So I start a new meeting.

And so just keep your screen on.

All right.

Good evening, everyone.

Welcome to the City Council's special budget meeting agenda.

Um, let's see here.

I don't remember what is called order.

Council meetings can be watched in real time via Cox Cable Channel Eleven and at Tempe.gov/slash Tempe Eleven.

Members of the public may also attend the meeting virtually through Microsoft Teams.

We're now going to play a video with the proper protocol for ensuring the appropriate conduct at City Council meetings.

The public appearances portion of the Tempe City Council agenda welcomes people to address the Tempe City Council on city-related issues.

Speakers will generally be taken in the order in which they have signed up to speak.

No visual aids or pre-recorded materials are allowed.

People may speak once during public appearances for up to three minutes.

If there is a large number of speakers, the mayor may limit the amount of time allotted for each person.

However, rules of decorum are in effect, and behavior that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of any city council meeting is not permitted.

This includes behavior at the podium inside or adjacent to the council chambers.

Speakers shall refrain from name-calling, making personal or insulting comments or slanderous remarks while addressing the city council or while attending the meeting.

Should a speaker become disorderly, action will be taken.

First, the mayor may issue a verbal warning, and if the speaker continues disruptive behavior, the speaker will forfeit any remaining time for public comment and will be asked to leave the podium.

Further disruption beyond that may result in removal from the council chambers, and the mayor may ask security officers to remove the speaker.

If the speaker refuses to leave, security will warn the speaker that they are now trespassing, and the next step is an arrest for disorderly conduct, trespassing, or both.

If necessary to maintain order, the mayor may recess the meeting.

Your right to address the Tempe City Council is important to us.

These rules are intended to create an atmosphere that is conducive to thoughtful public speech.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Next up here, we're going to go to item two A, which is to hold a public hearing to adopt a resolution adopting the fiscal years 2026-27 through twenty thirty thirty-31 capital improvements program.

So, first of all, Council members, any questions for staff regarding items 2A through 2D.

Okay, this is also a public hearing item, so I'm gonna look to see if there's any public testimony on this item.

If so, can you get my attention?

Let's see.

Let me make sure.

Okay, and I've got cards for 2C.

Um, let me just make sure I'm doing this appropriately.

Yep, okay.

So anything on item two A here from any member of the public?

Okay.

Seeing none, I will go ahead and close the public testimony portion of the public hearing.

Uh, council members, any comments or discussion?

Okay, if none, I'm gonna look for a motion on item two A.

Okay.

It's been moved by Councilmember Hodge to have a second.

Seconded by Vice Mayor Garland, please vote.

And that item passes five to zero with council member Adams and Councilmember Keating absent.

Okay, the next item under the section is two B, which is to hold a public hearing is required under the state's truth and taxation statute and adopt a resolution indicating the city's intention to adopt a primary property tax levy that excluding amounts related to new construction will be greater than last year's primary property tax levy.

All right.

This is also a public test public hearing item.

So if there's any public testimony on this item, can you please get my attention?

Yes.

Please come forward and state your name and city of residence.

You have three minutes.

My name is Mario Martinez.

I live in Tempe.

In this address, I will vote my opposition to the proposed property tax increase.

If I am not interrupted, I can quickly complete my statement.

In the light of the way that the council has chosen to waste our tax dollars, they prove that they do not deserve a penny more.

Here is a brief summary of the fiscal waste referenced.

For a two-word two million dollar sign or one million dollars per word, they hung a piece of visual pollution over Mill Avenue.

By a 720 vote, the council voted approving the city manager uh $370,000 per year, despite the city manager's obvious lack of police oversight uh qualifications.

The Tempe taxpayers had to shall out $2 million settlements because an award-winning Tempe DUI police officer severely injured an innocent woman and killed her unborn baby with a police vehicle.

After this incident, the officer was arrested for extreme DUI himself.

A taxpayers are now facing a $3 million lawsuit because our police chief alleged a Queen Circe inspired uh a terrorist bomb threat that he was not smart enough to prove.

Six members of this council held three illegal meetings about the coyote proposal at taxpayer expense.

In one meeting, they uh they uh audio taped themselves calling the coyote opponents cave people for the coyote election, which was uh which entailed huge tax breaks for the coyote developers, which were soundly defeated.

The council for this, the council approved an out-of-cycle uh election, which cost the taxpayers about 270,000 uh 70,000.

If the election was held at a regular cycle, there would be no additional cost to the taxpayers.

This council, under uh the leadership of Corey has repeatedly violated and continues to violate public trust.

No other tax increases are warranted until tax the public trust is restored.

Thank you.

I didn't finish.

Sorry, I thought I got three minutes.

Okay, okay.

Uh I'm really getting sick of this.

Uh, these you're giving us proposed and tax increases for us, and then you uh then you proposed tax decreases for the coyote developers.

What's the problem?

Have we not given you enough uh uh campaign uh contributions?

