Others present:  City Manager Greg Clifton; City Attorney Sterling Solomon.

None

None

CEO and General Manager of Mountain Line Heather Dalmolin provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following: 

WHAT IS MOUNTAIN LINE?
ROUTE MAP
MOUNTAIN LINE FLEET
FACILITIES
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
20 YEAR HISTORY – COVID IMPACTS
FIXED ROUTE RIDERSHIP
EXPENSES
WHO PAYS FOR MOUNTAIN LINE?
FEDERAL FUNDING BREAKDOWN 
TRANSIT TAX
SMALL TRANSIT INTENSIVE CITIES
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
PROGRAMS
MOUNTAIN LINE PARATRANSIT & TAXI PROGRAM
PARATRANSIT RIDERSHIP
CITY TAX RIDERSHIP
MOUNTAIN EXPRESS
ECOPASS PROGRAM
TECHNOLOGY
IMPACTS OF TRANSIT
FLEET
FUTURE OF MOUNTAIN LINE
NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE MOVE
20TH ANNIVERSARY
THANK YOU AND QUESTIONS

Vice Mayor Daggett asked Ms. Dalmolin to speak more on Paratransit. Ms. Dalmolin stated that Paratransit is federally mandated for people who cannot use the bus and has the same service area and the same hours. There is an application for the service. The fare cannot be more than twice what it is for the bus and it is $2.50 one way. Paratransit is funded the same way as the bus system.

Councilmember Sweet asked Ms. Dalmolin to speak about getting downtown employees to take the bus rather than commuting by car. Ms. Dalmolin stated that downtown employees have access to a free pass, and they are working with employers to spread the information to all downtown employees. 

Councilmember Shimoni thanked Ms. Dalmolin for the presentation and expressed gratitude to have her as the General Manager of Mountain Line. He also spoke about bus usage and how Mountain Line is a great resource. He acknowledged Representative Blackman for his support of transit. 

Management Analyst Chris Rhode provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following: 

BACKGROUND
RESPONSIBILITIES OF OLS
CALCULATING THE MINIMUM WAGE
10-YEAR INFLATION HISTORY
INFLATION IN 2021
2023 MINIMUM WAGE
2021 OLS CASES
2021 OUTREACH
2021 OLS ACTIVITIES
FUTURE OLS ACTIVITIES
    
Councilmember Shimoni thanked Mr. Rhode for his hard work and expressed his appreciation for the minimum wage communication. He asked Mr. Rhode to add multi-lingual videos to his communication efforts and involve the Northern Arizona Interfaith Council, the Continuum of Care, Goodwill, etc. to his communication lines to reach populations that might not see other updates. Mr. Rhode stated that staff looked at videos, but the budget was limited and he expressed gratitude for the organizations shared. 

City Clerk Stacy Saltzburg addressed Council concerning a return to hybrid Council Meetings. 

Mayor Deasy stated that the COVID numbers are higher than when they made the decision to move virtual, and he stated that he does not support moving back to hybrid meetings. He suggested that this can be further discussed during COVID-19 updates.

Councilmember Shimoni stated his agreement with Mayor Deasy. 

Councilmember Sweet stated her agreement with Mayor Deasy and stated that the COVID-19 updates could be utilized for these discussions in the future.

Councilmember Aslan stated he appreciates the conversation. He expressed his agreement and added that he appreciates the fact that Council can be nimble about moving back and forth in COVID mitigation efforts. 

Councilmember McCarthy stated that he would like to stay virtual for at least another four to six weeks.

Vice Mayor Daggett expressed her agreement and stated that she did not want to compel staff to come in for a council meeting.

