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

Eric Wolverton, Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity, provides an update on the 40-starter home at Timber Sky. He expresses appreciation for the team and success of the project. The project is 50% complete with goal of the civil portion being done by May 1^st and first ten starter homes in May as well. In June, they are hosting blitz for home builders, the team will complete the first starter homes in just 10 days. They are asking for community help, requesting for local volunteers for the blitz build team in June. There are 650 applicants for the first ten starter homes. Residents are happy to have the area grow and are also making contributions.
 
Walter Crutchfield, HOA President- who is also updating the Council on the status of Habit of Humanity and the housing at Timber Sky. At the two recent HOA meetings for the development area they have had support from residents. They have not seen the “not in my backyard” argument. Everyone has been incredibly supportive of the project. Everyone’s involvement encourages collaboration and support.

Senior Deputy City Manager Shannon Anderson highlighted those employees who have work anniversaries in January.
 
Councilmember Garcia congratulates all the employees and their commitment to the city. Javier Avila was my first supervisor and taught me about work ethic.

Economic Development Manager Jeff McCormick provided a presentation that covered projects being developed by graduate students from the School of Mechanical Engineering. The projects demonstrate the wealth of local resources and the work at NAU that potentially could result in entrepreneurship and opportunities for business development and growth in local employment in the science and technology sectors. Graduate students at the School of Mechanical Engineering, under the guidance of Dr. Michael Shafer, have developed cutting-edge technological projects that could affect the quality of life for people. These presentations are intended to illustrate high-quality science and technology programs that have the potential for enhanced workforce development, technological production, and entrepreneurial creativity in our local market.
 
The students provided presentations from their research to hopefully generate future economic development.
 
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH AT NAU
DEPT. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
DME – WHO ARE WE
COLLABORATION POTENTIALS
DEAN CHADWELL REMARKS
 
Sara Sarbaz, PhD Student:
MECHANICAL BEHAVORIAL OF MOISTURE-SWING MATERIAL FOR CARBON CAPTURE APPLICAIONS
GLOBAL WARMING AND CARBON CAPTURE
WHY DAC IS THE FUTURE OF CARBON REMOVAL
MISSION DAC
WHY MOISTURE SWING DIRECT AIR CAPTURE
MY GOALS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
Mahsa Mohammadi, PhD Student:
UAV BASED MULTITARGET TRACKING WITH OPTIMAZED PATH PLANNING
APPLICATIONS
WHY PATH PLANNING
CONTRIBUTIONS
POTENTIAL COLLABORATIONS
 
Maryam Maghazeh, PhD Student:
TOPOLOGY OPTTIMIZATION
BACKGROUND ON TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION
TO IN GE AIRCRAFT ENGINE BRACKET CHALLENGE
TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION IN JULIA
TOPLOGY OPTIMIZATION INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
 
Wyatt Clark, PhD Student:
A NEURIVASCULAR MEDICAL DEVICE TO CURE BRAIN ANEURYSM
UNMET NEED/DESCRIPTION
INTRAVASCULAR ANEURYSM TREATMENT
BALLOONN ASSISTED COILING/LIQUID EMBOLIC
TREATMENT GOAL: ELIMINATE THE INTRA-ANEURYSMAL FLOW
BALLOON-MESH DEVICE
BALLOON – MESH CONCLUSION
 
Sophia Robertson, PhD Student:
IMPROVING THE COMPATIBILITY OF MEDICAL DEVICES WITH THE HUMAN BODY
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
CONCLUSION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 
Holly Berns, PhD Student:
DEVELOPING A NOVEL MECHINCAL THROMBECTOMY DEVICE
ISCHEMIC STROKE
ISCHEMIC STROKE TREATMENT
NOVEL ASPIRATION CATHETER
INITIAL SAFETY AND EFFICACY TESTING
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 


Councilmember House thanks everyone, expresses how amazing the work is and that all the students working on these projects are very smart and she is confident with our future in their hands. She states the treatments and medical devices the students are speaking of are very significant and meaningful to her even personally. Every program was impressive and doing important things for the future.
 
