Others present: Acting City Manager Barbara Goodrich and City Attorney Sterling Solomon.

Moved By Councilmember Scott Overton, seconded by Councilmember Jim McCarthy to approve the minutes of Special Meeting (Executive Session) of March 14, 2018.

Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously

Mayor Evans opened the public hearing for both applications.

Sargent Seay introduced both HuHot Mongollian Grill and Flagstaff General Store applications.
 
There being no public comment, Mayor Evans closed the public hearing.

Moved By Councilmember Scott Overton, seconded by Councilmember Eva Putzova to forward the applications of HuHot Mongolian Grill and Flagstaff General Store to the State with a recommendation of approval.

Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously

Moved By Councilmember Jim McCarthy, seconded by Vice Mayor Jamie Whelan to approve Agreement CFRA 02-0733-18 with the Arizona Department of Forestry & Fire Management.

Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously

Mr. Solomon addressed Council stating that the amendment is simply to extend the deadline to June 30, 2018. There are no other amendments to the Pre-Development Agreement.

Moved By Councilmember Charlie Odegaard, seconded by Vice Mayor Jamie Whelan to authorize the City Manager to sign the Third Amendment to the P3 Pre-development Agreement to extend the term to June 30, 2018.

Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously

Development Engineer Gary Miller provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:

WIRELESS FACILITIES WITHIN THE ROW APPLICATION AND USE FEES
SMALL WIRELESS FACILITY
HISTORY
ARS SECTION 9-591 ET SEQ
FEES FOR SWF
FEES FOR MONOPOLES
WHERE DO THESE FEES GO?

Vice Mayor Whelan stated that the fees charged for one to five sites is $100 each and six to 26 sites is $50 each. The rate structure is encouraging more sites because of the cheaper rate. Mr. Miller stated that unfortunately, the fees in the schedule are a direct quote from the state legislation and there is not ability for adjustment.

Moved By Councilmember Charlie Odegaard, seconded by Councilmember Jim McCarthy to read Resolution No. 2018-17 by title only.

Vote: 5 - 2

NAY:

Councilmember Eva Putzova
Vice Mayor Jamie Whelan

Moved By Councilmember Charlie Odegaard, seconded by Councilmember Jim McCarthy to adopt Resolution No. 2018-17.

Vote: 5 - 2

NAY:

Councilmember Eva Putzova
Vice Mayor Jamie Whelan

Others present: Acting City Manager Barbara Goodrich and City Attorney Sterling Solomon.

Marilyn Weissman addressed Council in appreciation for the conversation about Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement. She encouraged the Council to work with other bordering cities and states to try and resolve the issue.
 
Andy Fernandez addressed Council concerning the format of the City website and the removal of the public participation section at the end of the meeting.

Mayor Evans announced that this will be a continuation of the public hearing from March 6, 2018.
 
Current Planning Manager Tiffany Antol addressed Council stating that after an appeal was filed on both Conditional Use Permits (CUP) for building height and rooming and boarding facility, the applicant withdrew both of their CUPs. The applicant submitted a new site plan and while the overall intensity has been reduced, staff needs time to review the revised submittal. Staff should be able to do the review within the next week.
 
The applicant, Walter Crutchfield with Vintage Partners addressed Council. He stated that on March 6, 2018 they heard concern about the height of the building, intensities and types of uses. That evening they began working on a new design that could work with those concerns in mind. They were extremely proud of what was initially submitted and feel that it would draw people out of the neighborhoods. They are also good partners and their intention is to listen and respond to the concerns of the community and they feel the new submittal accomplishes that.
 
Councilmember Barotz asked if there was any consideration to the impact to the Police and Fire Department operations. Mr. Crutchfield stated that they are approaching those issues through the Crime-Free Multi-Family Plan as well as providing onsite security.
 
Architect Daniel Gehman provided an overview of the changes to the project. In the previous design, there was approximately 25,000 square feet of retail space and the building was five stories above the retail. In the new design, the retail was removed and in its place, are 21 one-bedroom market style apartments. Approximately 14 units from the southside building were removed to fit the height requirement. The retail pads along Milton remain as does the surface parking for that retail. He further reviewed the specifics of the changes within the architectural drawings.
 
Councilmember McCarthy stated that the building articulates in an out and he feels that it is a good element; it is a big building and that articulation breaks it up a little.
 