Deputy Police Chief Paul Lasiewicki and Senior Assistant City Attorney Marianne Sullivan provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following: 

NUISANCE NOISE ORDINANCE
EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL SOUND LEVELS
MEASUREMENTS AROUND TOWN
NUISANCE NOISE ORDINANCE 
SPECIAL EVENT NOISE RESTRICTIONS
RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, AND INDUSTRIAL LIMITS
OPTION 1
OPTION 2
MIXED USE ZONES
MOTOR VEHICLES
OPTION 1
OPTION 2
CIVIL TRAFFIC FINES
PENALTIES
TRAINING, CERTIFICATION, AND EQUIPMENT COSTS
QUESTIONS

Craig Bouchard addressed Council and provided input on the changes that would affect bars and restaurants downtown and stated that more research was needed. Councilmember Salas asked Mr. Bouchard about his independent study on noise levels and about engaging the business community. Mr. Bouchard stated that his businesses have been visited by the police regarding noise and he started wondering if his noise levels were different than any other business. He employed Ken Engstrom, a private investigator, for a study. Councilmember Salas asked if he would be amenable to such a policy if business owners were involved. Mr. Bouchard stated that he would like to have a developed policy to refer to. 

Councilmember McCarthy asked Mr. Bouchard about the report. He stated that there was a range and if the measurement was in DBA or DBC. Mr. Bouchard stated that the measurements were in DBA. Councilmember McCarthy asked about the difference between the red and black numbers in the report. Mr. Bouchard stated that the answer would be in the summary letter since Mr. Engstrom could not unmute. 

Councilmember Shimoni asked Mr. Bouchard what the next steps would be to move forward with the business community. Mr. Bouchard stated that Council needs to commission a study. He stated that he would be happy to help Council meet with downtown bar/restaurant owners. 

Michael Collier addressed Council and stated that first offenses should be for education. He had questions about vehicle noise and the need for training.

Malisa Szalkiewicz addressed Council and stated that people cannot sleep due to noise and that there needs to be consideration for the community. Councilmember McCarthy asked Ms. Szalkiewicz if the noise from some adjacent bars cause disruptions with people trying to do yoga in her studio. She replied that they have had issues in the past and they are unable to hold late night events due to obnoxious behavior of people in the alley behind the studio. 

Candace Ryan addressed Council and asked that the noise ordinance be amended for a separate decibel for bass since it is felt through her home and her neighbors homes on the Southside. She stated that she is not able to enjoy her home and that she cannot open her windows. Councilmember McCarthy asked Ms. Ryan if this was a problem when she bought her home. Ms. Ryan stated that when they bought their home that the Tavern had just opened. She asked the previous owners if they had issues, and they did not. The Tavern was sold, and now it has become a nuisance. 

Jacob Montoya submitted written comments with concerns about noise in Southside.

Vice Mayor Daggett asked about distinguishing between broken and modified mufflers. Ms. Sullivan explained that officers can issue warnings, but enforcement depends on the standard set in the ordinance. If objective decibel limits are introduced, it would require equipment and training. Deputy Chief Lasiewicki added that enforcement will be case by case, and without proper tools, courts may reject evidence.

Councilmember Sweet asked about noise complaints north of the tracks. Deputy Chief Lasiewicki noted that expectations differ in that area and stressed the need for standardized measures, as the “reasonable person” test is unreliable. He said officers try to handle complaints civilly first.

Councilmember Shimoni voiced concerns over cost and equity, and called for a strategic approach.

Councilmember McCarthy stated that he supports objective limits and suggested training just two officers per squad to reduce costs.

Councilmember Sweet supported moving forward but wants to draft the ordinance with community input. Councilmember Salas agreed, emphasizing the need for community buy-in.

Councilmember Shimoni asked Councilmember McCarthy how to engage the community.

Councilmember McCarthy suggested forming a small working group of neighbors and bar owners to measure noise and gather public feedback, similar to his past work on air tour noise near the Grand Canyon.

Vice Mayor Daggett empathized with affected residents, distinguishing special event noise from persistent disruption. She supports an ordinance after more public outreach.

Mayor Deasy backed a noise ordinance, noting a disconnect between vehicle and residential noise, and called for community discussion.

