* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. ALL [00:00:01] RIGHT, EVERYBODY READY? GOOD [1. CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/MOMENT OF SILENCE] AFTERNOON AND WELCOME TO THE CITY OF SEDONA COUNCIL MEETING. I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 4:30 PM I'M GOING TO ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE TURN OFF THEIR CELL PHONES FOR THIS MEETING AND JOIN ME IN SAYING THIS PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT SPANS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. AND NOW A MOMENT OF SILENCE. OKAY. THANK YOU MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLL CALL? MAYOR MADAM CLERK ? YEAH. HERE, VICE MAYOR FUL. PRESENT. COUNCILOR DUNN? HERE. COUNCILOR FURMAN. PRESENT. COUNCILOR KINSELLA? HERE. COUNCILOR FAF. PRESENT. OKAY. IS THERE ANYONE FROM [3. CONSENT ITEMS - APPROVE] THE COUNCIL OR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WISHES TO PULL AN ITEM OFF THE CONSENT AGENDA? HEARING NONE. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT ITEMS? THREE A THROUGH D. SO MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY, WE'RE UNANIMOUS APPOINTMENTS. [4. APPOINTMENTS] AB 32 86. DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE ACTION FOR APPROVAL OF A TWO YEAR CONTRACT AND APPOINTMENT OF RICHARD SPEAR AS PRESIDING MAGISTRATE JUDGE. THE COUNCIL INTERVIEWED CANDIDATES ON SEPTEMBER 9TH, AND THE FINALISTS WERE INTERVIEWED ON SEPTEMBER 29TH. RICHARDS SPEAR WAS SELECTED BY CITY COUNCIL FOR THIS APPOINTMENT AS THE PRESIDING MAGISTRATE. JUDGE, ARE THERE ANY, UH, OTHER COUNCILS OR ARE WE READY TO MAKE THE APPOINTMENT? ENTERTAIN A MOTION? I MOVE TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF RICHARD SPEARS, PRESIDING MAGISTRATE JUDGE FOR THE CITY OF SEDONA AND APPROVE THE TWO YEAR EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT SUBJECT TO APPROVAL BY THE CITY ATTORNEY. SECOND. SECOND. GET BRIAN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. KURT, DO YOU HAVE [5. SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS BY MAYOR/COUNCILORS/CITY MANAGER & COUNCIL ASSIGNMENTS] A REPORT FROM THE EXECUTIVE SESSION? I DO NOT. MADAM MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DO ANY COUNSELORS OR THE CITY MANAGER HAVE AN EVENT OR AN ASSIGNMENT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS? ANNETTE. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE TO THE COUNCIL, OUR NEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR WHO'S HERE WITH US TONIGHT. AND I DON'T KNOW IF TONY, IF YOU WANNA STAND UP FOR A SECOND. SURE. PLEASE. WELCOME. SO THIS IS, YES. UM, THIS IS TONY ALLEN. HE COMES TO US FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS WITH MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING, UM, ALL SORTS OF ASPECTS THAT WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE HIM JOIN OUR TEAM HERE. AND, UM, HE STARTED WITH US YESTERDAY, SO HE'S STILL, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, ABSORBING ALL OF THE, UH, ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING HERE IN SEDONA AND MEETING A LOT OF PEOPLE. BUT I WANTED YOU TO BE ABLE TO PUT A FACE TO A NAME AND IF YOU WANTED TO SAY A COUPLE THINGS TO YOU. UM, AND BEFORE HE DOES, JUST A REMINDER THAT STEVE MERTIS, WHO WAS OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, WHO'S ALSO HERE TONIGHT, IS STILL WITH US. HE'S OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT AND WILL BE LEADING ALL THINGS BUILDING OFFICIAL AND CODE ENFORCEMENT. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO GROW OUR TEAM AND HAVE A STRONG ADDITION TO HELP US WITH ALL THESE BIG ISSUES THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. AND, UH, OH, THERE WE GO. UM, AND THANK YOU AS, AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'M, UH, INCREDIBLY EXCITED TO WORK WITH THIS TEAM AND TO WORK WITH YOU. AND, UH, MY WIFE AND I HAVE BEEN, UH, TRAVELING TO SEDONA FOR WELL NORTH OF A DECADE, UM, BACK AND FORTH. AND SO THIS IS, UH, WE WERE GONNA BE HERE ANYWAY, AND THEN WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY CAME UP TO ACTUALLY DO IT AND, AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY AT THE SAME TIME, UM, WHO COULD ASK FOR BETTER. SO VERY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS, UH, THIS WHOLE TEAM. SO THANK YOU. WELL, WERE YOU LOOKING FOR HOUSING THIS WEEKEND? UM, I AM, AS A MATTER OF FACT, YES, WE KNOW THAT. SEE, WE ALREADY KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU. . . THAT [00:05:01] IS AWESOME. SMALL TOWN WORK GETS AROUND FAST. MM-HMM . REALTORS ALL LIKE TO SHARE . OH. AND I TALK TO EACH ONE FOR LIKE A HALF HOUR, SO I PROBABLY DON'T GET TOO MANY OPEN HOUSES, REALLY? BUT THEY WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH BOTH OF YOU AND YOUR WIFE. OH, WELL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO, BUT THANK YOU ALL. WELCOME, . THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND STEVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. YES. AND WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE STILL WITH US. I'VE GOT A REPORT. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY COUNSELORS? VICE MAYOR FUL? THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, LAST WEEK WAS THE, UH, MOST RECENT NA COD REGIONAL BOARD MEETING, AND IT WAS HELD ACTUALLY IN CLARKDALE. AND A COUPLE OF TOPICS OF INTEREST. THE COMMUNITY BLOCK DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROCESS, UH, MOST RECENTLY LED TO, UH, OUR NOMINATION OF, UH, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY VERDE VALLEY FOR, UM, UH, HOME REPAIR, UH, PROGRAM. AND THE, UH, REPRESENTATIVE FROM NACO THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CBDG SAID THAT HABITAT NEEDS MORE APPLICATIONS FOR USE OF THOSE FUNDS. THERE IS CERTAINLY TIME, IT IS NOT, UH, ANYWHERE NEAR RUNNING OUT OF TIME, BUT, UH, WE DO NEED TO WORK ON GETTING THE WORD OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT, UH, THERE ARE STILL, UH, A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT, AMOUNT OF FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR CRITICAL HOME REPAIR. UH, THE OTHER COUPLE OF TOPICS STICKING WITH CBDG, UH, SOMETIME IN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO, THERE WILL BE DISCUSSION CONCERNING HOW THE, UH, MONIES ARE DISTRIBUTED AMONGST THE MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES. UH, THERE'S A PIECE OF THAT THAT HAS, UH, BEEN IN PLACE FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS, AND THERE IS, UH, SOME THAT ARE WISHING TO CHALLENGE THAT METHODOLOGY. UH, ADDITIONALLY, NACOG IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HEAD START IN, UM, NORTHERN ARIZONA. THEY ARE STILL SEEKING A DIRECTOR FOR THAT DEPARTMENT. AND, UH, THEY WERE VERY PLEASED TO REPORT THAT ENROLLMENT FOR EARLY HEAD START AND HEAD START, UH, SITS AT 648 CHILDREN ACROSS THE NACO REGION. AND THAT REPRESENTS 100% ENROLLMENT. AND THAT IS NO SMALL FEAT TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN, PARTICULARLY IN THE SMALL COMMUNITIES THAT, UH, HEAD START SERVES. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR. ANYONE ELSE? I WOULD JUST LIKE TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT ON, UH, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH IS VETERANS DAY AND THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION AT THE SEDONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AT THE MUSEUM WILL BE HELD, I BELIEVE IT STARTS AT 11:00 AM AND IT'S A VERY WORTHWHILE, UH, EVENT. LOTS OF PEOPLE ATTEND, AND THERE'S A FREE LUNCH. OKAY. UH, DOES ANYONE WISH TO SPEAK REGARDING AN ITEM THAT IS NOT ON THE AGENDA? DO YOU HAVE ANY CARDS? NO, MA'AM. HAD MARY? I DON'T. NO CARDS? NO CARDS, TIM. OKAY. WE HAVE [7.a. Domestic Violence Awareness Month Proclamation, October 2025.] A PROCLAMATION. UH, OCTOBER IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH, AND WE HAVE A PROCLAMATION, WHICH I WILL READ. WHEREAS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS A PATTERN OF COERCIVE CONTROL AND ABUSIVE BEHAVIORS USED TO GAIN AND MAINTAIN POWER AND CONTROL OVER AN INTIMATE PARTNER. THAT CAN INCLUDE ISOLATION FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS, FINANCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL ABUSE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES AND IMPACTS EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF RACE, RELIGION, AGE, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, SOCIO SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AND GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION. AND WHEREAS 41% OF WOMEN AND 26 OF MEN, 26% OF MEN REPORT HAVING EXPERIENCED SEXUAL VIOLENCE, PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, OR STALKING BY AN INTIMATE PARTNER IN THEIR LIFETIME. AND WHEREAS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE THAT AFFECTS ALL OF US, AND TO ADDRESS IT, WE MUST APPLY OUR COLLECTIVE ATTENTION AND RESOURCES TO INTERVENTIONS TO ADDRESS THE CONSEQUENCES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE MYRIAD OF OTHER ISSUES, INCLUDING MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, HOMELESSNESS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS. AND WHEREAS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH IS A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN [00:10:01] DEDICATED TO RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. EVERY OCTOBER, ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS UNITE ACROSS THE NATION FOR A NATIONAL EFFORT TO UPLIFT THE NEEDS, VOICES, AND EXPERIENCE OF SURVIVORS. AND THE CITY OF SEDONA COUNCIL IS PROUD TO JOIN THIS EFFORT. AND WHEREAS PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT HELP PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS, INCLUDING TRAUMA INFORMED ADVOCATES AND SUPPORT FOR THOSE SEEKING HELP. AND WHEREAS SURVIVORS DON'T HAVE TO GO IT ALONE WHEN THEY'RE READY, THERE ARE RESOURCES TO HELP, INCLUDING THE VERDE VALLEY SANCTUARY, THE NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE, THE ARIZONA COALITION TO END SEXUAL AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELPLINE, AND ARIZONA 2 1 1. NOW, THEREFORE, I, HOLLY PLU, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SEDONA, ARIZONA, ON BEHALF OF THE SEDONA CITY COUNCIL TO HEREBY PROCLAIM OCTOBER, 2025 AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH. THIS MONTH, WE REAFFIRM OUR STEADFAST AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO HELPING OUR SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WHERE THEY ARE AND WORK TIRELESSLY TO PROVIDE THE SYSTEMS AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO HEAL, HOLD SPACES FOR THEM TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES AND SHARE THEIR STORIES AND CENTER OUR EFFORTS TO ENSURE NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND, AND THAT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN ALL OF ITS FORMS IS NOT TOLERATED IN OUR COMMUNITY. ISSUED THE 20TH DAY OF OCTOBER, 2026. OKAY, [8.a. AB 3254 Discussion/possible action regarding award of two Departmental Contracts for Services in an amount not-to-exceed $300,000 each for Wastewater Pump and Motor Services to Pumpman Phoenix, dba Scotts AZ Electric Motor Repair and Keller Electrical Industries, LLC.] WE'LL GET TO REGULAR BUSINESS AB 32 54, DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING AWARD OF TWO DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR SERVICES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $300,000 EACH FOR WASTEWATER PUMP AND MOTOR SERVICES. HI, ROXANNE, TO PUMP MAN PHOENIX, DBA, SCOTTS AZ ELECTRIC MOTOR REPAIR, AND KELLER ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES, LLC. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COUNSELORS. UM, I AM HERE THIS AFTERNOON, ROXANNE HOLLAND, DIRECTOR OF WASTEWATER. I'M HERE THIS AFTERNOON TO ASK FOR APPROVAL OF TWO DEPARTMENTAL CONTRACT AWARDS OR, UH, TWO DEPARTMENTAL CONTRACTS FOR, UH, PUMP AND MOTOR REPAIR SERVICES. UM, WE SOLICITED, UH, PROPOSALS FOR THIS BACK IN AUGUST, AND WE RECEIVED TWO BIDS THAT REACHED OVER 450 VENDORS TOTAL. WE HAD ABOUT 30 VIEWS. UM, THE PROPOSALS WERE EVALUATED BY WASTEWATER STAFF AND PROCUREMENT STAFF, AND WERE BASED ON, UM, EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS, REFERENCES, AND COST. UM, TONIGHT WE'RE RECOMMENDING AWARD TO BOTH COMPANIES, BOTH PUMP MAN, PHOENIX, AND KELLER. UM, AND THE REASON WE'RE ASKING FOR BOTH IS TO HAVE, LIKE, IF ONE ISN'T AVAILABLE OR CAN'T GET SOMETHING TURNED AROUND IN OUR TIMEFRAME, THEN WE COULD MOVE ON TO THE NEXT. SO PUMP MAN WOULD BE THE PRIMARY, AND THEN KELLER WOULD BE THE BACKUP. UM, THE CONTRACTS WOULD BE USED ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS ONLY WHEN PUMPS OR OTHER MOTORS GO DOWN AND NEED REPAIR. UM, WE RE WE TYP, UH, THE REPAIRS TYPICALLY RANGE BETWEEN 10 AND $25,000 EACH. IF IT GOES BEYOND THAT, WE TYPICALLY JUST REPLACE THE, THE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT'S BEING REPAIRED, AND BOTH COMPANIES CAN PROVIDE QUOTES FOR, FOR REPLACEMENT AS WELL. UM, THE CONTRACT WOULD INITIALLY BE A THREE YEAR CONTRACT WITH AN OPTION OF TWO ONE YEAR RENEWALS. EACH OF THEM WOULD BE $300,000 NOT TO EXCEED. UM, ANY AMOUNT NOT USED WOULD REMAIN IN THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET. AND WE BUDGET ANNUALLY, KIND OF DEPENDS ON WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING THE YEAR PRIOR, BUT ANYWHERE FROM, YOU KNOW, 50 TO $80,000 IS TYPICALLY WHAT WE PUT IN OUR BUDGET FOR, FOR REPAIRS. SO THAT'S ALL I GOT. DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANYTHING COMING SHORTLY? UH, I HAVE THREE PUMPS THAT NEED TO GO OUT NOW. QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL? VICE MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR ROXANNE, THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE IS, WERE YOU AT ALL SURPRISED OR DISCOURAGED BY THE FEW, UH, RESPONSES TO THE RFP? NO. THERE'S, THERE'S THREE COMPANIES THAT I'M AWARE OF, MAYBE FOUR IN THE STATE OF ARIZONA THAT DO THIS. SO I'M NOT SURPRISED THAT WE HAD SUCH A LOW RESPONSE RATE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, HOW ABOUT COMMENTS? ANY COMMENTS READY FOR A MOTION? [00:15:02] COUNCILOR KINSELLA, THANK YOU. UH, I MOVE TO APPROVE AWARD OF A DEPARTMENTAL CONTRACT FOR SERVICES FOR RFQ 26 DASH OH FIVE PUMP AND MOTOR SERVICES TO PUMP MAN PHOENIX, DOING BUSINESS AS SCOTT'S AZ ELECTRIC MOTOR REPAIR AND KELLER ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES LLC IN AMOUNTS NOT TO EXCEED $300,000 EACH SUBJECT TO APPROVAL OF THE WRITTEN CONTRACT BY THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. SECOND COUNSELOR FOR FURMAN . THANK YOU. FULMAN. . FULMAN, FURMAN . ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY. PASS IT UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU, ROXANNE. THANK YOU. PRETTY EASY ONE, HUH? YEAH. OKAY, NEXT. OH, I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FOR A LONG TIME. UH, AB 32 67, [8.b. AB 3267 Discussion/presentation by Northern Arizona Health Care’s Chief Legal Counsel, Kyle Lathrop, Vice President & Verde Valley Service Area Administrator, Rick Gray, and Community Relations Manager, Jessica Drum regarding the impacts of federal legislation on rural health care.] DISCUSSION PRESENTATION BY NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE'S, CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL, KYLE LATHROP, VICE PRESIDENT AND VERDE VALLEY SERVICE AREA ADMINISTRATOR RICK GRAY, AND COMMITTEE RELATIONS MANAGER JESSICA DUNN, REGARDING THE IMPACTS OF FEDERAL LEGISLATION ON RURAL HEALTHCARE. PLEASE COME AND JOIN US. WELCOME TO YOU ALL WHO, WHO'S GOING TO START THE PRESENTATION? I'LL START. I'M KYLE LATHROP. I'M THE CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER OF NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE. AND, UH, FAIRLY NEW IN THE ROLE. I STARTED IN JUNE, BUT I'VE BEEN LIVING IN FLAGSTAFF SINCE 2008, WHERE I WAS WITH WL GORE AND ASSOCIATES SUPPORTING THE MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS OF GORE. SO THIS IS A ANOTHER STEP IN HEALTHCARE FOR ME, UH, BUT I ALSO HAVE BEEN WITH OTHER HEALTHCARE COMPANIES PRIOR TO THAT. SO THIS IS A, AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF NORTHERN ARIZONA'S COMMUNITY. AND, UH, PART OF THE, THE HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE HERE. EXCUSE ME. WHAT I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT IS THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ON HEALTHCARE IN GENERAL AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUR PLANNING, OUR RESOURCES, AND HOW WE ARE GONNA ADDRESS A LOT OF THE UNCERTAINTY THAT'S GONNA COME WITH SOME OF THOSE CHANGES. SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS, IS WHAT WE KNOW TODAY, IT'S, IT'S NOT CERTAIN, IT'S OUR BEST GUESS AND, AND WHAT WE'RE DOING TO TRY AND REACT TO SOME OF THESE THINGS. SO, UM, WHAT I'M GONNA SHOW YOU OR TALK ABOUT IS THE, UH, THE THINGS WE KNOW ABOUT TODAY ARE BEST ESTIMATE OF WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN, AND THEN HOW WE'RE, WE'RE REACTING TO THAT TO KE KEEP PROVIDING QUALITY HEALTHCARE TO ALL OF NORTHERN ARIZONA. DO YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION THAT YOU WANT TO PUT ON THE SCREEN? NO. I'D, I'D RATHER RATHER JUST SPEAK TO IT AND ANSWER QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE. PART OF THAT IS JUST THE UNCERTAINTY. UM, THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL WAS SIGNED INTO LAW ON THE 4TH OF JULY THAT THE LAW THAT'S THERE IS EXTENSIVE. AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, FROM LOOKING AT LEGISLATION, WHETHER IT'S ON THE LOCAL, THE STATE, OR THE FEDERAL LEVEL, THE WORDS THAT START OUT IN THE LEGISLATION ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT SHOWS UP IN THE ACTUAL IMPACT. SO, , PART OF PART OF WHAT I'M DOING IS HEDGING MY, MY BETS ON WHAT WE READ IN THE, THE BILL VERSUS WHAT WE THINK IT MIGHT ACTUALLY MEAN FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE. UM, A LOT OF THIS IS, IS GONNA COME TO LIGHT IN THE NEXT YEAR TO 18 MONTHS. UM, WHEN THE GOVERNMENT COMES BACK TO WORK, WE'LL KNOW EVEN MORE. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF ANALYSIS GOING ON. UH, OBVIOUSLY NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE HAS DONE A LOT OF WORK ON THIS. WE USE CONSULTANTS, ADVISORS, WERE PART OF THE, THE HEALTH ALLIANCE IN ARIZONA WITH OTHER HOSPITALS. WE'RE ALL TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN HERE. BUT A, A REAL CHALLENGE IN THIS IS JUST THE SCALE. IN THE TEXT OF THAT ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT, THERE ARE 33 DIFFERENT PROVISIONS THAT AFFECT HEALTHCARE. SOME DIRECTLY, SOME INDIRECTLY, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF FINE PRINT IN THERE THAT STILL HAS YET TO BE RESOLVED IN TERMS OF WHAT IT'S GONNA MEAN. SO THAT'S PART OF THE, THE CHALLENGE HERE. BUT SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT WE DO KNOW ARE IN THERE. UH, ONE IS THE TERMINATION OF SUBSIDIES FOR HEALTHCARE PLANS SOLD THROUGH THE, THE AFFORDABLE CARE MARKETPLACE OR OBAMACARE. A LOT OF THOSE SUBSIDIES WERE PUT IN PLACE DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC TO MAKE HEALTH INSURANCE MORE AFFORDABLE, MORE ACCESSIBLE. ONE THING THE THE HR ONE BILL DOES IS TAKES THAT THAT SUBSIDY AWAY. IT ALSO TAKES AWAY ANOTHER KEY PROVISION, WHICH WAS ENTITLED BRIDGE ACCESS. [00:20:02] SO IT ALLOWED PEOPLE WHO, IF THEY HAD A SUDDEN LIFE CHANGE, SOMETHING DRASTIC, YOU KNOW, THEY LOST THEIR JOB OR THERE WAS A SUDDEN DIAGNOSIS OF A CHRONIC ILLNESS IN THE FAMILY, YOU COULD ENROLL AND GET COVERAGE THE NEXT DAY. THAT PROVISION IS, IS NOW BEEN TAKEN AWAY. THERE'S ALSO APPROXIMATELY A 20% REDUCTION IN MEDICAID FUNDING. UH, THAT'S THE LOSS THAT, THAT'S COMING FROM THE FEDERAL SIDE WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT THE STATES, INCLUDING ARIZONA, WILL MAKE UP IN TERMS OF, OF MAKING THAT FUNDING STILL WORK. THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF, UH, NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY. THESE INCLUDE, YOU HAVE TO SHOW ACTIVE EMPLOYMENT OR ACTIVE SEEKING OF EMPLOYMENT, AND THERE'S ALSO SOME QUALIFIED VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY THAT WILL GET YOU OVER THE THRESHOLD FOR QUALIFICATION. AND THE LAST ONE THAT'S ALSO INTERESTING TO US HERE IN NORTHERN ARIZONA IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A 50 BILLION WITH A B FUND FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF RURAL HEALTHCARE. I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE AND GIVE YOU SOME DETAILS, BUT AGAIN, LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHERE THAT MONEY'S GONNA GO AND HOW WE CAN BENEFIT FROM IT. SO WE KNOW AT NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE, WE'RE GONNA SEE AN IMPACT FROM THIS. NOW, THE ACTUAL FIGURES ON THAT, WHAT WE'LL SEE IN TERMS OF IMPACT, WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO ESTIMATE, BUT IT'S GONNA BE IN THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. WE HAVE A, A LARGE PATIENT MIX IN NORTHERN ARIZONA, BUT A LOT OF THAT MONEY THAT WE GET USED FOR PROVIDING CARE COMES FROM MEDICAID. SO HAVING SOME OF THAT CUTBACK IS, IS GONNA HAVE AN IMPACT. UH, WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS NOW TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE DO DIFFERENTLY? AND HOW WE, WE BILL, HOW WE PROVIDE CARE AND THE THINGS WE DO SO THAT IT'S, IT'S NOT GONNA HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT, BUT IT'S STILL THERE. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE UP SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENCES BECAUSE THE, THE FUNDING JUST ISN'T GONNA BE THERE. THE, THE TWO MOST RESTRICTIVE, UH, PROVISIONS IN THAT BILL, THERE'S A LIMIT NOW ON THE, THE PROVIDER ASSESSMENT, THE TAXES THAT ARIZONA COLLECTED TO HELP FUND MEDICAID EXPANSION AND HOSPITAL SERVICES, THAT'S GONNA START HITTING IN 2027, AND WE'LL CONTINUE THROUGH 2032, UH, AT THAT TIME IN 2032, WE'RE REALLY GONNA BE LOOKING FOR THE, UH, THE WAY THE IMPACT IS GONNA BE PLATEAUED, BUT BY THEN THE, THE CUTS WILL BE DONE. THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS REDUCING THE PAYMENT LEVELS TO HOSPITALS. UM, IN THE, THE MANAGED CARE POPULATION, THERE IS GONNA BE A 10% ANNUAL REDUCTION EACH YEAR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND SO THAT, THAT 10% ANNUAL CUT IS TO BRING DOWN THE, THE LEVELS OF PAYMENT SO THAT THEY MATCH THE, THE THEN CURRENT MEDICARE RATES. SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE TAKING A POPULATION THAT RIGHT NOW HAS GOT A HIGHER REIMBURSEMENT RATE AND BRINGING IT DOWN OVER THE COURSE OF FIVE YEARS. THAT UNCERTAINTY THAT I TALKED ABOUT COMES FROM A NUMBER OF ELEMENTS. UH, ONE IS JUST THE, THE FACT THAT WE KNOW WHAT THE LAW SAYS, BUT THE ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, CARRYING OUT THE LAW, MAKING IT EFFECTIVE COMES WHEN THEY START WRITING THE REGULATIONS. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, NOT TO CAST DISPERSIONS ON, ON MYSELF OR ANYBODY ELSE IN THE LEGAL PROVISION, BUT YOU GET LAWYERS WRITING REGULATIONS THAT CAN CHANGE A LOT OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THAT STATUTORY LANGUAGE TO WHAT THE ACTUAL IMPACT IS. SO THAT'S ONE DEGREE OF UNCERTAINTY WE'VE GOT IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS WILL MEAN GOING FORWARD. ANOTHER SOURCE OF IN, YOU KNOW, INFORMATION THAT WE RELY ON IS WHAT THE STATE DOES. EVERY STATE'S GOT ITS OWN WAY. IT WORKS WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON MEDICAID, MEDICARE, HEALTHCARE PROVISIONS SUBSIDIES. ARIZONA HAS A, A SYSTEM THAT'S BEEN ESTABLISHED. WE KNOW WHAT THAT DOES. WHAT WE ALSO KNOW WITH THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT, THERE ARE PROBABLY GONNA BE CHANGES. AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW EXACTLY ARIZONA IS GONNA CHANGE WITH THAT. IT'S GONNA MEAN A LOT OF DIFFERENCES FOR WHAT WE GET AS A, A HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. ANOTHER SOURCE OF UNCERTAINTY IS PATIENT AWARENESS. YOU KNOW, THE, THE NEWS GETS HAMMERED WITH HEALTHCARE INFORMATION, BUT WHAT THAT MEANS TO EACH INDIVIDUAL IS NOT ALWAYS CLEAR. AND PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS UNDERSTAND UNTIL THEY GO GET CARE, SEE THE BILL, AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IMPACT IS ON THEIR BOTTOM LINE IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY OWE NEXT. WE ALREADY KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, AND WHAT ITS IMPACT IS GONNA BE ON MEDICAID PAYERS AND MEDICAID PROVIDERS. SO THERE COULD BE LEGISLATION BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR THAT CHANGES SOME OF THAT. THERE ARE ALSO ELECTIONS COMING UP IN 2026 AND 2028. SO THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON WHAT THE IMPACT IS. SO LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY. WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO AND [00:25:01] HOW WE ADDRESS THAT. THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP A LITTLE BIT ON IS THE, THE $50 BILLION RURAL HEALTHCARE TRANSFORMATION FUND. THIS WAS MONEY PUT ASIDE BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT RECOGNIZED THERE'S GONNA BE A PROBABLY UNFAIR IMPACT ON RURAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS. SO THEY'VE SET THIS MONEY ASIDE. IT'S MEANT TO GO TO EACH OF THE, THE STATES. IT'S MEANT TO HELP NOT PAY FOR HEALTHCARE DIRECTLY, BUT MAKE THE CHANGES IN HEALTHCARE, LIKE USING MORE TELEHEALTH, MORE VIDEO HEALTH PROVISIONS SO THAT THERE ARE WAYS TO GET BETTER DELIVERY OF HEALTHCARE, HIGHER QUALITY HEALTHCARE, AND DO THOSE THINGS FOR HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS IN REAL AREAS THAT WILL LET THEM KEEP UP AND NOT BE HURT QUITE SO MUCH BY SOME OF THESE CUTS. UM, THAT TOO IS, IS IN VERY EARLY STAGES. UM, NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE, ALONG WITH OTHER HOSPITALS IN THE STATE, HAVE LET THE STATE KNOW WHAT WE THINK WOULD BE A GOOD USE OF THOSE FUNDS. WE'VE GIVEN THEM IDEAS, THEY'VE GONE TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE ACTUAL APPLICATIONS, AGAIN, SUBJECT TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BEING OPERATIONAL SOMEDAY WILL BE ON THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER, AND IF NOT THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER, IT'LL BE DELAYED AND, AND DONE WHEN THEY'RE, THEY'RE OPEN AGAIN AND CAN START LOOKING AT THOSE APPLICATIONS FROM THE STATES. UM, IT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING TO DEFINE RURAL. SO WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE OPTIMISTIC AND HOPE THAT ALL OF NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE IN OUR COVERAGE AREA IS CONSIDERED RURAL AND WE'RE ELIGIBLE FOR THOSE FUNDS. UH, IT ALSO DOES NOT ADDRESS ANY COVERAGE OR CARE FOR UNDER OR UNINSURED PATIENTS. SO THAT'S STILL A, A BIG GAP THAT WE KNOW IS, IS COMING IN THE FUTURE. AND ALL OF THIS IS DISCRETIONARY. THERE ARE PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON WHO ARE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THE APPLICATIONS, DECIDING HOW THE MONEY GETS SPENT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL, ALL HUMANS. WE ALL HAVE OUR, OUR BIASES AND, AND, UH, SOMETIMES BEING OBJECTIVE IS NOT ALWAYS THE, THE END GOAL. SO JUST A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY THERE. BUT AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S FUNDING THAT WE FEEL CAN BE SOMETHING USEFUL FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE. SO WHAT ARE WE DOING? WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THESE POSSIBILITIES. WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, LOOKING FOR WAYS TO KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE AND OUR PATIENTS. THAT'S REALLY THE KEY. WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT WAYS WE CAN REDUCE OUR EXPENSES, OUR OVERHEAD, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE BEING AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE, AND BEING ABLE TO BRIBE THAT, THAT QUALITY HEALTHCARE. UM, THOSE THINGS ARE ALL PART OF OUR, OUR ONGOING EFFORTS. AND WE'RE GONNA KEEP WORKING WITH THE POLITICAL AGENCIES AND THE OFFICIALS TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW OUR INTERESTS. SO THAT'S A LOT OUT OF A, A VERY LONG BILL THAT, UH, I WANTED TO SUMMARIZE FOR YOU TONIGHT. AND, UH, MY COLLEAGUES HERE WILL, WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE WE'RE DOING TO ADVANCE HEALTHCARE IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS RICK GRAY. I'M THE VP OF SERIOUS SERVICE AREA ADMINISTRATION HERE IN THE VERDE VALLEY. SO I'VE BEEN HERE ALMOST SIX MONTHS. I COME FROM TEXAS. UH, MY BACKGROUND IS MOSTLY IN RURAL HEALTHCARE. UH, AS KYLE HAD MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN STRUGGLES IN RURAL HEALTHCARE, NOT ONLY NOW, BUT IN PREVIOUS YEARS AS WELL. BUT OUR COMMITMENT, EVEN THOUGH WE DO SEE A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH THIS, UH, AND WE DON'T KNOW THE FUTURE AS, AS, AS KYLE MENTIONED, UH, WE STILL ARE DEDICATED AND WE ARE STILL PROVIDING SERVICES AND WHAT SERVICES ARE NEEDED HERE IN THE VERDE VALLEY BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THESE SERVICES ARE NEEDED. UH, THEY'RE NOT GONNA GO AWAY. AND THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO COMMIT TO, TO CONTINUE THAT, UH, GROWTH AND CONTINUE TO BRING ON OUR SERVICES AND, AND, AND CHANGE SOME SERVICE LINES. UM, AS SOME OF YOU'RE AWARE, UH, A FEW WEEKS AGO, OUR BOARD, UH, THEY APPROVED A $35 MILLION CANCER CENTER TO BE, TO BE BUILT IN, UH, COTTONWOOD. THE REASON WHY IT'S GONNA BE, UH, IN COTTONWOOD, AND THE DECISION WAS FOR COTTONWOOD, IS BECAUSE 80% OF OUR PATIENTS THAT WE SEE ARE IN COTTONWOOD. UH, SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR SEDONA AS WE BRING THOSE SERVICES FROM SEDONA OVER TO COTTONWOOD? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UH, SO THE, THE, THE PLAN IS, IS TO HAVE SOME FORUMS AND, AND, AND BRING THE COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, THESE FORUMS TO GIVE INPUT AND JUST KIND OF THE SERVICES NEEDED. UH, ALSO LOOKING AT WHAT IS NEEDED IN OUR SERVICE AREA HERE IN SEDONA, BECAUSE WE KNOW OUR POPULATION IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN COTTONWOOD. IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN CAMP VERDE. UH, AND SO MAKING SURE THAT WE STILL PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES AND BRING THE SERVICES NEEDED HERE TO SEDONA AND WHAT'S NEEDED HERE. UH, SO, UH, AS KYLE MENTIONED, THERE ARE A LOT OF UNCERTAINTIES, BUT YOU CAN REST ASSURED THAT WE ARE HERE TO SERVICE SEDONA. UH, WE'RE ALSO HERE TO PROVIDE SERVICES FOR COTTONWOOD, CAMP VERDE, UH, FLAGSTAFF, ALL THE NORTHERN ARIZONA REGIONS. SO, UH, I, UH, WANTED TO JUST KIND OF GIVE THAT UPDATE THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO, UH, RECRUIT. UH, OUR RECRUITMENT EFFORTS ARE STILL UNDERWAY. UH, WE'RE STILL GROWING AS FAR AS, AS BRINGING, UM, THE CAMP OR THE, THE CANCER CENTER. UH, BUT ALSO WHAT'S THAT LOOK LIKE FOR SEDONA ONCE WE MOVED THAT? SO, UM, [00:30:01] I JUST WANTED TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THAT. THANK YOU. HELLO, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, JESSICA DRUM. UH, I AM THE, YOU'RE GONNA NOTICE A TREND HERE, AND I PROMISE IT WASN'T PLANNED THIS WAY, THAT ALL THREE OF US ARE RELATIVELY NEW TO NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE. BUT I THINK THAT THAT SPEAKS TO, UM, WHAT RICK WAS SAYING, THE EXPANSION. I'M THE NEW COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER AND HAVE BEEN, UM, TASKED WITH STARTING A COMMUNITY RELATIONS PROGRAM FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE, BOTH IN THE VERDE VALLEY AND IN THE FLAGSTAFF REGION. AND SO AS PART OF THAT, UM, SUPPORTING RICK, BOTH WITH THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS THAT YOU WILL BE HEARING FROM US IN THE COMING MONTHS ABOUT THE SPACE IN SEDONA THAT WILL EXIST ONCE THE NEW CANCER CENTER IS OPERATIONAL AND WHAT MEETS SEDONA RESIDENTS NEEDS. AND ALSO WITH WORK TO CONDUCT OUTREACH REGARDING IMPACTS OF THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL THAT KYLE MENTIONED. AND SO, WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE MYSELF, AND I KNOW SOME OF THESE FACES ARE FAMILIAR. I WAS WITH THE CITY OF FLAGSTAFF, UM, AS A PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS BEFORE, UM, A CORPORATE STINT AND NOW TO NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, MS. MAYOR? THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING AND, UH, WELCOME TO SEDONA, WELCOME TO, UH, NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE. IT SOUNDS LIKE , UH, I I THINK IT'S ENCOURAGING TO HEAR THAT THERE'S THREE NEW FACES OR TO SEE THREE NEW FACES HERE BECAUSE, UH, CERTAINLY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT STAFFING AND, AND SO FORTH. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT APPEARS THERE'S BEEN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT ON THAT FRONT. SO KUDOS AND PLEASE KEEP HIRING. UM, REGARDING THE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S TREMENDOUS UNCERTAINTY AROUND THAT. UM, IT WOULD STRIKE ME FROM YOUR COMMENTS THAT THERE'S LITTLE TO BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT, UH, FROM IT. I KNOW THERE'S THAT $50 BILLION TRANSFORMATION OF RURAL HEALTHCARE, UH, COMPONENT. CAN YOU SPEAK TO ANY GREATER DETAIL ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK THE GOOD IDEAS ARE THAT YOU HAVE FOR HOW, IF YOU GET SOME OF THAT MONEY, WHAT YOU WOULD DO AT NAH TO TRANSFORM? SURE, SURE. AND AND OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF THAT DEPENDS ON, ON WHAT OUR APPLICATION LOOKS LIKE AND, AND WHAT ACTUALLY GETS FUNDED. BUT THAT YOU COULD SEE THEMES NOT ONLY FROM NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE, BUT THE OTHER HOSPITALS WITH RURAL PRESENCE. AND I'M JUST GONNA BACK UP A SECOND. I, I GREW UP AT A REALLY SMALL RURAL PART OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN, SO I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A LONG WAY FROM A HOSPITAL OR THE, THE DOCTOR'S NOT ALWAYS AVAILABLE. SO I UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS AND, AND I BRING THAT UNDERSTANDING WITH ME TO THIS ROLE. BUT LOOKING AT, AT WHAT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE IS MAKING HEALTHCARE ACCESSIBLE AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE WHO LIVE FIVE OR SIX HOURS FROM A HOSPITAL CAN GET CARE, WHETHER THAT'S MOBILE UNITS, WHETHER THAT'S TELEHEALTH. AND THEN THE OTHER PART IS MAKING SURE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVIDE THAT HEALTHCARE. THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY WHO ARE INTERESTED IN HEALTHCARE, HAVE THE APTITUDE AND THE INTEREST IN IT, BUT EITHER CAN'T GET THE, THE FUNDING OR THE, THE ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND TRAINING. SO I THINK IF WE CAN LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE DO IN TERMS OF MAKING HEALTHCARE MORE ACCESSIBLE AND GETTING THE, THE PEOPLE WHO, WHO KNOW THOSE RURAL COMMUNITIES AND KNOW WHAT THE DYNAMICS ARE LIKE, WILL MAKE THE, THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE. AND THEN YOU LAYER ON WHAT TECHNOLOGY CAN DO. A LOT OF COOL THINGS COMING. AI'S GOT, ITS, ITS DARK SIDE AND ITS CONCERNS, BUT I THINK WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, THERE MIGHT BE SOME THINGS WE CAN DO IN MORE OUTREACH AND, AND BETTER QUALITY OF CARE. AND, AND IF I MAY ADD TO PARTNERSHIPS TOO, UH, PARTNERING WITH OTHER ENTITIES AS WELL, BECAUSE IT'S GONNA TAKE ALL OF US TO KEEP IT AFLOAT AND MAKING SURE THAT WE PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES. SO PARTNERING WITH OTHER ENTITIES AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ALL SUPPORTING EACH OTHER. OKAY. WITH THE ANTICIPATED CUTS IN MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT, WHAT, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY AS FAR AS WHAT DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS ARE MOST AT RISK OF, UH, BEING IMPACTED BY THOSE CUTS? AND, AND IN GENERAL? IT'S, IT'S A VERY BROAD SWATH OF, OF NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE. YOU KNOW, IT'S, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR PATIENT AND OUR PAYER MIX, THERE'S A LOT THAT SHOWS WHERE WE, WE PROVIDE CARE AND, AND THERE WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. I DON'T WANNA SPEAK TO EXACT NUMBERS, BUT IT, IT WILL BE SIGNIFICANT. AND, AND THERE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW, NOT AWARE UNTIL THEY, THEY, LIKE I SAID, THEY SHOW UP FOR A CARE THAT THEIR COVERAGE IS EITHER NOT THERE OR THEY GET THE NOTICE IN THE MAIL THAT SAYS YOU'RE NO LONGER COVERED. SO IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE SIGNIFICANT. AND GEOGRAPHICALLY ACROSS YOUR REGION, YOU DON'T EXPECT ANY PARTICULAR CONCENTRATIONS [00:35:01] OF AREAS THAT IT'S A MORE SEVERE IMPACT OR IT REALLY, WHEN, WHEN WE KIND OF PROJECT OUR, OUR PATIENT POPULATION, YOU CAN SEE CERTAIN POCKETS IN CERTAIN AREAS. BUT REALLY IT'S, IT'S AMAZING HOW WIDESPREAD THAT POPULATION IS. UM, OBVIOUSLY IN, IN MORE SETTLED AREAS, AND OR YOU EVEN WANNA USE THE WORD URBAN, BUT AREAS WHERE YOU'VE GOT A HIGHER DENSITY POPULATION, YOU HAVE LESS IMPACT. BUT THROUGHOUT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, AT THE AREA, FOR INSTANCE, WHERE OUR GUARDIAN HELICOPTERS AND AMBULANCES ARE, THAT'S FROM KINGMAN ALL THE WAY TO THE NEW MEXICO BORDER. THAT PATIENT POPULATION THERE IS, IS SIGNIFICANT IN TERMS OF BOTH NEEDS AND, AND, UH, THE MEDICAID POPULATION. DO YOU HAVE SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURE TO THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY, UM, EXPECTING THAT THAT'S A TARGETED AREA FOR MEDICAID CUTS? SO I, I THINK MAYBE THERE'S A, A LITTLE BIT OF, OF CONFUSION IF, IF YOU'RE NOT A CITIZEN, YOU'RE NOT QUALIFIED TO GET MEDICAID COVERAGE. NOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE A HOSPITAL, WE HAVE TO TREAT WHOEVER SHOWS UP AT THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND NEEDS CARE. BUT THE, THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT HERE LEGALLY GETTING HEALTHCARE THROUGH MEDICAID, I DON'T THINK IS SIGNIFICANT. THAT'S NOT WHERE THE, THE REAL IMPACT IS GONNA BE. OKAY. AND THEN RICK AND JESSICA, YOU ALL HAVE 30 PLUS ACRES SURROUNDING THE EMERGENCY CENTER HERE. WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSION WITH SOME OF YOUR COLLEAGUES ABOUT THAT. I WOULD HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE DISCUSSION AND THAT THOSE MIGHT GET MORE ROBUST ABOUT, UH, WAYS IN WHICH YOU ALL MIGHT CHOOSE TO INVEST, UH, UTILIZING THAT LAND IN A WAY THAT, UH, MEETS NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY HERE. SO CERTAINLY HOPE WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THAT SOON. THANK YOU, MAYOR KATHY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, MR. GRAY. I WELCOME. THANK YOU. BEFORE YOU SAID ABOUT, UM, THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERING WITH OTHER ENTITIES, AND I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD, UM, EXPAND ON THAT A BIT AND WHAT, WHICH ENTITIES, WHAT KIND OF ENTITIES, WHAT DO YOU SEE PARTNERSHIPS LOOKING LIKE GOING FORWARD? YES. SO, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE AS, AS, UH, KYLE HAD MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CUTS FROM THE, UH, BILL THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED, THERE ALSO CUTS, UH, WITH CERTAIN PUBLIC HEALTH RESOURCES AND, AND SOME OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, YOU KNOW, PROVIDERS THAT, UH, WE SEE PRIMARY CARE PEDIATRICS IN, IN THOSE AREAS, THOSE CLINICS ARE, ARE FEDERALLY FUNDED AS WELL. SO, UH, OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE RECEIVING, YOU KNOW, FI FINANCIAL BURDENS AND, AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, PARTNERING WITH THEM AND MAKING SURE THAT, UH, WE HELP, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT THEM, THEY HELP SUPPORT US BECAUSE, UH, AS WE KNOW HEALTHCARE, WE, THERE IS MORE, UH, PEOPLE THAN WE CAN SERVE BECAUSE OF THE HEALTHCARE THAT'S NOT ONLY HERE, BUT NATIONALLY. AND SO JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE PARTNER IN CONTINUING THOSE PARTNERSHIPS AS FAR AS PRIMARY CARE, UH, MAKING SURE PEDIATRICS AND MAKING SURE OUR PATIENTS ARE BEING SEEN, UH, IN THIS REGION. SO IT'S PARTNERSHIPS INSOFAR AS MAKING SURE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THEM, THEM WORKING WITH US AND PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES. ARE THERE A LOT OF, UM, PROVIDERS AVAILABLE IN THE AREA THAT YOU CAN CREATE NEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH? OR? SO, UH, YOU KNOW, IN OUR, OUR EFFORTS TO RECRUIT, AS WE KNOW NATIONALLY, YOU KNOW, RECRUITMENT EFFORTS FOR PHYSICIANS AND PROVIDERS IS VERY LIMITED. UH, AND, AND THAT DOESN'T ELIMINATE, YOU KNOW, OR EX OR EXCLUDE US AS WELL. AND SO A LOT OF YOUR PROVIDERS THAT WE ARE RECRUITING ARE FROM OTHER AREAS BECAUSE OF, OF THE NEED, UH, IN OUR AREA, NOT ONLY IN OUR AREA, BUT EVERYWHERE. SO JUST GETTING THOSE PROVIDERS, UH, AND AS WE SEE PROVIDERS EITHER RETIRING OR MOVING TO, UH, DIFFERENT AREAS, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY, THEY MOVE AROUND JUST LIKE ALL OF US. AND SO JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE GET OUR PROVIDERS HERE THAT WANT TO BE IN THIS AREA. OKAY. AND I'M SURE THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, NOT A SHOCK TO YOU, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS A CONCERN, A CONSTANT CONCERN IN OUR COMMUNITY UP HERE REGIONALLY ABOUT THE EMERGENCY ROOM. MM-HMM . UM, AND ALTHOUGH I THINK WE'VE HEARD, AND THERE HAVE BEEN CONVERSATIONS AND SOME OF THE CONCERN HAS BEEN AMELIORATED A BIT, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO JUST FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYBODY LISTENING, HEAR WHAT THE FORESEEABLE PLANS ARE FOR THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND A COMMITMENT, UH, TO KEEPING THAT OPEN TO SERVE THIS AREA. SO I THINK, AND, AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, DAVE HAS OUR CEO HAS MENTIONED THIS ON NUMEROUS OCCASION, UH, THAT THE PLAN IS, IS OBVIOUSLY TO KEEP THE, THE ED HERE. UH, AND, UH, OUR ED SERVICES, UH, I'M HAPPY REPORT, UH, A FEW MONTHS AGO WE ACTUALLY SIGNED THE CONTRACT. SO YOU'LL SEE OUR SAME ED PHYSICIANS HERE AS YOU DO IN FLAG COTTONWOOD. IT'S THE SAME GROUP. UH, [00:40:01] SO THEY ROTATE THROUGH THE, THE SYSTEM, UH, AND THEY'RE ALL BOARD CERTIFIED ED PHYSICIANS. AND SO, UH, THAT IS A BIG, UH, FEATHER IN OUR CAP FOR REGION BECAUSE A LOT OF SMALLER REGIONS DON'T HAVE BOARD CERTIFIED ED PHYSICIANS. AND WE DO. UH, AND SO THAT JUST SHOWS OUR COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY IS, IS PROVIDING THOSE CERTIFIED ED PHYSICIANS HERE. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAVE A FEW. WHAT, WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE OF YOUR POPULATION THAT YOU SERVE THAT'S ON MEDICAID? WELL, I, I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT FIGURES. UM, IT, IT IS SIGNIFICANT THOUGH, AS YOU'D IMAGINE. THE, THE PERCENTAGE, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN TALKING WITH CLOSER TO THE MIC, I'M SORRY, COULD YOU BE CLOSER TO THE MIC? OH, CERTAINLY. I APOLOGIZE. THE, THE PERCENTAGES THAT WE SEE IN TERMS OF, OF POPULATION IN THAT PAYER MIX OF MEDICAID, MEDICARE, UM, PRIVATE INSURANCE OR CORPORATE INSURANCE HAS STAYED FAIRLY STABLE, BUT THAT STILL IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THE, THE POPULATION WE SERVE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SERVICE AREA, WE'VE GOT THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL PATIENTS AND ACTUAL PATIENTS. IT STILL IS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF, OF OUR, OUR MIX. WELL, AS YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR REMARKS, THE MEDICAID CADE REIMBURSEMENT RATE IS GOING TO BE DECLINING, AND THAT'S A HIGHER RATE THAN THE MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT RATE. CORRECT. AND YOU STILL HAVE TO SERVE EVERYBODY, EVEN WHEN PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER INSURED. MM-HMM . SO IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU'RE GONNA GET A BIG HIT, IT'S GONNA BE SIGNIFICANT. AND THEN YOU ALSO CONSIDER THE OTHER DYNAMIC THAT IF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE REGULAR HEALTH INSURANCE, THEY PUT OFF THINGS THAT, THAT TWITCH, THAT SLIGHT PAIN GETS PUT OFF UNTIL IT'S REALLY SOMETHING SERIOUS AND THEY SHOW UP AT THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT WHERE, WHERE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A MUCH BIGGER INVOICE AND A LOT MORE COMPLICATED CARE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE HOPING WITH THE, THE RURAL TRANSFORMATION BILL, IS WHAT CAN WE DO IN TERMS OF WELLNESS OUTREACH AND THINGS THAT ARE MORE PREVENTIVE AND KEEP PEOPLE IN CONTACT WITH HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS SO THAT THEY'RE NOT SEEING THOSE DRASTIC CATASTROPHE TYPE ISSUES AND HAVE TO SHOW UP AT THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IS THE, WHEN IS THE, WHEN DO WE ANTICIPATE THAT THE RULES WILL BE GENERATED THAT WILL THEN TURN INTO APPLICATIONS AND FUNDING WILL FLOW? SO THE, THE CMS MESSAGING THAT, THAT WE GOT BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WAS THEY WANTED TO SEE THIS HAPPEN QUICKLY. SO, UM, PRIOR TO TO THE SHUTDOWN, THE APPLICATIONS FROM THE STATES WERE DUE ON THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER WITH THE IDEA THAT FUNDING DECISIONS WOULD BE MADE SOMETIME IN MID-JANUARY TO THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY WITH THE IDEA OF MAKING A REAL IMPACT WITH THAT MONEY AND, AND MAKING, MAKING SURE THAT STATES WERE SEEING THE BENEFIT OF IT, BUT ALSO HAVING THE CHANCE TO HAVE FEEDBACK ON WHAT WAS GONNA WORK AND WHAT MIGHT NOT BE AS SUCCESSFUL. AND THAT MONEY'S GONNA GO THROUGH A O AND THEN YOU'LL APPLY TO A O OR HOW IS THAT GONNA BE DISTRIBUTED? YEAH, THE, THE PLAN OR AS AS IT'S LAID OUT TODAY, SUBJECT TO CHANGE, IS THAT, YEAH, IT WOULD COME THROUGH THE, THE STATE AGENCY AND THEN HOSPITALS WOULD BE DISPERSED THE FUNDS BASED ON WHAT THE, THE APPLICATIONS ARE TO THE STATE AGENCY. SO THAT'S A, SO IF THE MONEY FOLLOWING WHAT THE PLAN WAS PRE SHUT DOWN WOULD FLOW TO THE STATE IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY, THEN YOU'D HAVE TO APPLY. SO WHAT ARE YOU PROJECTING THAT WOULD COME TO YOU OR ANY OTHER HOSPITAL SYSTEM IN THE STATE? UH, VERY UNKNOWN. UM, THERE, THERE ARE FIVE MAJOR CATEGORIES THAT, THAT THEY WANT TO ADDRESS. WE WOULD TRY AND HIT ALL FIVE OF THOSE TO INCREASE OUR OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR FUNDING AND BENEFITS TO NORTHERN ARIZONA. BUT, UM, WE, WE REALLY DON'T KNOW ONE THERE, THERE'S NOT A HARD AND FAST DEFINITION OF RURAL. SO WE'RE JUST GOING ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT EVERYTHING WE, WE TOUCH IN NORTHERN ARIZONA IS CONSIDERED RURAL. AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, WE'RE GONNA APPLY FOR ALL FIVE OF THOSE, THOSE THEMES OR THOSE BUCKETS AND LOOK AT, AT WHAT WE CAN GET AND BRING BACK TO NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE. CAN YOU SHARE WITH US SOME OF THE IDEAS THAT YOU HAVE FOR THOSE BUCKETS? YEAH, IT'S JUST AT A HIGH LEVEL. SURE. IT'S, IT'S THE THEMES LIKE DOING EITHER MOBILE UNITS, UM, IF YOU CAN SEND OUT, UM, JUST A MOBILE WELLNESS UNIT WHERE PEOPLE GET A, JUST A BASIC PHYSICAL TO SAY, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING OKAY, ANY FAKES, PAINS, OTHER ISSUES, UH, OR SPECIALIZED DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS LIKE, UH, MAMMOGRAPHY, MOBILE UNITS OR, OR OTHER THINGS THAT CAN HELP DETECT CHRONIC [00:45:01] DISEASES OR ISSUES. AND THEN ALSO LOOKING AT HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE COLLABORATE WITH THOSE LOCAL AGENCIES, YOU KNOW, THE, THE LOCAL PROVIDER IN, IN A SMALL COMMUNITY. IS THERE SOMETHING WE CAN DO IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEM, ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY OR, OR EQUIPMENT THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE REGULARLY THAT CAN DO MORE OUTREACH. SO IT REALLY IS LOOKING AT ALL THE SPACE WE HAVE IN NORTHERN ARIZONA AND HOW DO WE BETTER DELIVER HEALTHCARE, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA FILL THE, THE WHOLE OF THE MILLIONS THAT YOU'RE GONNA LOSE. NO. AND IT'S, THE, THE LANGUAGE IS, IS PRETTY SPECIFIC THAT IT'S NOT MEANT TO MAKE UP OPERATIONAL LOSSES. IT'S MEANT TO, AS THEY SAY, TRANSFORM RURAL HEALTHCARE SO THAT WE'VE GOT A, A MORE EFFICIENT SYSTEM. SO THAT'S THE MINDSET WE'RE TAKING INTO THAT. YOU KNOW, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS SAID THAT THERE IS NO MONEY TO FUND THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT THE REIMBURSEMENT RATE IS NOW AND WHAT IT WILL BE LATER. PLUS OUR BILL FOR MEDICAID EXPANSION WAS DEPENDENT UPON THE STATE, THE FEDERAL FUNDING. SO DO YOU KNOW, DO YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHT INTO THAT? NO, I, I DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR THE, THE STATE GOVERNMENT, BUT I KNOW THERE ARE ISSUES. I MEAN, THE, THE, THE BUDGET ISSUES IN GENERAL AT THE STATE LEVEL ARE, ARE GONNA BE TIGHT AGAIN THIS YEAR. SO WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE, WE'RE BEING EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE WITH EVERYTHING THE STATE GETS AND, AND HOW IT SPENDS IT. UH OH. YES. SO THE, ARE YOU STILL PARTNERED WITH THE CITY OF HOPE FOR CANCER SERVICES? MM-HMM . SO MOVING THE CANCER CENTER OR EXPANDING THE CANCER CENTERS, NOT REPLACING THAT RELATIONSHIP? NO. AND, AND SO A COUPLE WEEKS AGO WE DID HAVE THEIR PHYSICIANS COME, UH, TO OUR CAMPUS. UH, THEY BROUGHT ABOUT 14 OR 15 ONCOLOGISTS, HEMATOLOGISTS, UH, TO OUR CANCER OR TO OUR HOSPITAL IN COTTONWOOD IN OUR CLINIC, AND MET OUR PROVIDERS AND THEIR PROVIDERS, UH, AND HAD CONVERSATIONS. AND SO THAT'S GONNA BE IN THE FUTURE TOO. SO WHEN THE CANCER, WHAT, WHAT'S THE TIMEFRAME THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT TO MOVE EVERYTHING OVER THERE? SO THE CANCER CENTER SHOULD BE, THAT'S PROJECTED TO BE OPEN, FULLY OPERATIONAL OF FALL OF 2027. AND DO YOU KNOW AT THIS POINT WHAT'S GONNA OCCUPY THE SPACE THAT WILL BE VACATED IN SEDONA? AND, AND THAT'S THE CONVERSATIONS WE WILL BE HAVING AND, AND, AND THE FORUMS AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE DO LOOK AT WHAT'S NEEDED IN THIS REGION AND ONE AREA. SO YOU'RE GONNA REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY? YES. UH, THAT'S EXCELLENT. MM-HMM . ONE MORE. SURE. THE, UM, IMAGING THAT HAPPENS AT THE ED DOWN HERE IS LINKED THOUGH TO THE CANCER RADIOLOGY. IS THE RADIOLOGY, OR IS THAT IMAGING GOING TO ALSO MOVE TO COTTONWOOD OR WILL STILL BE AS PART OF THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, YOU STILL BE ABLE TO GET CAT SCANS OR WHATEVER NEEDED THAT THAT EQUIPMENT WILL REMAIN YES. IN LAB BECAUSE, UH, WHENEVER YOU HAVE A STANDALONE ED, YOU HAVE TO HAVE IMAGING IN LAB. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. I HAVE ONE CARD FROM THE PUBLIC, UH, TIM. GOOD EVENING COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS TIM PERRY AND I LIVE IN SEDONA SINCE THE SUBJECT UNDER DISCUSSION TONIGHT IS RURAL HEALTHCARE. I THOUGHT I WOULD PROVIDE AN ACTUAL RURAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE SUBJECT FOR THE COUNCIL, UH, WHICH IS BASICALLY THAT WE'RE DELIGHTED AT WHAT YOU GUYS ARE SO AFRAID OF. WE KNOW ALREADY TO START OFF WITH THE DOCTORS, HOSPITALS AND THE MEDICAL INSURANCE INDUSTRY ARE NOTHING BUT A SADISTIC SCAM AND WELL , IT'S, WE, THIS THING YOU'RE SO, UH, UPSET ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. THAT IS SOMETHING WE REALLY HATE BECAUSE IT PURPORTS TO FORCE US TO PAY FOR MEDICAL CARE THAT WE DO NOT NEED JUST TO PROP UP THE FLAILING INDUSTRY FOR A FEW MORE YEARS. AND WE KNOW THAT THESE DOCTORS WHO ARE SUPPOSEDLY PROVIDING SERVICES IN THIS MEDICAL INDUSTRY ARE NOT SOME SORT OF EMPATHETIC EXPERTS. NO, THERE ARE A BUNCH OF IGNORANT PSYCHOPATHS WHO DO THE JOB BECAUSE THEY LIKE THE BIG PAYCHECK AND THEY LIKE HAVING A CHANCE TO WORK OFF THEIR AUTHORITARIAN JOLLIES ON PEOPLE. WE'RE WELL AWARE THAT MUCH OF THE GROWTH OF TYRANNY IN THE 20TH CENTURY IS DUE TO COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION AND THE GOVERNMENT, CREATING WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS THE THERAPEUTIC STATE, WHICH PURPORTS TO CIRCUMVENT THE LAW AND THE CONSTITUTION. OF COURSE, WE ALSO KNOW THAT, UH, ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WAS NOT TO GET US MEDICAL CARE, BUT JUST TO FORCE US TO GO TO DOCTORS SO THEY COULD FILL US UP WITH MORE POISON PILLS AND MORE MISINFORMATION, AND OF COURSE, MAKE MORE MONEY OFF US. HOW DO WE KNOW THESE [00:50:01] THINGS? BECAUSE WE'VE ALL GOT A LONG LIST OF HORROR STORIES OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO US AND THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO OUR FRIENDS AND OUR FAMILIES WHEN THEY THOUGHT, WELL, THIS IS GETTING PRETTY BAD. I'LL TRY GOING TO THE DOCTOR. AND THE DOCTOR MADE IT WORSE. IF WE NEED EVIDENCE OF WHAT A SCAM HOSPITALS ARE, WE CAN JUST LOOK UP THE HILL HERE. WHEN THE VOTERS VERY APPROPRIATELY SHOT DOWN THE $800 MILLION HOSPITAL BOND, WHAT DID NAH DO? NAH WENT OUT AND SAID, WELL, WE'LL PAY FOR IT OURSELVES. WHERE DOES A SUPPOSEDLY NON-PROFIT HOSPITAL GET $800 MILLION TO SPEND ON ADMINISTRATORS VANITY PROJECTS FOR THEIR LEGACY? OH WAIT. IT GOT THAT MONEY BY SCREWING IT OUT OF SUFFERING PATIENTS WHO WENT INTO DEBT TO PAY THEIR HOSPITAL BILLS. ONE OTHER THING WE KNOW IN THE RURAL WEST IS THAT WE CAN TAKE CARE OF A LOT OF OUR PROBLEMS OURSELVES WITHOUT A DOCTOR, EXCEPT THE OLD FASHIONED REMEDIES WE WOULD'VE USED HAVE BEEN BANNED BY DOCTORS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT SO THEY CAN MAKE MORE MONEY AND GAIN MORE CONTROL VIA THINGS LIKE THE WAR ON DRUGS, THE RISE IN OBESITY, AND THE GROWTH OF ADDICTION. I AND MILLIONS OF OTHERS HOPE THAT RFK CAN SOMEHOW FIND A WAY TO GUT THESE BASTARDS BECAUSE GETTING THEM OUT OF RURAL HEALTHCARE WILL FIX IT. MAD MAYOR, I HAVE ANOTHER CARD. GOOD EVENING, STEVE EVENING. I DIDN'T PLAN ON SPEAKING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS STEVE EGNER, UM, A LOCAL, I'VE BEEN HERE 25 YEARS AND I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK TO THE LAST GENTLEMAN'S CONCEPT OF CON UM, COMMENTS. UH, FIRST I'D LIKE TO APOLOGIZE. UH, I THINK THAT WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE DONE. I THINK YOU'RE TRYING HARD. I THINK EVERYBODY'S WORRIED. I THINK THERE'S BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL IS GOING TO HURT A LOT OF PEOPLE. I THINK WE KNOW IT'S GOING TO HURT PEOPLE. AND IT WAS ANNOUNCED JUST SEVERAL HOURS AGO THAT OUR GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED THAT IF YOU RUN UP A BILL, IT WILL NOW BE PUT AGAINST YOUR CREDIT. IT WILL NO LONGER BE HELD AGAINST YOUR CREDIT. IT SEEMS THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MAKE LIFE HARD FOR PEOPLE, AND THAT'S NOT GOVERNMENT'S JOB. JOB OF GOVERNMENT IS TO HELP PEOPLE. I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE DONE. I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA GO THROUGH AND I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MINUTE TO THINK THAT'S NOT HOW WE FEEL IN SEDONA. WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE DONE. AND UH, I WANTED TO SAY THAT FOR 25 YEARS, I DEPEND ON YOUR, UM, MY WIFE HAS DEPENDED ON YOUR, UH, OPERATION. SHE JUST WENT THROUGH A A SERIES. YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB. BUT TO COME UP HERE AND CHASTISE AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S TRYING TO SAVE PEOPLE'S LIVES ALL ACROSS ARIZONA AND TO THE NATIVES OF NORTHERN ARIZONA, YOU NEED ALL THE HELP AND ALL THE MONEY YOU CAN GET. SO I APOLOGIZE, UH, FOR THIS GENTLEMAN'S COMMENTS. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE FROM COUNCIL? THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, I TOO WANNA THANK YOU, UH, UH, FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. UH, HEALTHCARE IS, UH, ALWAYS ON OUR CONSTITUENTS MIND, OUR COMMUNITY'S MIND. UH, AND YOU KNOW, YOUR PRESENCE HERE IS, UH, IS SIGNIFICANT. WELCOME ABOARD TO NIH. UH, AND AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND HAVING THIS DIALOGUE WITH US. IT'S IMPORTANT TO US, IT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, AN OPEN DIALOGUE WITH YOU ALL. SO I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT. AND I ALSO WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT FOR THE ED PRESENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT'S DEFINITELY A SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT. UH, PERSONALLY IT HAS BEEN FOR ME. I'VE GOTTEN SOME GREAT, UH, CARE THERE, UM, DURING SOME STRUGGLES THAT I HAD. AND SO, UH, AND, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR WORDS OF, UH, AND COMMITMENT TO ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITY IN AN ANALYSIS OF NEEDS. UH, AND ALTHOUGH RICK, I THINK, THINK YOU SAID RURAL EXPERIENCE OF FIVE TO SIX HOURS COMMUTE TO A HOSPITAL, THAT'S NOT OUR PARTICULAR NEED. BUT WE CERTAINLY HAVE THREE OR FOUR MONTHS WAIT FOR PARTICULAR SERVICES. AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, A BIG, UH, A BIG, UH, NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY AND ITEM THAT WE THINK ABOUT ALL THE TIME WHEN, WHEN WE'RE OUR RESIDENTS STRUGGLE WITH HEALTHCARE. AND I PERSONALLY LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, YOUR CREATIVE IDEAS ON THE TRANSFORMATION ELEMENTS. UM, AND I THINK THAT COULD HELP IN SOME CREATIVE WAYS, YOU KNOW, REDUCE THAT WAITING PERIOD THAT WE HAVE FOR ACCESS TO SERVICES. AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT COULD COME OUT OF THAT. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO ECHO THAT. [00:55:01] YOU KNOW, WE, FOR MANY YEARS WE'VE HAD CONSTITUENT COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE REVOLVING DOOR OF DOCTORS IN AND OUT, LEADERSHIP REVOLVING DOOR, ET CETERA. AND YOU'RE NEW, BUT YOU'VE BEEN HERE AND WE APPRECIATE THAT AND WE APPRECIATE THE RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO BUILD WITH US AND THE OPENNESS AND THE COMMUNICATIONS. AND WE HOPE THAT THAT WILL CONTINUE AND THAT WE'LL BE PART OF THE FORUMS AND WE'LL BE ABLE, AND WE CAN EVEN HOLD THEM HERE IF YOU WANT, IN OUR SPACE UP TO YOU. UH, SO THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN COME AND HAVE AN OPEN DIALOGUE. I'VE BEEN TO A, WHAT SHE CALLED A SALON, BUT HOUSE PARTY THAT THAT, UM, A LOCAL RESIDENT HAD AND A LOT OF THE, THE, UH, ADMINISTRATORS AND DOCTORS CAME AND TALKED TO A ROOM OF, YOU KNOW, 30 PEOPLE AND IT WAS VERY ENLIGHTENING. AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT IT WAS A COUPLE YEARS AGO THAT ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT WAS COMMITTED TO HAS BEEN FULFILLED. AND WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. SO THANK YOU AND HOPE TO HAVE YOU COME BACK AND KEEP US IN THE LOOP AND LET US KNOW WHEN YOU GET MORE INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN SUPPORT YOU AND WE CAN COMMUNICATE TO OUR RESIDENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANKS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. [8.c. AB 3265 Discussion/possible direction on the function of the Tourism Advisory Board.] EIGHT C AB 32 65. DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE DIRECTION ON THE FUNCTION OF THE TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD. NICE TO SEE YOU CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR. GOOD EVENING. UH, MY NAME IS ANDREW. I'M THE TOURISM MANAGER HERE AT THE CITY OF SEDONA. AND SO EXCITED TO ALSO INTRODUCE MY FELLOW TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS. IF YOU QUICKLY WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, UH, JOHN FITZGIBBONS, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, ALTHEA JOHNSON VICE CHAIR. SO THIS DECEMBER, THE TAB IS TURNING TWO, SO IT'S GONNA BE TWO YEARS OLD IN DECEMBER. UM, AND THAT'S GONNA COINCIDE WITH, UH, OUR FIRST TERMING OUT OF TAP MEMBERS. SO, UM, WE'LL KIND OF TALK ABOUT THIS DURING THE PRESENTATION, BUT UH, WE DO HAVE APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED THAT WILL BE UNDER CITY COUNCIL REVIEW. WE'D LOVE TO TAKE THE TIME WE HAVE WITH YOU TONIGHT TO JUST WALK THROUGH, UM, WHAT THE TABS BEEN DOING FOR ITS FIRST TWO YEARS, AND THEN MAYBE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, WHO'S BEEN CHANGING OFF THE TAB TO UNDERSTAND THE TYPES OF REPRESENTATION THAT WE'D WANT TO SEE IN THE FUTURE. UH, SO THE TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD WAS ENACTED IN 2003, LATE TWO TH LATE 2023. UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE TOURISM PROGRAM AT THE CITY STARTED ON JULY 1ST, 2023. SO WITHIN SEVERAL MONTHS OF THAT BEING ESTABLISHED, WE WERE ABLE TO HOST OUR FIRST TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD MEETING. UM, THE LANGUAGE THAT I PULLED FOR WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE TAB IS TO IS TO ADVISE THE COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF ON DECISIONS RELATED TO TOURISM, STRATEGIC PLANNING, MARKETING, VISITOR MANAGEMENT, REGIONAL TOURISM EFFORTS, AND ANY OTHER TOURISM RELATED MATTERS ASSIGNED TO IT BY CITY COUNCIL. IT'S AN 11 MEMBER BOARD THAT IS APPOINTED BY YOU CITY COUNCIL. UM, BY DEFINITION THESE ARE TWO YEAR TERMS, BUT WE ENDED UP HAVING SIX FOLKS FOR FOUR YEAR TERMS BECAUSE OF IT BEING THE BEGINNING. BUT REALLY MOVING FORWARD, WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO YEAR TERMS, UM, AND THEN TAB MEMBERS IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE. AND THIS IS WHY WE'VE SEEN SOME CHANGES THIS CALENDAR YEAR. YOU NEED TO BE A SEDONA RESIDENT OWN OR OPERATE A BUSINESS WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS, OR REPRESENT AN ORGANIZATION THAT SERVES THE SEDONA COMMUNITY. SO THOSE ARE REALLY THE QUALIFYING FACTORS. UH, HERE ARE THE CURRENT NINE MEMBERS. WE TOOK THIS AT OUR LAST MEETING EARLIER THIS MONTH, SO IT'S GREAT TO SEE SOME SMILING FACES. UM, AND JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHO THESE FOLKS ARE, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE GOT THE TWO FOLKS NEXT TO ME, UM, OUR CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE LINDSAY HAMMERSMITH WITH SEDONA ELITE PROPERTIES, ALICIA HANSON WITH SEVERAL RETAIL OPERATIONS, ONE OF WHICH IS SEDONA CRYSTAL VORTEX, RICHARD [01:00:01] KEPPEL WITH SEDONA SOUL ADVENTURES. RANDY MCGRAIN WITH BEST WESTERN AURORA ROBLE. BOB PKE IS A SEDONA RESIDENT. AND THEN FRANCIS REAMER IS A RESIDENT BUT WITH NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY. AND THEN RENEE TAYLOR FROM RENEE TAYLOR GALLERY. UM, THE TWO SEATS THAT HAVE BEEN VACATED, WE DID HAVE CRAIG SWANSON WITH KEEPS SEDONA BEAUTIFUL REPRESENTING KIND OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFIT SECTOR. AND THEN WE HAD, UM, DANIELLE, SO WHO WAS REPRESENTING THE LODGING. SO THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE TWO VA VACATED SEATS. I DID THE MATH, ALTHOUGH I WASN'T HERE FOR ALL OF THEM. UH, WE HAVE HOSTED 17 TAP MEETINGS SINCE OUR FIRST ONE IN DECEMBER OF 23. UM, AND I'M JUST GONNA QUICKLY TALK ABOUT SOME MILESTONES. WE WOULD LOVE TO HAND IT OFF TO JOHN AND ALTHEA TO ALSO JUST KIND OF TALK ABOUT MILESTONES AS WELL. BUT, UM, WHEN I WAS REFLECTING ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAVE WE BEEN DOING WITH THE TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD AND THE TOURISM PROGRAM OVER THESE 17 MEETINGS? WELL, A BIG ONE FOR US WAS THE ADOPTION OF THE SEDONA TOURISM PLAN 24 25. SO THEY PROVIDED A LOT OF INPUT ON THAT CITY STAFF. PROVO PROVIDED A LOT OF INPUT ON IT, AND THEN WE BROUGHT IT ALL TO YOU FOR KIND OF FINAL INPUT. UM, THEY WERE VERY BENEFICIAL AND SORT OF SUPPORTIVE OF THE PROCESS THAT WE DID TO GET THE NEW TOURISM BRAND SET UP, THE SEDONA STAY INSPIRED BRAND AND LOGO. THAT WAS ONE OF OUR BIG MILESTONES THROUGH THE TAB. UM, WE ALL KNOW THAT WE DID THE, UH, I THINK IT WAS EIGHT OR NINE MEETINGS THAT WE DID CONSECUTIVELY TO TALK ABOUT VISITOR SERVICES IN SEDONA. UM, SO THAT WAS REALLY OUR BIG ONE LAST FISCAL YEAR. UM, AND THEN THEY WEREN'T INVOLVED IN ALL FIVE OF THE CAMPAIGNS 'CAUSE WE HAD LAUNCHED OUR FIRST WINTER CAMPAIGN, I THINK RIGHT BEFORE THE TAB GOT STARTED. BUT SINCE THE TAB HAS BEEN MEETING, THEY PROVIDED INPUT ON FOUR OF OUR FIVE DESTINATION MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, WHICH IS CURRENTLY IS THE REDEFINED DESERT CAMPAIGN THAT WE'RE RUNNING NOW FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS WINTER. BUT I'D LOVE TO JUST HAND IT OFF TO THE TWO OF YOU MAYBE TO TALK ABOUT MILESTONES OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE. NO, I THINK IT'S BEEN A GREAT PROCESS WE'VE BEEN THROUGH FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD SINCE THE BEGINNING AND TOOK OVER CHAIR WHEN DAVID LEFT, UM, FOR OTHER, FOR HEALTH ISSUES, BUD AS FAMILY. BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN I GO THROUGH THE, WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH FOR THE PAST YEAR, FROM GOING FROM GROUND ZERO, NEVER HAVING A TOURISM DEPARTMENT AT ALL, TAKING IT ON BACK FROM THE CHAMBER, I THINK WE'VE DONE A, A LOT OF GREAT THINGS AND WE CAME A LONG WAYS OF, OF ACCOMPLISHING THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES THAT WE CAME UP WITH. I THINK LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR OR TWO, UH, TALKING ABOUT, OKAY, WE WANT TO CONTROL, BUT MAKE SURE WHEN A VISITOR COMES IN, WE GIVE THEM HOW WE WANT THEM TO BEHAVE. AND WHEN WE, WE WENT THROUGH THAT PROCESS, WHICH IS A LITTLE, WHEN YOU TALK TO A LOT OF OTHER TOURISM BOARDS THAT I'VE BEEN ON ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THAT'S KIND OF STRANGE. THEY SAY, THEY'RE SAYING, OKAY, YOU WANNA BRING 'EM HERE, BUT YOU'RE ALSO TRYING TO CONTROL WHAT THEY'RE DOING. AND I THINK THE TEAM, THE, THE, THE WHOLE BOARD HAS DONE A GREAT JOB IN, IN UH, BALANCING ALL THAT WITH THE COMMUNITY NEEDS PLUS WHAT THE BUSINESS NEEDS ARE. SO I THINK WHEN I GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE BEEN PRETTY SUCCESSFUL IN MAKING SURE THAT WE'VE TAKEN ALL INTO ACCOUNT. AND, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OPEN SEATS, THE SAME THING. I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE AS WE GO FORWARD, WE NEED TO KEEP THAT BALANCE ON THE BOARD. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S BEEN VERY GOOD FOR US, IS THAT, MAKE SURE WE GET ALL THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE DIFFERENT, UM, ALL THE PE, ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMMUNITY. YEAH, CERTAINLY WITH BALANCE, WE'VE TALKED THROUGHOUT THE TWO YEARS ABOUT BALANCING RESIDENT VERSUS VISITOR AND KEEPING A BALANCED BOARD. SO THERE'S A LOT OF NEED TO CONTINUE IN THAT REGARD. I THINK FOR ME, WHAT WAS REALLY SPECIAL ABOUT BEING A PART OF THESE MILESTONES WAS IN CREATING THAT BRAND AND HOW, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT FELT LIKE WE WERE INSTRUMENTAL AS A GROUP OF 11 PEOPLE REALLY TALKING ABOUT WHAT SEDONA MEANS TO THE COMMUNITY. AND I THINK WE REPRESENTED A BROAD SPECTRUM OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND SO WE'RE REALLY ABLE TO BRING A LOT TO THE TABLE TO HELP IN THE CREATION OF THAT BRAND. SO I'M CERTAINLY HONORED AND PROUD TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF THAT. UM, SO THAT WAS CERTAINLY A BIG MILESTONE, UM, FOR US. AND YEAH, LIKE, UM, JOHN SAID, JUST MOVING FORWARD, KEEPING THE BALANCE AND CONTINUING TO BE AS MEANINGFUL AS WE CAN. I MEAN, HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE FOUND WHAT WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGED OR HELPED THE STAFF COME UP WITH AND PRESENT TO YOU AS BEING, UM, YOU KNOW, GROUNDED IN, IN, IN WHAT THE COMMUNITY REALLY NEEDS AND WANTS TO SEE. AND A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FULL COMMUNITY OF TOURISM, BUT ALSO THE RESIDENTS. VERY MUCH SO. SO YEAH, SO CURRENT STATE OF THE TAB, UH, NOW THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF THE FOUNDATIONAL INPUT THAT WE NEEDED TO GET THE TOURISM PROGRAM OFF THE GROUND, GET OUR MARKETING CAMPAIGN SET UP, GET OUR TOURISM PLAN IN PLACE, DO THE BIG PROJECT AROUND VISITOR SERVICES. UH, WE HAD BEEN TALKING IN APRIL AND THEN FINALIZED THAT CONVERSATION IN JUNE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE RIGHT MEETING CADENCE FOR THE TAB? WE HAD BEEN MEETING 12 TIMES WHEN I LOOKED AT THE STATUTE, IT SAYS MEETING AT LEAST FOUR TIMES A YEAR. UM, SO WE'D SAID, LET'S, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHY [01:05:01] WE WOULD MEET, RIGHT? THAT SHOULD REALLY BE DICTATING THE CALENDAR FOR WHEN, FOR WHEN WE MEET. SO WE REALLY IDENTIFIED THAT, UM, SUPER VALUABLE TO HAVE THE TABS INPUT WHEN WE'RE GETTING READY TO LAUNCH OUR MARKETING CAMPAIGN. SO GETTING READY TO LAUNCH A WINTER CAMPAIGN AND A SUMMER CAMPAIGN, THOSE WERE KIND OF OBVIOUS TIMES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD MEETINGS ON THE CALENDAR. UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT GETTING THEIR INPUT ON OUR BUDGET. SO THAT'LL BE KIND OF A BIG FOCUS OF THE, THE DECEMBER MEETINGS THAT KIND OF MADE SENSE FOR ANOTHER MEETING FOR US. AND THEN THERE ARE OTHER TIMES WE WANT TO HAVE TIMELY TOURISM TOPICS IF THERE'S A NEW PROGRAM COMING OFF THE GROUND, LIKE EDUCATIONAL MESSAGING CAMPAIGNS, HAVING SPACE FOR THAT. UM, SO WE LANDED WITH EIGHT TIMES PER YEAR AND THAT'S SORT OF THE, THE AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE, UM, WITH THE TAB RIGHT NOW. AND AS I MENTIONED, THE FIRST WAVE OF TAB MEMBER TERMS END ON DECEMBER 31. UM, WHICH IT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING 'CAUSE YOU GOT SOME FOLKS TERMING OUT. SOME FOLKS HAVE BASICALLY VACATED. BUT, UM, THERE ARE SIX VACANCIES AT THE MOMENT. THREE TAB MEMBERS HAVE REAPPLIED. I CAN TELL YOU THAT, UM, OF THE FOLKS THAT HAVE VACATED THE POSITIONS, AS I MENTIONED, YOU'VE GOT RANDY MCCREE, UM, HAS CHOSE NOT TO REAPPLY, WHICH MEANS WE'VE GOT NOW TWO LODGING DEPARTURES. SO I WOULD SAY THAT THAT IS A, THAT'S A VOICE FROM A BALANCED STANDPOINT THAT, YOU KNOW, I WOULD JUST IDENTIFY. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY CRAIG SWANSON WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFIT VOICE. I MEAN, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE THE TWO VOICES, BUT WE LODGING'S AN IMPORTANT ONE THAT ARE, THAT ARE IN THE VACATED AREA. SO, UM, I'LL HAND IT OFF TO TWO OF YOU FOR ANY OTHER FINAL COMMENTS, OTHERWISE WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO CITY COUNCIL. I, I THINK THE OTHER BIG THING WE KIND OF TOUCHED ON AT THE VISITOR SERVICES, IT WAS MORE JUST NOT ABOUT THEM GETTING HERE, BUT ALSO HOW WE, WHETHER, HOW WE WERE UTILIZING THE TRANSIT SYSTEM. PLUS I KNOW ONCE THE PARKING DECK IS OPEN, WE'VE GOT SOME KIOSKS THAT ARE GONNA BE AROUND COMMUNITY. SO I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT IT WAS NOT JUST GETTING 'EM HERE, BUT ALSO THE BALANCE OF WHEN THEY GET HERE, HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE WITH THEM? AND I THINK THE, IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A INTERESTING, UH, TRANSITION FOR THAT PIECE. 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT MOST TOURISM PEOPLE, UH, DEAL WITH. SO I THINK YEAH, FOR SURE. AND IT'S ALSO BEEN, UM, I THINK MEANINGFUL FOR US TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF HAVE FIRST EYE, NOT FIRST EYES, BUT A SET OF EYES IN THE PROCESS ON THESE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS AND, AND CONTINUING TO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, A VOICE FROM THE COMMUNITY ON THAT. UM, YEAH. AND THEN I THINK IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHO'S TO FILL THOSE TS SEATS, WE CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMEBODY FROM LODGING. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE MAKEUP OF THE APPLICANT'S LOOKS LIKE, BUT THERE HASN'T BEEN A RESTAURATEUR VOICE ON THE BOARD, UM, WHICH MAY BE A VALUABLE, UM, ADDITION. SO THERE'S TWO COMMENTS THERE. AND THEN OF COURSE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS. SO WE ARE SORT OF MISSING A COUPLE OF, OF ELEMENTS THAT WOULD HELP TO KEEP OUR BALANCE. ARE YOU DONE, ANDREW? THANK YOU. QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL? I HAD HAD A QUESTION, BUT ALTHEA JUST ANSWERED IT FOR ME IN HER REMARKS. SO THANK YOU VICE MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR. SO WHAT, UH, FOR ALTHEA AND JOHN, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE YOU HAPPIEST ABOUT? WHAT ARE YOU MOST PLEASED ABOUT DURING YOUR TIME ON THE TAB? YOU KNOW, I THINK TAKING THIS FROM THE GROUND UP, I MEAN, WE WERE BUILDING THIS AS WE WERE FLYING IT, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, UH, IS, IS GETTING US WHERE WE NEED TO BE. I MEAN, I THINK THAT THE BALANCE THAT WE'VE GOTTEN ACROSS THE ENTIRE TAB, THE EXISTING TAB, AND HOPEFULLY WITH THE FUTURE SIDE, UH, MAKING SURE WE'RE TAKING CARE OF THE WHOLE PACKAGE OF THE COMMUNITY, IT'S THAT THE RESIDENTS PLUS THE BUSINESS SIDE OF IT. UM, BUT I THINK WHEN I LOOK AT BACK AT THE LAST TWO YEARS, IT'S THE WAY WE CAME TOGETHER. WE'VE NEVER, SOME OF US NEVER SEEN EACH OTHER WORK TOGETHER AND THE WAY WE CAME TOGETHER AND FIGURED OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS THE COMMUNITY DEMANDS OF THE RESIDENT AND THE BUSINESS SIDE OF IT. IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A GREAT, I THINK IT'S BEEN A GREAT POSITIVE, UM, THING FOR US. YEAH, I AGREE. IT'S CERTAINLY BEEN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. I'M CERTAINLY HONORED AND FEEL PRIVILEGED TO BE ON THE BOARD. WHEN, UM, JOHN GOT MOVED UP INTO THE CHAIR POSITION FROM VICE CHAIR, THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, SELECTED ME TO BE VICE CHAIR, WHICH WAS A HUGE HONOR FOR ME. I'M REALLY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO BE IN THIS POSITION AND JUST BE HELPING WITH THE CITY, WITH, WITH THE TOURISM AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO BOTH MARKET AND MANAGE, WHICH, YOU KNOW, AS A RESIDENT, YOU KNOW, WITH YOUNG FAMILY AND IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, I MEAN, THERE'S LOTS OF REASONS TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A GOOD BALANCE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, BEING A PART OF THAT IS REALLY MEANINGFUL. WHAT, WHAT, WHAT HAVE YOU STRUGGLED WITH AS A BOARD? WHAT'S BEEN HARDEST TO WORK THROUGH? I, I WILL SAY HONESTLY, WE HAVE DONE QUITE WELL. AND IT'S NOT THAT WE ALWAYS AGREE ON EVERYTHING, BUT I THINK THAT THE, THE VOICES ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW, WELL RESPECTED [01:10:01] AND LISTENED TO. AND WE SORT OF HAVE EXTRAPOLATED THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM SOMETHING, SOMEBODY THAT SAID SOMETHING THAT MAY HAVE DISAGREED WITH, WE SORT OF EXTRAPOLATED SOMETHING THAT WAS A MEANINGFUL FORWARD STEP THAT THEN CITY COULD DO SOMETHING WITH. UM, SO YEAH, I MEAN, CERTAINLY THERE HAVE BEEN SOME DISAGREEMENTS, BUT OVERALL I THINK WE ALL REALLY WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE CITY. WE ALL WANT TOURISM TO BE VIBRANT, BUT ALSO TO BE IN BALANCE WITH WHAT THE RESIDENT'S QUALITY OF LIFE IS. AND SO, FROM THE BEGINNING, I MEAN, YOU ALL SELECTED US, UM, AND IT WAS A GOOD SET OF VOICES TO, YOU KNOW, TO BE WORKING TOGETHER. I THINK THE ONLY PLACE WHERE WE EVER REALLY STRUGGLED WAS WHEN WE STARTED WORKING THROUGH THE CAMPAIGNS. LIKE, 'CAUSE EVERYBODY'S GOT THEIR OWN OPINION. YEAH. WE GOT SIX PEOPLE UP THERE RIGHT NOW. WE ALL HAVE SIX DIFFERENT OPINIONS OF WHAT SOMETHING'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE, WHAT SOMETHING'S SUPPOSED TO, WHAT FONT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO USE. OH YEAH, THE FONT. THAT WAS, THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE ONE THING THAT'S, BUT THAT'S NORMAL. I MEAN, IT'S JUST, I MEAN, I, YOU KNOW, I RUN A LOT OF DIFFERENT BUSINESSES THAT HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UH, STAKEHOLDERS AND THAT IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGE. EVERYBODY'S GOT THEIR OWN OPINION AND THEN WE'VE, WE WERE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER WHEN IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE YEAH. AND MADE SURE THAT WE REPRESENTED THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THE RESIDENTS. SO I THINK OVERALL, I THINK THAT WAS PROBABLY OUR BIGGEST, IF I THINK ABOUT THE LONGEST MEETINGS WE'VE HAD, THOSE ARE PROBABLY THE ONES RIGHT THERE. WELL, YOU'RE TELLING THAT TO THE PERSON WHO GOT VOTED OFF THE ISLAND ON THE, THE TOPIC OF THE OF THE BRANDING. SO I CAN APPRECIATE, I DIDN'T KNOW WHO DID THAT , SORRY, THAT WAS NOT IT. IT'S GROWN ON ME, DOG ON IT. IT'S GROWN ON ME. UH, BY SEDONA STANDARDS, 11 MEMBERS ON A BOARD IS VERY LARGE. IS THAT STILL THE RIGHT NUMBER NOW? UM, I HAVEN'T BEEN A PART OF MANY BOARDS, SO I, I WOULDN'T, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THAT EXPERIENCE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SAY. BUT, UM, I HAVE NOTICED THAT WE HAVE NOT CONSISTENTLY HAD 11 MEMBERS AT ANY MEETING IN A VERY LONG TIME. UH, I COULD SEE NINE BEING A REASONABLE NUMBER. I JUST THINK THAT THE REPRESENTATION IS WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT. SO IF WE DIDN'T CONTINUE WITH THE 11, THEN I THINK WE WOULD BE LACKING IN, IN A, IN A ROBUST, YOU KNOW, EXPERTISE AND REPRESENTATION OF THE FULL COMMUNITY. AND I THINK I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT. I THINK HAVING THE 11 GIVES US THE BALANCE ACROSS THE DIFFERENT BUSINESS TYPES, PLUS THE, UH, RESIDENTS, PLUS THE NOT-FOR-PROFIT. SO I THINK HAVING ELEVEN'S FINE. SO I THINK IT, IT, WE'VE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THAT. AND IT, SHE'S TRUE. IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS, IF SOMEBODY DOESN'T SHOW UP TO THE PEOPLE DON'T SHOW UP, YOU STILL GOT GOOD REPRESENTATION OF WHAT'S GOING ON. I'VE GOT ONE MORE QUESTION NOW, AND IT'LL PROBABLY COME BACK AGAIN WHEN WE GET TO DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM. BUT WHERE DOES INNOVATION PLAY A ROLE WITH THE TAB, ESPECIALLY FORWARD LOOKING, INNOVATION ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, INNOVATION ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO, YOU KNOW, VISIT SEDONA AND WHAT OUR COMMUNITY IS LIKE. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU TALK ABOUT THAT AT ALL? I DON'T THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT A LOT LATELY. UH, WE, I MEAN, THE BIGGEST INNOVATION SIDE WAS HOW DO WE USE TECHNOLOGY? YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT WHETHER IT WAS THE KIOSKS AND WE TRIED TO GET THOSE APPROVED BACK IN JUNE, I THINK IT WAS JUNE, MAY OR JUNE. MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WAS OKAY, HOW DO WE USE THE TECHNOLOGY POTENTIALLY IN THE FUTURE WHEN THEY'RE, WHEN THEY'RE HERE. UM, BUT THEN I THINK THE OTHER PIECE OF IT, WE'RE RELYING A LOT WITH OUR OUTSIDE AGENCIES WHEN WE TALK TO THE DIFFERENT MEDIA AGENCIES AND, UM, COMPANIES THAT WE'RE USING, WHERE'S THEIR RECOMMENDATION AND WHERE ARE THEY SEEING THE TRENDS COMING FROM? WE'RE LEVERAGING THAT OUTSIDE AGENCY TO SAY, OKAY, HOW DOES, WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GO FORWARD WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY? THAT THAT'S THE WAY I'M, THAT'S THE WAY I'VE SEEN US USE IT. YEAH, I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT. I THINK TOO IN, IN SOME OF OUR BRAND CONVERSATIONS, AND I WAS KIND OF LOOKING THROUGH MY NOTES, YOU KNOW, IN, IN PREPARATION TO SPEAK WITH YOU, BUT THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT I NOTICED AND, AND WROTE ON A PIECE OF PAPER TO, TO MENTION AGAIN, SOME THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE COULD GUIDE US INTO SOME MORE UNIQUE OR, OR, UM, UH, YEAH. OR MAY POTENTIALLY MORE INNOVATIVE, UH, POSITION MOVING FORWARD. SO I THINK THERE'S STILL ROOM FOR PROGRESS THERE. LET ME TWEAK MY QUESTION A LITTLE BIT. HOW ABOUT INNOVATION AROUND EXPERIENCES, THE RETAIL PRODUCT, THE LODGING PRODUCT? YOU EVER TALK ABOUT THAT? LIKE, HEY, THE WORLD'S CHANGING AND IS SEDONA CHANGING WITH IT OR NOT? YEAH, WE HAVE, WE HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT IT. UM, I THINK WE COULD MORE, YEAH, WE PROBABLY COULD DO MORE OF IT, BUT WE HAVE, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE SAID, WE'VE BEEN, WE WERE BUILDING THIS AS WE REFINE IT MM-HMM . AND SO WE'VE GOT THE, I THINK WE'VE GOT THE CORE BASE NOW. I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY OUR NEXT STEP IS SAYING, OKAY, NOW HOW DO WE GO FORWARD WITH LIKE THE NEW TECHNO? HOW DO WE LEVERAGE NEW TECHNOLOGY AND WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE GOING FORWARD? [01:15:01] WE HAVE, WE HAVE NOT DONE, YEAH, THAT TO A GOOD, BUT ALSO JUST BEING TAB MEMBERS AND, AND HOPEFULLY BEING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND HEARING WHAT PEOPLE ARE, ARE SAYING. I MEAN, CERTAINLY MEMBERS ON THE TAB HAVE COME TO MEETINGS WITH, YOU KNOW, INFORMATION THAT'S COME DIRECTLY FROM PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY OR IN THE RETAIL SPACE OR ANYWHERE. AND THEN BROUGHT THAT TO THE, TO THE ATTENTION OF THE REST OF THE TAB. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I EVEN, I ATTENDED A MEETING OF THE AK RETAIL, UM, COMMUNITY AND THAT THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, HAD CONCERNS ABOUT MARKETING AND TYPE OF VISITOR WERE ATTRACTING AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO JUST BEING OUT AND AVAILABLE TO THOSE TYPES OF C OR MEETINGS AND SITUATIONS AND THEN BRINGING THAT BACK TO THE TAB. UM, THERE'S CERTAINLY I THINK, A LITTLE BIT OF ROOM FOR PROGRESS THERE. UM, BUT YEAH, SO I THINK MOST TAB MEMBERS, USUALLY ONCE A MONTH THEY'RE GOING TO OTHER MEETINGS OUTSIDE OF THE CURRENT TAB STUFF JUST TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY. SO EVERY MEETING WE SHOULD KICK OFF MAKING SURE AS ANYBODY'S BEEN TO ANY MEETINGS OR ANYTHING THEY'VE SEEN INSIDE, OUTSIDE THE THIS WALLS AND SEE. OKAY. YEAH. AND AGAIN, WITH THE BALANCE, SO HAVING PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO VARIOUS DIFFERENT MEETINGS OR JUST ARE BRINGING A COMMUNITY RESIDENT PERSPECTIVE. SO WE'RE ALL BRINGING A LITTLE BIT OF SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO THE TABLE. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GETTING THAT RESIDENT PERSPECTIVE? I MEAN, THERE'S FEWER RESIDENTS NOW THAN THERE WERE WHEN WE WERE POPULATED AT 11, RIGHT? I THINK SO MANY MEMBERS ARE RESIDENTS. I THINK ALL, I THINK EIGHT EXCEPT FOR DYLAN'S, NOT RANDY, BUT, BUT PURE RESIDENT, NOT, NOT A BUSINESS OWNER OR TOURISM INDUSTRY AFFILIATED. SO MY, MY ON THE FORM, IT DOES SAY THAT I'M FROM THE SEDONA VILLAGE LODGE, BUT THAT'S MY HUSBAND'S FAMILY'S BUSINESS THAT I AM, YOU KNOW, PERIPHERALLY INVOLVED IN. MM-HMM . I DEFINITELY AM KIND OF THAT PERSON ON THE BOARD THAT REPRESENTS THE RESIDENT. I DO MANAGE AIRBNB'S, BUT THREE AND ALL OF THEM ARE ON OR OCCUPIED. SO I THINK THAT, UM, POTENTIALLY, AGAIN, THERE COULD BE SOMEBODY ELSE THAT FITS THAT ROLE, BUT THEN WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE ON THE BOARD THAT ARE FAMILIES WITH KIDS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, EVEN FROM THE AGE OF FOUR TO 14. SO WE CERTAINLY HAVE PEOPLE WHO MAY BE WEARING MULTIPLE HATS. UM, IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, HAVING, UM, IN, IN HAVING WORKED IN AN INDUSTRY THAT IS BENEFICIAL TO THE, THE MAKEUP OF THE TAB, WE DEFINITELY HAVE A MAJORITY RESIDENT VOICE. YEAH. MM-HMM . ON THE TAB FOR SURE. YEAH. ALRIGHT. COOL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAYOR DEREK. DEREK IS BOB PKE THE ONLY ONE WHO'S JUST A RESIDENT WITH NO SPECIFIC CONNECTION TO TOURISM INDUSTRY? HE'S THE ONLY ONE THAT'S RESIDENT AT LARGE. OUR PREVIOUS CHAIR WAS ALSO A RESIDENT AT LARGE, SO, BUT EVERYBODY ELSE HAS SOME CONNECTION TO A BUSINESS TO, TO THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. OKAY. WHICH SEDONA, EVERYTHING'S KIND OF CONNECTED TO THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU KATHY. THANK YOU. SO, UM, SORRY, FOLLOWING UP WITH A LITTLE BIT, WHAT, WHAT YOU WERE SAYING BEFORE, UH, THE FLOW OF INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GETTING FEEDBACK FROM, UH, PEOPLE WHO HAVE YOUR EAR. UH, DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE ENOUGH OF A FLOW OF INFORMATION? I MEAN, THIS IS A BIG DEAL THAT A DEPARTMENT GOT UP AND RUNNING IN A SMALL TIMEFRAME. AND AGAIN, THANKS TO TO LAUREN AND ANDREW, THEM FOR COMING ON BOARD. I MEAN, IT, IT'S REALLY REMARKABLE THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED. WITH THAT THOUGH, ARE THERE OBSTACLES, DO YOU FEEL THAT THE INFORMATION FROM YOU IS FLOWING TO US UP HERE THAT THEN SORT OF MAKE, HAVE THE PURSE STRING DECISIONS AND, YOU KNOW, NEED YOUR ADVICE? ANY OBSTACLES, ANYTHING WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF THAT YOU WANT US TO KNOW? IS THERE A GOOD FLOW OF INFORMATION, DO YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S COMING FROM HERE? I'D LIKE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW YOU THINK THINGS FLOW. I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK THE FLOW HAS BEEN GOOD. YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, WE WERE, WE'VE BEEN BUILDING THIS AS WE'RE GOING, BUT I THINK EVERYTHING THAT LAUREN'S DONE AND ANDREW'S DONE, GETTING TO THE COUNCIL, MAKING SURE YOU'VE GUYS GOT THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE SEEING AND THE DATA THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, IT ALL, IT ALL TIES TOGETHER. AND I THINK SO FAR EVERYTHING'S BEEN GOOD. I THINK THE FLOW BACK AND FORTH HAS BEEN GOOD. UM, SO I THINK OVERALL, I THINK FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE STUFF THAT WE'VE SEEN HAS, IT MAY CHANGE. I MEAN, AS WE GO FORWARD AND WE START TO EVOLVE TO IT, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UM, WE MAY HAVE TO MAKE SOME TWEAKS, BUT RIGHT NOW I THINK IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING FINE. I'M NOT SURE HOW LAUREN AND ANDREW FEEL ABOUT IT, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE, THE VICE THAT IN THE COLLABORATION WE'VE HAD IN EACH OF THE MEETINGS, I THINK GOES BACK AND FORTH REALLY WELL. AND I THINK IT FLOWS UP TO THE, THE COUNCIL ALSO. YEAH, CERTAINLY ANDREW AND LAUREN ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, REPORT BACK TO US THE THINGS THAT THEY'VE TAKEN TO YOU AND, AND HOW YOU RESPONDED. AND, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, UH, THE BOARD HAVING GOOD INFORMATION, RECENTLY WE'VE BEEN HAVING DIFFERENT [01:20:01] PEOPLE IN THE, UM, CITY STAFF COME IN AND GIVE US REPORTS ON LIKE TRANSIT AND, UM, THE SIM AND THINGS THAT WE WANTED JUST TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A ROBUST UNDERSTANDING OF, SO THAT WHEN WE ARE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS, WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A REALLY, YOU KNOW, GROUNDED BASE OF INFORMATION ON THAT. UM, I'D BE INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK IN TERMS OF HOW YOU FEEL THAT THE INFORMATION FROM US IS GETTING TO YOU. AND IF YOU FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I ASKED ARBITRARILY ASKING THE QUESTION, DO YOU WANNA RESPOND TO THAT? I DON'T, I DON'T THINK I, I CAN RESPOND UNTIL WE ALL HAVE DISCUSSION. NO, I, I THANK YOU. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. SO WHEN IS THAT KIOSK PROJECT GONNA GET LAUNCHED? ? YEAH, WE'RE RIGHT NOW I WAS JUST MEETING WITH THE TEAM AT TRUE OMNI UH, THIS MORNING OR THIS AFTERNOON. UM, WE'VE GOT OUR WRAP DESIGN FINALIZED. WE'RE MAKING OUR WAY THROUGH THE WIRE FRAMES AND CMS AND THEN WE'RE GONNA START CONNECTING THEM TO THE ELECTRICIANS. UM, TO START TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT THE TIMELINE FOR THE INSTALLATION. UM, I'M SAYING JANUARY, BUT WE'LL KIND OF SEE HOW THAT PLAYS OUT ONCE WE GET THE INSTALLATION FOLKS INVOLVED. AND SO WHERE ARE THEY GONNA BE LOCATED? UM, CURRENTLY WE'RE LOOKING AT LOCATING ONE RIGHT OUTSIDE THE VISITOR CENTER. MM-HMM . UM, SO SORT OF BETWEEN THE ENTRANCE AND EXIT. AND THEN ALSO WE'VE BEEN IN DISCUSSIONS WITH WENDY AT THE LOCK AND WE'VE GOT A LOCATION IN MIND. UM, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO VALIDATE THAT WHEN WE GET THEM IN TOUCH WITH THE ELECTRICIANS ON THE INSTALLATION TEAM. SO THERE'S TWO TO START? YES. ONE IS TWO SIDED, ONE IS ONE SIDED. SO I'VE SENT PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY WHO'VE ASKED FOR SUPPORT FOR THINGS. I SAID, GO TALK TO THE TAB. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT YOU ENCOURAGE OR YOU WANT COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO COME TALK TO YOU. SO DO YOU SEE YOUR ROLE AS INTERFACING WITH, WITH THE COMMUNITY AND HOW DO YOU DO THAT? YEAH, NO, GO AHEAD. NO, I, I THINK WE IS, I MEAN, 'CAUSE WE'RE PART OF A, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HELPING REPRESENT THE CITY. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HEAR WHAT THE COMMUNITY'S GOT TO SAY, WHETHER IT'S A BUSINESS PERSON OR A RESIDENT. I THINK IT'S REAL IMPORTANT. I PERSONALLY, THAT'S MY OPINION. MY OPINION. UM, SO I THINK, YEAH, WE DEFINITELY SHOULD BE TALKING TO 'EM AND MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE SEEING AND WHAT THEY'RE FEELING AND THEN RESEARCH IT FROM THERE. 'CAUSE EVERYBODY HAS AN OPINION OF SOMETHING AND I THINK YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK ALSO WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT WHAT THEIR CONCERN IS. IS THAT A ONE OFF OR IS THAT MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAVING THAT SAME ISSUE? I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THAT THAT HAS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE COME INTO US AND GIVEN PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN WE HAVE DIRECTLY THEN ASKED THE STAFF, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE OR CAN WE, OR IS IT EVEN APPROPRIATE THAT WE BE THE ONES TO DISCUSS THAT? SO THAT CERTAINLY HAS COME UP. WELCOME PEOPLE TO COME IN TO SPEAK WITH US. FOR SURE. AND I EVEN HAD MADE A, THAT COMMENT WHEN I WAS AT THE MEETING AT TO HOCKEY THAT, YOU KNOW, COME IN, SPEAK WITH THE TAB, TAB DOES DIRECTLY SPEAK TO THE STAFF. UM, SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE VOICES HEARD. SO I WOULD ABSOLUTELY ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO COME IN. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEAN HAVING A PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AND PEOPLE THEN COMING INTO YOU VERSUS YOU GOING OUT TO THEM. AND DO YOU HAVE A, A WORK PLAN IDEAS FOR, YOU KNOW, YOUR NEXT TWO YEARS? NOT THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL FLESHED OUT, BUT DO YOU HAVE IDEAS FOR NOW THAT YOU'VE GOT THIS UNDER YOUR BELT, WHAT YOU'RE PLANNING TO DO FOR THE FUTURE? AND WOULD YOU KNOW, PUBLIC FORUM BE PART OF THAT? UM, IF I GET PUT BACK ON A BOARD, YEAH, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE PROBABLY DO NEED TO HAVE AS THIS PLANNING SESSION. AND WE WERE, LIKE WE SAID, WE WERE TRYING TO GET THIS THE LAST TWO YEARS, LET GET IT UP AND GOING. I THINK NOW IT'S WHAT'S THE NEXT EVOLUTION? SO PROBABLY ONE OF THE EARLY SESSIONS NEXT YEAR TO ME WOULD BE HOW DO WE GO AHEAD AND MAKE SURE THAT, ARE WE MEETING THE OBJECTIVE OF COUNCIL AND THE RESIDENTS? AND SO WHAT'S THE NEXT STEPS WE SHOULD I LOOK AT? YEAH, I WAS READING THROUGH THE, YOU KNOW, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AGAIN IN PREPARATION FOR CHATTING WITH YOU. AND, UM, IT DOES FEEL LIKE THERE IS POTENTIALLY SOME ROOM FOR A, A SHIFT IN, IN A LITTLE BIT OF THE STRUCTURE. WE CERTAINLY JUST LISTEN TO AND TO TAKE REPORTS FROM STAFF AND UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A BACK AND FORTH ON WHAT DO WE WANNA SEE IN FUTURE MEETINGS AND THEY'VE CERTAINLY BEEN RESPONSIVE TO THINGS WE'VE ASKED FOR, SUCH AS THE REPORTS FROM SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF THE CITY. BUT YEAH, IF AGAIN, IF I'M ALSO CHOSEN TO CONTINUE ON THE BOARD A PLANNING MEETING LIKE THAT WOULD BE GREAT. OKAY. I THINK THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. ANY OTHER [01:25:01] QUESTIONS? I'VE GOT TWO CARDS. WE CAN TAKE SOME PUBLIC COMMENT. TIM, YOU'RE UP FIRST FOLLOWED BY STEVE. GOOD EVENING, COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS TIM PERRY AND I LIVE IN SEDONA. THE DECISION, UH, TO ABOLISH THE TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD SHOULD BE AN EASY ONE FOR THE COUNCIL. OUR NEW COUNCIL LEADERS HAVE REPEATEDLY REFERRED TO THEIR DESIRE FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY WITH THE PUBLIC. AND THAT'S THE FIRST ISSUE WITH THIS BOARD. IT WAS NOT SET UP TO ACTUALLY BE TRANSPARENT WITH THE PUBLIC. IT WAS SET UP TO PROVIDE AN APPEARANCE OF TRANSPARENCY WHILE SIMPLY HAVING A QUASI-PUBLIC BODY THAT WOULD RUBBER STAMP WHATEVER LAUREN DECIDED TO PUT IN FRONT OF THEM AND PASS IT RIGHT ALONG. NOW I REALIZED THAT BUILDING OUT THE WHOLE TAB AND THE TOURISM PROGRAM HAS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT TO LAUREN'S CAREER AS SHE'S ACCUMULATING POINTS TOWARDS THE NEXT PROMOTION AND EVERYTHING. BUT I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT'S REALLY SUCH A GOOD REASON WHY WE AS A CITY SHOULD HAVE A TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD. THERE'S ALSO THE QUESTION OF HOW THIS BOARD'S RUBBER STAMPING HAS BEEN MOVING MONEY OUTTA STATE PUBLIC MONEY. THAT IS, THERE USED TO BE COMPLAINTS IN THE SEDONA COMMUNITY THAT THE CITY WAS GIVING A COUPLE BILLION, I'M SORRY, A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR TO THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. BUT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS AT LEAST A SEDONA BASED ORGANIZATION WHOSE EMPLOYEES LIVE AND WORK IN THE AREA AND SPEND THEIR MONEY IN THE AREA. THE CONTRACT WITH DVA FOR THE CITY'S TOURISM PROGRAM HAS NOW RISEN TO ABOUT 1.6 MILLION. ALL OF THAT MONEY IS GOING TO OREGON NOT BEING SPENT HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND AGAIN, I KNOW THIS IS PROBABLY VERY IMPORTANT FOR SOME CITY STAFF WHO WILL MOVE ON TO DVA IN A YEAR OR TWO, OR WHO WILL WORK WITH THEM WHEN THEY AT THE NEXT CITY THEY MOVE ON TO. BUT AGAIN, NOT THAT BENEFICIAL FOR SEDONA. THE QUESTION OF BALANCE HAS ALREADY BEEN RAISED THAT BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY REPRESENTED ON THE TAB AT THIS TIME, RATHER THAN, UH, RESIDENTS AT LARGE. BUT SOMETHING THAT'S ALSO MISSING IS ANY VOICE ON THE BOARD FROM THE UNDER THIRTIES WHO MAKE UP A BIG PART OF SEDONAS TOURISM WORKFORCE. NOW THE BOARD HAS, ITS HAD ITS ADVANTAGES, IT HAS EXPOSED SOME BAD BEHAVIOR ON THE PART OF SEVERAL MEMBERS. NOW WE KNOW WHO BELIEVES IN PSEUDOSCIENTIFIC. THINGS LIKE VORTEXES AND ENERGY AND THE SACRED LAND MYTHS MORE THAN WE DID BEFORE. AND WE KNOW WHO REALLY HATES TOURISTS AND CONSIDERS THEM A DIFFERENT CLASS OF PEOPLE WHO CAN BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. BUT, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR PUBLIC SHAMING REALLY DOESN'T SEEM TO RISE TO THE LEVEL OF JUSTIFYING THE MAINTENANCE OF THE TAB. THE CITY OF SEDONA DOES NOT HAVE ANY BUSINESS IN THE MARKETING OR MANAGEMENT OF TOURISM IN SEDONA. THIS IS BEST LEFT TO THE BUSINESSES AND THE CITY CAN START THE PROCESS OF GETTING OUT OF THAT TONIGHT BY JUST PULLING THE TAB. THANK YOU TIM. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS STEVE EGNER. I'M JUST GONNA REVIEW MY BACKGROUND A LITTLE BIT. I'VE BEEN HERE 20 YEARS, I'VE BEEN ON COMMISSIONS I THINK FOR 18. I'M MILANO SERVING COMMISSIONER ON HPC. I'M ON THE BOARD OF, UM, THE MUSEUM. UM, I'M CHAIRMAN OF THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION. SO I'VE BEEN ON A LOT OF COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS AND I SEE HOW THEY WORK AND I SEE HOW SEDONA WORKS. AND FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK THE TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD AND THE TAB. I THINK YOU'VE DONE A GOOD JOB. I THINK THEY'VE WORKED HARD. I THINK THEY'VE FILLED A GAP. WHEN I'M HERE TONIGHT, I'VE ALREADY TALKED TO YOU AND I'VE SENT YOU MY FEELINGS. I'M NOT GONNA GO OVER 'EM AGAIN. I THINK IT'S TIME TO JUST REFOCUS THE TAB A LITTLE BIT. I'D LIKE TO SEE US BE A LITTLE MORE INCLUSIVE. AND WHAT I'VE ALWAYS BEEN TALKED ABOUT, AND I THINK YOU'VE HEARD IT TO ME FROM MANY, MANY TIMES, IS I WANT TO SEE SOMETHING THAT'S MORE OF A PRODUCT, UH, UH, ORGANIZATION. HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE CREATE A BETTER PRODUCT FOR THE CUSTOMERS, FOR OUR VISITORS AND FOR OUR RESIDENTS? SO I THINK IF THE TAB WAS TO START LOOKING ABOUT HOW DO WE IMPROVE OUR PRODUCT, MAYBE NOT FOCUS SO MUCH ON MARKETING. WE HAVE A GOOD MARKETING TEAM NOW. WE, WE HAVE A DMO, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING. UH, LET THE PROFESSIONALS DO THEIR JOB. LET'S START ASKING FOR INPUT. LET'S GO TO THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN AND HAVE AN OPEN MEETING. WHAT CAN WE DO TO IMPROVE THE THINGS IN THE WEST SIDE? WHAT CAN WE DO UPTOWN? UH, THE MEETING WE HAD AT OCK THE OTHER DAY WAS A PRIME EXAMPLE. I THINK THAT WAS GREAT INPUT. BUT THIS TOWN IS NOT ONE THING. IT'S MANY THINGS. AND I THINK IF WE WERE TO MEET 4, 5, 6 TIMES A YEAR AT THE LIBRARY, HAVE OPEN MEETINGS, ASK FOR INPUTS, UH, THAT INPUT BECOMES THE, THE INFORMATION THAT GETS TO YOU. SO YOU CAN PUT IT ON YOUR AGENDA [01:30:01] FOR THE NEXT YEAR AS THINGS TO LOOK AT. SO I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE DONE. I JUST THINK IT'S TIME TO REFOCUS A LITTLE BIT. AND I'M ALL ABOUT PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. IF, AND WE GET 80% OF OUR INCOME FROM VISITORS SO WE CAN'T FORGET THEM. HOW DO WE MAKE A BETTER PRODUCT EVERY YEAR? AND WHEN WE IMPROVE THE PRODUCT FOR THE VISITOR, WE'RE IMPROVING IT FOR THE RESIDENTS. SO I'M TALKING ABOUT WATERING STATIONS, UH, SHADE AREAS, TREES ON STREETS, MAYBE LOOKING AT WEST SIDE, HOW DO WE TAKE THE WEST SIDE AND MAKE, MAKE IT MORE BEAUTIFUL? THESE ARE ALL BIG PROJECTS, BUT THE BEST WAY TO DO IT IS TO GET THE INPUT FROM THE CITIZENS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE. I JUST THINK IT'S TIME TO MAYBE SCOOT OVER A LITTLE BIT AND IMPROVE OUR PRODUCT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU STEVE. OKAY, READY FOR DISCUSSION. I SUPPORT THE WORK THAT THE TABS DOING, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE REPRESENTATION FROM RESIDENTS WHO DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC CONNECTION TO THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. I REALIZE IF YOU OWN A BUSINESS IN SEDONA, PROBABLY IS LINKED TO TOURISM, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE WHO ARE RETIRED OR STUDENTS OR YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE THAT CONNECTION. AND I THINK IF WE REALLY WANT TO BALANCE A VIEWPOINT, UM, WE SHOULD HAVE A FEW MORE PEOPLE. YOU KNOW, LIKE, I DON'T KNOW SPECIFICALLY BOB, BUT PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST AT LARGE AS I THINK WAS THE TERM YOU USED. SO I WOULD, I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, EACH AND EVERY INDUSTRY REPRESENTED ON THE TAB. UM, I JUST, I WANT TO SEE MORE JUST STRAIGHT RESIDENT REPRESENTATION, UH, SO THAT THAT VIEWPOINT'S GIVEN A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT. KEVIN, I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR THAT YOU WERE, UH, THINKING ABOUT TALKING ABOUT INDUSTRY REPRESENTATION AT RESTAURANTS. 'CAUSE I DO, I DO THINK THEY'VE NOT BEEN REPRESENTED AND IT'S A SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRY WITHIN SEDONA. IT'S PART OF OUR, NOT ONLY TOURISM INDUSTRY, BUT IT'S PART OF OUR, YOU KNOW, THE LOCALS. IT'S PARTAKE OF IT. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET THAT PERSPECTIVE. 'CAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES THEIR NEEDS, THEIR, THEIR CUSTOMER BASE, THEIR CASH FLOW, THINGS LIKE THAT VARY IN WAYS FROM OTHER INDUSTRIES ARE REP REPRESENTED. SO I'D REALLY LIKE TO, UH, ENCOURAGE GETTING THAT INPUT. UM, I, I THINK I'D, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, I DON'T KNOW HOW, AND I I PUT THIS UP HERE TO MY COLLEAGUES, BUT I'M INTERESTED IN HAVING MORE DIRECT CONVERSATION. IF THERE'S A WAY TO FACILITATE THAT, YOU'RE A BOARD GOVERNED BY OPEN MEETINGS LAW, WE'RE A BOARD GOV, YOU KNOW, GOV GOVERNED BY THE SAME, UM, I DON'T KNOW. WE HAVE VERY CAPABLE AND TALENTED STAFF THAT FACILITATE THE FLOW OF INFORMATION, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE A WAY FOR US TO HAVE MORE DIRECT DIALOGUE TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE GOING ON. ESPECIALLY AS YOU EVALUATE YOU, YOU'VE EVALUATED THESE PROGRAMS AND THE MESSAGING, BUT ALSO IS THERE A WAY TO TRANSLATE THAT INTO SOMETHING TANGIBLE IN THE CITY AS WELL? IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE CONVERSATIONS LIKE THAT, I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO HEAR SOME OF THEM, UH, FIRSTHAND, BUT NOT JUST HERE. 'CAUSE WE CAN GO TO YOUR MEETINGS. IT'S NOT THE QUESTION. IT'S TO BE ABLE DIALOGUE TOGETHER AND GET INTO YOUR THOUGHT, ASK YOU QUESTIONS OF THAT, THAT WE CANNOT DO AS TWO DIFFERENT BOARDS, GOVERNMENT BOARDS. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FACILITATE THAT. I THINK THERE WOULD BE SOME, UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOME VALUE TO THAT. SO I JUST PUT THAT OUT THERE FOR, FOR THOUGHT PROCESS. SO DO YOU HAVE EXAMPLES OF HOW THAT'S WORKED WITH OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS HERE AT THE CITY? YEAH, WELL WE'VE MET WITH, UM, UH, PLANNING ZONING COMMISSION JOINTLY. UM, I AM NOT SURE, I THINK THERE IN THE PAST THERE WAS JOINT MEETINGS AT ONE POINT WITH HISTORIC PRESERVATION. I'M NOT SURE. I THINK THAT MAY PREDATE ME, BUT I THINK I HEARD ABOUT IT. UM, OTHER COMMUNITIES IN THE VERDE VALLEY REGION DO THAT AND HAVE JOINT MEETINGS. I MEAN, IT'D BE INTERESTING TO HAVE ACTUAL DIALOGUE BE BETWEEN US. SO IT'S, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE FACILITATED, YOU KNOW, MAYBE ONCE A YEAR OR SOMETHING JUST TO, JUST TO GET THAT GOING. OKAY. JUST A THOUGHT. RIGHT. THANK YOU MAYOR. SO I AGREE, UH, WITH BOTH OF MY COLLEAGUES SO FAR. AND JUST ADDING ONTO THAT THEN, IN TERMS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF DIVERSITY ON THE TAB, I THINK TIM WAS SPOT ON THAT GETTING SOMEBODY UNDER AGE 40. SORRY, ALTHEA, YOU MIGHT BE. SO HOPEFULLY YOU ARE. UM, I, I CAN'T JUDGE ANYMORE, SO I'LL GO WITH IT. YOU'RE UNDER 40. THANK YOU . UM, BUT I, I THINK TIM'S RIGHT ON THAT WE COULD, UH, YOU KNOW, USE A [01:35:01] BETTER BLEND OF AGES AS WELL AS, UM, OCCUPATIONS AND STRAIGHT RESIDENT OR NOT RESIDENT. UM, AND THEN I LIKE WHAT STEVE SHARED THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE CAN WE GET BOARD LIKE INPUT ABOUT THE PRODUCT OF SEDONA, WHETHER YOU CALL IT PRODUCT OR NOT, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S WHAT I CALL IT EXACTLY. RIGHT. SORRY STEVE. UM, BUT WHERE YOU WANT TO GO WITH IT, I GET, AND I LIKE THAT AND YOU KNOW, CAN THAT BE SOMETHING THAT IS PART OF THE FABRIC OF OUR TAB GOING FORWARD? I MEAN, I I'M INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT JOHN AND ALTHEA THINK ABOUT IT AFTER HEARING WHAT STEVE HAD TO SAY. DOES THAT RESONATE AT ALL WITH YOU? CAN YOU SEE THAT BEING SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE WITHIN YOUR SCOPE OF CONSIDERATION? OR IS THAT LIKE, EH, NO WE, WE'VE GOT A, A NEW DIRECTOR OF COMM DEV, LET HIM GO HAVE A, YOU KNOW, START UP A, A NEW, UH, ORGANIZATION. I MEAN, I COULD SEE HOW IT COULD, WE COULD BE PART OF IT. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GONNA REALLY FALL UNDER WHAT THE TABS ORIGINAL MISSION WOULD BE, BUT WORKING WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SOME OTHER STUFF. YEAH, I THINK IT COULD BE SOMETHING IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION THAT THE, THE COUNCIL WANTS US TO LOOK AT, I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE COULD PURSUE. IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, WE ORIGINALLY WERE LOOKING AT THE TOURISM, UH, THE GETTING PEOPLE HERE AND HOW WHEN THEY'RE HERE, HOW THEY BEHAVE AND HOW WE WANT THEM TO BEHAVE WHEN THEY GET HERE. THAT, THAT WAS OUR ORIGINAL KIND OF CHARTER I WOULD SAY. AND THEN IF WE NEED TO LOOK AT IT, EXPAND IT A LITTLE BIT, SURE. I'M, I THINK IT MAKES SENSE IF THAT'S WHERE WE THINK AS A COMMUNITY IT NEEDS TO GO. AND MAYBE IT'S A COMBINATION WITH THE DEVELOPMENT PEOPLE. YEAH, I CAN CERTAINLY SEE THE BENEFIT OF, OF REDIRECTING SLIGHTLY. I HAVE TO ADMIT, WHEN I FIRST APPLIED AND, AND YOU KNOW, WAS SEEKING TO BE ON THE BOARD, I DID THINK IT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT COMMUNITY COLLABORATION OPEN FORMAT. I WAS A LITTLE BIT SURPRISED, UM, INITIALLY OF HOW STRUCTURED IT WAS AND TO, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO ABIDE BY THE OPEN MEETING LAWS AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHEN SOMEONE COMES INTO US AND AND BRINGS UP A DISCUSSION, WE CAN'T RESPOND AND WE HAVE TO THEN WAIT TILL THE END AND ASK STAFF, IS THAT SOMETHING WE CAN DO LATER? UM, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OPEN MEETINGS. I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WOULD WORK, BUT SOMETHING THAT IS MORE OF A DIALOGUE WITH THE COMMUNITY WHERE WE HAVE A MEETING AT THE LIBRARY AND ASK THEM TO JUST COME AND HAVE A CONVERSATION. I CERTAINLY COULD SEE A BENEFIT FOR THAT FOR THEN BRINGING THAT BACK TO THE STRUCTURED MEETING AND PROVIDING THE MORE OFFICIAL, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS. ANDREW, WHAT DO YOU THINK? IT'S, IT'S INTERESTING PROPOSITION AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, TO KIND OF SUMMARIZE THE PRESENTATION I GAVE, RIGHT? WE'VE KIND OF MAYBE GONE, WE'RE MOVING INTO ANOTHER PHASE, RIGHT? SO I DEFINITELY CAN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. UM, I THINK THAT THE WAY I'VE BEEN INTERPRETING THE MISSION OF THE TAB TO DATE HAS BEEN REALLY PROVIDING INPUT DIRECTLY ON THINGS RELATED TO THE EXECUTION OF THE TOURISM PROGRAM. SO THINGS WITHIN THE AGENCY OF THE TOURISM PROGRAM BUDGET AND THE TOURISM PROGRAM STAFF. UM, A LOT OF WHAT WE'VE HEARD STEVE SAID, WHICH I THINK ARE GREAT IDEAS, AND WHAT YOU'RE BRINGING UP THAT'S SORT OF OUTSIDE OF THE AGENCY AT LEAST CURRENTLY. UM, IT'S IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY OR IT'S ANOTHER ENTITIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. UM, SO THIS WOULD BE HAVING US REALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE TAB IS TO DO SOMETHING BEYOND REALLY PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON HOW THE TOURISM PROGRAM EXECUTES. SO I'D LOVE YOUR OPINION ON THAT. I THINK IT'S PART, I MEAN I'M GONNA USE YOUR PRODUCT WORD STEVE. I MEAN THE PRODUCT OF SEDONA IS WHAT WE'RE MARKETING MM-HMM . FROM A TOURISM STANDPOINT. AND IT, THAT PRODUCT IS BOTH FOR VISITOR AND RESIDENT BOTH. SO THERE IS A RELEVANCE THERE, RIGHT? WHETHER IT'S BEAUTIFICATION OF WEST SEDONA OR WHETHER WE SHOULD BE TALKING WITH OUR RETAILERS ABOUT ARE YOU REALLY OFFERING THE RIGHT PRODUCT GIVEN CHANGING TRENDS AND WHAT PEOPLE BUY OR DON'T BUY. I THINK THAT'S VALUABLE THAT THE TAB COULD BE FOSTERING THOSE KINDS OF CONVERSATION. I MEAN, I KNOW IT MUDDIES THINGS FOR YOU ANDREW, I GET THAT. NO, FOR SURE. YEAH, I THINK, BUT, AND YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS SEPARATELY, BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, TO ME THERE'S EXISTING STRUCTURES IN PLACE IN SEDONA THAT ARE POTENTIALLY OTHER VENUES, ALTERNATIVE VENUES TO THE WHAT'S PROPOSED. I MEAN, THE LODGING COUNCIL IS A TIME IN WHICH THERE'S GROUPS OF HOTELIERS THAT ARE COMING TOGETHER TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS. UM, WE'VE GOT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS MEETING WITH BUSINESSES ON A REGULAR BASIS. YOU'VE GOT THE SEDONA META, METAPHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL ASSOCIATION. ARE WE TRYING TO PROP KIND OF SHIFT THE TAB INTO BEING AN OVERLAPPING ENTITY FOR THAT? I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A BAD IDEA. I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE [01:40:01] ARE EXISTING FORUMS THROUGH WHICH THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING. OR, OR, OR, OR COULD HAPPEN. BUT THOSE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ARE ALL BUSINESS FOCUSED. MM-HMM . AND THERE'S NOT A VOICE OF RESIDENTS IN THAT. WELL, I THINK MAYBE, I THINK MAYBE WHERE WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT IT AND MAYBE AN OPTION FOR US IS AS WE THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT THINGS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, HOW DO WE FOCUS SOME OF OUR MARKETING AND WHAT THE TAB IS DOING TOWARDS SOME OF THAT. SO IF THERE'S, WHETHER IT'S THE TRAILHEAD SIDE, WHETHER IT'S THE THE BICYCLE SIDE OR THE HIKE, WHATEVER, HOWEVER WE WANNA LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT'S HOW WE, WE WE GET THE COMMUNITY INPUT AND THEN WE THINK ABOUT HOW DOES THAT TWIST INTO THE ADVERTISING AND THE MEDIA STUFF THAT WE'RE GOING OUT WITH, UH, IN, WITH WHAT WE'RE PROMOTING. I MEAN, IS THERE A VERSION OF WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WITHIN THE CAMPAIGN, STUFF THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? MAYBE AN OPTION? I'M NOT SURE I'M, 'CAUSE I, I THINK YOU, YOU GET TO A POINT, YOU, IT'S, IT, OUR JOB IS TO GET THE PEOPLE HERE AND MAKE SURE WE TELL THEM HOW WE WANT THEM TO BEHAVE, IS HOW THE, THE BEHAVIOR, LIKE HERE ARE THE BEHAVIORS OF HOW WE WANT YOU TO ACT OUT HERE IN THE FOREST OR IN THE, ON THE TRAIL HEADS. AND I THINK THAT'S SOME OF THE STUFF THAT, THAT MAY, SOME OF THAT MAY TAKE US AWAY FROM THAT. IF WE START GOING TOO FAR AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING TO LOOK AT. WE CAN HAVE A SLIGHT DIALOGUE ABOUT THAT SOMETIME. SO I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE AFRAID TO CHANGE WHAT THE SCOPE OR FOCUS IS OF THE TAB. AND, AND I DON'T HEAR YOU SAYING THAT THAT'S LIKE A FEAR OR ANYTHING, BUT I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE AFRAID OF THAT. I WANT TO KEEP PUSHING THIS TOPIC THIS EVENING, BUT I SEE MULTIPLE OF MY COUNSELORS GRABBING THEIR MICROPHONES , AND THEN THAT'S ONLY TO MY RIGHT. I CAN'T SEE TO MY LEFT. SO I'M GONNA YIELD FOR A MOMENT HERE AND AND HEAR FROM MY COLLEAGUES BEFORE JUMPING BACK IN THE FRAY. THANK YOU MAYOR. OKAY, I'M GONNA LOOK TO THE LEFT. ANYBODY ON THE LEFT WANNA SPEAK? THANK YOU MAYOR. WELL I GUESS I REALLY DO WANNA START BY SAYING ALTHEA AND JOHN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THE TAB AND THE OTHER MEMBERS WHO AREN'T HERE AND THE PAST MEMBERS AND THE FUTURE MEMBERS. 'CAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THEM AS WELL. SO, AND THEN THE DEPARTMENT, IT REALLY HAS BEEN AMAZING WORK TO STAND UP AN ACTIVITY LIKE THIS. AND SO ALL DUE CREDIT NEEDS TO BE GIVEN. AND I'M HEARTENED TO HEAR THE CONVERSATION, THE WORDS THAT YOU'RE USING ABOUT BALANCE BECAUSE I, I, I SUPPORT COUNCILOR FOS OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE LACK OF RESIDENT INPUT, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT A PAYCHECK ALSO BEING DEPENDENT ON THE ITEMS. SO IT'S, IT IS THE BALANCE. AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN MY VISION FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS NOT JUST TO BE A CMO, BUT TO BE A-C-M-M-O VERSION FIVE. RIGHT. SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. AND, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, AND I, AND I GET THAT YOU, YOU NEEDED TO START WHERE YOU STARTED AND AS A CONSUMER OF YOUR WORK, UH, IT LOOKS TO BE QUITE MARKETING HEAVY. UH, AND THERE IS, UH, BALANCING THE IMPACTS OF TOURISM WITH, YOU KNOW, THE BENEFITS OF TOURISM, I THINK IS WHERE I'D LIKE TO SEE US GET TO. AND, AND, AND FOR YOU TO TAKE THAT ON MORE DIRECTLY. AND AS I HEAR CONVERSATION AMONGST MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, I THINK THERE'S PERHAPS SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AND INPUTS INTO OUR BUDGET PROCESS ABOUT HOW WE MITIGATE. SO I'M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT EDUCATING THE TOURISTS ON HOW TO BEHAVE. THAT'S A LONG RUN PROJECT. THAT IS A DIFFICULT THING. BUT THERE'S SOME NEAR TERM, YOU KNOW, MANAGING THE IMPACTS OF TOURISM. WHAT CAN WE DO? AND, AND QUITE FRANKLY, MY ORIENTATION ABOUT ALL OF THIS STUFF THAT WE'RE DOING IS IF WE REALLY JUST FOCUSED ON MAKING SEDONA THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE, TO WORK AND RAISE A FAMILY, TOURISM WOULD TAKE CARE OF ITSELF. I MEAN, WE'D BE THE SHINING HI CITY ON THE HILL AND TOURISTS WOULD BE FLOCKING HERE ANYHOW. UH, AND, AND I THINK SOME OF THAT ORIENTATION INTO HOW WE THINK ABOUT TOURISM AND THEN MANAGING THE IMPACTS, BALANCING THE IMPACTS OF THAT TOURISM TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, IT WOULD BE REALLY BENEFICIAL. AND, AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE YOU WANT TO GO AND YOU'RE TRYING TO GO. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE RESULTS, UH, OF, OF THAT EFFORT. SO THANK YOU MAYOR DEREK. UM, JUMPING OFF THAT A LITTLE BIT, I KIND OF WANT TO GET AWAY FROM THE IDEA OF PITCHING SEDONA AS A PRODUCT. I MEAN, IT'S NOT A PRODUCT, IT'S A PLACE, IT'S A HOME. IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PRODUCTS THAT WE OFFER, BUT I DON'T KNOW, IT JUST, IT JUST RUBS ME THE WRONG WAY THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE COMMODITIZING OUR, OUR CITY. AND I, I DON'T KNOW. SORRY STEVE. UM, WRONG WORD. YEAH. BUT IT, IT, IT JUST, IT, IT RUBS ME THE WRONG WAY. IT MAKES IT SOUND JUST KIND OF LIKE, I DUNNO, JUST KIND OF ICKY. UM, SO I THINK I WANT TO GET AWAY FROM THAT IDEA. [01:45:02] LISTEN, THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I AGREE THOUGH, A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WERE, WERE, WERE SAID, AND I'LL TRY NOT TO REPEAT THEM ALL, BUT, UM, I, I DO THINK WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEES WHAT WE NEED NOW COMPARED TO WHAT WE NEEDED TWO YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE GETTING UP AND RUNNING. AND UM, I TRY TO THINK OF THINGS HOLISTICALLY. AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT THINGS HOLISTICALLY, I REALIZE THAT CROSSES ACROSS A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS, UM, IN OUR CITY. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE LIVE IN A PLACE THAT ISN'T DIVIDED INTO, WELL, THERE'S THE SUP AND THEN OVER HERE I'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, HOUSING AND OVER. THAT'S NOT THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT THIS, RIGHT? WE THINK ABOUT OUR CITY HOLISTICALLY, UM, AND UM, I WILL AVOID THE PRODUCT WORD, BUT WHAT WE WANT IS WE WANT A COMMUNITY AND WE WANT A COMMUNITY THAT IS LIVABLE, VIABLE AND LOOKS AT THE HEALTH, THE SAFETY AND THE WELFARE OF ANYONE WITHIN OUR BORDERS. WHETHER THAT'S TEMPORARY OR WHETHER IT'S PERMANENT. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU ALREADY ACTUALLY MOVING THERE. I JUST THINK YOU'RE NOT AWARE OF IT. SO WHEN YOU START TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE GIANT CELL PHONES THAT AS, AS THE VICE MAYOR CALLED THEM, YOU'RE ACTUALLY HELPING RESIDENTS POTENTIALLY AS WELL. I MEAN, YOU DON'T SAY, HEY, ARE YOU A VISITOR AND THEN YOU CAN USE IT OR NOT USING IT AS A RESIDENT MEANS THAT YOU MIGHT FIND A NEW RESTAURANT THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW WAS IN THE AREA, OR YOU MIGHT FIND A NEW BUSINESS THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW WAS IN THE AREA. SO YOU'RE ALREADY ON THAT PATH, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T THINK YOU REALIZED YOU WERE SORT OF ON THAT PATH. SO WHEN YOU START TO THINK ABOUT THINGS THAT WERE MENTIONED BY MR. EGNER AROUND, YOU KNOW, WATER REFILL STATIONS AND WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IS THE HOLISTIC ROAD, UM, WHEN YOU START TO TALK ABOUT THAT, THAT'S FOR BOTH, RIGHT? HOW DO I GET TO A TRAILHEAD IF I AM, YOU KNOW, IF I'M A VISITOR, WELL YOU TAKE THIS, YOU KNOW, SHARED USE PATH AND THEN THAT'LL GET YOU HERE. AND OH BY THE WAY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BRING THOSE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES AND THROW THEM ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. EDUCATION IS A LONG TERM PROCESS. CHANGING PEOPLE IS DIFFICULT. UM, AND SO I THINK IF YOU START TO THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE OTHER PIECES, IT IS ABOUT TOURISM, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE OF US WHO LIVE HERE. 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA USE THOSE THINGS TOO. AND NOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, IF YOU'RE MARKETING, YOU'RE NOT MARKETING SEDONA, YOU'RE MARKETING SEDONA A LIFESTYLE. THIS IS THE WAY WE ARE, THIS IS WHO WE ARE. AND YOU KNOW, THERE ARE JUST, I, I THINK IF WE START TO THINK ABOUT THIS HOLISTICALLY AND INCLUDE WHAT RESIDENTS HAVE TO SAY AROUND THE THINGS THAT BOTHER THEM, THEN YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA PICK ON, I'M GONNA PICK ON TRAFFIC FOR JUST A SECOND. WE'RE ALL WORKING HARD TO FIX THE TRAFFIC, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, IT'S NOT JUST A RESIDENT WHO'S STUCK IN THAT TRAFFIC, RIGHT? THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE STUCK IN THAT TRAFFIC TOO. AND THEY'RE NOT RESIDENTS AND WE'D LIKE TO GET THEM ON A BUS. WELL, WHY AREN'T WE ALSO TRYING TO HELP OUR RESIDENTS GET ON A BUS? SO IT JUST FEELS TO ME LIKE YOU COULD SHIFT ALL THIS OVER IF YOU, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT. BUT I AGREE WE NEED MORE RESIDENTS ON THAT COMMITTEE. SO WE HAVE THOSE VOICES HEARD. AND I DON'T THINK OPEN MEETING LAW WOULD PREVENT YOU FROM AS LONG AS IT'S POSTED FROM GOING TO THE LIBRARY AND HAVING A LISTENING SESSION. RIGHT, RIGHT. OR GOING OVER TO THE FIREHOUSE IN UPTOWN AND HAVING A LISTENING SESSION. YOU JUST NEED TO HAVE IT POSTED. SO IF YOU ALL SHOW UP, YOU'RE NOT IN VIOLATION OF OPEN MEETING. SO DON'T, DON'T LET OPEN MEETING LAW SCARE YOU TO DEATH. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE THIS FINE LAWYER OVER HERE WHO WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT DO. UM, 'CAUSE HE DOES US ALL THE TIME. SO I THINK YOU GUYS MAY WANT TO THINK, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THE REST OF THE GROUP UP HERE FEELS, BUT MAYBE YOU NEED TO RETHINK WHAT YOU THINK IT IS YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE TOURISM AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE AT THE SAME TIME FOR OUR RESIDENTS. AND BRING THAT BACK TO US AS TO WHAT YOU THINK THAT NEW CHARTER IS. WE GAVE YOU A CHARTER BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO HELP A, A NEW GROUP GET UP AND GOING, BUT IT'S UP AND GOING. SO NOW WHAT? SO I'LL SHUT UP. NOTHING. YEAH, THANK YOU. I THINK A LOT OF THE DISCUSSION UP HERE HAS HELPED SYNTHESIZE SOME OF THE THOUGHTS I WAS TRYING TO TOUCH ON BEFORE. AND I THINK COUNCILOR DUNN, YOU, YOU HIT THEM REALLY WELL TOO. WHEN I, WHEN I THINK OF, WHEN I THINK ORIGINALLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE TAB CAME INTO BEING, THERE WAS A NEED FOR A SORT OF A FOCUS GROUP ROLE, UH, TO, TO, FOR THESE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT, UM, SEGMENTS OF THE [01:50:01] SOCIETY HERE THAT YOU WERE REPRESENTING AS INDIVIDUALS. AND I THINK THAT FOCUS HAS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT MORE AS THINGS HAVE PROFESSIONALIZED AND GOT GOING. AND IT IS TIME TO BROADEN, UM, THE SCOPE A LITTLE BIT TO TALK ABOUT. AND THIS IS WHERE WHAT I WAS TOUCHING ON WITH THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN OUR ENTITIES, YOUR FOCUSED P AND Z IS FOCUSED, HPC IS FOCUSED, EVERYTHING'S FOCUSED. AND WE'RE THE ONES THAT HAVE TO SORT OF BE AWARE OF ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT FACETS, RIGHT? BUT IT'S TRUE, BACK TO THAT WORD, THAT DIRTY WORD PRODUCT, UM, THAT'S OUT THERE. SOMETHING LIKE WHO SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT A COORDINATED STREET FURNITURE PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE? BECAUSE IF THERE'S A, IF WE WANT THE TOURISTS TO BE USING TRANSIT, UM, WE NEED TO MAKE IT EASILY IDENTIFIABLE FOR THEM. AND WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF BUS SHELTERS THAT MAKE IT IDENTIFIABLE AND EASY TO, TO USE FOR THE TRANSIT THAT ALREADY EXISTS. AND TRANSIT WILL HOPEFULLY BE EXPANDING. UM, HOW DO WE, WHICH WILL ONLY HELP RESIDENTS AS WELL. SO JUST THINGS LIKE, LIKE THAT. I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW IT CAN BROADEN TO KEEP IN THOSE OTHER ASPECTS AND HOW THEY FACTOR IN. SO I JUST WANTED TO SORT OF CLARIFY WHAT I WAS SAYING BEFORE SINCE THAT YOU GUYS HELPED ME SYNTHESIZE IT. SO THANK YOU FOR POSSIBLY BEING OPEN TO THAT. NOT SURE. BUT, UM, I, I DO THINK THERE'S A ROLE FOR THAT BECAUSE THOSE, THOSE VEHICLES CAN ALSO BE USED FOR THE MESSAGING THAT WE THINK IS SO IMPORTANT AS WELL. SO IT, IT'S MULTIFACETED. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN ONE FACET, BUT I'M URGING A MULTIFACETED APPROACH. I, I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND THAT'S WHY I, IN MY QUESTIONING I ASKED ABOUT PUBLIC INPUT. 