Councilmember Putzova stated that in addition to height, the Council also talked about mass. She asked why mass of the building was not considered for alteration in response to the feedback. Mr. Gehman offered that the removal of an entire story does address mass and the ins and outs of the structures help give the illusion of different buildings. The mass is in compliance with the Zoning Code and is highly articulated along University and Beulah. Vintage’s Attorney Carolyn Oberholtzer added that the parking garage is very large and to visually screen that is challenging, there are only so many ways to break up a garage without increasing surface parking.
 
Mr. Crutchfield stated that they are seeing a trend with seniors being mixed in with student housing. There is an effort to take advantage of what seniors bring and place that alongside students. One of the things they are looking at is how to bring other housing uses into the project. The 21 one-bedroom, one-bathroom units aid in this attempt and can hopefully attract senior renters.
 
Councilmember Barotz asked how Vintage can commit to include diversity in housing types. Mr. Crutchfield stated that the CUP is key for student housing and by them removing that element it will hopefully attract a more diverse population. Ms. Oberholtzer stated that one of the elements of the 21 units is their accessibility. There are dedicated entrances that make them more accessible and a character that appeals to a different resident.
 
Councilmember Barotz asked what the total unit count of the project is. Ms. Oberholtzer offered that it is 348 doors and is a net reduction of 50 beds.
 
Councilmember Putzova asked if there is going to be reclaimed water brought to the site to be used. Ms. Oberholtzer indicated no because there is not the infrastructure capacity to handle it. There is not reclaimed water in the vicinity and the infrastructure is lacking. Councilmember Putzova stated that there is reclaimed water on the NAU campus and asked if there is an opportunity there. Ms. Antol stated that there is a significant amount of infrastructure that would be required to pump water up into multi-story buildings and it would be necessary to make sure adequate amounts of water are available. Water Services Director Brad Hill stated that one of the things that needs to be done before taking on additional High Occupancy Housing is to evaluate the current infrastructure and supply. The system is not set up to do significant amounts of internal water use at high peak demand. Evaluation is needed on what that peak demand would look like and if the water coming in is adequate to accommodate future. NAU is on its own water system and provider so the City would not connect into a system other than its own.
 
Councilmember Odegaard asked about the security that is being provided. Mr. Crutchfield stated that the City has a Crime Free Multi-Family plan that has been put in place and it has been significantly utilized in a way that has cut down on calls and issues. Ms. Oberholtzer added that the CUP required two stipulations which were to participate in the Crime Free Multi-Family plan as well as provide a security plan for the project. While the CUPs were withdrawn, Vintage will include those two stipulations in the Development Agreement.
 
Mayor Evans stated that most multi-family units use the Crime Free Multi-Family plan and she does not believe that the City requires a multi-family unit to have security plans. Planning Director Dan Folke agreed and stated that he is not sure how many multi-family units have a security plan; he has reviewed security plans but generally, there is no requirement and staff encourages the property to participate in the crime free program, it is really about the management and their response to protecting their property with security. Mr. Folke added that the City does collect police and fire impact fees to maintain the level of service provided.
 
Vice Mayor Whelan asked how many of the 18.11 acres are zoned Rural Residential. Ms. Antol stated that it is just over nine acres. Vice Mayor Whelan offered thanks to the developer for hearing the community and their willingness to switch things up. This project is another piece to look at attainable housing and moving different populations in different areas in the community. She will be in support of the rezone.
 
Mr. Solomon stated that senior housing was brought up and while it has been discussed it is not included in the Development Agreement. There has been no research on the topic and if Council would like to ask the developer to provide more information the Council has the ability to do that.
 
Mr. Crutchfield added that they do not know all the aspects of the senior option but with the one-bedroom, one-bathroom units with a street scape, they are committed to figuring out how it may be included in the Development Agreement. He would like to see it preserved in perpetuity because things change.
 
Councilmember McCarthy added that when the project is completed it will be a big input into the City sales tax and that will infuse capital into the budget to assist Police and Fire.
 
The following individuals addressed Council in support of the project:

• Rick Lopez
• Adam Shimoni
• Jeff Meilbeck

The following comments were received:

• This is a good project but it is not as great as the original design.
• I would much rather look at a tall building that is spectacular then a small building that is nothing special.
• It is great to see the City and Developer working together.
• I would like to see all residents of the project get a bus pass.
• The community needs more time to digest, slow the action down just a bit to provide time for review by the public.
• Appreciative of Vintage’s willingness to work with the community.
• The project is important to the community.
• There is benefit to having high occupancy housing near campus.
• NAIPTA would like to see bus only lanes on University and on Beulah, which is something that is discussed in the Development Agreement for a later time.
• NAIPTA is willing to partner financially to do the Beulah bus only lanes right now.

