until after H.4 because the same applicant was involved in an existing development agreement; the mayor agreed to take it up after executive session. Following the F.1 public testimony, the council voted 6-1 to postpone the item to a later date.

New Business and Discussion Items

• H.1 — Waste Collection Agreement: Capital Improvements Director Kyle Christiansen presented the Group One waste collection and disposal contract for town facilities following an RFP. The staff recommendation was to award the contract to Waste Management of Northern Arizona/Arizona. A question from the audience clarified that the contract covers town-owned facilities and curbside pickup, not all trash service in Payson; multiple private haulers remain available to residents. The council voted 7-0 to award the contract in the amount of $63,827.30 per year.
• H.2 — Professional Services Agreement with Collaborative Partnerships LLC: The council removed this item and postponed it to a future meeting with no action.
• H.3 — Emergency Clause Policy Discussion: Council Members Jim Ferris and Charlie Bell requested that the council define an 'emergency' for purposes of the emergency clause, citing Arizona Constitution Article 4, Part 1, Sections 2 and 8, and Arizona Revised Statutes Title 19, Section 142. They argued that past emergency clauses were used for bonds rather than true emergencies, that residents' referendum rights should be protected, and that interest-rate changes should not be treated as an emergency. The Town Attorney advised that Payson, as a general-law town, follows state statute; that ARS 19-142 governs referendum signature calculations and emergency clauses; that invoking the emergency clause requires a supermajority vote of six of seven council members; that courts defer to elected officials' judgment; and that she was not aware of other towns adopting a separate definition. Several council members opposed changing the current approach, stating that the statute is sufficient, that prior bonds met the peace, health, and safety test, and that a locally written definition could create legal risk. One council member mentioned that Stifel had indicated using the emergency clause for the recent $20 million bond could have locked in a 5.44% interest rate sooner, rather than the higher rate ultimately received. No formal action was taken; the consensus direction was to leave the emergency-clause process under state statute.
• H.4 — Payson Golf Club Escrow and Funding Agreement: The council voted to enter executive session with six votes in favor and one abstention under A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(3), (4), and (7) for legal advice and real-property negotiation discussions. Upon returning to open session, the council reported that no action was necessary on H.4.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved 7-0.
• Waste collection contract awarded to Waste Management for $63,827.30 per year, 7-0.
• Ordinance 2026-110 scheduled for a second public hearing on November 10, 2026.
• Ordinance 2026-109 postponed to a later date by a 6-1 vote.
• H.2 postponed to a future meeting without action.
• H.3 resulted in no formal action; council consensus was against creating a new emergency definition.
• H.4 produced no action; executive session completed.
• The meeting adjourned after the F.1 postponement vote.