Vice Mayor Sweet shares that she attended Moonshot events, and states it is fascinating to hear and watch what is happening here in Flagstaff and hope we can keep collaborations. They are revamping the program and hope to hear of the program details when it is ready. Thank you again.
 
Councilmember Matthews thanks the students for coming and she expresses they are changing the future and world. Having this innovation in our small town and she cannot wait to read their accomplishments in the future.
 
Councilmember Garcia thanks all of the presenters, he expressed that they really explained the topics well so he could understand, and he really appreciates that. He invites them all back to Flagstaff when their ideas come to fruition.
 
Councilmember Spence states that as a physician, he is very impressed with the presentations. It makes him wonder why the ideas have not come up before. He wants to congratulate them on asking the question and pursuing the answer.
 
Councilmember Aslan stated that these were wonderful presentations, and all the students are well on their way to PHD’s. He asked about any impact on Moonshot from Federal stay on all granting
 
Mr. McCormick states the directive is up in the air, and no one really knows where they intend to go with that. It will affect grant applications and grant funding.
 
Community Investment Director David McIntire states he has been up at the Mesa campus and the scientific research they are doing there is great. The City is proud to have them in the facility.
 
Mayor Daggett states having NAU in the community has so many benefits and this demonstrates that here tonight. Having Moonshot here in collaboration is great. She is also worried about the grant funding and it demonstrates how much we rely on federal partners in the community but hopefully all is well and we will see.

City Clerk Stacy Saltzburg provided history of the fund; what it is used for, and what is available at this time. She asks the Council to provide direction to staff on the use of the Council Initiative Fund. The current suggestions include to support Flagstaff Big Read 2025 and the CocoNuts Robotics Team.
 
Councilmember House states the Flagstaff Big Read is coming up and runs from February through April. They are looking for sponsorships to purchase books to be provided to the community. The cost they are requesting is $1,400 for the 2025 season. They have a lineup of speakers and facilitators and there are a lot of local collaborations and this is a big opportunity for the community and major partnership for Flagstaff to engage.
 
Councilmember Aslan stated that he was hesitant to support the Big Read as a request because he wanted to learn more first. He worries that when you give books away they tend not to be valued. If there is a targeted approach and follow up then providing the book for free is great. The book looks relatable for the community, but he wants to know how they will be distributed. He believes Big Read can answer some of these questions. He does support the $1,400 but his preference would be for the initiatives requests to come from council and not public comment. He also supports allocating some money for the CocoNuts and their travel budgets. This group represents Flagstaff, and we are proud to have them represent us.
 
Vice Mayor Sweet stated she would like to consider sponsoring Movies on the Square, or Music on the Square. She expresses Downtown is vital to Flagstaff and treasures the free family events. The Downtown Business Alliance is on a tight budget, but they are working on sponsorships. she provided a list of what the donation would include with the sponsorship. Vice Mayor Sweet also states we could also play the video from Darrell Marks, she believes this would benefit the entire community.
 
Councilmember Matthews expresses support for the three suggestions and feels that it really hits on all aspects of the community. She suggests $2,500 for CocoNuts, $1,400 for Big Read, and $3,000 for Movies on the Square, she notes this leaves about $7,600 in the fund.
 
Councilmember Aslan notes that Movies on the Square was done last year. He is reluctant to fund the same thing for multiple years in a row.
 
Councilmember Garcia appreciates the perspective of Councilmember Aslan and understands keeping monies open for other ideas. He does support Movies on the Square.
 
Councilmember House circled back to the comment on valuing of books that are given away for free, and remembering growing up without books at cost. She always remembered being the kid in the school that could not get a book and always went to the library. She agrees with Councilmember Matthews on the amounts suggested and she would also like to support Movies on the Square as well.
 
Mayor Daggett expresses support for all three presented. She loves that they are so different and expresses it is a wonderful way for Council to engage in the community.
 
Mayor Daggett confirmed Council’s direction to provide $1,400 for Big Read, $2,500 for CocoNuts, $3,000 for Movies on the Square.