The following individuals addressed Council in opposition of the project:

• Marilyn Weissman
• Charlie Silver
• Andy Fernandez

The following comments were received:

• The Council has the ability to create a project they can be happy about.
• The new design just is not quite there yet.
• Consider what the Council wants Milton to look like in the future and see if this project meets the test.
• Vintage will be marketing to students and the development will be managed by a student housing agency even though they are not renting by the room managed.
• There are issues that come with student housing.
• The High Occupancy Housing Plan calls for massive buildings like this to be broken up and interact with their surroundings.
• Review the High Occupancy Housing Plan and evaluate if this project conforms to and reflects the values in the plan.
• This project does not reflect community values
• This is no longer a mixed-use project; it should have two separate zones Highway Commercial on Milton and High Density Housing behind that.
• The Council should not permit a zoning type that will not be used on the property.
• It would have been helpful to have a preview of the new site plan.
• Height has been addressed but nothing regarding the building and its span.
• There should be a monetary contribution to a City fund for the compensation of non-project generated tax dollars to provide public safety services to this project until the project is generating tax dollars on its own.
• The project should address the community need for diversity in housing.
• The commercial has been removed from the main building, now it appears to be a single use building. High Density Residential zoning is more appropriate now.
• City Council has discretionary power now, please make sure the project is representative of the community request.
• The City keeps changing the zoning for the preference of developers.

The following individuals submitted written comment cards, one in support of the project and one in opposition of the project:

• Monica Polingyonmh
• Ryan Richardson

Mayor Evans suggested continuing the public hearing portion to a date certain. She believes that the Council can go ahead and do a first read tonight if they choose.
 
Councilmember Putzova stated that she does not think the Council should have the first reading now. Staff and Council has not had a chance to review the new site plan and also because it is a zoning case and findings have to be made. She does not feel that she is able to make findings tonight without further review. It would be better for everyone to wait another two weeks to allow everyone time to digest the information and vote on thoughtful considerations.
 
A break was held from 7:20 p.m. through 7:25 p.m.
 
Councilmember McCarthy stated that he appreciates that it is worthwhile to have more time but the developer has a timeline to work from as well. He is comfortable with the first read tonight because there will be plenty of time until the second read for issues, concerns and challenges to be worked out.
 
Councilmember Odegaard thanked Vintage for listening to the Council and to the community. This is a project that he would like to vote yes on but he does have concerns with moving forward with a first read tonight because there has not been enough time to review.
 
Councilmember Overton indicated that he was prepared to make the findings at the last meeting. There is significant public benefit with this project and all the elements that come with it. There is always some ebb and flow between first and second reading. This is a public/private partnership that was complicated early on with a lot of moving parts. The difficult element along the way was that Council did not have a feel for the final design until now. It is admirable that the developer made these changes in such a short amount of time and maintained the overall community benefit and the elements it needed. As a good faith partner, it is in the City’s interest to show good faith and move forward with a first read. There will be three weeks to work out final details before the final read.
 
Councilmember McCarthy stated that the new proposal is not much different from the first and he feels there is a good chance to evaluate the project before final read.

Moved By Councilmember Eva Putzova, seconded by Councilmember Celia Barotz to recess into Executive Session for legal advice.

Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously

Council recessed into Executive Session at 7:39 p.m. and reconvened into Regular Session at 7:52 p.m.

Moved By Mayor Coral J. Evans, seconded by Councilmember Charlie Odegaard to continue the Public Hearing to April 17, 2018.

Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously

Moved By Councilmember Jim McCarthy, seconded by Councilmember Scott Overton to read Ordinance No. 2018-13 by title only for the first time and include amending the date in the enactments to read April 17, 2018.

Vote: 4 - 2

NAY:

Councilmember Celia Barotz
Councilmember Eva Putzova

Other:

Councilmember Charlie Odegaard (ABSTAIN)

Mr. Solomon clarified that an abstention vote is a yes vote.

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FLAGSTAFF AMENDING THE FLAGSTAFF ZONING MAP TO REZONE APPROXIMATELY 18.11 ACRES OF REAL PROPERTY GENERALLY LOCATED AT 1801 S MILTON ROAD FROM THE RURAL RESIDENTIAL (RR) AND PUBLIC FACILITY (PF) ZONES TO THE HIGHWAY COMMERCIAL (HC) ZONE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MIXED-USE PROJECT.

