OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Phoenix City Council Meeting 2025-11-18: Housing Trust Fund & Community Updates

City Council — Tuesday, November 18, 2025
BodyPhoenix, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, November 18, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:18:09

Transcript — Verbatim
0:31

Thank you so much.

0:33

Good afternoon.

0:34

It is November 18th, and I'll call the meeting to order.

0:37

Thank you all for joining us.

0:38

We'll begin with council information and follow-up requests.

0:42

And I will jointly recognize Councilwoman Stark and Councilman Robinson to begin us.

0:47

Thank you.

0:48

So Kevin and I went to a coffee with the cop, and uh the commander of the Desert Horizon precinct threw down a uh a piece of competition, he thought that only Kevin and I could do all of you could do this, but we just happen to be at the coffee, and it was for the turkey drive they do annually at Desert Horizon.

1:12

And so we have a competition going on between Desert uh District Three and District Six.

1:18

Of course, district three will win, but um I will turn it over to Kevin if you have any other thoughts, knowing that district three will win.

1:28

Thank you to my esteemed colleague.

1:31

Um it's been interesting.

1:33

Obviously, interesting as councilwoman Stark said, we were asked by the police department to help them, help them um with a you know a worthwhile cause, and that is obviously raise money and collect turkeys for folks who couldn't otherwise probably afford it this time of year.

1:50

So the competition was fierce.

1:52

Um I got sucked into it, you know.

1:54

Everyone thinks that councilwoman Sark is this nice woman and all this other stuff.

1:59

But um, you know, we went at it toe-to-toe, head to head and stuff like that.

2:04

And I will say that um thus far, as of this morning, well over six thousand dollars raised, and in comparison to last year, a total of seventeen hundred dollars having been raised.

2:17

So I think the head-to-head competition is it's really good.

2:20

It's bruising my ego, but it's good for um the overall um our overall goal.

2:27

And with that, I I thank Councilwoman Stark and her entire office, and I think my office, they've all gotten into it, and you're about to see, I think a very quick video.

2:37

I want to throw a thank you out to our communications person for um the council floor, Adam Waltz, because he participated.

2:50

He participated a lot more than I thought he would.

2:54

So I'll just put it at that.

2:56

So Mayor, thank you very much.

2:58

Councilwoman Stark, thank you.

3:03

I think we have a just a couple quick slides of presentation.

3:11

And then of course is be true indicate district three.

3:14

Go ahead.

3:46

And quite frankly, we probably should do this year round.

3:49

We should all think about giving to our food banks year-round, not just during the holidays.

3:54

But thank you.

3:55

It's been a lot of fun.

3:56

And I can't wait to have that.

3:59

What is that?

4:00

Prize again is uh dinner that's cooked by Commander Warren Brewer out of Desert Horizon Precinct has a specialty of um barbecued Hawaiian or Hawaiian barbecue that he'll put together for the winning office.

4:15

So if we don't win, we're gonna sneak over to District Three anyway and eat the food.

4:19

But um, you know, the one last thing I'll make mention of.

4:22

I've never seen so many department heads run in the opposite direction when they saw me because Deb had already gotten to them.

4:29

So I I I understand your reluctance and your avoidance of me, and I appreciate the reasons why.

4:36

So thank you, Mayor.

4:38

Well, th thank you both for helping such a worthy cause.

4:42

We know it's been a tough year for so many, and thanks to the two of you in the precinct, a lot of people are gonna have a better Thanksgiving.

4:48

St.

4:49

Mary's has been wonderful through the challenges we've had with federal.

4:54

I don't know what you'd even call it.

4:55

The federal government.

5:00

Um, and I think it's really disrupted their supplies, so they are lucky to have you uh as partners in this area, and we're wishing you both good luck, but I feel like either way the community wins.

5:09

So thank you.

5:10

Uh Councilwoman Gordado.

5:13

Thank you, Mayor.

5:14

This is my office, heaviest community service and outreach season, a time when our residents and working families need us the most.

5:23

My team and I are deeply committed to showing up, listening, and providing support through meaningful events and initiatives that strengthen our community.

5:32

Some of the events that we've had and coming up, Light Rail Community Meeting.

5:37

Thank you to everyone who joined us on November 12th for the morning and evening sessions at the Maryville Community Center to discuss the light rail and proposed extensions into Maryville.

5:47

More than 190 residents joined us.

5:50

Your voices matter.

5:52

The ideas, concerns, and hopes you shared help guide us as we work to bring better transportation options to the West Valley.

