Others present:  City Manager Barbara Goodrich; City Attorney Sterling Solomon.

Councilmember McCarthy offered thoughts and comments regarding Veteran’s Day.
 
Alida Pfeil addressed Council requesting that the use of emergency funds for businesses that serve the disabled and a study to evaluate the impacts of minimum wage on the community be added to a future City Council agenda.
 
Shari Peralta addressed Council with concerns about the condition and striping of the accessible parking lot downtown. She also expressed concern about illegal parking in the lot as well as delivery vehicles that use the lot taking up multiple spaces.
 
Al White thanked Councilmembers Putzova and Overton for their service.

Councilmember Putzova asked about agenda item 17A and why it did not include a sound demonstration in Wheeler Park. Ms. Goodrich explained that additional information was received from the consultant concerning the study and staff felt that Council should have that information in advance of the ordinance. The sound demonstration is moving through the F.A.I.R. process and has not received Council direction yet.
 
Councilmember McCarthy offered, with regard to agenda item 17B, that it would be interesting to get an overview of the state laws on tobacco and alcohol as well as other communities that have similar ordinances.
 
Councilmember Odegaard requested that information regarding the average billing be included for agenda item 15A. Vice Mayor Whelan added that she would like to have additional information about the drainage study and information about how the growth assumptions are determined.

Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Director Trace Ward addressed Council with a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:
 
2017-18 VISITOR INTERCEPT STUDY
LAST VISITOR STUDY
ECONOMIC IMPACT
            TOP 3 EXPENDITURES
VISITOR PROFILE
DESTINATION DRIVERS
TOP ACTIVITIES
VISITOR ORIGIN
 
Vice Mayor Whelan asked if the City advertises in Canada. Mr. Ward indicated that advertising is done in Canada and it is a mature market that is very familiar with Flagstaff.
 
Mayor Evans asked about the top three expenditures and what those equate to in BBB dollars and how those funds are used. Mr. Ward stated that BBB taxes are about $8.5 million currently and about 30% goes back into advertising.
 
Mayor Evans asked if there is a specific plan in downtown to expand and if not she suggested that the City could work with the Downtown Business Alliance (DBA) and NAU to develop a five-year plan to move the downtown forward and evaluate the economic impact of the area.
 
The Council asked Downtown Business Alliance Executive Director Terry Madeksza to come forward and speak to the Council.
 
Vice Mayor Whelan asked if Ms. Madeksza is able see expanding the downtown south of the tracks. Ms. Madeksza indicated that the DBA is looking to work with the residents and businesses in the southside to help them organize. The DBA will serve more as facilitators and hope that they can see some synergy and development of the area.
 
Mayor Evans asked if the downtown has a strategic plan. Ms. Madeksza offered that there is not currently a strategic plan in place but the current work plan is to work with community partners to form one, three, and five year plans.
 
The Council thanked Mr. Ward and the CVB staff for the work they are doing to bring people to Flagstaff.

Regulatory Compliance Section Director Steve Camp addressed Council and provided PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:
 
ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE PLAN – PRETREATMENT AND STORMWATER
WHY NOW?
WHAT WILL IT DO?
ELEMENTS OF AN ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE PLAN
ESCALATING ENFORCEMENT
INSPECTION REPORT
NOTICE OF VIOLATION OR CORRECTIVE ACTION
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER
ADMINISTRATIVE FINES/CIVIL PENALTIES
HOW WILL THE BE ENFORCED?
WHO DOES THIS HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL TO IMPACT?
ERP OUTREACH TO COMMUNITY
TITLE 7 AND 12 CODE CHANGES
WHAT CHANGES TO CODE?
 
Councilmember McCarthy noted that the documents have a lot of acronyms and suggested that it may be helpful if those are spelled out more often throughout the document.

Parking Manager John Portillo addressed Council and provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following
 
PARKFLAG UPDATE
UPDATE
PARKFLAG ORGANIZATION
WHY MANAGE PARKING?
GRAPHIC JURISDICTION
PARKFLAG SERVICE AREA
RESIDENTIAL PARKING
AMBASSADORSHIP
PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ROLE
TRAFFIC CODE AND ENFORCEMENT
ENFORCEMENT
 
Vice Mayor Whelan asked about the training the Parking Aides receive with regards to working with people. Mr. Portillo stated that the Police Department provides the training.
 
Mr. Portillo continued.
 
MANAGED PARKING RESOURCES
MORE THAN KIOSKS
RESIDENTIAL PERMIT PARKING PROGRAM
RESIDENTIAL OUTREACH
 
Councilmember Barotz commented on the signage for parking asking if the value of community visibility is being compromised to achieve correct parking. She suggested a reconsideration of the signage to be clearer and more inclusive of the community aesthetic.
 
PARKFLAG FINANCIALS
PARKING SPECIAL REVENUE FUND
OPERATING REVENUE VS. EXPENSES
 
Mayor Evans asked if the operating revenue is for a parking garage. Mr. Portillo indicated that initially it is for surface parking but later may be applied to a parking garage. Community Investment Director David McIntire explained that a parking garage is expensive, sometimes up to $25,000 per space. $300,000 is more than what was there in the beginning but not enough to get to a parking garage yet.
 