Councilmember Barotz stated that the reason for her no vote is because she is unable to make the findings at this time and she is unable to find that the proposed zoning change will not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience or welfare of the city and will add to the public good as described in the General Plan. She will elaborate in more detail at the second reading.
 
Councilmember Putzova stated that she too, will elaborate on her no vote at the next read but she needs more time to review the changes.
 
Councilmember Overton thanked staff for their excellent staff summary and the detail that they provided. It pulled information from the Regional Plan, the High Occupancy Housing Plan and listed all the pros and cons to the project. He does believe that the pros far outweigh the detriments.
 
Mayor Evans stated that the Council will have the final read before them at the meeting on April 17, 2018. The public hearing has been continued and the public can provide comments at the April 17, 2018 meeting as well.
 
Councilmember McCarthy asked about the offer from NAIPTA to provide some funding for the bus only lanes on Beulah now. He asked if that is something that can be included in the process now or if it is a separate issue. Community Development Director Mark Landsiedel stated that the offer from NAIPTA is a generous one but there is concern that if the City were to use those funds it would federalize the project. It is possible to consider options to phase it in so that threshold is not crossed.

Mayor Evans opened the public hearing.

Management Services Director Rick Tadder addressed Council stating that a public hearing is required to complete a biennial audit of the City's land use assumptions, infrastructure improvements plan and development fees. The audit report addresses three exceptions; these exceptions do not show any significant or material weaknesses in the City's collection of development fees. The first exception is provided to present variances from the adopted plan’s assumptions in growth projections. This is just a comparison of what was estimated and what was actually collected. The second exception explains that there was one fee calculation that did not match the adopted plan. In that instance, a refund was issued to the customer and a process has been put in place to reduce the chance of it happening again. The third exception states that the City has not budgeted or expended any of the fees that have been collected on the current plan.

Mr. Tadder explained that there is no action to be taken on the item and the full report is available online for viewing. 

Councilmember Odegaard asked about the un-expended impact fees that have been collected and if there is a timeframe for those fees to be used. Mr. Tadder explained that the statement in the report is simply indicating that the monies have not been spent yet, there is a ten year time frame for the City to expend those funds.

Councilmember Overton stated that the City did not collect the anticipated amount because growth had not kept up with projections. The City is growing but it is still behind in the projections. It is important that the City not overestimate the projections and how growth is calculated so there is not a dependence on monies that may not materialize. Mr. Tadder explained that part of the regulations require re-evaluation and staff will be coming to Council next year to do that and make any necessary adjustments.

There being no public comment, Mayor Evans closed the public hearing.

Assistant to the City Manager Caleb Blaschke introduced Federal Lobbyist Bob Holmes who
was present via telephone. Mr. Blaschke provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:
 
FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE TRIP TO WASHINGTON D.C. REPORT
FLAGSTAFF REPRESENTATIVES
CONGRESSWOMAN MARTHA MCSALLY
CONGRESSMAN O’HALLERAN
CONGRESSMAN GRIJALVA
SENATOR MCCAIN
SENATOR FLAKE
CONGRESSWOMAN SINEMA
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
HUD
APPOINTMENTS – CANCELLED
WESTERN CAUCUS – CONGRESSMAN GOSAR
FOLLOW-UP
SPECIAL THANKS TO BOB AND ANA – FLAGSTAFF LOBBYISTS

Mayor Evans stated that the weather caused the groups flights to be cancelled on the way out of Washington D.C. They were able to get a vehicle to drive to Ohio and fly home. She offered thanks to Mr. Blaschke, Deputy City Manager Shane Dille, Executive Assistant to Mayor and Council Erin Ulloa and Administrative Specialist Jason Cook for their efforts in coordinating the multiple changes in flights, hotels, and transportation.
 
Mr. Holmes stated that it was a great trip but he was disappointed that there were weather challenges.
 
Mr. Holmes left the meeting and Mr. Blaschke introduced State Lobbyist Richard Travis who was present via telephone and provided an update on state issues.
 
Mr. Travis provided the following update:
 
HB2266 – will not be progressing and will likely become a striker.
 
SCR1034 – INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION; MEMBERSHIP – passed the Senate and will be considered by the House Government Committee on March 15, 2018. If it passes the House, the measure will be referred to the ballot. The sticking point appears to be the population variations. The proposal is to take it from a 10% to 2% variation. Democrats and other groups are trying to keep that at 10%. It is harder to keep rural districts at a reasonable size without a variation. It is expected to pass on a party line vote on March 22, 2018.
 
