7.F.
City Council Meeting - FINAL
- Meeting Date:
- 02/04/2020
- From:
- Shane Dille, Deputy City Manager
Information
TITLE:
Ratification: Staff's action to send support letters on behalf of City Council and signed by Mayor Evans, as requested by Jeff Hall, Director of Lowell Observatory, in support of the Observatory's request of US Congress regarding Section 17.
STAFF RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Ratify staff's action in sending letters of support to members of the US Congress on behalf of the City Council, as requested by Jeff Hall, Director of Lowell Observatory.
Executive Summary:
On Friday, January 17, 2020, Mr. Jeff Hall, Director of the Lowell Observatory, provided a request of the City to provide a support letter to specific members of the US Congress that demonstrates the City's continued support for the mission and purpose of Lowell Observatory as a long-standing key community partner.
Recognizing the current effort of the Observatory with Congress and in an effort to be as responsive as possible to the request, staff prepared and sent support letters to specified members of the US Congress on the City Council's behalf. And, although staff received informal consensus from Council to do so this act needs to be ratified by the Council in a public meeting.
Recognizing the current effort of the Observatory with Congress and in an effort to be as responsive as possible to the request, staff prepared and sent support letters to specified members of the US Congress on the City Council's behalf. And, although staff received informal consensus from Council to do so this act needs to be ratified by the Council in a public meeting.
Financial Impact:
None
Policy Impact:
Alignment exists between Lowell Observatory's request and recently approved legislative priorities of the City.
Connection to Council Goal, Regional Plan and/or Team Flagstaff Strategic Plan:
2020 State Legislative Priorities:
- Economic Development - Support legislation that will enhance the City's economic development conditions; provide infrastructure to attract economic development, increase sustainable housing and strengthen the City's workforce.
- Preserve Existing Revenue Sources - Support legislation that preserves or enhances existing revenue sources...
Previous Council Decision on This:
None
Background and History:
The Observatory's success has created a need for program-level expansions that to be realized upon Mars Hill the Observatory would need to be able to construct on and have access to Section 17, a square mile of land that sits adjacent to the existing site where the Observatory has been operating for over a century now. It just so happens that Section 17 has all this while been under the Observatory's stewardship by Congressional act. However, Congress's previous act regarding Section 17 fell short of giving the Observatory clear title to the land, thus preventing the Observatory rights to construct upon the land.
A present effort by the Observatory is to rectify that with Congress and enable the Lowell Observatory program to expand and meet the growing demands it is and has been experiencing for years. The Observatory has requested the City's support by sending these letters, which had been prepared by the Observatory.
A present effort by the Observatory is to rectify that with Congress and enable the Lowell Observatory program to expand and meet the growing demands it is and has been experiencing for years. The Observatory has requested the City's support by sending these letters, which had been prepared by the Observatory.