Councilmember Aslan thanked staff and supported moving forward but wants more stakeholder input. He asked Mr. Clifton how to ensure adequate feedback. Mr. Clifton said the leadership team will develop next steps, including public outreach and possible town halls.

A break was called from 5:52 p.m. through 6:10 p.m.

Council recessed to Executive Session from 6:10 p.m. through 7:10 p.m.

Project Manager Christine Cameron, Structure’s Manager Jason Carlaftes, Transportation Commissioner Julie Leid, Arizona Department of Transportation representatives George Williams and Nate Reisner, and Engineer Scott Beck provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following: 

AGENDA
INTRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
APPROACH 
PROJECT SUMMARY
SUSTAINABILITY
GOALS
VMT GOALS
MODELING APPROACH AND RESULTS
INDUCED DEMAND
VMT GOALS
VMT REDUCTIONS
VMT IN NETWORK MODEL
GHG EMISSIONS
TAKEAWAYS
INTERSECTION REFINEMENTS AND ANALYSIS
GOALS
PROJECT OVERVIEW 
LTO & BUTLER – INTERSECTION OPTIONS
MODELING APPROACH – PEAK HOUR ANALYSIS
APPROACH TO MULTI-MODAL SAFETY
LTO & BUTLER – TYPICAL APPROACH
LTO & BUTLER – FULL BUILD-OUT INTERSECTION
LTO & BUTLER – SINGLE LEFT INTERSECTION
LTO & BUTLER – BALANCED INTERSECTION
LTO & BUTLER – TRADITIONAL INTERSECTION
APPROACH TO SAFETY – BICYCLE FEATURES
APPROACH TO SAFETY – CROSSING FEATURES
APPROACH TO SAFETY – TURN LANE FEATURES
INTERSECTION ALTERNATIVES – CHANNELIZED RIGHT LANES
INTERSECTION ALTERNATIVES – DEDICATED RIGHT LANES
EXAMPLE IN ACTION – BOULDER, COLORADO
OTHER SAFETY FEATURES
INTERSECTION ALTERNATIVES – TAKEAWAYS
LTO & BUTLER – INTERSECTION SUMMARY
TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING 
CLOSING COMMENTS 
LTO & BUTLER OVERVIEWS
TYPICAL APPROACH
FULL BUILD-OUT INTERSECTION
SINGLE LEFT INTERSECTION
BALANCED INTERSECTION
TRADITIONAL INTERSECTION

The following individuals addressed Council regarding the Lone Tree Overpass project:

• Emily Renn
• Kyle Nitzche
• Sydney Shevat
• Tyler Denham
• Deb Harris
• Enoque Costa
• Michelle James
• David Hayward
• Marilyn Weisman
• Sat Best
• Anthony Quintile

The following comments were received.

• Support for designs that prioritize bicycle and pedestrian safety
• It is important to protect prairie dogs.
• Intersections are important for student walkers and cyclists
• Concerns about maintaining prioritization of non-vehicle users.
• Support Option 5.
• Include bicycle and pedestrian safety measures.
• Southside community input is important.
• Concerned about Rio de Flag project delays.
• There will be increased traffic on Elden Street.
• More discussion is needed on public transit.
• Adopt all pedestrian and cyclist safety features.
• Concerned about alignment with regional plan, use of proven safety metrics, lack of full evaluation, inaccuracies in current data, and the need for more outreach.
• Delay the design selection.
• Support moving project forward without delay.
• Prefer functional intersection and realistic design options.
• Encouraged use of transformative, small-scale transportation solutions; cautioned against comparing Butler to Route 66.
• The intersection is overly large, suggested building underground infrastructure now for future flexibility.