Obviously so.

Thank you.

Anyone else in the audience wishing to address the council in item two B?

If so, can you please get my attention?

All right, seeing that I'll close the public testimony portion of the public hearing.

Um, just really quickly, actually, I'm wondering is Robert, can you come up potentially and talk about this?

Because I did see some a little bit of conversation online about the primary property tax levy and sort of what the purpose of raising that was for.

My assumption when I first read it was that you know there was a pretty sizable bond package approved back in November of 2024.

I think it was about 581 million dollars worth of bonds, which I think was probably the largest bond package ever approved.

Uh, just as a note to for folks who are in in the audience or watching at home, question number one was about fixing and repairing streets and also public safety items.

77% of Tempe voters passed that one.

There was the second question, which was 12.3 million dollars for historic preservation, and 72% of Tempe residents passed that.

And then question three was $32 million for affordable housing, and 69% of Tempe residents actually pass that.

So my assumption was this is probably just for the purpose of actually raising the tax levy to pay the debt service on the bonds because obviously it's sort of like a credit card.

You actually start making these improvements in a quicker way, as our residents told us to do in very big numbers, but then obviously at some point we have to pay off that bill.

Am I wrong?

So uh mayor, members of the council.

So tonight's um item, this item for the truth in taxation specifically relates to the primary property tax levy.

So the property tax in Arizona is very complicated.

Um, so to kind of simplify it, the primary levy is for day to day operations, and then there's a secondary levy that goes towards uh paying back those general obligation bonds.

So this specific item is for the primary levy that goes towards the day-to-day operations per state statute that levy, so the levy is the total dollar amount.

That levy can only increase by two percent in total on existing properties.

So this is something that the city has done historically.

Um so this is continuing past practice with increasing that by the um by the limits established by state statute.

Um that increase will have an impact of 462,000 for the general fund.

Um, and if it was not um approved, um, then additional budget balancing measures would be necessary.

Sounds good.

Thank you very much.

Any questions or comments for Robert while he's up here?

Okay.

Sounds good.

Thank you so much.

Appreciate that.

All right.

If there's no further comments or questions from council, I can look for a motion on item two B.

Okay, it's been moved by Vice Mayor Garland and seconded by council member Hodge.

This is also a roll call vote.

I should note here.

So let me go first to council for Hodge.

Aye.

Uh Vice Mayor Garland.

Councilmember Chin.

Aye.

Councilmember Amberg.

And I vote aye as well.

That item passes five to zero with council member Adams and Councilmember Keating absent.

All right, next up here, item two C which is state produced and hold the first public hearing to adopt the fiscal year 2026-2027 property tax ordinance.

This is also a public hearing item.

So if there's any public testimony on item two C, can you please get my attention at this time?

Okay, seeing that I will close the public testimony portion of the public meeting.

Uh let's see here.

Ah, council, any comments or discussion on this item.

Uh, there's no vote actually on this one, but no?

Mayor.

Oh, I do.

Actually, my apologies.

I I had the piece of paper to the wrong side.

Uh come on up, Miss Justice.

Please state your name and city of residence.

You have three minutes.

My name is Darlene Justice.

I live in Tempe.

And I'm in support of this.

Uh, like I said, I've lived here for 65 years, and so I'll be taxed a little bit more, but I do not want to see our preschool uh program that we have being impedged, our transportation, our Tempee police and fire.

The things that we are doing right in Tempe, I support it.

It's not your fault that this is happening.

We've had taxes that were pulled back by the state that had to do with uh rental taxes and that.

There are things that we plan to do, and we are doing the great things, and I will support this this week and when it comes up for the final vote.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Just uh as a quick note, too, uh Mr.

Martinez.

I know you just spoke on 2B, but you signed up for 2C.

Did you want to speak on that item as well?

Or was that okay?

Okay, sounds good.

Thank you.

Okay, once again, uh council, any comments or discussion?

Okay.

So there's no vote here.

The second and final public hearing on this item is scheduled for June 25th, 2026.

All right, next up here, item 2D.

Hold a public hearing to adopt a resolution containing estimates of proposed expenditures by the city of Tempe for the fiscal year beginning July 1st, 2026 and ending June 30th, 2027, and to declare that such shall continue constitute a final budget for the city of Tempe for said fiscal year.

This is also a public hearing item.

So if there's any public testimony of this item, can you please get my attention?

Okay, seeing that I will close the public testimony portion of the public hearing.

Council members, any comments or discussion?

Okay, if not, then I'll look for a motion on item two D.

It's been moved by Councilmember Hodge.

You have a second, seconded by Councilmember Amberg.

Please vote.

And that item passes five to zero with council member Adams and Councilmember Keating absent.

Next up is item number three adjournment.

The next scheduled special budget meeting is going to be on June 25th, 2026.

Uh, we're going to adjourn this meeting and we're going to wait 60 seconds and then do the last meeting.