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Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously |
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| 12. |
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FUTURE AGENDA ITEM REQUESTS After discussion and upon agreement by three members of the Council, an item will be moved to a regularly-scheduled Council meeting. |
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A. |
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Future Agenda Item Request (F.A.I.R.): A Citizen Petition titled "Changing the name of Columbus Ave to an Indigenous representative name." |
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Michelle John, a teacher at Kinsey Elementary, spoke on behalf of students from Kinsey Elementary and Flagstaff High School’s Native American Club to request that Columbus Avenue be renamed to something more appropriate and reflective of the local Native community. The students had prepared a presentation for Council but were unable to attend due to weather-related cancellations. They asked to return at a future date to formally present their proposal. Ms. Keene stated that staff would coordinate a future Council meeting to include both a student presentation and a staff report. She noted that any renaming effort would consider the broader corridor, which currently includes Highway 180, Columbus Avenue, and Switzer Canyon Drive, and that staff would seek flexibility to bring back a comprehensive recommendation that better fits the community. There was requisite Council support to advance the matter to a future agenda for discussion. |
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| 13. |
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OPEN CALL TO THE PUBLIC |
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None |
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| 14. |
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INFORMATIONAL ITEMS TO/FROM MAYOR, COUNCIL, AND STAFF, AND FUTURE AGENDA ITEM REQUESTS |
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Councilmember Khara House shared that she, Vice Mayor Sweet, and Councilmember Garcia attended a recent memorial service. While there, she spoke with firefighters about concerns regarding cancer risks associated with the profession. Firefighters expressed interest in expanding cancer testing and screening resources. She noted that local firefighters would also like cancer screening to be incorporated into the City’s budget and ongoing support resources. She requested that this topic be included in future budget discussions and broader conversations about supporting the City’s fire personnel. Vice Mayor Sweet reported attending several community events over the past week. She participated in a Sunnyside Neighborhood Association meeting, along with Councilmember Garcia, where discussions focused on the neighborhood plan, the 4th Street business group, and the future redevelopment plan. She praised the group’s hard work in generating solutions and expressed her intention to become more involved in supporting their efforts. Additionally, she attended the annual I Heart Pluto festival, gave the opening remarks, and noted that it was a successful and enjoyable event she looks forward to each year. Councilmember Garcia shared upcoming engagements, including attending the Northern Arizona Hunger Action Partnership Q1 gathering on Friday and participating in the Diablo Trust 2026 annual meeting later in the day. Councilmember Matthews noted she will be attending the Mountain Line meeting and highlighted the organization Acts of Kindness for their ongoing community support. She recognized their efforts providing meals to first responders following recent tragic events and their work covering funeral and burial costs for suicide victims, services that often go unnoticed but have meaningful impact in the community. Mayor Daggett shared information about the Explore program through Arizona at Work, a paid career exploration initiative for youth facing barriers. The program targets individuals aged 16–24 who are not enrolled in school or are pursuing only a high school equivalency, and who may face challenges such as involvement with the justice system, homelessness, foster care experience, pregnancy or parenting, disability, basic skills gaps, English language learning, or low income. The program offers paid internships to help these youth develop work skills and explore career paths. She would be sharing details with Division Directors and offered to provide more information to anyone interested. She also recognized City Manager Joanne Keene as the recipient of this year’s Athena Award. Ms. Keene shared that the city has received numerous emails about train horns. Staff have been in contact with BNSF and plan to communicate with the public. The issue involves the flashing light systems at the Fanning and Steve’s crossings, not the crossings themselves, which are not triggering properly, causing trains to sound their horns more frequently. She also shared that staff is preparing for an upcoming significant snowfall. Teams are ready, and staff are coordinating both internally and with partner agencies to plan operations for the storm and the following day. |
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| 15. |
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ADJOURNMENT |
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The Regular Meeting of the Flagstaff City Council held February 17, 2026, adjourned at 4:31 p.m. |