Communication and Civic Engagement Management Analyst Chris Rhode provided his PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:
 
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
WHO IT APPLIES TO
WHO IS EXEMPT
PROTECTED CLASSES
COMPLAINT PROCESS
WHAT IS THE MUNICIPAL EQUALITY INDEX
CONTENTS OF SCORECARD
AREAS WE FOCUSED ON IN OUR SUBMISSION
OVERALL SCORE
FLAGSTAFF SCORE HISTORY
WHERE WE LOSE POINTS
KEY AREAS THAT WE RECEIVE POINTS
HOUSING NON-DISCRIMINATION LAWS
SINGLE OCCUPANCY ALL GENDER FACILITIES
CITY PROVIDES TRANSGGENDER-INCLUSIVE HEALTHCARE BENEFITS
NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE IS ENFORCED BY CODA
YOUTH BULLYING PREVENTION POLICY FOR CITY SERVICES
LEADERSHIP’S PRO-EQUALITY LEGILATIVE OR POLICY EFFORTS
OPENLY LGBTQ+ ELECTED OR APPOINTED LEADERS
CITY TESTS LIMITS OF RESTRICTIVE STATE LAW
 
Councilmember Spence asked how many complaints were received last year and how it compares to previous years. Mr. Rhode states they get about one or two a year, they had one get to mediation last year. It is very common to get complaints that get dismissed for a variety of reasons.
 
Councilmember Spence questions if this index produced through a nonprofit. Mr. Rhode states that it is a national nonprofit, the Human Rights Campaign and they are very active in the federal, state, and local levels.
 
Councilmember House asks about the status on the index given the recent executive orders. Mr. Rhode expresses he did see an article on the business side from the private sector that they do not want to submit as many applications, but he could see laws changing.
 
Councilmember Aslan asked how closely attached if the federal level and how it will be disrupted. He also agrees with the critique of one of those scores, it is one thing for a scorecard to ask for appointed leaders to have a certain status, but expresses we are not in position to out anyone and it should not be a point on a scorecard, it is up to the public as they elected us. Maybe there are things the city can do to bring more candidates forward that are LGBTQ+. Mr. Rhode states the Human Rights Campaign is a national nonprofit; he is not sure if they receive federal funding. He states that with the current federal administration and current policies he would expect to see this change in some capacity. The scorecard is meant to reflect the way life is like at a local, state, federal level. If the sate changed anything it could impact positively or negatively depending on what the change was. We learn something new with every submission, it has spurred a lot of conservations with different divisions, and it has given us an idea of what other cities are looking at.
 
Councilmember Garcia asks if he has seen anything specific to antibullying and LGBTQ+ profiling Mr. Rhode states that they look at all the areas that they can improve points, he states we did not get points on antibullying, because they want youth programs for it. However, we are working on policies that have come from the conversations we have had.
 
Councilmember Matthews asks if there are any consequence for not getting points. Mr. Rhode states there is not material consequence from this, it is a well-known national organization that publishes this, and they want cities to look at their policies. They also use the data to see where they should travel or visit. He states that we do not receive any funding from this though, so nothing is taken away.
 
Mayor states appreciate and the efforts to try and improve our standing to be a more inclusive employer.

Public Works Director Scott Overton provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:
 
SOLID WASTE PROGRAM UPDATES 2025
PROGRAM EVALUATION
 
Councilmember Matthews stated the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund shows $80,000 ahead of what we budgeted, she requests a better outlook to why it is running a deficient. Mr. Overton states staff would need to follow up on some of that information. Mr. Overton states we do not take general fund dollars, we are looking at the trends and the long-term health of the fund. These are preventive measures from an unhealthy trend we are currently seeing. Mr. Overton states taking a look at the 5-year plan does give a more holistic idea and why we might see some trouble ahead vs looking at one program.
 
PROGRAM CHANGES
HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
COMMERCIAL COLLECTIONS
BULK TRASH SERVICES
GREEN WASTE PROGRAM
SUSTAINABILITY SUPPORT
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
COUNCIL DISCUSSION
 
Vice Mayor Sweet thanks staff for looking at the efficiencies before doing a rate study. She questions bulk trash and does not want the new schedule to impact the needs or safety of the community. She is concerned about the fire impact of this and suggests to schedule a separate pine needle pick up to avoid any issues. Mr. Overton agreed.
 
