Others present:  City Manager Barbara Goodrich; City Attorney Sterling Solomon.
 
Council and the audience recited the pledge of allegiance and Councilmember Salas read the mission statement.

Ms. Goodrich provided a brief report concerning the Museum fire. She indicated that a Type 1 Incident Team had been assigned and several city staff members are operating the Emergency Operation Center (EOC). City and county staff are continuing to meet with citizens in affected areas regarding fire operations, potential evacuation orders, as well as flooding concerns.
 
Fire Chief Mark Gaillard provided information about the operations at the EOC. He also discussed the damaged area and its impacts to the watershed and potential flooding. He noted that there are many people who are working to address and respond to both fire and flood mitigation issues.
 
Chief Gaillard displayed a perimeter map of the fire area.
 
He explained that there is significant concern about the communication towers in the area that facilitate a majority of communication mechanism in the city including public safety and cell phone coverage.
 
He reported that recent moisture has helped to slow the fire but there has not been a lot of progress in containment. The operation groups have built a safe perimeter around the fire. They continue to work to minimize the size of the fire but there are terrain issues that are creating challenges.
 
He stated that there has been a lot of speculation in the community about the cause of the fire and he reminded people that no cause has been determined at this point and that the investigation is ongoing.
 
Streets Director Scott Overton reported that Streets operations have been working to clear debris in flood concern areas and Parks staff has been working to establish sandbag stations. There has been a concerted team effort among all the Public Work staff to assist in whatever way they can.
 
Mr. Overton displayed and described a Flood Map of the area.
 
Stormwater staff are working to determine the possible depth, width, and velocity of the potential flows. There has been outreach to the surrounding neighborhoods about sandbag sites and assistance with protecting property. Many community groups including high school football teams, city staff, and the Department of Corrections have been helping to pre-fill sandbags so residents can just come and pick them up. There are a number of sites set up with more to come in the near future. He indicated that informational materials are being distributed on how to effectively place sandbags for optimal performance.
 
Communications Manager Jessica Drum reported that in addition to the flyers, efforts are underway with the County, the Fire Department, and other experts to develop messaging for social media on what to do, how to effectively use sandbags, and different pickup points. She stressed the importance of consistent and accurate messaging. She encouraged staff and Council to direct people to the EOC information resources. Communications staff at the City and the County are working to try and answer the questions that are coming in through social media as well.
 
Mr. Overton displayed reviewed the fire perimeter and Spruce Avenue Wash floodzone map.
 
Interim Stormwater Manager Jim Janecek provided information on potential water flows and areas of concern. He indicated that they are working closely with the Streets Section to identify and mitigate areas of concern. He indicated that that County has hired a consultant to assist in developing a model for potential flood impacts. This model will help to identify areas that are most at risk. A number of precautions are being put in place with jersey barriers, sandbags, and water filled barriers to try and protect homes from potential flooding that could be very significant.
 
Water Services Operations Manager Mark Richardson reported that Water Operations staff are working to divert water flows to nearby water reservoirs to try and keep up with the needed demand for fire operations. He discussed some potential infrastructure concerns and the measures they are taking to best protect that infrastructure as well as the service to the community. They continue to monitor the system and will respond as needed.
 
Police Chief Kevin Treadway reported that law enforcement is providing support related to evacuation, security, and traffic control. They have placed all officers on standby for a needed response outside of normal working hours. They are also engaged in a number of community notification efforts assisting with getting information out to residents and assisting in getting them set up on the emergency notification system. They continue to work closely with Public Works staff with barricades and signage for immediate response. The 911 center is running strong and there are redundant systems in place should there be outage issues. There are also systems in place that can handle significant increases in calls should the need arise.
 
Emergency Response Manager Stacey Brechler-Knaggs reported that the EOC is working 24/7 with County, NAU, ADOT, Red Cross, and other partners at the table. The team is operating well and will continue to work together to manage the emergency response. She provided a quick history of operations as follows:

• The City declared an emergency on July 22, 2019.
• The State of Arizona declared an emergency on July 23, 2019.
• The EOC was staffed starting on July 22, 2019
• The Call Center is now taking calls on flooding and response recovery.

She also reported that all costs are being tracked for future reporting and reimbursement from the state and/or federal governments.
 
Management Services Director Rick Tadder discussed the emergency procurement process and the ability to for staff to procure goods and services outside the normal procurement process when necessary. He also reported that there are some contingency funds in place to address events such as these.
 
Risk Manager Dean Coughenour reported that his department looks primarily at protecting city property and personnel. At this point there has been very little exposure. He indicated that the flooding may have the biggest impact on the organization and operations and he continues to work with Public Works and Water Services in identifying and responding to issues.
 
Ms. Goodrich indicated that the County and other local partners have been great to work with. There are several hundred beds that have been secured to house those who may need to be evacuated. The community response has been great and everyone has been extremely cooperative.
 
Council discussed further some of the details of the operations and the efforts to assist the public with their needs.