The Phoenix City Council convened on February 19, 2025, at 9:45 AM for a formal meeting. The agenda included consent agenda approvals, a public hearing on development impact fees, discussion of employee compensation, affordable housing for veterans, land sales, and workforce development. Public comment sessions addressed homelessness, heat relief, and community cat overpopulation.
It was a destination. It was what I call a part of civic pride. Yes, it was a building. Yes, there was a lot of money in it. Yes, it was ornate. But what was coupled with it for Phoenicians at the time was the civic memory of going there as a celebration. Going there with a special person or some special event. That's the legacy of the Senate Capri is always associated with some fond memories of people that lived here at the time. You know, it seems that every time we look around, we see the news. Help us in this council find more ways to love our neighbors and to show the world your goodness. Please help us to give your grace away to others as freely as we have received it from you. May we see you as the God over the small things just as much as the big ones, so that we can experience your unending peace. Thank you so much to Chaplin Sexton and the Vice Mayor for starting us off on the right note. And speaking of starting us off on the right note, um before we began the uh invocation. Uh the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network came here and presented Councilman Waring with a recognition because more than close about 14,000 city employees have completed human trafficking awareness training. Councilman Waring leads our human trafficking effort from the council side, and we just want to say thank you to all of our city employees who are helping to combat trafficking. With that, I will call the formal meeting to order and ask the clerk to call the role. Councilman Ganinda. Here. Councilwoman Guardado? Here. Councilwoman Hodge Washington. Councilwoman Pastor. Here. Councilman Robinson. Here. Councilwoman Stark. Here. Councilman Waring. Here. Vice Mayor O'Brien. Here. Mayor Gallego. Here. We'll next go to the interpretation portion of our council meeting. We have a little bit of sad news. We lost Gloria, who has led our interpretation company. And just want to send condolences on behalf of the city to her family and her employees. We also want to bring attention to some of the new changes that you have probably already noticed in council chambers. First, you will notice two screens showing live translation of the meeting in both English and Spanish. You can find the first screen behind the dais and the other in the back of chambers. This added tool will provide more accessibility to our residents here in council chambers, both English and Spanish speakers, who can follow along in both languages for the regular city business and public comment. Speaking of public comment for our Spanish speakers, you will now be able to speak uninterrupted for the entire duration of your comments. Our interpreter will record your comments and translate afterwards for the audience. With that, I want to turn to Mario Barajas and Elsie Duarte, who will be providing Spanish interpretation today. Yes, thank you, Mayor. As the mayor already mentioned, my name is Mario Warajas, and together with my colleague El C Duarte, we'll both be serving as Spanish interpreters for today's meeting. I'll now take a moment to introduce ourselves to our Spanish speaking audience. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you so much.