BUDGET UPDATE - revenues are increasing better than projected and there is still a lot of discussion about how to make HURF whole. This is making the discussion about the Veterans home easier. Mr. Blaschke added that there will be a more thorough discussion at the meeting next week.
 
SAFE SCHOOLS PROGRAM – the Governor released a safe schools program. There is still discussion about what to do with gun safety around that proposal. The big sticking point is background checks and what to do about the gun show exceptions. Those discussions continue and it may be until the end of session to see if a deal can be struck on those. The tenor and tone and direction on gun issues is completely different than what it has been over previous sessions.
 
PROP 301 – this will provide 6/10 of one cent to education with almost all going to K-12. The current tax will expire in 2020. The debate is whether that should be renewed by referring something to the ballot or if it is something that can be done by the legislature in a bill. If done by the legislature it would be considered a tax increase and require a ¾ majority vote.
 
Vice Mayor Whelan asked if there is any sense what Governor Ducey is thinking about the Hopi Land Settlement. Mr. Travis explained that he does not know but can do some follow up with the Governor’s staff.
 
Councilmember Odegaard asked about SB1392 regarding digital goods. Mr. Travis explained that the bill is not dead but it is very ill and he does not see it going through this session. There is an ongoing Supreme Court case that is dealing with the issue. Once complete, the legislature will know what they can and cannot do in regard to digital goods.

Mr. Solomon addressed Council and stated that the City Code currently provides a smoke free air requirement for public places. The issue with including vaping is that the code calls out lighting elements and vaping is not lighted. The ask is if Council would like to go forward and give direction to staff to draft the ordinance to include vaping.
 
The following individuals addressed Council in support of including vaping restrictions in the City Code:

• Nevaen Nez
• Anastacia Dougi

The following comments were received:

• Thank you for considering the use of electronic cigarettes in public places.
• Exposure to vapors has become a health issue.
• These products allow the user to inhale aerosol containing nicotine and other harmful substances.
• Vapor contains formaldehyde which is known to cause cancer.
• The vapor has been proven to cause asthma and respiratory infections in children and adults.
• Nicotine is in second hand vapor.
• People do not want to be exposed to these harmful substances.
• Second hand vapor has not been proven safe.
• Some of the flavorings used in e-cigarettes contain harmful substances that cause adverse health effects.
• E-cigarettes are addictive.

Mr. Solomon explained that there will likely be other products in the future and as long as it produces smoke that can be inhaled by others it will be now be covered in the code.
 
Councilmember McCarthy stated that he wants to do this; it is a health issue and a technicality in the Code. The law needs to be clarified so there is no confusion.
 
A majority of Council was supportive of moving forward with drafting a resolution.

Management Services Director Rick Tadder provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:
 
STORMWATER UTILITY SERVICE CHARGE INCREASE
OVERVIEW
COUNCIL DIRECTION
 
Stormwater Manager Chris Kirkendall continued the presentation.
 
STORMWATER PRIORITIES
STORMWATER TOP 10 PRIORITIES
 
Councilmember Putzova asked what source of revenue paid for stormwater projects prior to 2007. Utilities Director Brad Hill explained that in 2003 the utility was created and he would speculate that the general fun supported those efforts.
 
Councilmember Odegaard asked if the Wildwood Hills project was going to happen with current funding. Mr. Kirkendall responded absolutely, the project is currently under design and there is every intention to move forward with construction.
 
Mr. Odegaard stated that something different needs to be created if things are to be done in a reasonable time.
 
Mr. Tadder continued.
 
RATE INCREASE SCENARIOS
RATE SCENARIOS AND IMPACTS
 
Councilmember Putzova asked if the money collected gets invested for interest rate growth. Mr. Tadder stated that any unspent cash is invested per the City practices. The fund balance is invested regularly. Councilmember Putzova requested additional information about how the interest factors into the stormwater rate. Mr. Tadder explained that this information is high level, staff did not want to do a full rate analysis until there was direction from Council.
 
REVENUE VS TIMING OF NEED
STORMWATER RATE SCHEDULE
TIMELINE FOR AN INCREASE
 
Councilmember Overton asked how this affects the credit manual side of the stormwater fee. Mr. Tadder stated that with the credit manual, users still get the credits that are available and when he did the analysis he did a basic analysis of the ERUs that are billed out monthly which included credits. Mr. Kirkendall added that the credit manual works on percentages based on what mitigation is being used on a site. If today’s code is met there is a 20% discount.
 