Fire Battalion Chief Paul Oltrogge, states they are working with Sustainability on dates for an event in the spring. They are looking once a quarter but will continue to work with Sustainability.
 
Councilmember Aslan asked about the proposed holiday schedule. Mr. Overton states that a Monday holiday is easier, however a Thursday or end of the week holiday will need a big communication push and the community will need to watch the schedule for bins needing to be out early. We are figuring out the schedule, but the hope is that people get into habit of tuning in to communication. We also have Constant Contact that we are utilizing now. Sometimes next day service is not practicable. So by saying flex, we hope to buy some time and meet expectations.
 
Councilmember Aslan states the community really likes their bulk service. This is a service that is taken for granted and it costs a lot of money to maintain. He believes it needs to continue and we do not want people to abandon trash because they feel a like service is being taken away.
 
Mayor Daggett reminds the community that they can go to the landfill for free with their water bill.
 
Councilmember Spence asks in regard to landfill operations, if it is allowable to increase fees to commercial haulers to generate more revenue. Mr. Overton states the rate schedule is set by Council. He states a rate study will likely show a need to increase fees.
 
Councilmember Spence states that it seems like low hanging fruit, and why we need an extensive rate study for tipping fees. If commercial haulers are making profit on their business they should absorb that cost increase. Management Services Director Rick Tadder confirms there is a process to go through, but it does not have to be full rate study.  Staff could do a quick internal look, but it won’t give a full picture. It is about a 6-month process.
 
Councilmember House thanks staff for the presentation, she discusses that during the rollout of the change, she had conversations with community about why Council cut bulky pick up. They are so used to it and see the change as very major. She requests staff share how this change was communicated and why. Mr. Overton states that operationally when we started to see funding changing, we had to look at the business differently and start right sizing the operations. We had been bringing the information for budget changes, but we knew these changes had to happen to preserve the fund. For the health of the fund and the organization these were essential moves to preserve the fund.
 
Deputy City Manager Joanne Keene states discussions with the internal team regarding this, the main discussion was in December with the budget team. She states staff knows this came forward without bringing it to Council and we are here communicating now and seeing what we can communicate going forward. If we could go back, we would do it differently but going forward we want to support how we can.
 
Councilmember House appreciates the comment and states conversations have died down so she thinks we are back in the right path. She stated she lives in an apartment and does not hear the same information the management might hear. She suggested a general mailer that might be helpful to get information out. Mr. Overton stated they are discussing how to get direct messaging to people in units.
 
Councilmember Matthews states that she was in California last week and the trash was overrunning and causing risks with fires, she does not want to be saving a few pennies and putting the community at risk. She requests a meeting regarding the five-year projection, the fund is healthy so she would like to understand how that decision was She expected this to come to Council for discussion and better communication. She would like to have a more in-depth conversation on this because she still doesn’t see the solutions.
 
Councilmember Garcia thanks the team and recognizes that we still have things that are costing more money without rate increases. He asks if the number for recycling increasing or decreasing. Mr. Overton states the last rate study was in 2018 and the last rate change was 2022. Recycling has been a moving target for the city. We moved to shipping our recyclables to Phoenix, we have gone through two requests for qualifications to improve our support and rebates, and we are currently in a 3-year agreement with Freidman Recycling. They process the product and send us a rebate. That service has been uninterrupted for our residents and we utilize collections and fees to cover that program.
 
Mayor Daggett expresses dissatisfaction on finding out about this change on social media, she states she never likes being surprised so she would have liked to have that conversation six months ago. She does fully support employees having holidays off. She is concerned that residents do not understand all the services on the bill and what they all entail. She would also like to see the numbers that led to this decision and what was communicated. She states it is one thing to say there are reasons, but she wants to understand the financials. The public would have benefited from the process, and we would have benefited from knowing this was coming.

Councilmember House states she is speaking at Black Leadership summit at Northern Arizona University.
 
Councilmember Spence shares the Open Space Commission met for 3.5 hours and discussed the Observatory Mesa Plan that will coming to Council soon. He is looking forward to Transportation Commission the next day.
 
Ms. Anderson shared that the annual employee event is next week on Wednesday at the Orpheum, and invites Council to join.