Written comments with concerns about the design were submitted by the following individuals:

• Emily Renn
• Ari Wendel
• Dapper Dre
• Heidi Larson
• Hannah Johnson
• Valarie Piet
• Ryan Drendal

The following individuals submitted written comments in support of the five-lane option:

• Gregory Nelson
• Lori Matthews

Vice Mayor Daggett questioned the safety of channelized lanes, citing mixed messages. Staff explained that they separate traffic and improve pedestrian safety.

Councilmember Sweet asked about business outreach, and staff indicated that none had occurred yet, but an impact statement is in progress. She also inquired about pedestrian tunnels. Staff explained tunnels and overhead crossings are expensive, and full evaluations have not been completed.

Councilmember Aslan pushed for exploring pedestrian underpasses, roundabouts, and flexibility in the design. He supports Option 5, but wants cost comparisons and more alternatives, especially for overhead infrastructure.

Councilmember Shimoni expressed gratitude for staff efforts and community walkthroughs. He supported Option 5, more public engagement, town halls, and upstream traffic modeling. He also noted that bike community input is also needed.

Mr. Carlaftes and Mr. Beck noted that traffic models lose accuracy the further they project into the future. David Wessel from MetroPlan confirmed the model is well-calibrated and that 2045 projections are expected soon.

Councilmember Salas supports Options 4, 1, or 2 and is open to exploring a pedestrian bridge.

Councilmember McCarthy opposes Options 3 and 5, citing failure to meet level of service standards, he prefers double left-turn lanes for safety.

Mayor Deasy supports Option 5, but says if a bridge is feasible, Option 1 becomes viable.

Vice Mayor Daggett supports a bridge and wants policies and codes to align with sustainability and community character. She is concerned about level of service in Option 5, but could support it if a bridge is included.

City Engineer Rick Barrett confirmed that bridge options (N-S or E-W) would be explored.

Mr. Clifton and staff emphasized the need for public input, town halls, and community character discussions. Work can proceed while outreach continues.

Mayor Deasy noted that a majority of Council supports moving forward with Option 5 for the intersection redesign. There was also majority interest in exploring the feasibility of a pedestrian bridge, which could make Option 1 a viable alternative. Councilmember Aslan agreed, saying he preferred Option 1 with a bridge, but would support Option 5 otherwise.

A majority of Council supported moving forward with bridge feasibility.

A majority of Council supported Option 5, even without a bridge.

There was unanimous support for Option 5B, which includes a second left-turn lane.

Transportation Planner Martin Ince cautioned Council about relying on pedestrian bridges or tunnels as primary intersection solutions, stating they are generally underutilized and not considered best practice. Council agreed to examine the feasibility and costs before making a final decision.

Councilmember Shimoni also raised concerns about the evaluation methods being used to prioritize and design transportation projects. He emphasized the importance of “next-level thinking” and suggested that the City begin incorporating metrics beyond traditional vehicle level of service, especially those relevant to bike and pedestrian safety. He encouraged continued collaboration with Dr. Contreras and asked if the City should consider changing its code to include more comprehensive evaluation metrics, potentially ones used by ADOT.

Mr. Barrett asked if these changes were intended for the current project or future ones. Jeff Meilbeck from MetroPlan responded that they are in the process of developing new metrics as part of their 25-year plan, although it is not yet clear how they would apply to this specific project.

Councilmember Shimoni advocated for applying alternative metrics to this project now, and Mayor Deasy asked staff to explore how new metrics might change the current project’s approach. A majority of Council supported exploring other evaluation metrics:

Ms. Cameron stated that the next step would be to revise the traffic model and submit it to ADOT with options 5 and 5B for feedback before returning to Council.

Moved by Mayor Paul Deasy, seconded by Councilmember Miranda Sweet to recess to Executive Session for legal advice regarding the Lone Tree Overpass.

Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously

Moved by Councilmember Austin Aslan, seconded by Councilmember Jim McCarthy to adjourn the meeting.

Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously

This item will be postponed to a later meeting.

None

None

The Work Session of the Flagstaff City Council held January 25, 2022 adjourned on January 26, 2025 at 12:09 a.m.