Councilmember McCarthy asked about the revenues put into the lockbox and if they were lower this period due to start-up costs. Mr. McIntire indicated that the amount is based on revenues and the expenses do not limit those revenues. Because there was a soft start with no fines for the first few months for an education opportunity; it is anticipated that the numbers will increase.
 
Councilmember Putzova suggested that including a balance sheet would be more helpful to understand the disposition of revenue and expenses.
 
Mr. Portillo concluded the presentation.
 
RESOURCES VS. EXPENDITURES/USES
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
EMERGING EFFORTS
FUTURE DECISION MAKING
POSSIBLE POLICY CHANGES
SPONSORED PARKING (SYSTEM SHUT DOWN)
OPT-IN AND OPT-OUT
CURRENT POLICY – OPT-IN
OPT-OUT
 
The following individuals addressed Council in support of ParkFlag:

• David Stephens
• Dave Stilley
• Terry Madeksza
• John VanLandingham
• Tim Kinney
• Maury Herman
• Deborah Harris
• Adam Shimoni

The following comments were received:

• There have been some challenges and rough spots to refine but the program has made downtown better.
• I take the opportunity to stop and assist and be an ambassador to those using the system.
• People from out of town have no problem paying for parking, they are used to it and expect it.
• I want to express my enthusiasm and optimism of the program.
• There are complaints but there is an overwhelming support from the community because the problem is being addressed.
• The success to this point was not anticipated, it is much better than expected.
• ParkFlag is working, it is providing available parking for visitors.
• Revenues are being set aside for future supplemental parking.
• Better education of the local population is needed as to why ParkFlag exists.
• Shutting down the system should only happen during slower times to encourage more people to come downtown.
• The system was designed to be flexible to the needs of the community.
• ParkFlag meets monthly to discuss operational changes and how to better engage and encourage the public.
• Things needed are a validation program as well as a loading and delivery policy.
• Thank you to City staff, they have done an admirable job.
• There is a dedicated revenue stream to work towards the goal of a garage, that will be a huge relief to the community.
• A lot of great work has been done and it is apparent that things will continue to get better.
• The program is working well in downtown and should be extended to the Southside to address the major issues of people parking in the neighborhoods.
• The parking issue needs to be addressed through more bus and park and ride opportunities.
• It would be helpful if there were more opportunities to use cash for parking.

Written comment cards in support of ParkFlag were submitted by Sherra Lyon and David Stephens.
 
Mayor Evans thanked staff for their work. She indicated that there is still an issue in the Southside. She would like to see the City work with shareholders to identify possible solutions. A neighborhood adjacent to a major university needs to have a parking program in place. There are no sidewalks and curbs so there are other issues complicating things.
 
Mayor Evans expressed the need for a policy for shutting down the meters. It is important that the fund remain whole so if the Council decides to shut down the meters for an event the City needs to cover those costs. She also suggested that more cash opportunities should be available and better signage may be helpful to people trying to find appropriate parking.
 
Councilmember Odegaard indicated that his interaction with a downtown business owner has been positive and they feel that ParkFlag has been very responsive and accommodating. He stressed the importance of constructing a garage for the downtown area. He also suggested doing more outreach to the local community to encourage them to continue coming downtown. Additionally, people need to know where they should go to ask questions and get information rather than coming to City Council; better education to that regard would be helpful.
 
Councilmember Putzova echoed the request for additional kiosks that accept cash and that appropriate signage be assigned to those kiosks.
 
Councilmember McCarthy stated that neighborhoods are having difficulty going through the process to set up a local parking area. Much of this difficulty is coming from an inability to get the 50% plus one of homeowners to opt-in because many homes are not owner occupied. He suggested looking at alternative ways that neighborhoods may be able to create these types of districts.

Vice Mayor Whelan stated that she would like to withdraw the item as she believes that the systems within the community are providing this support.
 
A majority of Council agreed to withdraw the item.

Councilmember Putzova complimented the Flagstaff Coconino County Library for their social media outreach and keeping residents informed. She is impressed with the activities at the library and keeping them visible to the public.
 
Vice Mayor Whelan requested a F.A.I.R. item for Council to have a brainstorming session about how to keep Flagstaff’s diverse population, especially those who rely on the community for their shelter and basic needs.
 
Vice Mayor Whelan requested a second F.A.I.R. item to discuss data tracking on the impacts of minimum wage.
 
Councilmember Odegaard requested that the Streets Section follow up on the parking lot striping issues brought up during Public Participation.
 
Councilmember Odegaard also reported that he attended a Veteran’s Celebration at the American Legion and stated that he would like the City to have a more robust recognition of veterans.
 
Ms. Goodrich recognized Capital Improvements Engineer Bret Peterson and Housing Manager Justyna Costa who recently graduated from the Certified Public Manager Program.
 
Mayor Evans stated that she would like to see how businesses that leave the city are tracked, why they are leaving, and how many employees they are taking from Flagstaff.
 
Mayor Evans indicated that she would like to discuss the addition of accessible parking spaces on the east side of town.