Councilmember Putzova asked what the strategy is to deal with the cash flow issue at years eight and above. Mr. Tadder stated that he would look at a minimum rate of 14 years at $2.30. The reason for that is as the City goes forward to a point where it needs match money for a project the Council can decide at that time if there is another option for financing.
 
Councilmember Odegaard stated that he is not interested right now. He is open to look at what it would take to fund some of those projects individually.
 
Rick Lopez addressed Council stating that he is not supportive of a rate increase. An increase is especially challenging for Low Income Tax Credit Housing projects; because they are rent controlled, those fees have to be absorbed by the project, further increasing their costs. Additionally, the federal government has not provided funding for the Rio de Flag, there is no money forthcoming and the project keeps getting more and more expensive.
 
Mayor Evans stated that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. There is no projection as to when and if the federal government will fund the Rio de Flag project. Regardless there is a $1 billion problem that the City needs to figure out. If a plan had been developed at the beginning stages, the project could have been done by now at a significantly less cost. It comes down to how the City is going to raise the money necessary to address the issue.
 
Mr. Solomon stated that the stormwater fee applies to all capital projects it just so happens that the Rio de Flag is the first on the list.
 
Mayor Evans stated that they heard in Washington D.C. that the Army Corp of Engineers is working on completing the 100% design; the frustration is that the design should have already been done and it will likely take another year for completion. There is also an 80% match required from the City for construction. It is entirely possible that the Army Corp completes 100% design and then asks the City for a $36 million match.
 
Councilmember Putzova stated that the stormwater fee is the right strategy to raise funds for stormwater projects. That is the path forward she would like to see. This is a fee for infrastructure to protect property owners and she would choose the 10 to 12-year option.
 
Councilmember Barotz suggested that the City contact risk management at the State regarding participation in the project. The president of the Arizona Board of Regents was not aware of the challenge and she was provided information from the community about what is involved.
 
Councilmember McCarthy suggested going with the rate increase associated with the ten year option.
 
Vice Mayor Whelan agreed that the City needs to move forward with or without the Army Corp. She has been in contact with people at NAU and they are interested in coming together with NAU engineers and be involved with project design. She would suggest going with the ten year amount right now and maybe down the road supplement the fund with something else. There are people in the community that want to help move this forward; it is time they are invited to do so.
 
Mr. Solomon again stated that the fee options include the all stormwater projects.
 
Councilmember Overton stated that the Rio de Flag is the priority in the current program and it will suck up a majority of the revenue stream. It is a $36 million ask of the community without voter approval. The community is not always welcome of a fee increase such as this and he thinks there will be a lot of push back from the public. He stated that he has never seen Council adopt fees like this regardless of importance. These are the steepest increases that Council has tried to push through.
 
Councilmember Barotz asked if Council could go to the voters for a stormwater fee. Mr. Solomon stated that he would need to do some research on that option.
 
Councilmember Putzova stated that she is not supportive of going to the voters on this. The Council needs to take political responsibility to act and educate the public and explain why this is an important fee.
 
A majority of Council is in support of moving forward with a potential stormwater service charge rate increase to fund capital projects.

Moved By Councilmember Scott Overton, seconded by Councilmember Charlie Odegaard to continue the meeting, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously

Vice Mayor Whelan reported that she is working on a new committee with NACOG regarding transportation and the Passenger Transportation Study.

Vice Mayor Whelan also headed the Alliance meeting and one piece of concern was the Census coming up in 2020. Everyone is working together to make sure the count is done well.

Vice Mayor Whelan requested a FAIR to review and possibly repeal or amend the wildlife feeding ordinance.

Councilmember Odegaard stated that it is important to have the right amount of public safety personnel in the community. He intervened in a fight at a gas station caused by someone being intoxicated. The police were called but they waited for quite awhile before an officer arrived. He would like Council to consider this at the upcoming budget retreat. Councilmember McCarthy agreed stating that there needs to be conversation about increasing the number of first responders.

Mayor Evans reported that she did a ride along with Meals on Wheels, they always enjoy guest appearances and it was a fun day. She also had lunch that same day with seniors at the Peaks; the same meals that were delivered throughout the community are served at the Peaks. It was a great experience and she encouraged Council to check it out.

The Regular Meeting of the Flagstaff City Council held on February 20, 2018, adjourned at 9:41 p.m.