6:00

Thank you for taking time to participate and for helping us make informed decisions that reflect the needs of our growing city.

6:07

Also wanna thank my colleagues that share Maryville with me, Councilwoman Hernandez and Councilwoman Pastor.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████56%
Community Engagement██████████████18%
Food Security███4%
Budget Equity Analysis███4%
Public Transit██3%
Public Health██3%
Racial Equity██2%
Procedural██2%
Public Safety██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Phoenix City Council Meeting Summary - November 18, 2025

The Phoenix City Council convened for a meeting focused on community outreach reports and the adoption of a comprehensive policy framework for the newly established Phoenix Housing Trust Fund. Council members emphasized the critical need for affordable housing amidst rising costs and reduced state and federal funding, highlighting community partnerships for holiday relief efforts. The meeting culminated in the unanimous approval of the Housing Trust Fund policy to accelerate the creation and preservation of affordable housing for households earning 80% of the area median income or below.

Consent Calendar

  • None listed; the meeting proceeded directly to agenda items and housing trust fund discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Craig Tripkin (Housing Advocate): Expressed full support for the staff and council's work on the Housing Trust Fund. Speaker emphasized that housing projects must be accompanied by permanent services and on-site management to ensure community stability. Speaker argued that 24-7 on-site management provides neighborhoods with comfort, transforming housing projects into community assets rather than sources of fear.

Discussion Items

  • Holiday Drive Competition: Councilwoman Stark and Councilman Robinson reported on a fierce competition between District 3 and District 6 to collect turkeys and funds for the Desert Horizon precinct's annual turkey drive. They noted that over $6,000 had been raised by the morning of the meeting, significantly surpassing the $1,700 raised the previous year. The prize for the winning office was a dinner cooked by Commander Warren Brewer, with a humorous concession that the losing office would still attend to eat the food.
  • Community Outreach Updates:
    • Councilwoman Guardado (District 5): Reported on a successful Light Rail Community Meeting with 190 residents, the upcoming "El Pavasa" Thanksgiving event distributing nearly 1,000 turkeys, and the return of the "Marybelle" toy distribution event. Speaker expressed gratitude for partnerships with the Firefighter Association and schools, and wished a fond farewell to retiring Parks Department staff member Dave.
    • Councilwoman Hernandez (District 7): Highlighted district challenges regarding federal administration threats and the potential National Guard invasion. Speaker welcomed City Manager Zirker back, advocated for the freedom of Johnny Reed (wrongfully imprisoned), and called for action regarding the genocide in the Congo. Speaker confirmed the District 7 team's commitment to housing, light rail, and protecting neighborhoods from ICE.
    • Councilwoman Pastor (District 8): Promoted local events including the CPLC dinner, a new housing tree program, and the "District 8 Express" holiday party. Speaker expressed support for the Guadalatón and Harizona Turkey Drives.
    • Councilwoman Ketch (District 4): Thanked Creighton School Board for community cleanup participation, celebrated the groundbreaking of the Mary Rose Wilcox Center, and reported on hosting a veterans resource stand-down where a homeless veteran was connected to housing resources.
  • Housing Trust Fund Policy Presentation: Deputy City Manager Gina Montez, along with Housing Director Titus Matthew and Deputy Housing Director Samantha Keating, presented the policy framework. Staff reported that the city exceeded its 2030 goal of 50,000 units early (reaching 61,000 units by September 2025), with 20% being affordable. However, staff noted a gap of 59,000 affordable rental homes for households at 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) or below. The current trust fund balance is $3.5 million, funded by ARPA interest, GIPLED, and rezoning contributions.
  • Council Deliberation on Housing:
    • Councilwoman Stark: Expressed strong support for the policy but raised concerns regarding the enforcement of deed restrictions for affordability and requested the Legal Department analyze potential fee reductions for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects to expedite permitting.
    • Vice Mayor: Clarified that the 59,000 unit gap refers specifically to rental units. Expressed gratitude for staff work but proposed establishing a permanent funding source by dedicating a percentage of future budget surpluses to the fund.
    • Councilwoman Hodge Washington: Expressed delight that the trust fund includes homeownership assistance, not just developer funding. Speaker advocated for including eviction protection provisions for residents in funded projects and requested metrics to measure program success. Speaker warned that reliance on fluctuating federal/state funding poses risks, noting that Maricopa County could lose up to $32 million in federal assistance due to new parameters.
    • Councilman Hernandez: Echoed support for eviction protection and the shift toward homeownership. Discussed the impact of population growth outpacing housing production since the Great Recession. Speaker emphasized the need for consistent annual investment, citing a "magic number" of $20 million annually to make a meaningful impact and suggesting bond proceeds as a potential permanent funding source.
    • Councilman Robinson: Supported the policy and urged the council to remain open to innovative housing solutions, specifically the conversion of vacant office buildings into affordable single-unit occupancy housing.
    • Councilwoman Pastor: Thanked the previous council for planting the seeds for this initiative. Speaker reiterated that housing provides a sense of belonging and security, and expressed hope that the fund will provide an economic trajectory for residents.