'CAUSE I REALLY DO THINK WE HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH, YOU KNOW, THE COVID DAYS WE HEARD A LOT AND SINCE THEN WE'VE HEARD LESS FROM THE COMMUNITY. AND I THINK IT'S TIME TO TAKE THE PULSE OF THE COMMUNITY TO SEE WHERE THEY REALLY STAND AND THEY'LL HAVE GOOD IDEAS. BECAUSE AS AN EXAMPLE, THE SHARED USE PATH THAT'S ON THUNDER MOUNTAIN, SANDBURN HAS NO SHADE, RIGHT? THERE WAS ACTUALLY SOMEONE WHOSE HOUSE WAS ON A CORNER WHO, WHO PUT UP CHAIRS AND THINGS TO MAKE IT NICE AND SOMEBODY COULD SIT DOWN 'CAUSE IT'S LONG IF YOU WANNA WALK THE WHOLE THING. UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A LOT OF RESIDENTS USE THAT EVERY DAY, WALKING THEIR DOGS, BIKING, DOING WHATEVER. UH, BUT THERE'S A BIG, UH, COMMUNITY FOR AIRBNBS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD ALSO. AND SO A LOT OF TOURISTS ARE ALSO ON THOSE PATHS AND YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE IMPROVE THE EXPERIENCE OF BOTH BEING A RESIDENT HERE AND A TOURIST HERE? AND WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO SEEK FROM THE COMMUNITY. I THINK WE'RE ALL AGREEING ON THAT, SOME OF THEIR INPUT AND THEN SHARE IT WITH US, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY ON SOME OF THOSE THINGS. SO IF YOU CAN THINK ABOUT THAT IN YOUR WORK PLAN FOR THE FUTURE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. OKAY. WE CAN DO THAT. YEAH, CERTAINLY WHEN WE WERE GOING, OKAY, IF I, IF I SAY SOMETHING, UM, WHEN WE WERE DOING THE BRANDING, UH, BRAND CONVERSATIONS AT THE BEGINNING WE HAD LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT AND ABOUT WHAT, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY WOULD WANT. AND WE EVEN TALKED ABOUT GETTING MORE COMMUNITY INPUT AND HOW WE WOULD DO THAT. SO I THINK IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WAS ON OUR MINDS AT THAT TIME AND IS SORT OF FADED AS WE'VE SORT OF SETTLED INTO WHAT WE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, WAS OUR ROLE AT THIS POINT. BUT CERTAINLY SOMETHING I THINK THE CURRENT MEMBERS WOULD BE OPEN TO, I GUESS. AND I THINK LEVERAGING ALSO THE STUFF THAT'S ALSO IN THE COMMUNITY. I THINK ONE OF THE LAST MEETING WE ACTUALLY HAD ANDY AND TRANSPORTATION PEOPLE COME IN AND TALK THROUGH WHAT ELSE IS AVAILABLE AND HOW CAN WE LEVERAGE THE, THE, I HAD NO IDEA HOW MUCH IT COST TO USE THAT SHUTTLE. I MEAN, IT WAS NOTHING, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU START THINKING IT'S BETTER THAN BEING ON UBER, YOU KNOW, BUT IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS, NOW WE KNOW HOW, WHAT'S AVAILABLE AND HOW DO WE INCORPORATE THAT. WE'VE USED, WE'VE HAD SOME TECHNOLOGY ISSUES I KNOW ON THE, THE SHUTTLES FOR THE DIFFERENT MESSAGING THAT WE WANTED TO PUT UP. BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, YEAH, WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK AT IT AND EXPAND IT THE BEST WAY TO LOOK, SEE WHAT ELSE WE CAN EXPAND INTO. YEAH, IT WAS ONLY JUST LAST MEETING WHERE WE STARTED TO HAVE THE, THE STAFF, UM, FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS COME IN AND START TO EDUCATE US REALLY. THERE WERE CERTAINLY PEOPLE ON THE TAB THAT HAD NO IDEA ABOUT MANY DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF, OF THE TRANSITS. SO IN, IN GETTING SOME OF THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TOO, AND THEN POTENTIALLY THESE OPEN LISTENING SESSIONS WOULD GIVE US [01:55:01] A, A BETTER ABILITY TO REALLY REPRESENT MORE OF THE BALANCE THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. WELL, AND AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT BECAUSE WHEN THE SHUTTLE CONNECT WAS LAUNCHED LAST YEAR WAS A SLOW START. IT WAS LAUNCHED IN A SLOW SEASON, SLOW START AND CAME UP WITH SOME REALLY GOOD IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO PROMOTE IT. AND STEVE'S GROUP, THE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND TRANSIT FOLKS, BUT THERE'S ALSO A ROLE FOR BUSINESS MM-HMM . RIGHT? TO, WE HAVE COUPONS FOR FREE RIDES AND YOU CAN BE AN EXTENSION OF THAT BY HELPING TO DISPERSE THEM THROUGH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITIES THAT YOU'RE REPRESENTING AS WELL AS OTHER GROUPS. SO I THINK THAT CAN BE MORE ACTIVIST, YOU KNOW, IN THAT SENSE AS MAYBE THE NEXT PHASE OF YOUR MATURATION. AND I ALWAYS LIKE TO LOOK BACK AND REFLECT ON KIND OF WHERE HAVE WE BEEN, WHERE ARE WE GOING? UM, THAT'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, I TRY TO DO AT LEAST EVERY SIX MONTHS BY TAKING A LOOK AT OUR SEDONA TOURISM PLAN, WHICH TO ME IS SORT OF LIKE, THAT'S THE BIG CHECKLIST. SO ACTUALLY I WAS LOOKING AT DOING THAT TODAY 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THAT AT THE DECEMBER TAB MEETING OF SORT OF WHERE HAVE WE'VE BEEN, WHERE ARE WE GOING? IF YOU WERE AT THE ONE THAT WE PRESENTED IN JANUARY, WE'VE GOT OUR, YOU KNOW, 60 SOMETHING STRATEGIES AND I'VE GOT A LITTLE TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM, GREEN, YELLOW, RED. RIGHT? SO I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT WHEN WE PRESENT THIS IN DECEMBER, THERE'S A LOT OF GREEN, UH, THERE'S A COUPLE REDS. UM, AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS IN THERE IS TOURISM TOWN HALLS. UM, I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE INITIALLY WROTE THAT, IT WAS A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW MM-HMM . BUT GIVEN THAT I DO THINK WE'VE HEARD, UM, MAYBE LESS COMMENTS FROM THE RESIDENT COMMUNITY. WE'RE HEARING A LOT MORE FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW. SO I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE TILLOCK SESSION THAT WE DID WAS A TOURISM TOWN HALL MM-HMM . BUT WE'VE WATCHED US KIND OF SHIFT THE FOCUS OF THAT STRATEGY TO BE IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT THE TOURISM ECONOMY OR SORT OF THE SEDONA AS A TOURISM DESTINATION NEEDS. UM, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE ARE DELAYED ON THE TOWN HALLS IS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO VALIDATE OUR ECONOMIC IMPACT AND ANNUAL VISITATION NUMBERS. UM, I DON'T THINK IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO GO IN FRONT OF RESIDENTS WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THOSE TWO THINGS. UM, BOTH OF THOSE PROJECTS ARE UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW. UM, AND I'M HOPING TO HAVE UPDATED REPORTS, AT LEAST DRAFTS, AND I GOTTA SHARE THE DRAFTS BETWEEN THE TWO VENDORS, BUT DEFINITELY BY JANUARY. SO I'M LOOKING AT CALENDAR YEAR 2026 IS A TIME THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR DUCKS IN A ROW TO GO AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH RESIDENTS. SO I DO THINK THAT THE WAY YOU'RE FRAMING IT UP IS AN INTERESTING WAY FOR ME TO SORT OF INTERNALIZE AND LOOK AT, OKAY, I ALREADY KNEW I WAS GONNA DO THIS, BUT NOW WE HAVE MAYBE SOME MORE AGENDA TOPICS. RIGHT. UM, I ALSO THINK THAT WHEN WE CHOSE TO PUT WHAT WE PUT INTO THE SEDONA TOURISM PLAN, THERE WERE THINGS THAT I INTENTIONALLY OR WE INTENTIONALLY DIDN'T WANT IN THERE. UM, JUST 'CAUSE IT WASN'T THE RIGHT TIME YET. UM, IT'S FUNNY, STEVE, I USED TO IDENTIFY AS A TOURISM PRODUCT SPECIALIST. UH, AND I KNOW THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A WEIRD TERM. IT HONESTLY, TOURISM PRODUCT ITSELF MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF DMO. UM, AS I'VE MOVED THROUGH MY CAREER, I THINK MAYOR PLU, YOU SAID IT, ITS EXPERIENCE, IT'S THE QUALITY OF THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN SEDONA, WHETHER THAT BE A VISITOR EXPERIENCE OR A RESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCE. UM, ONE OF THE TERMS YOU WOULD'VE SEEN IN A LOT OF MY REPORTS IN COLORADO WHERE DEVELOP AN ENHANCED EXPERIENCE, RIGHT? THAT IS A SECTION OF IT, UM, THAT IS TRULY WHERE MY PASSION IS. UM, IT'S JUST BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WHAT WE PUT IN THE PLAN IS WHAT WE COULD COMMIT TO FOR THE FIRST PHASE OF THE TOURISM PROGRAM THAT WASN'T IN THERE. UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT, UM, A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT EXPERIENCE, IT REALLY TIES TO THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF A DESTINATION. I KNOW THAT'S A TOURISM TERM, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE WAY THAT I LOOK AT IT. YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND SORT OF TERTIARY MOTIVATORS THAT BRING PEOPLE HERE BESIDES BUSINESS, HEALTH, FRIENDS AND FAMILY, RIGHT? THOSE ARE OTHER REASONS PEOPLE COME. BUT FROM A LEISURE STANDPOINT, OBVIOUSLY OUR ACCESS TO RECREATION ON PUBLIC LANDS IS PROBABLY OUR PRIMARY MOTIVATOR FOR TRAVEL. UM, AND THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE A LOT OF THAT, YOU KNOW, ALREADY IN, IN OUR BODY OF WORK. UM, WE'VE ALSO SPENT, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST TWO PLUS YEARS OF THIS GETTING OUR CAMPAIGNS IN PLACE. THAT IS REALLY THE PRIORITY. YOU KNOW, NOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LOOK AT WHAT IS THAT SECOND LAYER OF DISTRIBUTION OF VISITOR INFORMATION. WHAT ARE THE OTHER WAYS THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE TO KIND OF BRING THE, BRING THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ALONG WITH US, BUT ALSO DEFINE WHAT THAT EXPERIENCE IS FOR SEDONA. UM, AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, RECREATION ON PUBLIC LANDS, WHETHER THAT BE HIKING, BIKING IS A CORE TENET OF OUR EXPERIENCE. YOU LOOK AT OUR DARK SKY CERTIFICATION, STARGAZING IS ANOTHER ASPECT OF OUR EXPERIENCE. YOU LOOK AT OUR ARTS CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT, WHETHER THAT BE OUR SHOPPING DISTRICTS OR OUR ACCESS TO THINGS LIKE CIF. UM, WHETHER YOU LOOK AT OUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS THROUGH THINGS LIKE SIMSA, ANOTHER CORE COMPONENT OF [02:00:01] OUR EXPERIENCE, YOU CAN LOOK AT OUR VERDE VALLEY WINE INDUSTRY IS ANOTHER ASPECT OF OUR EXPERIENCE. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE'VE GOT IN OUR WORK PLAN TO BUILD OUT WHAT I LIKE TO CALL DEEPER OR ANCILLARY CONTENT RELATED TO. UM, I KNOW I'VE SHARED WITH YOU OUR HIKING PAGE, UM, WHICH WE DEVELOPED LAST SPRING. SO WE HAD SOME MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMING IN PLACE TO HELP GUIDE MORE POSITIVE BEHAVIORS ON PUBLIC LANDS. WE ALSO GOT A GETTING AROUND PAGE SET UP TO TALK ABOUT HOW TO TRAVEL TO AND WITHIN SEDONA WITHOUT A CAR. UM, OUR TEAM IS WORKING ON BUILDING OUT SIX MORE OF THOSE TILES, WHICH WOULD BE A LOT MORE FOCUSED ON EXPERIENCE. UM, SO IT'S THINGS THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, STARTING TO MOVE INTO. I THINK AS YOU SAID, COUNCILOR DUNN, THAT WE'RE SORT OF DOING IT, IT IS INTENTIONAL THAT THIS IS WHERE WE'RE MOVING. UM, AND IT IS A BIT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, BUT AS WE LOOK AT WHAT OUR NEXT TOURISM PLAN LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD SEE THAT MORE FRONT AND CENTER IN A WORK PLAN. BUT I THINK WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT AS WE EMBARK ON THIS SORT OF PHASE TWO OF MOVING DEEPER INTO THE PRESENTATION OF EXPERIENCE, HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THAT RESIDENTIAL INPUT ALONG THE WAY? I THINK THAT'S REALLY VALID. I, BRIAN, THANK YOU HERE. I MEAN, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'VE KIND OF GONE FULL CIRCLE AT THIS POINT, RIGHT? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S, UM, YOU KNOW, GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DIRECTION HAVE WE GIVEN? AND, UH, I MEAN, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I GUESS I'D LIKE TO SEE, I COULD DRAFT SORT OF ADJUSTED SCOPE OF THIS IS WHAT THE TAB IS GONNA BE TASKED WITH. AND HOPEFULLY SEE THAT LIKE QUICK, LIKE, LIKE I DON'T WANT TO BE REVISITING THIS TOPIC FOR THE NEXT TIME, SIX MONTHS FROM NOW. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S REASONABLE TO, TO, TO ASK, BUT I MEAN, I'M HOPING IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN KNOW THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE, HAVING IT IN WRITING RELATIVELY SOON. WHEN'S YOUR NEXT ONE OF EIGHT MEETINGS? OUR NEXT MEETING'S ON DECEMBER ONE. YEAH. IS THAT BEFORE OR AFTER OUR PRIORITY SESSION? BEFORE IT'S BEFORE. YEAH. BEFORE YOU SAYS DECEMBER ONE. DECEMBER 1 0 1. OKAY. THAT WOULD BE PERFECT TIMING IF YOU COULD. I KNOW IT'S SOON, BUT YEAH, WE ALREADY ARE PLANNING A DU A SEDONA TOURISM PLAN UPDATE. SO KIND OF TALK THROUGH A LITTLE BIT WHAT I DID, WHICH COULD BE A GOOD FRAME CONTEXT SETTING, AND THEN GATHER TAB INPUT ON OUR FY 27 BUDGET. SO THOSE ARE THE TWO EXISTING AGENDA ITEMS THAT WE HAVE PROPOSED. BUT, UM, SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD ALSO BE CONSIDERED. AND I GUESS MY LAST COMMENT IS, YOU KNOW, JOHN ALTHEA, ANDREW, YOU KNOW, PLEASE DON'T TAKE ANY OF THIS FEEDBACK LIKE, WE'RE DISAPPOINTED OR ANYTHING, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU GOT A GREAT STORY. IT'S BEEN A GREAT SUCCESS. NOW WE JUST WANT MORE, RIGHT? AND TO COURSE COURSE CHANGE A A LITTLE BIT NOT CORRECT PER SE. SO DON'T TAKE IT ANY OF THIS AS, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM BECAUSE IT'S NOT SO, YOU KNOW, WELL DONE IS CERTAINLY MY FEEDBACK. CAN I JUST ASK ONE CLARIFYING QUESTION? UM, 'CAUSE I DO THINK WHAT I'M HEARING IS A BROADENING OF THE SCOPE, BUT THEN I'M ALSO HEARING US TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HAVING THE TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD CREATE DIRECTION TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY. UM, AND I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHERE, LIKE, JUST HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT, WHERE THAT SCOPE ENDS. WHAT, WHAT I HEARD WAS THE BOARD COULD GIVE ADVICE ON THESE BIGGER CITY, UM, EFFORTS AND HOW LIKE THE BRANDING AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF INTEGRATES WITH OTHER PROJECTS WE'RE ALREADY DOING IN THIS CITY AND IDENTIFY, I DON'T THINK THEY WERE LACK WHERE THERE MIGHT BE THINGS LACKING. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. YOU HAVE A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE. UM, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THAT SO THAT THEN THIS BODY COULD MAYBE DIRECT AND SAY THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME COORDINATION WITH ANOTHER DEPARTMENT OVER HERE. BECAUSE THAT WE SEE THAT THAT INTERLOCKS WHERE MAYBE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT IN INTERLOCKS, BUT IF WE DON'T KNOW THE NEED IS THERE. SO I THINK WE'RE ASKING FOR THAT. NOT THAT THIS BOARD GIVE DIRECTION TO ANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS. THAT WOULD BE NOT APPROPRIATE. MAY I WEIGH IN AS WELL? I I HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS THAT ANDREW HAS. I'M, I'M FEELING A LITTLE BIT MURKY ON WHEN I THINK ABOUT, WHEN I GET INTO THE WEEDS OF WHAT THE ACTUAL RECOMMENDATION WILL BE, WHETHER IT'S BENCHES ON A SHARED USE PATH OR TREES AT THE WESTERN GATEWAY. I MEAN, THESE ARE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT A, I WOULD LOOK TO THE COMMUNITY PLAN FIRST AND AND FOREMOST AND SEE HOW WE'RE GROUNDED THERE. UM, AND THEN SECOND, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE US GIVING ADVICE TO PUBLIC WORKS. SO THAT'S WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT OF HOW THIS WOULD ACTUALLY TRANSPIRE IN OUR MINDS. WE'RE LIKE, OKAY, WE GET DIRECTION FROM THE TAB. THEY WANT THIS. OKAY. THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE GONNA GO TO PUBLIC WORKS AND WE'RE GONNA SAY, HEY, OUR TAB THINKS THIS, SO YOU'RE NOT GONNA GO TO PUBLIC WORKS. YOU'RE [02:05:01] GONNA COME TO US, RIGHT? AND THEN WE'LL SEE IF IT GOES TO PUBLIC WORKS, RIGHT? SO IF SOMETHING'S ALREADY IN THE COMMUNITY PLAN, THEN THERE'S NO NEED TO DO ANYTHING, RIGHT? EXCEPT PERHAPS LOOK AT THE TIMING OF THINGS. BUT THAT'S US LOOKING AT THE TIMING OF THINGS AND TALKING WITH THE APPROPRIATE PEOPLE TO, TO DISCERN THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR WHAT ARE THE GAPS THAT AREN'T ALREADY THERE? OR WHERE THERE'S A HIGHER URGENCY THAN WE MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT. BUT IT IS UP TO THIS GROUP TO DECIDE SIDE THAT THAT SHOULD BE A FUTURE AGENDA TOPIC FOR US TO TALK TO WITH WHOEVER IS THE RIGHT PLACE. BUT WE WOULDN'T EXPECT YOU TO GO TO THEM AND SAY, WELL, YOU NEED TO DO THIS BECAUSE THE TAB ADVISED IT. THE TABS ADVISING US IN MANY WAYS IS WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR. NOT JUST ADVISING YOU, YOU ALL ON, ON THE MARKETING STRATEGIES THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING, BUT ADVISING US ON WHERE RESIDENTS, UM, AND, AND TOURISM ARE ABUTTING AND WHAT THEY THINK MIGHT BE GOOD THINGS TO HAPPEN. AND THEN WE'LL TAKE IT FROM THERE. AM I, AM I, HAVE I EXPRESSED THAT CORRECTLY? MM-HMM . CAN I, YOU'RE A RESOURCE WE WANT TO TAP FOR. CAN I TAKE A STAB AT SUMMARIZING? I THINK CAPTURING IT, UM, THE, THE COUNCIL IS ASKING THE TAB TO GIVE YOU ADVICE ON WHERE THEY'RE SEEING GAPS IN OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE THE VISITOR AND RESIDENT EXPERIENCE, VISITOR AND RESIDENT EXPERIENCE. YES. THAT'S WHAT I SAID. YEAH. PERFECT. YOU KNOW, UH, IT'S REALLY, I THINK THAT IN THE NEXT PHASE IT'S TURNING SOMEWHAT AROUND INSTEAD OF BEING A REACTOR, IT'S A BEING MORE PROACTIVE INSTEAD OF REACTIVE. AND THERE WAS A NEED TO BE REACTIVE 'CAUSE WE WERE STANDING UP A DEPARTMENT, BUT NOW IT'S WALKING , IT'S WENT FROM ITS INFANCY TO RIGHT. AND WE THINK IN IT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEN IS AN ADJUSTMENT THAT YOU CAN MAKE MM-HMM . FOR WHAT WE WOULD LIKE FOR, FOR YOU TO PROVIDE TO US. YEP. OKAY. THANK YOU. I, AND WHEN MADAM MAYOR, JUST ONE LAST CLARIFICATION. UM, THE CONVERSATION STARTED OUT ABOUT MEMBERSHIP ON THE TAB AND REPRESENTATION. SO, UM, ARE YOU ALSO ASKING THEM TO BRING BACK A RECOMMENDATION TO YOU ON HOW TO RESTRUCTURE MEMBERSHIP IN THOSE THINGS? OR YOU THINK THAT THE, THE, I MEAN, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND THE INTEREST THE COUNCIL HAS ON WHO'S, UM, BEING SOLICITED FOR PARTICIPATION AS A MEMBER AND THE TYPES OF WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY RESUMES. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHEN THE APPLIC IS THE APPLICATION CLOSED ON OCTOBER 9TH. OKAY. SO THERE'S NO NEED TO CHANGE NO. FROM 11 TO NINE OR DO ANY OF THE THINGS YOU TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. YOU'RE GOOD WITH THE CURRENT. OKAY. YEAH. AND, AND JOHN, YOU, YOU'LL BE INVOLVED IN YES. THAT PROCESS. YEP. AND, AND AGAIN, I I, I DO THINK SEEING, UM, RESTAURANT FOOD INDUSTRY IS IMPORTANT, BUT, AND ALSO INCREASING RESIDENT, BUT I DO, I THINK IT'S A BIG, IT'S A BIG INDUSTRY IN THIS AREA. SO, SO I'M NOT DISAGREEING. IT'S A BIG INDUSTRY, BUT YOU CAN ONLY HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE REPRESENTING INDUSTRIES. IF YOU WANNA HAVE MORE RESIDENTS, THAT'S, THAT'S THE PROBLEM HERE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SAY, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME INDUSTRIES WHO MAY NOT BE REPRESENTED, BUT HOPEFULLY ONE OF THE THINGS THEY WILL DO IS CONNECT TO THOSE GROUPS AND SAY, YOU DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE ANY ONE OF YOU ON THE BOARD, BUT WE REALLY WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY AND WHAT YOUR ISSUES ARE. RIGHT. BECAUSE WE, OTHERWISE THIS WILL BE HUGER THAN 11 . AND I THINK WE'RE DOING THAT. I THINK WE ARE GETTING OUT THERE TALKING TO PEOPLE. SO WE, WHILE THERE MAY NOT BE A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, BUT WE ARE TALKING TO 'EM. SO I THINK IT'S ONE THING THAT'S GOOD ABOUT THE TEAMS GOING OUT THERE LOOKING AT AND TALKING TO PEOPLE. SO, CAN I ASK FOR ONE CLARIFICATION ABOUT ON, ON YOUR SLIDE THAT HAS THE TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS, IT'S GOT THESE ENTITIES DOWN, BUT I THINK THEY'RE REALLY JUST FOR REFERENCE. LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, UM, FRANCIS REEMER IS ON THERE, AND NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY IS NOTED NEXT TO HER NAME, BUT I DON'T THINK SHE'S THERE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY. SHE, THEY JUST HAS HAPPENS TO WORK THERE. SHE IS A RESIDENT, RIGHT? I MEAN, AND THAT IS HER PRIMARY FOCUS ON THIS. SO I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS MAY, SHE ALSO MANAGES THE SHORT TERM RENTAL, RIGHT? THE RESIDENT, UM, REPRESENTATION THAT EXISTS. [02:10:01] JUST TO POINT THAT OUT, THE, I THINK THE REASON WHY WE HAD NAU LISTED WAS BECAUSE DOESN'T SHE OFFER COURSEWORK AND TOURISM? YEAH, SHE'S A TOURISM PROFESSOR AT NAU. MM-HMM . YEP. UM, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT LINDSAY HAMMERSMITH, UM, DOESN'T HAVE A, AN OBVIOUS TOURISM CONNECTION EITHER. SHE WAS ALSO ANOTHER, UM, RESIDENT AT LARGE. WHO, WHO WAS THAT THREE? LINDSEY HAMMERSMITH. SHE REPLACED DAVID WHEN WE, WHEN WE HAD TO REPLACE DAVID. SHE CAME IN AS THAT REPRESENTATIVE. YEAH. AND THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT'S LONG TERM RENTALS AND COMMERCIAL, NOT SHORT-TERM RENTALS. THANK YOU. IF IT'S HELPFUL, I CAN ADD WHO IS A RESIDENT IN THE FUTURE ON A SLIDE LIKE THIS. OKAY. AND YOU'RE AWARE, OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A CONCERN THAT RESIDENTS BE WELL REPRESENTED MM-HMM . BUT I THINK YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT, SO I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO BEAT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'LL SEE YOU WHEN WE, UH, INTERVIEW PEOPLE FOR THE, FOR THE VACANCIES. TAKE A BREAK. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA TAKE, SORRY JOHN, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A 20 MINUTE BREAK. WE'LL BE BACK. OKAY. WE'RE BACK. [8.d. AB 3262 Discussion/possible action regarding approving an amendment to the Arizona Water Company franchise agreement in response to the recent water rate increase to require a 3% monthly credit to the Arizona Water Company customers in the Sedona System in lieu of collecting and providing this 3% payment to the City. ] AND WE ARE ON AB 32 62. DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARIZONA WATER COMPANY FRANCHISE AGREEMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT WATER RATE INCREASE TO REQUIRE A 3% MONTHLY CREDIT TO THE ARIZONA WATER COMPANY CUSTOMERS IN THE SEDONA SYSTEM IN LIEU OF COLLECTING AND PROVIDING THIS 3% PAYMENT TO THE CITY. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. AND COUNCIL, UH, I'LL LEAD OUT ON THIS ITEM. WE ALSO HAVE HERE ARIZONA, SOME REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE ARIZONA WATER COMPANY. UH, THEY'RE NOT PLANNING ON MAKING A PRESENTATION OR ANYTHING, AND NEITHER AM I, BUT THEY ARE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. UM, I JUST JUST WANNA BRIEFLY OUTLINE A FEW THINGS FOR THE, FOR COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS ITEM HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE COUNCIL TO DISCUSS. AND I WAS A LITTLE HESITANT BRINGING IT 'CAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHO DOESN'T WANNA, UH, UH, TAX, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, UH, DECREASE I GUESS. AND SO, BUT IT KIND OF PUTS COUNCIL ON ON THE SPOT A LITTLE BIT, I FEEL LIKE. BUT, UM, WITH THE ARIZONA WATER COMPANY'S RECENT INCREASE, UH, THE ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION REALLY BLINDSIDED BOTH ARIZONA WATER COMPANY AND THE CITY, UM, BY IMPOSING A EXTRA $6 MILLION, UH, UH, FOR THE, UH, CHAPEL AREA WATER TANK, SOLELY ON SEDONA, UH, RESIDENTS, UH, SEDONA AREA CUSTOMERS. AND, AND THE CITY REALLY DIDN'T HAVE CONTROL OF THAT PROCESS, DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UH, WE WENT AND, AND SPOKE AT THE MEETINGS IN OPPOSITION TO THAT. ARIZONA WATER COMPANY ALSO SPOKE IN OPPOSITION TO IMPOSING THAT COST DIFFERENTIAL, UH, SOLELY TO THE SEDONA RATE, UH, PAYERS, UH, BUT ARIZONA CORPORATION, UH, COMMISSION, UH, HAD DIFFERENT IDEAS, UH, AND DIDN'T LISTEN TO THE CITY. UH, AND SO DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND, AND IMPOSE THAT AMOUNT AGAINST THE SEDONA CITY CUSTOMERS, UH, RELATED TO THAT EAST, UH, SEDONA UNDERGROUND WATER TANK. UM, SO THE, THE ONLY THING THE CITY CAN DO, UH, SINCE WE DON'T CONTROL THAT PROCESS, WE'RE NOT PART OF THAT PROCESS. UH, THE ONLY PART OF THAT PROCESS AT ALL WE WE'RE, WE'RE RELATED WITH ARIZONA WATER COMPANY, IS THROUGH OUR FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. UH, AND SO A YEAR AGO, THE VOTERS APPROVED THE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. AND IN THAT FRANCHISE AGREEMENT, UH, THE CITY IS COLLECTING A 3% FEE ON ALL THE GROSS, UM, FOR EACH, UH, UH, WATER CUSTOMER. UH, AND SO FOR A SMALL USER THAT HAS NO LANDSCAPING, YOU KNOW, A SINGLE PERSON OR MAYBE TWO PEOPLE, UH, THE CITY'S FEE ONLY AMOUNTS TO A LITTLE OVER A DOLLAR A MONTH. UM, THAT 3% DOESN'T AMOUNT TO MUCH, BUT TO A CUSTOMER THAT'S USING, UM, THAT HAS MAYBE SOME WATER, UM, OR A LARGER HOUSEHOLD, UM, WE HAD SOME NUMBERS IN THERE AND THAT CAN ACCOUNT, UH, FOR ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, OVER $10 A MONTH OR $130 A YEAR, AND THEN IT GOES UP FROM THERE. SO HOTELS, UM, LARGE HOTELS, RESTAURANTS USE A LOT OF WATER. UM, HOTELS WITH POOLS USE MORE WATER. AND SO IT COULD AMOUNT TO A LARGER AMOUNT FOR, FOR THEM IF THE CITY COUNCIL WAS, UM, WILLING TO, UH, POSTPONE, UM, OR, UM, THE, THE, UH, FRANCHISE FEE. SO, UH, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE NUMBERS. UH, THE CITY DOES COLLECT ABOUT $212,000 PRIOR TO THE RATE INCREASE, UH, IN FRANCHISE FEES. SO IF YOU WERE TO DIVIDE THE $6 MILLION EXTRA COST BY THE $212,000, THAT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 28 YEARS, UH, TO, TO, TO BREAK EVEN. UH, BUT WITH THE INCREASE THAT'S GONNA BE CLOSER TO 300,000 A YEAR, AND SO ABOUT 20 [02:15:01] YEARS. UM, AND SO THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT, UH, THAT STAFF'S PROPOSING FOR COUNCIL TO CONSIDER TONIGHT, UH, WOULD HAVE, WOULD JUST, UM, SUSPEND THE COLLECTION OF THE FRANCHISE FEE, NOT ELIMINATE IT, AND IT WOULD BE SUSPENDED UNTIL COUNCIL TAKES ACTION TO REINSTATE IT. SO, UH, THAT COULD BE, UH, IN RESPONSE TO A RATE INCREASE AGAIN FROM ARIZONA WATER COMPANY IN FIVE, 10 YEARS, WHENEVER THEY CAN COME BACK AND LOOK AT IT. OR IT COULD JUST GO THROUGH IF WITHOUT ANY FURTHER COUNCIL ACTION. IF COUNCIL APPROVES THIS, THEN THE RATE, UH, THAT SUSPENSION OF THE 3% FRANCHISE FEE WOULD CONTINUE FOR THE REMAINING 24 YEARS OF THE FRANCHISE FEE AGREEMENT. SO, UM, BUT ANYTIME COUNCIL COULD, UH, DIRECT THE CITY TO START COLLECTING THE STAFF TO START COLLECTING AGAIN, WE WOULD NOTICE, UH, ARIZONA WATER COMPANY AND THEN THEY'D HAVE 60 DAYS TO START COLLECTING THAT AGAIN. UH, THE LAST PART OF THE FRANCHISE FEE AGREEMENT, IT WOULD NOTE ON THE BILL, THE, THAT 3% WON'T JUST DISAPPEAR. IT'LL BE NOTED AS A CITY OF SEDONA FRANCHISE FREE FEE CREDIT. SO IT'D BE A LITTLE MINUS DOLLAR AMOUNT. SO EVERYONE, EVERY ARIZONA WATER CUSTOMER, UH, WITHIN THE CITY JURISDICTION THAT, UH, WOULD HAVE, WOULD KNOW HOW MUCH IT'S AFFECTING THEIR BILL. SO THAT, UM, IS ALL I HAVE. AND SO WE'RE WELCOME TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL. DO YOU WANT JOHN TO COME UP? DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS FOR KURT? QUESTIONS FOR KURT. OKAY. MIGHT BE OFF THE HOOK. WE'LL CALL YOU UP IF WE NEED YOU. . DEREK HAD HIS HAND UP FOR US. DEREK, KURT, IS THIS REALLY THE BEST WE CAN DO TO REDUCE THE IMPACT ON RESIDENTS? YEAH. ANY OTHER OPTIONS TO OFFSET SOME OF THAT INCREASE? N NO, THIS IS ALL WE ALL WE CAN DO. SO WE'RE, WE DON'T CONTROL THE WATER COMPANY. WE DON'T CONTROL THE ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION. WE DON'T CONTROL THE RATES THAT, THAT WERE SET OR THE, OR JUST FRANKLY, YOU KNOW, THE COST TO PROVIDE WATER AS, UM, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF UTILITIES ARE GOING UP RIGHT NOW IN RESPONSE TO ALL THE INFLATION OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. UM, AND SO THE ONLY PART WE'RE INVOLVED IN THIS IS THIS 3% FRANCHISE FEE. UM, AND WHAT WAS THE PERCENTAGE THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY ALLOCATED TO THE WATER TANK? SO OUT OF THE 20, UH, A LITTLE OVER $20 MILLION COST FOR THE WATER TANK, 6 MILLION WAS ALLOCATED DIRECTLY TO THE CITY RESIDENTS ALONE. AND THE OTHER 14 MILLION WAS ALLOCATED ACROSS THE WHOLE NORTHERN ARIZONA GROUP. RIGHT. I WAS ASKING WAS THE PER THE PERCENTAGE INCREASE, SO WHAT THE SEDONA WATER BILLS WENT UP, WHAT WAS IT 30 SOMETHING PERCENT OF? HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS THE WATER TANK? WHAT PERCENTAGE WAS THE WATER TANK? I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW IF WE EVER CALCULATED HOW MUCH IS DIRECTLY DUE TO THE WATER TANK VERSUS EVERYTHING ELSE FROM THE WEIGHT RATE INCREASE. YEAH. NICK, IF YEAH, IF NICK WOULD BE THE ONE WHO MIGHT KNOW THAT ANSWER. GOOD EVENING, UH, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COUNSELORS. SO, UH, FOR THAT QUESTION, UH, CAN YOU JUST IDENTIFY YOUR NAME AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE PLEASE? YES, UH, MY NAME IS NICK LEO ON BEHALF OF ARIZONA WATER COMPANY AND I'M A RESIDENT OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA ZNO. UH, SO, UH, UH, WE, WE KIND OF TALK ABOUT, UH, AVERAGE RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, YOU KNOW, USING ABOUT 4,200 GALLONS PER MONTH AND FOR THEIR MONTHLY BILL ON THE INCREASE FOR SEDONA CUSTOMERS, YOU KNOW, USING THAT AMOUNT OF WATER ON A MONTHLY BASIS, IT'S ABOUT $18, UH, ON THEIR BILL. AND, YOU KNOW, UM, COMPARED TO WHETHER IT'S FULLY CONSOLIDATED VERSUS, YOU KNOW, THE $6 MILLION AS OCCURRED, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT WAS ALLOCATED TO SEDONA ONLY CUSTOMERS. THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT $3 AND 90 CENTS PER, PER MONTH PER CUSTOMER. SO IF YOU DIVIDE THAT CLOSE TO $4 DIVIDED BY 18, THAT'S AROUND, UM, PROBABLY CLOSE TO 25 TO 30% OF THE INCREASE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, UH, WAS UNAVAILABLE. THANK YOU NICK. YEAH, NICK, THANK YOU. I WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR OUR STAFF MEETINGS THIS WEEK, SO I MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS THAT, THAT YOU ANSWERED BEFORE. BUT, UH, KURT, YOU SAID $212,000 ANNUALLY IS WHAT WE COLLECT. IT MIGHT BE GOING UP TO $300,000. YEAH. SO IN ONE YEAR, OR WAS THAT OVER AMOUNT OF TIME? 212,000 ANNUALLY IS WHAT WE CORRECT. COLLECT BEGINNING WITH ARIZONA WATER RATE, ARIZONA WATER COMPANIES RATE INCREASE. WE WILL ALSO BEGIN COLLECTING 40 TO SOMETHING PERCENT MORE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND THEN HOW DO WE USE THAT MONEY? UH, RIGHT, RIGHT NOW IT JUST GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND. UM, AND THE COUNCIL, UH, HAS EARMARKED THAT FOR FIRE HYDRANTS, UM, IN THE PAST. AND, AND IT [02:20:01] STILL IS TECHNICALLY EARMARKED FOR FIRE HYDRANTS, BUT WE HAVE NOT ACTUALLY USED IT FOR FIRE HYDRANTS. I BELIEVE THE FIRE DISTRICT SAID SINCE 2017 OR 18. THANK YOU. UM, KURT. UM, AND WE ALSO HAVE BARBARA HERE, FINANCE DIRECTOR IF YOU NEED MORE SPECIFICITY, BUT YES. SO THE FRANCHISE FEE REVENUE JUST COMES INTO THE CITY'S ACCOUNT. UM, WE CAN CALCULATE HOW MUCH WE'VE COLLECTED, UM, OVER TIME. UM, IT, IT'S IN THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND RESERVE. UM, AND THE PROCESS TO USE IT HAS BEEN FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO WORK WITH ARIZONA WATER ON HYDRANT UPGRADES AND NEEDS THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IDENTIFIES. AND WHEN THEY DO THOSE UPGRADES, THEY REQUEST, UM, ARIZONA WATER REQUESTS REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE CITY FOR THE COST OF THE UPGRADES OUT OF THOSE FUNDS. SO WE CAN STILL PARTICIPATE IN PROVIDING THAT SERVICE. AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS SEDONA FIRE IS LOOKING AT ANOTHER PROJECT THEY'D LIKE TO PRESENT TO ARIZONA WATER FOR HYDRANT UPGRADES. UM, SO WE HAVE NOT HAD A REQUEST FOR REIMBURSEMENT IN MANY YEARS. UM, SO THE MONEY IS AVAILABLE AND SITTING IN OUR GENERAL FUND RESERVE AND YEAH. AND THE, AND THE REASON FOR THAT MAKES SENSE. SO, UH, WHEN THE COUNCIL STARTED THAT POLICY, UM, THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, MANY SUBDIVISIONS THAT WERE BUILT IN THE CITY THAT PREDATE THE CITY, UH, YOU KNOW, APPROVED BY THE YAVAPAI COUNTY THAT DID NOT HAVE FIRE HYDRANTS. AND SO OVER THE YEARS, THERE WAS A NUMBER OF INFILL FIRE HYDRANT PROJECTS TO, TO DO THAT. BUT EVER SINCE THE CITY'S BEEN INCORPORATED, IT'S REQUIRED FIRE HYDRANTS WITH ANY SUBDIVISION, ANY DEVELOPMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THE FIRE DISTRICT'S BEEN MORE PROACTIVE IN THAT. AND SO A LOT OF THE AREAS THAT DIDN'T HAVE FIRE HYDRANTS HAVE BEEN BUILT IN OVER THE YEARS. SO, SO, SO THAT MONEY IS ACCUMULATING IN A RESERVE OF SOME TYPE. IT'S NOT BEING SPENT ON OTHER THINGS IF WE DON'T HAVE FIRE HYDRANT, NEW FIRE HYDRANT DEMAND. CORRECT. AND DO WE KNOW HOW MUCH IS ACCUMULATED? NOT OFF THE TOP. OKAY. BUT WE CAN BRING THAT WHEN WE DO OUR BUDGET DISCUSSIONS. UM, IF YOU WANT TO SET SOME DIRECTION ON THOSE SPECIFIC FUNDS, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR COUNCIL TO DECIDE TO BROADEN, AND I'M NOT SAYING TONIGHT, BUT TO BROADEN THE POTENTIAL USES OF THAT FUND BEYOND JUST FIRE HYDRANTS TO OTHER WATER RELATED PROJECTS LIKE WATER CONSERVATION PROJECTS THAT WE MIGHT WANNA INCENT OUR RESIDENTS TO JOIN WITH. ARE THERE ANY LIMITATIONS IN THE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT ON THAT? NO. SO THERE'S, THERE'S NO LIMITATIONS WE COULD, BUT THAT WOULD, IF YOU'RE CUTTING OFF THE FUNDING SOURCE RIGHT NOW, IT WOULD DEPEND ON HOW MUCH IS IN THERE AND WHAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH. AND THEN YOU PROPOSED A, A BLANKET, UH, REBATE, I DON'T KNOW THE RIGHT WORD. YOU SAID, UH, TO ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS, DID WE THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THERE'S A, A LOW INCOME, WE CAN SCALE THE, THE, THE AMOUNT CREDITED BASED ON INCOME OR NEED? SO, SO THERE'S NOT THE ABILITY, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A FLAT RATE. THERE'S NOT THE WAY FOR THE CITY TO, THROUGH THIS MECHANISM, UM, SUSPEND THE SU SUSPENSION ONLY FOR CERTAIN CUSTOMERS TO, TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST MAYBE, YOU KNOW, UM, BUSINESSES VERSUS LOW INCOME. UH, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE CITY DOESN'T HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO, UH, SUPPORT LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS IN, UH, THROUGH OTHER MECHANISMS, UM, ON UTILITY BILLS. OTHER CITIES DO, A NUMBER OF CITIES ARE CURRENTLY TAKING SOME ACTION DUE TO THE, UM, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS. THOSE THAT HAVE LARGE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, UH, AIR FORCE BASE OR SOMETHING WITHIN THEIR JURISDICTIONS ARE TRYING TO DO THINGS TO, UM, HELP MITIGATE THOSE ISSUES. SO I DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND, KURT, WHY THERE ISN'T A MECHANISM. DO WE NOT HAVE SOME DATA, DO WE? NO, WE CAN'T TAX PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY JUST 'CAUSE THEY MAKE MORE OR LESS MONEY. I SEE. SO WE CAN'T DISCRIMINATE. YEAH, WE COULD STILL TAX EVERYONE THE SAME, BUT WE CAN HAVE A PROGRAM TO DO, WE HAVE A PROGRAM TO HELP PEOPLE PAY OTHER CITY BILLS. WE, WE, I MEAN WE DO, UM, ON OUR WASTEWATER BILLING IS THE ONLY, IS THE ONLY ONE. AND WE WILL, UH, WORK WITH CUSTOMERS AND WE DO HAVE SOME LOW INCOME AND WE CAN'T DO THE SAME THING HERE. WELL, ARIZONA WATER ALREADY HAS A ASSISTANCE FUND FOR LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS APPLYING FOR HELP FOR THEIR WATER BILL. UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THEY NEED A SECOND PROGRAM RUN BY THE CITY TO SUPPLEMENT THAT. UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE COULD GIVE ARIZONA WATER COMPANY GENERAL FUND DOLLARS TOWARDS THEIR, UM, LOW INCOME ASSISTANCE FUND [02:25:01] BECAUSE OF THE, BEING A PRIVATE CORPORATION. BUT THEY DO HAVE THAT IN PLACE ALREADY AND FACTORED INTO THEIR PROGRAMS AND RATES. SO WE COULD CONSIDER A WAY TO HELP DIRECTLY THE, THE, THE CUSTOMERS. BUT NO, THERE'S NO WAY FOR US TO DO THE SAME PROGRAM WITH ARIZONA WATER COMPANY. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT OUR, WE'RE NOT THE ONES COLLECTING, UH, PROVIDING THE SERVICE OR COLLECTING THE BILL DIRECTLY. AND THE, AND THE, THE ONLY THING WE'RE INVOLVED IN HERE IS THIS 3% FRANCHISE FEE AND THE DIFFICULTY WITH PERHAPS SUPPLEMENTING ARIZONA WATER COMPANY'S EXISTING PROGRAM WITH SOME ADDITIONAL DOLLARS. THAT'S, YOU SAID, BECAUSE IT'S A PRIVATE ENTITY, IS THAT A, OUR RULE IS THAT A STATE RULE? THAT'S AN ARIZONA, UH, CONSTITUTIONAL RULE. THE ARIZONA GIFT CLAUSE PREVENTS US FROM PROVIDING ANY, UH, WE CAN'T CONTRACT FOR A SERVICE TO PROVIDE TO LOW INCOME PEOPLE. WE CAN PROVIDE, UH, YES, IF IT WAS A CONTRACT FOR SERVICE AND IF THE CITY WAS GONNA GET, UH, ADEQUATE CONSIDERATION BACK FOR THAT SERVICE, UH, THEN THAT'S A POSSIBILITY. I THINK THAT'S MY QUESTIONS FOR NOW, MAYOR. THANK YOU. DO YOU WANNA ASK JOHN, I THINK YOU NEED TO COME UP HERE OR WHOEVER YOU THINK IS THE APPROPRIATE PERSON TO TALK ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, ASK . OKAY. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, KURT, WHEN THE, UH, FRANCHISE AGREEMENT WAS RENEWED IN 2024, THE 3% FRANCHISE FEE WAS ALREADY A PART OF THAT. RIGHT? THAT THAT 3% DIDN'T COME ON IN 2024. IT JUST RENEWED WITH THE REST OF IT. CORRECT. SO THE 3% FRANCHISE FEE WAS IN THAT PRIOR FRANCHISE AGREEMENT AND, AND THE ONE BEFORE THAT. SO HAS IT ALWAYS SINCE BEGINNING BEEN 3%? I BELIEVE SO. AND HOW WAS THAT EVALUATED? IF THERE WAS ONE BEFORE, THE ONE BEFORE, I'M NOT SURE, BUT OKAY. AND HOW WAS IT EVALUATED? 3% WAS THE, CORRECT. I THINK THAT'S JUST STANDARD KIND OF WHAT ARIZONA CITIES CHARGE FOR FRANCHISE FEES IS AROUND 3%. I'M NOT SURE. SO THAT'S NOT DICTATED. SO I'M JUST WONDERING. I'M NOT SURE. YEAH, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY DICTATED. OKAY. I MEAN, THE IDEA IS THAT IT OFFSETS THE CITY'S COSTS. SO THIS IS, THERE'S SOME DIRECT COST HERE. IT'S NOT JUST THE CITY GIVING UP A A 3% FRANCHISE FEE FOR ALL OF ITS PERMIT. UM MM-HMM. AND, YOU KNOW, USE OF THE RIGHT OF WAY AND REVIEW OF THE RIGHT OF WAY, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT. AND COULD YOU PLEASE JUST RUN ME THROUGH THE MATH ONE MORE TIME OF THE, THE, THE 6 MILLION. OKAY. I GET THE $20 MILLION COST AND 14 OF THAT IS ACROSS ALL OF THE, THE RATE PAYERS. BUT THE 6 MILLION IS UNIQUE TO CITY OF SEDONA. BUT THE, THE 212,000 THAT WAS MENTIONED AND THEN THE BREAKDOWN THAT, THAT, UM, NICK GAVE US BEFORE, I'M TRYING TO SAY, I'M TRYING, WHAT I WANNA KNOW IS I WANNA SEE CLEAR MATH, WHO I'M NOT A MATHEMATICIAN AT ALL. UM, SHOW SHOWS ME HOW, WHAT PEOPLE ARE BEING CHARGED, WHAT THEIR INCREASES, WHAT PERCENT OF THEIR INCREASE AT THEIR C IS WOULD BE MITIGATED BY IF WE TAKE THIS ACTION. I THINK I PHRASED THAT PRETTY WELL AT THE END OF THE DAY. OKAY. . SO THERE'S, YEAH. UNLESS NICK'S ABLE TO COME UP WITH A BETTER NUMBER. THE, THE PROBLEM SHOWING THAT IS EVERYONE'S WATER BILL IS DIFFERENT. UM, AND THERE'S DIFFERENT RATES FOR DIFFERENT, THE AMOUNT OF WATER YOU USE. UM, AND WE'RE ONLY TALKING YEAH, METER SIZE, COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL, THEY'RE INDUSTRIAL, UH, BUT WE'RE ALSO ONLY TALKING THE CITIES IS ONLY 3% OF THAT OVERALL COST. SO THE FRANCHISE FEE IS NOT A LARGE COMPONENT. OKAY. RIGHT. BUT I STILL, AND NICK, MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME OUT HERE. AGAIN, I WALK ME THROUGH THE MATH OF HOW MUCH OF AN INCREASE ROUGHLY, AND YOU CAN USE PERCENTAGES. 'CAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYBODY'S GOT DIFFERENT, BUT HOW MUCH PERCENTAGE WISE OF THE INCREASE THAT THEY'RE SEEING WILL BE MITIGATED BY THIS 3% CREDIT. OKAY. YEAH, I THINK I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION. YOU'RE TRYING TO ISOLATE THE IMPACT TO CUSTOMERS OF THE $6 MILLION, YOU KNOW, AND HOW MUCH OF THE, OKAY. EXACTLY. YEAH. SO WE HAVE DONE THAT CALCULATION TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH WITH CITY STAFF. UM, SO JUST TO PUT IT THIS WAY, UM, SO ON, SO THE, THE 600, UH, THE, SORRY, THE $6 MILLION, YOU KNOW, FOR CUSTOMERS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S KIND OF EQUIVALENT TO $3 AND 92 CENTS I WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER TO THE CUSTOMER BILL BECAUSE OF THAT WAS IMPOSED TO SEDONA ONLY CUSTOMERS. AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS FOR AVERAGE CUSTOMER, I'M TALKING ABOUT AVERAGE RE RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS. AND BY WAIVING THE 3%, YOU KNOW, FRANCHISE TAX, YOU KNOW, ON THE SEDONA CUSTOMER, SEDONA CITY CUSTOMER, UH, ON THEIR BILL, THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT DOLLAR AND UH, I THINK A DOLLAR 75 CENTS OF [02:30:01] REDUCTION ON THEIR BILL. SO BASICALLY THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO MITIGATING 45% OF THE INCREASE OF THE $6 MILLION IMPOSING ON IMPOSED ON SEDONA CUSTOMERS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT EXACTLY ANSWERED WHAT I WAS TRYING TO GET TO. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I WOULD SAY THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT, UM, MITIGATION BECAUSE IT'S CLOSE TO HALF OF THE ALMOST 60%. YEAH. MM-HMM . UM, ALSO, HOW DOES THIS AFFECT, UH, HOAS OBVIOUSLY WHERE YOU HAVE, WE HAVE, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THOSE UNIQUE, UM, CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE THERE ARE MULTIPLE HOMES ON SHARED METERS AND THEY'RE ONLY IN A FEW INSTANCES. BUT HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT'LL BE IMPACTED AT ALL? UH, NOT KNOWING WHICH METER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY, BUT GENERALLY THOSE, YOU KNOW, SO IF A HOA OR ANY CUSTOMER, THEY HAVE A BILL, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S A HUNDRED DOLLARS OR $200, THE 3% WILL BE APPLIED TO THAT BILL, YOU KNOW, PROPORTIONALLY. SO IT'LL BE THE SAME, LIKE IT'S ROUGHLY 45% SAVINGS? UH, I WOULD THINK SO, BUT BY, JUST BY CALCULATING NUMBERS IN MY MIND, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, LARGER USERS POTENTIALLY COULD GET A, A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF THAT REDUCTION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ON THE DIFFERENCE OF THE $6 MILLION WAS IMPOSED TO CUSTOMERS ON A FIXED, YOU KNOW, AMOUNT BASIS. SO IT'S NOT VOLUMETRIC. SO THAT'S $3 92 CENTS FOR AVERAGE CUSTOMERS. THAT'S ALSO THE SAME IF YOU USE, WELL FOR THE SMALLEST METER. SO WHETHER YOU USE, YOU KNOW, 4,000 GALLONS A MONTH OR USE 5,000 GALLON GALLONS A MONTH, THAT'S THE SAME DOLLAR AMOUNT. BUT THAT NUMBER DOES GO UP AS A METER SIZE INCREASES BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, FOR HIGHER ME, UH, FOR BIGGER METER SIZES, THEIR MONTHLY SERVICE CHARGE IS HIGHER. SO HENCE THAT REDUCTION POTENTIALLY COULD BE GREATER PERCENTAGE WISE. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. OKAY. DEREK, BEFORE I LOSE THIS THOUGHT, DID YOU, DID YOU SAY WE HAVE A LOW INCOME PROGRAM ON THE SEWER SIDE? HOW DO WE FUND THAT THROUGH THE, UM, WASTEWATER FUND IS AN ENTERPRISE FUND AND SO THAT'S JUST BUILT INTO THE RATE CALCULATIONS OVERALL. PLUS THE CITY HAS BEEN SUBSIDIZING THAT FUND, I BELIEVE APPROXIMATELY $2 MILLION A YEAR FROM THE GENERAL FUND. UM, BUT THAT GOES TO LOW INCOME PEOPLE WHO APPLY FOR THAT. IS THERE ANYTHING TO STOP US FROM TAKING THE 3% AND USING IT TO BEEF UP WHAT WE DO ON THAT PROGRAM, KURT? SO IT, IT CAN'T, WE DON'T BILL THEM DIRECTLY. UH, SO WE CAN'T JUST TAKE THAT AND COPY IT OVER 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT THE PROVIDER OR THE BILLING ENTITY. UH, BUT THERE'S A POTENTIAL WE COULD LOOK AT TO, SO, AND AGAIN, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO IT THROUGH ARIZONA WATER, BUT WE COULD POTENTIALLY LOOK AT SOMETHING DIRECTLY FOR CUSTOMERS, UH, LIKE RESIDENTS. I'M JUST SAYING IF WE ALREADY HAVE A PROGRAM TO, FOR WASTEWATER, COULD WE TAKE THE MONEY, THE 3% FRANCHISE FEE? AND SO ARE YOU SAYING DON'T SUSPEND THE 3%? RIGHT. IF WE DIDN'T SUSPEND, I MEAN, BUT WE COLLECT IT AND THEN TRANSFER IT OVER TO THE WASTEWATER FUND TO HELP FURTHER SUBSIDIZE. YES, THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING. I MEAN, IF THE, IF THE IDEA WAS TO DIRECT THIS 3% TO PEOPLE WHO ARE LOW INCOME, IF WE ALREADY HAVE A LOW INCOME PROGRAM, SEND THE MONEY OVER THERE. UM, I GUESS A COUPLE OF QUICK THOUGHTS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I'VE LOOKED TO KURT. ONE IS, UM, NOT ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE PAYING A WATER BILL HAVE A WASTEWATER ACCOUNT. WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE STILL ON SEPTIC. THE OTHER IS THAT THERE'S ALSO OAK CREEK WATER DISTRICT WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS. AND SO WOULD WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, NONE OF THEM WOULD BE ELIGIBLE BECAUSE THE MONEY THAT WE'RE USING TO SUBSIDIZE WAS PAID BY ARIZONA WATER COMPANY REPAIR. YOU KNOW? OKAY. GETTING INTO THE NITTY GRITTY OF IT, I THINK WE MIGHT ENCOUNTER A COUPLE CHALLENGES, UM, TO MAKE SURE IT'S FAIRLY APPLIED, IF THAT'S FAIR. YEAH, NO, I AGREE WITH THAT. BUT I MEAN, IT COULD, IT COULD BE POSSIBLE. WE'D HAVE TO EXPLORE THAT. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE. I MEAN, IF WE WANT TO MAKE IT A LOW INCOME PROGRAM, WE COULD PIGGYBACK IT ON THAT, BUT POTENTIALLY THE, WHEN DIRK ASKED, IS THIS THE BEST WE CAN DO? IT'S OPENING QUESTION, IT'S THE BEST WE CAN DO DIRECTLY, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE CAN TAKE THE FRANCHISE TAX AMOUNT, WHICH IS 3% AND REALLOCATE IT, BUT IS THERE [02:35:01] ANYTHING MORE WE CAN DO WITH CITY MONEY? SHOULD WE CHOOSE TO DO THAT? SO I'M, I FEEL LIKE THIS HAS BEEN ASKED BY THREE OF THE COUNSELORS NOW, AND YES, WE CAN ASSIST LOW INCOME PEOPLE, BUT THERE'S PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING MORE, BUT ONLY LOW INCOME PEOPLE. YES. SO WE CAN'T GIVE CITY RESOURCES, UH, TO, SO THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE A MEANS TESTED PROGRAM FOR SURE. SO WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO HELP OUT THOSE WHO ARE NOT, UM, LOW INCOME. WE CAN'T, WE, THE GIFT CLASS PREVENTS THE CITY FROM PROVIDING ANY OF ITS RESOURCES TO CORPORATIONS OR PERSONS. NO, NOT CORPORATIONS. BUT IF WE, THIS IS WHERE I'M GOING. SO LET'S SAY IT'S, IT'S 212,000 NOW AND MAYBE 300,000 NEXT YEAR WILL TAKE 20 YEARS FOR PEOPLE TO, TO FULLY REALIZE THE OFFSET. 'CAUSE IT'S $6 MILLION, BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALSO FULLY INCURRED THE $6 MILLION EVEN. AND THAT'S WHERE I WAS GONNA ASK NICK 6 MILLION WILL BE HOW, WHAT IS YOUR FORMULA FOR SPREADING THAT $6 MILLION TO CUSTOMERS? HOW MANY ACROSS, HOW MANY YEARS WILL IT TAKE YOU TO RECOVER THAT MONEY? SO, UH, I CAN GO BACK TO DO A LITTLE BIT KIND OF REMAKING KIND OF FUNDAMENTALS. SO, SO THE $6 MILLION, YOU KNOW, LIKE KER SAID, IT'S NOT BEING RECOVERED, YOU KNOW, IN FULL WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR. SO THE $6 MILLION IS KIND OF BROKEN DOWN INTO DIFFERENT PIECES. PART OF THAT IS DEPRECIATION AND YOU KNOW, FOR A TANK LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A, A KIND OF A COMMISSION AUTHORIZED DEPRECIATION RATE. SO IN TERMS OF RECOVERY, IT WOULD TAKE US ABOUT 60 YEARS TO RECOVER THE 6 0 6 OH YEAH. SIX ZERO YEARS TO RECOVER THE FULL COST OF THE TANK. I MEAN, FOR THAT PORTION. SO, UM, AND EQUIVALENTLY, I WOULD SAY, SO IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH WE'RE COLLECTING ON THE FIRST YEAR FOR THE $6 MILLION, I THINK IT'S AROUND $700,000. THAT'S WHERE WE KIND OF ALLOCATED TO EACH OF THE CUSTOMER CONNECTION WITHIN THE SEDONA SYSTEMS. LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A LARGE METER, YOUR RATES WILL BE HIGHER BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF THE FORMULA. SO THERE IS A FORMULA TO ALLOCATE THAT $700,000 TO ALL OF THE CUSTOMER CONNECTION WITHIN SEEING SEDONA. OKAY. SO KURT, YOU'RE SAYING WE COULD, I WANNA MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING THIS, APPLY THIS 3% TO ONLY RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, WE COULD MAKE THAT DISCRIMINATION, SO TO SPEAK. YES. SO THERE'S LOW INCOME, NOT BUSINESS, LOW INCOME PROGRAMS. UM, THE OTHER CITIES RUN, UH, UTILITY PROGRAMS AND UTILITY ASSISTANT PROGRAMS. AND SO THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY TO LOOK AT DOING THAT. THAT'S, I I HEAR YOU. BUT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS THE 3%. SO IF WE DON'T COLLECT THE 3%, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY GETS THAT BENEFIT IS THE SAME AS THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY, OR CAN ARIZONA WATER ONLY APPLY IT TO THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY? NO. SO THE THREE PERCENT'S FLAT AND IT HAS TO BE, SINCE IT'S OF A FRANCHISE FEE, LIKE A TAX, IT HAS TO BE APPLIED TO EVERYONE UNIFORMLY. SO WE DON'T GET A TAX PEOPLE BASED ON THEIR INCOME. NO. COMMERCIAL, COMMERCIAL, COMMERCIAL VERSUS RESIDENTIAL. NO. SO NOT IN THE FRANCHISE FEE. THEY'RE ALL TAX, EVERYBODY GETS, PAYS THE SAME FEE. 3%. AND SO THEN WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE COULD CREATE A LOW INCOME PROGRAM. SHOULD WE CHOOSE TO DO THAT? THAT'S MEANS TESTED. WE CAN, YES, WE COULD LOOK INTO THAT. YES. THERE'S OPPORTUNITY THERE FOR THE CITY. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE IN ADDITION TO, IT COULD BE IN, IN LIEU OF, IT'S UP TO COUNCIL GABBY AND THE, THE 212, THERE'S GONNA BECOME 300, RIGHT? THAT, THAT YOU SAID, DID I HEAR YOUR COST OVERALL FOR EVERYTHING? YOU SAID 60 YEARS, BUT DID I HEAR THAT WITHIN THIS INCREASE THAT IT, THERE'S A 20 YEARS, THE 3%. SO THAT WAS FROM JUST MY QUICK MATH. SO IF WE, IF THE CITY, UH, WANTS TO TRY TO OFFSET THE $6 MILLION COST DIFFERENTIAL FOR THE TANK, IT WOULD TAKE 20 YEARS OF THE 3%. YES. OKAY. SO MY QUESTION THAT'S, I THOUGHT I HEARD THAT, RIGHT? AND I WANNA MAKE SURE, BECAUSE MY QUESTION ACTUALLY IS THIS TAX WAS RENEWED ONE YEAR AGO FOR 25 YEARS. SO NO, THE TAX WASN'T NECESSARILY RENEWED. THE FRANCHISE, THE FRANCHISE FEE AGREEMENT WAS THAT'S RIGHT. THE VOTERS ONLY APPROVED, WHICH HAS THE TAX IN IT WAS RENEWED. YEAH, A YEAR AGO. ONE YEAR AGO, YES. YEAH. ONE YEAR AGO FOR 25 YEAR [02:40:01] TERM. YES. WE THINK WE NEED 20 YEARS IN ORDER TO RECOUP THAT. WHAT WE WERE TRYING HERE, WHY, THE QUESTION IS WOULD WE WANT A PROACTIVE, UM, ACTION TO REINSTATE THE FRANCHISE FEE VERSUS PUTTING A SUNSET AT THE 20 YEAR MARK SO THAT THEN, SO THEN IT COMES BACK IN. BECAUSE THERE'S ONE THING ABOUT SEEING A CREDIT ON YOUR BILL AND KNOWING CREDIT'S GOING AWAY, THEN IF SOMETHING IS GOING TO BE PERCEIVED AS BRAND NEW TAX AT THAT POINT, SO WHY WOULDN'T WE CONSIDER THE 20 YEAR MARK FOR A SUNSET? YOU, YOU CERTAINLY COULD. UH, THE REASON I DIDN'T PUT THAT IN THERE WAS ONE, BECAUSE UNDER THE CURRENT RATES IT'S 28 YEARS AND THE FRANCHISE FEE WOULD EXPIRE IN 24 YEARS. ANYWAYS. WE'RE, I'M NOT, DON'T KNOW THE EXACT RATES OF, I'M ESTIMATING 300,000, BUT I DON'T KNOW, UM, THERE'S, WE'RE GONNA LOSE MAYBE SOME OF THIS, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE A LITTLE MORE IN, WE'RE A COUPLE MONTHS PAST IT. AND SO YOU'RE COMING DOWN TO JUST LIKE A, A THREE, FOUR YEAR DIFFERENCE THERE. MAYBE, UH, BETWEEN IT JUST, IF WE DON'T EVER TOUCH IT AGAIN AND THE FRANCHISE FEE AGREEMENT EXPIRES IN 24 YEARS VERSUS IF COUNCIL GOES BACK IN AND, AND DECIDES TO TAKE DIFFERENT ACTION. SO THAT'S, UH, THEY SEEMED CLOSE ENOUGH TO ME THAT IT, TO LEAVE IT OPEN-ENDED ALSO, IF WE PUT IN THAT EXACT WAY, I GUESS YOU COULD PUT IN BOTH. UM, BUT I WANTED TO LEAVE IT OPEN TO COUNCIL TO BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND START COLLECTING THAT EARLIER IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO CHANGE OUR CALCULATION. SO, UH, BASED ON FUTURE RATE INCREASES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO LET'S SAY THAT IS THE CASE IN 15 YEARS FROM NOW. I MEAN, WHO, HOW IS THIS GONNA STAY ON PEOPLE'S RADAR? YOU KNOW, STAFF'S RADAR THAT OH, THERE'S A PROBLEM OVER HERE, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT 3% HAS BEEN WAIVED AND WE SHOULD PROBABLY BRING THAT TO COUNCIL TO REENACT THAT DIFFERENT COUNCIL, DIFFERENT HISTORY. SOME OF US WOULD BE DEAD AND GONE, YOU KNOW, UM, I MEAN SERIOUSLY, HOW DOES THAT STAY? SO MY, I WAS GOING TO PUT IT, UM, ALL OF THE, IF COUNCIL TAKES THIS ACTION, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY BOTH THE AGENDA, THE AGENDA BILL, THE RATE CASE, ALL THAT INFORMATION IS GONNA BE STORED IN THE FRANCHISE FREE FOLDER THAT WE HAVE IN LASER FISH FOR ARIZONA WATER COMPANY. SO THAT IF ANYONE HAD A QUESTION, THEY'D BE ABLE TO FIND IT ALL. BUT OTHERWISE, I DON'T HAVE A WAY TO SEND AN EMAIL TO SOMEONE IN 15 YEARS FROM NOW TO I KNOW, BUT THAT'S WHAT WOULDN'T, WOULDN'T HAVE SUBSET. I WOULD, I'VE ASKED IT ABOUT THAT MAD TRIGGER. YEAH. SO, AND IT, MADAM MAYOR, UM, ONE SUGGESTION IS THAT OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS PUTTING IN PLACE, UM, FINANCIAL FORECASTING MODELS, UM, I THINK I CAN SAY 10 YEARS OUT, 10 YEARS OUT. AND SO THIS WILL BE BUILT INTO THOSE ASSUMPTIONS THAT THIS FEE HAS BEEN SUSPENDED, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO. AND IT WILL HAVE IN THERE. AND EVERY YEAR WE UPDATE THAT MODEL AND WE WILL BE TRACKING IN THAT, IN THAT OUT YEAR. UM, THERE NEEDS TO BE A POLICY RE REVISIT IF THAT'S GONNA BE REINSTATED OR NOT. SO IN THE FINANCIAL FORECASTING AND ON THE BUDGETARY SIDE OF THE HOUSE, THIS WILL BE CAPTURED AND TRACKED. OKAY. THANK YOU. I WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION. THE, THE $14 MILLION THAT IS BEING ASSIGNED TO THE REST OF THE C NORTHERN ARIZONA COMMUNITY, DOES THAT INCLUDE SEDONA? I MEAN, ARE WE PAYING 6 MILLION AND A PORTION OF THE 14 MILLION? IT DOES. SO IT'S REALLY MORE MONEY THAN WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, BUT I THINK, UH, SO MADAM MAYOR, I THINK THE, THE, THE COMPARISON OR THE MATH WE'RE TRYING TO TALK ABOUT, IT'S KIND OF COMPARED TO, YOU KNOW, IF THE $20 MILLION IS BEING SPREAD OVER ALL OF THOSE CUSTOMERS IN NORTHERN ARIZONA VERSUS 14 BEING SPREAD OVER, PLUS SIX BEING ADDED TO, TO OUR, UH, TO SEDONA CUSTOMERS. I THINK THAT'S A COMPARISON WE WERE TRYING TO DRAW. SO EVEN UNDER OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE SCENARIO THAT, YOU KNOW, THE NORTHERN GROUP RATES HAVE FULLY CONSOLIDATED, SEDONA CUSTOMER WILL STILL PAY A SHARE OF THE $20 MILLION. AND THAT WAS ALWAYS ANTICIPATED THAT THE COST OF MM-HMM. THE NEW WATER TANK WOULD BE SPREAD ACROSS ALL THE SPREAD ACROSS. BUT YEAH, THE SEDONAS RESIDENTS AS WELL. AND, AND ONE OTHER CLARIFICATION, THE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE FRANCHISE FEE BEING IN THE GENERAL FUND, THERE'S NO SPECIFIC OR LET, MAY I ASK YOU, BARBARA, IS THERE A SPECIFIC ACCOUNT [02:45:01] THAT'S CALLED THAT THAT IS RESTRICTED AND ONLY CAN BE USED FOR FIRE HYDRANTS RIGHT NOW? AND WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY IS IN THERE? OR IS THAT JUST IN THE GENERAL FUND? IT IS JUST IN THE GENERAL FUND, BUT WE CAN TELL YOU HOW MUCH HAS BEEN COLLECTED AND IS AVAILABLE FOR THAT PROGRAM. AND IT IS, IT IS NOT HOWEVER RESTRICTED AND COUNSEL COULD DECIDE TO DO WHATEVER WITH THAT MONEY. AND YOU CAN ALSO CHOOSE TO RESTRICT IT. YOU KNOW, WE CAN REVISE THE FINANCIAL POLICIES AND SET THAT AS A YEAH, JUST RIGHT NOW. 'CAUSE I, I, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS WITH THE BED TAX THAT WE CAN'T REALLY, I MEAN, IT'S NOT, THERE'S NOT A FUND CALLED BED TAX REVENUES THAT ARE ONLY USED FOR, THAT'S NOT HOW YOU SET UP THE GENERAL FUND LEDGERS THOUGH, AS WE'RE DOING THE ERP IMPLEMENTATION, THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S MUCH EASIER TO DO DURING A SETUP IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL WOULD WANT US TO DO AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, FURTHER SORT OF NARROWING DOWN WHERE THINGS ARE AND HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING. THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN TALK ABOUT AT, AT THE TIME. AND THIS IS, UH, I MEAN WE'RE DEVELOPING THE CHART OF ACCOUNTS NOW, BUT THE IMPLEMENTATION WON'T HAPPEN FOR ANOTHER NINE MONTHS OR SO. SO WE DO HAVE A LITTLE TIME TO DISCUSS THIS. CAN YOU BRING THAT UP WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT BUDGET MM-HMM . TO PROMPT US TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION? YES, ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAVE ONE CARD, ERNIE. THANKS NICK. THANK YOU. I AM ERNIE STRA AND I LIVE IN SEDONA. TRY TO MAKE THIS PRETTY SHORT. UH, BUT I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE BIGGER PICTURE. WE ALL KNOW THAT US THE IMAGE AND OF, UH, AND THE TRUST WITH THE CITIZENS OF SEDONA HAS BEEN A LITTLE TARNISHED IN RECENT TIMES. THERE'S PROBABLY ALMOST NOTHING YOU COULD DO, CERTAINLY NOT IN THIS MEETING, UH, TO GAIN BACK A WHOLE BUNCH OF THAT TRUST AND CREDIBILITY, THEN BEING ABLE TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE THIS $6 MILLION AND, YOU KNOW, ALLOCATE BACK TO THE CITY. WHETHER, AND I I FOLLOWED THIS WHOLE, UH, PROCESS HERE. UH, MOST PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BLAME THE CITY. THAT'S NOT TRUE, , BUT IT'S THE REALITY. YOU ARE BEING BLAMED BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THAT WE COULD AND SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO SAVE US. AND IT, AND THAT $3 AND 90 SOME CENTS OR HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DOLLARS AND PENNIES COME OUT, THAT IS REALLY IRRELEVANT. THAT'S NOT THE POINT. THE POINT IS, I THINK YOU, I'M ENCOURAGING YOU TO DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO OFFSET THAT 6 MILLION, HOWEVER YOU DO IT, BUT, AND THEN MAKE A BIG CASE OUT OF IT BECAUSE , UH, THAT WILL SHOW TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE REALLY CARE ABOUT THEM. OKAY. THAT'S THE MESSAGE. THANKS. THANK YOU. OKAY. COMMENTS, DEREK. UM, I MEAN IT'S A SMALL MEASURE, BUT I'M IN FAVOR SUSPENDING THE FEE. IT'S NOT GONNA OFFSET THE ENTIRE INCREASE THAT SEDONA RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN HIT WITH FROM THANKS TO THE A CC, BUT, UM, IT'S SOMETHING, AND I THINK WE SHOULD DO WHAT WE CAN AND IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S REALLY THE ONLY OPTION WE HAVE. WE COULD POTENTIALLY EXPLORE SOME OTHER, BUT I MEAN, THIS IS SORT OF A SIMPLE, SIMPLE WAY TO DO IT. I THINK WE JUST SUSPEND THE FEE, LET THE REBATE GO BACK OR LET WHATEVER IT IS, GO BACK TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INCURRING THE FEES. CAN YOU COMMENT ON KATHY'S PROPOSAL TO SUNSET IN, IN OTHER WORDS, WE SUSPEND IT UNTIL WE REINSTATE IT. DO YOU WANNA TIME CERTAIN OR YOU WANT IT OPEN-ENDED? I'M GONNA MAKE THAT CASE. IF I HAD CONFIDENCE THAT SOMEBODY DOWN THE LINE WOULD CATCH THIS AND SAY, OH WAIT, WE'VE, THAT'S ALREADY [02:50:01] BEEN RECOUPED. UM, THAT I WOULD SAY JUST SUSPEND IT, PERIOD. BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, A SUNSET AFTER 20 YEARS PROBABLY MAKES SENSE. 