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Minutes for City Council Joint City/County Work Session

JOINT CITY OF FLAGSTAFF / COCONINO COUNTY WORK SESSION
MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2023
CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS
211 WEST ASPEN AVE
3:00 P.M.
 

MINUTES
 
1.
Call to Order

Mayor Daggett called the Joint Work Session of the Flagstaff City Council and the Coconino County Board of Supervisors to order at 3:02 p.m.
 
2.
Roll Call

NOTE: One or more Councilmembers may be in attendance through other technological means.
PRESENT: ABSENT:
CHAIRMAN VASQUEZ
VICE-CHAIRWOMAN BEGAY
SUPERVISOR HORSTMAN
SUPERVISOR RYAN - ABSENT
SUPERVISOR FOWLER- Joined at 3:37 p.m.

MAYOR DAGGETT
VICE MAYOR ASLAN
COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS
COUNCILMEMBER HOUSE
COUNCILMEMBER SWEET







COUNCILMEMBER MATTHEWS
COUNCILMEMBER MCCARTHY
Others present: City Manager Greg Clifton, City Attorney Sterling Solomon, County Manager Steve Peru.
 
3.
Pledge of Allegiance, Mission Statement, and Land Acknowledgement

The Council, Board of Supervisors, and audience recited the pledge of allegiance, Councilmember House read the Mission Statement of the City of Flagstaff, and Councilmember Harris read the Land Acknowledgement.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the City of Flagstaff is to protect and enhance the quality of life for all.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Flagstaff City Council humbly acknowledges the ancestral homelands of this area’s Indigenous nations and original stewards. These lands, still inhabited by Native descendants, border mountains sacred to Indigenous peoples. We honor them, their legacies, their traditions, and their continued contributions. We celebrate their past, present, and future generations who will forever know this place as home.
 
4.
Public Participation:

Public Participation enables the public to address the Council about items that are not on the prepared agenda. Public Participation appears on the agenda twice, at the beginning and at the end of the work session. You may speak at one or the other, but not both. Anyone wishing to comment on an item that is on the agenda is asked to fill out a speaker card and submit it to the recording clerk. When the item comes up on the agenda, your name will be called. You may address the Council up to three times throughout the meeting, including comments made during Public Participation. Please limit your remarks to three minutes per item to allow everyone an opportunity to speak.
None.
 
5.
Update on the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2045 Process
Comprehensive Planning Manager Sara Dechter and Coconino County Long Range Planner Melissa Shaw led a discussion on the Regional Plan Process. Their presentation covered the following:
  • Process for Updating the Plan
  • The Next Regional Plan
  • Scenario Choosing –
  • Scenario Development
  • Scenario A: Business as Usual
  • Scenario B: Complete Communities
  • Scenario C: Urban Centers and Corridors
  • Scenario D: Neighborhood Infill
  • Community Engagement
Mayor Daggett asked if the committee will always meet on Tuesdays or if there is a set day of the week at this time. She asked when they would be meeting and what the frequency of meetings would be. Ms. Dechter stated that there is not a set day for the group’s meetings at this time, and staff is working with the members to find appropriate meeting days. They will publish the whole schedule on the website. Mayor Daggett asked if the meetings would be open to the public. Ms. Dechter stated that they are and that they will be available via Zoom and recorded. They will also be held in the evening.
  • Scenario Choosing
  • Community Based Organizations
  • Technical Advisory Group
  • Regional Plan Committee
  • Committee Schedule
  • Council and Board Engagement
  • Comprehensive Plan Schedule
Chairman Vasquez asked about the ballot initiative. Ms. Shaw stated that it is a requirement of the Arizona Revised Statutes which is specific to Cities and Towns for cities over 50,000 people. Ms. Dechter further explained the requirements to approve a general plan in the State of Arizona. The citizen review session is a city requirement rather than a state statute requirement.
           
Chairman Vasquez asked if the ballot initiative fails if the plan would need to go back to the drawing board before it could go to the County. Ms. Dechter spoke about what happened in Scottsdale and mentioned that this county is the only area where the County and the City work together on the plan. She added that the City has never failed a plan. 
 
Councilmember House asked for clarification on the citizen review sessions point and what the requirement is. Ms. Dechter stated that City Code Title 11 requires that the Planning and Zoning Commission hold a Citizen Review Session. There is a requirement that the City made for itself, and it is very useful for engagement. Staff is comfortable that as long as the timing requirements are met and combining the meetings as a joint meeting would prevent multiple people from reading very tedious packets over and over with minute changes.
 
Supervisor Horstman expressed her appreciation of the partnership and spoke about how the general plan for the City can be used as a roadmap for the County.  
 
Supervisor Begay thanked the staff and the community members for developing the plan and that she thinks it is very important for the City and County to work together on these measures.
 
6.
Informational Items To/From Chairman, Supervisors and County Manager, Mayor, Council and City Manager
Supervisor Begay shared that there is a lot going on with the County and that she appreciates the continued partnership on the comprehensive plan.

Councilmember Harris spoke about the Black Student Union at NAU and that they are sponsoring a Martin Luther King, Jr. program that will be held on the NAU campus. The group will reach out to the Coconino County Board of Supervisors and the Flagstaff City Council for support. Councilmember Harris congratulated the students on their work on the program for the last 40 years.

Supervisor Horstman spoke about rural groundwater management. Governor Hobbs formed a groundwater management group for rural counties. She stated there will be a groundwater networking lunch on October 25, 2023, from 11:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Aspen Room. The Southwest Audubon Society is the sponsor.

Supervisor Fowler shared that she is at a broadband meeting in Farmington, and she is on her way to Page for another session. She shared that the Western Navajo Fair will be held in Tuba City later in October and the Balloon Regatta in Page the first weekend in November.

Chairman Vasquez announced that Supervisor Ryan will be retiring after 27 years of service. He shared that they will be making an appointment for his seat in January 2024 and will be starting an appointment process. He shared that he will be attending the Rural Transportation Summit and he will present on the Lone Tree Corridor project. He added that there will be an Indigenous Peoples event later in the week.

Mayor Daggett thanked City and County staff for all the outreach they have done around the Regional Plan.
 
7.
Public Participation
None.
 
8.
Adjournment
The Joint City/County Work Session of October 16, 2023 adjourned at 3:53 p.m.
   
 

_____________________________________
MAYOR
ATTEST:
 
 

_____________________________________
CITY CLERK