Key Outcomes

  • Policy Approval: The Council voted 9-0 to approve the Phoenix Housing Trust Fund policy. The policy establishes the trust fund's administration, allowable funding sources (including future general fund contributions and bond proceeds), and permitted uses (homeownership, preservation, gap financing, and revolving loan funds).
  • Funding Priorities: The policy designates priority for households at or below 80% AMI, with additional consideration for those at 50% AMI. Projects must include affordability terms (ranging from 5 to 40 years) secured via deed restrictions.
  • Directives:
    • The Legal Department is requested to analyze the feasibility of fee reductions or exemptions for LIHTC and affordable housing projects.
    • Staff will return to the Council in the spring to present recommendations on permanent funding sources, potentially including a portion of the 2028 bond election proceeds or general fund allocations.
    • Future funding distribution plans will be brought back to the Council for approval once the trust fund corpus is built up.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you so much. Good afternoon. It is November 18th, and I'll call the meeting to order. Thank you all for joining us. We'll begin with council information and follow-up requests. And I will jointly recognize Councilwoman Stark and Councilman Robinson to begin us. Thank you. So Kevin and I went to a coffee with the cop, and uh the commander of the Desert Horizon precinct threw down a uh a piece of competition, he thought that only Kevin and I could do all of you could do this, but we just happen to be at the coffee, and it was for the turkey drive they do annually at Desert Horizon. And so we have a competition going on between Desert uh District Three and District Six. Of course, district three will win, but um I will turn it over to Kevin if you have any other thoughts, knowing that district three will win. Thank you to my esteemed colleague. Um it's been interesting. Obviously, interesting as councilwoman Stark said, we were asked by the police department to help them, help them um with a you know a worthwhile cause, and that is obviously raise money and collect turkeys for folks who couldn't otherwise probably afford it this time of year. So the competition was fierce. Um I got sucked into it, you know. Everyone thinks that councilwoman Sark is this nice woman and all this other stuff. But um, you know, we went at it toe-to-toe, head to head and stuff like that. And I will say that um thus far, as of this morning, well over six thousand dollars raised, and in comparison to last year, a total of seventeen hundred dollars having been raised. So I think the head-to-head competition is it's really good. It's bruising my ego, but it's good for um the overall um our overall goal. And with that, I I thank Councilwoman Stark and her entire office, and I think my office, they've all gotten into it, and you're about to see, I think a very quick video. I want to throw a thank you out to our communications person for um the council floor, Adam Waltz, because he participated. He participated a lot more than I thought he would. So I'll just put it at that. So Mayor, thank you very much. Councilwoman Stark, thank you. I think we have a just a couple quick slides of presentation. And then of course is be true indicate district three. Go ahead. And quite frankly, we probably should do this year round. We should all think about giving to our food banks year-round, not just during the holidays. But thank you. It's been a lot of fun. And I can't wait to have that. What is that? Prize again is uh dinner that's cooked by Commander Warren Brewer out of Desert Horizon Precinct has a specialty of um barbecued Hawaiian or Hawaiian barbecue that he'll put together for the winning office. So if we don't win, we're gonna sneak over to District Three anyway and eat the food. But um, you know, the one last thing I'll make mention of. I've never seen so many department heads run in the opposite direction when they saw me because Deb had already gotten to them. So I I I understand your reluctance and your avoidance of me, and I appreciate the reasons why. So thank you, Mayor. Well, th thank you both for helping such a worthy cause. We know it's been a tough year for so many, and thanks to the two of you in the precinct, a lot of people are gonna have a better Thanksgiving. St. Mary's has been wonderful through the challenges we've had with federal. I don't know what you'd even call it. The federal government. Um, and I think it's really disrupted their supplies, so they are lucky to have you uh as partners in this area, and we're wishing you both good luck, but I feel like either way the community wins. So thank you. Uh Councilwoman Gordado.

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