'CAUSE I'M SURE IT'S ALL NOT GONNA BE ALIVE IN 20 YEARS. UM, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANY OF THE REST OF YOU, BUT, UH, I WON'T BE HERE TO SAY, OH, HEY, BY THE WAY, WE NEED TO, SO, BUT YOU'RE THE YOUNGEST ONE HERE, AREN'T YOU? CHRONOLOGICAL, YOU'RE CHRONOLOGICALLY . UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK I, I WOULD BE FINE WITH THE SUNSET. I'D BE FINE WITH THE 20 YEAR SUNSET. UM, BUT I THINK IN THE IMMEDIATE TERM, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO SHOW THE RESIDENTS WE'RE TRYING. IF WE COULD DO, WE COULD REBATE THE WHOLE THING TO 'EM SO THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY THE INCREASE, I WOULD LOVE TO DO THAT. BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT OPTION. SO LET'S DO WHAT IT, LET'S DO WHAT WE CAN DO. AND THIS IS, THIS IS IT. SO YEAH, I SUPPORT THAT WITH THE 20 YEAR SUNSET THAT COUNCILOR KINSELLA IS TALKING ABOUT. I I I MIGHT BE REVISIT REVISITING MY 20 YEAR MARK THOUGH, BUT, OKAY. WELL WE CAN COME TO THAT IF YOU, PETE, THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'M REMINDED THAT MY UNDERSTANDING OF THIS RATE INCREASE AND THE WAY THE CORPORATION COMMISSION WORKS IS THIS IS RECOUPING MONEY THAT'S ALREADY BEEN SPENT, AND IT'S A REMINDER TO US ALL THAT RUNNING CITIES AND PROVIDING SERVICES, WHETHER IT'S ARIZONA WATER PROVIDING IT, OR WE'RE PROVIDING IT THROUGH OUR WASTEWATER. WE'RE GONNA FACE THIS HERE IN A FEW MONTHS AS WE TALK ABOUT THE WASTEWATER INCREASE. MM-HMM . AND, YOU KNOW, FOR THE SMALL RESIDENTIAL USER, A DOLLAR 13 A MONTH ISN'T GONNA BE NOTICEABLE. ERNIE, I'M SORRY THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT IT'S, IT'S JUST NOT GONNA STICK IN ANYONE'S MIND THAT WE MADE A DIFFERENCE HERE. THERE'S A USE FOR THIS MONEY NOW, WE HAVEN'T BEEN USING IT, BUT I'VE ALWAYS QUESTIONED ABOUT WHERE THE WATER, THE FIRE HYDRANT IS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND, YOU KNOW, WATCH THE PUMPER TRUCKS AROUND. CITY MANAGER ALLUDED TO THE FACT THAT SUN ON FIRE IS PROBABLY GONNA BE COMING TO US HERE WITH SOME IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO, UH, BETTER INCREASE THE NUMBER OR USE OF FIRE HYDRANTS IN THIS TOWN. IF ANYTHING EVER HAPPENS AT WESTERN GATEWAY, I SUSPECT THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A REQUEST AT SOME POINT THAT THE CITY HELP FUND SOME OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE, UH, FIRE HYDRANTS OR, OR WATER SERVICE. SO, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS AT ALL. A FLAT CREDIT, REGARDLESS, REGARDLESS, REGARDLESS OF OF WATER USE JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. IT ABSOLUTELY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. UM, I THINK THAT THERE ARE POTENTIALLY OTHER WAYS THAT WE COULD HELP LOW INCOME RESIDENTS WHO PROBABLY STRUGGLE AGAINST THIS MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE. UH, BUT THE IDEA OF, OF JUST HANDING AWAY, UH, THE 3%, UH, FRANCHISE FEE, I JUST THINK IS IRRESPONSIBLE FROM A BUDGETING PERSPECTIVE IN THE CITY. UH, AND WE SHOULD NOT DO THAT. AND WHETHER WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO HELP, UH, THE LOWER INCOME RESIDENTS IN OUR TOWN THROUGH A DIFFERENT STRUCTURE OR, OR PERHAPS CONTRACTING WITH ARIZONA WATER TO USE THEIR LOW INCOME WATER, UH, PROGRAM, I THINK IS A BETTER USE OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE HERE. THANK YOU. WHO WOULD LIKE TO GO NEXT? KATHY? UM, FIRST OF ALL, I, I, I DO SUPPORT THIS, UM, THE AMENDMENT BECAUSE I DO THINK IT IS AN OFFSET OF WHAT WAS AN UNFAIR INCREASE. THE REASON THE INCREASE IS UNFAIR IN MY OPINION, IS 'CAUSE THE ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION OVERSTEPPED ITS AUTHORITY, AND THAT NEEDS TO BE CLEARLY STATED. AND SEDONA, THAT WAS A GOVERNMENT ENTITY THAT I BELIEVE ACTED IRRESPONSIBLY IN SEPARATING THIS OUT IN PUNITIVELY IN THEIR PERCEPTION, TRYING TO PUT A $6 MILLION COST DIFFERENTIAL ON THE BACKS OF SEDONA RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES BECAUSE THEY JUST FELT THAT, THEY JUST FELT THAT THEY HAD THE POWER TO DO THAT. ARIZONA WATER DIDN'T ASK FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. SEDONA DIDN'T ASK FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. AR THE CORPORATION COMMISSION TOOK THIS UPON THEMSELVES. UM, THAT WAS, I THINK, A GOVERNMENT ACTING IRRESPONSIBLY. WE ARE A GOVERNMENT THAT I THINK CAN TRY TO ACT RESPONSIBLY IN TRYING TO OFFSET SOME OF THAT DAMAGE. AND ITS DAMAGE ISN'T JUST ABOUT THREE TO $4 IN SOMEBODY'S POCKET. IT'S DAMAGE TO THE CREDIBILITY OF HOW GOVERNMENTS ANALYZE, ASSESS, AND, UH, IMPLEMENT. SO I DO SUPPORT THIS. UM, AGAIN, IT'S A 45% OFFSET, YOU KNOW, SO IF YOU LOOK AT IT PERCENTAGE WISE, I THINK IT IS SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT. BUT I THINK WE NEED [02:55:01] TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE'RE DOING THIS TO OFFSET AN INJUSTICE. AND I USE THAT WORD VERY DELIBERATELY. IT WAS AN INJUSTICE BY THE ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION. AND I REALLY, I'LL SAY IT REPEATEDLY AND REPEATEDLY SO THAT PEOPLE REMEMBER IT. THEY NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THAT'S WHERE THIS CAME FROM. UM, I DO THINK THOUGH, THAT WE DO NEED TO CONSIDER A SUNSET ON THIS BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT, ALTHOUGH IT'S AN INJUSTICE THAT WE ARE TRYING TO ADDRESS, THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE REEVALUATED EVERY SO OFTEN BY WHOEVER IT IS THAT'S SITTING UP HERE AND HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOW MONEY THAT WILL BE POTENTIALLY LACKING FROM A FUND THAT HAS A PURPOSE. SO I DON'T, I DON'T FEEL I CAN JUST TAKE THIS ON IN PERPETUITY FOR THIS, UH, FOR THE LENGTH OF THE AGREEMENT. I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A OPPORTUNITY FOR A FUTURE COUNCIL TO EVALUATE THIS. SO I HAD ORIGINALLY THROWN OUT 20 YEARS BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT THAT AS THE, JUST THE, UM, THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IT WOULD TAKE TO PAY IT OFF. BUT I DO THINK THAT MAYBE EVEN 10 YEARS IS A BETTER, UM, MARK FOR A SUNSET ON THIS SO IT COULD BE EVALUATED. SO AGAIN, I SUPPORT IT. I'M URGING THAT WE DO CONSIDER A SUNSET. I'M OPEN TO, UH, IDEAS ON THE LENGTH OF TIME, BUT TO START WITH, IF WE NEED A NUMBER OUT THERE, I'D THROW 10, 10 YEARS OUT FOR REEVALUATION. DITTO. WHAT COUNSELOR CAN SELL US AT KEEPING IT SHORT AND SWEET AND, UH, I'M FINE WITH A 10 YEAR POINT OF EVALUATING WHETHER TO BASICALLY RENEW THAT YET AGAIN OR NOT. YEAH. THANK YOU. SO, SO MAYOR AND COUNCIL, IF I COULD JUST JUMP IN HERE. THERE'S, THE WAY YOU WOULD DRAFT IT IS CURRENTLY IT'S OPEN-ENDED OR YOU'D PUT IN, OR UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE WHEN IT WOULD END. SO IF YOU PUT IN A, A CERTAIN DATE, THEN THAT WOULD END IT. I DON'T KNOW. IT'S ALREADY OPEN-ENDED. SO A 10 YEAR EVALUATION IS ON US TO DO THE EVALUATION. THERE'S NO WAY TO DRAFT IT IN THE AMENDMENT. REALLY. YOU CAN'T, WELL, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DO, I'M SORRY. IT WOULD BE A, IT WOULD, UM, WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS A, A CREDIT, THE WAY THAT IT'S WORDED IN THE PACKET. YEAH, WE'RE SUSPENDING IT'S A CREDIT. SO CAN'T WE SUNSET THE CREDIT? YES, WE CAN. BUT IF YOU PUT IT IN 10 YEAR SUNSET, THEN IT'LL SUNSET IN 10 YEARS. IT WON'T BE A REEVALUATION. IT'LL JUST SUNSET IN 10 YEARS. YES, BUT IT'LL, BECAUSE IT'LL BE SUNSET, IT WOULD COME BACK. NO, IT'LL BE, IT'LL BE AUTOMATIC. THERE'S NO WAY TO DRAFT IT. IT'S ALREADY IN THERE. WE COULD HAVE IT COME BACK EVERY YEAR. WE COULD DISCUSS IT, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR IF WE WANT RIGHT NOW, INTERNALLY, UM, AND REEVALUATE IT EVERY YEAR. AND THAT WAY WE, WE WON'T LOSE SIGHT OF IT IF THAT MADE YOU BETTER. BUT IF WE PUT IN A, THE 10 YEAR POINT, THEN THAT'S GONNA BE THE SUNSET POINT. IT WON'T BE EVALUATED IN 10. AT YEAR 10. IT'LL BE, I I, I THINK IT, THIS IS WORD CRAFTING THAT WE WOULD NEED TO TAKE CARE OF IN HERE, BUT I THINK I'D LIKE TO HEAR JUST THE OVERALL CONCEPT WHERE THE REST OF THE DAY IS, AND THEN WE COULD WORK ON THAT, BECAUSE THIS MIGHT, MIGHT SPEND ALL THAT TIME AND THERE'S NOT SUPPORT FOR THIS ANYWAY. SO IF WE COULD JUST SEPARATE THAT OUT FOR THE MOMENT. LISTEN, SO I THINK THERE'S A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON HERE IN MY MIND. SO I JUST WANNA VERIFY WITH, UM, CITY MANAGER OR WITH OUR FINANCE DIRECTOR WHO'S NOW A DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT HER TITLE IS. ANYWAY, UM, WE'VE BEEN PUTTING MONEY INTO THIS FUND FOR MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS, IS MY UNDERSTANDING. AND WE HAVE NOT SPENT A LOT OF THIS MONEY. UM, AND SO THEREFORE, IF YOU WERE TO BE ABLE TO ACCOUNT FOR IT, WHICH I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU CAN SPECIFICALLY, WE WOULD HAVE QUITE A LOT OF MONEY YET FOR PUTTING TOWARDS ANYTHING THE FIRE DISTRICT WOULD ASK US TO DO REGARDING FIRE HYDRANTS OR WHATEVER THEY MAY ASK US TO DO IN THE WESTERN GATEWAY FOR FIRE SUPPRESSION. AM I, AM I CORRECT IN THIS UNDERSTANDING? OKAY. I SEE A NODDING HEAD FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO, UM, AREN'T WATCHING. YES MA'AM. THANK YOU. UM, THAT BEING THE CASE, I UNDERSTAND, UM, COUNSELOR FURMAN'S CONCERN, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE THEM FUNDS TO TAKE CARE OF THAT AT THIS POINT IN TIME. UM, HE DOESN'T AGREE WITH ME, BUT THAT'S OKAY. WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT, BUT WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO MANY THINGS. MANAGER'S AGREEING THAT WE REALLY DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. WE DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC NUMBER FOR YOU TONIGHT. WE CAN DETERMINE IT, UM, AND BRING IT BACK IN THE BUDGET CONVERSATIONS. UM, IT IS A ONE TIME SOURCE OF FUNDS, RIGHT? IF WE STOP COLLECTING THE MONEY SO IT HAS A ONE TIME USE, UM, BUT OTHER FUNDS FROM THE GENERAL FUND COULD BE USED FOR [03:00:01] SUCH A PROJECT SHOULD THAT ARISE OR CAN ONLY THESE FUNDS BE USED FOR THAT? NO, THE COUNCIL CERTAINLY HAS DISCRETION OVER THE GENERAL FUND AND WHAT YOU WANNA SPEND THAT MONEY ON. THERE'S NOTHING THAT SAYS YOU CAN'T SPEND GENERAL FUND DOLLARS ON WATER PROJECTS THAT SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, FIRE SUPPRESSION OR NEW INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CITY PROJECTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE THOSE RESOURCES. THE FRANCHISE FEES ARE NOT THE ONLY SORT OF THING. THANK YOU. SO I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN AND I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN OF THE COMMUNITY AROUND FIRE AND FIRE HAZARD. UM, THIS IS JUST ONE RESOURCE AND UM, I ALSO UNDERSTAND THE DESIRE TO SUNSET IT, BUT SUNSETTING IT RIGHT NOW IS, UM, YOU KNOW, AS, AS GOOD AN ATTORNEY AS OUR CITY ATTORNEY MIGHT BE. I DON'T KNOW THAT HE'S A GOOD PREDICTOR OF WHAT THE VALUE OF THESE FUNDS WILL BE NEXT YEAR OR THE YEAR AFTER, OR THE YEAR AFTER OR THE YEAR AFTER. SO IT COULD BE QUITE A LONG TIME BEFORE WE ACTUALLY ARE ABLE TO PAY OFF THIS AMOUNT. I THINK THAT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, BETWEEN SAYING WE WANNA SUNSET IT IN 20 YEARS OR 10 YEARS, WHICH MEANS IT'S DONE, IT HAS SUNSET, SUNSETTED, AND THEN WE'RE, WE'RE JUST DONE. AND IT'S AUTOMATIC VERSUS HOW DO WE PUT AN AGENDA ITEM THAT A YEAR FROM NOW WE EVALUATE AND THAT WE CONTINUE THAT AGENDA ITEM FOR A YEAR FROM NOW INTO WHENEVER SOME FUTURE COUNCIL YEAH. MAKES A DECISION. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A SMALL AMOUNT FOR MANY PEOPLE ON THEIR WATER BILL. I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE TO APPLY IT TO COMMERCIAL AS WELL AS TO TO RESIDENTS. UM, BUT COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES ARE PAYING THE PART OF 6 MILLION ALONG WITH THE OTHER 14 MILLION, THE SAME AS WE ARE. AND WE ARE A COMMUNITY. AND THAT SHOULD INCLUDE EVERYONE WHO RESIDES OR HAS A BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY. SO THIS IS KIND OF MY LONG-WINDED WAY OF SAYING, HAVING THOUGHT ALL THESE THINGS THROUGH, I I AM IN SUPPORT OF US DOING A SMALL, TINY LITTLE BIT THAT WE CAN, UM, AS A CITY. AND I REALIZE IT'S NOT ALWAYS A LOT, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO AND IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN REVIEW. UH, I AM NOT IN FAVOR OF HAVING A SUNSET DATE. IF THAT MEANS IT JUST AUTOMATICALLY GOES AWAY BECAUSE THAT FUTURE COUNCIL MAY NOT KNOW ANY OF THE HISTORY OR WHY WE DID THIS. IT MAY DETERMINE SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, WHEREAS THEY CAN DECIDE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. SO I HOPE THAT WAS CLEAR. I WAS CLEAR. DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS AFTER HEARING THE REST OF COUNSEL? I HAVE ABOUT ONLY ABOUT THE SUNSET THING. GO AHEAD. OKAY. SO SUNSET MIGHT NOT BE THE RIGHT WORD 'CAUSE I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO PROTECT US FROM KURT, BUT IF WE SUSPENDED THE CREDIT FOR 10 YEARS TO RESUME IN 2035, UNLESS FURTHER ACTIONS IS TAKEN BY A COUNCIL AT THAT TIME, WOULD THAT SATISFY THE, YOUR CONCERN? SO IT'LL HAVE THE SAME OUTCOME? SO IF WE DON'T DO ANY OUTCOME, IT'S THE SAME THING AS THE SUNSET, IT'LL AUTOMATICALLY RESUME THE COLLECTION, RIGHT? IT'LL AUTOMATICALLY RESUME SUNSET SUNSETTING THE KNOT COLLECTION IS THE SAME THING AS RESUMING THE COLLECTION. YES. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING, RIGHT? UNLESS THEY TAKE FURTHER ACTION. NO. SO, UH, I MEAN, I DON'T, AND AND ON THE FLIP SIDE, JUST SO YOU KNOW, LOTS OF TIMES WHEN WE HAVE, YOU COULD PUT A SUNSET IN HERE AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYONE WOULD REMEMBER THE SUNSET'S EVEN THERE IN 10, 15, 20 YEARS ON ARIZONA WATER COMPANY SIDE OR OUR SIDE. AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE TO NOT COLLECT IT WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN. UH, THAT'S, I'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN IN OTHER CITIES BEFORE ON DIFFERENT THINGS. AND THEN THERE'S, I MEAN, THERE'S NO PRACTICAL WAY TO GO BACK AND TRY TO COLLECT IT ALL FROM THE RESIDENTS FOR THE PAST YEARS WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN COLLECTING IT AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE. AND SO, UM, THAT'S A CONSIDERATION ALSO. BUT YEAH, IF YOU, I MEAN, WE CAN PUT THAT LANGUAGE IN THE AGREEMENT, BUT THEN IT WILL JUST, IT'S THE SAME THING AS THE SUNSET. IT'LL START GETTING COLLECTED AGAIN, RIGHT? IT'LL START BEING COLLECTED, BUT THEN THAT COUNCIL AT THAT TIME, BUT THERE'LL BE SOMETHING COMING ON THAT WILL TRIGGER AN EVALUATION BECAUSE THERE'LL BE THIS, WELL, THERE'LL BE THIS EXTRA FUND COMING IN 'CAUSE IT'LL RESUME COLLECTING THAT WILL BE SEEN. YEAH. AS LONG AS ARIZONA WATER COMPANY REMEMBERS TO START COLLECTING. AND THEY PROBABLY HAVE MAYBE A BETTER SYSTEM TO TO REMEMBER THAT. DO, DO, DO YOU GUYS, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? I LOVE IT WHEN NICK TAKES THE MIC 'CAUSE HE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS. . UH, SO IN OUR BILLING SYSTEM, WE, WE CAN SET UP LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE FOR FOR ANY KIND OF RATES WE CHARGE CUSTOMERS, WE CAN SET AN EFFECTIVE DATE UNTIL WHEN. SO FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL BE A MINUS 3% [03:05:01] ON THE CUSTOMER CREDIT. WE CAN SET LIKE 10 YEARS FROM NOW AND THAT COULD BE AS A SUNSET DATE. SO BASICALLY, BUT LIKE HER SAID, YOU KNOW, IF WE DON'T CHANGE THAT AUTOMATICALLY 10 YEARS LATER, YOU WILL START, YOU KNOW, NOT GIVING THOSE CREDIT BACK TO CUSTOMERS THE TRIGGER, WHICH MEANS WE'LL BE COLLECTING, OH, WE'LL KNOW BECAUSE, OR WE WON'T KNOW, BUT AT SOME POINT SOMEBODY'S GONNA SAY, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS 3% FEE? RIGHT? EXACTLY. EXACTLY. AND THEN COME TO COUNSEL, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO ACHIEVE. BUT BY, BY THEN IT'LL HAVE ALREADY RESUMED AND THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU COULD NOT UNRE RESUME IT AT THAT POINT AND STOP COLLECTING. SO, BUT THEY THEN THEY COULD SUSPEND IT. IT MAYBE SOMEBODY'S PAID IT FOR A MONTH OR TWO AT THAT POINT. SO THIS ISN'T, I MEAN, AND GRANTED ARIZONA WATER COMPANY WOULD PROBABLY LIKELY BE FINE WITH THAT, BUT THIS IS, UH, A JOINT AGREEMENT HERE AND THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT ARIZONA WATER WOULD WANT TO GO BACK TO NOT RESUMING IT. I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WOULDN'T, AND I WOULDN'T SAY IT IS, BUT THERE'S, THAT'S, IT'S NOT A GUARANTEE. WE WE'RE ONE PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT. IS ARIZONA WATERING GONNA QUIT CHARGING US FOR THIS WATER TANK IN 20 YEARS OR IS THIS JUST ALWAYS GONNA BE ON THE BILL FROM HERE ON OUT? NO, THEY WILL. IT'S A A 60 YEAR, SO YEAH, SO BASICALLY IT WOULD BE PART OF A CUSTOMER BILL UNTIL THE TANK IS FULLY DEPRECIATED, WHICH IS 60 YEARS. BUT, BUT THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE EQUIVALENT KIND OF LIKE TO THE CUSTOMER BILL OF THIS TANK WILL BE REDUCING OVER THE COURSE OF THE 60 YEARS BECAUSE, BECAUSE IT'S BEING DEPRECIATED. SO IT STARTS AT, AT A CERTAIN AMOUNT AND GOES DOWN THROUGH OUR RATE CASES, YOU KNOW, SO ALL OF OUR RATES WERE, UH, REGULATED BY THE, BY THE ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION. SO IN THE FUTURE, I MEAN, NOT SAYING THAT THE RATES WILL GO DOWN BY THE PORTION OF THE $6 MILLION ON THE BILL, IT WILL GO DOWN IN, IN THE RATE MAKING PERIOD. AS THE RATE GOES UP, THAT PORTION WILL GO DOWN. YEAH. ASSUMING THE RATES GO UP. YEAH, THAT IS, I MEAN, YEAH, I CANNOT PREDICT THE FUTURE RATES, BUT ONE THING, BUT BASED ON THE PAST, YEAH, , I SEE. WE JUST WEIGH IT. BUT I CAN IT PREDICT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PORTION, THE $6 MILLION THAT'S REFLECTED ON THE CUSTOMER BILL IN THE FUTURE, IT WILL GO DOWN BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THE, THE RATE MAKING FORMULA IS BASED ON. THANK YOU. ONE MORE QUESTION FOR KURT. YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR KURT? OKAY. THANKS NICK. THANK YOU. IN THE WORDING, THE WAY THAT IT IS IN THE PACKET, THE, UM, PROPOSED MOTION, THE, THE 3% CREDIT STAYS ON FOR THE LENGTH OF THE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END OF THAT FRANCHISE AGREEMENT WHEN IT COMES UP FOR RENEWAL? YOU MAY NEVER GET THAT 3% BACK AT THAT POINT. AND THEN THAT GOES TO THE FEARS THAT, UM, COUNCILOR FURMAN HAS EXPRESSED ABOUT A FUND NOT HAVING A SOURCE. SO I'M, I'M JUST TRYING TO YEAH. WANNA UNDERSTAND THE FULL PICTURES. WE, NO, THAT'S GOOD QUESTION. SO THIS IS, THIS AMENDMENT ONLY AFFECTS THE CURRENT FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. AND SO WHEN THIS ONE EXPIRES, A NEW FRANCHISE AGREEMENT WOULD BE NEGOTIATED, IT WOULD LOOK LIKE THE ORIGINAL ONE, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE THE 3%. UM, THAT'S THE STANDARD. WHAT CITIES CHARGE, UH, FRANCHISEES IS 3%. AND SO THERE'S NO REASON AT THIS POINT TO SUSPECT THAT THE 3% WOULD NOT BE PART OF A NEW FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. I MEAN, IF THEY WANT, I MEAN, THEY COULD ASK FOR 2%, WE COULD THEN SAY, NO, YOU DON'T GET A FRANCHISE, AND THEN THERE COULD BE A BATTLE OVER THAT. BUT IT SEEMS UNLIKELY. THAT'S WHY I THINK CITIES AND UTILITY COMPANIES HAVE KIND OF SETTLED ON A 3%. AND IT SEEMS TO, AND AGAIN, THE THAT NUMBER IS BASED OFF OF THE ESTIMATION OF WHAT IT COSTS FOR THE CITY, UH, USE OF USE OF THE CITY RIGHT AWAY FOR THAT AND THE PERMITTING AND ALL THAT. OKAY. I'D LIKE TO WEIGH IN. I SUPPORT THE REDUCTION OF THE 3%. I, UH, I'M, I I THINK THAT THE ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION, WHICH I WANNA REMIND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AS AN ELECTED BODY, AND EVERY ELECTION SINCE THERE'S STAGGERED TERMS, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE VOTE WITH YOUR VOICE. I THINK THE ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION, UH, WAS VINDICTIVE AGAINST SEDONA. I DON'T KNOW WHY. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN KNOWN MEMORY THAT THEY WENT AGAINST THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION. AND THE STAFF DID NOT RECOMMEND THAT $6 MILLION BE ATTRIBUTED SOLELY TO SEDONA. THEY FOLLOWED THE COMMISSION'S STANDARD PRACTICE, WHICH THEY ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTED THEMSELVES TO SPREAD THIS ACROSS ALL THEIR CUSTOMERS. AND, UH, AND THEY HAD TO TAKE AN ACTION SPECIFICALLY TO, TO, UH, CHANGE A PROCEDURE [03:10:01] AND A PROCESS AND A PHILOSOPHY, UH, SPECIFICALLY TO HARM OUR RESIDENTS. AND I THINK IT'S OUTRAGEOUS MYSELF. I'M STILL FURIOUS ABOUT IT. SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO HELP TO DEFRAY AT LEAST A SMALL PORTION OF THE COST OF THIS INCREASE. UM, AND I THINK WE SHOULD DO IT AS FOR THE SUN SETTING. I, I THINK WE SHOULD JUST LET IT GO FOR THE, IT'S GONNA TAKE 20 YEARS. WE HAVE 24 YEARS LEFT, LET'S JUST LET IT GO. AND THEN A FUTURE COUNCIL, IF THEY NEED MONEY, EVEN, YOU KNOW, IN TWO YEARS OR FIVE YEARS COULD COME BACK. BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WILL BE THE CASE. AND I DON'T WANNA RELY ON EITHER ARIZONA WATER COMPANY OR OUR, 'CAUSE WE WON'T ALL BE HERE. BUT THE MEMORIES OF STAFF WHO PROBABLY ALL WON'T BE HERE EITHER TO REMEMBER, WOULDN'T BE THIS DECISION. SO I WOULDN'T, I WOULDN'T SUNSET IT MYSELF. SORRY. THAT'S OKAY. UH, WHERE DO WE STAND ON THIS? I'M GOOD WITH NO SUNSET. HMM. I'M GOOD. WAVING IT WITH NO SUNSET. NO SUNSET. OKAY. THIS DOESN'T AFFECT, RIGHT, RIGHT. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. I I STILL LOOK AT THIS TO EVERY REPORT I'M LOOKING AT. WE'RE GONNA GIVE A HOTEL WITH A POOL $400 A MONTH. OKAY. IS THERE A AND THAT'S THE PRICE FOR GIVING A MUCH LESSER AMOUNT FOR ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS. IT SUCKS, BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS. THERE WERE OTHER WAYS TO DO THIS. WE JUST NEED TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME AND BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CREATIVE. I HAVE NOT HEARD THAT. SO IS THERE A MOTION I MOVE TO APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARIZONA WATER COMPANY FRANCHISE AGREEMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT WATER RATE INCREASE TO REQUIRE A 3% MONTHLY STATEMENT CREDIT TO SEDONA SYSTEM, AIR ARIZONA WATER COMPANY CUSTOMERS IN LIEU OF COLLECTING AND PROVIDING THIS 3% PAYMENT TO THE CITY, SUBJECT TO APPROVAL OF THE WRITTEN AMENDMENT BY THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? NOPE. YOU GOT THAT, JOE. YES. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, JOE IN THE BACK. WILL YOU PLEASE, WHEN YOU WRITE UP THIS STORY, REFLECT THE SENTIMENT OF THE COUNCIL IN WANTING TO SUPPORT THE RESIDENTS AGAINST THIS EGREGIOUS ACTION BY THE ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION? AND MAY I, MADAM MAYOR, UM, STAFF HAS WORKED WITH ARIZONA WATER TO HAVE A JOINT, UM, PRESS RELEASE OR A STATEMENT DESCRIBING TONIGHT'S ACTION AND THE EFFECTS OF THE RATES AND ALL OF THE, UM, NUMBERS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT. SO WE WILL GET THAT FINALIZED AND OUT SO THAT THERE'LL BE AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT AS WELL. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL. BEEN AGREED ON. READY TO GO BREAK DOWN TO ONE ANOTHER? WE'RE, WE'RE CLOSE. THERE'S A FEW, UH, MINOR LANGUAGES THAT WE'RE STILL, UH, WE NEED TO SEND BACK TO A WC. IF YOU CAN EXPEDITE THAT ON YOUR SIDE, JOHN, NICK AT ALL, WE'D APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. [8.e. AB 3272 Discussion/possible action regarding approval of Contract Amendment 5 for the Uptown Parking Garage design services with Gabor Lorant Architects, Inc. in the amount of $187,693.00.] AB 32 72. DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING APPROVAL OF CONTRACT AMENDMENT FIVE FOR THE UPTOWN PARKING GARAGE DESIGN SERVICES WITH LABOR GABER LAUREN ARCHITECTS, INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF 167,000 $187,693. BOB, ARE YOU GONNA WALK US THROUGH THIS? I GOT THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR WHO'S GONNA LEAD US OFF. AH, HERE HE COMES. YES, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR COUNCIL, THANKS FOR BEING HERE AND, UH, GLAD TO BE HERE. KURT HARRIS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, CITY ENGINEER, AND OF COURSE BOB WELTS, OUR PUBLIC, UM, PUBLIC ENGINEER PROJECT MANAGER FOR THIS PROJECT. [03:15:02] UM, WHAT I'M GONNA GO THROUGH TONIGHT IS BASICALLY OUR AMENDMENT FOR GLA GARBO LAURENT ARCHITECTS. UM, THIS AGENDA, BILL 32 72 BEFORE YOU TONIGHT, WAS PUT FORTH BY OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. WE SEEK APPROVAL FOR THIS CONTRACT FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVERS, UH, SERVICES FOR GLA. THESE SERVICES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE EDON MOTION PROJECT FOR THE UPTOWN PARKING GARAGE. I JUST WANT TO START OUT TO, GENERALLY THAT WE'LL END UP WITH IS THAT THERE IS AVAILABLE BUDGET FOR THIS SUPPORT, THIS CONTRACT, UH, WITHIN THIS AMENDMENT. UM, BASICALLY YOU SHOULD HAVE THIS POWERPOINT ALREADY, SO YOU'VE ALREADY READ IT. I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH ALL THE POINTS. UM, JUST, JUST IN SUMMARIES THAT, UH, AN OVERVIEW, THERE'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, FOUR PRIOR AMENDMENTS AND, UH, THE CURRENT AMENDMENT FIVE DEFINES THREE THESE AREAS, WHICH IS BASICALLY PROVIDING THE EXTENDED DURATION OF THE CONTRACT, ADDITIONAL DESIGN AND PLANNING AND DETAIL FOR SOIL NAILING. AND, UH, THE ADDITIONAL CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION AMENDMENTS AND SUPPORT. AGAIN, THERE'S AVAILABLE BUDGET TO SUPPORT THIS, UH, CONTRACT AMENDMENT FIVE, UH, FOR THE TOTAL OF 187,693. I CAN GO, UM, FOR MORE DETAILS AND QUESTIONS IF YOU, IF YOU REQUEST PETE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. JUST A QUESTION OCCURRED. I BELIEVE I HEARD YOU SAY SOURCE OF THIS FUND IS CONTINGENCY BUILT INTO THE PROJECT ALREADY? YES, THERE'S EXISTING CONTINGENCY WITHIN THIS PROJECT THAT WILL COVER THIS AMENDMENT. WHAT'S THE REMAINING CONTINGENCY AFTER THIS EXPENDITURE IF APPROVED? THAT'S A PRETTY DETAILED AMOUNT FOR RIGHT NOW, SO, BUT I THINK THIS PROJECT WOULD REALLY COME OUT OF THE DESIGN CONTRACT PORTION OF THE PROJECT. YEAH, SO YOU'VE GOT TWO THINGS GOING ON. YOU'VE GOT THE CONTRACTOR'S CONTINGENCY, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE OWNER CONTINGENCY, WHICH IS WHAT KURT'S SPEAKING TO. NOW, I DON'T THINK A WHOLE LOT HAS COME OUT OF THE OWNER'S CONTINGENCY, IF I'M CORRECT. RIGHT, BOB, THE ONLY THING THAT'S COME OUT, I'VE REPORTED LAST TIME UP HERE, UH, WAS ROUGHLY WE UTILIZE 40, 45% OF THE OWNER'S CONTINGENCY THAT WAS RELATED TO THE EXCAVATION WORK ON THE PARKING GARAGE. AND UH, SO RIGHT NOW WE CURRENTLY HAVE ROUGHLY 55, 50% OF THAT ONE CONTINGENCY LEFT. AND, UH, WE ARE, UH, ACTUALLY DOING PRETTY GOOD WITH THE PROJECT BUDGET OVERALL. WE'RE, UM, UH, CURRENTLY ONLY SEEING TRACKING RIGHT NOW ON, ON A FORECAST BASIS, ROUGHLY A $500,000 INCREASE IN THE CONTRACT VALUE OF 17.5. SO, UH, I THINK THE PROJECT OVERALL IS DOING PRETTY WELL. UH, THAT'S ONLY A 5% GAIN, A MILLION DOLLAR USE OF OUR CONTINGENCY IS ONLY A 5%, MORE OR LESS A 5% GAIN ROUGHLY, UM, THE ADDITIONAL COST OF THE PARKING GARAGE STRUCTURE. SO THE, UH, MONEY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT UTILIZING IS MONEY THAT WE'RE FOR. WE'VE, WE FOUND IN THE, UH, DESIGN BUDGET, UH, CONTINGENCY. SO, UH, IT'S NOT BEING TAKEN OUT OF THE OWNER CONTINGENCY AT THIS TIME. OKAY. THAT I, I THINK IT GAVE ME ENOUGH, WE SWITCHED BETWEEN PERCENTAGE AND DOLLARS QUITE A BIT AND I, BUT I THINK I CAN DO THE MATH IN MY HEAD. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, BOB? BECAUSE ON YOUR PAGE THREE, IT'S FOUR PRIOR APPROVED CONTRACT AMENDMENTS TOTALING $298,038. SO THE CONTRACT WENT FROM ONE AND 1,000,500 1805 OH TO 2 MILLION 1 781. THAT'S CORRECT. AND FOR THE PUBLIC'S BENEFIT, COULD YOU JUST GIVE LIKE ONCE OR TWO SENTENCES ABOUT WHY WE'RE DOING THIS, WHAT IT RELATES TO? YEAH. GLA IS PART OF THE CMAR CONTRACT IS THE, UM, ARCHITECT OF RECORD. SO PART OF THE CMAR, THERE'S A PRE-DESIGN AND THERE'S DESIGN AND THERE'S POST-DESIGN AND GLA HAS BEEN VERY FORTHRIGHT AND, UH, HELPFUL TO THE CITY AND ADMINISTRATING THE CONTRACT AS FULL AND BASICALLY LOOKING AT ALL THE RFIS IN THE, IN THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION, THE PRE-DESIGN, AND THEN ALL THE DIFFERENT VALUE ENGINEERING OF HAVING STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS AND OVERSEEING. SO HE HAS HIS OWN TEAM OF, UH, SPECIALIST ENGINEERS FROM GEOTECH, STRUCTURAL, ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, UM, [03:20:01] BASED ON WORKING WITH MCCARTHY WHO DID ALL THESE VALUE ENGINEERINGS AND UPGRADE TO THE, TO THE DESIGN IN DELIVERING THE PROJECT WITHIN BUDGET AND WITH ON SCHEDULE. OKAY. THANK YOU. I I HAVE ONE CARD IF THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. TIM PERRY. GOOD EVENING COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS TIM PERRY AND I LIVE IN SEDONA. WE'VE HEARD OUR NEW CITY COUNCIL LEADERS TALK ABOUT HOW THEY WANT TO RESTORE TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY. AND ERNIE JUST SPOKE TO THAT POINT AS WELL. WELL, THIS AGENDA ITEM OFFERS YOU GUYS ONE GOOD WAY TO DO THAT. 'CAUSE YOU NEED TO GET THESE CONTRACTS UNDER CONTROL. THE REST OF US OUT HERE ARE GETTING VERY TIRED OF SEEING CHANGE ORDER NUMBER FOUR, CHANGE ORDER NUMBER FIVE, CHANGE ORDER NUMBER 17 ON THE AGENDA. IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT HARD FOR THE CITY TO DRAFT A CONTRACT FOR ITS CONTRACTORS THAT SAYS, HERE'S THE SUM YOU'RE GETTING. IF THERE ARE ANY COST INCREASES, THEY COME OUT OF YOUR PROFIT. THAT'S IT. AND IF CONTRACTORS DON'T WANNA TAKE IT, THEY DON'T GET THE JOB. PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. ANOTHER QUESTION THAT ARISES WITH THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS IT FOR FOR DESIGN? THE UPTOWN GARAGE IS A BOX MADE OUT OF CINDER BLOCKS. HOW MUCH MORE COULD GABOR LAURENT POSSIBLY DO TO IT TO RUIN IT? IT'S THE ALREADY THE UGLIEST BUILDING IN THE CITY AT THIS POINT. GIVING THE MANY MORE MONEY IS BASICALLY JUST REWARDING BAD ARCHITECTURE. WHICH BRINGS US TO ANOTHER RELEVANT POINT. WHY DID CITY STAFF FIND IT NECESSARY TO GO DOWN TO PHOENIX? I BELIEVE TO HIRE A BAD ARCHITECT WHEN THEY COULD HAVE HIRED ANY OF THE GOOD ARCHITECTS WHO WORK IN SEDONA. THIS IS AN ISSUE OF SUSTAINABILITY. WE BUILD THINGS LOCALLY, WE HIRE PEOPLE LOCALLY. IF WE CAN'T DO IT LOCALLY, MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING IT AT ALL. THAT'S THE SMALL TOWN MINDSET SET. SO THOSE ARE ALL GOOD REASONS WHY THIS CONTRACT'S EXTENS SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN. HOWEVER, THERE IS A POINT I WANTED TO RAISE BECAUSE IT HASN'T YET BEEN RAISED TONIGHT, WHICH ALSO CAME UP DURING CONSIDERATION OF THE DIG STUDIO CONTRACT, WHICH IS WHETHER STAFF HAS ALREADY ASKED THE CONTRACTOR TO DO ADDITIONAL WORK BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE CONTRACT AND OBLIGATED THE CITY FOR A SUM OF MONEY THAT WAS NOT IN THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT. WELL, IF THEY HAVE THE CITY'S OBLIGATED FOR THAT MONEY, BUT THE PERSON WHO BROUGHT THAT FORWARD, WHO PROPOSED THAT THE CONTRACTOR KEEP GOING DOING WORK, IF THAT'S THE CASE, IF THAT'S HAPPENED IN THIS SITUATION, SHOULD BE FIRED. JUST AS THE PERSON WHO DECIDED TO HAVE DIG STUDIO DO WORK THAT THE COUNCIL DIDN'T AUTHORIZE SHOULD BE FIRED. IT'S A VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD WAY TO WIN BACK SOME COMMUNITY TRUST. BRING THE CONTRACTS UNDER CONTROL, BRING THE STAFF UNDER CONTROL COMMENTS READY FOR MOTION. WHO WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THAT MOTION? I'M SEEING DEREK MOVE HIS MICROPHONE. AH, SHOOT. . SORRY, I MOVED TO, GO AHEAD. I MOVED TO APPROVE AMENDMENT NUMBER FIVE WITH GABOR LAUREN ARCHITECTS FOR SIM THREE, A SONA UPTOWN PARKING GARAGE PROJECT IN THE AMOUNT OF $187,693. IS THERE A SECOND? SAY SORRY. DID YOU SAY 6 95 OR 6 93? 6 93 SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY. MOVING RIGHT ALONG. THANK YOU. THANK YOU GUYS. [8.f. AB 3277 Discussion/possible action for the approval of a five-year Guaranteed Price Agreement with ADP, Inc., in the amount of approximately $228,000.] AB 32 77 BY BRIAN. I WAS GONNA WAIT UNTIL YOU FINISHED CALLING IT. OKAY. UH, DISCUSSION. POSSIBLE ACTION FOR THE APPROVAL OF A FIVE-YEAR GUARANTEED PRICE AGREEMENT WITH A DP INC IN THE AMOUNT OF APPROXIMATELY $228,000. MAYOR, I NEED TO RECUSE MYSELF AS A DP AS A CLIENT OF MY CONSULTING BUSINESS. THANK YOU VICE MAYOR. WELCOME. THANK YOU. IT'S BEEN A LONG NIGHT IN THE OTHER ROOM, SO I APPRECIATE IT. I'VE GOT FIVE MINUTES AND I GOT A PARTNER TO SHARE IT WITH. SO A DP BEING THE ONE OF THE LEADERS IN THE SYSTEM WE'VE [03:25:01] HAD SINCE 2009. STAFF WENT THROUGH THE ERP PROCESS. UH, HR WAS INVOLVED IN ALL OF THOSE. UH, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT TYLER DOING THE FINANCIAL SIDE. HOWEVER, UH, WE'RE NOT EXCITED OR WE'RE NOT AS EXCITED ABOUT CHANGING THE A DP. AND WHEN OUR REVIEW OF THAT WENT THROUGH, ONE OF OUR BIGGER TWO OR THREE THINGS THAT WE LOOKED AT INCLUSIVE FOR STAFF WAS WHY DO WE NEED TO CHANGE? SO WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT EVERYBODY ELSE'S TO SEE IF WE WERE MISSING SOMETHING IN A DP THAT'S BEING PROVIDED, WE DIDN'T SEE THAT. AND WHAT WE SAW INSTEAD WITH A DP IS THAT THEY PROVIDE US WITH A RESOURCE. NOW ALL OF THE SYSTEMS THAT WE LOOKED AT PUT TOGETHER THE, UH, REPORTS FOR, WHETHER THOSE ARE TAXES OR IN OUR CASE, AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. A DP SENDS IT FOR US ELECTRONICALLY SO WE REVIEW IT AND CAN SEND IT. SO THAT'S A VERY, VERY MUCH A, A GREAT EFFICIENCY THAT A DP PROVIDES THAT OTHERS DID NOT. UH, SO THAT WAS ONE TO SAVE. THE OTHER, UH, PROBABLY THE BIGGEST SOLUTION FOR HR, UH, THAT HELPED US COME TO THAT CONCLUSION IS OBVIOUSLY WHEN YOU'RE IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU'RE DOING A SYSTEMATIC CHANGE, THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES THAT ARE GONNA BE AFFECTED BY THAT CHANGE THAT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRAIN FOR THAT CHANGE. YOU HAVE TO ASK WHY. AND WE COULD NOT COME UP WITH A GOOD REASON WHY ANOTHER SOFTWARE WAS BETTER THAN THE ONE THAT WE WERE USING. FINALLY, HR STAFF, AS WE LEARN A DP HAVE BEEN HERE NOW ALMOST TWO YEARS. THERE'S THINGS THAT A DP, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE ERPS THAT WERE COMING IN, WE WERE LIKE, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING. AND WHEN WE CHECKED WITH A DP THROUGH ABDO, THOSE THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH OUR EXISTING AGREEMENT WITH A DP, OUR EXISTING SOFTWARE. AND SO IT'S UP TO STAFF TO ACTUALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE, ESPECIALLY FROM AN HR RECRUITING, UH, PROCESS. SO WE'LL BE DOING THAT GOING FORWARD IF YOU APPROVE THIS. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE CONTRACT GURU . THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, CITY COUNCIL. IAN COOPER, PROCUREMENT OFFICER. UM, REALLY PRETTY BRIEFLY, THIS IS A RENEWAL FOR OUR CURRENT A DP CONTRACT. IT, UH, THE AMENDMENT COVERS KIND OF TWO MAJOR POINTS. NUMBER ONE IS INCORPORATING TERMS AND CONDITIONS FROM A COOPERATIVE CONTRACT. SO THAT WOULD BE MORE FAVORABLE IF ANYTHING KIND OF COMES UP DURING THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FIVE YEARS FOR THE CITY TO BE IN A BETTER POSITION. UH, THE OTHER PORTION OF THAT IS THE FIXED PRICING. UM, SO OUR OPTIONS HERE ARE WE COULD DO A MONTH TO MONTH OR, OR SEE WHAT THEY OFFER NEXT YEAR. THEY DID OFFER US A THREE YEAR, UM, AGREEMENT THAT WAS INCLUSIVE OF SOME 3% AND FOUR PERCENTS THAT WE REJECTED AND WENT WITH THE FIVE YEAR FIXED AT 1% EACH YEAR. SO ANY QUESTIONS YOU GUYS HAVE, BE HAPPY TO ANSWER. WHAT DO WE CURRENTLY PAY? YEAH, SO IT'S ACTUALLY LIKE VOLUME BASED CONTRACTS. SO AS WE PROCESS CERTAIN ITEMS IN, UH, THE SYSTEM, UH, A DP ASSESSES A FEE PER ITEM. AND SO THAT'S WHY YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ON, UH, THE AGENDA BILL. THERE'S AN ESTIMATED, UH, FIVE YEAR COST. AND THAT'S REALLY BECAUSE IT'S HARD FOR US TO, UH, TO KIND OF PUT TOGETHER A FIRM NUMBER ON HOW MANY OF THOSE TRANSACTIONS WITHIN THE SYSTEM WILL HAPPEN. SO WHAT THEY'VE UH, DONE HERE IS JUST PROVIDED US WITH A FLAT, UH, INCREASE ACROSS ALL OF THEIR FEES OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. KATHY, SO THE, UM, ERP SYSTEM THAT IS BEING PAID FOR, FOR THE OTHER FUNCTIONS TO THE CITY MM-HMM . IS THIS COST GOING TO REDUCE THE COST OF THAT? SO IN OTHER WORDS, THAT WE'RE NOT PAYING FOR A FUNCTION IN THAT SYSTEM THAT WE'RE NOT USING AND THEN PAYING FOR IT A SECOND TIME OVER HERE WITH A DP. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT DOUBLE PAYING FOR SOMETHING. ABSOLUTELY. UM, SO WHEN WE WERE EVALUATING, UH, AS, AS RUSS HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, THE ERP SYSTEM, UH, THAT WE ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO GO WITH TYLER FOR EVERYTHING BUT HR WHEN THAT DECISION WAS MADE, WE REMOVED THE, UH, HR PAYROLL RELATED FUNCTIONALITY FROM TYLER, WHICH DID RESULT IN A REDUCTION TO THE CONTRACT PRICE. OKAY. SO IF THIS WAS NOT RENEWED FOR ANY REASON, YOU WOULD HAVE TO GO OUT AND FIND ANOTHER PROVIDER AND BE PAYING FOR THAT ANYWAY THEN? CORRECT. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY COMMENTS READY FOR A MOTION? I CAN MAKE A MOTION. OKAY. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE FIVE YEAR GUARANTEED PRICE AGREEMENT WITH A DP INC FOR CLOUD-BASED SOFTWARE FOR AN APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF $228,000. AND THAT'S OVER PROJECTED FIVE YEARS. RIGHT? SECOND. SECOND. DID YOU GET MELISSA? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. [03:30:01] AYE. OPPOSED? THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. OKAY, AMBER, [8.g. AB 3278 Discussion/possible action to permit City of Sedona to apply for FY25 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5339 Formula Grant funding through Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to purchase two (2) additional ADA accessible transit vehicles for future services.] DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION TO PERMIT CITY OF SEDONA TO APPLY FOR THE FY 25 FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION FTA SECTION 53 39 FORMULA GRANT FUNDING THROUGH THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO PURCHASE TWO ADDITIONAL A DA ACCESSIBLE TRANSIT VEHICLES FOR FUTURE SERVICES. AGAIN, YEAH, THAT WAY I DUNNO WHICH, WHICH MIC TO USE HERE. MY APOLOGIES. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND COUNSELORS. AMBER WAGNER, THE TRANSIT ADMINISTRATOR. UH, TODAY'S, UH, ITEM IS OUR REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION TO APPLY FOR OUR FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUS AND BUS FACILITIES PROGRAM FUNDING THROUGH ADOT. IT IS FOR THE PURCHASE OF TWO ADDITIONAL A DA, UH, ACCESSIBLE SEDONA SHUTTLE CONNECT VEHICLES THAT WILL SUPPORT OUR CURRENT SERVICES AS WELL AS OUR SERVICE GROWTH. IT WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT STEP WITH THIS PURCHASE TO, UH, HELP US MAINTAIN SERVICE RELIABILITY AND SUPPORT PLANNED EXPANSIONS WITH OUR SEDONA SHUTTLE CONNECT, AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY, UH, HAVE US, UH, BE PREPARED FOR A CIRCULATOR UH, SHUTTLE THAT WILL COME TO COUNCIL. WE'RE STILL EVALUATING THAT WITH AECOM. SO JUST A LITTLE BIT, I'LL BE BRIEF ABOUT THE FUNDING REQUEST. THIS TOTAL FUNDING PACKAGE IS FOR TWO VEHICLES FOR $525,000. THE FEDERAL AMOUNT IS 85% WITH A REQUIRED 15% LOCAL MATCH, AND THAT AMOUNT IS $78,797. THE LOCAL FUNDS WOULD COME FROM OUR FISCAL YEAR 27, UH, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. AND, UH, THIS IS A REGULAR FUNDING THAT, UH, THEY REQUEST A CALL FOR PROJECTS ANNUALLY. WE'VE UTILIZED THIS FUNDING FOR EXISTING BUS PURCHASES FOR THE CONNECT FLEET AS WELL AS FOR OUR 53 39 DESIGN FUNDING. SO WITH THAT, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. RIGHT. THANK YOU MAYOR. AMBER, YOU SAID THE REASONS TO ACQUIRE THESE ARE FOR POTENTIALLY THE CIRCULATOR AND POTENTIALLY FOR ADDITIONAL EXPANSION FOR CONNECT THE CONNECT NEIGHBORHOOD EXPANSION. AS WE EXPAND THOSE SERVICE AREAS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE SURE. FOR SERVICE RELIABILITY, UH, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ADDITIONAL VEHICLES IN THE FLEET AS WE EXPAND THAT SERVICE AREA BY ABOUT 50%. OKAY. UM, IS THIS LIKE A SLAM DUNK KIND OF GRANT THAT YOU PRETTY MUCH ARE GONNA GET IF YOU APPLY? YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST WE'VE REQUESTED ADDITIONAL VEHICLES AND ONLY RECEIVED ONE. SO I'M HOPEFUL WE'LL RECEIVE BOTH OF THEM, BUT WOULD STILL BE HAPPY IF WE RECEIVED ONE VEHICLE AND IT'S A SMALL POT OF FUNDS FROM THE STATE AND THEY HAVE MULTIPLE REQUESTS THAT EXCEED USUALLY THEIR LIMIT OF FUNDS. AND IF SUCCESSFUL, THEN WE'RE INFORMED OF THE AWARD AND THEN YOU COME BACK TO COUNCIL WITH A CONTRACT FOR APPROVAL TO PURCHASE? YES, WE'LL PURCHASE OFF THE STATE CONTRACT AND, UH, WE WILL COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL IF IT'S AWARDED AND FOR THE PURCHASE. AND WHAT'S THE LEAD TIME NOW ON A VEHICLE LIKE THIS? IT STILL DEPENDS, UH, DEPENDING ON THE CUSTOMIZATION OF IT, IT CAN BE ANYWHERE FROM EIGHT MONTHS TO A YEAR. WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT ABOUT A YEAR DELIVERY TIME. OKAY. I MEAN, IT, IT DOESN'T COST US ANYTHING MORE THAN OUR TIME TO APPLY. CORRECT? CORRECT. OKAY. I'LL HAVE COMMENTS. THANK YOU MAYOR PETE. THANK YOU MAYOR AMBER IS, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEAS, IS IT THE SAME MODEL AND MAKE OF OUR SHUTTLE CONNECT VEHICLES NOW? YES. IT WOULD BE THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL, LOW FLOOR, A DA ACCESSIBLE, SAME, SAME TYPE AND MODEL OF VEHICLE OTHER THAN THE COST OF SERVICE. WE'RE NOT COMPLICATING THE SERVICE PART OF THE PICTURE. NO. WE'RE MAINTAINING CONSISTENCY OF THE FLEET. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, TIM? GOOD EVENING, COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS TIM PERRY AND I LIVE IN SEDONA. MORE BUSES. REALLY. [03:35:01] I SEE THESE THINGS DRIVING AROUND THE CITY AND UPTOWN ALL THE TIME EMPTY. I SEE THEM SITTING IN PARKING LOTS IDLING EMPTY BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T GOT PASSENGERS AND NOW STAFF WANTS TO GO OUT AND BUY MORE BUSES. WE'RE NOWHERE AT CAPACITY ON THE ONES THAT WE HAVE. THERE'S ALSO THIS CONTINUED, WHAT SHALL WE CALL IT? MISINFORMATION UNWILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE FROM THE SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT ON THE ISSUE OF THE FACT THAT THESE BUSES ARE DOUBLY UNSUSTAINABLE. IF YOU MEASURE JUST THE CARBON EMISSIONS, CARS STILL WORK IT OUT AS HAVING LOWER EMISSIONS TO SAY NOTHING OF ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF TRANSPORT. AND IF YOU LOOK AT IT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF WE WANT TO MAKE IN SEDONA WHAT WE USE IN SEDONA, WELL, IT'S UNLIKELY WE'RE EVER GOING TO MAKE A BUS IN SEDONA. THIS IS NOT EXACTLY A SEDONA SIZED SOLUTION. BUT MORE THAN THAT, WHY THIS OPTIMISM THAT THE CITY WILL GET ITS MONEY'S WORTH OUTTA THE BUSES. THE MORE LIKELY FUTURE IS THAT IT DOESN'T CATCH ON WITH RESIDENTS. SEDONAS ATTEMPTED BUS SERVICE BEFORE HASN'T WORKED. IF IT DOESN'T CATCH ON WITH RESIDENTS, THEN THE CITY'S GOING TO BE FACING, SUBSIDIZING AN INCREASINGLY EXPENSIVE BOONDOGGLE THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY PUSH ON TOURISTS TO A LEVEL THAT WOULD KEEP IT FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, NO MATTER HOW MUCH STAFF ARE GONNA WANT TO KEEP IT, COUNCIL'S GOING TO VOTE TO KILL IT. SO I EVEN JUMP THROUGH THE HOOPS NOW, COUNSEL WOULD DO BETTER AND ANTICIPATE WHAT WILL PROBABLY HAPPEN IN THE LONG RUN ANYWAY, BY NOT ORDERING YET ANOTHER ROUND OF BUSES COMMENTS, I GUESS I'M STILL INTERESTED IN A REVISED TRANSIT STRATEGY, THE MULTI-YEAR STRATEGY. AND I, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT ADDING TO THE FLEET IF WE DON'T HAVE A GOOD SOLID REASONS TO DO SO. SO THAT'S WHY I ASKED, YOU KNOW, IF APPLYING IS A COMMITMENT TO BUYING, I WOULD HOPE THAT BETWEEN NOW AND A POTENTIAL COMMITMENT TO BUY, WE CAN HAVE BETTER VISIBILITY INTO WHAT OUR LONGER TERM STRATEGY IS FOR TRANSIT AND HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WHETHER IT'S MERITS, UH, ACQUIRING MORE VEHICLES. THANK YOU MAYOR KATHY. NO, I JUST WAS GONNA MAKE A MOTION. YOU KNOW, I I I DO SHARE YOUR CONCERNS. I, I I WASN'T AWARE THAT WE WERE LOOKING TO BUY ADDITIONAL BUSES. UH, I KNOW WE ARE EXPANDING OUR SERVICE, BUT I THINK IT'S A GOOD POINT THAT WAS RAISED ABOUT WHAT IS THE CURRENT CAPACITY. SO I'M GOING TO SUPPORT THIS MOTION BECAUSE IT'S JUST PUTTING A GRANT REQUEST IN. BUT BEFORE WE ACCEPT IT, SHOULD WE BE GRANTED IT AWARDED IT? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, I'D LIKE TO HAVE SOME FACTS AND FIGURES TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S A WARRANTED PURCHASE OR NOT, AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, THE STRATEGY THAT THE VICE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT. THANK YOU. WE CAN PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION. WHAT, WHAT IS THE TIMEFRAME FOR THE AWARD? UH, USUALLY WE WILL HEAR AWARD IN THE SPRING OR SUMMER, AND THEN THEY'LL GIVE US THE INFORMATION ON WHEN WE CAN PURCHASE OR AUTHORIZE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLES. BECAUSE I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I AM AWARE THAT IT'S TAKEN FOREVER TO GET THESE VEHICLES. I APPLAUD YOU FOR THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE AND BEING FORWARD THINKING AND APPLYING BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A COUPLE YEARS OUT ACTUALLY RECEIVE THE VEHICLE. WE'RE TRYING TO BE PROACTIVE AND ALSO BE MINDFUL OF MAINTAINING OUR RESPONSE TIME, AS WELL AS OUR ABILITY TO ROTATE VEHICLES FOR MAINTENANCE. SINCE OUR FLEET, UH, WE CAN HAVE A VEHICLE THAT IS OUT FOR ONE TO TWO WEEKS, WHICH THEN LEAVES US WITH NO SPARES. SO AS WE LOOK AT EXPANDING INTO THOSE ADDITIONAL AREAS FOR CONNECT, WE JUST WANNA BE MINDFUL OF WE HAVE CURRENT CAPACITY IN THE FLEET, BUT WE HAVEN'T PUT THOSE NEW NEIGHBORHOODS ONLINE YET. AND WHEN ARE YOU PROJECTING THAT THE SERVICE WOULD BE AVAILABLE IN THE CHAPEL, AS AN EXAMPLE? UM, THAT WILL BE ROLLED OUT NOVEMBER 6TH NEXT WEEK. OH, WE'VE WORKED WITH THE COMMITTEE AND WE'RE WORKING ON, UH, WITH THAT CORE COMMITTEE TEAM TO PUT DOOR HANGERS OUT, UH, WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND GET THE WORD OUT. I KNOW THEY'RE VERY EXCITED. [03:40:01] VERY EXCITED. IT'S BEEN A GREAT GROUP TO WORK WITH. THANK YOU. KATHY. READY FOR A MOTION? YES. I MOVE TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION FY 25, SECTION 5 3 3 9 FORMULA GRANT FUNDING FOR THE PURCHASE OF ADDITIONAL TRANSIT VEHICLES, AND TO AUTHORIZE THE PROVISION OF THE REQUIRED LOCAL MATCH AND TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO SIGN ALL NECESSARY APPLICATION DOCUMENTS SUBJECT TO APPROVAL OF THE APPLICATION BY THE CITY'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY, WE'RE UNANIMOUS, JOE. THANK YOU, AMBER. THANK YOU. OKAY, AB 32 91. [8.h. AB 3291 Discussion/possible action regarding a review of applications for the City Council vacancy, possible interview questions, and selection of candidates for interviews.] DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING A REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL VACANCY. POSSIBLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND SELECTION OF CANDIDATES FOR INTERVIEWS. I AM GOING TO RECOMMEND A PROCESS, UH, FOR DOING THIS. JOANNE HAS PUT TOGETHER A MATRIX AND MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT WE, WE HAVE ONE VACANCY AND WE LOOK AT THREE INTERVIEWS. AND THE WAY TO ACHIEVE THAT IS TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH EACH NAME AND PEOPLE RAISE THEIR HANDS IF THE, THE PERSON IS ON THEIR LIST TO BE INTERVIEWED. IF WE HAVE A TIE, WHICH WE COULD, THEN WE CAN GO TO A FOURTH INTERVIEW. UH, IF WE HAVE TWO TIES, WE'LL DISCUSS , WHAT WE DO. AND THAT WAY WE GET OUR, OUR, UH, LIST OF THOSE THAT HAVE A MAJORITY VOTE TO BE INTERVIEWED. THIS IS NOT IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDERS THAT JOE ALPHABETICAL. OKAY? BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SEEN THE MATRIX YET. IS THAT ACCEPTABLE AS A PROCESS? QUESTION FOR EVERYBODY. QUESTION. MM-HMM . WITH A TARGET OF THREE TO INTERVIEW. ARE WE VOTING FOR EACH? IS EACH COUNSELOR VOTING FOR THREE? I THINK THAT EACH COUNT, YES. EACH COUNSELOR WOULD VOTE FOR THREE, BUT YOU CAN'T, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA, THE MATRIX THAT WE WERE GOING TO DO A YES OR NO ON EACH NAME? NO. RAISE YOUR HAND. NOT YES OR NO. JUST RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU, AND THEN WE'LL, I'M GONNA PUT A ONE IN EACH OF THE FIELDS, BUT I ONLY, I DON'T ONLY GET TO RAISE MY HAND THREE TIMES, NOT EACH PERSON. YEAH. I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO CLARIFY, RIGHT? VICE MAYOR OR NO? YES, BUT I DIDN'T HEAR WHAT THE RESPONSE WAS BACK FROM THE END. EACH. WE GO THROUGH EACH NAME. YES. AND YOU RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU, IF A YES, IF IT'S YES, NOT NO. JUST YES, THE POSITIVE. NOT TALKING ABOUT WHY YOU DON'T WANT TO INTERVIEW SOMEBODY, ONLY THAT YOU DO WANT TO INTERVIEW SOMEBODY. AND THEN IF YOU WANT TO DISCUSS AFTER WE SEE WHAT THE LANDSCAPE LOOKS LIKE, THE REASONS WHY YOU CHOSE THE PEOPLE, THEN YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. BUT TO, TO BE CLEAR, YOU ACTUALLY RAISE YOUR HAND THREE TIMES WITH A YES MOVE BECAUSE YOU HAVE THREE PEOPLE IN MIND THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE INTERVIEWED. NOT THAT YOU WOULD RAISE YOUR HAND FOR FIVE PEOPLE OR SIX PEOPLE. THAT THAT WAS, I THINK THE QUESTION THAT WAS KATHY'S QUESTION, BUT MY RESPONSE WAS, RAISE YOUR HAND FOR EACH PERSON IT'S A YES. IF IT'S A YES, WHETHER THAT'S THREE OR FIVE, CORRECT. RIGHT. AND ONE MORE QUESTION, MAYOR, BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA GET A MAJORITY, SO YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. I I THINK IT SHOULD BE LIMITED TO THREE. LIKE, I'M PREPARED TO JUST VOTE YES ON THREE. BUT IF SOMEBODY ELSE IS VOTING FIVE, YOU KNOW, IF SEVERAL ARE VOTING FIVE, THEN THAT CAN ACTUALLY, UH, SKEW THE OUTCOME. YEAH. BUT IF SO, IF YOU DON'T VOTE, IF YOU ONLY VOTE THREE, THEN YOU'RE, AND NONE OF YOUR THREE MIGHT GOT YOU CHOSEN. AND SO YOU SHOULD HAVE A FOURTH AND A FIFTH IN CASE. SO YOU SHOULD PROBABLY VOTE ON MORE THAN THREE . LET'S GO THROUGH THE LIST. I I THINK IT'LL WORK ITSELF OUT. AND SO, MAYOR, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION. MM-HMM . WE MAY, UH, WILL, CAN WE POTENTIALLY, WHEN WE SEE THE RESULT OF THIS REVISIT INTERVIEWING THE INTERVIEW NUMBER OF THREE? THANK YOU. YES. BECAUSE WE MAY HAVE TIES. SO YOUR INSTRUCTION AT THIS MOMENT IS VOTE FOR MORE THAN THREE. IF YOU WANT TO VOTE FOR MORE THAN THREE. CORRECT. THANK YOU. OKAY. I CAN'T READ IT. SO WHAT'S THE FIRST NAME? YEAH, CAN YOU MAKE IT BIGGER, JOHN? I'M TRYING, IT'S THE EXCEL SHEET, SO I'M TRYING TO GET IT. THAT'S GOOD. YEAH, THAT'S, WHOOPS. JUST WENT. IT'S, IT'S SUPER TOUCHY. IS [03:45:01] THAT BETTER? YEAH. ALAN A FELT, HOW ABOUT IF I READ IT? OH WAIT, I GOTTA GET UP HERE. SO I'VE GOT KINSELLA, FURMAN, F FOLTZ. IS THAT RIGHT? MM-HMM . OKAY. SOMEBODY MIGHT WANNA HELP ME. JEAN. JEAN BOULE. YEAH, SO I HAVE EVERYONE. WHOOPS. OKAY. EVERYONE. RIGHT? DID YOU VOTE? KURT , ANDREA ELLI DELI. I HAVE KINSELLA DUNN F, CORRECT? MM-HMM . CHARLOTTE, HOSNI, EVERYONE. MM-HMM . CHASE, NORLAND. NONE. SCOTT. ROSS. NONE. HENRY SILBIGER. NONE. ERNIE STROUT. EVERYONE. GARY WHITEHILL. NONE. SO WE HAVE THREE THAT HAVE, WE HAVE FOUR THAT HAVE AT LEAST FOUR VOTES. THREE, CORRECT? NO. YOU HAVE, UH, EARN. AND YOU HAVE THREE AT SIX AND ONE AT FOUR. ALAN? LET'S CUT. ALAN HAS FOUR. ALAN FELD HAS FOUR. JOHN BUGLE HAS SIX. CHARLOTTE HOI HAS SIX. AND ERNIE RAUL HAS SIX. SO THERE'S FOUR THAT HAVE, YES. FOUR VOTE. AT LEAST FOUR OF VOTE. AT LEAST FOUR. LIKE, UH, MADAM MAYOR SAID. SO DO YOU WANT TO INTERVIEW FOUR PEOPLE? I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT, YEP. SINCE THEY HAVE MAJORITY. OKAY. THAT WAS EASY. SO YOU'RE GONNA BE INTERVIEWING THE FOUR THAT I HIGHLIGHT HERE, THE FOUR WITH THE HIGHEST FOUR OR GREATER. SO WE, WE WILL NEED A MOTION. YEAH. WHEN TIME COMES AND IT CAN BE A SINGLE MOTION LISTED OUT. UM, DO WE WANNA ADD A DATE? SO THAT WILL BE, UM, UP TO COUNSEL. WE NEED TO PICK A DATE FOR THE INTERVIEWS NOW. UM, THAT BE IN THE MOTION. IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE IN THE MOTION THOUGH. OKAY. WE CAN JUST, EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET THEIR CALENDARS, PULL 'EM OUT AND GET READY TO, ALL RIGHT. SO WHO WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THIS MOTION? I CAN DO THAT IF YOU WANT. OKAY. KATHY, GO AHEAD. OKAY. I MOVE TO SELECT ALAN FELD, JEAN BOLE, CHARLOTTE HOSSEINI AND ERNEST STRAU JR. UM, TO, FOR INTERVIEW FOR THE VACANT SEAT ON CITY COUNCIL. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY. SO WE HAVE OUR LIST OF THOSE PEOPLE WE WANNA INTERVIEW THEN LET'S PICK A DATE AND WE CAN GO THROUGH THE QUESTIONS. WE WERE GONNA PROPOSE THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING ON NOVEMBER 13TH. RIGHT? CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT ONE POINT BEFORE THE COUNCIL MEETING? NOT AS PART OF THE COUNCIL MEETING? HMM. ON THE 12TH. WEDNESDAY THE 12TH. ON THE 12TH. YES. I SAID THE 13TH, BUT I MEANT THE 12TH BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE A MEETING ON THE 13TH. WE COULD MEET ON THE 13TH, BUT I'M RECOMMENDING WE JUST DO A LONG DAY ON THE 12TH. HOW LONG IS THE AGENDA ALREADY PROJECTED TO BE FOR THE 12TH? I KNOW YOU SENT THE OUT BEFORE, BUT THERE'S FOUR OR FIVE ITEMS. I'M NOT SURE. IT'S NOT AS HEAVY AS TODAY, CORRECT? IS THERE GONNA BE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION? KURT? THERE'S NONE PLANNED RIGHT NOW. OKAY. YOUR , YOU ARE SCHEDULED FOR [03:50:01] A MEETING ON THE 13TH. WE JUST DON'T HAVE ANY ITEMS FOR THAT WORK SESSION. AND THAT WOULD BE A THURSDAY DUE TO THE VETERAN'S DAY HOLIDAY. THAT'S WHY MAYOR'S PROPOSING A LONGER DAY. SO WHAT WOULD YOU PREFER? I JUST, I AM LOOKING AT THE AGENDA, JUST, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE ALL HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT, BUT THERE IS LDC THINGS THAT ARE COMING. THE PLANNING AND ZONING, OPERATING RULES THAT ARE COMING AND THE DISCUSSION ABOUT HOME RULE. IT'S NOT A NECESSARILY A SHORT MEETING ALREADY. PLUS, I BELIEVE EACH INTERVIEW WAS HOW LONG? SO 45 MINUTES WITH 15 MINUTES IN BETWEEN. HOW LONG ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? SO, I MEAN, YOU'RE ADDING THAT NUMBER OF HOURS ON, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT ANYBODY'S EVER SAID WHAT WE THOUGHT THE LENGTH OF TIME OF THE INTERVIEW WAS. WITH TIME IN BETWEEN. I WOULD ALLOW AN HOUR. 'CAUSE I, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. IT'S SOMETHING LIKE 45 MINUTES. 45 PLUS 15 AND YEAH. AND THEN WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE FIVE HOURS, SO MAYBE WE SHOULD DO IT ON THE THURSDAY. OKAY? MM-HMM . THANK YOU MELISSA. YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. SO STARTING AT TWO O'CLOCK THURSDAY, FOUR, WHAT TIME WOULD YOU LIKE TO START? 'CAUSE I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE FIVE HOUR. WE SHOULD ALLOW FOR FIVE HOURS. 'CAUSE FOUR HOURS FOR THE INTERVIEWS. I DON'T THINK IT'LL TAKE AN HOUR TO DEBATE IT, BUT WE SHOULD. ONE O'CLOCK THEN YOU COULD SAY IT'S US. SO IT COULD BE AN HOUR. IT'S TRUE. YEAH, I WOULD LEAVE IT ONE O'CLOCK. IS THAT GOOD? EVERYONE CHECK THEIR CALENDAR. THERE'S NOTHING SCHEDULED FOR THAT DAY, RIGHT? NOVEMBER 13TH HERE IN THIS ROOM. THAT'S FREE, RIGHT? 14TH. THE JOE FIRST DAY. I'M SORRY, IT'S THE 14TH. IT'S THE 13TH. IT'S THE 13TH. THURSDAY THE 13TH SHOULD ALREADY BE RESERVED FOR YOUR WORK SESSION, RIGHT? SO I DON'T THINK IT'S A PROBLEM AT ALL. AND CLEARLY COUNSEL TAKES PRECEDENT OVER ANY OTHER MEETINGS THAT WOULD BE HERE. WE CAN MOVE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO PROPOSE AN ALTERNATIVE TIME? I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION THOUGH. OKAY. AND BEFORE THAT, WHAT HAPPENS IF ONE OF THESE, UM, PEOPLE IS NOT AVAILABLE THAT DAY? SO I THINK THAT ALL OF THEIR, THOSE FOUR OF THEIR APPLICATIONS SAID THEY WERE, DIDN'T HAVE ANY CONFLICTS COMING UP. SO THEY SHOULD BE, UM, IF IT, IF THAT DID HAPPEN, THEN UH, WE WOULD LET COUNSEL KNOW. UM, DIDN'T ONE OF THEM SAY THEY MIGHT BE OUT OF STATE? UH, THESE FOUR, ONE OF THEM SAID THEY MIGHT BE OUTTA STATE, BUT THEY'D BE AVAILABLE BY PHONE OR THAT WAS OTHER MEDIA. THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER, I THOUGHT. NOT THE 13TH. YEAH. OKAY. IF I REMEMBER RIGHT HERE, I CAN CHECK AGAIN. UH, WE WOULD, WE WOULD ALERT COUNSEL, LET 'EM KNOW THAT ONE OF THE APPLICANTS IS UNAVAILABLE THAT DAY. UM, AND THEN, AND I THINK USUALLY WE CAN GET IT OUT TODAY. SO WE MIGHT KNOW BY TOMORROW'S MEETING, UH, I GUESS WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IT NECESSARILY. BUT THEN COUNSEL HAVE A CHOICE TO INTERVIEW HIM ON A DIFFERENT DAY OR POSTPONE ALL THE INTERVIEWS. WHAT WOULD WE GET OUT TODAY? I'M GONNA TOMORROW IF THEY WANT THIS. THANK YOU. YEAH. TODAY, I MEAN, OR BY EARLY TOMORROW? WE MIGHT KNOW BY TOMORROW'S. WHAT? LET'S JUST THROW NAMES. I RECALL ONE OF THE APPLICANTS SAYING THEY WEREN'T GONNA BE HERE, BUT IT'S, I KNOW. OH, OKAY. I JUST, I KNOW WHO IT IS. WENT TO LOOK. UM, I WOULD PROPOSE ONE O'CLOCK ON THE 13TH. THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT. YEAH. THAT GOES TO 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. NO, I'M, I'M PUTTING SIX HOURS IN. YEAH. OH YEAH. FOR DELIBERATION. I AM. BECAUSE YOU GOT FOUR HOURS, AN HOUR OF TIME IN BETWEEN. AND AN HOUR OF DEBATE IS SIX HOURS. YEAH. THE, THE FIRST APPLICANT SAID HE'D BE FIFTH THROUGH THE 9TH OF NOVEMBER. SO COULD YOU REPEAT THAT? FIFTH THROUGH THE 9TH OF NOVEMBER WOULD BE IN NEW MEXICO. BUT REACH MY PHONE. SO WE'RE AT THE 13TH, SO EVERYONE ON THEIR APPLICATION SHOULD BE AVAILABLE ON THE 13TH. THANK YOU KURT. OKAY. THE PROPOSED START TIME. ONE O'CLOCK STILL? MM-HMM . OKAY. OKAY. LET'S GO THROUGH THE QUESTIONS. DID EVERYBODY HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THEM? AND DO YOU THINK OBVIOUSLY THEY'LL HAVE TO BE CHANGED [03:55:01] 'CAUSE THEY HAVE A DATE OF 2022, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THAT IS VERY TRUE. HMM. BUT I THINK OTHER THAN THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. , IS THERE ANYTHING YOU THINK SHOULD BE EXCLUDED OR ANYTHING YOU THINK SHOULD BE INCLUDED THAT'S NOT THERE? WELL, JUST, JUST SORT OF GENERALLY, LIKE ON THE FORM, THE APPLICATION FORM. WE ALREADY ASKED THEM TO TELL US THEIR BACKGROUND AND WHY YOU WANNA SERVE ON CITY COUNCIL. ARE WE ASKING THEM TO REPEAT THAT INFORMATION IN PERSON? IS THAT THE PURPOSE? PURPOSE? WELL, THIS WAY WE CAN TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT. YEAH. IT DOES ALLOW YOU TO ASK FOLLOW, THAT'S WHAT'S I WAS ASKING. ASK FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS. UM, YEAH. AND THEN HEAR IT DIRECTLY FROM THEM IN THEIR VOICE. UH, BUT YEAH, OTHERWISE IT IS A LITTLE REPETITIVE. YEAH. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD, UH, REAL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WITH THE QUESTION. THAT WAS ALL. AND THEN WE WOULD UPDATE QUESTION NUMBER NINE AS WELL. 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE OUR PRIORITY MEETINGS IN FEBRUARY ANYMORE. WE DO IT IN DECEMBER. MM-HMM . AND WHAT'S OUR PROCESS GONNA BE? ARE THEY GONNA BE ISOLATED? ARE WE WHAT WE'VE DONE BEFORE, WHICH WE CAN CHANGE, BUT WE WERE HERE ON THE DAIS. THE APPLICANT WAS, YOU KNOW, MOVE THE TABLE AROUND AND EACH APPLICANT WAS INTERVIEWED SEPARATELY. AND THEY, AND IF SOMEBODY CAME EARLY, THEN THEY JUST WEREN'T ALLOWED IN SO THAT THEY HAD THE PRIVACY AND PEOPLE WEREN'T LISTENING TO THEIR ANSWERS. 'CAUSE THEN THE LAST PERSON HAS THE BENEFIT, YOU KNOW, OF LISTENING TO EVERYBODY ELSE'S ANSWERS, WHICH I DON'T THINK IS FAIR IN OUR REACTIONS. YES. IN OUR REACTIONS, BUT, BUT IT WILL BE AN OPEN SESSION. UM, IS THE INTENT NOT TO BROADCAST IT? YEAH, THAT'S MY NEXT QUESTION. IS IT BROADCAST OR NOT? THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT TO BROADCAST IT. SO, BUT THEN THE PUBLIC CAN'T SEE IT. CORRECT. WHY WE WOULDN'T YEAH. I I THINK WE HAVE TO AND WE JUST HAVE TO, THE LAST, LAST TIME WE DID, I THINK WE BROADCAST IT. WE JUST HAVE TO TRUST THE HONORABILITY, WELL IT'S NOT EVEN A WORD, BUT THAT PEOPLE HAVE INTEGRITY AND THAT THEY WON'T WATCH THE CANDIDATES WON'T WATCH THE OTHER CANDIDATES. WE WILL ASK THEM TO RESPECT THAT AND THEN NOT TO DO IT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE THE CITY CLERK ASK THEM TO DO THAT? WE CAN DO THAT WHEN WE REACH OUT TO THEM FOR THE INTERVIEWS. WE COULD LOCK 'EM IN THE MICROFISH ROOM. SOUNDS DOWNSTAIRS. YEAH. THE SOUND ACTUALLY GOES. OR THE HOLDING CELLS. THE SOUND GOES THROUGH THAT ROOM ACTUALLY. SO WHAT ABOUT THE HOLDING CELLS DOWN IN THE BASEMENT? ? DO WE WANT TO HAVE ANY KIND OF CRITERIA THAT WE WANNA CONSIDER SO THAT WE'RE JUDGING PEOPLE KIND OF AGAINST A SET OF CRITERIA THAT WE ALL THINK IS IMPORTANT? DIFFER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I DID SET PERSONALLY, I'M SURE WE ALL DID SET CRITERIA WHEN WE CHOSE WHO TO VOTE FOR. AND I SAID CRITERIA THAT I'VE CHOSE, ALL FOUR OF THESE PEOPLE CAME UP. SO THIS WAS EXACTLY, AND, AND MY CRITERIA WERE THINKING ABOUT THAT THIS IS A YEAR POSITION. COMING UP TO SPEED QUICKLY IS, IS AN IMPORTANT THING. AND I WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN FOLKS WHO HAVE DEMONSTRATED RECENT ACT, UH, ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CITY AND THE CITY COUNCIL AND, UH, THROUGH COMMISSIONS OR WORK GROUPS OR, YOU KNOW, ACTIVE, NOT JUST COMING TO MEETING WAS ONE, YOU KNOW, POINT IN MY MIND. BUT IT WENT BEYOND THAT. AND ALL FOUR OF THESE PEOPLE WENT BEYOND THAT. THEY ACTUALLY HAVE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN MULTIPLE LEVELS AND WAYS. AND I THINK THEY ALL ANSWERED THAT. THEY READ ALL THE DOCUMENTS. AND SO TO ME, THAT WAS MY SCREEN TO GET HERE. AND, AND THOSE FOUR HAPPENED TO BE THE FOUR THAT POPPED UP. OH, AND I ALSO, AND THEN THE REASON, THANK YOU. THE REASON I FELT STRONGLY ABOUT THE, UH, ENGAGING IN COMMISSIONS OR WORK GROUPS OR WHATEVER IS BECAUSE I LIKE TO SEE HOW AND HOW THEY THINK AND HOW THEY ACT AND HOW THEY TREAT STAFF AND HOW THEY FEED TREAT FELLOW COUNCIL OR MEMBERS OF WHATEVER BODY IS THAT THEY WERE ON. SO IT WAS A DEMONSTRATION, AN ACTIVE DEMONSTRATION. BY THAT [04:00:05] YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA USE AS CRITERIA FOR THE ACTUAL INTERVIEWS NOW . AND SO, UH, I WOULD CONCUR WITH WHAT, UH, COUNCILOR FURMAN SAID ABOUT CRITERIA FOR TODAY. AND THEN I THINK WHEN WE'RE INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES, UM, FOR FINAL DECISION, UH, I HOPE TO SEE CURIOSITY, UH, AN OPEN MIND TO EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES AND NOT AUTOMATICALLY HAVING, YOU KNOW, WELL THIS IS HOW THINGS SHOULD BE AND THERE CAN'T BE, YOU KNOW, ANY OTHER WAY THAN MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY. SO THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT, UH, TO ME. ACTUALLY, CAN I GO BACK TO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS? YEAH. AS I'M REREADING THESE, UM, ON 11 IT TALKS ABOUT HOME RULE AND EXPLAIN YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOME RULE. AND I'M WONDERING IF WE SHOULD ALSO ASK IF THEY UNDERSTAND PERMANENT BASE ADJUSTMENT AND IF THEY UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT AS WELL. GOOD POINT. WE CAN ADD THAT FOR SURE. WE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? OKAY. THINK WE'RE DONE WITH THIS ITEM. SO TO CLARIFY, OR JUST TO MAKE SURE I'VE GOT IT RIGHT, WE'RE GONNA BE UPDATING QUESTION NUMBER ONE WITH THE YEAR NUMBER NINE. UM, JUST CHANGE THE DATE FOR THE COUNCIL PRIORITY SETTINGS AND THEN, OR JUST REMOVE IT. EVEN JUST STATE HAVE THE ANNUAL COUNCIL PRIORITY SETTING DOESN'T MATTER WHICH MONTH. OKAY. AND THEN ALSO ADEQUATE THE, THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PBA TO QUESTION 11 WITH THE HOMEROOM. THANK YOU. SORRY, WE ARE GETTING RID OF QUESTION ONE, RIGHT? NO, THEY WON'T. NO, NO, BUT WE'VE ALREADY ASKED THAT. YES. BUT THE, THE RESPONSE WHEN I ASKED WAS THE RESPONSE WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THAT WAS THAT THIS WAY WE GET TO HEAR THEM SAY IT, PLUS WE GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO RESPOND AND ASK ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. DID I GET IT RIGHT, KURT? YEP. MM-HMM . HE WAS JUST MONITORING MY RESPONSE, SO I JUST THOUGHT I'D ASK AND INTERACT WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY HAVE SELECTED THEM, YOU MAY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS, THIS QUESTION. AND IT'S A GOOD WAY TO START. IT IS. IT'S A SOFTBALL. YEAH. OKAY. YOU GOOD, JOE? YES. AND THE EXPECTATION IS THE IN-PERSON? YES. UM, INTERVIEWS SINCE THEY DIDN'T STATE THEY WEREN'T AVAILABLE ON THESE DATES. THANK YOU. OKAY. MOVING RIGHT, RIGHT ALONG AB 30 66, DISCUSSION POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING FUTURE MEETING AGENDA I IDEAS. WE'VE COVERED THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES ALREADY, RIGHT? OKAY. [10. ADJOURNMENT] WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE ARE ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.