Tempe City Council Work Study Session - March 23, 2026
Tempe City Council Work Study Session - March 23, 2026
The Tempe City Council held a work study session on Monday, March 23, 2026, beginning shortly after 12:15 PM and adjourning at 5:05 PM. The session included presentations on the recommended five-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP), a communication and marketing update, and an update on the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). Public comments were heard, and council subcommittees provided status reports. No votes were taken; all items were informational or for discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Speaker 1 (Mr. Sokolowski, Tempe resident): Expressed opposition to implementing more building codes, stating that government regulation already accounts for 40% of development costs. He warned that additional regulatory burdens will increase costs further and questioned whether ignoring a federal executive order on green building codes could jeopardize Tempe's federal funding for transportation and housing.
- Speaker 2 (Kendon Young, Tempe resident): Expressed strong support for the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) work, referencing a memo from September 2023 that advocated for its expansion. He argued that sustainability measures like solar panels are 80% more expensive when retrofitted and that adopting green codes can reduce long-term costs for residents, claiming no conflict between affordability and sustainability.
Discussion Items
- 3A: Initial Recommended Five-Year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and Acceleration Strategies
- CIP Overview: Robert Baer, Municipal Budget Director, presented the recommended five-year CIP totaling $1.84 billion—about 6% lower than the current adopted plan. Financing sources include enterprise excise tax bonds (water/sewer), general obligation (GO) bonds ($650 million), and other funds. The CIP supports all council strategic priorities. Public input was gathered via a Tempe Forum survey (437 responses) and the Mayor's Youth Advisory Commission. Project highlights: pavement preservation to improve the Pavement Quality Index (PQI), $56 million for park replacements, $34 million for Fire Station #8, and $25.4 million for affordable housing. The city's Triple A bond rating and financial reporting award were noted.
- Acceleration Models: Wydell Holmes, Director of Strategic Management and Innovation Office, presented five acceleration models aligned with community priorities (Safe & Secure Communities, Quality of Life, Sustainability, Financial Stability). These models focus on: feeling of safety in parks and neighborhoods (near national benchmark), ending homelessness (aspirational goal of zero, with point-in-time count improving), tree and shade canopy (urban forestry master plan), and quality of business services (73% satisfaction, within 10% of target). CIP funds support park lighting, street lighting, non-congregate shelter, affordable housing, shade infrastructure, and technology for business attraction.
- 3B: Communication and Marketing Update
- Chris Baxter Ging, Communication and Marketing Director, reported on progress since the 2024 approval of a new branding and communication plan. Achievements include being in the top 10% in the nation for communication (double the national average), winning four Public Relations Society of America awards, and a 400% increase in video views. Over the past year, they posted 8,300 social media posts, sent 800 email topics to 4 million people, and launched a new FOIA system. The top information sources are the city website, emails, water bill inserts. Crisis communication was highlighted for the October 13, 2024 storm. Future plans include AI website updates, federal compliance, and more short-form video. Councilmembers praised the team and suggested ideas like videos for seniors in doctors' offices and neighborhood spotlights.
- 3C: International Green Construction Code (IGCC) Update
- Brianne Fisher, Sustainability Division Manager, and John Earhart, Interim Deputy Director for Building Safety, provided an update. In November 2023, council adopted the 2018 IGCC as voluntary for private development and mandatory for new city buildings. Staff have obtained green certifications and hired a green building specialist. A new tracking mechanism monitors voluntary uptake. The 2024 IGCC adoption is planned: a public hearing on April 1, 2026, with council consideration in late April/early May. Building Safety also launched Solar App Plus for instant residential solar permitting. Councilmembers requested future data on developer uptake (numbers and percentages), common adopted practices, projected cost savings, and comparisons with other cities. Councilmember Chin noted that energy and water efficiencies are most commonly adopted, while urban cooling requirements (e.g., 50% cool surfaces) are harder to implement on dense sites.
Key Outcomes
- No formal actions or votes were taken. The city will continue public engagement on the CIP, with future meetings scheduled as part of the budget process.
- The communication plan will be maintained, with updates on federal standards and continued video content.
- A public hearing on the 2024 IGCC and other building code adoptions is set for April 1, 2026 (in-person at the library at 6 PM and noon virtually); council adoption is expected in late April or early May.
- Council requested future presentations with detailed data on voluntary IGCC adoption rates, percentages, common practices, cost savings, and cross-city comparisons.
- Council subcommittees reported meeting schedules for various topics (Animal Welfare, Community Engagement, Drink Spiking Education, Federal/State Advocacy, Mixed Use Space, Motorized/Electric Mobility Devices, Revitalization of Tempe Town Lake, and Tempe Term Limits Policy Review).
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the Tempe City Council work study session agenda. Item one is called order. Council meetings can be watched in real time via Cox Cable Channel 11 and at Tempe.gov/slash Tempe Eleven. Members of the public may also attend the meeting virtually through Microsoft Teams. Guidelines for conduct of city council meetings are on the table near the entrance for those in attendance at tonight's meeting. We will now play a video with the proper protocol for ensuring the appropriate conduct at City Council meetings. Or I will just say just please be appropriate. I guess I can sp I can skip it. It's okay. I got this. All right, so before we move into the call the audience portion of the meeting, I want to take a moment to address campaign related activity, especially as we are now in the 2026 election season. City council meetings are open to the public and are a vital form for civic engagement. We welcome all individuals, including candidates, to speak on matters of public concern during the public comment portion of the meeting. However, because this is an official city council meeting that is both televised and live streamed using city resources. We ask all candidates, including any current council members, to refrain from electioneering or campaign related activity while participating in this meeting. That means no discussing your candidacy, asking for votes or signatures, or displaying campaign materials such as signs, t-shirts, or literature while speaking. Thank you for helping us maintain the integrity and neutrality of our public meetings. Which brings me to item number two, which is called the audience. The city council welcomes public comment at this time to the issue review session and committee of the whole items on the work study session agenda. There is a three-minute time limit per speaker. Uh once again, I've got a couple of cards here, so I'm going to do these in the order in which I receive them. Yes, he is, Mr. Mayor. Hello, can you hear you? Yes, uh, please go ahead and state your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. This isn't a good time to implement more building codes in the city of Tempe. Government regulation already accounts for 40% of the cost of development. And the city plans to continue adding regulatory burdens. Soon it will be 41%, 42%, 43. The city is planning for new building codes for new chapters that don't exist yet. We need to cut red tape and reduce the cost of housing. The federal government wants cities to cut red tape in the executive order on March 13th included international green building codes. In very simple terms, the federal government is saying they don't want to award cities for two thousand dollar apartments. And if you can't bring the cost down, they're going to start to award cities that have better performance. Any increase in cost from green building codes is not acceptable. I want to ask the city council if the federal government determines Tempe is ignoring the executive order. Will that jeopardize Tempe's federal funding for transportation and housing? Thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Okay, the next speaker I have is Kendon Young. Please come forward, state your name and city of residence. You have three minutes. Howdy from uh familiar faces. My name is Kendon Young and I live here in Tempe, Arizona. Um I just want to uh rebring up a memo that we had sent over in 2023 on September the 18th, supporting the uh expansion and uh research around the International Green Construction Code. Uh at that time. We were excited that this uh council decided to pursue this, especially as a uh mandatory for city buildings code and a voluntary for community buildings under the guise that this three years says we went through and figured out what parts of the code would work for Tempe, working hand in hand with developers to make sure that this does not accrue additional costs, and that is uh developed and tailored specifically to Tempe's needs is exactly the work that we should have done, we have done, and we are working to finish.
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